Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. Apple iPad : comparison sheet
Gadget addicts, look up!: in the ongoing IFA electronics show in Berlin, the much-talked about so far has been the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung’s Android-powered tablet which is now touted to be the closest competitor to the earlier-released Apple iPad.
Samsung Galaxy Tab isn’t available locally yet (so we might as well hold our horses) but it’s worthwhile to compare the two, based on Samsung Galaxy Tab vs Apple iPad specifications. Unless iPad upgrades itself to include more features, looks like it’s Samsung FTW!!
Screen:
SGT – 7-inch TFT LCD with 1024×600 pixel resolution
iPad – 9.7-inch LED glossy widescreen display with 1024×768 pixel resolution
Camera:
iPad – none
Samsung Galaxy Tab – 3MP AF camera with LED Flash, 1.3MP front camera for video calls
Calling ability:
Refer to above. SGT allows one to make video calls, while iPad doesn’t. This also means that next generation iPad might have the feature as well.
Marketmanila takes a blogging break
Something picked up from my Google Reader: Marketmanila, one of the Philippines’ top food blogs, is going on an indefinite sabbatical. ” I have decided to take a month or two off, and when that time has passed, decide whether to return to blogging about food on a much less active basis or to call it quits for good,” said the Marketman.
In five years, Marketmanila’s stats are certainly impressive, with 2,700 posts logged and an Alexa traffic rank of 73,942 (which effectively puts it among the top 73,000++ websites in the world). I am truly amazed at the number of blog posts he’s written because in my five years of blogging, I’ve only made 1,001 posts and I feel I’ve worked like a carabao already.:D I guess that when you pursue something with such a passion, blogger burnout is bound to happen. And in such a case, it is well-advised to take a much-deserved rest. It is true that we can only blog ardently at the expense of other things in life we need to do, and sometimes, difficult choices have to be made.
I’ve featured Marketmanila in my Manila Bulletin column Blog-O-Rama and while looking for it in my Gmail archives, I found it creepy that I submitted the column on September 2, 2006 (!) and four years later, on September 2, 2010, Marketman would announce his sabbatical (or not) from blogging.
Here’s the transcript of that article and email interview entitled “The Marketman’s Passion for Food”
Torque TQ800 Trinity is the first triple SIM phone, says proponent
This is a rather belated note of clarification on my previous blog post on Cherry Mobile and its triple SIM phone, Trident. The guys of Torque Mobile, notably Mr. Chris Uyco, nudged me to clarify that Torque TQ800 Trinity has the distinction of being the country’s first triple SIM phone, contrary to the claims of their close competitor.
“While Cherry mobile launched their Trident ad on July 1, Torque Mobile released its official press statement announcing the first Triple SIM phone on May 26, 2010,” said Torque, one of the newest players in the lucrative mobile phone market.
If I may offer my unsolicited advice to tech companies and their PR agents, it is always wise to conduct an email blast whenever you launch what you believe to be a revolutionary product. After all, email is FREE 
There’s no reason to be stingy or selective with this one. And bloggers like us are always in need of useful information.
Take for instance triple SIM phones. I will always be curious about them, even though I don’t see the need for one in my life. I think the whole idea is amazing, especially for people who have extensive interests and social networks.
The Torque TQ800 Trinity (Triple SIM TV + WiFi) is priced reasonably at P8,000 and should you consider buying one before the holidays, here’s its specifications:
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August 30 long weekend holiday
Much to the relief of private and government employees, Monday, August 30, has been declared a regular holiday by Malacanang to commemorate National Heroes Day. And so, everyone – who doesn’t work on Saturdays and Sundays – is once again looking forward to a long weekend holiday. This is after the August 23 holiday that some people were looking forward to didn’t materialize because Ninoy Aquino Day really is August 21.
Considering the aversion of President Noy Aquino to move actual days of a holiday to the nearest Monday, this now puts into doubt two other major holidays which Proclamation No. 1841 moves to the nearest Monday. The two coming holidays are Bonifacio Day on November 30 which falls this year on a Tuesday and December 30, Rizal Day, which falls on a Thursday. Proclamation 1841 declares that these regular holidays be observed on November 29 and December 27 instead.
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Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete crowned Miss Universe 2010
Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete was crowned Miss Universe 2010. She’s one of those whom we earlier predicted to win the crown in an earlier post (good job Ojie!)
Miss Philippines Venus Raj was acclaimed 4th runner up in the final pageant ceremony held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was a favorite in the preliminary competitions early on.
The rest of the winners: first runner-up, Miss Jamaica; second runner-up, Miss Australia; and third runner-up, Ukraine.
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Miss Universe 2010 live streaming and live telecast
Best places to watch the live streaming of the 2010 Miss Universe pageant:
The Miss Universe channel in Ustream
Miss Universe TV, simply called Miss U TV
The Official Miss Universe Youtube channel
Try also channelsurfing.net
In the US, the live teecast of Miss Universe 2010 will be aired by NBC at 9 p.m. (their time). In the Philippines, we are going to watch it at 9:30 in the morning today, August 24 on ABS-CBN with delayed evening telecast and replay on Studio 23 and the Velvet Channel. I bet the ABS-CBN coverage will have a lot of commercials again and that is why looking out for live streaming over the internet will come in handy. With the power of social media like Facebook and Twitter, I am also sure that winner of Miss Universe 2010 will be known at least an hour ahead before the official TV coverage finishes. Uh huh.
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Statement of President Noy Aquino on Quirino Grandstand hostage incident
Source: gov.ph
With the rest of the Filipino people, I wish to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were lost in the hostage situation at the Quirino Grandstand. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs has conveyed our deep feelings of sorrow to the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China and the people of Hong Kong through Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang. I have tasked Secretaries Soliman and Lim to provide everything necessary for the recovery and return home of the survivors. I have directed the fullest cooperation with the Hong Kong authorities on the part of our officials.
From the onset of this incident, the hostage-taker seemed to not be belligerent, as shown by the release of hostages. These were encouraging signs.
We were going to wait him out. The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert.
But the situation deteriorated rapidly when, during the course of the negotiations, he was given the letter of the Ombudsman in which she promised to personally review his case. As he was reading the contents of the letter, while talking to an unknown individual on the phone, he became increasingly agitated.
The presence of his brother also added to the tension.
At this point, he threatened to kill a hostage. The police decided to remove the brother from the scene. As the negotiators were departing, the negotiators were shot at.
Media coverage of his brother being taken into custody further agitated the hostage-taker.
Shots were fired. They seemed to be warning shots, as there was no audible indication of tumult or chaos to show that the hostages were in immediate danger.
Nonetheless, the negotiators tried to reestablish contact the hostage-taker but they were unsuccessful as the cellphone of the hostage-taker was continuously busy. He also refused to answer the throw-phone provided for him by the authorities.
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Manila hostage taking incident: eight dead, including hostage-taker
It’s a sad day in Manila. And a sad day for Philippine tourism too.
The Philippines will be blacklisted as a tourist destination once again as the tragedy of a tourist bus full of Hong Kong Chinese unfolds before the world. Reports said eight people have died after a prolonged 10-hour hostage crisis, including four seven tourists and the hostage- taker, dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza who hijacked the passengers because he wanted to be reinstated to the police service.
In view of the hostage taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand, the Hong Kong Security Bureau has posted an outbound travel alert to its citizens, advising them against all travel to the Philippines, which is only two hours away by plane.
It’s probably fortuitous that I am safe home today, as I work very near Quirino Grandstand, the area where the hostage-taking took place. Heck, those hapless hostages could have even been billeted in the downtown hotel where am based (will check tomorrow!) I see them busloads of tourists in the hotel lobby every week.. who would ever think it would come to this?
It’s partly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Miss Universe 2010 Top 10 candidates, according to Ojie :)
This post is dedicated to my good friend and avid beauty contest watcher Ojie Lucman who has put his bets on the top 9 candidates ( plus one from me) – any of whom (we think!) will become the next Miss Universe 2010 to be crowned at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thanks to Ojie, I am also now excited at these beauty contests, and now realized they’re a good exercise in entertainment Too bad, Ojie will not be around during the Miss Universe 2010 live telecast on August 23 (morning of August 24, Manila time) because he’s now on his way to a Ramadan pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia..uh huh. Way to go Oj!
Here’s our Top 10 list:
1. Miss Philippines Venus Raj (of course!)
2. Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson
3. Miss Puerto Rico Mariana Paola Vicente
4. Miss USA Rima Fakih
5. Miss Russia Irina Antonenko
6. Miss India Ushoshi Sengupta
7. Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete
8. Miss South Africa Nicole Flint
9. Miss Trinidad & Tobago LaToya Woods
10. Miss Ireland Rozanna Purcell
Venus Raj’s glam shot from the Miss Universe website. She’s oozing with animal sex appeal!
Melody Gersbach dies in car accident
I and the rest of this beauty queen-crazy country are certainly shocked at the death of Melody Gersbach at the young age of 23 in a car accident this morning. She was Bb. Pilipinas International 2009 and was in the top 15 of the Miss International beauty pageant held the same year in Chengdu, China. Here’s one video we saw in Youtube of her send-off party where she’s seen together with Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2009 Pamela Bianca Manalo:
Melody, a Bicolana, is also credited by reigning Bb. Pilipinas Universe Ma. Venus Raj as the one who convinced her to join Bb. Pilipinas 2010. Raj is currently at the Mandalay Resort in Las Vegas for Miss Universe 2010 which will be held in two days’ time. We’re sure Melody’s car accident will sadden her, as the two have become close friends.
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Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
