Technews
ith the endless pos-
SMART subscribers enjoy
free movie tickets and treats
via BCODE technology
ubscribers of lead-
S
ing wireless services
provider Smart Com-
munications, Inc.
(Smart) have more
reasons to hit their
favorite movie haunts. Smart Re-
wards, the country’s first mobile
phone rewards program, now of-
fers free movie tickets and treats
to loyal Smart Gold, Smart Buddy,
and Smart Bro users.
Reinforcing its commitment
to innovation, the telco leader
has partnered with SM Cinemas
to allow Smart Rewards users to
redeem their free tickets to block-
buster treats in a quick, easy, and
high-tech manner, through the cut-
ting-edge BCODE technology.
To celebrate and launch the
innovation, a special screening
of Justin Bieber’s chartbusting
movie, Never Say Never in 3D, was
held at The Podium in Ortigas. As
movie-goers and Smart
subscribers flocked to
the cinema to avail of free
tickets and treats like pop-
corn and drinks courtesy of
Smart Rewards, they also
became among the first
to try out redeeming their
rewards through the new
BCODE technology.
Smart Rewards sub-
scribers also took home
premium items from the
launch, including VIP tick-
ets for two to Justin Bie-
ber’s concert in Manila this
May 10, 2011.
Mary Rose Quinto, a
loyal Smart subscriber and
a Smart Rewards user for
three years, took home the
coveted prize.
“I am very excited to go
to the concert, but I’m more
excited about the privileges
I can receive with Smart SMART movie technology. SMART sub-
scribers can easily redeem their free
Rewards. Now that there
movie tickets and treats by simply scan-
are movie rewards I can ning the BCODE on their mobile phones
enjoy via BCODE, it will be at the terminals.
Futuristic digital lifestyle from ViewSonic
ViewSonic has introduced
their ViewPad devices that’s
suits perfectly for futuristic digi-
tal lifestyle. ViewSonic proudly
present ViewPad 7 the amazing
all-in-one device, ViewPad 10,
the ultimate ViewPad 4, then
V350, Android Froyo Dual-SIM
Smart Phone and last but not
least ViewPad 10Pro.
ViewPad7 the Amazing
all-in-one device
When we are talking about
ViewPad 7 we can say it’s an
amazing all-in-one device, why?
Because it can be used as a
smart phone, a computer, a game
center until an e-book. ViewPad
7 it’s an ultimate innovative de-
vice which is able to connect fun
and multitasking with a compact
size, 7”, easy to carry than a net-
book with better media perfor-
mance than other smart phone.
Supported by 800x480 WVGA
LCD screen, ViewPad 7 is one of
the only 7” tablet solutions with
Android Google Mobile Services
(GMS).
ViewPad 7 powered by the lat-
est certified Google Android 2.2 as
the Operating System (OS), that
combines a Qualcomm MSM7227
600MHz processor with 3.5G
data technology, enable user to
enjoy the ultimate free access
to more than 100.000 application
and access value-added services,
such as Android Market, Google
Maps, Voice Search, Gmail, You-
Tube and many more.
ViewPad 10
ViewPad 10 offers the best of
where users have choice from an
optimized mobile device experi-
ence using the innovation Google
Android OS for browsing and sim-
ple applications or the Windows
7 Environment for VPN, Outlook
and other high-end require-
EVERY MONDAY• 18 April 2011
easier for me and my friends to re-
deem the treats whenever we visit
SM Cinemas.
"I even listed down the redemp-
tion keyword for the free movie so
I won’t ever forget,” added Mary
Rose..
Qualified Smart Gold and Smart
Buddy subscribers can claim free
tickets, popcorn and drinks when-
ever they visit any SM Cinema any-
where in the country, just by tex-
ting the correct item code to 9800.
(A list of item codes may be pulled
by sending INQUIRY to 9800.)
A BCODE will then be sent to
the subscriber via SMS. The sub-
scriber simply needs to scan this
code at the BCODE terminal lo-
cated at the lobby of any SM Cin-
ema anywhere in the country, wait
for a coupon to be dispensed, and
exchange this coupon for a compli-
mentary movie ticket at the ticket-
ing counter.
ments. Supported by high-speed
Intel Atom 1.66GHz processor
and sharp 1024x600 LED backlit
panel, ViewPad 10 is suitable for
you that want to use Windows to
view Flash-based content and
office programs, and also an An-
droid for mobile entertainment.
Unlike the competitors, ViewPad
10 perform beyond expectations,
offers a vista of connectivity op-
tions, with USB and even video
out ports to enable ViewPad 10
used when and where you want.
ViewPad 4 with Android
Gingerbread OS
Backed by ViewSonic’s com-
prehensive European support,
the ViewPad 4 offers both phone
and tablet functionality in a flash
10.1 enabled Android-based 4.1-
inch WVGA touch capacitive
device. Based on a Qualcomm
MSM 8255 1GHz platform, the
ViewPad 4 delivers full mobile
phone functionality bundled with
HD 720p video recording, play-
back, upload, and mini-HDMI
720p display output. A 5-mega-
pixel auto-focus camera, Blu-
etooth 2.1 and 802.11 b/g/n wire-
less enables video calling via an
additional front facing camera.
V350 the one and only An-
droid Froyo Dual-SIM Smart-
phone
The V350 Smartphone, with
3.5 inch display is an active Dual-
SIM device running the Android
2.2 Froyo operating system, en-
abling the use of two network
services at the same time. Its
Dual-SIM capability ideal for
businesses wishing to provide
staff with a mobile device that
can offer separate numbers and-
bills for both personal and busi-
ness use. This feature also en-
ables travelers to carry just the
one phone
D5
W
sibilities and choices
that it gives the player,
Fallout 3 is undoubt-
edly one of the most in-
novative games of the
decade. Its engaging gameplay truly
gives meat to the idiom “time flies
when you are having fun.”
After not having played the game
for some time, immersing once more
in the experience was truly a treat
as I made a journey back into the
post-apocalyptic world created by
the now-defunct game developer In-
terplay. This review is a blast from
the past as we dive back into time to
look into the story of the preceding
Fallout games.
Fallout 1 – The initial install-
ment of the franchise. Released in
1997, Fallout is a turn-based RPG
that beautifully blends a seemingly
limitless character creation and out-
comes. The game scenario is played
out in the aftermath of The Great
War, where due to energy scarcity
and overpopulation, China and the
United States engaged each other in
a war of annihilation as both vie for
the world’s remaining oil resources.
During course of the war, thou-
sands of nuclear weapons were
exchanged in just one day, leaving
a badly scarred and desolate land-
scapeheavily suffering from nuclear
radiation “fallout.” But US had long
prepared itself for such a possibility
and had secured its brightest and
most important citizens in under-
ground shelters called Vaults, in the
idea of rebuilding America from the
ruins.
This is where the first Fallout
begins. Players are treated to the
post-apocalyptic experience by
jumping into the boots of the Vault
Dweller. The character is tasked to
find a water chip in the wasteland
to ensure the survival of the inhab-
itants Vault. As the lead character
goes about his adventures/misad-
ventures, he is welcomed by beings
who had emerged from the nuclear
wasteland badly mutated. From two-
headed cows to aliens and super-
mutant army, the world created by
Interplay is chock-full of stories and
interesting anomalies. Up to now,
Fallout is still considered one of the
best games ever made.
Fallout 2–set 70 years after the
first Fallout, the player assumes the
role of the descendant of the Vault
Dweller, the Chosen One.The game
Acer's Iconia Tab A500
soaks up the WiFi rays
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is the WiFi-only version
of Acer's Android 3.0 tablet: a dual-core 1GHz
Tegra 250 SOC, a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 LCD
screen, 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera around
back and a 2 megapixel imager up front, HDMI-out,
not to mention a pair of 3260mAh batteries that
Acer claims are capable of eight full hours of life
while playing HD video.
What makes videos click?
tudies show that vi-
S
sual communication
creates more impact
to humans as com-
pared to written or oral
communications. The
phrase “a picture is worth a thou-
sand words” has been proven to be
true, especially at this time of mul-
timedia and mass communication.
What more if they were not just plain
pictures but videos, which have both
graphic and audio composition?
Back in 2008, reports projected a
129.5 million viewership of online vid-
eos, and were expected to increase
to 183.3 million by 2013. Today,
people use the power of Youtube or
videos to get their message across
to viewers. Although quite hard to
maintain, many succeed because of
a limited set of producers willing to
shed out effort and time.
On the other hand, most adver-
tisers maximize the visual multime-
dia to draw people to purchase their
products or services. Since competi-
tion is very tough, only a few com-
mercials succeed to become viral
campaigns. What makes a video vi-
F3: The Great War
is basically similar to
Fallout; it looks and
plays the same, but
with all new quests,
perks, items, and the
like.The Chosen One is
set on a mission to find
the G.E.C.K., a device
believed to be capable
of developing post-war
civilization.
Journeying across
the thriving and de-
veloping East Coast
treats the player with
unimaginable post-war progress.
Casinos, caravans, mining towns,
and metropolises serve as sights and
updates of what has transpired in the
past seven decades in-game. And at
some point in the game, the Chosen
One meets the Enclave, the shadow
of the former US government intent
on cleansing the post-war America
of mutants.
Fallout: Tactics – a spin-off from
the other Fallout games as it delves
from controlling only a single charac-
ter into controlling a squad of Broth-
erhood of Steel (BOS) troopers. The
player takes control of a Brotherhood
Initiate as he leads his team into a
number of missions. The game pro-
gresses in a kind of episodic way, by
changing the kind of opponents that
Journeying across
the thriving and
developing East Coast
treats the player with
unimaginable post-
war progress. Casinos,
caravans, mining towns,
and metropolises serve
as sights and updates of
what has transpired in
the past seven decades
in-game. And at some
point in the game, the
Chosen One meets the
Enclave, the shadow
of the former US
government intent on
cleansing the post-war
America of mutants.
ral then? Actually, it just happens.
While there is no absolute for-
mula of producing an effective viral
video, there are several factors that
video-makers need to remember.
Aside from being original and rele-
vant, the video must be able to make
viewers laugh or smile, to trigger cu-
riosity, and to facilitate community
discussions.
A viral video is like a game we
play that we talk about first. Wheth-
er it’s the passing or the shooting of
the basketball, the players plan the
game well to show something hard-
core and be able to stand out from
everyone else when the playtime
ends. It needs to grab viewers’ at-
tention and be memorable, so as to
ultimately compel audience to pass
it on to others.
Professionally or not, bloggers
or advertisers alike, they must know
the difference of creating something
that is internally exciting, interesting
compared to what actually excites
and interests the users or viewers.
As with any creative act, producers
should always put the angle from an
audience’s perspective. It must be
the player faces during the course of
the game. The eventstake place in
mid-western America.
A splinter faction from the Broth-
erhood crash landed their zeppelin
near Chicago and is trying to take
control of the region. The player is
pitted in missions against Death-
claws, Raiders, Super Mutants, and
Robots. Sadly, the game is not as
well-received, mainly because it fa-
vors a linear and combat-oriented
gameplay, rather than the open and
option-oriented approach of the first
two games. Bethesda Softworks, cre-
ators of Fallout 3, considered Fallout:
Tactics as semi-canon to the whole
world of Fallout.
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
– another spin-off in the series and
the first to be ported to the consoles
(PS2 and XBOX). The game is an
action-RPG with an overhead view
of the surroundings. Playing as a
Brotherhood initiate, the player is
sent across the area and is tasked
to complete a number of missions
with his/her three-man squad. Like
Fallout: Tactics, the game was not
well-received and is not considered
part of canon of the Fallout Universe
due to the number of inconsistencies
cited in-game.
The Fallout series has definitely
made an impact in the RPG-genre.
And the series has influenced a
number of games and gamers alike.
Certainly, these games would raise
your standards in playing RPGs but
remember to upgrade Fallout to the
latest patch as they tend to be full of
bugs. So if you have the bucks, and
the internet to play this old, but fun
series, you can buy them through
Steam. (Jose Gamaliel S. Felong-
co)
user-centric.
A simple, just-for-fun Youtube
video entitled “We Love You Venus
Raj” came out shortly after the con-
clusion of the Ms. Universe Pageant.
It stars four young men wearing
boxers, pajamas, and sandos while
screaming their hearts out as Venus
was announced as part of the top 15.
Even as simple as that, the video in-
stantly stirred gossips and reactions,
and spawned mashups, which accu-
mulated more than 3,000,000 views
as of this writing. How? No matter
how it was planned and executed, it
ended up with all the factors men-
tioned above, plus “random” as part
of the equation.
Video campaigns may seem to
be a futile effort, since there is no
assurance of success at all times.
But remember that visuals, more
importantly videos, are invaluable
resources for today’s business and
popularity.
With modern tools and compo-
nent choices today, videos and visu-
als can definitely be more dynamic
and compelling than ever before.
(Glenn Richmond Ong)