Technews
Power Mac Center,
ACE Insurance launch
‘Save Mac’ program
ower Mac Center (PMC), a chain of
P
reliable retail shops and service pro-
viders of Apple products and premium
accessories in the country, and ACE
Insurance Company of North America
(ACE Insurance), a member of the ACE
Group of Companies, global leaders in insurance and
re-insurance, announced their partnership to launch
“Save Mac,” an innovative and exclusive service
available only to Power Mac Center customers.
Dealing with the inconvenience of costly repairs
or replacing stolen devices are now things of the
past. Since February 8, 2011, customers who buy a
MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac
Mini, iPod shuffle, iPod nano and iPod touch at any
PMC store can now choose to protect their devices
from accidental damage and theft.
Customers may register and avail themselves the
SAVE MAC PLUS (12) MONTHS Accidental Damage
& Theft Coverage with a built-in FREE 30-Days Acci-
dental Damage Cover OR the FREE 30-Day Acciden-
tal Damage Coverage all under the “Save Mac” pro-
gram. Coverage starts immediately and enrolment is
quick and hassle- free.
The insurance conveniently allows for a quick
repair and replacement of Apple products which in-
clude Macs and iPods in cases of sudden and unfore-
seen accidental physical damage & theft during the
period of insurance.
Power Mac Center Marketing Manager Joey Al-
varez said, “Through “Save Mac”, we are glad to treat
our customers with free protection from the risks of
their device being damaged. We offer the program in
partnership with ACE Insurance, one of the world’s
most reliable insurance companies distinguished for
its underwriting expertise, superior claims handling
and global franchise. It is our way to thank and better
serve our loyal customers.”
A pleasant surprise awaits customers who choose
to buy the 12-month coverage. The latest device lo-
cation and recovery software, Covered-IT will be in-
stalled on their device, giving them maximum pro-
tection and security without any additional cost.
Said Maurice Hilario, ACE Insurance’s Business
Development Head for Specialty Personal Lines,
“ACE Insurance takes great pride in being able to
provide a device protection insurance program for
Power Mac Center clients. We are very excited and
optimistic that the “Save Mac” program will be a re-
sounding success and Power Mac Center clients will
now have peace of mind from device worries caused
by accidental damage and theft outside of device
warranty.”
For more information about this service and oth-
er offers by Power Mac Center, visit their stores at
Greenbelt 3, The Annex at SM City North EDSA, Tri-
Noma, SM City Marikina, SM Megamall, Power Plant
Mall, SM Mall of Asia, and Festival Supermall, or go
to their website at www.powermaccenter.com.
Sonim XP3300 Force claims
ruggedness, longest talk time
Sonim's XP3300 Force
alleges to offer the longest
talk time of any cellphone
in the world at 20 to
24 hours, which can be
traded in for 20 to 24
hours of continuous GPS
tracking, along with 800
hours of standby. Sonim
has cast the Force in a
fiberglass shell with 1.5
millimeters of Gorilla
Glass over the display,
all adding up to an IP-
68-rated device that can
withstand a two-meter
drop onto concrete, two
meters of submersion
in wastewater, and
temperatures ranging
from 20 below zero
to 55 degrees Celsius
(-4 to 131 degrees
Fahrenheit).
Transcend's new
JetFlash USB Flash
Drive is ready to
impress
Transcend Information, Inc. rolls out its new JetFlash
560 USB flash drive. The new JetFlash 560 features
a simple yet exquisite design with easy-to-use
retractable USB connector, offering a touch of urban
sophistication as well as ultimate convenience.
The JetFlash 560 is the newest member of
Transcend’s JetFlash series that boasts an excellent
combination of style and performance. Its silver-
tone metallic case is embellished with a classic
checkerboard pattern, which adds a chic urban touch
to an otherwise dull portable storage device.
EVERY MONDAY• 21 February 2011
Blog in
Fashion!
re you a mobile entrepre-
A
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a web enthusiast who wants
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world whether it’s about
your latest adventure, dis-
covery or fashion forecast.
If the internet is your ele-
ment, then Gateway com-
puters is giving you the
power and style to blog all
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Gateway EC13N meets
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your daily blogging habits.
With the power of the internet, it has
never been easier for a blogger to make
an impressive post from their handy net-
book. Reach the worldwide world EC13N’s
Wireless LAN: (802.11 b/g/n WiFi CERTI-
FIED) network connection. Designed to
function anywhere with an impressive di-
mension (285 (W) x 204 (D) x 25/ 28.9 (H)
mm; 1.35kg 2.98lbs) to boot, the EC13N is
a perfect partner for a person on-the-go.
Need to impress? You can easily do so
by showing extraordinary presentations
using your EC13N. With a notable display
Refurbished items are good, too
Buying gadgets is never cheap. In an
instance or two, we have had experienc-
es of purchasing our most wanted elec-
tronics only to find out that something
is not right. Our excitement dies down
when we get home upon seeing that our
new gadget has dents on the side, maybe
a scratch on the screen or there is just a
feature that does not function properly.
Naturally, we go back to the shop and get
a replacement.
Have you ever wondered what hap-
pens to returned items then?
Unless technology products like
printers, phones, computers and oth-
ers are already beyond repair, the items
that we return will ultimately be found in
the shelves again. Companies tag these
gadgets as refurbished/refurb, remanu-
factured, reconditioned or pre-owned
products; thus selling it at a much better
price. And, better means cheaper.
Such products are not necessarily out
of shape. In the case of most manufactur-
ers, returned items undergo thorough
testing and re-imaging to make sure that
they work like new, even if they are not.
Of course, being careful is still a must.
But with common-sense in shopping for
gadgets, you will surely find an awesome
“like-new” item that will save you hun-
dreds to thousands of money.
Case in point, my friend and I were
roaming SM North EDSA a few weeks
back and saw a stall labeled as an official
distributor of Garmin GPS devices. If you
are familiar with the brand, you will defi-
Un-cool, but won't leave you out in the cold
our mobile phone cannot play
Y
with irate feathered, winged,
warm-blooded, egg-laying
vertebrates? Your mobile is
not cool.
Consumers, especially
those who rabidly believe that Cupertino
ubermarketer, are led to believe that what
is cool is what they need. Spin and counter-
spin tactics have swirled into something
unintelligible, a mishmash of marketing
mumbo jumbo and post-modern consumer
pseudo-psycho science to pave the way
for an I'm-helplessly-a-jerk-without-these-
gadgets mentality.
What is the main cause of sufferings
and pains in the world today? Your answer
to this beauty-contest question might re-
veal your personal philosophy or lack of it.
But today, we are not engaging in a Ror-
schach test.
People are hurting because they con-
fuse their needs for their wants or their
wants for their needs. The same thing ap-
plies in the mobile phone world.
It is quite heartwarming therefore to
hear about some mobile phone makers' ef-
forts to create mobile gadgets that include
features designed to help improve the
D5
screen (11.6” HD 1366 x 768 (WXGA) pixel
resolution, high-brightness (200-nit)and
Gateway Ultrabright LED-backlit TFT
LCD, your client will definitely be capti-
vated with your presentation.
As for convenience, the EC13N is the
ultimate solution for keeping files. Wheth-
er it’s a collection of photos, illustrations
or random thoughts, you can effortlessly
store everything in your EC13N since it
is built with a 2GB DDR3 memory and a
320GB SATA HDD hard drive. Gone are
the days wherein you have to keep files
in a dusty and heavy steel filing cabinet
because everything you need is safely
nitely agree that it would cost you no less
than Php10,000. True enough, we asked
the price of the most basic device and
was told that a brand new costs about
Php18,000. However, upon further dis-
cussions, we were offered a refurbished
unit that can save us Php6,000 – a huge
savings I must say. The said refurb had
non-upgraded software when it was sold,
and as such was re-imaged. It works
perfectly like a new one, only at a much
better price (and now with upgraded
software). In fact, they said that more
consumers buy their refurbs than the
real new ones.
Note that purchasing refurbs is noth-
ing like buying gadgets directly from pre-
vious owners, as from via eBay or Tip-
idPC. Generally, this is a good deal you
can trust. How come? Just like real new
ones, most manufacturers will throw in a
warranty again – at least for a while. You
know that you are covered if ever there
will be faulty features, which are usually
seen at early stages. (If it does not come
with any warranty, forget it.)
There are a couple of downsides
though.
Psychologically, I do not suggest buy-
ing refurbs if you are the type of person
that always thinks of what might have
been wrong with the product in the first
place. You should also give up the idea if
you are not comfortable with things that
have been previously touched or used
by unknown people. You might not feel
comfortable in the long run.
quality of life of elderly consumers.
Ignoring Seniors
GPS? Check.
TV? Check.
Refrigerator? Check.
Your typical late-model smartphones
battle each other for the "top cool" spot in
the market. That is why their design engi-
neers continuously add "smart" features
after "smart" features into their creations.
They also have something else in com-
mon. All of them are designed for the
young, mobile crowd, completely ignoring
the needs of the above-60 consumers.
Unlike these brand-image-conscious
smartphones, mobile phones developed
and marketed by Emporia and Doro are
designed mainly for elderly mobile sub-
scribers. And they come packed with fea-
tures that they need, not with those that
their younger counterparts want.
Emporia and Doro phones are not
designed for Facebook, or playing MP3
songs, and viewing videos and photos.
Their phones may look similar to their
fashion-conscious counterparts, but they
come with more "readable" displays, larger
(and hence, finger-friendlier) buttons, and
stowed in your trusty
EC13N.
The Gateway EC13N is definitely
a technology wonder. With all its impres-
sive features, this handy netbook is the
perfect companion for bloggers all over
the world. Whether its representation (it
comes in sleek Velvet Blue) or function
(built with an AMD AthlonII Neo dual-core
processor K325), the EC13N is the savvy
partner of a blogging adventurer.
Sharing and living with your netbook
is now possible, thanks to the Gateway
EC13N—your lightweight buddy with big
possibilities.
For more information about Gateway
Computers visit www.ph.gateway.com
and their concept stores at SM Megamall,
SM North Edsa, SM Mall of Asia and other
key areas nationwide.
Glenn Richmond Ong
Ultimately, a big downside in buying
refurbs can be attributed to customiza-
tion of computers. For someone who is
a technology enthusiast and would want
to personalize or customize the different
parts of the CPU, they will definitely drop
the term ‘refurbished.’ A solution for this
though is to buy a refurb and use the sav-
ings to upgrade parts one at a time. Un-
less you feel strongly in specifying every
component, refurbs are great alterna-
tives.
So when you have decided you want to
buy a refurb, where can you find them?
With the Internet as our digital world
now, finding items is as easy as 1-2-3.
Some big brands like Apple, Dell, HP or
Lenovo publish refurb sales in their web-
sites for a limited time only. Beyond PCs,
you can also consider looking out for
gadgets like Xbox 360s, mp3 players, and
more. To add, you can click any kind of
electronics in Amazon.com, scroll down,
and under “Condition” look for the link to
“Used” or “Refurbished” to find deals. If
not there, just visit our friend Google and
type in “Refurb iPads” to find a deal on
the popular tablet.
Remember to not limit yourself to
“new” items when “like-new” can just
be as useful and good; not to mention
budget-friendly. Good luck on your gad-
get hunt!
Send me your good finds
at glenn@glennong.com
or via Twitter @GlennOng.
"compatibility with hearing aids."
Doro's Easy phone, for example, lives
up to its name. It is easy to use. Its stable-
mate Plus, meanwhile, comes with four
buttons – the A, B, C, and D buttons, as well
as an SOS button. Emporia phones are ba-
sically designed in the same way.
Phone-cum-Caregiver
The EPI Life mobile phone in Singapore
is designed to take its user's pulse when he
or she presses a finger on the phone's re-
ceptor. The phone then sends the results
to a medical call center that operates 24/7.
EPI Life operates three hospitals in the
city-state. Each of these hospitals carries
the phone user's medical history.
The phone costs $700, about the price of
a top-of-the-line smartphone. Most smart-
phones, however, do not or cannot give
the slightest concern about their owners'
health or be counted on in cases of medical
emergencies.
Of course, nobody is telling anybody to
give up his flashy smartphones. But per-
haps it would not hurt anybody to be re-
minded that it is quite smart to know the
difference between what one needs and
what one wants. (Allan D. Francisco)