IF Christmas is the season for kids, the second week of January is for all the geeks and people obsessed with next-generation technology. That’s because that period is usually reserved for the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES—the largest US event for the consumer tech industry. Held in Las Vegas, the CES is where developers usually first showcase their latest technological and electronic innovations, from TVs, virtual reality, mobile devices, cryptocurrency, smart homes, self-driving cars and even new gaming consoles.
Come February, its time for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, where all the big announcements related to the smartphone industry are often made.
Here in Asia, the tech media have the COMPUTEX in Taiwan (May), while for gamers there’s the Tokyo Game Show and even our very own ESGS.
Consumer tech expos may be among the most popular, but there’s probably a trade show for every type of industry—all of which are organized for the purpose of bringing together related businesses and showcase the best they have to offer.
The history of trade shows could be traced all the way back to the ancient bazaars of the Middle East or late medieval Europe. During this period of merchant capitalism, business people simply gathered to display their wares in public places such as the town square. They took time to talk one-on-one with potential buyers and explained why their merchandise were better than others, and negotiated a purchase price (or bartered goods or services) until a mutual agreement was met with potential buyers.
These “trade fairs” were the progenitors of the big exhibitions we have today and they continue to evolve thanks to technological advancements and demand for goods from all over the world. Now sellers and buyers come together at events of all sizes and types, from small street fairs to multimillion-dollar shows in huge exhibition venues, with millions more following each and every news item to come from these shows.
If you haven’t been to one of these trade shows, you might want to check out the TechLife Expo happening next week, from November 15 to 17, at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
The three-day expo highlights a future of tech-integrated living where digital experience becomes seamless and more accessible to the Filipino audience.
Leading brands will showcase their latest products and services to give visitors an enriching customer experience and amazing deals, including up to 50-percent discount and more on selected items. Among the booths you can visit are GetGo, Logitech G, Logitech, Ultimate Ears, Jaybird, Vivo, Sun Cellular, Ogawa, CaseLogic, JBL, KASE Lens, Growl, Carousell, AGVA, Converge, MW2000, Felta, Taktyl Studios, McDonald’s, Pepero, RC Cola, QuickmealsPH, Foodpanda, and many more.
Guests and attendees will also have a chance to broaden their knowledge on various topics to help them appreciate how they can upgrade their lifestyle through technology. Industry thought leaders will be invited to deliver talks to discuss and delve into the topics of cyber security, e-commerce, eSports, robotics, smart homes and wellness.
The entrance fee is P50 but you could get a Free Pass simply by pre-registering online via www.techlifeexpo.com. Registered guests will also have a chance to win in the grand raffle. More information is available at www.techlifeexpo.com.
PLDT-SMART CYBER CITY
AT the recently concluded Esports and Gaming Summit (ESGS), legions of gaming, eSports and cosplay fans all converged at the SMX Convention Center. Considered as the country’s biggest gaming convention, ESGS was full of exciting experiences for all attendees, such as gaming booths, various merchandise vendors and feature attractions.
One of the biggest major attractions at ESGS 2019 was PLDT and Smart’s Cyber City, a massive gaming zone that had so much to offer for subscribers and eSports fans. In Cyber City, gamers tested their Mobile Legends and Dota 2 skills by joining in-booth tournaments and playing PlayStation 4 games. Gamers also had fun hanging out and taking photos in the Cyber City setup, and winning prizes from VR games like Beat Saber and Sniper Elite.
Various celebrities and personalities also graced Cyber City, including cosplayers Alodia Gosiengfiao, Myrtle Sarrosa and Dexie Diaz, professional eSports team PLDT-Smart Omega and Evos Lynx, as well as shoutcasters and streamers Pein & Lou, Sh1n Boo, and Manjean.
PLDT and Smart have been staunch supporters of the ESGS since its inception in 2014. Fans were also able to play new titles and witness their favorite hardware brands show off their newest developments in the biggest gaming party in the country.
Filipino gamers can enjoy gaming in the comfort of their home or on the go. PLDT Home Fibr subscribers enjoy the fastest speeds at home, enabling them to play their favorite online multiplayer games like Dota 2 at full speed while mobile gamers can “Gigafy” their on-the-go gaming experience with Smart Giga Games, which offer up to 2GB plus 1 GB per day of Games All-Day for Mobile Legends, Arena of Valor, Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, and more.
GETTING THE YOUTH #CYBERREADI
WE live in an era where we are both consumers and producer of mass media and information.
From Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, to Snapchat, Pinterest and countless others, everyone can easily access these social-media platforms to produce and distribute their content. According to statistics, there are 125 million youths in Southeast Asia with access to the Internet, and that an average of 100MB of data will be created every minute for every person on Earth by 2020.
This is the reason the Philippine Information Agency is taking huge steps to safeguard the youth against the dangers in the online world by aggressively pushing for the promotion of its nationwide cyber-wellness campaign.
This campaign is part of the Asean-Japan Media and Information Literacy (MIL) for the Youth Project with the PIA partnering with the InfoComm Media Development Authority of Singapore and with funding support from the Japan-Asean Integration Fund (JAIF).
At a media briefing held this week, PIA introduced its #cyberREADI campaign—with READI representing the five Asean Core Values: Responsibility, Empathy, Authenticity, Discernment and Integrity.
The PIA also released several multimedia materials and resources developed with the help of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication Foundation Inc.
These materials are products of an audience analysis on the youth’s level of awareness regarding online safety, using focus group discussions conducted with Filipino youth representatives in different areas in the country. These short videos teach the youth on how to deal with cyberbullying, online gaming, the dangers of online dating, how to avoid online scams, the importance of online privacy, and even Internet addiction.
A dedicated web page for the cyber-wellness campaign (cyberreadi.pia.gov.ph) is currently being developed to further spread the cyberREADI advocacy. The focus of cyber-wellness is to help and teach the youth on how to become responsible digital learners, and how to demonstrate respect for self and others, and practice safe and responsible use. It promotes positive peer influence by harnessing technology for collaboration, learning and productivity, as well as advocating positive use of technology for the good of the community.
H.E. Kung Phoak, deputy secretary-general for Asean Socio-Cultural Community, stressed that the cyber-wellness campaign is a timely project since digital media has increasingly become the primary source of information among Asean youth. “There is a need to build information resiliency among the youth and protect them from the risk of getting misled by fake news and misinformation. With enhanced media and information literacy, the youth is expected to become smart consumers and responsible producers of online information. Through this project, we hope young people would better understand, inquire, create, communicate and think critically while digitally engaged.”