MADE in China 2025.
I belong to a generation who probably experienced the most firsts and some of the biggest technological advancements in the last century. Growing up, I also experienced a lot of “made-ins” that sort of influenced how I perceived appliances and gadgets. “Made in Japan” was always the best, I was told, while “Made in Taiwan” were great alternatives, and if you just wanted to own something and quality wasn’t an issue, there was always a “Made in China” option. Unlike today, when everything seems to have originated from or is manufactured somewhere in China.
“Made In China 2025” is China’s ambitious plan to dominate cutting-edge technologies like advanced microchips, artificial intelligence and electric cars, among many others, and it is actually enlisting some of the world’s biggest technology players for its push.
In an article published by The New York Times, titled “China’s Technology Ambitions Could Upset the Global Trade Order,” it discussed how major global companies increasingly worry about a new generation of deals that could give China a firmer grip on the technology of tomorrow.
China is investing billions of dollars in research at home, as well as to acquire more advance technology from abroad. “A Beijing-directed semiconductor fund is thought to have more than $100 billion at its disposal, while another plan aims to grow China’s artificial intelligence companies into a $150 billion industry by 2030,” the article cited.
Meanwhile, the only “advance” a lot of Pinoys have been talking about these past few days, is about that guy who was arrested for selling drugs, who said, “Advance ako mag-isip,” and the memes that exploded soon after.
In the smartphone industry, for example, Apple and Samsung may still occupy the top spots but Chinese brands Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are not so far behind, and are narrowing the gap with every new phone they release.
In terms of innovation, Oppo and Vivo have even overtaken the big two in introducing industry-first features with the release of their new flagships: Vivo’s X21 and Oppo’s Find X.
Vivo X21: In-display fingerprint scanner
FOR years, rumors circulated about how Samsung and Apple have been trying to attempt to integrate a fingerprint sensor into their smartphones’s displays, but it was actually Vivo who did it first and made it commercially available.
The In-Display Fingerprint Scanning technology was preceded by the Under-Display Fingerprint Scanning Solution unveiled during the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai in 2017—the first of its kind in the world.
Vivo X21, the latest flagship smartphone, introduces the In-Display Fingerprint Scanning technology. It replaces the traditional rear fingerprint sensor commonly found on many smartphones. This allows the sleek and unified design of the smartphone to be preserved without the need for a rear fingerprint sensor. With mere a flick of the wrist and a press on the screen to unlock, this convenient and seamless process is intuitive for any user.
It also has an upgraded facial-recognition technology with Face Access, which scans users’s facial features for enhanced security.
The Vivo X21 has a 6.28-inch 19:9 FHD+ FullView Display. With a super slim notch and 1.66mm side bezels, it achieves a 90.3-percent screen-to-body ratio to provide a wider viewing experience compared to other similar-sized phones.
Maximizing the beauty of the display, Vivo X21 uses P3 display color management technology and supports a P3 wide color gamut to ensure more accurate, natural and saturated colors.
Vivo has ditched the metal body for a new 3D glass back cover just like other flagship models. Every arc and curve on the back cover are ergonomically optimized to ensure comfort in your hand, with only 3.1mm thick in the middle.
As for the cameras, the X21 has 12MP+ 5MP dual rear cameras with Dual Pixel Sensors, as well as a 12MP front camera. Thanks to the larger photographic area of each pixel, X21’s camera significantly boosts picture clarity. On top of this, the X21 features fast focusing technology that rivals DSLRs, which enables it to focus fast and capture depth of field data in every pixel. Vivo X21’s AI Scene Recognition can detect and identify 18 tags and 140 scenarios, such as portraits, food and plants as it shoots. It then actively adjusts photography settings and effects to make it easy for the user to capture a great photo.
Vivo’s AI Face Beauty and AI HDR, meanwhile, can identify the subject’s sex, skin tone and surrounding lighting environment to create the ideal facial enhancement settings, even in a backlit environment. With AI Face Beauty learning the user’s specific preferences for beauty, it can generate custom beautification effects tailored to each user.
Powering the X21 is Qualcomm Snapdragon 660AIE chip with a 6 GB RAM+128 GB ROM. The pairing increases the speed of launching, loading and switching even large and complex mobile games. Speaking of mobile gaming, the system will automatically adjust the CPU to optimize performance according to the game’s resources for a smoother experience via Game Mode.
Last, Vivo’s continues it Hi-Fi legacy with the AK4376A audio chipset. It is also equipped with Deep Field technology, which was developed by Vivo to provide panoramic surround, mega bass, clear voice effects and various environmental audio effects, allowing users to tailor their audio experience.
The In-Display Scanner isn’t Vivo’s industry first innovation as it was the first to launch smartphone to have with a 24-mp selfie camera in the V7 and V7+. It’s also a pioneer in launching a 20MP dual front camera smartphones in V5Plus.
In February 2018 Vivo launched its APEX FullView Concept Smartphone, its “ultimate iteration” for the future full-screen smartphone. The APEX features several innovative technologies, including the Half-Screen In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology, Elevating Front Camera and Screen SoundCasting Technology, aside from the nearly 100-percent screen-to-body ratio.
We will do a full review once we get our hands on the Vivo X21.
Oppo Find X: Stealth 3D cameras
AT a time when dual cameras and notched screens have become all too common, Oppo made everyone’s jaws drop when it unveiled the Find X at a grand launch event held in Paris. The company’s belief is that a smartphone is not just a communication device, but a piece of art and Find X is proof of this philosophy.
Oppo Find X introduces a gorgeous brand-new design and features, an abundance of new innovations, including the amazing panoramic design with “holeless” front and rear panels, O-Face 3D Structured Light. Together, these technologies bring the smartphone user experience to a new level.
This is the first, and may be the only smartphone with no visible cameras on either front or back of the phone. Instead, the Find X uses an innovative sliding structure that completely disguises the cameras within the body of the phone. When not in use, the cameras are hidden, providing a sleek and uniform exterior. When activated, the camera opens automatically for unlocking and photographing.
The stealth 3D cameras feature a 25-mp front camera and 16MP+20MP dual rear cameras. It also has a 3D Structured light module with many high-tech components such as flood illuminator, infrared camera, proximity sensor, dot projector, receiver and RGB camera integrated into this unit. The 3D Structured light module in Find X can project 15,000 dots, building a precise and complete 3D module of a user’s face, and then compares with the registered face of the owner to unlock.
O-Face Recognition, developed by Oppo, not only makes unlocking safer but also more convenient while offering support for mobile payment. The 3D Face recognition of O-Face has a higher level of security than fingerprint identification. The false acceptance rate of fingerprint recognition is 1/50,000, while the false acceptance rate of 3D Face Recognition is 1/1,000,000.
With the high-precision facial data captured and complemented by the 25MP front-facing camera, Find X introduces 3D Smart Selfie Capture. Find X creates a 3D model of the user’s face using O-Face Recognition with millimeter-level accuracy. Based on the resulting 3D model, AI technology intelligently analyzes facial characteristics, such as face shapes and features, providing suggestions to make faces look more natural and realistic.
In addition, precise face recognition enables Find X to simulate various lighting effects on a human face, so portraiture lighting is enabled even for a selfie. Aside from 3D Smart Selfie Capture, O-Face also has another interesting function—3D Omoji. You can choose any interesting images to make Omojis or generate your cartoon avatar, and then create video or GIF emojis.
The Find series smartphone represents Oppo’s continuous exploration of technology and artistry with profound ideas on the future development of mobile phone. Find 5 started the era of full HD displays; Find 7 introduced leading VOOC flash charge technology and the elegant skyline breathing light. Each generation of Find products is a step closer to the perfect fusion of technology and art; making breathtaking smartphones for consumers around the world.
As the third generation of Qualcomm Mobile AI Platform, Snapdragon 845 mobile platform is engineered with every forward-looking feature, including camera and gaming, an intelligent personal assistant and advanced vault-like security. With the brand-new Qualcomm Hexagon 685 DSP, enhanced CPU and GPU, the Snapdragon 845 mobile platform is stronger, faster and smarter than ever before.
Find X will be available in two gradient color combinations—Bordeaux Red and Glacier Blue. The Multifaceted Color Process used by Oppo realizes a perfect blend of gradient design with a 3D arc on the rear. In the light, Find X shines like crystal and flowing water, presenting a colorful effect that changes with your surroundings.
PLDT brings Google WiFi to the Philippines
GOOGLE is finally bringing Google WiFi to the Philippines, thanks to an exclusive partnership with PLDT. The Philippines is one of the first countries in Asia to introduce Google WiFi after Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
Google WiFi is a mesh WiFi router system, which, unlike traditional routers, can be made up of several WiFi nodes or terminals that are placed strategically around a space to eliminate zones and ensure stronger signals. Using a single router to spread signal throughout your whole home is like expecting one light bulb to light up every room. Walls and distance make it difficult for a single router to send a strong signal to every room in your home, which can result in slow WiFi and dead zones.
With Google WiFi, you can place multiple WiFi “points” in different rooms for strong WiFi in every corner of your home. The system uses a technology called mesh WiFi. Within the mesh network, each Google WiFi point creates a high-powered connection, and they work together to determine the best path between points for your data (no Ethernet cables required). The result is WiFi coverage throughout your house, not just right next to the router. You can even roam through your house while on a video call or streaming a movie.
A three-pack Google WiFi covers homes up to 2,700 sq ft (251 sq m). If you want to expand coverage further—like if you move to a larger home, or want signal on the balcony, you simply need to add another WiFi point and they’ll work together seamlessly.
With Google WiFi, you no longer need to schedule an appointment with a technician to set up your new router. Google WiFi makes it so easy that you can do it yourself. Simply download the Google WiFi app available on Android or iOS and follow the step-by-step instructions, so you’ll be online in no time.
With the Google WiFi app, you can also see which devices are connected to your network and how much bandwidth they’re using. Streaming your favorite TV series? Give it more bandwidth and a faster connection by selecting it as a “Priority Device.” Now you can sit back and enjoy that episode uninterrupted by other devices in your home.
Traditional WiFi routers aren’t always built to support the increasing number of devices we use or high bandwidth activities like gaming or watching videos. Most of us just want our WiFi to work fast at home, without spending time managing our network or pushing the reset button on the router.
With Google WiFi, your device will always be placed on the channel with optimal connection. Even as you are moving from room to room, Network Assist will automatically transition your device between the Google WiFi system points, keeping you connected to the point with the strongest signal so you avoid dead spots or delays.
Oscar A. Reyes Jr., PLDT and Smart senior vice president and consumer business market development head, said, “WiFi dead spots at home are more common than we think, and mesh networking is a smart and effective fix to these dreaded zones. We are thrilled to be Google’s exclusive local partner for Google WiFi, which has set the standard for ease-of-use, performance and security for mesh networking solutions. With Google WiFi, our PLDT Home Fibr customers can easily enjoy seamless broadband connections in every corner and turn their house into a Smart Home.”
The Google WiFi Plan 3799 is now available to all new PLDT Home Fibr customers. This plan comes with an unlimited 50Mbps Fibr connection and three Google Wifi points. On the other hand, existing PLDT Home Fibr customers can also avail themselves of add-on Google WiFi units at P299 for the one-piece set, and P799 for the three-piece set.
Last day promos
IF you are planning to buy a laptop or a new smartphone, today might be the best day to make that purchase.
Get a free Samsonite luggage when you buy any qualified Acer and Predator laptops, Acer projectors, and Acer desktop via Acer Philippines #CarryOn Back-to-School Promo. You may purchase online via ph-store.acer.com.
June is Huawei’s month and they are holding a monthlong promo for consumers. All you have to do is purchase select Huawei devices and you get the chance to win up to P1,000,000 (subject to tax and bank transfer deductions). The promotion is open to all customers of Huawei Device Philippines purchasing from all Huawei Experience Stores and multibrand stores nationwide.
To join, participant must purchase any of the following devices from any store nationwide (excluding Globe and Smart stores)—Huawei P20 Pro, P20, P20 Lite, Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Nova 2i, Nova 2 Lite, Y6 2018 and MediaPad M3 lite units.
To know more about the promo, visit consumer.huawei.com/ph/press/news/2018/2018-huawei-month-promo.