Google launches Street View in the Philippines

After what seemed like forever (not really, maybe almost 2 years), search-giant Google has officially launched Street View in Google Maps in the Philippines. It was in November 2013 when a Street View car was seen plying EDSA, followed by the official announcement of the initiative in January 2014.

As of now, Google has covered most areas in the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 1 (Ilocos Region), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Region 4 in Luzon, some areas in Region 6 (Panay Island) in Visayas, and Region 12 (including General Santos City and Davao City) in Mindanao.

A Google Street View imagery in Quezon City.

You can now access Street View on the web and on their iOS and Android apps.

Source: Google

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Microsoft will offer Windows 10 for free… even for pirates

You may have already heard that Microsoft will let its Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 customers upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost when it gets released. Did that excite you? Well, get this – the software giant has announced in a summit in China that it will even let users with non-genuine copies of Windows (read: pirated users) to the latest version of the OS.

However, it is not clear whether the offer will be limited to Chinese customers or if it will be available globally. Terry Myerson, head of Windows at Microsoft, was quoted as saying "we are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10." If it will be a global offer, then it will be a boon for users especially in countries like the Philippines where software piracy is very rampant.

Microsoft also announced a new summer target launch-frame for Windows 10. The company mentioned that it will be available in 190 countries in 111 languages.

Sources: Microsoft, Reuters

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Samsung gets serious with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge

I was privileged to have been invited to Samsung’s announcement of their next flagship Galaxy S smartphones – yes, with an ‘s’! – in Manila last Monday (Sunday in Barcelona, Spain). Of course, being the geeky person that I am, I attended the media event (who wouldn’t want to see their new smartphones in person on day one?).

I’m going to skip all the introduction and delve right in to the important stuff.

This year, there are not one, but two flagship Galaxy smartphones announced by Samsung – one being the ordinary Galaxy S6 and the other being the Galaxy S6 Edge. Both models share almost exactly the same specifications and features. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge packs a new metal and glass design combo, which is a radical change from previous flagships from Samsung.

The only difference between the two is that the S6 Edge features a display with a curve on both sides (as opposed to the Note Edge, which only had its curvature on the right). The only other minor difference lies in the battery – the S6 Edge has a 2600mAh battery while the ordinary S6 has a slightly lesser 2550mAh, both are non-removable… but, we’ll talk more about that later.

Both Galaxy S6 models sport a 5.1-inch QHD (2560x1440) screen with a pixel density of 577ppi. That’s 77% more pixels than that of the S5. Ticking inside is a 64-bit Samsung Exynos octa-core processor which Samsung says is 20% faster and 35% more energy-efficient than the Note 4’s processor.

And speaking of power-efficiency, it is said that the Galaxy S6 smartphones has this Quick Charge feature that will give you 4-hours of usage with just a 10-minute charge. That in itself is insane! Now you probably know why Samsung opted to forgo the replaceable battery its users liked in previous Galaxy S smartphones. Oh, and Samsung’s built wireless charging right in. No more need for replacement covers! (But you’d still need a wireless charging plate)

When it comes to camera, the Galaxy S6 smartphones have a 16-megapixel camera while gaining optical image stabilization (OIS), an f1.9 aperture to handle low-light photos and videos better, and tracking auto-focus (AF). Its front-facing camera is a 5-megapixel sensor with the same f1.9 aperture. While I haven’t had the chance to try its camera at the event, I’ve seen some sample shots on the web and those really impress. I cannot wait to try out the camera on the Galaxy S6.

So when can you get your dibs on the new Galaxy S6 smartphones?

Samsung says the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will be available starting on April 10th across 20 countries. Whether or not the Philippines is included on the first wave of launch, we don’t know just yet. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will both be offered by Smart and Globe.

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