The future of Smart TV

When do you know you have a smart TV set at home?

Smart TV leader Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. (SEPCO) proclaimed a new era of entertainment by placing TV at the center of the home ecosystem and breaking down boundaries between connected devices.

SEPCO AV business unit head Ariel Arias unveiled the future of Smart TV on Samsung’s AV Roadshow press conference stage, explaining that, “The TV is the heart of our homes, and is the central device that connects our family at the end of a long day. For Samsung, this means providing the future of Smart TV now — through new TVs that recognize and respond to you, connect your family in and out of the home, and offer amazing new content options personalized to your lifestyle and needs.”

Smart Interaction enables Smart TV owners to communicate with their television via Motion Control, Voice Control and Face Recognition, providing an alternative to using a remote control. A built-in HD camera and dual-microphones on Samsung’s flagship line of 2012 Smart TV allow consumers to say “Hi TV” to turn on Voice Control or say “Web Browser” to get online. Volume is controlled by simple hand motion.

Samsung also spoke to its content success with more than 1,500 Smart TV apps available, including Angry Birds, Discovery Channel and a number of third-party developers that have grown from 550 to 25,000 in just two years. Samsung’s new powerful dual-core processor allows consumers to access more of Samsung’s content choices at once through the ability to use and download multiple apps while browsing the Web or watching live TV.

Samsung has revamped its AllShare service this year into “AllShare Play,” enabling content to move from device to device (and from device to cloud) regardless of location. AllShare Play enables consumers to push content manually to the cloud or pull the content directly from their Smart TV or other mobile devices. AllShare Play will also be equipped with a limited amount of free, online storage.

Samsung also has three new signature services for Smart TV — Family Story, Fitness and Kids — enabling families to share photos and messages with each other, easily sync their fitness goals and activities, and help kids partake in educational viewing while recording progress.

2012 Samsung Smart TV will be “future proof” because of its proprietary system-on-chip technology. Samsung is the only company that can deliver an evolving TV, which allows one to enjoy the benefits of the latest TV technology annually without purchasing a brand new TV by simply inserting a simple slot-in at the TV’s back. Samsung’s Evolution Kit updates your TV every year and this kit will be sold separately starting next year.

Check out this TV of the future now!

Fast and fantastic

Globe Telecom became the first Philippine telecommunications company to mount an event for the Nokia Lumia line with the unveiling of the Globe-exclusive Nokia Lumia 800 at Beso Cucina Vinoteka at Bonifacio Global City Central. I have been using this fantastic and really fast phone (even before the launch party) and it is best paired with an unlimited data plan from Globe Postpaid.

The event was highlighted by a spectacle of radical lights and sounds led by a group of Buganda drummers, with the lights display consistent with the Nokia Lumia photo wall launch in London. The entrance had walls of interactive screens, which were all programmed to play an instructional Nokia Lumia 800 video when guests waved their hands towards the screen. Guests also tinkered with the device at the device booths.

Joey Mead hosted the launch and introduced Globe senior advisor for consumer business Peter Bithos and Nokia Philippines GM and head of sales Dharmesh Goshalia.  

Nokia Lumia phones were given to 35 lucky guests that night!

Globe Nokia Lumia 800 ambassadors present included TV reality show favorites Slater Young and Divine Smith, models and TV personalities Guji Lorenzana and Mikael Daez, and cosplayer-musician Ashley Gosiengfiao. Australian DJ and model Callum David kept the party alive with his brand of dance music.

Bithos said, “As the expert in devices with our fully-customizable postpaid plans, Globe is proud to be the exclusive partner of Nokia in launching the Nokia Lumia 800, the ultimate social media phone that integrates all your social networks’ features on your phonebook.”

He added that with Globe, customers get the most out of this ultimate social media phone because it is given for free (Unlisurf Plan) with unlimited surfing and other freebies. With the portfolio of unlimited surfing plans, it’s so easy and worry-free to maximize the different features of the Nokia Lumia 800. Users are also assured of a great experience with Globe because of the company’s guarantee of “no bill shock” and 24/7 exclusive access to customer service channels.

(To know more about the Globe Nokia Lumia 800,  visit www.globe.com.ph/nokialumia.)

A work of art in a bottle

The Kaws limited edition bottle for Hennessy V.S. has arrived in the Philippines and was launched at Secret Fresh, a contemporary urban art space and vinyl toy gallery in Greenhills. For Hennessy, Kaws’ unique blend of art sensibility and commercial imagery, notably his bold use of color and savvy tweaking of popular media icons, made him the obvious choice for an audacious artistic collaboration with the luxury brand.

The seemingly unlikely pairing between a two-century-old cognac house and urban artist Kaws, a one-time graffiti phenomenon, resulted in a bottle design of high-energy graphics and saturated colors. Kaws came to gain a following as a street artist when in the ‘90s he began subverting billboard ads and putting graffiti on freight trains and concrete walls. He found fans in music mogul Pharell Williams and hip-hop star Kanye West, who commissioned him for the cover of his album 808s & Heartbreak (2008). In 2010, the artist was the subject of a major solo exhibition at the The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

The Secret Fresh Gallery was transformed for the night into an underground club with pumping music and a crowd of Hennessy fans and avid Kaws collectors like Borgy Manotoc and Julius Babao. Hennessy Ginger, Citrus, Apple and Berry were served throughout the night. Some lucky guests even received highly coveted Kaws collectibles that were raffled off.