Are you looking for an ideal gift? Something that is not that expensive but will surely make the recipient happy. Well I’m looking into the promotions being offered by Kmart nowadays. There are a lot of gifts that you can buy for less than $25. I’m not exaggerating when I said a lot because Kmart is offering an unparalleled assortment of more than 25,000 gifts. And don’t even think that these items are ordinary and of low quality. These gifts includes well known brands like Craftsman®, Celebrations by Radko™, Martha Stewart Everyday, Just Kidz®, Route 66 and many more.

I know buying the latest in technology or the coolest gadget will be over $25 so that is out of the question. The point here is you can still give out something special to those dearest to you without spending a fortune especially with the current financial situation that our country is in.

If you are worried of the crowd that this promotion will bring to the stores then worry no more. These $25 gifts are also available at Kmart.com so you can easily shop even at home as long as you are connected to the internet. So what are you waiting for? Get your Holiday presents now!

I know most of us are using SD cards for our tech devices like cameras and mobile phones. And I know some are using wi-fi cards or adapters for those electronic devices that don't have a built-in wi-fi but supports a card. But have you heard of a card that functions as an SD Memory card and a wireless card as well. Yes that is right it performs both functions. It is called an Eye-Fi Card.

Eye-Fi is a 2GB SD card that has Wi-Fi capabilities. It can upload JPEG photos from a camera to photo sharing sites such as Flickr, Facebook, and PhotoBucket. The Eye-Fi Card is a wireless memory card. It automatically uploads pictures from a digital camera to a PC or Mac and optionally to a favorite photo sharing, printing, blogging or social networking site.

Ever heard of an iPhone that is actually a clamshell? I bet you haven't because Apple did not make one. But look at this clamshell phone, called an iPhone V126, which is a copycat of the real thing. Obviously you can see that it is a rip off by simply looking at the Apple logo. The LEDs used to light up Apple is glaringly visible.

The menu system even looks like that of an iPhone. Save the captions though since they are written in Chinese. Other tech treats for this device are 105 x 53 x 17mm dimension, dual-band GSM, on-board Bluetooth, MMS support, a memory card slot, both a “simplified Chinese” and an English menu scheme and a 3-megapixel camera with video capture capability which is missing from the real thing.


As seen on the picture, this was featured on a Chinese website.

Let me take a break from my usual post on technology and gadgets for now. I would like to take this opportunity to let all my readers know of the special people that we have in our country. Our Heroes. The military servicemen and their families is what I'm talking about. At least for the Holiday season, let us make them and their family happy. We all know that they have made great sacrifices not only here at home but also in other countries.

There are a lot of things that you can do to make our Heroes and their love ones happy this Holiday season. The easiest that I know of is make a donation to Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry. Sears, with the joint efforts of various non=profit organizations, had established this program to provide support to our Heroes. And what makes this year special is that Sears is making it possible for Americans to make our Heroes and their families fulfill their dreams and wishes through the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry program.

This might be a little thig for you but surely this will touch the heart of our beloved servicemen. Make a small sacrifice in exchange for all the things that our Heroes had gone through.

Safari 3.2.1 was released by Apple just barely 2 weeks from the release date of Safari 3.2. The new release is still another attempt to fix a host of bugs in Safari that left many Mac users browserless with the revamped browser consistently crashing on launch.

The Safari 3.2.1 was released right after a lot of users complained that after updating to Safari 3.2, which came loaded with improved anti-phishing protection and the latest security fixes, caused frequent crashes.

The new update is now available for download both for Mac OS X and Windows XP or Vista. Though it is still not clear though if this update will fix the issues with version 3.2.

Mobile Phones using Google's operating system - Android - might soon be available in the Philippines through handsets manufactured by Taiwanese firm HTC. Though Android was released a few months back, the technology has not reached Philippine soil yet.

HTC Philippines is currently preparing to ship the Android-based phones after receiving a lot of inquiries about the G1 phone from curious Pinoy customers. Most of HTC's handset are running Windows Mobile and only the G1 is running on Android.

No prices yet for the upcoming phone until it is unveiled locally.

Google Inc. unveiled last Thursday a new system that they have called SearchWiki. Google's search engine now has a more personal touch by allowing its users to modify the search results. Here's how it works, logged in to your Google account then perform the searches. Then you'll get results with a series of buttons below the links. Just click on the arrow pointing upward if you want to have a particular result move up on the list which will happen the next time you search the same keyword. Clicking the "X" will delete the link so it doesn't appear the next time you make the same search.

Added feature is the users ability to add notes about the different sites on the results so they can be read in the future by the user or any other users who are logged in.

Well it is already Sunday, four more days to go before Thanksgiving. For sure the Turkey will not be left out in this occasion. But what else will you have? Or do you give out gifts during Thanksgiving? If you are planning to give someone a gift, you might as well check out Sears Pre-Thanksgiving Sale. There are a lot of items on sale including gadgets. I'm planning to get the Sony DSC-W120 7.2MP Digital Camera shown below.

Aside from the competitive price, I like it because it is also a power-packed digital camera. With the resolution at 7.2MP, I can have a blowup of pictures that well be taking this Thanksgiving. Also it has a 4x Optical Zoom and 8x Digital Zoom. Aside from the Face Detection technology, it also has Smile Shutter™ technology which can capture the picture, without pressing the shutter, whenever a smile is detected in the subject. The Super SteadyShot® optical image stabilization feature will also make sure that pictures taken are not blurry due to hand movement. After taking great shots you can easily view the pictures and movies in your HDTV by connecting the camera to the TV. Then you can sit and enjoy the photos on a bigger screen if the camera's generous 2.5-inch TFT LCD display is not enough for you.

If I were you, I'll head to Sears now to take advantage of their Pre-Thanksgiving Sale.

For $180 you can already drive a Ferrari F430. No kidding if you cannot drive or much less own the real thing, then this is your best shot at getting your hands and feet with a Ferrari F430. The car-maker company had recently inked an agreement with Thrustmaster so you can get your hands on a Ferrari's wheel. Thrustmaster's wheel is an exact F430 replica. Although designed for use on virtual roads, the replica sports an “engine start” button and a whole series of switches, buttons and knobs. It also comes with a a pedal set that’s weighed for stability. It also has a magnetic resistance feature that Thrustmaster claimed will provide realistic and controlled power management during games.

At the first glance, it looks like a nice looking traditional fountain pen. But what if you can send SMS or Send email messages just by writing with it? Yes, this is possible and credit goes to D-Scribe who designed a new Digital Pen that can send SMS and Email messages. All you need is a surface to write on and Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. It converts your handwriting into digital form and is ready to send your SMS or Email message via Bluetooth enabled phone. Simply write your message and circle the name of recipient to indicate who to send it to. There is a small built-in LED screen that updates you on the status of your message.

So quit thinking what to write. Keep this pen handy and write everything that pops in your mind at exact moment.

Source: Yanko Design

It is not only electronics, gadgets and computers that are evolving and changing in technology. Wedding or engagement ring also has its own evolution.

Before, people always go for a gold engagement ring or wedding ring. Or sometimes they opt to have a white gold if they want to be different. If you are planning to get a ring, I'd say get the one that will last for a lifetime - a platinum ring. I myself am planning to propose before the New Year. And if I can afford it by end of the year, I'll get a platinum engagemet ring. I'm not saying that gold is out. But there are just some qualities that platinum is much better than gold. Like the color, it is nice to have a white band around your finger than gold. Yes you can have the gold plated to white but still it will tarnish. Unlike platinum it will retain its luster forever. Also if you will have diamonds on a ring, no better metal holds it more securely than platinum. Gold tends to become softer as the carat increases. And lastly, since platinum is 30 times more rare than gold, your beloved someone will really be getting a one of a kind ring, something really special that not everyone has.

If you want it to last a lifetime, get a platinum ring.

G-Drive, a Mac friendly external hard drive, was recently launched by storage firm G-Technology. Four models were released by the company which boast an aluminum cast claimed to be aircraft grade.

The external hard disk drives are all fanless and comes preformatted in HFS Plus, Mac's file format. G-Drive also supports Mac OS X's Time Machine automatic back-up system. Windows user can still get their hands on this device but will have to go through the process of reformatting the HDD to that of Windows file format.

The four models are:

Mini Combo G-Drive, 2.5in
160GB, 250GB and 320GB storage capacity
USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 connectivity

Mini Triple G-Drive, 2.5in
250GB or 320GB storage capacity
USB 2.0 and FireWire 400/800 connectivity

Combo, 3.5in
500GB or 1TB storage capacity
USB and FireWire 400 connectivity

the Q, 3.5in
500GB or 1TB storage capacity
USB, FireWire 400/800 and eSATA connectivity

Pinoy technology and gadget geeks, be ready to shell out $170.

It is already the end of November and the Holiday is fast approaching. I know most of us are now budget conscious due to the financial crisis that we are experiencing. It is a family tradition to give out presents during the Holiday season. I’m not sure if you are doing this as well but we do. Though we are experiencing a crisis financially, do not let this get in the way for you to have a memorable Holiday. You can still push through with your plans. And you can do so by taking advantage of the different sales and promotions that different stores are offering. Just like the Holiday deals that Kmart is offering to online shoppers. It will really save you money if you take these opportunities.

Sale items might not include your dream present, like mobile phones or laptops, but it will surely save you money. You might say goodbye to electronics for now in exchange for something traditional like an Abbey Hill Medallion Dream bedding collection which you can get from Kmart and enjoy a 30% discount. It might not the latest in technology but surely the recipient will love it. Or if you are trying to give something really special to someone, you might opt to give her a 5-Stone Journey Pendant and Earrings Set in 10-carat Yellow Gold which you can get from Kmart at 10% less the original price.

There are a lot of other items on sale. Mostly apparels for men, women and children. Enjoy the discounts from these items when you shop online from Kmart. This is one opportunity that I will really grab. Saving a few bucks is still saving. Hurry up and enjoy this promo until it last. It will be until November 26 only. Be traditional for now and forget about the latest in technology and gadgets.

The popularly known National Geographic is venturing into games. If you had known National Geographic before as the yellow-framed magazine that features breathtaking nature shows then brace yourself for the chance that it will be undergoing. First came National Geographic Channel. And for today's technology and gadget crazy world, National Geographic is getting into video games termed as Nat Geo Games.

National Geographic Ventures, a unit of the nonprofit National Geographic Society, announced Tuesday that it will work with game publishers to turn its material into games for PCs, consoles and handheld devices.

The first title — available now for computers and the iPhone — is "Herod's Lost Tomb," a simple hidden-objects game built on a story in the magazine's December issue and a television show about King Herod. It's produced in-house by National Geographic. The company is also working with Namco Bandai Games America and Sony Computer Entertainment to publish and distribute games under its brand for consoles like the Wii and the PlayStation 3.

There are already hundreds of search engine on the web today. Most are competing as to who will dominate the top spot. The newcomer Find.com Search Engine is still a freshly launched search engine but it looked promising already. Though it is not expected to topple Google, it will surely compete with other search engines around like the newly launched Cuil. Though it is still new, it boasts of the growing number of expertly written articles. Search for any keyword that you want. Find Jobs that you want by searching using the Find.com Search Engine. Basically you can do anything with it. Find People, find friend, or find anything that you want. I cannot guarantee that it is all there since this is still new but most likely than not, you will find it at Find.com.

What are the advantages over other search engines? Well, the name itself is very easy to remember. You are looking for something? Search and you shall Find.com. It’s not hard to commit that to memory. I also like the graphical user interface. It is so simple. Think of Google that was simplified more. You search and get the answer. That is it. So if you are looking for a good consumer search engine then I’d say use Find.com.

If your iPhone 3G is always running low on battery then you might need an iPhone backup battery. iPhone, as with other electronic devices, will quickly drains its battery if it is used with is full potential. But no worries, Incase has launched an iPhone backup battery that doubles as a case as well.


Incase's Power Slider for iPhone 3G looks like any normal iPhone case but don't be fooled. It has an integrated lithium-ion battery which the company claims to give iPhone 3G an additional 330 hours of standby life or five hours extra use over 3G. If you'll use it for playback, you can squeeze an extra 26 hours for audio or 7 hours for video of juice. Browsing over 3G is increased by 5 hours or 6 if you'll use Wi-Fi.

Incase’s PowerSlider for iPhone 3G will be available by 28 November and priced at $100.

XML Programmers, here is your chance to shine. Put your skills to the test and join the IDUG contest using XML. Don't worry if you are not an expert, it does not require to be one anyways. There are actually five different contests for the varied XML developers ranging from students to professionals. These five categories are:

Video Contest: Take your video camera and record yourself doing anything creative with XML, XQuery or DB2.

Gadget Contest: If you are proficient with BD2 then this is for you. You will develop a downloadable gadget or widget in order to enter.

Query Contest: Having the best query is not enough to bag the prize. You need to use XQuery to find five answers.

Ported App Contest: An individual or team can participate in this contest. You need to develop or port a new app for DB2 in order to join.

XML Contest: Individuals or teams can participate. Bag the prize by developing a useful and user-friendly XML apps from scratch.

You can participate in any or all of the above mentioned contest. Prizes ranges from Wiis to complimentary conferences. Not to mention the thousands of dollars to be given away. Grab your chance now and register in the IDUG contest!

At long last a MacBook trackpad fix has been released by Apple to address the issues of its MacBook trackpad being defective. A few weeks back, I had written a post about the defective MacBook trackpad. And as asssumed, the problem was in the software so the recently released MacBook and MacBook Pro Trackpad Firmware Update 1.0 will address the problem.

According to Apple, the Trackpad Firmware Update 1.0 will address the problem of the multi-touch glass-covered trackpad not being able to recognise clicks on some MacBook and MacBook Pro models.

MacBook and MacBook Pro Trackpad Firmware Update 1.0 can now be downloaded online.

Most, if not all, of us are anticipating the coming Holidays. Good food, warm get together with family and friends and presents are always there when we talk of Holidays. Sometimes it is just hard for us to buy the presents since it is really costly especially if you'll be buying top caliber gifts like the latest in electronics or gadgets. Technology does not come cheap nowadays. But let this not withhold you from giving presents this Holidays. Take advantage of Kmart Layaway for the Holidays. This is your chance to give everybody the gift that they want without you having to worry that much about spending a fortune.

Just go to Kmart and choose the things that you want to buy. You might have your list already so this is really easy. Be it a gaming console, a blender or a new mechanic tool set, you can avail of the layaway plan. Sorry but personal computers, cellular phones or beepers are not included. Once you have your goods proceed to the Layaway counter and make a down payment. Make your payments every two weeks for eight weeks and you can take home your goods with you. Just make sure you don't miss a payment within seven days or else say goodbye to your reserved items.

The Google DevFest recently held at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City, with five of the top social networks in the world, welcomed Filipino developers. It was a one-day technical workshop that was aimed to support the developer community and encourage innovation on the OpenSocial platform which includes eXo Platform, Friendster, hi5 and iGoogle platforms. These were introduced to students, developers, and professionals who wanted to hone their skills in the said technology.

Global members of the OpenSocial community include Engage.com, Friendster, iGoogle, hi5, Hyves, imeem, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Oracle, orkut, Plaxo, Salesforce.com, SixApart, Viadeo, XING, Yahoo! and others. Asia Pacific members include: in China - 51.com, 51wan.com, CityIN.com, Douban.com, Hainei.com, MySpace..cn, Tianji.com, Tianya.cn, Xiaonei.com, YiQi.com; in Japan - Goo, Mixi, OpenPNE; in Korea - Daum.net, idTail, Paran.com. OpenSocial now offers developers the potential to connect with more than 500 million people worldwide.

The Holidays is fast now fast approaching and I cannot help it but think of gifts. We usually give out gifts during the Holidays but there is still a better way than that. Don't just give out gifts, grant wishes. Yes, that is possible especially with Sears Layaway plan. This is really a great offer for the Holidays. You can grant your love ones' wish easily with Sears Layaway. Choose your items, go to the cashier and make a partial payment and that is it. You can take the goods home with you.

This sounds really great. It makes me think to plan on what to give my family this season. I'm going to get my brother a new pair of sneakers since his is already worn out. I know he will love it. I'd get a mechanics tool set for dad. Not that he is really a craftsman but he really loves tinkering with his bike so I know he will like it. And perhaps I'll buy mom a new blender. Hers got broken last week and I know she really needs it so I'll get her a new one.

How about you, what are you planning to give or should I say grant this season? Better take advantage of this offer from Sears. It is not everyday that opportunities like this is offered.

Sony has developed a 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor for use in mobile phones. The electronics giant claimed that its IMX060PQ sensor boasts the industry’s smallest cell size – 1.4µm – and that the 12.25-megapixel effective resolution means it achieved the industry’s highest mobile phone camera pixel count to date, 4040 x 3032.

The 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor will cost around $26/£18/€20 when it rolls off Sony’s production lines early next year.

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Coverage of hot topics, issues, and new technologies impacting business and management of information security.

In each issue, a diverse group of leading expert security researchers and practitioners from academic, professional and business backgrounds inform their readers about the latest developments in the business, management and technology of information security. The subject matter covers all critical areas of data security, from cryptography, end point security, and anti-virus/anti-spyware solutions to identity management, firewalls, VPNs, intrusion detection and protection.

Geographic Eligibility: USA

Publisher: Elsevier Limited

Industries – Data Management, Information Technology, Security

*text copied from the subscription site

Sad news for the technology world or at least to people working for Sun Microsystems. The company is planning to cut its work force globally by about 18%. That is a total of around 6,000 jobs worldwide. The reason was the reduction in sales of high-ends servers.

The Santa Clara, California-based company said the job cuts will include between 5,000 and 6,000 employees over the next year. The cuts should save an estimated $700 million to $800 million annually.

The decision to reduce its workforce was due to Sun's desperation to cut costs and survive as an independent company.

Protection is almost always needed in technology especially if it involves data. You can be secure with your data security by using the passcode-protected external hard drive from Lenovo. You might say that this is a bit old school but it sure does protect your files from would be thieves.

You can key-in a six- to twelve-digit combination on the ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive. So each time you want to access the data stored in the Portable Secure Hard Drive, be ready to key-in in sequence your passcode.

Lenovo said the drive meets the 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Security) standard, and stressed that the HDD’s “real-time encryption” ensures that there’s no lag time between you entering the code and data access being granted. Up to ten separate user IDs can be stored.


Technology geeks, be ready to shell out $190 for a 160GB model. ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive will be available in the US later this month.

Got a cake for a certain occasion? Why not sing while you are slicing that cake. Yes you can practically slice and sing, or dance if you want to, with this serated cake knife by simply pressing one of the four buttons in its handle. Dont be too carried away though because only four songs are included in the repertoire. You can sing your heart out to the tunes of "Happy Birthday," "Jingle Bells," the "Wedding March," and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" but that's it. Save "My Way" for the videoke sessions.

Get a chance to win a free Creative webcam from Yugatech's webcam giveaway contest. It is really easy to get a chance to win one of these webcam with free shipping (Philippines only).

picture taken from Yugatech's blog

All you have to do is answer the question in Yugatech's blog and you are already qualified to win. Blog about the contest and you'll even have more chances of winning. Contest ends on Monday, November 10.

“Determination of controller three-dimensional location using image analysis and ultrasonic communication.” - is the title of Sony Computer Entertainment America’s patent application for its new ultrasonic PS3 controller.

The new PS3 controller is still in the works. In its blueprint, the controller is designed to communicate with PS3 and PlayStation Eye over various connectivity technologies. The controllers can be slotted together for single use or individually for multiplayer games.

Here's another latest in technology, another quadcore gaming laptop from Alienware. Alienware’s M17 is the first notebook to incorporate ATI's CrossFireX multi-GPU technology. You can also specced up this machine with a pair of AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 graphics chips to give frame rates that are up to 80 per cent higher than those achievable with a single GPU. That's what I call nice graphics.

Here's the brainer, the M17 is equipped with Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 processor - the chip giant's first four-core mobile CPU - and has Intel’s PM45 chipset on board. Up to 4GB of DDR 3 memory is also available. Do you need more?

Other specs:
17in. 1920 x 1200 display
up to 2 5400rpm, RAID 0-linked, 500GB HDDs
Either a multi-format DVD writer or a Blu-ray readerIt also comes seven-in-one media card reader
802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1

MacBook’s new multi-touch glass-covered trackpad is now receiving complaints. Owners of the shiny metal MacBooks are saying that the trackpad freezes after about roughly 50 clicks but that it will suddenly come back to life after a further 5-10 unrecognized clicks. These comments are posted in an official Apple forum.


The trackpad, which was unveiled last month, functions as a button itself and does not have the customary mouse buttons. Apple has made no announcement yet as of this time about this issue so we cannot speculate at all if this is a hardware or software problem or both. If this is a software problem, then expect for a firmware update to be released. But if this is a fault in the hardware, then let us wait for Apple's announcement.

Do you want to get an XBox 360® Pro Console for free? You can have it by simply ordering any Charter service online or simply register today in order to qualify for the Charter Communications Xbox Sweepstakes. I know some of you might own an Xbox already but who cares this one is for free. Or you might still be using your old XBox which might be not so cool now so here is your chance to upgrade. You might be asking on what's the catch about this sweepstakes? Basically none, but of course it is a requirement that you are living in an area that offers Charter services because it would be no use signing up for the service if you cannot use it, right?

Good thing is you can just even try Charter's online service for 30 days and you will still qualify for Charter Communications Xbox Sweepstakes. And if you are thinking that only one console will be given then you are wrong because there are 45 XBox consoles that are at stake here.

The prize includes the following:
XBox 360® Pro Console
XBox LIVE Headset
Wireless Controller
Component HD AV Cable
20Gb Detachable Hard Drive

Isn't it great? So what are you waiting for? Sign up with Charter service online now.For more details about the rules you can visit the Sweepstakes Rules at
https://connect.charter.com/XBox/rules.html