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20 Things every Pokémon Trainer should know

Published

July 16, 2016

GadgetMatch

It has only been a week since the official release of Pokémon Go – an augmented-reality smartphone game that lets you catch pokémon, or fantasy creatures of all shapes and sizes, in the real world – but its impact has been overwhelming.

While the global rollout has been slow, the game has already spawned countless memes, news reports, and crazed fans that congregate in the hundreds all in search of shiny new pokémon.

The overnight success of the game has added billions of dollars to parent company Nintendo’s market value, perfect timing, really, as the Pokémon franchise celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

With many playing the game for the first time, we thought we’d put together a cheat sheet for everyone wanting a quick and easy guide to the wonderful world of Pokémon. 20 tidbits, one for every year of Pokésitence.

Let’s go!

1. Pokémon is short for pocket monsters or Pokétto Monsutā in Japanese. In Katakana, it is written ポケットモンスタ, which literally means, “monsters in our pocket” – because, as we all know, you catch and store pokémon in pocket-sized containers called Poké Balls.

2. The first Pokémon games were Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green (Pokémon Red and Blue in the US). They came out in 1996 on the Nintendo Game Boy. Despite their colorful names, the games were initially played in black and white. Pokémon Go brings gameplay to the real world, sorta. Using your smartphone’s camera, you can track down and catch pokémon as if they were right in front of you. How crazy exciting is that?

3. Pokémon Go was released by the Pokémon Company in celebration of its 20th anniversary this year (2016). The game runs on both iPhones and Android phones. In just a week, the app has been downloaded more times than Tinder and has more daily active users than Twitter.

4. The Pokémon franchise includes over 70 games (including spinoffs), 19 movies, a long-running TV series, and a trading card game.

5. There were only 151 original pokémon. But hundreds more were introduced (discovered) with every new generation. There are 721 pokémon today. Bulbasaur is pokémon number 1, Volcanion is number 721. Expect a few hundred more to be added to the list when Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are released this November.

6. While the original theme song for the Pokémon TV show is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” you can’t catch all pokémon. There are a handful of mythical pokémon that are only available via special events; some require being at a certain place during a specific time period. In celebration of Pokémon’s 20th anniversary, mythical pokémon are distributed every month (of 2016) via the internet and in-store cards.

7. Speaking of catching them all, while the popular phrase (and song lyric) appears to describe the objective of all Pokémon games, there’s more to the games than just collecting. As the song goes, “To catch them is my real test; to train them is my cause.” The best pokémon trainers know that to defeat other trainers, it is important to know your pokémon and how best to train them.

8. Now, let’s say you’ve started collecting pokémon. How do you identify and keep track of them? With the Pokédex of course. Given to players at the start of every game, the Pokédex is a digital almanac of sorts, which serves as a database of all pokémon you’ve caught. Similar to smartphones, we’ve seen an evolution of Pokédex design. The current model has a touch-screen panel and a Mission Impossible-like transparent screen for scanning pokémon.

9. Pokémon names differ in countries like Japan, Germany, and France. Jigglypuff, for example, is called Purin in Japan, which is literally a fluffy, wobbly custard pudding dessert, just like the character.

10. The most iconic of all the pokémon has to be Pikachu, the cuddly yellow creature with pointy ears. While there has been plenty of speculation as to what kind of creature Pikachu is, overwhelming evidence suggests Pikachu is actually a mouse, not a cat, as some assume.

11. Some pokémon take several forms. In the games, Pikachu evolves into the more powerful Raichu if you give it a Thunder Stone. Pikachu also has a pre-evolution form called Pichu, which evolves into Pikachu only when it has reached a certain level of friendship with its trainer.

12. One pokémon in particular, Eevee, can evolve into 8 different pokémon, depending on a variety of factors: the type of evolution stone used; the time of day; its surroundings and more. Eevee can become Flareon (fire), Vaporeon (water), Jolteon (electric), Espeon (psychic), Umbreon (dark), Leafeon (grass), Glaceon (ice), or Sylveon (fairy). Will the upcoming games introduce a new Eevee type? We hope so!

13. You heal worn out pokémon at Poké Centers, buy items at Poké Marts, and battle opponents at Poké Gyms. There’s a real-life Poké Gym in Osaka, Japan. And in Pokémon Go, Poké Stops are where you can pick up items like Poké Balls.

14. Most pokémon have a gender, either male or female, and can be bred. Female pokémon lay eggs, which eventually hatch when you carry them around long enough. If you don’t have two pokémon of opposite genders, the genderless Ditto can step in and breed with most (not all, as some pokémon don’t breed).

15. Ash is the protagonist in the Pokémon anime. In Japan, fans know him as Satoshi, a clear reference to Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri. There’s a theory that everything currently happening in the Pokémon TV show (now over 800 episodes strong, and still airing) is only taking place in Ash’s dream. In the very first episode, which aired in 1997, Ash was electrocuted by Pikachu. Some believe this placed him into a coma, hence the super-long dream, and thus explaining why Ash hasn’t aged one bit even after 19 years.

16. In the third episode of the Pokémon TV anime, there was an earthworm. Non-pokémon creatures appear very rarely in the show. You can see it at the 9:38 mark.

In the episode, Pidgeotto is seen eating an earthworm.

17. The pokémon regions in the game are actually based on real locations. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh are all places in Japan. There’s also Unova in the US, Kalos in France, and the new region, Alola in Hawaii.

18. Here’s how some of your favorite pokémon got their names: Ekans and Arbok are Snake and Kobra spelled backwards; Koffing and Weezing’s were originally going to be called NY and LA because of the heavy pollution in those US cities; Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee are named after Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee; Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam’s US names are based on the magic chant “abracadabra”; Alakazam’s Japanese translation is Foodin, likely a homage to the great magician, Harry Houdini.

19. Filipino singer and actor Billy Crawford sang the theme song for the first Pokémon movie released in 1998. The movie’s soundtrack includes songs from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, N*SYNC, M2M, and 98º Degrees, but Billy really was the very best back then, like no one ever was.

20. Meowth is the only pokémon that can talk (we’re not including legendary pokémon that communicate with humans using telepathy). He taught himself how to talk to impress a female Meowth. Smooth.

This feature was a collaboration between Michael Josh Villanueva, Jv Ruanto, Chay Lazaro. Michael Josh still plays Pokémon on his Nintendo DS, Chay grew up on the TV show and playing cards, and Jv… well let’s just say we would have believed it if he said he wrote the entire Bulbapedia.

Image sources: 5a, 5b, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11a, 11b, 11c, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18a, 18b, 19, 20

[irp posts=”7858″ name=”Pokémon Sun and Moon out now”]

Related Topics:Pikachu Pokemon Pokemon Go

Apps

EU wages war against doomscrolling

Brussels is asking TikTok to change its addictive design.

Published

February 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Doomscrolling is the greatest enemy to everyone’s productivity today. The temptation to keep on scrolling for hours is an ever-present temptation. Taking a very strong stance against the phenomenon, the European Commission is now investigating TikTok for having an addictive interface.

Via Politico, Brussels is now prodding TikTok to change its interface. Very technically, the European Commission is not out to get doomscrolling, specifically. However, the major changes that they want to introduce “disabling infinite scrolling, setting strict screen time breaks, and changing its recommender systems.”

App addiction is a persistent problem today. Besides concerned parents, governments around the world have been trying to regulate addiction, especially when it comes to children. The European Commission, as is apparent from this new initiative, is at the forefront of preventing addiction.

Though the target is explicitly TikTok right now, changing addictive interfaces will also affect other social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X. Most platforms nowadays thrive on encouraging users to keep scrolling through more content.

Right now, TikTok isn’t set to change just yet. However, the report states that the European Commission is willing to work with platforms for a better, non-addictive interface. It’s less abrasive than the region’s recent privacy initiatives, which requires users to verify their age before accessing mature content.

Apps

Breaking up with Adobe Photoshop after 20 years

Wedding planning and Apple Creator Studio made me realize it was time

Published

January 31, 2026

Chay Lazaro

Planning a wedding, even a small and intimate one, has a way of sharpening your sense of priorities. Right as my fiancé and I were making decisions for our city hall wedding here in New York City, Apple announced Creator Studio.

Creator Studio is a subscription service that gets you access to eight creative pro and productivity apps for US$12.99 a month, or US$2.99 if you’re a student or educator. The design app included in the subscription, Pixelmator Pro, is also available as a standalone purchase for US$49.99. Adobe Photoshop, my design software of choice for over two decades costs me US$22.99 a month.

Seeing those numbers next to each other made me pause. It’s not that I was unhappy with Photoshop. I was just suddenly made aware how expensive it is. I’d been paying more for a single tool than I could for an entire creative ecosystem.

Adobe Photoshop was my first foray into the world of graphic design

Creative Studio’s lower price point, along with the free trial, made me consider switching to Pixelmator Pro altogether. That’s something I never thought I would do. Photoshop was how I got into graphic design. It was my first love, and up until recently, I truly thought it would be my ride or die.

Getting to know Pixelmator Pro

If you’re not familiar, Apple’s Pixelmator Pro is a graphic design and image editing app that’s similar to Adobe Photoshop. In practice, it covers a huge amount of the same ground but with a very different philosophy around usability and design.

I tried Pixelmator Pro, mostly as a challenge because we were doing a YouTube video on Apple Creator Studio. Personally, I was lowkey excited to try something new.

The first time I loaded the app, I recreated our YouTube thumbnail template — all within 10 minutes — and I haven’t looked back since.

Familiar enough to feel effortless

One of the biggest reasons my transition to Pixelmator Pro was so easy is muscle memory. Many shortcuts behave the same way: cmd+T for transform, cmd+R to show rulers, cmd+J to duplicate layers, just to name a few.

Having used Photoshop since high school, it felt familiar and intuitive — the complete opposite of how it felt to try and switch to Adobe Illustrator many years ago.

Photoshop is how I got into graphic design. It was my first love, and up until recently, I truly thought it would be my ride or die.

Later, I learned that you can import PSD (Photoshop) files directly to Pixelmator Pro. Apparently I didn’t even need to recreate the GadgetMatch assets. It does a good job of converting and preserving layers.

Photoshop now feels archaic

After using Pixelmator Pro for a few days, going back to Photoshop felt jarring. The sharp edges of the UI felt cold and rigid. Everything was layered with popups, panels, and tiny interruptions.

Pixelmator Pro, in comparison feels warm, smooth and frictionless. Its user interface is very Apple-like — rounded edges, softer icons and buttons. The Creator Studio version also gets the new Liquid Design touch, with transparent menus and elements that feel dynamic.

I especially love the little things. Color adjustments live in one simple panel instead of being scattered across different windows. There’s an eyedropper tool beside every color picker with a magnifier built-in.

When you hover over tools, it shows you the shortcut (e.g. “R” for Repair). There are also subtle animations, like when you use the Color Fill tool to change your canvas color.

Pixelmator Pro’s UI is warm, snappy, and approachable

The differences in user experience are stark. Photoshop’s animations either don’t exist or are too abrupt for one to notice.

Smart tools without the noise

Photoshop has one clear advantage over Pixelmator Pro: Generative AI. It’s great and powerful especially when you need to save time.

I personally used it a couple of times before to save time on cloning, erasing, or expanding elements. Am I going to miss it with this switch? Something tells me I won’t.

Pixelmator Pro’s clone and repair tools, though seemingly so simple, work like a charm. And for how I usually manipulate images, those two are more than enough.

From digital to physical

If Pixelmator Pro was going to replace Photoshop in my workflow, wedding prep was the perfect time to give it a real world test — and it more than held its own. Its ease of use gave me permission to think outside the box, because I knew I had a reliable tool that can help me make it happen.

On the left, a Kufic-inspired wedding logo designed on Pixelmator Pro; on the right, 3D printed stamps

Since my fiancé is half-Iranian, I designed a logo combining our names, inspired by Kufic calligraphy, and I did it entirely in Pixelmator Pro. I developed that same logo further and designed a save the date, with color, also inspired by Kufic calligraphy. I went through a few iterations to come up with the final designs, which were made easier by the Shape tool and grid overlays.

My fiancé then took the logo I designed in Pixelmator Pro, converted it to 3D on Revit, and printed it into stamps in different sizes. One way we’re using it is to deboss the handmade pottery he’s making as one of our party favors.

There are a few more wedding pieces I’m designing on Pixelmator Pro in the coming weeks: our final invitation, and the custom stationery for the dinner that follows the ceremony.

Through this whole process, Pixelmator Pro never felt like it got in the way, or that it was limited. On the contrary, it feels like that enabler friend who says yes to every idea I have, and can actually help make them real.

Powerful, but approachable

The best way I can describe what using Pixelmator Pro is like is this: it’s a mix of Photoshop’s professional tools, Canva’s free library of assets, and Apple’s UI sensibility.

Shortly after Apple announced Creator Studio, Adobe rolled out significant Creative Cloud discounts. Are they threatened? They better be.

That makes it great for beginners, small business owners, and casual creators. Like Canva, it comes with some beautiful templates to help someone with zero experience come up with something good.

But unlike Canva, it still feels like a serious design tool. I can do so much of what I need using Pixelmator Pro but with UI that’s so much more approachable compared to Photoshop.

As the great philosopher Ariana Grande once said, “Thank U, Next”

I remember meeting Canva’s founders before launch and not fully understanding their mission to make graphic design accessible to everyone. Now I do.

It was never about replacing Adobe products and pro designers. What Canva did was fill a huge void we didn’t know existed. They democratized something that used to be reserved only for the privileged few.

Pixelmator Pro comes with free templates, assets, and mockups like this MacBook Pro and coffee packaging

Pixelmator Pro’s lower barrier to entry has potential to make a significant impact. My hope is it opens doors for people who were previously shut out of the graphic design world, and that it becomes something they can grow with, just as I did with Photoshop.

Adobe is still the industry standard

Switching to Pixelmator Pro wasn’t about rejecting Adobe, in the same way that Canva’s success did not kill Photoshop.

It’s worth noting that Adobe products are still the standard in the industry. A lot of companies rely on them, and most schools teach them. In a traditional design or agency environment, Photoshop and Illustrator are still the default language.

Even on Apple’s own Design Resources site for developers, the official design templates are built for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, not Pixelmator Pro. That says a lot about how embedded Adobe is in professional workflows.

Competition makes the space better

Apple Creator Studio, and tools like Pixelmator Pro, challenge Adobe’s near-monopoly in a really healthy way.

It’s not lost on me that trading Photoshop with Apple software actually keeps me locked into one ecosystem. But having more pro creatives try Pixelmator Pro can put pressure on the industry. A strong alternative that’s more cost effective can force titans and dinosaurs to evolve in a way the likes of Corel was never able to do.

Ideally, that means better products and fairer pricing for everyone. Shortly after Apple announced Creator Studio, Adobe rolled out significant Creative Cloud discounts. Are they threatened? They better be.

Pixelmator Pro’s intuitive UI makes switching from Photoshop easy peasy

Access matters, and at the end of the day, with a healthy competition in the market, it’s consumers that win. Canva is a great example of this. It made design tools accessible to those who aren’t professionals. It didn’t make everyone a great designer, just as a novice who tries Final Cut Pro today won’t become a pro video editor tomorrow. Design is still a craft you develop over time with practice.

Is Pixelmator Pro my GadgetMatch?

Photoshop still has its place. But for my everyday work, and occasional personal projects, Pixelmator Pro can do everything that I need to accomplish, at a fraction of the cost.

It feels faster, lighter, and more alive. Honestly learning my way around new software has been so enjoyable — so much so that I feel a renewed sense of eagerness to try other design software like Blender and Figma.

Pixelmator Pro never felt like it got in the way, or that it was limited. On the contrary, it feels like that enabler friend who says yes to every idea I have, and can actually help make them real.

Wedding planning and Apple Creator Studio didn’t just make me switch to a new software. They also made me question how much I’ve been missing out on. How much of what I do is simply due to inertia?

Ending my longest relationship doesn’t mean it failed. I’m grateful for what Photoshop taught me. It helped shape the creative professional that I am today.

But alas, this is one area where my practicality wins over loyalty. Relationships — with people or with tools — only work when both parties keep showing up. There’s no room for complacency, despite the history.

Walking away from something that taught me so much feels bittersweet, but Pixelmator Pro fits the way I work now, and I hope it grows with me as I turn the next page.

Watch our review of Apple Creator Studio

Apps

Apple Creator Studio: Creative apps bundled into single subscription

All the tools you need, one payment

Published

January 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Apple has officially streamlined its popular creative apps into one single subscription suite with the introduction of Apple Creator Studio.

The collection includes some of the most useful apps for today’s creators: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.

New AI features and premium content in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also make the Apple Creator Studio an exciting subscription suite. Freeform will eventually be added to the lineup.

The groundbreaking collection is designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone. It builds on the essential role Apple devices play in the lives of millions of creators worldwide.

The apps included cover video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity to give modern creators the features and capabilities they need.

Final Cut Pro introduces exceptional new video editing tools and intelligent features for Mac and iPad.

For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is also coming to iPad with a uniquely crafted experience optimized for touch and Apple Pencil.

Logic Pro, meanwhile, for Mac and iPad introduces more intelligent features like Synth Player and Chord ID.

Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store beginning January 29. In the Philippines, the rates are PhP 399 a month or PhP 3,990 annually.

There is also a free one-month trial which includes access to:

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad
Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac
Intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

College students and educators can subscribe for a discounted price of PhP 149 per month or PhP 1,490 per year.