News

Filipino students to join NASA’s annual global hackathon

Two teams with innovative solutions

Published

December 2, 2019

Kenrick Buduan

Pressing problems in the world require innovative solutions, like ocean waste and the spread of dengue. These two problems are the focus of two teams from De La Salle University – Manila who just won the NASA International Space Apps Challenge.

The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is a yearly hackathon where teams use NASA’s free and open data to address problems on Earth and in space. This year, two separate teams from La Salle won the challenge. They would also join the global hackathon awards where NASA would select the winners in January.

Project PaWiKAN by Ocean’s 4

The first of the two teams focused on the problem of ocean waste. Ocean waste remains the biggest threat to marine wildlife and to humans with more plastics ending up in the ocean every year. Thus, a team composed of Lasallian engineering students conceived Project PaWiKAN.

Project PaWiKAN uses NASA’s Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real-time (OSCAR) data to determine ocean waste patch locations. Then, it deploys dynamically reconfigurable boats capable of trapping and returning ocean waste back to land. The boats have different sensors for communication, and controlled through deployment stations.

The team behind the project, Ocean’s 4, also joined the challenge last year. They created a hyper-casual puzzle game utilizing images from the Hubble Space Telescope and intuitive physics concepts.

AEDES Project

The other winner for the challenge takes its name from the Aedes variety of mosquito, which is responsible for spreading dengue and malaria worldwide. In the Philippines, dengue is responsible for the deaths of many children every year.

A group of Lasallian students developed a forecast model of dengue cases using climate and digital data. This model can also pinpoint possible hot spots from satellite data. Along with other data from NASA and government agencies, potential dengue hot spots and mosquito breeding grounds is shown in a web interface accessible to everyone. This is handy for public health practitioners who can use the data to identify dengue outbreaks and plan according to it.

Global hackathon

Both winners will join teams around the world. NASA will evaluate and select top 30 projects as global finalists in December. They will announce the top six winners in January 2020. Winners will get a chance to visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Florida in 2020.

This is not the first time that a Filipino team won the NASA challenge. Last 2018, team iNON developed an application that communicate scientific data to fishermen even without internet. Their app — aptly named the ISDApp — made their team the first Filipino global winner for the challenge.

Participants of the 2019 NASA International Space Apps Challenge

This year’s Space Apps 2019 included over 29,000 participants at more than 230 events in 80 countries. The Philippine leg of the NASA International Space Apps Challenge happened last October 18-20 in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Animo Labs, PLDT, American Corner Manila, and the US government.

News

Apple sets home-themed event on October 13

Maybe a new HomePod or Apple TV?

Published

October 9, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Recently, Apple CEO John Ternus declared his intentions to make his company release new devices more regularly. Well, he isn’t playing around. So soon after the launch of the new iPhone 18 Pro series and the iPhone Duo, Apple has just scheduled a new event on October 13 titled “Welcome Home.”

As the name implies, this isn’t an event for more iPhones. Rather, the event will likely focus on Apple’s suite of home-related products. We might see an all-new HomePod and an Apple TV. Plus, it’s been rumored that the company will launch a new smart home hub.

Besides new mobile products, Apple is focusing on adding more ways to have their ecosystem inside your home. Naturally, this could mean that Apple is improving the ecosystem itself, ensuring that all of its products work seamlessly with one another.

Sadly, that’s all we can say about the upcoming October 13 event. This is, after all, a new era for Apple after Tim Cook stepped down from his post as the company’s CEO. We don’t know if the company wants a grand entrance for its new products or a more subtle one. Either way, stay tuned next week for a preview of whatever the brand has cooking in the kitchen.

News

OPPO Find X10 Series launches globally October 21

OPPO’s latest flagship phones

Published

October 8, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

OPPOOPPOOPPO has announced that the Find X10 Series will launch globally on October 21 in Mallorca, Spain.

The latest flagship lineup focuses heavily on mobile photography, with OPPO positioning the series as a “Hasselblad True-to-Life Camera.” It combines new camera hardware with OPPO’s next-generation LUMO True Image Engine for more natural detail, color, and tones.

Two phones, up to three 200MP cameras

The Find X10 features a Dual 200MP Camera System co-developed with Hasselblad. Meanwhile, the Find X10 Pro Max takes things further with a Triple 200MP Camera System.

The Pro Max is equipped with 200MP sensors for its ultra-wide, main, and telephoto cameras.

OPPO’s LUMO True Image Engine is designed to make the most of the new hardware. It combines computational photography with Master Mode and color information from the True Color Camera to produce more natural-looking images.

The company says the system is designed to preserve details such as skin tones and fine textures while maintaining natural contrast.

4K 120fps and 8K video

The OPPO Find X10 Series also gets upgraded video capabilities.

The Find X10 Pro Max supports 4K video recording at 120fps and 8K at 30fps across all three rear cameras. The Find X10 offers the same capabilities on its two 200MP cameras.

Both models also introduce Open Gate Capture. The feature uses the sensor’s full imaging area, allowing creators to capture more of a scene and later crop or reframe footage for different formats.

Flagship MediaTek chips and 8,000mAh batteries

The Find X10 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9600M, while the Find X10 Pro Max is among the first smartphones to use the 2nm MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro.

Both phones pack an 8,000mAh OPPO Silicon-Carbon Battery. OPPO claims the battery can provide up to two days of typical use and retain more than 80 percent of its original capacity after five years of typical use.

The series will also ship with ColorOS 17, which introduces a new Living Flow Design and AI Mind Pilot with Agent Mode. The latter connects agentic AI with files and photos on the phone to help users complete more complex tasks through a single prompt.

Find X10 Series design

OPPO is giving the Find X10 Series a minimalist design with its new Borderless Design. One-Piece Sculpted Glass flows into the camera module, creating a more seamless look around the camera bump.

The Find X10 will be available in Glacier Blue, Glow Coral, and Mist Grey. The Find X10 Pro Max comes in Titanium Grey and Luna White.

OPPO will reveal the Find X10 Series’ full specifications, pricing, and availability during its global launch event in Mallorca on October 21.

News

Amazon launches new Alexa+ tablets with full Google Play access

Alexa+ arrives on three tablets.

Published

October 8, 2026

GadgetMatch

Amazon has introduced its new Alexa Tablets, a lineup of Android tablets built around its Alexa+ assistant and full access to the Google Play Store.

The lineup consists of the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Amazon Alexa Tablet 11, and Amazon Alexa Tablet 8. All three feature aluminum designs, high-resolution displays, and Alexa+ built into the core tablet experience. The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro leads the lineup

The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is the flagship model. It features a 12-inch 2800 x 1840 display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3:2 aspect ratio. It measures just 6.5mm thick and weighs 550g.

The tablet runs on a 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor with up to 16GB of RAM. Amazon claims it delivers nearly three times faster processing and nine times faster graphics than any tablet it has previously shipped.

The tablet also has quad Dolby Atmos speakers, Wi-Fi 6E, and up to 16 hours of video playback.

An optional Nanomatte display uses an etched anti-glare surface designed to reduce reflections while retaining detail and color accuracy. Amazon says it is designed to remain readable in different lighting conditions.

The company is also offering a Pro Pen and Pro Keyboard for the 12 Pro. The pen supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt detection, magnetic docking, and wireless charging, while the keyboard turns the tablet into a more traditional productivity setup.

Alexa+ is built into the tablets

Alexa+ is integrated throughout the new tablets. Users can activate it by saying “Alexa” or tapping the Ask Alexa button without leaving their current app.

The assistant can also use On-Screen Intelligence to understand what’s displayed on the tablet. Users can ask Alexa to analyze information, help plan activities, or perform tasks based on what’s on screen.

Alexa+ also supports hands-free live sessions, allowing users to have continuous conversations without repeating the wake word.

Amazon says these screen-related features are off by default and require users to opt in. A visual indicator appears whenever Alexa is active.

The other two tablets

The Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 has an 11-inch 2560 x 1600 display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio. It uses an 8-core processor with 8GB of RAM, dual Dolby Atmos speakers, and offers up to 15 hours of video playback.

Meanwhile, the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 is the most portable model. It has an 8.7-inch display, weighs 329g, and measures 7.95mm thick. It offers up to 14 hours of video playback and comes with the same Alexa+ integration as the larger models.

All three tablets run Android 16 and include Google Play Store access, alongside Amazon’s own apps such as Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, Amazon Music, Amazon Quick, and Amazon Luna.

Pricing and availability

The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at US$499.99, while the Nanomatte version starts at US$549.99. The Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 starts at US$329.99, and the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 starts at US$229.99.

The Pro Keyboard costs US$149.99, while the Pro Pen costs US$89.99.

The tablets will go on sale October 14, 2026 in the US, Mexico, and Canada. They will arrive in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on October 19.

Amazon has not listed the Philippines among the initial launch markets.