Apps

Top AR apps to download for the holidays

How to make the most out of ARKit on the iPhone and iPad

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The holidays are upon us and whether it’s time spent allotted for friends and family, for buying gifts, or for self-improvement, knowing how to maximize the tools you have can help you make the most out of the festivities. Thankfully, in 2018, everything is more convenient with technology, and with augmented reality features right in the palm of our hands, you can be more efficient, learn new skills, and have fun using the devices you already have.

Here’s a roundup of things you can try all throughout the holiday season using your existing iPhones and iPads:

1. Do your shopping online

There’s nothing more annoying than spending precious hours in traffic or in queues just to get the best gifts for our loved ones or for ourselves. There are shops like Magnolia, Pure Cycles, and Sephora that have ARKit integration, which makes the online shopping experience closer to being physically present at the store and seeing the products in real life.

Instead of buying gifts on impulse online, you can put a weekender bag in front of you using your iPhone and see whether it’s the size that your best friend needs, or try a new lipstick shade on to check if it suits your skin tone.

2. Play games with family

Celebrations won’t be a bore with your existing iOS devices. Whether it’s LEGO AR with your favorite brother or Kings of Pool with friends, you’ll never run out of games to play at the next family get-together now that multiplayer AR games are available on the App Store.

3. Learn a new language or hone existing skills

The holidays are the ultimate me time — the time you can spend to recover from the year that was and work on self-improvement. Apps like Memrise take learning to a different level using augmented reality. Aside from the usual flashcards, you can use the iPhone’s camera, point at everyday objects, and learn what they’re called in the language you want to learn. If you’re into basketball, HomeCourt can help you improve by using AR to track your shots, misses, and spots.

ARKit is available on devices that run iOS 11 and above, and an A9 processor or later — that’s the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or up, iPad 5th and 6th Gen, or any iPad Pro.

Are you trying a new activity this year using augmented reality? There are over 5,000 AR apps available on the App Store that you can choose from. Let us know in the comments what your favorite is!

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Accessories

TicNote AI recorder launches in the Philippines

AI-powered transcription, translation, insights, more

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December 19, 2025

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Mobvoi has officially launched TicNote, its AI-powered note-taking device in the Philippines for PhP 9,499. The thin and lightweight recorder is currently available offline and will soon roll out on Lazada and Shopee.

The pocket-friendly TicNote comes with 64GB of memory and offers up to 25 hours of continuous recording. Beyond these, it supports real-time translation in over 120 languages through the TicNote app.

Moreover, powered by Shadow AI, the device goes further with advanced insights, including Smart Summary, Mind Map View, Deep Research Reports, Aha Moment, and even AI Podcast Generation.

To complement the device, Mobvoi offers unlimited TicNote cloud storage and 600 minutes of free monthly recording time.

On paper, the TicNote AI recorder has several professional applications. It can be used for meetings, legal and medical consultations, and more scenarios to record high-quality audio.

Meanwhile, journalists can leverage the tool for press conferences and media scrums. Even content creators can use the tool as a microphone as TicNote can process high bitrate audio and save it to .wav format.

Still, there’s a catch. Users will still need a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to make the most out of TicNote’s AI-powered features.

And that raises the dilemma: modern phones already offer AI translation, real-time transcription, and audio-to-text uploads through popular AI assistants.

For consumers, the question becomes whether TicNote offers enough beyond what their phones already do — or if it will just make having both devices redundant.

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Apps

Disney Plus: NBA Christmas Day games to stream live

More sports content also available on the platform

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December 19, 2025

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Disney+ will stream the entire 2025 NBA Christmas Day games slate live on the platform for Philippine basketball fans to enjoy.

Fans can tune in to the anticipated matchups starting at 1:00 AM (Manila time) on December 26.

Here’s the full schedule:

  • 1:00 AM: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks
  • 3:30 AM: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
  • 6:00 AM: Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors
  • 9:00 AM: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
  • 11:30 AM: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets

And in case viewers missed a tip-off, the full replays will also be available on the app. Worth noting is the second matchup, which is a rematch of the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.

Meanwhile, the third pairing brings long-time former Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson back to the Bay Area in a compelling match.

Plus, the Rockets-Lakers showdown features two seasoned veterans and future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and LeBron James in their latest meeting.

Beyond the NBA Christmas Day games on Disney+, fans can stay plugged in all day with ESPN’s NBA Tip-Off at 12:00 AM. Inside the NBA, on the other hand, airs at 8:30 AM.

In addition, for something totally different, check out NBA alt-cast, Dunk the Halls, the first real-time animated NBA game.

This playful showdown happening also on December 26 at 1:00 AM reimagines the Cavaliers-Knicks tiff on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom Park, with some help from Mickey Mouse and his friends.

In line with Disney+’s NBA Christmas Day games, the platform has also uploaded highlights of the 2025 League of Legends KeSPA Cup on the app. The tournament features top teams from Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and North America.

Disney+ continues to strengthen its sports offerings on the platform, with an all-new Sports Page for easier access.

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Apps

Google Maps is finally getting a power saving mode

Waze needs this update, pronto.

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November 28, 2025

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In a congested country like the Philippines, using navigation for shortcuts is a requirement. However, these apps can hog a lot of battery. If you forgot your car charger, it’s practically game over for your phone. Today, Google is shipping out a Maps update which can save your phone’s battery for those long drives.

Announced earlier this month, the update will include a Power Saving mode for Google Maps. The new mode will turn the normally colorful interface into monochrome with particular emphasis on black. The interface will reduce all interactable elements, so you can just focus on the display.

Presumably, it also reduces the power required by the app, while still prioritizing navigation. According to Google, smartphones will get up to four hours more juice when the mode is enabled.

Unfortunately, it’s not a widely released update yet. Google is limiting the update’s rollout to the Pixel 10 series for now. It’s also limited to driving mode; it won’t work if you’re just walking or cycling. The option is accessible through Driving options under Navigation in the settings.

In countries where Android Auto isn’t the norm just yet, a power saving mode for navigation is a godsend. Besides hoping that the update arrives on more devices, one can also hope that Google, who also owns the app, will introduce a similar mode to Waze. (To be fair, Waze did have a battery saver option, but it just dimmed the display for long straights.

SEE ALSO: Android now supports AirDrop!

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