News
EcoFlow launches PowerOcean in the Philippines
Solar battery system for secure, independent power solution
EcoFlow has officially launched the EcoFlow PowerOcean (single-phase) solar battery system in the Philippines.
This marks the eco-friendly energy solutions provider’s entry to the market as it expands to Southeast Asia.
Leveraging its success in Europe and addressing the specific needs of the ASEAN market, the EcoFlow PowerOcean (single-phase) delivers reliable backup power, smart energy management, and cost-saving efficiency.
The system also addresses the problem of underutilized generated power from standalone panels, banking on its integrated solar-plus-storage type that is easy to install and capable of powering an entire home.
The EcoFlow PowerOcean’s inverter supports up to 12kW PV input and allows 95% depth of discharge. This ensures nearly all stored energy is put to use.
Meanwhile, the AI-driven TOU (time-of-use) scheduling system automatically decides when to charge, discharge, or feed energy back to the grid.
By factoring in real-time electricity prices, weather forecasts, and each household’s historical usage patterns, it charges during off-peak hours, prioritizes solar power during the day, and sells surplus energy when prices are high.
In addition, PowerOcean provides daily and monthly cost forecasts with over 90% accuracy. And it continuously refines its scheduling to capture every possible saving opportunity.
In Europe, households using PowerOcean have achieved up to 77.8% reductions in annual electricity bills.
Built to last
The EcoFlow PowerOcean’s plug-and-play system seamless integrates new and existing batteries to deliver scalable capacity and stable high-load performance.
Multiple appliances across the kitchen, living room, and home office can operate simultaneously without interruption. And the system can be expanded to 10 kWh or 15 kWh.
Plus, through its intuitive app, users can monitor real-time household power status, track generation and consumption trends, and control the system via voice commands.
That makes the PowerOcean an intelligent energy manager, aside from being a solar energy solution and storage technology.
Longevity is likewise assured. By using CATL’s battery cell with LFP battery chemistry, the PowerOcean offers a 6,000 life cycle, which means users can power their homes daily for more than 10 years. Furthermore, the system comes with an industry-leading 10-year warranty.
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.
Laptops
Are you ready for a more colorful MacBook?
Apple is experimenting with quirkier colorway options for the MacBook.
In recent years, Apple has relented on limiting the colors of its devices to only the more premium-looking options. Users can now pick quirkier colors for their iPhones, highlighted currently by the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max. Soon, the same splashes of color might make its way to the MacBook lineup.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has been testing different colorway options for its upcoming entry-level MacBook. The unannounced lineup might come in pink, light yellow, light green, and blue.
It’s a big change for MacBooks. Currently, the only “quirky” option that users can get is the MacBook Air’s Sky Blue, which honestly looks more silvery than blue. Other than that, the MacBook simply seesaws from different shades of gold, silver, and black.
To be fair, the upcoming MacBook will still have the traditional colorways of the current lineup. Additionally, it’s unclear whether Apple will ultimately include all its experimental colors into the final lineup.
Reportedly, the new lineup will cost somewhere between US$ 699 to US$ 799. Of course, the lower price tag will come at the expense of some specs. Although, it should still be good if we’re talking about an entry-level laptop.
It’s even more interesting if it’s hinting at the return of truly colorful options but for the notebook. The iMac already got a similar renaissance back in 2024, which mimics the classic computer’s colorful history.
SEE ALSO: M5 MacBook Pro review
Brands getting banned are commonplace in today’s tech landscape. These usually happen because of geopolitical reasons, especially if it’s in the United States. In Europe, brands sometimes get banned for anticompetition reasons. Today, however, a commonly used codec, HEVC, is at the center of a controversy that has led to the banning of ASUS and Acer in Germany. Even crazier, Nokia is involved.
For context, Nokia owns several patents for video codecs. One of those codecs, HEVC (or High-Efficiency Video Coding) is ubiquitous in every PC, which means that every PC maker must purchase a license to include the codec in their machines. It’s an essential these days, so it’s unusual for ASUS and Acer to miss it.
In Germany, where licensing is stricter, both companies were found guilty of infringing the patent, as reported by German outlet Hardwareluxx. As a result, ASUS and Acer must stop selling PC and laptop sales until they obtain a license from Nokia.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean that the two brands have disappeared from the country. Third-party retailers can still sell their remaining stock. However, the companies cannot import or sell any new stock, pending a conclusion to the issue.
Naturally, the easiest fix is to just buy the license. Hisense, another company that found itself in the same mire, bought a license last month. Either ASUS and Acer are running into more technical issues, or they just didn’t feel the license was worth it for a single market.
SEE ALSO: ASUS is leaving the smartphone industry
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