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.

Gaming

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to the Switch

Both games will be available starting February 27.

Published

February 20, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Millennials, prepare to have your nostalgia get hit right in the feels. Nintendo has officially announced that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to the Switch.

This year, the Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 30^th anniversary. Naturally, with Pokémon Day coming up, it’s only right to celebrate the event with something huge. Finally, two of the most prolific titles in the series are coming to a modern console.

Originally released in 2004, Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen were remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. At the time, the two titles reimagined the older games for the Game Boy Advance. Additionally, they introduced new post-game content set in the Sevii Islands, where Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Deoxys reside in the Kanto region.

Based on the short teaser trailer, the upcoming Switch versions will feature all of both games’ content. It will likely be remastered for the Switch’s larger screen.

To showcase more of the Switch version, Nintendo is hosting a Pokémon Presents on February 27. The brand has not mentioned anything about a potential physical version yet. However, they do promise that both games will be available on the Nintendo eShop as soon as next week’s Pokémon Presents concludes. Each game will cost US$ 19.99.

News

HUAWEI launches Mate X7, MatePad 11.5 S 2026, FreeClip 2

Price, availability, preorder freebies in the Philippines

Published

February 20, 2026

GadgetMatch

HUAWEI has officially launched its latest flagship foldable offering, the HUAWEI Mate X7, in the Philippines.

The powerful device was introduced alongside the HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S 2026 tablet and HUAWEI FreeClip 2 earbuds.

The Mate X7 is dubbed as the “King of Foldables”, with top-tier photography features. It has a 50MP Ultra Lighting HDR main camera with 17.5 EV dynamic range.

This is complemented by a 50MP camera that serves as both a telephoto and macro shooter.

Unfolded, the Mate X7 has a large 8-inch display, with features like Live Multitask. Users can also explore Google apps on the X7.

The foldable also comes with 360-degree protection, as well as IP58 dust and water resistance.

MatePad 11.5 S 2026: PC-like efficiency

Meanwhile, the MatePad 11.5 S 2026 offers 4-in-1 productivity for modern users. It has WPS Office 3.0, which supports advanced math functions and inserting documents or links.

The bundle includes the HUAWEI M-Pencil Pro, Smart Magnetic Keyboard, and HUAWEI Bluetooth Mouse, all powered by NearLink Tehnology.

The slate’s panel features 2.8K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth and comfortable viewing. HUAWEI’s Notes and GoPaint apps have also been upgraded.

Inside is an 8,800mAh battery for extended usage. This battery has support or 40W SuperCharge.

FreeClip 2: Immersive listening

Completing the flagship triumvirate is the HUAWEI FreeClip 2, which comes with a unique Airy C-Bridge design.

The lightweight, open-ear wearable serves as both a reliable audio device and fashionable piece. It is powered by an NPU AI Processor and Dual-Diaphragm Driver for better bass performance and a fuller, more dynamic audio.

Meanwhile, its 3-mic noise cancellation system keeps calls crystal-clear on both ends. The FreeClip 2 also comes with IP57 protection and can last up to 38 hours with its charging case.

Price, availability

The three devices are now available for preorder online via HUAWEI, Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok, as well as HUAWEI Experience Stores.

HUAWEI Mate X7: PhP 119,999

Comes with preorder freebies worth up to Ph 45,998:

HUAWEI WATCH GT 5
Trade-in tokens worth PhP 12,000
1-Time Accidental Damage Screen Protection
Up to PhP 10,000 off with select banks until February 26

HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S 2026: PhP 29,999 (from PhP 31,999 until March 22)

Up to PhP 2,000 Early Bird vouchers
Free HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard
WPS Office
HUAWEI M-Pencil
Bluetooth Mouse

HUAWEI FreeClip 2: PhP 9,999

Up to PhP 1,000 Early Bird vouchers

News

iPhone 17 Pro Max is somehow the most traded-in phone today

All of the recent Pro Max models are sitting at the top, too.

Published

February 19, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

For a lot of people, reselling or trading-in is the natural end of their time with an iPhone. After all, an iPhone is too expensive to leave lying stagnant in a drawer. Now, this usually happens years after a phone fully lives out its usefulness. However, the new iPhone 17 Pro Max has somehow claimed the top spot as the most traded-in phone today.

According to reports organized by SellCell, a surprising number of people are reselling their iPhone 17 Pro Max. Today, 11.5 percent of trade-ins are of the current generation’s most premium model. The next models, the iPhone 14 Pro Max to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, all sit between 7.2 percent and 7.3 percent apiece. This is a staggering growth, as the iPhone 17 Pro Max was sitting at only 5.1 percent of trade-ins in late November.

There’s no confirmed reason as to why people are trading their premium models so early into the model’s lifecycle. However, if it’s any indication, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the lowest depreciation for a premium iPhone model, when compared to its predecessors in the same time frame.

Given that the resale value of a new iPhone 17 Pro Max is still pretty high today, it’s possible that users aren’t completely satisfied with the model and opted to trade in their new phones for something more manageable. After all, the new phone is as premium as they come. It’s also as large as they come.

That said, it’s certainly an odd tidbit that the most premium iPhone is the one that people are dumping the most.