Apps

I’m missing the Olympics because I don’t have cable

And it sucks

Published

July 30, 2021

It’s 2021. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which was delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, is in full swing as of writing. However, as someone whose primary source of media entertainment all comes from streaming, there’s no easy and convenient way for me to watch the games. Major bummer.

I like to enjoy my media a certain way; I prefer to stream them on my TV. Which is why majority of the content I consume come from YouTube, Netflix, and the occasional Amazon Prime, HBO Go (Yep, not even HBO Max), and Apple TV.

I find it incredibly baffling that the stakeholders involved in bringing the games to the people failed to come to an agreement to make it easily accessible on the aforementioned platforms. It’s 2021. Why on earth am I not able to watch the greatest sporting event on the planet the way I want to?

Believe me, I hear the privilege in my words. Regardless, I still feel marginalized.

So how can you watch the Olympics right now?

I asked a friend who’s been covering the games. He watches through cable and had to pay a PhP 150 fee (around US$ 3/ SG$ 4) to avail of the Tokyo 2020 Premium from a particular cable provider.

Thing is, the whole Olympic coverage in the Philippines is locked to the MVP group of companies. You wanna follow the games, you’re gonna have to do it on one of their platforms.

Here’s an excerpt from their press release on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic coverage:

“Sports fans will have comprehensive access to the Olympic Games — from the Opening Ceremonies all the way to when the games conclude — on free to air via TV5 and One Sports. One Sports+ on Cignal TV will also dedicate a significant amount of their daily hours to broadcast the events, with Cignal also opening up two exclusive channels dedicated to broadcast the games 24/7. Cignal Play, in addition to live channels TV5, One Sports & One Sports+, will be offering exclusive channels broadcasting live updates to its subscribers, along with exclusive content not available on the TV broadcast. Cignal TV’s One News leads the group’s round-the-clock news coverage, featuring results, updates, and highlights.”

Comprehensive? Maybe. For platforms within the MVP group of companies. If you’re not subscribed to any of these, well, that’s just too bad. It’s good for business and I completely understand how the whole thing works. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

The coverage also missed to televise or showcase Hidilyn Diaz’s historic gold medal win in the Weightlifting competition. If you’ve been following sports news, the Philippines was expected to get a medal in this event. Sadly, the moment was only known following updates from reporters on the ground.

How I wish it was handled

I’m sure there’s a lot more that goes into it in terms of TV and broadcasting rights, but we’re literally at an age where plenty of folks have decided to cut the cord and rely on streaming for content.

On YouTube, you can buy and/or rent movies and shows. The platform and structure exists for pay-to-watch content. They could have even made tiers or packages like charge a certain amount to gain access to all the games, a different and lower amount if you just want to follow a certain sport and/or a certain event.

Maybe the potential earnings to do so didn’t justify the costs to implement it. Whatever the case, it’s still incredibly frustrating.

Sure, I can go through the hoopla of setting up a VPN and look for streaming sites. But that’s more even more cumbersome. I don’t mind paying a convenience fee if it means that after a long day of work I can kick back, relax, and watch some damn sports.

Related Topics:Cignal TV Olympics OneSports Smart Gigafest Streaming Tokyo 2020

Apps

Maya summer deals: Cashbacks, discounts, instant credit

Make the most out of digital banking

Published

March 23, 2023

GadgetMatch

Maya is offering subscribers many ways to save this summer season by using the digital bank app.

Those who have not downloaded Maya yet will get a free Maya Card when they open an account and deposit PhP 1,000.

For cash ins and bank transfers, Maya helps people get rid of transaction fees and enjoy cashbacks.

Customers who cash in via InstaPay will get up to PhP 25 cashback. Those who use Maya Center, meanwhile, get a full cashback on their 1% cash in fee, capped at PhP 150.

There’s also no cash in fee for linked banks and over-the-counter transactions up to PhP 8,000.

Need to pay for something but do not have enough funds at the moment? Maya may also be used to get instant credit of up to PhP 18,000 for eligible users.

Throughout summer, users should also be on the lookout for these exclusive deals:

Zalora: 20% off discount for new users, 18% off for existing users on purchases using Maya; 15% off on Michaela Bags
Robinsons Malls: Up to PhP 200 cashback using Maya QR, minimum spend PhP 1,000
SM Store: Raffle entry for every cash in or Maya QR scan-to-pay; prizes are PhP 3,000 Maya credits, Apple Airpods Pro 2, Apple iPhone 14
Boozy: PhP 150 off sitewide using promo code MAYA150 upon checkout
Airpaz: 3% discount on flight and hotel bookings using Maya, minimum spend PhP 1,600

Apps

Are Roblox, MLBB, Call of Duty, Genshin Impact on AppGallery?

Huawei’s App Library gets deeper

Published

March 23, 2023

GadgetMatch

Is it on Huawei AppGallery?

This is the question we get asked most when people are curious about a Huawei smartphone.

It’s no secret to anyone the challenges that Huawei faces. But they’ve done a wonderful job beefing up their own library of apps. The essentials are there. And now, we’re happy to report that they also added these apps for your mobile gaming pleasure.

These are: Roblox, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Genshin Impact.

Here’s how easy it is to download these apps through the Huawei AppGallery.

WATCH HOW TO DOWNLOAD HERE.

Roblox

Roblox describes itself as “the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends”.

It appears to be very popular with kids. And some K-Pop groups have even launched partnerships with the game during their mini album releases.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or simply Mobile Legends is a game many of you should be familiar with, especially if you live in Southeast Asia.

It’s become the de facto MOBA game for many in the region. So much so that huge tournaments have been held over the past few years.

Call of Duty: Mobile

Call of Duty is already a popular franchise on its own. It also found huge success in Asia with its mobile version.

Call of Duty is no stranger to seasonal content as even their flagship titles operate in the same manner year after year. This is likely why players keep coming back.

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact took the world by storm when it first launched in 2020. The anime-like art style along with the engaging gameplay and story made it a huge hit.

HoYoverse continues to provide fresh content to this day, expanding the already vast world in the game.

Apps

Bard is now available to try for Google One users

Join the waitlist now

Published

March 22, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

The race for artificial intelligence is a hot trail. Amid the unbridled popularity of ChatGPT, several companies have started pushing their own language models out the gate. Google, eager to compete in the emerging industry, has now opened Bard to users.

Today, Google has started issuing invitations to Google One subscribers for a chance to try the new chatbot. Subscribers can enter a waitlist to test the technology for themselves.

In essence, Bard acts the same as ChatGPT. Users can talk to the bot conversationally, and it will respond perfectly, as if you were talking to another human being. It’s a language learning model. By talking to so many users, the model can learn the best way to reply to certain prompts.

Although Google has access to its search engine, Bard is currently meant to complement it. The company warns users that the chatbot is still prone to occasional mistakes. As an example, it gave the wrong scientific name for a plant. While this example is innocuous, there can be more nefarious errors that the developers are still trying to fix. With a wider test now open to the public, Google hopes to fix more egregious mistakes ahead of a wider launch.

For now, if you subscribe to Google’s premium subscription service, you can wait in line to try out the new technology.