News
Philippines to become one of first to roll out 5G in 2019
Along with Japan and Australia
The race to 5G connectivity is officially on, and to the joy of a striving nation, the Philippines is leading the pack.
News just broke during Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018 that the Philippines will be among the first to roll out its 5G networks in 2019, along with Japan and Australia.
This marks a major milestone for the archipelago, which has been known for having less-than-stellar 4G results in recent tests. Breaking into 5G territory will give the Philippines a leg up with the next-generation technology.
“Next year, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines are going to be the first to launch 5G networks,” said Jan Stryjak, Lead Analyst at GSMA Intelligence, during a presentation at MWC Shanghai 2018.
What can we expect out of this level of wireless tech? Beyond the obvious speed boost, 5G is expected to have better security and connection reliability compared to older standards.
Globe Telecom already announced earlier in June that they’ll have 5G commercially available for homes by the second quarter of 2019 with the help of Huawei.
“We can bring internet to more homes by deploying 5G compared to a typical fiber optic rollout,” said Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO, when talking about 5G’s advantages over wired fiber connections.
Smart Communications, on the other hand, have already begun testing 5G speeds in the country. Their latest results have shown speeds of up to a jaw-dropping 14.97Gbps on their 5G network. That’s nearly 2GB of data downloaded every second!
Smart plans to have its 5G network ready by 2020, but news of Globe accelerating its rollout could push this rival to speed up the process, as well.
This desire from both telcos to make 5G happen as soon as possible for the Philippines is music to consumers’ ears. Not only will this save the country from its dreadful internet woes, but it’ll also enable more homes to enter the Internet of Things sooner than expected.
As the newest kid on the block, Nothing hasn’t made it terribly easy to grab one of their phones. But that’s all part of the allure. After all, fashion shouldn’t be easy.
Thankfully, all that difficulty isn’t forever. Nothing, together with all its phones and accessories, are coming to over 500 Best Buys across the United States.
It’s been a long time coming. Last year, Nothing expanded first in Canada as part of its push to spread across the North American continent. Now, after all the wait, the brand is finally available in one of the other North American country’s biggest retailers for tech.
From coast to coast, fans of the fashionable brand can grab the Phone (4a) Pro, the Headphone (a), the Phone (3), and the Ear (3) at their nearest Best Buy branch. Alternatively, they can also order any of these devices online through BestBuy.com.
It’s been a quiet year for Nothing. Though the brand successfully launched the Phone (4a) Pro series earlier this year, it has no plans to launch a follow-up to last year’s Phone (3) yet, leaving the flagship market hanging by another year. That said, there’s still much to love about the brand this year, from its heavily notable designs to its capable specs.
SEE ALSO: Nothing Phone (4a) + (4a) Pro review
India
TECNO’s POVA 8 5G is both futuristic and future-ready
8000mAh battery, Sony LYTIA 600 camera, Alive Matrix display, and more
Four months after the POVA Curve 2 5G, TECNO adds the POVA 8 5G to their performance-focused arsenal.
Futuristic vibe
TECNO’s POVA 8 5G continues the series’ signature sci-fi-inspired design language. The latest smartphone features sharp geometric elements and a semi-transparent rear panel.
One of its standout features is none other than the new Alive Matrix Display. It’s a customizable light panel on the back that can display 49 pre-loaded lighting effects for incoming calls, notifications, charging status, gaming sessions, and more. Prospective users can also personalize scenarios to match their style and could actually store many more customized effects aside from the pre-loaded ones.
Beside that LED display lies the 50MP main rear camera based on Sony’s LYTIA 600 (or LYT-600) sensor. The said sensor offers improved light capture for brighter and more detailed photos. It also supports 2x lossless zoom. Up front, you’ll get a 13MP front-facing shooter.
Powering the device is MediaTek’s Dimensity 7100 SoC. That’s paired together with TECNO’s in-house G1 Signal Enhancement Chip and SE1 Wi-Fi Enhancement Chip — making it a triple chipset smartphone.
TECNO says these chips help improve connectivity in challenging environments such as elevators and basements while boosting Wi-Fi reception.
The phone also features a 144Hz display with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification and military-grade durability.
Last but definitely not the least, its 8000mAh battery that can last as much as two days. For some measure, TECNO says the phone can last up to 85+ hours of music playback, 29+ hours of YouTube streaming, 26+ hours of WhatsApp, or 14+ hours of playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).
Future-ready
Aside from the beastly battery packed inside, TECNO is also bringing several practical AI tools to the POVA 8 5G.
Among them is AI YouTube Summary. This turns lengthy videos into concise notes with key points and timestamps. The device also features AI-powered noise cancellation that helps isolate the speaker’s voice during calls, recordings, and meetings.
For photography, AI LightMaster 2.0 can remove unwanted reflections, lens flare, and shadows. The phone also supports uploading Live Photos directly to Instagram as Boomerang.
In select markets, users can even access AI Health features that estimate metrics such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiration through facial scanning technology.
Further solidifying its future readiness, TECNO promises two major Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates.
The company is also bundling three years of FREE 256GB cloud storage for POVA 8 5G users. Eligible markets can also receive a 3-month Google AI Plus trial which includes 2TB of cloud storage.
Pricing and Availability
The TECNO POVA 8 5G debuts first in India and is available in 16-Bit White, Terminal Green, and Plasma Orange colorways.
Specific pricing and availability in global markets are yet to follow along these four color choices: Arc White, Graphite Black, Echo Green, and Helios Orange.
There are a few titles that an overwheling majority of gamers consider as an absolute must-play for other gamers. One of those titles is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Originally launched for the Nintendo 64, it’s not easy to play the iconic game today. But, later this year, the game is about to get much more accessible. Nintendo has officially announced a remake of Ocarina of Time.
Modern gamers might not realize the effect of the original Ocarina of Time on the RPG genre. Besides adding a third dimension to the then-fledgling Legend of Zelda series, the 1998 game also revolutionized the gaming world by popularizing targeting systems. That, and the refining of the formula in Majora’s Mask, makes Ocarina an essential in gaming history.
During today’s Nintendo Direct, the company capped off the hour-long presentations by announcing a remake of the game. Though the short, short trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, it did confirm that the remake will retain the original’s more whimsical art style, as opposed to the realism put forth by the Breath of the Wild duology.
It’s not the first re-release for the game, though. In the past, Nintendo released remastered versions of the game for the GameCube and the 3DS. This is, however, the first official remake of the title for a much more modern system.
We didn’t know when the remake will officially launch, but it’s coming out within this year.
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