News

Samsung’s Galaxy Note series is experiencing a revival

Published

January 24, 2017

Marvin Velasco

The most important takeaway from Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 press conference yesterday is that the Korean tech giant has learned from its mistakes, and is not afraid to take full responsibility for the explosive incident. Now that the investigations are over and all issues have been set aside, Samsung is already announcing the next phase for the Galaxy Note line.

In an interview with CNET, Samsung’s mobile chief D.J. Koh said his company “will bring back a better, safer, and very innovative Note 8.” After rumors spread about Samsung possibly killing off the Note series with all the bad press last year, hearing this is sweet music to loyal fans.

And yet, it’s a risky move. The Note 7 is now synonymous with exploding devices; airlines went out of their way to prevent people from taking the smartphone on board planes, and even went as far as stopping flights when there was just a hint of one in the area.

Samsung Galaxy Note series through the years

Even worse, Samsung’s greatest phone to date has become an internet meme, and not in a good way. Like everything posted on the web, the image of Samsung’s safety hazard will never be erased. With the pending announcement of the Galaxy S8 coming near the end of March, Samsung must begin enforcing the fact that it’s now the most well-equipped manufacturer after this disaster.

Just to prove how confident Samsung is in reviving its stylus-wielding Galaxy brand, the company is looking into relaunching the Note 7 — the redesigned ones, of course. While there’s no announced date or adjusted price yet, the company is listening to consumers and gauging which regions are most demanding.

The slow recall of the Note 7 should be proof enough how clingy users are to Samsung’s 2016 phablet. Out of the three million units sold globally, four percent are still in consumers hands; that’s a total of approximately 120,000 units still on the loose. As of last month, there were more discontinued Note 7 smartphones in use than the LG V20 and OnePlus 3T combined.

[irp posts=”7279″ name=”5 reasons to stick with Samsung after Note 7 disaster”]

Gaming

Bloodborne is getting an R-rated animated film adaptation

And it’s going to be produced by Sony and Jacksepticeye.

Published

April 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

FromSoftware fans are eating well these days. Though gamers are still anticipating the arrival of The Duskbloods on the Switch 2, the studio’s other franchises are getting well-deserved nods for adaptations: Sekiro, Elden Ring, and now, Bloodborne.

Sekiro has already been slated for an anime adaptation for a while now. Meanwhile, Alex Garland recently confirmed that he is adapting Elden Ring for A24. Today, Sony Pictures has confirmed that the studio is working on an R-rated animated film based on Bloodborne.

Via Variety, Sony Pictures president Sanford Panitch says that the upcoming adaptation will keep the game’s essence of horror and gore. With a name like “Bloodborne,” you can’t have an adaptation without a heaping of blood.

Besides Sony, the animated project has another big name attached to its production: YouTuber Jacksepticeye. Throughout his career, the creator has been vocal about considering Bloodborne as his favorite game of all time. He even has a tattoo of the Hunter’s Mark on his forearm. For this project, Jack will be a co-producer.

Though the creator’s skill in filmmaking is still a relative unknown, Jack’s love for the game should give the project a gamer’s voice. If anything, Markiplier’s recent Iron Lung adaptation offers optimism that YouTubers can also create decent films.

Gaming

Xbox CEO admits Game Pass is too expensive right now

Her statement was clear in a leaked memo.

Published

April 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Formerly a cheap and convenient way to enjoy content, today’s subscription services are anything but affordable. Signing up for so many services can quickly pile up and rob you of a significant chunk of your monthly salary. Today, recently instated Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has surprisingly agreed with the sentiment and called out the Game Pass for being “too expensive for players.”

While today’s subscriptions still conveniently collate a swath of content under one roof, their service providers continuously up their prices for no reason or, worse, for the promise of AI features no one asked for. The Game Pass is no different after a series of price hikes have placed the service beyond what budget-conscious players might call justifiable.

As of late, Sharma has been adamant about the resurgence of Xbox as a worthy competitor to the PlayStation and the Switch. She even teased the platform’s next generation as a device that can also play PC games.

Today, in a leaked memo (via The Verge), Sharma has reportedly admitted to the ongoing pitfalls of the Game Pass system.

“Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around,” she said.

A simple price cut still seems like a lot to hope for. Xbox might also introduce a new tier that might reduce the price at the expense of some features. At the very least, Xbox’s new head recognizes the problem of an overly expensive subscription.

News

vivo V70 FE pre-orders now open, starts at PhP 25,999

Offers, perks available throughout pre-order period

Published

April 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

vivo has officially opened pre-orders for the vivo V70 FE, the more affordable follow-up to the vivo V70 launched last February.

The pre-order period is until April 24 and the midrange smartphone is available in two memory configurations:

8GB+256GB: PhP 25,999
12GB+256GB: PhP 29,999

Customers who place pre-orders at vivo stores nationwide will receive:

limited-time vivo VIP Card with a 6-month extended warranty and 6-month broken screen insurance
limited edition vivo Buds Air3
PhP 1,000 discount

Customers can also bring home the vivo V70 FE for as low as PhP 37/day with 0% interest installment plans up to 18 months via Home Credit.

In addition, Globe has been tapped as the official network partner for a free prepaid SIM with 1-year unli 5G.

The vivo V70 FE has a POP MART Zsiga Exclusive Photo Border, thanks to its partnership with the IP. You may recall that the vivo V70 also released an exclusive Golden Hour colorway earlier.

The device is built for creators with a 200MP main camera, which can deliver portraits at different focal lengths, including an 85mm zoom.

In front is a 32MP camera and a 6.81-inch 120Hz 1.5K AMOLED display.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7360-Turbo processor. It houses a 7,000mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging.

Customers can choose from three colorways: Muse Purple, Ocean Blue, and Urban Silver.