Apps

Ultrahuman: The essential app to get you through quarantine

Getting through isolation days through workout and meditation

Published

April 22, 2021

Taking care of our physical and mental health is very much important now more than ever. With everything that has been going on in the world, it’s not surprising that people are taking extra steps to advocate and practice self-care.

One way to do this is by adding good habits everyday and being disciplined to sustain these habits.

With self-care as one of their ultimate goals this year, Martynne and MJ decided to try Ultrahuman: an all-in-one fitness app that includes all the good habits they are currently incorporating in their lives — from workout to meditation.

For a few weeks, they put the app to a test and this is their verdict:

Meditation

Martynne: I am a huge advocate of meditation and it has been a life-changing practice for me, as someone who finds a hard time focusing and being in the present.

Ultrahuman has a wide range of course options that can match a specific mood or emotion. One of my personal favorites is the Managing Anger course, which helped me take a step back, consolidate my feelings and give compassion to myself throughout the process.

The Singles option with one-time meditation tracks helped me become more mindful and grounded whenever I feel overwhelmed in the middle of a workday. The productivity course, on the other hand, kept my eyes glued to my laptop screen until I finished what I needed to do.

The only thing I didn’t like about it, though, is the visuals seem basic to me, and the “dark” interface is much more fitting for the workout option.

Workout

MJ: When gyms are closed and home workouts aren’t fun anymore, how do you remain committed to your fitness goals? That’s what Ultrahuman did: Filling the gap by providing fun workouts and challenges that you can do in a span of weeks. It’s similar to how Nike Training Club presents their videos albeit more personalized.

The Ultrahuman app comes with guided videos from renowned trainers, and watching their instructions during your exercises felt like having a live session with a personal trainer. Unlike most fitness apps that offer video-on-demand workouts, Ultrahuman remembers that we are all beginners, offering a collection of videos through challenges that suit different levels.

After living a sedentary lifestyle, I knew I have to ease up when working out again. The app did wonders in helping me stay active by gradually increasing the difficulty of my challenges, without straining my body or having myself complain about how difficult a certain workout routine is.

Sleep

Martynne: There was an instance that I had a bad case of insomnia and I needed something to put me to sleep.

I tried listening to Ultrahuman’s Bedtime Stories and it reminded me of the sleep podcasts I used to listen to on Spotify.

The voices are relaxing, and the stories come with meditation and sound effects, but I realized I can be impatient with slow stories. I resorted to the app’s soundscapes and brain music, and they helped a lot to relax my brain and finally shut my eyes off.

I don’t exactly know what’s the science behind brain music, but they really work sometimes.

Accessories

TicNote AI recorder launches in the Philippines

AI-powered transcription, translation, insights, more

Published

December 19, 2025

Manila Connoisseur

Mobvoi has officially launched TicNote, its AI-powered note-taking device in the Philippines for PhP 9,499. The thin and lightweight recorder is currently available offline and will soon roll out on Lazada and Shopee.

The pocket-friendly TicNote comes with 64GB of memory and offers up to 25 hours of continuous recording. Beyond these, it supports real-time translation in over 120 languages through the TicNote app.

Moreover, powered by Shadow AI, the device goes further with advanced insights, including Smart Summary, Mind Map View, Deep Research Reports, Aha Moment, and even AI Podcast Generation.

To complement the device, Mobvoi offers unlimited TicNote cloud storage and 600 minutes of free monthly recording time.

On paper, the TicNote AI recorder has several professional applications. It can be used for meetings, legal and medical consultations, and more scenarios to record high-quality audio.

Meanwhile, journalists can leverage the tool for press conferences and media scrums. Even content creators can use the tool as a microphone as TicNote can process high bitrate audio and save it to .wav format.

Still, there’s a catch. Users will still need a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to make the most out of TicNote’s AI-powered features.

And that raises the dilemma: modern phones already offer AI translation, real-time transcription, and audio-to-text uploads through popular AI assistants.

For consumers, the question becomes whether TicNote offers enough beyond what their phones already do — or if it will just make having both devices redundant.

Apps

Disney Plus: NBA Christmas Day games to stream live

More sports content also available on the platform

Published

December 19, 2025

GadgetMatch

Disney+ will stream the entire 2025 NBA Christmas Day games slate live on the platform for Philippine basketball fans to enjoy.

Fans can tune in to the anticipated matchups starting at 1:00 AM (Manila time) on December 26.

Here’s the full schedule:

1:00 AM: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks
3:30 AM: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
6:00 AM: Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors
9:00 AM: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
11:30 AM: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets

And in case viewers missed a tip-off, the full replays will also be available on the app. Worth noting is the second matchup, which is a rematch of the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.

Meanwhile, the third pairing brings long-time former Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson back to the Bay Area in a compelling match.

Plus, the Rockets-Lakers showdown features two seasoned veterans and future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and LeBron James in their latest meeting.

Beyond the NBA Christmas Day games on Disney+, fans can stay plugged in all day with ESPN’s NBA Tip-Off at 12:00 AM. Inside the NBA, on the other hand, airs at 8:30 AM.

In addition, for something totally different, check out NBA alt-cast, Dunk the Halls, the first real-time animated NBA game.

This playful showdown happening also on December 26 at 1:00 AM reimagines the Cavaliers-Knicks tiff on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom Park, with some help from Mickey Mouse and his friends.

In line with Disney+’s NBA Christmas Day games, the platform has also uploaded highlights of the 2025 League of Legends KeSPA Cup on the app. The tournament features top teams from Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and North America.

Disney+ continues to strengthen its sports offerings on the platform, with an all-new Sports Page for easier access.

Apps

Google Maps is finally getting a power saving mode

Waze needs this update, pronto.

Published

November 28, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

In a congested country like the Philippines, using navigation for shortcuts is a requirement. However, these apps can hog a lot of battery. If you forgot your car charger, it’s practically game over for your phone. Today, Google is shipping out a Maps update which can save your phone’s battery for those long drives.

Announced earlier this month, the update will include a Power Saving mode for Google Maps. The new mode will turn the normally colorful interface into monochrome with particular emphasis on black. The interface will reduce all interactable elements, so you can just focus on the display.

Presumably, it also reduces the power required by the app, while still prioritizing navigation. According to Google, smartphones will get up to four hours more juice when the mode is enabled.

Unfortunately, it’s not a widely released update yet. Google is limiting the update’s rollout to the Pixel 10 series for now. It’s also limited to driving mode; it won’t work if you’re just walking or cycling. The option is accessible through Driving options under Navigation in the settings.

In countries where Android Auto isn’t the norm just yet, a power saving mode for navigation is a godsend. Besides hoping that the update arrives on more devices, one can also hope that Google, who also owns the app, will introduce a similar mode to Waze. (To be fair, Waze did have a battery saver option, but it just dimmed the display for long straights.

SEE ALSO: Android now supports AirDrop!