Unveiling The Future Of Trusted Solar Energy with INTEGRA R.E.

The energy crisis is happening and one of the most affected countries is of course, the Philippines. With the one of the highest rate of electricity in the world, people are left finding solutions like in renewable energy. In recent weeks, the discussion about Solar energy has been very heated. Aside from the problems of permits and regulation, the acceptance of it has been very slow. 

Despite that, the market and need for it is continuously growing, and we met the folks from Integra RE who's been in the industry since 2022. Their relaunch has been done as they've become part of Singapore based Tai Sin Electric Limited. They now serve the whole Southeast Asia and will benefit businesses in the Philippines as they do B2B work. They supply, design end to end products and devices to get that Solar energy journey started in plants, manufacturing and your own homes. 

Junrhey Castro the Regional Manager for Integra RE says "We are a B2B renewable energy supplier, some of you experienced power outages, red and yellow alerts and suffered diesel and gasoline prices. We have been in the Philippines since 2022, but have now rebranded as Integra RE. At the show, there are various suppliers and focus on batteries and solar panels, and our role is to integrate it all so it makes more sense for the Filipino household."

Here's more about our interview with him this morning:

The situation in energy has really hurt a lot of nations including the Philippines. The gap is huge, and we don't have enough buffer to make energy available and affordable for cities and it has been seen in recent yellow alerts. You could also feel the price increase in gasoline, and your bill has even shown the increase. Trust that Integra RE will push for standardization of all things solar so you could lower your electricity bills, protect yourself from fluctuating prices, become energy independent, have very low maintenance devices (to easily manage it) and have higher environmental impact overall. 

If you want to know more about Integra RE, visit their website integra-re.com. Catch their display at SMX Convention Center as they are participating in the Solar Storage solar event til the 20th (today). 

SARAH GERONIMO Sparks ACER Day Celebrations!

The one and only Sarah Geronimo will be headlining this year's Acer Day Celebrations. I've witnessed these in the past but this time, it's going to be a little different as Sarah is officially the country ambassador representing the Philippines together with the biggest artists in Southeast Asia which includes Prince from Indonesia, Aina Abdul from Malaysia, GBoySWAG from Taiwan, Earth Patravee from Thailand and VP Bá Vương from Vietnam. 

They'll be singing ACER's newest anthem called "Live Your World" which will be released on August 3, but their actual live performance will be done on Acer's channels on August 7, 2021. In the past, each country would only celebrate individually, but they're making it possible to perform together online and no pandemic will be stopping them!

The Managing Director of Acer Philippines Manuel Wong knows that Acer needed someone that's considered a pillar in the industry and they can't wait for people to see Sarah perform for Acer Day. She will definitely bring it!

 

For those who wish to have an Acer laptop for school, work or play, they'll also be offering huge discounts on the said date so make sure to stay tuned for the announcements during the event. You can also check out their official stores online and their other channels because there's definitely an Acer for you!

SIBOL Prepares for Southeast Asian Games

SIBOL is making its debut in this year’s Southeast Asian Games to be held in Manila. For those who don’t know, they are our official ESports team who will be competing with other Southeast Asian countries as an official medal sport. They will need to champion Mobile Legends, Dota 2, StarCraft II, Hearthstone, Arena of Valor and Tekken 7. I’m a gamer myself and I know a LOT of pinoys do well in these titles especially MLBB and Tekken (which I have also played in arcades for years). Though this morning we got a nice preview of how we’ll fare in the tourney.

They presented the teams too composed of Dota 2 geniuses Carlo "Kuku" Palad, Timothy John "Tims" Randrup, Kim "Gabbi" Santos, Armel "Armel" Tabios, Nico "Eyyou" Barcelon, Djardel Jicko B. "DJ" Mampusti, Marc Polo Luis "Raven" Fausto, Abed Azel "Abed" Yusop, Michael "ninjaboogie" Ross Jr. and Ryan Jay "Bimbo" Qui. While on StarCraft II we have Caviar "Enderr" Acampado. In Arena of Valor we've got Kevin Kio "Gambit" Dizon, Jeremiah "1717" Camarillo, Jevan Lorenzo "Bents" Delos Santos, Lawrence Anthony "Rubixx" Gatmaitan, Miguel Klarenz "Miggie" Banaag. In Mobile Legends: Bang Bang we have Carlito "Ribo" Ribo, Erwin "Yakou" Magno, Jeniel "Haze" Bata-Anon, Marc Danielle "Dee" San Luis, Yuji "Yuji" Aizawa, Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel, Renz Carlo "Pein" Reyes, Lester "Tets" Santos, Ralph Mico "Coco" Sampang, Mark "Dysania" Cruz, Ephraim Jueinno "Ejhay" Sambrano, Gerardo "Eson" Mark Jayson, Jeff Franklin "Jeffqt4ever" Anaya, Allan Sancio "Lusty" Castromayor, Jason Rafael "Jay" Torculas, Ashleymarco "Killuash" Cruz and Kyle "Ryo" Berceño.

For Tekken 7 Andreij Hosea "Doujin" Albar, Alexandre Gabrielle "AK" Laverez and in Hearthstone we have Jacinta "Jia" Dee, Euneil "Staz" Javiñas playing the cards.

We got to talk to the lone femme gamer Jia Dee about how she became part of our official lineup, here she is to share her story:

The teams will also have the chance to win 2 Million pesos for every Gold Medal they win in the games. They are also supported heavily by Smart Communications and the MVP Group so if you’re here during the first week of December, might as well go support them during the Southeast Asian Games in Manila. Stay tuned for more of them soon!

Predator Powers PUBG SEA Championships Season 2

Been playing this for a long time and I wonder how I haven’t been able to play this professionally. News got out that Predator has sponsored the PUBG Championship Season 2 held in the land of smiles, Thailand. With this, teams from Thailand (4), Vietnam (4), Indonesia (3), Philippines (2), and Malaysia/Singapore (1) will battle it out for supremacy in the region plus the whopping USD 100,000 in cash!

This is organized by MET Events, the largest esports event organizer in Asia and it will kick off the Bangkok leg on June 29-30. The Philippine Qualifier last June 22-23 had ArkAngel on top and hopefully after Bangkok, they’ll win on July 26-28 for the MET Asia Series PUBG Classic for a USD 300,000 prize pot!

Can’t wait to see the Philippines conquer this! Let’s go!

MLBB Southeast Asian Cup Team Draws

Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup is happening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum this June and yes, if you wanna see it live, you have to fly to Manila, Philippines in order to enjoy it. Codes will be also given at the venue so if you’re up to it, go get your tickets. 12 teams 9 countries doesn’t sound bad either.

William the Marketing Manager for MSC says “Here we will witness true legends, the best of the best. Our website at MSC will also contain updates and thank you to Smart for supporting our event.”

JJ of MSC says “The site will have announcements and our global press conferences. So if you want to be updated with news, it will be there and updated live. Philippines is a very important market, it is growing, we want more tournaments, skins and heroes from this country soon.”

Then they did the draws live.

Group stages (round robin format best of 3)

MPL Champion Teams, MPL Invited Teams, MSC Qualifiers

Teams from the same country or same MPL are not allowed to be in the same group, they will move to the next one if it happens.

GROUP A

GEEK FAM

BREN ESports

IDNS

GROUP B

EVOS ESports

ARKANGEL

OVERCLOCKERS

GROUP C 

LOUVRE ESPORTS 

DIVERSITY 

 RESOLUTION

GROUP D

ONIC ESports

BURMESE GHOULS

WAWA GAMING

June 19 to 20 will be their head to head event then they’ll have to battle it out at the Araneta Coliseum to win a pot prize!

Visit Ticketnet.com.ph for the tickets, they are issuing three day passes for cheap so get one today. Bang bang!

Mobile Legends SEA Championships at Araneta Center

Weak or Not, you’re all invited to the Mobile Legends Southeast Asian Championships (MSC) happening at the Araneta Coliseum this June 19-23, 2019. This is in partnership with Araneta Center and EGG PH and EGG Malaysia. For those who don’t know, the country has produced some of the best players in the region and this Elite level competition will get the best MLBB players from the region so they would pit against each other for the chance to win Php 6.26 Million or USD 120,000.

Currently, the MBB champs hail from the Philippines named BREN ESPORTS who won last year. Jj Lin the ESports Manager of Moonton (TBC) will be in the country for this and ticket sales, draw lots for the playoffs will start on June 4 (stay tuned for details). Qualified teams will be announced on the same date so make sure to keep it here on that date.

You should see who will win in the Mobile Legends SEA Championship, it could be another Filipino ye know!

Elite Games Expo at SM Annex

I have been an avid fan of mobile games since way back when. Mind you I used to join contests before when consoles were non existent and there was a multitude of arcade boxes in malls across the country. That to me felt like real gaming, but indeed times have changed. Games have gone ultimately handy, faster, better, and you don’t even have to be present... you can be anywhere in the world and enjoy it wherever and whenever you are.

I learned about the Elite Games Expo a couple days ago when one of my favorite games from Fincon, Hello Hero Epic Battle set an open invitation to all guardians to meet at the SM City North Edsa Annex. It was so much fun to see gamers, developers, and media people experience the games they've released first hand. I also saw some of the active people who plays the same game as I do, in a way I got to know the person behind the names while I stayed incognito. I did sign up my IGN because they were giving away diamonds to players who would do a few things on their facebook page and sign up at the event as well. It's a good day to get to know the people who decide on things for promoting it on ASEAN soil.

EGI Managing Director RA Reyes was flanked by GCA Director Richard Moon at the small luncheon and they said “We are working with schools and institutions now and we want to make sure we make relationships with them. Game, sound design, developers and graphic designers, it’s a very small chunk to what we actually want to happen. People in the academe have not been exposed to the industry. Fincon is working on creating content specifically for the Philippines and aside from this, they have done the Influencer party a couple of days ago which means they are eager to connect with the community. Pretty soon there will be more companies that will be at the southeast asian market which is huge. We might see some of them on E-Sports, currently the industry are divided as far as policies and I don’t have a personal opinion about it but we have to talk to parties and meet them half way (with the GAB ruling).”

Here's the video interview I did with some online and gaming media that afternoon.

So for those who love the games and want to experience the other titles they are promoting, they have individual Facebook pages dedicated to each game. Download it off the Google Play store and the App Store first and see if the gameplay fits you, like what Hello Hero actually fits me for years now.

As mentioned earlier by their executives, they will be having different legs across Southeast Asia and it will happen very soon. The updates will be seen on their channels so make sure you follow them if you haven't yet!

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

Are You A World Class DOTA Player? Prove it!

If you're a full blood DOTA 2 player who trash talks everyone else while playing the game inside the confines of your home or the Computer shop, then there's a place where you can put your trash talk where your mouth is. You see, ESL One is coming to the country and they've partnered with the best people in the industry like SMART, PLDT Home Fibr, TV5 and GAMEX to bring you a one of a kind chance to win $250,000 cold cash. Isn't that amazing?

If you're from Mindanao and nearby provinces, come to the IMBA CDO Mindanao qualifier on January 24, 2016. Winners on this leg will have the chance to go to Manila for the finals on April 23-24 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. You'll be on a world stage after that as the winner would probably represent the country because it is handled by ESL One. This is being done for the first time in Southeast Asia and is dubbed as the first Premium DOTA 2 tournament in the region. Now is the time to prove it if you're the greatest player in the land! Check out Smart's page here for more information.

For more information about their tournament:

Smart Communications

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Visit their official website

http://smart.com.ph

ASUS Challenges You to Unfold Your New Incredible Story

This quarter looks so promising for ASUS as they got new, more powerful, aesthetically superior and efficient gaming laptops, notebooks and computers launched at Valkyrie in BGC. Aside from honoring their top of the line hardware, they invited their best authorized sellers and gave them recognition plus had them witness the unveiling of these really cool machines last night.   

Check out the highlights of the event last night in this HD video:

ASUS : UNFOLD YOUR NEW INCREDIBLE STORY by kumagcow

ASUS remains the number 1 brand in Southeast Asia, number 3 in terms of Notebook sales in the Philippines. Mr. Calum Chisolm the GM of Intel Philippines says they also will be including the best intel chips on the new line of notebooks that ASUS is releasing in the market. I specifically like the ASUS ROG rigs that they have which is perfect for gamers like the model ASUS ROG G752 that's got superior graphics, with an Armor Titanium and Plasma Copper finish that would make Iron Man envy the thing when you hold it. Bandwidth management on it would make your gaming experience even better (in the hopes of no lags and give your line more resources), unless it's the problem on your connection that is. It also comes with a gaming headset and it's own bag. You might also get interested with the ROG G501 which has almost the same performance as the latter, with almost the same specs though. Almost a Php 20K difference though as the G752 is around Php 79,995 just like the G501. If you're in the hunt for gaming gear, these guys know what they are talking about. 

Another thing to note is the ASUS ZEN AiO. It's like an iMac, but it's not and is designed to be a connected hub for all your ASUS devices. You can backup over the network without the need of cords as it's all wireless. It's also got a 4K UHD display, so photos were really stunning during the preview earlier. Let's just say I was drooling during this time and if I had something on my wishlist this Christmas, that would be it. It's pretty steep at Php 109,995. They've got more up their sleeves so make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram which are both updated. 

For more information about their products:

ASUS Philippines

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Visit their official website

http://www.asus.com/ph/

The ASUS ZenPower 10,050 mAh Power Bank

Meet the the ASUS ZenPower 10,050 mAh Power Bank. This currently costs Php 795.00 in the market and has impressed me and a lot of people in the tech industry. I saw this when I was in Indonesia when the Zenfone 2 was launched and the delegates pretty much wanted to take it home. As for it's size, it's pretty small and since it's quite near the other brand's 10,400mAh power bank, this definitely is better sized as it is as small as a credit card. It's thicker than a card obviously but since it's smaller form factor, it just means you get more POWER for its size. 

I talked to a power bank manufacturer a couple of months ago and there has been a huge proliferation of fake powerbanks in the Philippines which are imported from you know where. They use old laptop batteries and get those parts from trash to make counterfeit powerbanks. This is probably the same things you see in the sidewalk sold for a couple pesos. This might work sometimes and will probably have repercussions in the long while. The over current, the under supply of it and the wrong output will not only put your gadgets at risk, but your lives. I've seen phones burst first hand because they kept it so long with the charger. Now what if that happened while you're at home, would you like your house to burn down? Exactly my point, which goes to my other point about the ASUS ZenPower 10,050 mAh Power Bank.

ASUS employs on these devices what they call ASUS PowerSafe Technology. It's proprietary technology that makes every ASUS ZenPower cabaple of watching the temperature, control input and output voltages so your devices won't get broken. It also prevents short circuits so you're assured being safe while you charge your devices. This is also expected to last around 1.8 times more than the competing power bank brand. It's also certified by 6 international safety organizations so when you own an ASUS ZenPower, you don't have to worry!

 ASUS also assures there's going to be plenty for everyone! Honestly, I was given the other brand during a petrol brand's launch. The thing never worked and once I connected it to my iPhone, it didn't work anymore and I was carrying it around thinking it would become better over time... it only became worse. Now that I have the ZenPower, I can charge my iPhone twice and a little more for emergency. That alone is reassuring. It's available in different colors like gold, silver (this one that I'm using) and others. It's sleek, light, and can save you so many times in a single day. I carry it around as another one as spare and I haven't even used that one yet because this one's efficient. If you're out looking for a power bank, please consider this one before you go elsewhere. After all, it's from ASUS!

For more information about their products:

ASUS Philippines

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Visit their official website

http://www.asus.com/ph/

IFLIX is Coming

You must be dreaming of good things that will come to the country, and by a stroke of luck,  the entertainment gods listened so here comes the long awaited streaming service called IFLIX. Yes! They are finally going to be in the Philippines.

IFLIX is a video on demand service. You can probably compare this with NetFlix in the US but it is still a start up company. It's got it's base covered by PLDT, among other investors and people that is. It's also listed in the Australian and Malaysian stock market if I'm not mistaken, and backed up by the CATCHA group who's executives are part of some of the who's who of Hollywood production houses, technology groups too. They're pretty much designing the platform and service to fit the Southeast Asian market and - you and me.

During this very intimate launch, they told us that they're having around 10,000 hours of content in the system, including some of your favorite movies, shows, and series. They've got some of the biggest production companies signed up and if this becomes a norm in the Philippines and our other Southeast Asian neighbors, they'll be changing the landscape of video streaming services in the country.

IFLIX is bringing the best of Hollywood into our region. I also heard that they're doing this in unbelievable fashion. It'll be priced to stream per month and there will be availability to download it for mobile handsets which would be better for carrying around rather than use your data caps per network provider. They're also be offering the subscriptions in jaw dropping prices, which they'll be announcing as soon as everything is rolled out!

IFLIX is COMING, and they'll be knocking on your doors pretty soon. I can't wait to test it my self.

For more information about their service:

IFLIXPH

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Visit their official website

http://iflix.com/

ASUS Launches ZenFone 2 for Southeast Asia

It was an awesome trip indeed! We had to go to Jakarta, Indonesia to witness the Southeast Asian launch of the ASUS ZenFone 2 and their other products. Yes, it's the phone that is rumored to beat all the competition in its class. It's my first time here so it was something I was definitely looking forward to. I've heard so many things about this place. Jakarta has its own charm, a little dated but they prove to be true to their heritage, a history that dates back centuries rooted in religion, built with wars and culture.

As with ASUS, they sternly believe that in order to become great, they have to do the legwork in making the best phones specs wise but have it affordable that most consumers would be able to get one when it finally comes out of the electronic shelves (rumored to be May). It looks kind of simple on paper but in real life, designing a dream phone/phablet like this would cost an arm and a leg if they did it on their own. ASUS had partnerships with other manufacturers so they could get the best there is architecturally but keep the prices down since these components are made by the experts themselves. It's some sort of synergy, a meeting of minds where you make the best fit hardware for your mobile devices.

Food for the Soul: Art Fair Philippines 2013

Did you know that one big part of a first world country's culture should be invested in art? Just ask New York, Chicago, Paris, Milan, etc. and just see how much they have on their cities to enrich something more than just the their heads, but more of their lifestyle; it's that important. There's an ART FAIR happening in the Philippines and yes; it will be happening this year.