Tech News: Typhoon 2000, a better alternative when checking the Philippine weather

The monsoon season is already affecting major parts of the Philippines and tropical cyclones are a constant visitors to this country. I have been visiting one particular website that focuses on giving information about the current weather pattern affecting the Philippines and neighboring Asian countries.

Typhoon 2000.ph was created specifically give its followers "easy-to-understand" tropical cyclone information over the South China Sea and Northwest Pacific Basin (from Malay Peninsula - 100° E up to the International Date Line - 180°). This website is often referred to as a "one-stop" web portal which links all Asia-Pacific warning centers monitoring active or existing tropical cyclones.

Typhoon 2000 gets its information from a variety of meteorological sources such as Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United Nations' Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) Tokyo-Typhoon Centre (Japan Meteorological Agency), & Hong Kong Observatory.

If you want a more detailed, diversed and accurate weather report for the Philippines, you guys might want to try visiting www.typhoon2000.ph

Tech News: Twitter and Facebook rule Philippine mobile users

According to a recent survey made by TNS, an international media research firm, Twitter and Facebook saw an increase in their popularity last year among Filipino mobile device users, thanks to cheap and unlimited data services.

The international media research firm also mentioned that a total of 91 percent of mobile device users in the Philippines this year access sites such as Facebook. This is a good 54% increase in penetration for the same population last 2010.

And it’s not just Facebook that got the interests of Filipino mobile device users, microblogging sites like Twitter saw a 17% increase in 2011 from 4% last 2010.

An estimated 73% of mobile phone users use their devices to send personal messages. Filipinos also use their mobile devices to enjoy digital music, video calling, bluetooth functionality, and as a planner for their calendar functions. This just shows that Filipino’s are putting their mobile devices into good use

While majority of Filipinos continue to use the short messaging service (SMS) on their mobile devices, the levels have been declining as social networking steps into the picture.

I wouldn't be surprised if the trend continues to go up every year, as mobile service providers continuously find ways on how to better incorporate data services packages into their mobile plans and services.

Facebook as Mobile providers? Not a remote possibility

There is talk that Facebook is slowly creeping into the market share of mobile operators. According to Eden Zoller, analyst from Ovum, “Facebook is encroaching directly on mobile operator territory and should not be underestimated".

“It has come a very long way since it first launched Facebook Mobile in 2006. It is now a force to be reckoned with in mobile with over 200 million users interacting with the service via mobile phone. It is much more than a social network and is better viewed as an increasingly rich platform for communications and content. Facebook wants to integrate with everything and be the main way that people consume and share information, anywhere and on any device."

Zoller continued: “There is also intense ongoing speculation that Facebook will come out with its own phone, which in some respects would be the final piece of the puzzle. However, we don’t think that Facebook is any rush to launch its own hardware just yet, although it could be interested in working with partners on a customized device platform. This would in effect make Facebook a social operating system."

The statement by Zoller somehow connects with reports that Facebook had an integration deal with Skype for voice communications.

This to me is an indirect threat to mobile operators that facebook is indeed heading towards competing with them for their services. Currently, people with access to Facebook via their mobile phone would rather use it to sending their messages rather than via text. I am starting to have an inclination towards believing reports that Facebook is really heading towards in competing with mobile operators. Though seems like Facebook is not in a rush, it would probably take them another 5 years to fully realize it.

Though I still find it hard to imagine having Facebook as my mobile phone provider but who knows what might happen in the coming years.

Tech Tips: Wet Cellphone? Might want to try this

We are now living in a world where cellular phone is now considered a part of everyday life. In the Philippines alone, 1 out 2 Filipinos own or uses a cellular phone, translate that into numbers and that is around 75 million users. I myself have been using a cellular phone for almost 10 years now and the comfort and usability that it brings me is a very welcome sight. Though I’ve had my own share of problems with my phone, like busted LCD screen, no signal, and the ever popular scratches, however, I can’t remember any instance wherein my phone got soaked in pail full of water or even dropped it in a toilet bowl. However, if you happen to experience such problem, you might want to do the following: remove the battery and SIM card. Turning on your phones might short out the circuits and damage it more. Blow or suck the water out but do not use a hair dryer, the heat can fry the inside parts of your phone. You can also submerge it in a bowl of rice grains and leave it overnight.

I suggest that you be careful of your phone by not brining it to the toilet and leaving it close to the kitchen sink to avoid going thru such hassle and inconvenience.

To read the complete article, visit the link below courtesy of Popular Mechanics.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tips/4269047