Page 268 – Jam Online | Tech News & Reviews

Discounts and Cashback Vouchers Awaits GrabPay users at SM Supermalls

News

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May 27, 2021

Discounts and Cashback Vouchers Awaits GrabPay users at SM Supermalls

Grab announced its partnership with SM Supermalls to make shopping safer and exciting through its exclusive deals.

From May 15 to June 30, the following benefits can be enjoyed by mall goers at SM Supermalls:

P100 off on your rides with GrabCar when you use the code: SHOPSMMALLS. Promo code is valid on the following branches: SM City North EDSA, SM City Fairview, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall and SM Aura Premier.

Get P50 cashback voucher when you pay your parking fee with GrabPay, voucher can be used to pay for your next parking in SM Supermalls and SM Markets nationwide.

Enjoy P100 off on your ride via GrabCar or earn P100 cashback for every qualified purchase using your GrabPay at 400 participating The SM Store and SM Market branches nationwide.

Cash-in for your GrabPay wallet is also available at any SM Business Center or Mall Information Booth.

Here’s how you can use your GrabPay to pay for your parking and shopping transactions:

1. Open the Grab app and tap the Payment tab

Tap on “Scan to Pay”
Scan the QR code
Swipe to pay

Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV (50-inch) Review

Reviews

Jam Ancheta

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May 27, 2021

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Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV (50-inch) Review

The Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV Series from the Korean brand has been out in the market for a while now and it’s one of the best go-to TV in the market right now as we got here a panel that’s pretty good and it also comes with some features that you would love on a Smart TV.

Setting up

One of the things that I love to know when setting up TVs is that when the TVs are easy to setup and requires fewer tools and with the Samsung 50″ TU8000 Crystal UHD TV, I didn’t need a single screwdriver for this one as I just need to slip the stands into its perfect position and after that, you don’t have to worry about wobbles as the stand perfectly fits the TV. It’s made up of plastic but make no mistake because the stands of the TV is stable when placed on a flat surface.

Remote

As for the remote of the 50″ Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV, we got here a simple design that everyone can easily understand. Basically, we have the buttons for the microphone in where you can use Bixby voice commands to control the TV and then there are the directional buttons for navigation and of course there are the shortcuts for Netflix and Amazon Prime. The volume and channel buttons are switches and it took me a minute before I figured that out but it’s cool.

Design

The Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV isn’t their best in the market but it’s definitely clean and perfect for your living room. Remember the stand that I’ve mentioned earlier? Props to Samsung for including a clip in where you can clip the cables on the TV to make it look clean in your living room. It’s made of plastic as expected and it features a round build at the back. This isn’t the thinnest one out there but it will fit just right in the living room.

For the ports, the 50″ Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV comes with everything that you need on a TV now. It comes with 3x HDMI ports with one of the ports support eARC, AV ports for your retro devices, Digital Audio Out, Antenna in, and a LAN Port.

As for other connectivities, it comes with WiFi and Bluetooth so you can connect the TV to the internet and use features like Bixby Voice and other apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The audio of the TV was surprising for me. Most TVs doesn’t have a good audio quality built-in to it but the sound quality that we’re getting in this TV was great. I’m impressed with its bass and it’s good enough even a soundbar on a small room.

Display

As expected, the display of the 50″ Samsung TU8000″ is great. It’s not the best but it’s a great 4K panel with HDR. So if you’re planning on using the TV for Netflix, this Smart TV will do a great job on that one. The colors are good and the contrasts are great but don’t expect the same quality on their QLED displays which are excellent.

As for the bezels, I’m pretty happy that we got here a minimalistic front design along with the thin bezels which makes the Smart TV cleaner in our living room. Overall, videos on this one were vivid enough and everything was really pleasing to my eyes.

Experience

What set this TV apart from the others is that this one comes with Tizen OS inside. It’s an operating system from Samsung and it’s been long running on their Smart TVs. Navigating on the OS was fast and thankfully, there are already the different applications that I need on the TV including Netflix and YouTube. There’s the Apple TV too if in case you want to access that one.

If you’re a Samsung smartphone user like me, you’ll be happy to know that this Smart TV comes with a seamless connection to your Android smartphone via SmartThings. Not only that I can control the TV with my smartphone but I can also wirelessly project my smartphone’s display to the TV but of course, you can clearly see the slower latency on this one but it’s a great feature especially if you want to share your photos and videos on your smartphone to everyone in the living room.

The voice assistant on the Smart TV was helpful too as I was able to open apps and navigate through the TV using Bixby Voice but it’s definitely not the best one in the market now but it’s useful. However, I do think that it’s still better to use the remote instead of this one.

There’s a feature too called Ambient mode in where the TV can blend in to your home interior. This feature works best on their Samsung frame TV as they have bezel that fits perfectly on a living room but with this TV, we might have a good Crystal UHD Panel, it’s still reflective so you can’t really hide the TV as a painting in your living room.

Nonetheless, it’s still a great feature and if you have a guest in your home, it’s a great way to add some flair and beauty to your living room with photos and wallpapers.

Verdict

The Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV isn’t perfect but it is a great TV for your living room. The easy setup and the minimalistic design is nice and it’s perfect for the living room and the audio was pretty good. It might have a little bit of reflective display and the panel isn’t as great as their QLED panels but again, it’s still a good one. The Tizen operating system was smooth and I really didn’t had any problems connecting and projecting to it.

Summer on Us Sale!

Samsung Philippines is having a sale right now in where you can take home a Crystal UHD TV and Soundbar bundle and you can save up to Php17,499! Be sure to take advantage of this one because this promo will only last until June 30, 2021.

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review

Reviews

Jam Ancheta

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May 27, 2021

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The newest Zenbooks are here in the country and just like before, they’re aimed to please the consumers who want to have a powerful notebook that they can use for their everyday usage and for work but still offers the portability that we need and also the beauty and premium feel on a notebook. This one is really special as this Zenbook now features a beautiful OLED display which is one of the best in the market right now.

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review: Design and hardware

One of the iconic features of the Zenbook lineup is that these notebooks are premium and they are really portable. Of course, we have here the metal chassis on the notebook which makes it tough and also premium to hold — a common feat that we’ve seen on previous Zenbooks that we’ve reviewed before. What I mean by tough? Well, it’s tested to meet the MIL-STD-810G US military standard for reliability and durability.

Since this is a Zenbook, the notebook is already expected to be thin and light and this one doesn’t disappoint as we only got here a 13.9mm thickness and a very light body at 1.14kg. For the dimensions, we got here a 304.2 x 203 x 13.9 mm body. Basically, the laptop would perfectly fit on most bags without problems and isn’t heavy at all.

Actually, the notebook does come with a 13.3-inch display but it does feel like a 12” because of its small bezels which gives us a small footprint for the notebook. The notebook also comes with ErgoLift hinge which is a feature that we can find on most ASUS notebooks and this basically lifts the rear of the notebook when you open it which will give you a better airflow for the notebook.

For the ports, we got here a decent one as we got here a USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 on the right along with the microSD card slot. On the other side, we got here the HDMI port and also the two Thunderbolt 4 ports for the notebook. So if you have a thunderbolt supported external drive or an external GPU in your home, you’ll definitely enjoy using this notebook. The Thunderbolt 4 ports of the notebook also serve as the charging port for the notebook.

The ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 also comes with IR camera that you can use for Windows Hello if you want to have a faster login to the notebook.

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review: Keyboard and touchpad

There’s an edge-to-edge keyboard on the notebook since we got here a small body and in my usage, I felt that the keyboard is a little bit cramp for me but I got used to it just after a few hours of usage. The keyboard is responsive and the travel distance of the keys are just fine. I also find the arrow keys a little bit small for me but again, I already got used to it after a few hours of usage.

There’s the page up, page down, end, and home button on the side too which is a welcome addition as I use these keys sometimes, and of course, we still got here the function keys in where we can adjust whether we want to prioritize the function keys or the hotkeys which is pretty cool. For the keys, we got here an LED illuminated keys and it’s really bright especially when you’re working in your bed at night.

The touchpad is big and wide and I enjoyed using this one. It’s pretty good whether you want to use it for browsing the web or for office as this one is responsive to touch and clicks. Just like the other ASUS notebooks, we can activate the NumberPad 2.0 which is helpful if you have an external mouse. You can use the touchpad as an LED-illuminated numeric keypad but having physical keys for that one is still hard to beat but considering its size and footprint, I really like this feature on the Zenbook 13 OLED.

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review: Display

The OLED display of the ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 is one of the best that I’ve seen on a notebook. There’s no touchscreen on this one but the display of the ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 is immaculate. The colors are excellent and even when using the notebook outside, you can clearly see everything on the notebook along with its colors.

The blacks are true blacks on the OLED display and since we got here a Pantone Validated display, you know that this one comes with accurate colors and it’s perfect for quick editing on Photoshop. I’ve actually used the notebooks too for watching Netflix movies and it’s just great.

As for the resolution, this one comes with a 1080p display and I really didn’t have any problems with it but I wished it had a sharper one. Nonetheless, the OLED display is just great, and watching and viewing media files on this one is just amazing.

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review: Performance

Inside the ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 is the latest 11^th Generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor inside along with the Intel Iris Xe Graphics inside. It’s powerful enough even if you’re opening a lot of tabs on your browser and doing some excel sheets for work. Basically, the processor is more than enough as a workhorse for your basic WFH or school needs.

Actually, I was able to load Valorant on this one so if you’re planning on using the notebook for a little bit of casual gaming then the Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 won’t disappoint you.

It’s powerful enough to run some light games as the Intel Iris XE graphics is a big leap from the predecessor and when it comes to benchmarks, this one got a decent power inside. Check out the benchmarks that we got using this notebook:

PC MARK10: 4485
3DMark Time Spy: 1332
Cinebench R23 Single Core: 1216
Cinebench R23 Multi core: 3803

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review: Battery life

When it comes to the battery of the ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325, we got here a 67WHrs battery which promises up to 13 hours of battery life and in my usage, I was able to get 9 hours of battery on normal usage so basically, you don’t have to worry about power on this one as it can last a single workday of usage.

ASUS Zenbook 13 OLED UX325 Review: Verdict

Overall, the notebook is an excellent notebook whether you want it for work or if you want to use it for an everyday computer that you can use to browse the internet. It might be very portable but it’s a powerful notebook for everyday use. It might have an excellent display but there’s no touchscreen on this one. Nonetheless, the notebook is still an excellent one.

ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED UX325EA

13.3″ OLED Full HD Main Display
CPU:
- Intel Core i5-1135G7
Graphics:
- Intel Iris Xe
8GB 4266MHz LPDDR4x onboard
Storage:
- 512GB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD
2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x HDMI, 1x microSD card reader
HD IR Camera
NumberPad 2.0
AI Noise Cancelling
67Wh Li-Po battery
65W Type-C Power Adapter
304.2 x 203 x 13.9 mm, 1.14kg
Windows 10 Home
Php59,995

Top-up your PayMaya e-wallet at any Robinsons Department Store

News

Paula Katrina Dizon

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May 27, 2021

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PayMaya users can now add money on their e-wallet account at any Robinsons Department Store nationwide.

The said partnership opened 800 Add Money touchpoints, the latest addition to PayMaya’s most extensive network of over 250,000 digital payment touchpoints nationwide where Filipinos can add money, pay for purchases, remind funds, and cash out.

Top-up is now made more convenient as PayMaya introduces an easier process to add money on their accounts by simply showing the add money barcode to the cashier and pay for their transaction.

Here is how you can add money to your PayMaya account at Robinsons Department store:

1. Login your PayMaya account
2. Select “Add Money”
3. Select “Robinsons Department Store”
4. Enter the desired amount to be added to your account and select “Continue”
5. Go to the counter of any Robinsons Department Store or Robinsons Business Center and present the generated barcode along with your payment
6. Wait for an SMS confirmation about your Add Money transaction before leaving the store

“Filipinos now prefer cashless when paying for transactions and being able to add money to their accounts is important. With this expansion of our Add Money touchpoints in Robinsons Department Stores across the country, our customers can enjoy greater convenience,” said Shailesh Baidwan, PayMaya President.

realme 8 Pro Illuminating yellow now available in the PH!

Gadgets

Jam Ancheta

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May 27, 2021

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realme 8 Pro Illuminating yellow now available in the PH!

The realme 8 Pro is one of the newest and hottest smartphone in the market right now and they’re only available in few color variants but today, realme Philippines has announced that the smartphone will now come in a new and unique color — Illuminating yellow!

This will be available in limited quantities and the unique thing about the realme 8 Pro Illuminating yellow is that the smartphone glows in the dark!

The realme 8 Pro features a 108MP quad rear camera and it also features a Super AMOLED display. It will also feature a fast 50W SuperDart Charge.

The realme 8 Pro is now available in selected stores for Php16,990.

realme is the #1 smartphone brand in the Philippines for Q1 2021

Gadgets

Jam Ancheta

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May 27, 2021

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IDC has announced that the company is the #1 smartphone vendor for Q1 2021 and it managed to retain its spot in the market which the company first achieved back in Q3 2020.

realme Philippines has managed to account for a 21.3% total market share in the Philippines and this position is highlighted by the opening of new realme stores in the first quarter of 2021.

realme has showed the highest YoY growth with 142% according to Counterpoint research and it also leads in the e-commerce space with the highest proportion in online sales at 34%. The brand continues to expand its presence both offline and online and they have over 550 concept stores, kiosks, and partner dealers nationwide.

Recently, the company has also launched the realme 8 series with the realme 8 Pro leading the helm along with the realme 8 that features a Helio G95 processor that is made for gaming and then there’s the realme 8 Pro that features a 108MP camera which is a choice for mobile photographers.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G Chinese version will come with Dimensity 1100

Gadgets

Jam Ancheta

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May 27, 2021

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G Chinese version will come with Dimensity 1100

Redmi has just announced their newest smartphone for the Chinese market and don’t get confuse this one with the local version as the Chinese version will feature powerful hardware inside.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G will feature a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 chipset inside along with 5G which is a feature that we can see on most smartphones this 2021. Aside from that, the smartphone will also feature a 120Hz refresh rate on the displays and it will have a Gorilla Glass Victus for its protection

Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G (China Version) Specs

6.67-inch AMOLED DotDisplay, 120Hz
MediaTek Dimensity 1100 processor
6GB/8GB RAM
128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
64MP main + 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens + 2MP macro camera
16MP front camera
LTE, 5G
Dual speakers
3.5mm headphone jack
Hi-Res Audio certification
Arc side fingerprint sensor
Dual SIM, IR Blaster, NFC
5,000mAh battery with 67W wired fast charging
MIUI based on Android 12.5

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G has a starting price of CNY 1499 (Php11,287~)

XTREME Appliances opens its 25th concept store in Tacloban, Leyte

News

Ciara Alarcon

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May 25, 2021

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XTREME Appliances strengthen its presence as it opened its 25th concept store in Tacloban, Leyte.

With a commitment to make high-quality home appliances more affordable for every Filipino, XTREME strategically launched its newest concept store in Tacloban at Justice Romualdo St. across Gaisano Central Mall.

The grand opening was graced by customers, who wanted to have first dibs on the affordable yet top-notch home appliances. To treat them, XTREME offered a Piso Sale promo for customers who came early to the store.

Tacloban’s concept store is also one of the biggest concept stores, as well, as it provides consumers almost all the products under their three key categories: XTREME, XTREME Cool, and XTREME Home.

With this, consumers graced the launch, while the management made sure to strictly implement safety health protocols. Staff and customers maintained proper social distancing and wore face masks and face shields inside the store.

You can watch the full video here to see the event.

Here are the XTREME Appliances concept stores nationwide:

Meanwhile, XTREME Appliances revealed that they are aiming to launch a total of 100 concept stores nationwide.

How to photograph a Total Lunar Eclipse and get great results using smartphone

News

Ciara Alarcon

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May 25, 2021

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Do you love taking beautiful photographs of the moon? Then, you’re in for a treat as the sky is set to show off a stunning Blood Moon during the Total Lunar Eclipse happening on May 26.

Samsung recently shared their pro tips for an ultimate night photography experience.

HOW TO CAPTURE GREAT PHOTOS OF THE TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

You will never have to miss the opportunity of capturing this rare phenomenon with the Samsung Galaxy A and S series. Through this camera-centric device, you can take creative shots of the Blood Moon without any hassle and professional help.

OPTIMIZE YOUR SMARTPHONE’S SETTINGS

During the Total Lunar Eclipse, you must play around with the two key modes of your camera settings: Pro Mode and Night Mode. These functions will enable you to use multi-frame processing to produce a clear photo in low light settings, and at the same time, have control over individual settings that affect light levels, such as ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

Familiarize yourself with Night Mode

If you aren’t confident yet to set your camera’s setting manually, then it’s wise to make yourself familiar first with its night mode function. For a better understanding, this mode combines 30 images into one clear photo as it uses multi-frame processing.

Move on to the Pro Mode

Once you’ve gained confidence and if you believed that you can now capture great night shots, then, take your experience to the next level with the help of ISO (exposure) and shutter speed settings found in Pro Mode.

Shutter speed determines how long the camera spends time taking the shot. Remember this, when the light levels are low pick a slower shutter speed to let your lens capture more light from available sources.

Meanwhile, ISO determines your lens’s sensitivity to light. At night, pick a higher ISO value or upwards ISO 400 to capture a clearer image.

However, Samsung reminded users to make sure that their smartphones are super stable when taking shots to avoid blurry images. To make this possible, you can simply use a tripod or prop the phone against a sturdy surface.

COME UP WITH CREATIVE IDEAS BEFORE THE EVENT

After memorizing the basics, keep in mind that ONLY your creativity has the full ability to set your photographs from the rest. Good thing, Samsung packed the Galaxy A and Galaxy S series with powerful camera features that can support your ideas, no matter what!

Get closer to the moon with Space Zoom

Powered by the brand’s first-ever dual-tele lens system, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G can deliver stunning images even when you’re far away from the action.

To use the Space Zoom feature, use a tripod and find a stable spot. Point your camera to the moon and slowly zoom towards it until the round shape fits perfectly into your frame. Then, simply tap the screen to adjust the exposure automatically.

Spot multiple sources of light…but not too much

Before it begins, look for street lamps, car headlights, storefronts, or more to enjoy enough contrast against the darkness. You can also have a cool, abstract camera effect if you switch from Pro Mode to Auto to Manual focus.

You can also create light streaks with your smartphone camera if there are moving vehicles around. To do this, set your ISO value low and increase the shutter speed to at least two seconds.

Find the perfect location

As you explore your surroundings, find a reflective surface that can uniquely illuminate the scene. Again, toggle your smartphone’s shutter speed for greater control over light.

Enhance your photo

Before posting on social media, enhance the vividness of your photos and achieve the desired mood by toggling with contrast, white balance, and saturation.

HAVE NO GREAT SMARTPHONE TO CAPTURE THIS RARE MOMENT?

Avail of the Trade-In, Trade-Up promo where you can trade-in your old smartphones to get discounts and additional tokens on top of the traded-in device worth up to Php3,000 for the Galaxy A72, A52 5G, A52, and A32, and up to Php10,000 for the Galaxy S21 Series 5G.

For flexible payment terms, pay at 0% interest for up to 24 months in participating Authorized Samsung Stores.

The Galaxy S and A series are now available at the following prices:

Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G – Php66,990 (128GB), Php69,990 (256GB)
Galaxy S21+ 5G – Php54,990 (128GB), Php57,990 (256GB)
Galaxy S21 5G – Php44,990 (128GB), Php47,990 (256GB)
Galaxy A72 – Php23,990
Galaxy A52 5G – Php23,990
Galaxy A52 – Php18,990

For more information about the Galaxy devices and their exclusive promos, visit www.samsung.com/ph/.

Nvidia’s RTX 3080 Ti keeps leaking ahead of rumored May 31st launch

quigonn

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May 25, 2021

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Nvidia’s RTX 3080 Ti keeps leaking ahead of rumored May 31st launch

Nvidia appears to be getting ready to launch its RTX 3080 Ti graphics card at the end of the month. Over the past few weeks, we have seen different leaks from across all partner brands showing them on shipping pallets, in retail boxes, and now in the hands of someone.

Rumours are true that these cards will be having a 12GB GDDR6X which is a 2GB increase over what we found on the RTX 3080 alongside a 384-bit bus giving it an increase in memory that matches the RTX 3090.

It seems like we’re looking at another GPU from NVIDIA that would be over ₱50,000 MSRP, but given that there are so many scalper prices, we definitely expect these to go double what would be the launched price.