October 29, 2013

Gear Up On Those Outdoor Adventure Sports Gear

by , in
outdoor adventure sports gear, cycling gear, The Clymb

You may have noticed that for some time now outdoor adventure sports have gained more popularity. A lot of people have made it a personal goal to be more fit and active and more people are getting into those exciting and exhilarating outdoor sports. May that be as simple as running, walking or cycling, or as thrilling as hiking, mountain climbing, paragliding or other extreme sports, a lot of people have jumped into the band wagon, making these sports more popular, along with a host of shops and boutiques that carry those outdoor adventure sports gear. 

Whether you enjoy these outdoor sports for the workout and the fitness benefits they give you, or for the chance to take those heart stopping outdoor photographs, or if you are in it more for the adventure and the opportunity to commune with nature or spend more time outdoors, or simply to enjoy the company of your friends and buddies, it is important that you gear up properly for these outdoor sports. More than just for aesthetics or to give you maximum comfort as you go about your new adventure for the day, these outdoor sports gear are designed to keep you safe and protect you as you enjoy one adventure after another. 

Your sports gears greatly vary depending on which outdoor sports you are into at the moment. You might want to add a few more gears into your outdoor sports arsenal as you go along and explore a number of them. But it is convenient and practical that you invest on a couple of basic gears which you can use in different outdoor adventure you plan to embark on in the future.

A sturdy and comfortable pair of shoes is a must for every outdoor adventurer, it protects your feet while it carries you to your different points of adventure, so make sure you get one with good quality. It will give you more value for your money to invest on one versatile pair than to buy a couple of different shoes, so opt for cross-trainer which you can easily use whether you are running or climbing mountains today and hiking or white water rafting the next day.

A backpack is also a must for anyone who plans to spend a considerable amount of time outdoors. Go for something made of light, washable and waterproof material, so you can easily carry them around whichever outdoor sports you plan to do for the day. Choose one that is just the right size to carry all your valuables and look for something that is dark colored so it will not easily soil or get dirty. 

When shopping for outdoor apparel, go for those products that are comfortable to wear and are made from light, easy to dry material so you will not have problems changing into several different clothes when you break a sweat. Branded items are recommended for their ergonomic design and style sensibilities, but these may burn a hole in your pocket as they do not come cheap. For reasonably priced branded sports gear, you might want to check out The Clymb and similar shops.

And lastly, if you need a guide as to the best places to have these outdoor activities, check-out Top 50 Places To Be For Outdoorsy People
October 24, 2013

Is It a Good Idea to Unlock an iPhone 5?

by , in
Unlocking your iPhone can be extremely beneficial depending on the situation, but you may have heard otherwise and that is causing you to be skeptical about the process. iPhones that are unlocked are able to connect to any wireless provider network – meaning if you have an O2 iPhone but you’ve cancelled your O2 service and are now using T-Mobile, you will need to unlock that iPhone to use it on T-Mobile’s network.

Why You Shouldn’t Unlock Your iPhone 5

So you know why people unlock their iPhones, but why is it controversial? The main problem is that unlocking a device often voids the manufacturer warranty. If you just bought a brand new iPhone, it may not be in your best interest to unlock it since it has a full warranty life it hasn’t lived. Of course if you are forced to switch phone companies for whatever reason, you may have no other option but to unlock the device.

Other than simply voiding your warranty, unlocking your device can be risky if you try doing it yourself without knowing exactly what to do. It’s not that hard to brick your device and cause it to become unusable because you didn’t perform the unlocking process correctly. In this case you have now broken your phone and voided the warranty.


Staying Within Warranty On Unlocked Devices


For those that really do not want to void their warranty, there’s the option of sending the device to your carrier to have it unlocked. This usually costs a decent amount of money (around £99 usually), but the important thing is it doesn’t void your warranty. Honestly this option really is not something you’d want to consider unless your provider has a very low price.

When You Should Unlock Your iPhone 5

Obviously if you’ve switched carriers and weren’t provided with a new phone, you’ll be forced to unlock your phone or give it away. If you happen to be lucky enough to receive a phone from someone who didn’t want to just unlock it, you could unlock it yourself and use it on any carrier or join the carrier of the phone. If your warranty has expired, you should go ahead and unlock your device if you’re confident you won’t damage it and you want to switch carriers.

If you have some form of third party gadget insurance, that will likely cover your device even if you unlocked it. Each policy will be different, but in most cases you can rest assured your unlocked device is safe. One of the leaders in iPhone insurance is Protect Your Bubble, this third party insurance company offers extensive iPhone 5 Insurance at a very affordable rate.

Since paying your carrier to unlock your device can be costly, you should compare the time left on your warranty with the cost of insurance. If your warranty is going to expire in 6 months, you’d be better off just insuring your phone for those 6 months and beyond rather than paying to unlock your phone. Whichever route you decide to go, the process can be a bit tricky; always make sure you know what your coverage is and how to utilise it.
October 23, 2013

SEO Talk

by , in

If you are a blogger or someone who spends a lot of time online, am sure you have encountered the term SEO before. Search Engine Optimization, or simple SEO, is the process of affecting a website or a web pages' visibility in various natural search results of different search engines. Simply put, the websites or web pages that frequently appear on search results are highly likely to be visited by search engine users. For bloggers, high traffic to their sites may convert to more earning opportunities through ads and paid articles.

You might have to do a bit of thorough reading to understand SEO fully, but this interesting infographic would give you quite a perfect introduction.

October 23, 2013

Britain's Best Female Comedians

by , in
The world of stand-up comedy is tough, with difficult audiences that can be hard to please. But for a woman, it is nigh on impossible and it takes a special breed to succeed. One woman who has what it takes is Jo Brand and since her first gig as a part time act in 1986 she has become one of Britain’s most successful and best-loved female comedians.


Growing up in sleepy Kent, Jo had a happy childhood until she went away at the age of 16 to a sixth form college in Hastings, which she hated. To punish her parents, she took up with the wrong crowd and began a relationship with a heroin addict four years her senior that got her kicked out of the family home. She eventually earned a social science degree and qualified as a Registered Mental Nurse, and went on to work as a psychiatric nurse for 10 years.

Jo’s first gig stressed her out so much that she drank seven pints of lager before taking to the stage, only to be heckled and abused by at least one male member of the audience for the whole of her act. Despite the fact that she received no applause when she finished, Jo persevered. “The Sea Monster”, as she became known, became popular and eventually broke into television. Her distinctive bored, monotone delivery drawing from the media and pop culture proved a favourite and she is now a regular on television and has had several series of her own.

Jo Brand

But Jo still has concerns for the struggles faced by female comedians. Some men in the entertainment industry, she says, try to exploit young women while male audiences see them as “fair game” and behave inappropriately. She believes her background in psychiatric nursing has helped her through some of her own difficult experiences.

Jo is also a successful author, a supporter of the Labour Party and is passionate about raising awareness of mental health issues.

Jo, however, does not stand alone in the ranks of British female comedians. Others are also climbing the ladder of success, despite the challenges. Oxford-educated Josie Long has also made a name for herself in the tough world of stand-up comedy. She has been performing since the age of 14 and has toured Britain a number of times. She has also appeared at several comedy festivals around the world including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and festivals in Adelaide, Melbourne Montreal and Auckland. Like Jo, she struggled early on in her career because she is a woman but now she is a highly sought-after comic whose themes are usually about self-improvement and politics.


Another of Britain’s best female stand-up comedians is Lucy Porter. She has been entertaining sell-out audiences around the world since 2001 with her casual chatty style that addresses adult themes from a woman’s perspective. She says that she did her first stand-up gig as far away from home as she could just in case it went horribly wrong. It was, of course, a pre-cursor to a successful career as Lucy is now a regular at comedy festivals across the globe and is highly sought-after as a comedy writer. She also frequently appears on radio and television in panel shows and sitcoms.


Rob Hunt is a freelance writer who covers topics around sports, comedy and entertainment.
October 21, 2013

IP 5000 cameras from Bosch - High performance cameras for a wide rageof typical surveillance needs

by , in


Manila, Philippines – With the introduction of the new IP 5000 camera family featuring up to five-megapixel resolutions, Bosch is offering high-performance technology for a wide range of typical surveillance needs. By the end of 2013 the range will consist of thirteen cameras in four different designs: micro domes, bullet, indoor and outdoor domes. They are offering a variety of resolutions for different image detail requirements and SD card storage options. Options for outdoor installation include vandal resistance, water and dust-proof enclosures, and IR LEDs for nighttime monitoring. Varifocal lenses also simplify adjusting the field of view.

The cameras incorporate two special bandwidth reduction technologies. Firstly, intelligent Dynamic Noise Reduction (iDNR) adapts the degree of noise reduction real-time based on an analysis of the contents of a scene. For example, bandwidth is reduced by up to 50 percent when no motion is present. As soon as an important object is detected, bandwidth increases to capture maximum detail. Secondly, bandwidth is further reduced by way of area-based encoding that enables compression parameters to be set for up to eight user-definable regions. This means less interesting regions are more highly compressed, leaving more bandwidth for the important parts of the scene.

Further, two regions of interest can be selected and controlled by remote electronic pan, tilt and zoom (e-PTZ). The combination of these special streams with the main stream allows for closer inspection of details while retaining situational awareness.

Additional features include Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), privacy masking, audio capability, and an operational temperature range from as low as -30 to up to +50 degrees Celsius. The Bosch Video Client PC software included offers a user-friendly interface to support simple installation and configuration. It provides live viewing of multiple cameras, playback, forensic search, and the export of data. The Video Security app, free from the App Store, enables access to HD surveillance images on an iPad or iPhone from anywhere, even over low-bandwidth connections.

“Our Video Security app gives you complete control of all your cameras, from panning and tilting, to zoom and focus functions,” explains Ian Crosby, Head of Product Management at Bosch Security Systems. “It’s like taking your control room with you.”

These new cameras seamlessly integrate with a wide range of security software and recording solutions from Bosch as well as from other third-party providers, since they are ONVIF conformant. The cameras are also supported by the Integration Partner Program, which gives partners immediate access to online tools for easy integration. Further details of the Bosch Integration Partner Program are available at ipp.boschsecurity.com

The new camera range will be available from October 2013 onwards.

Source: Press Release
October 19, 2013

Marketing a New Brand of Car

by , in


Not Your Parent's Car

Ten years ago, Toyota decided it needed a way to entice the younger, generation Y age group into considering their products. Instead of creating a small, zany, and more affordable Toyota product, they instead created an offshoot brand to attract this younger group of customers. This unique business move gave the next generation something they could call their own, as in "not their parent's car". The success of Scion cars is due to a great product, but more importantly, to creative marketing, pop culture and quirky image.


Generation Y Sales

Marketing to a very specific age group involves looking very closely at the age group to figure out what they value, what interests them, and what they are most likely to purchase. The age group referred to as Generation Y, or the Millennials, are typically described as those who were born anywhere from the 1980's to the year 2,000. Ten years ago, when the company introduced its first car, the eldest in this age group were only in their 30's. Most would have been out of college and settled into a career, just beginning to feel entitled to nicer things. Add to this the fact that this age group is incredibly tech savvy and the marketing plan gets even more involved. Because this age group has such a high level of access to technology and information, they read, research, and use social media to check out products and services before making any major purchase. They look for information about how a product will benefit them personally, instead of looking only at the shiny wrapping of advertising. Online purchases are no problem for this internet savvy group, and they tend to look for websites that are quick and easy to use. This Generation Y group is also very willing to share information with friends, be it good or bad information. This means that they take notice of great companies and services and share the information with their circle of friends, which in the world of the internet is ever expanding.


How the Scion fits Generation Y

In marketing the Scion specifically to this age group, Toyota used a number of unique tools to attract attention. First, in knowing that this age group was just beginning to feel entitled to nicer things, their cars were promoted on a "you build it" platform. In giving customers the ability to easily choose features for their car, the manufacturer was, in essence, letting the customer choose the features that they felt they deserved. This marketing technique is somewhat like hanging a carrot in front of a cart horse. Once the horse notices that carrot, he may be willing to walk miles trying to get a bite of it. Consumers interested in this brand of car would tend to choose more upgraded features simply because they like the look they provide. With the group's access to the internet in a multitude of forms, a unique, easy purchase was a must. Allowing the customer the ability to plan and purchase through the website, having clear cut prices, and available add on options was a move that had not been made before in the car industry. No longer would car shoppers have to go to a physical location and endure a sales presentation that resulted in a lengthy banter over prices. Instead, they would be able to shop 100% online if they chose to. This pointed marketing strategy, added to the unique product introduced ten years ago has worked to create a product that Generation Y has made successful, not only through their purchases, but also with their wiliness to share purchase and satisfaction experiences relating to their new vehicles via social media networks.


The Scion Difference

Beyond the masterful marketing, what features have made this brand so successful? These high-quality affordable cars offer plenty of passenger and cargo room, have a small footprint that is beneficial to young urban residents, and have a funky style that sets the automobiles apart from the cars of the previous generation. Add to this great gas mileage and the ability to easily customize and upgrade and you have the recipe for a successful offshoot company tailored specifically for an age group that is ready to spend their newly earned money on things they deserve.

Related news: Toyota wants improved crash scores with midcycle facelifts
October 18, 2013

Globe unveils most unbeatable unlimited data plan offer for Samsung Galaxy Note 3

by , in
Globe Telecom has officially launched the most unbeatable and affordable unlimited data plan offer for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in the market today. The best postpaid plan deal is already bundled with unlimited Long Term Evolution (LTE) that gives subscribers mobile internet speeds of up to 42 Mbps.

For as low as P1799 monthly, subscribers can already avail of the latest Galaxy Note at Plan 999 with a monthly cashout of P800* over a 24-month contract period. The postpaid plan offer already comes with unlimited data that allows subscribers enjoy the powerful features of the Galaxy Note 3, including a monthly consumable amount for calls and texts.

In addition to the aggressive pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Globe is also offering the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear bundle for free starting at Plan 5000 over a 24-month contract period.



The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.7-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, a 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, 13-megapixel rear auto-focus camera with flash and zero shutter lag and a 2-megapixel front camera, 32GB user memory and is a 4G LTE-capable device. Additional features include the Air Command, Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write, S Finder, Pen Window, Direct Pen Input, New Easy Clip, New S Note, Samsung WatchON and ChatON, and S Voice.

Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy Gear boasts of an 800 MHz single core processor, has a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display, and 1.9 megapixel auto-focus camera. Additional features include the S Voice, Memographer, Smart Relay, and Voice Memo. It also has a 4GB user memory plus a 512MB RAM.

“Globe has been a proud partner of Samsung as we bring its latest smartphones and devices to our subscribers for many years now. This month, we welcome a new addition to Samsung’s roster of handsets, the revolutionary Samsung Galaxy Note 3, with its features best enjoyed with an unlimited LTE plan from Globe which offers a plan value that’s almost double of what you pay for,” said Raul Macatangay, Head of Globe Postpaid.

Macatangay added, “With the Best-Ever MySuperPlan and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, you don’t only get the lowest and most affordable unlimited data plan offer available in the market today, you also get a postpaid plan and a device that will allow you to see life clearly and design it according to your lifestyle.”

Aside from these innovative and value-for-money offers, all new and re-contracting postpaid subscribers are entitled to a free one-month subscription of Globe Gadget Care, the first-ever mobile phone protection program in the country today that offers comprehensive coverage for mobile phone theft and accidental damage, guarantees hassle-free handset replacement, easy claims processing, and worldwide protection coverage.

On the back of these competitive offers is a strategic partnership that Globe recently forged with Samsung as part of the SingTel Group focused on driving next-generation mobile communication, infotainment and technology services in Asia. The new collaboration takes advantage of the scale of the SingTel Group and Samsung’s innovative products and services.

Under this partnership, both parties will offer applications and digital services to customers of SingTel Group companies. In addition, the SingTel Group will work with Samsung to identify opportunities for joint launches and marketing campaigns of key Samsung device announcements.  The companies will also be able to leverage each others’ distribution channels to extend their retail reach to more customers.

To know more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph/galaxy-note3 or call the Globe Sales Hotline at 730-1010.

*Cashout amount payable with 0% 24-month installment payment via credit card

 Source: Press Release

Post Top Ad