Saturday, October 23, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Microsoft announces Windows Phone 7 sync software for Macs due this year
Windows Phone 7
Microsoft UK’s head of Windows Phone marketing, Oded Ran, first WP7/Zune (Windows Phone 7/ Zune) syncing with Mac is coming "soon", with Microsoft later confirming it'll happen this year. "Later in 2010 Microsoft will make a public beta available of a tool that allows Windows Phone 7 to sync select content with Mac computers", Microsoft's beginning some time "later in 2010" Mac users will be able to live the dream along with their PC counterparts by downloading a beta OS X application which will allow you to sync "select content" from a Mac of their choosing to a Windows Phone.
While that doesn't really sound like a full-fledged Zune client for Mac, it's still nice to see Microsoft giving some love to Mac users who also happen to be interested in a Windows Phone 7 device.
Will Microsoft's new cell phone be able to compete with the iPhone and Droid?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Cebulifestyles
Power Sources in Visayas
The Visayas island group – to which Cebu belongs – has three main power baseloads which are interconnected into one grid with capacity of over 2,200MW of electricity. The main source is geothermal energy, supplemented by thermal and diesel generating plants. These sources provide Cebu with predictable 220V AC electricity at stable prices. However, no matter what the figures look like, Cebu, like most parts of the Philippines; still suffers from what locals call “brownouts”. Yes, that translates into “blackouts” for the majority of the rest of us.
Potable water is abundant in most areas, with ongoing infrastructure projects providing a very significant increase in water supplies to keep with the growing needs of industry. Keep in mind that Cebu, like the rest of the Philippines, needs to pay attention to the ongoing management of water resources. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why.
The road and bridge system, is undergoing a substantial (much needed) upgrade to bring the road transport system into the 21st century. Believe me, there is no route 66 here in Cebu, or most places in the Philippines for that matter. The big buzz word in Cebu is SRP. Stay here a little longer and you’ll know what it means. I get my thrills on route SRP… Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!
All in all, Cebu is currently enjoying a sustained economic boom. The latent result is that the infrastructure is slowly improving.
Festivals
Sinulog. The Sinulog festival is Cebu's biggest and most popular. Celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January, the feast is in honor of the holy image Señor Santo Niño de Cebu. Fiesta Señor, as it is widely known, is the most celebrated among Cebu's festivals where people converge along the route of a grand solemn procession and partake in the gaiety amidst a mardi gras parade immersed in vivid colors and the constant drums of the Pit Señor.
Paskuhan. A Christmas celebration of songs and lantern-making held during the month of December spreads good cheers to local residents and visitors alike.
Kadaugan sa Mactan. A one-day re-enactment celebrated with pomp and pageantry every 27th of April to commemorate the historic Battle of Mactan between the forces of Lapulapu and Magellan.
Nuestra Señora de Regla Fiesta. Lapulapu City – Held to honor the patroness of Opon on November 20-21, this religious and social event reveals the indefatigable faith of the people and the penchant for merry making. A food fair, carnival, procession and a coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.
Semana Santa sa Bantayan. A unique mixture of solemn religious rites and local celebration highlights the Holy Week activities in Bantayan Island. The normally quiet island becomes alive and festive with the arrival of relatives and friends and tourists who wish to experience the scenic rites and cool off the summer heat in the beautiful white sandy beaches and clear tropical waters.
Fiesta sa Carcar. Is celebrated on November 24-25 in honor of the town's patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. Carcar town is noted both for its old Spanish style houses in the quiet countryside setting and popular local delicacies that take the spotlight during fiestas.
Tagbo. Poro, Cebu – Celebrated every January in honor of Patron Santo Niño de Poro. Beloved memoir of a living past, Tagbo is the cornerstone from which this great municipality has sprung. Rich in cultural heritage and deep in spiritual values, Tagbo is a very significant event preluding the birth of a town very dear to the hearts of her sons and daughters.
Sanayon. Agro-tourism festival in the southern towns of the second district about 100 km from the city. A month-long activity to spread out tourism to the coutryside.
Tres de Abril Celebration. The 3rd of April commemoration of the Spanish resistance in the south. This historic battle under Leon Kilat's leadership gave Cebu the glory of being the first major island outside Luzon to oppose Spanish dominance.
This (relativley) modern facility in Philippine terms, serves both international and domestic flights and boasts of a comprehensive list of facilities.
The PR blurb states it has lots of amenities including a shopping center, duty-free shop, souvenir shops, cafés, business centers, food shops, communication facilities, banking facilities, car rentals, hotel and resort reservations, and beauty & health services. The reality, no shopping center, a couple of souvenir shops, a spluttering of car rental stands and a couple of decent waiting areas for a few of the 5-star resorts. The immigration is reasonably fast and baggage handling is ok.
Cathay Pacific Airways, Cebu Pacific & (technically speaking) Philippine Airlines, the Philippine’s flag carrier, fly between Hong Kong and Cebu daily (well sort of – it is actually a Cathay Pacific plane but they share the code with Philippine Airlines). However, your best bet if your watching the bucks, is Cebu Pacific.
Silkair flies between Cebu and Singapore daily, whilst Cebu Pacific flies every other day (check their schedule). Philippine Airlines services the Cebu-Tokyo route daily except Mondays, Cebu-Seoul four times a week, and Cebu-Kuala Lumpur and Cebu-Kota Kinabalu twice a week. Malaysian Airlines flies from Kuala Lumpur via Kota Kinabalu to Cebu twice a week as well. Qatar Airways, meanwhile, flies from Doha to Cebu via Singapore.
Cebu is also the domestic air hub of the Philippines, with close to 60 flights daily on average to and from popular destinations and key cities all over the archipelago such as Manila, Boracay, Siargao (Surigao), Zamboanga, Davao, Bohol, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Gen. Santos, Leyte, etc.
Visitors from North America, Europe, Middle East, and the rest of the world need to fly through either Singapore, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur to get to Cebu. If you can keep a stiff-upper-lip amidst the horrendous traffic and cacophonic noise of Manila, you will obtain a faster connection to Cebu since there are over 20 flights daily (or almost two flights every hour) between the two cities.
Charter flights are also available in some select destinations such as China, Russia and USA. Cebu is an increasingly popular destination so more routes are bound to be added.
By Boat (Ferry):
OK, so you will quickly establish that most locals get around the 7,107 islands by ferry. Why? It’s cheap. Dam cheap. Fares begin at just a couple of hundred pesos (USD4). Now, that’s cheap in anyone’s language.
Cebu is home to almost 80 percent of the country’s passenger vessels and nerve center of the country’s largest – WG&A, Sulpicio Lines, Trans-Asia, George & Peter Lines and Lorenzo Shipping Lines – Cebu City’s domestic port is clearly the country’s busiest.
Large cruise ships with a capacity of 2,000 to 4,000 passengers ply the more distant routes such as Manila, Davao, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro. Medium-sized vessels such as the roll-on/roll-off (roro) types sail to the nearer destinations while fast ferries cover the neighboring islands in two hours or less depending on the destination.
Gun Industry of Danao
Danao City is a 3rd class city in the Province of Cebu, Philippines According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 109,534 people.In 2005, Metro Cebu's definition was to let Danao City the leader in industry of GUNS in the north and the municipalities of San Fernando and Carcar down south.
Danao City is well-known for its gun industry. The industry started around 1905-1906. When WORLD WAR II came, the Danao gunsmiths went underground, joined the guerrilla movement or were inducted into the USAFFE. Their main task was to re-chamber the Japanese Arisaka rifles to fit the US .30 caliber round or to keep the original Japanese rifle in good service. The industry went on, still underground. In the 1960s, the term paltik was given to the homemade (and illegal) guns. In the early 1990s the industry was legalized by the government, with the creation of two organizations of local gunsmiths. The organization now left with proper permit is Workers League of Danao Multi-purpose Cooperative (World MPC), in Dungguan, Danao City.
The Economy of Cebu
About 80% of its domestic shipping is located in Cebu. The island has the most domestic air and shipping and cargo vessels in the Philippines. The island also has a major industrial, commercial, trade and educational system. Its extensive international port facilities, its accessibility to Asia and the rest of the world has led more than a hundred firms, with multinational companies like Jp Morgan Chase, Mitsumi, Pentax Corp., Marine Colloids, Fairchild Semiconductor, Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, Muramoto Audio-Visual, Lexmark International, Asahi Optical, Teradyne, NEC Technologies, Timex, Olympus Optical, United Technologies, Maithland-Smith, Taiyo Yuden and other companies to established manufacturing industries on the islands, leading the whole country in exports with growth rates for the past 5 years averaged close to 20% higher than that of the entire country. Government support and incentives provide a major development for its growth.Cebu's labor force is oriented towards non-agricultural lines and is rated one of the most productive work force in the country. High domestic and foreign tourist arrivals, geographic location, accessibility and natural resources have fueled the development growth of Cebu with an excellent industrial record and now the fastest growing economy in the Philippines.
Cebu is home to some national and international corporations like AAA Commercial Broker & Consultancy Inc, Ayala Corporation, Gaisano Group of Companies, Aboitiz Group of Companies, WG&A, Norkis Group of Companies, Bigfoot International,Affliated Computer Services (A Xerox Company), Lexmark Philippines Inc., Lhuillier Jewellers and among others. Its international port (cargo and container) is currently one of the busiest in the country. Homegrown brands in the city have expanded throughout the past years finding success in the national and even in the international market like Penshoppe, Oxygen, Loalde and Island Souvenirs. Other homegrown brands that have expanded outside the city and province include BO's Coffee Club, Julie's Bakeshop, Orange Brutus, Mother's Fried Chicken and other businesses.
Due to its burgeoning furniture-making industry, Cebu has been named as the furniture capital of the Philippines. The Department of Trade and Industry in Cebu is aiming to develop this aspect of Cebu's economy by specifically targeting small to medium enterprises or SMEs whose products are considered export quality. Cebu is also becoming an IT hub as many companies, either local or international, are establishing their headquarters in Cebu. The city has become a site for various call centers and BPO's The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization of Cebu's businesses, are hedging the city's growth and economy on information and communications technology, with the aim of making it a premier ICT investment, software and e-services hub in Southeast Asia. Shipbuilding companies in Cebu have manufactured bulk carriers of up to 70,000 metric tons deadwieght (DWT) and double hulled fastcrafts as well.
The Cebu International Convention Centre serves as a landmark in recognition of Mandaue City’s involvement in the international trade. As venue of the 12th ASEAN summit, the city continues to establish an important role in international industrial relation, becoming the core of development and strengthening its role as the growth center of the province of Cebu.
Monday, October 4, 2010
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