Hope I can buy one of this HP Mini 2140 and give it to my girlfriend so that she will not borrow my LG RD405 anymore… But crisis is all over the land so I think it’s better to wait for the right time and for the item with the best price. Visit yugatech.com for the review of this laptop.
SMART COMMUNICATIONS INC. said its Smart Money platform now allows clients of the Rural Bankers’ Association of the Philippines (RBAP) to transmit funds via text messaging.
The tie-up will enable rural bank depositors and borrowers to perform financial transactions, including loan disbursement and payments, using the Smart Money platform accessed through Smart SIMs.
The first engagement for the partnership is to accredit the 696 RBAP member banks all over the Philippines as Smart Money Centers, enabling them to convert electronic cash in the Smart Money wallet into physical cash and vice versa. Smart and RBAP also agreed to cooperate in developing additional products and services to address the diverse requirements of rural banks and their customers.
Reynante S. Banico, head of Smart Services Hub, said that with the partnership, RBAP members could reach more than 34 million Smart subscribers, connect to the country’s more than 7,000 automated teller machines, and access more than 100 Smart Wireless Centers and thousands of MasterCard and Smart Money partners across the country and all over the world.
“This partnership with RBAP reinforces our vision of creating communities that are connected and enabled by the robust and pervasive technology of mobile-based solutions,” Smart chief wireless adviser Orlando B. Vea said in a statement.
Smart Money, the world’s first electronic wallet card linked to a mobile phone, won the 2001 3GSM Award for “Most Innovative GSM Wireless Service for Customers.”
RBAP earlier expressed optimism that rural banking would grow 15 percent this year. Rural banks collectively grew their assets more than 15 percent to P161 billion in the first half from P139 billion in the same period last year.
As I browse the web to search for some latest technology news I came across to the website of the leading wireless services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) and read the news about their partnership with Western Union Company (WU) in term of remittance service to the Filipino people. They come up with the agreement that they will jointly develop a Mobile Money Transfer service in the country. This kind of service will benefit most of the Filipinos who are using this kind of service. They said that this will make low-denomination, high-frequency remittances more affordable to the country’s 8 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The news is estated below:
“This agreement is in line with Smart’s thrust to continuously develop low-cost and convenient mobile remittance channels and communications services for overseas Filipino workers,” said Napoleon Nazareno, Smart president and CEO. “We recognize the significant role they play in not only contributing to the country’s economy, but also in making sure their families’ financial and communications needs are met at the time they need them.” Read more…
MANILA, Philippines — The Optical Media Board (OMB) has ordered CD-R King, one of the country’s biggest suppliers of optical media and related technology products, to pay P1.5 million in administrative penalties.
This was after the OMB, through the Bureau of Customs, found that the company was allegedly importing optical media discs without proper import permits from the agency, according to Cyrus Valenzuela, officer-in-charge of legal service division of OMB, in an interview.
The OMB sent its order Tuesday to CD-R King, informing them of their administrative violation of provisions of Republic Act 9239, or the Optical Media Act of 2003.
CD-R King is a registered company allowed by the OMB to import blank, rewritable optical discs. Valenzuela said that the OMB is also seeking the cancellation of the license of CD-R King to sell optical media in the country. CD-R King, however, still has a chance to appeal to OMB about the cancellation of its license, the government executive said.
The OMB has asked the CD-R King to produce a report of optical media discs they have brought into the country.
“They were ordered to give their inventory for the past three years The law requires them to maintain inventory of up to five years,” the government executive said.
The Bureau of Customs seized optical media discs on January 21 allegedly being imported by CD-R King, which OMB later found to be lacking proper import permits.
Coincidentally, OMB has recently conducted its “validation inspection” to verify a tip it received that the same company was using unlicensed software in its operations in the country.
“We were disappointed to find that CD-R King might be using pirated software in their operations,” said Atty. Rosendo Meneses, Executive Director of the Optical Media Board, in a separate interview.
OMB is now verifying the software inspected in CD-R King branches if they’re indeed legitimate software, the government executive said.
At least 20 agents of the OMB were sent to branches of CD-R King, namely SM Fairview, Park Square, MRT Ayala Station, Starmall, SM Marilao, Trinoma, SM Megamall and SM Valenzuela.
The OMB’s inspection sought to verify allegations that CD-R King was using pirated software, the agency said. This was also after they’ve conducted their own surveillance of the company.
Valenzuela said CD-R King is given until end of the week to show that they were not using any unlicensed software.
source: http://technology.inquirer.net/infotech/infotech/view/20080205-116956/OMB-orders-CD-R-King-to-pay-P15M-for-illegal-importation
By MA. ELISA P. OSORIO - The Philippine Star
Major telecommunication firms Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), Globe Telecom and Bayan Telecommunications will participate in a government-sponsored exhibit at the Mall of Asia aimed at promoting the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
The e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition 2008 is a leading trade event showcasing global BPO buyers and suppliers as well as centers of excellence and emerging locations in BPO and ICT (information and communications technology).
It offers an international platform for knowledge sharing on current industry trends, networking and investment opportunities in outsourcing and offshoring (O&O).
Leading the event is the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the trade promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
During the two-day conference slated in February, innovations on ICT and BPO will be presented in over 150 booths representing software companies and next-wave BPO cities like Cordillera-Ilocos, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Davao-GenSan.
Also to be presented at the exhibit are IT-enablers (technology vendors, IT parks, real estate), and companies engaged in animation, health information management, software development and creative e-services like games development and engineering design.
“At e-services, you meet new business contacts, network with them and at the same time work with government officials and educational institutions. This is also important because you get a feel of what’s happening in the industry and how you can help make your industry’s common goal a reality,” said Jeremiah Chow, business development manager of games development firm Anino Mobile.
Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=104547