Samsung's Concept Store at Robinsons Magnolia

My very first trek to the newly opened Robinsons Magnolia mall in Quezon City was for the launch of Samsung's concept store.

With Odette Velarde of Samsung and friend Noemi Dado at the launch

Celebrities at the ribbon cutting ceremony

A Peek inside the Concept Store

The Samsung Concept Store is located on the al fresco area of the mall on the 3rd floor. At first, Noemi and I got lost and thought the Samsung store inside the mall on the same level was it. Apparently that one was just for mobile phones.

Upon entering the store, we found that it contained all the appliances one would need for the home. We saw the inverter airconditioners, washing machines and refrigerators which we had previously seen up close in another event. My post on that is HERE.

But the star of the event on that launch was Samsung's series of Smart TVs for 2012.

The Samsung plasma TV sets

These TV product offerings center around 3 'Smart' pillars: Smart Interaction, Smart Content and Smart Evolution.

Smart Interaction

Why even use a remote? Many times, I get frustrated looking for the remote especially when someone does not put it back in its place. With the Smart Interaction technology, the TV set itself detects your hand. There are no more boundaries between the TV screen and you. Motion Control, Voice Control and Face Recognition technology let you turn the TV on or off, select apps to activate, or search and select web content -- all without having to use a remote.

Playing Angry Birds with hand

Celebrity using hands to play Angry Birds

Smart Content

While Samsung's Smart TVs have already been providing premium content through over 1,500 apps worldwide, in 2012 it is taking that a step further by providing a Smart Hub, a simple user interface (UI) in full HD. Through AllShare Play, Samsung allows content to be pulled in from a Smart TV or mobile device or manually pushed out to the cloud, regardless of a user's location.

Smart Evolution

Samsung is proud to be the only electronics company worldwide to offer Smart Evolution. This feature is available on select Samsung Smart TVs and really addresses the obsolescence issue. Many times, we buy a TV only for a new model and feature to come out soon after. With the Smart Evolution feature, the select TV sets have a Samsung Evolution Kit. A simple slot-in at the back lets consumers keep up with newer introductions of both hardware and software without the need to go out and bu a new TV set. You can potentially keep up-to-date by just "slotting in" the new features using Samsung's proprietary system-on-chip technology. That is just so cost-effective!

Barista for a Night with Starbucks Refreshers...and more

What happens when a blogger is turned into a barista for one night?

She is given a Starbucks cap, an apron and her very own barista badge, that's what!

And that's exactly what I got one Starbucks-y night when we were introduced to the latest Starbucks Refreshers as well as to eight (8) new food offerings.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's begin with the beverages.

Starbucks Refreshers

Starbucks is bringing in a new form of beverages. One is called Very Berry Hibiscus Starbucks Refreshers while the other is Cool Lime Starbucks Refreshers.

Very Berry Hibiscus Starbucks Refreshers Beverage

(Tall-PhP115, Grande-PhP125, Venti-PhP135)

Cool Lime Starbucks Refreshers Beverage

(Tall-PhP115, Grande-PhP125, Venti-PhP135)

At first, I thought: Oh they're introducing juices now in the coffeeshop? But as it turns out, the Starbucks Refreshers are different from the juices in other cafes because this one is still made of COFFEE! You read that right.

Here's how it's done.

Green coffee beans

All coffee starts as a coffee cherry with a green coffee bean in the center. These beans are normally roasted to bring out the bold and distinctive coffee flavors. But in the case of Starbucks Refreshers, the caffeine natural found in 100% UNROASTED arabica coffee beans is extracted and made into a flavored beverage base that becomes the foundation of the Starbucks Refreshers

Flavored Beverage Base

Smart's Freedom Plan: Postpaid Plan Redefined

Who wants complete freedom with a postpaid plan that starts from ZERO, has no monthly fees, has no lock-in period and does not require the presentation of documents before you can be given a subscriber line?

That's what Smart is offering to prepaid subscribers now with its Freedom Plan.

My Smart Freedom Plan sim

For the next few months, I will be testing out this plan.

The facts: I'm a prepaid subscriber on both Globe and Smart (and I used to be one with Sun too). Many friends ask me why I have stayed prepaid all these years although I was a postpaid subscriber when I was still fully employed. I tell them that with prepaid, I can monitor my mobile spending based on how much I load (very important for one with no full-time job and is on a tight budget). I have the freedom to choose what telco and even what plan I will enroll in from day to day (I use my home wifi most times and only need internet when I am mobile). I am free of bill shock risk. When they tell me that postpaid subscribers get a free phone, I just shrug and tell them that the phone I want usually comes with a monthly plan (which is too inflexible for what I need) so I'd rather just buy the phone I really want and use a prepaid sim.

I really enjoy my prepaid freedom and won't just give it up and be tied to a network or postpaid plan unless I enjoy the same or better flexibility I now enjoy as a prepaid mobile user.

So when Smart invited me to try out their Freedom Plan, I agreed to give it a test run. Here's what the Freedom Plan is all about.

Key Features

* No fixed monthly fees (you start from ZERO)
* No lock-in period (you just get the SIM. No phones are bundled with the plan.)
* No documents to submit if you stay within the default credit limit
* No bill shock - Each SIM is ready with a P600 credit limit. You can mix/match the plan's  "postpaid buckets" for the month until you reach P600.

Happyplus Card: Jollibee's customer loyalty program and BPI's cashless payment combined

Do you sometimes wish that paying at fastfood outlets would be more convenient? It is now!

The popularity of the country's largest restaurant chain, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), and the cashless payment innovation of the country's leading commercial bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), saw the birth of a unique customer loyalty program - the happyplus card -- that not only rewards customers of its participating food establishments but also makes payments painless through cashless payment. In addition, customers get a chance to win monthly raffle cash prizes.

JFC Chairman and CEO Tony Tan Caktiong and BPI President Aurelio Montinola inked the agreement between the two corporations and introduced the card to the public.

What is the Happyplus Card and how does it work?

It is a customer loyalty program card. In a few words, LOAD UP, BUY, TAP TO PAY. That simple!

This is how it works.

1. Buy the membership kit from the cashier counter in any Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon and soon, Mang Inasal.
2. Top up (load) the card. Minimum load is P100 and can be increased in increments of P100 up to a maximum of P10,000.
3. Use your happyplus card in any of the establishments above. You earn one (1) happyplus point for every P50 purchase. Each happyplus point is equal to P1 which you can accumulate and use down the road to buy even more food.
4. Pay for your purchase just by tapping the card (magnetic strip facing device) on the cashless payment card reader (see photo below).

Cashless payment card reader

This same card reader can display your purse and point balance every time you load, make a purchase or just make an inquiry.

BPI's Montinola making a purchase using the Happyplus Card

Monthly Raffle Prizes

You also earn raffle entries when you load up the card. Each time you load, you earn entries as follows:

P100 = 1 raffle entry

P300 = 5 raffle entries

P500 = 10 raffle entries

P1,000 = 25 raffle entries

The happyplus card is valid for three (3) years from date of application and can be easily renewed at any of the JFC-affiliated establishments. 

To register online for the happyplus card, go to www.happyplus.com.ph

Asian Frappuccino Blended Beverages and more at Starbucks

In my last Starbucks event we were asked to guess what the upcoming Asian Frappuccino blended beverages would be. Many guesses later, it's finally here -- the Starbucks' versions of the now popular milk teas in the country - Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino and the Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino.

Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino

Hojicha, a kind of Japanese roasted tea, is combined with Starbucks' Tazo Earl Grey tea-infused jelly in the Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino. You get to taste the nutty and toasty hojicha i addition to the earl grey jelly bits.

Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino

The Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino is a blend of whole kernels of red azuki beans and matcha. Matcha is one of the best green tea forms in Japan and is finely milled so that you get that matcha flavor together with the sweetness of the azuki beans.

Both frappuccinos go for PhP 155 (tall), PhP 165 (Grande) and PhP 175 (Venti).

And that's not all. Starbucks introduces a line of new food items - their second new batch for 2012.

Green Tea and Berry Cheesecake (PhP 140)

Green Tea and Berry Cheesecake has blueberries sitting on a crispy walnut crust. It's topped with white chocolate ganache curls. My cheesecake girl is sure to go for this first.

Purple Yam Cake with Macapuno and Red Bean (PhP 110)

The Purple Yam Cake with Macapuno and Red Bean sounds like a combination of Filipino desserts. You've got 3 layers of purple yam chiffon cake with macapuno strips and red bean mixed into it. Between the layers are purple yam buttercream icing with sprinkles as an added touch on top.

Beef and Mushroom Pie (PhP 95)

Pie lovers will go for the Beef and Mushroom Pie - beef strips, sliced mushrooms, carrots and fresh mashed potatoes inside a flaky, buttery pastry crust baked to a golden brown.

Bacon and Cheese on Italian Country Bread (PhP 150)

Bacon and Cheese on Italian Country Bread is for the open-faced sandwich lovers. It's a cheesy mix of 6 cheeses: Gruyere, Emmenthal, Provolone, Mozzarella, Feta and Cheddar) mixed in with crispy bacon strips.

Chicken Parmigiana Wrap (PhP 150)

Chewy pita bread filled with chicken breast fillet, sliced eggplant and drizzled with Italian tomato sauce and grated cheese is what Chicken Parmigiana Wrap is all about.

Lastly, there's a new roast blend out. The Three Region Blend combines beans from three coffee-growing regions: Latin America, Africa/Arabia and Asia Pacific. It's herbal, lemon and current notes all in one.

Cignal brings the clarity of satellite digital transmission to your TV

The age of digital TV is upon us and in the Philippines, the second largest and fastest-growing pay-TV provider, Cignal, is in the forefront of digital transmission via satellite, guaranteeing the widest coverage and the clearest TV signals for the best viewing experience available.

Analog vs Digital

Analog TV transmission was always a victim of the elements. Remember the days of snow-like interference on your TV sets? Well, I'm old enough to remember that. Over the decades, that improved with the introduction of cable TV. TV signals became so much clearer. Gone was the snowy look. But because the TV signals still traveled through the cables from the cable provider's transmission center to homes, bad weather always meant intermittent disruptions of signal and not-so-clear reception.

Cignal showed us a diagram of how their transmission works, using the power of satellites. From the content providers, a satellite downloads the TV programs to Cignal's Uplink Center. From there, it is beamed again to a satellite which then transmits the signals to the satellite dishes in subscribers' homes.

What is the advantage of digital transmission?

* Coverage is nationwide, including remote locations - Unlike signals transmitted by cable, which limits the geographical accessibility by subscribers in very remote locations, Cignal's transmission can penetrate non-cabled areas, coastal waters and mountain regions. 

* Signal is not weather-dependent - Static interference and disruptions occur in cabled transmission. Water can seep in, cables can be downed, etc. But satellite transmission continues even in bad weather, ensuring continuing service to subscribers.

Here's a slide that Cignal showed us illustrating more advantages.

So far, Cignal has the following High Definition (HD) channels out of about 64 channels (including Standard Definition or SD channels) currently listed on their flyer.

Cignal offers both postpaid and prepaid plans as follows:

POSTPAID

1. Plan 590 - 44 digital channels (40 SD, 4 HD)

2. Plan 990 - 53 digital channels (45 SD, 8 HD)

3. Plan 1290 - 60 digital channels (48 SD, 12 HD)

4. Plan 1590 - 64 digital channels (49 SD, 15 HD)

PREPAID

1. Pack 250 - 14 digital channels

2. Pack 390 - 24 digital channels

3. Pack 590 - 44 digital channels (40 SD, 4 HD)

For special events, they also have Pay-Per-View options.

For more details, visit their site at www.Cignal.tv. Or call 244-6251 (Cignal 1).