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Classmate PC hits store shelves in Philippines as Neo Explore X1
No real surprises here, we knew the Classmate PC would be showing up at retail stores for a slight premium -- 16,998 Philippine pesos is about $408 US dollars -- and that other companies can slap their own branding onto the laptops, but this is the first time we've spotted Intel's "OLPC killer" on actual store shelves. The "Neo Explore X1" won't be winning any beauty contests, that's for sure. There's another shot after the break.[Thanks, bravekn1ght]
Philippines' ABS-CBN prepares to go digital
Citing "reception problems" in Metro Manila, the suburbs and parts of Central Luzon, Philippines-based ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation is gearing up to transition into the digital age. According to Vivian Tin, ABS-CBN head of research and business analysis, the outfit is throwing down "a few billion pesos" over the next several years as it rolls out the digital television service, but notes that it should launch DTT in some locales within the next few months. Currently, the reception issues affect "fringe areas that are serviced by the company's Metro Manila transmission tower and some [portions of] Central Luzon that are dependent on its transmission from the North," but with digital transmission, those troubles will purportedly vanish. As expected, the fresh new digital delivery will still be obtainable for free over-the-air.
Philippines Minister dreams of cash windfall via SMS taxes
Philippine Trade Secretary Peter Favilla has proposed adding a new tax on SMS messages purportedly to offset the loss of a 12 percent sales tax on oil products. Though it would seem from an interview, that Mr. Favilla is a hater where SMS is concerned as he's quoted saying that an SMS tax would shift Filipino focus to endeavors that are more productive. We're huge fans of SMS messaging round these parts -- and remain pretty productive -- a tax on it would likely drag significant cake from our pockets, here's hoping the tax isn't a per use affair.[Via textually.org]
Pirates cut costs on Wii-labeled GC games with compilation discs, crappier covers
Our undercover brother from another mother, GameOPS, has continued its documentation of video game piracy in the Philippines with more packaging photos taken at a Manila mall. The island nation's counterfeiters aren't content with just purposely mislabeling GameCube titles; they're taking a page from their handheld capers, packing multiple titles into one disc and selling them as unofficial Wii anthologies.The 4-in-1 Zelda "Collector's Edition" pictured above contains the following GC/Wii releases - Four Swords Adventures, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Ocarina Time [sic] -- all for only 400 pesos (approximately $8.75). Further insulting the series, the offending shop also sells a Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Riders 2-in-1 pack for the same price, suggesting equal worth. That is some straight-up malarkey. Jump past the post break for more examples of this duplicitous practice.
Pirates selling GameCube titles as Wii games
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Pirates_selling_gameCube_titles_as_Wii_games_PICS'; The last time we visited the Philippines, we stopped at a video store and picked up a movie labeled Anaconda 4, amazed to find that the horrible horror film had received three sequels which we'd never heard about. Imagine our surprise when we popped in the VHS tape later that evening, only to find that Anaconda 4 was actually Komodo, a completely unrelated B-movie with absolutely no anacondas in it whatsoever. It's a good thing we passed on Breakfast Club 3.Filipino site GameOPS found that pirates are up to their old tricks again, copying GameCube games onto DVD discs and packaging them as Wii releases. Titles like Luigi's Mansion, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition are advertised with new covers that've been rebranded with Wii logos and boxart elements. Unlike official GameCube-to-Wii ports, these don't even feature tacked-on waggle controls!When asked about the "Wii" copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes on display at ShopesVille, a department store in Manila's Greenhills Shopping Center, one of the salesladies explained that it's the same Metal Gear Solid release as the upcoming PS3 game. We bet that all the people who argued about the Wii not being able to handle next-gen graphics feel a bit silly now! Check past the break for a couple more photos of the counterfeit case jackets. See also: Pirates rule the Philippine seas
Toys "ARRRR" Us: Piracy in the Philippines
Pirated video games in the Philippines is certainly nothing new -- we remember seeing counterfeit Famicom carts being sold there back in the day -- but its ubiquity in the Southeast Asian country is startling. GameOPS' John Phillips Bengero sent us some pictures to illustrate just how dire the DS and GBA bootlegging situation is. Far from being confined to Manila's seedier markets, these shots were taken at a recently opened Toys "R" Us branch in TriNoma mall! Bring a pocket full of pesos past the post break for the photos.
Pirates rule the Philippine seas
After a tour of the country last year, Indian President Abdul Kalam described the Philippines as a "smiling republic." Wherever he went, Kalam was met with smiling faces. Well, you'd be grinning too if you saw how cheap their games are. Thanks to the black market, popular Nintendo Wii titles are priced as low as $5 in some shops. Piracy has become so widespread in the Southeast Asian country, even Sony admits that most of its Playstation software sold in the Philippines are bootlegged copies.Filipino site GameOPS found that many stores also offer modchip installations. For about $51, you can have your system hacked to play these counterfeit games at the local mall or market. Furthermore, some shops advertise console bundles, selling imported and modded US Wiis with five copied games of your choice for around $450. Similar deals for chipped Xbox 360 systems with 10 pirated titles are actually cheaper at $388.With such a high level of piracy already in place, Nintendo will have a lot to work against when -- or if -- it decides to finally launch the Wii in the Philippines.
Filipinos paying taxes by SMS
For us here in the States, April 17 was the deadline for filing those pesky 2006 taxes. There were probably a few million folks scrambling to get their tax filing completed online or with a mad dash to the post office. Why not pay taxes by SMS? After all, text messaging is a bigger industry than Hollywood. Alas, we're not quite there yet, but in the Philippines, the Bureau of Revenue Service is offering a tax filing service that works via text messaging. The SMS tax service, dubbed "PAYBIR," allows Filipino taxpayers with a tab of $281 or less to pay by whipping out their mobile. The service works in concert with Land Bank of the Philippines and Globe Telecom, which uses its G-Cash service to facilitate tax payments for SMS customers.[Via textually.org]
Underwater robots to help stem oil spill
Oil firm Petron is turning is turning to robots to try to keep a massive oil spill from getting any worse after a tanker carrying 53,000 gallons of the black gold sank off the coast of the island of Guimaras in the Philippines on August 11th. So far, the spill has affected some 40,000 nearby residents and damaged close to 200 miles of coastline, with the potential to spread even further. According to Petron, the sinking is also the deepest one in recent memory, making it impossible for divers to even inspect the vessel, hence the robots. As soon as they've pinpointed the exact location of the tanker, the salvage team will send down a remote-operated vehicle to asses the damage. If the ship is upright they'll just connect some lines and suck out rest of the oil inside; but things aren't so accessible, they'll use the robot to drill directly into the oil tanks and siphon it out the hard way. Hmm, forcing robots to clean up our dirty messes- this is something they definitely won't forget during the inevitable uprising.[Via Robot Gossip]
Keepin' it real fake, part XXIX: Gameboy Micro has a twin
Is the $100 Gameboy Micro a little too rich for your blood? Why not pick up the similar-looking One Station (not to be confused with the POP Station, although it's entirely possible that they're related), which was recently spotted for under forty bucks at a Philippine electronics shop - it offers all the fun of your favorite 8-bit Nintendo games (on special knockoff cartridges, of course) without any of the bloated costs associated with those expensive licensing fees.
