New in Davao City: HONDA Flagship Shop now open

Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI) in partnership with DESMARK Corporation unveils HPI’s largest Honda Motorcycle retails concept in the heart of Metro Davao with the opening of the new Honda Davao Flagship Shop.

Krispy Kreme celebrates 80th Araw ng Dabaw

Image from Krispy Kreme Philippines

Krispy Kreme celebrated 80th Araw ng Dabaw by giving back to the community.

On March 16th 2017, Krispy Kreme opened its doors to the kids of the Providence Home of St. Joseph and hosted a fun doughnut tour.  The kids experienced designing their own doughnuts which developed their artistic side.

Krispy Kreme even offered (for the duration of the Araw ng Dabaw) the chance to enjoy your second dozen for only P80 pesos.

Image from Krispy Kreme Philippines

Krispy Kreme has been in the doughnut business for 10 years here in the Philippines and is always looking for fun ways for doughnut lovers to enjoy,  And with the upcoming Power Rangers Movie, Krispy Kreme also offers Power Ranger themed doughnuts to bring out the superhero within each of us. The Power Ranger doughnut comes in a chocolate topped doughnut with a lightning bolt design same with the Power Rangers. Get 6 Power Rangers with 6 classic Original Glazed doughnuts for only P299.00. Available nationwide from March 15 to April 7, 2017.

 Image from Krispy Kreme Philippines

And last but definitely not the least, Krispy Kreme also introduced their Krispy Kreme Minis Doughnut Holes. This Krispy Kreme minis are like cake and doughnut fused into one to create the perfect snack. Krispy minis come in 5 amazing flavors Glazed Chocolate, Red Velvet (Wife's favorite), Glazed Vanilla, Churros, and Green Tea(my personal fave).  They offer them in 7 pcs. for only P70 or 24 pcs. for only P200.00.

7 pcs. Minis

20 pcs. Minis

Krispy Kreme sure knows how to celebrate.
Happy Araw ng Dabaw Everyone.

E-commerce Entrepreneurs Summit 2017

I have been invited by BlogAdia to join the E-Commerce Summit held here in Davao City.  And this is what I have learned regarding E-Commerce.

So what is E-commerce? E-commerce is basically just like regular commerce but on a different setting.  E-commerce stands for electronic commerce which means you are doing business online through the internet, just like when purchasing products and services using the internet.  Doing business online makes it easier for sellers to showcase their products without the need to bring all their merchandise to a location, as for the buyer using e-commerce to search for products and services makes it easier to search and purchase the things or services you need.

Here are some of our speakers who shared and educated us on e-commerce and the benefits of it.

Digital Filipino
         - State of eCommerce in the Philippines by Ms. Janette Toral
           Digital Filipino

Alfox Printing Services and Papapel 
         - Importance of Product Packaging for Online Sellers by Abigail Lim and Mark Wales
           Alfox Printing and Papapel

PhilYes
         - B2B e-Commerce for MSMEs - Getting Buyers Online by Christopher Guarin
           PhilYes

CheckMeOut
         - Building a Nationwide eCommerce Logistics and Last Mile Delivery Network
           by Achilles Reyes
           CheckMeOut

BlogADia 
         - Bloggers as Online Buying Influencers by Edrian Bautista
           BlogADia

OnlineJobsUniversity 
         - State of Freelancing in the Philippines by Genesis Reonico
           OnlineJobsUniversity

Hashtag Digital and PTB Digital Hub 
         - Advance eCommerce Marketing Strategies by Mannix Pabalan and Jun Baranggan
           Hashtag Digital and PTB Digital Hub
         
Etours Davao 
         - MSME eCommerce Experience Sharing by Tom Claudio
           Etours Davao
LogEx 
         - Promoting Farm Products through eCommerce by Maria Celeste Noblefranca
         
Wealth Market 
         - Promoting Financial Literacy and Services Online by Jana De Vera

Gifts Davao 
         - Online Selling by Karla Stefan Singson
           Gifts Davao

Bloggers As Online Influencers

Mr. Edrian Bautista speaking regarding the importance of  Bloggers as Influencers

Davao Bloggers Society with Mr. Edrian Bautista of BlogAdia
Photo Credit to Jim Carlo Magnaye of www.digitaldavao.com

After spending a whole day listening about E-commerce, I have learned a lot about how commerce has evolved from the traditional method to the digital method. It is really important for us as entrepreneurs to adapt to the changing times, to be able to maintain our customers and stay competitive.  Nowadays traditional methods are simply not that effective like it used to, millenials (how they like to call themselves) now are more focused online than ever.  Traditional advertising still works but to be able to reach the younger generations or the millenials, we as entrepreneurs should also adapt to the online advertising since it is cheaper and could reach a larger group of potential customers.

Iflix : Great alternative for Cable TV?

We grew up without cable tv (not because we can't afford it) but because our mom would always tell us that it would only distract us from doing our homework. So we got used to just local tv shows.

Ever since Iflix was introduced to the market, I immediately signed up and tried it out.  At first I was still skeptical since it was still new to me, but after a week of using it I immediately got fond of iflix. For those who are not yet familiar, Iflix offers streaming TV and Movie shows with a minimal fee (don't be too stingy or be a freeloader guys).

What I love about Iflix is that you could download movies or tv shows and watch it offline. So if you are going on a trip or somewhere that has no internet, then this would not be a problem. Like when I helped in our farm for a week, iflix really kept me entertained.

Iflix

Iflix has a lot of arrays of Tv Shows and Movies to choose from, you could search it through their search tab. Iflix allows you to choose which genre you wish to watch which makes it easier to choose.

Iflix Main Menu

Genres to choose from

What makes Iflix standout from the rest of the Streaming apps out there? Is the ability to download what you want and watch it while offline.

Good news for Smart, Talk n Text and PLDT subscribers, Iflix offers a special subscription rate for you.  Instead of paying for 129 per month, you only get to pay 99 pesos.  And I save the best for last, you could connect your account upto 5 devices.

So, what are you waiting for? Still not convinced? Try it for a month for free and you won't regret it, I know I didn't.

• 1 month unlimited access!
• Thousands of TV shows, movies & more.
• Stream on your phone, laptop, tablet or TV.
• You can even Download & watch offline.

Only PHP 

Travel Essentials l Gadgets and Apps

When Mrs. A and I travel (whether local or international), I usually take a few things and download apps which are useful when travelling.  Specially when travelling abroad, it is very important to be well equipped.

Chargers (ofcourse), especially since we wouldn't want to have a dead mobile phone in our entire trip, right?

So I bought a charger just for travelling because I want to keep a separate charger just for that purpose, and I paired it with an octopus charging wire.  What I love about this octopus wire is that you could charge different devices with just one outlet.

Portable Charger with foldable plug
Image from Tcat Philippines

Octopus Cable Wires

USB Male to Female to extend your octopus cable wires

Powerbank, since most of the mobile phones right now wouldn't last a day or even a few hours.

Powerbank with solar charging

Luggage weighing scale.  I find it very useful especially when travelling on a tight budget and you don't want to pay excess baggage.  There are a lot of different weighing devices out there in the market. I chose the one that is not digital so that there is no need to worry if the battery runs out.

Luggage weighing scale

Universal Power Adapter (For those travelling International). This little gadget is very useful when travelling abroad, since some countries have different outlet plug from ours.

Universal Travel Adapter

On-the-Go (OTG).  I find this device very useful especially when you love taking photos using your DSLR or Digital Cameras. With this little device, you could easily transfer your pictures directly to your OTG capable mobile phones. So whenever you shoot an amazing picture and want to share it to social media without having to use a laptop or computer, then this device is perfect for you.

USB OTG paired with a Card Reader

Portable Harddrive.  My wife gave me a Wireless Seagate Portable Harddrive for our First Year Anniversary. With this portable Harddrive, I could connect it directly to my mobile devices and watch movies. So when you are on a 10 hour flight, this would help pass the time quicker.  For more details, here is the link to my review of my Seagate Wireless Portable Harddrive. Click Here.

Seagate Wireless Portable Harddrive

Digital Camera/DSLR/Sports Cam. Ofcourse with today's Camera Phones, this is optional. But I still prefer using Digital Cameras when travelling.

Apps are also essential when travelling since these could assist you in making your life easier.

Google Translator. I discovered this app just last year when we went to Indonesia and let me tell you, it really helped us a lot due to the language barrier.

Download

Currency Converter. This useful app keeps you updated with your currencies' conversion to the local currency you are visiting.

Download

Offline Maps.  Offline Maps are very useful specially when travelling abroad and you have no data or wifi.  You only need to download the City Map you are planning to visit and then you can view the map without data or wifi.

Download

Streaming Apps. There are three Streamings Apps now in the market. Iflix, Hooq and Netflix are the awesome apps for watching tv shows or movies for a fee, of course. These will surely entertain you during your travels, whether it be waiting for your flight or during the flight itself.

To Download at the Playstore, click the App you want.  

Download Iflix

Download Hooq

Download Netflix

Hotel Booking Apps. Everytime my wife and I have a destination on mind, we immediately search for hotels using mobile booking apps. Our favorite hotel booking app is Agoda. The thing I love about Agoda is how easy it is to use. What makes it useful is the site's client reviews regarding the hotel because it is very important to check for reviews before booking your hotel.

Download

Flight Booking Apps. Ofcourse, you need this to ease yourself when booking your flights. I find this very convenient since I don't need to personally go to the Airline ticketing office. This also saves money and hassle in going to and from physical ticketing or travel agencies.

Logos of Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines

Download Air Asia

Download Cebu Pacific

Download Philippine Airlines

TripAdvisor. I use this app side by side with my hotel booking app, Agoda.  With this app, you could search for hotels, things to do, restaurants, etc.  I use this app to know more about the destination that we plan to visit. This is the most helpful application for doing pre travel research about the place.

I hope this would help you on your future travels. Enjoy guys.

Choosing the right Bluetooth Speaker

I have always loved the idea of being able to take my music with me and share it with the people around me.

The Kingone K5 Speaker is a great bluetooth portable speaker with an awesome price tag.  Its sound could be heard in the entire room without sacrificing the sound quality.  Aside from its bluetooth capability, you could also play your favorite tunes using the auxiliary in(aux in). If you are not familiar what the aux in is, it is where you use a 3.5mm jack male to male (see image below) and plug it to your music player just like an ordinary earphone jack and plug the other end to your kingone K5.  The Kingone K5 also has a microsd slot where you could play directly from your microsd card.

3.5mm jack male to male
Image from ebay

Kingone K5

The Sony SRS-X5 is the biggest of the three bluetooth speakers that I have, and has the most amazing bass amongst the three. Because of its size, I only use it at home. But sometimes, I bring the Sony SRS-X5 with me during outdoor picnics or when travelling out of town, since it is not only a bluetooth speaker but can also be used as a powerbank.  It also supports Aux In same as the Kingone but unfortunately doesn't support microsd, which means you need a music player with the Sony SRS-X5.

Sony SRS-X5
Image from Sony

Back of the Sony SRS-X5
where you could see the USB Female
which you could plug your usb charger
to power 

The last but not the least of the three speakers is the JBL Clip. Why is it called a JBL Clip? Because it has a built-in carabiner which is perfect for those who love the outdoors.  With its carabiner, you could just clip it in your pants or bag and you are ready to go. Unfortunately this little baby doesn't have much bass and cannot handle very high volume, but this baby still packs a punch.  This has a built-in aux wire attached to the back, so there is no need to purchase a wire. Just like the Sony X5 it doesn't support micro sd.

JBL Clip
Image from JBL

So after using the three portable bluetooth speakers, here are my reviews and comparisons.

The Sony SRS-X5 is perfect for home use.  Due to its size the Sony X5 is not for your everyday travel companion, but still perfect for those long drive or out of town trips since it also doubles as a powerbank.

The JBL Clip is perfect for those who love to travel since it is very compact, and with its built-in carabiner it is very easy to bring with you.

The Kingone is the cheapest of the three, so if you are looking for a decent bluetooth speaker that will not hurt your budget, then this one is for you.

REVIEW l Seagate Wireless Harddrive

When I accidentaly dropped my Portable Harddrive and broke, I was really devastated.  Fortunately my wife, Mrs. A, gave me a Portable Harddrive last month as her advance Birthday gift to me (since she knew how I loved my Portable HD).

Portable Harddrives have the same purpose as any Harddrives out there, the only difference is that with that of a portable HD you don't need to plug it in.  If you travel a lot for work or pleasure with a laptop, and is in need of an extra memory for storing pictures or files then you definitely need a Portable HD.

So after a lot of research (and believe me when I say A LOT since it took me months to decide) I finally chose the Seagate Wireless Portable Harddrive.  And yes you read it right, it is wireless.  So what made this Seagate Wireless HD my choice? Well for starters, it is wireless, which means that you could connect any device which has wifi capabilities to this HD.  You could store your photos from your phone directly to the HD without the need for a computer, not only that but you could also download photos or files from your HD to your phone or any device.  I specifically use this to watch movies or look at photos during long haul flights or while waiting at the terminal before boarding.

The reason it took me months before I could decide, was because I couldn't decide if I should choose the 2TB or 1TB (TB stands for Terabytes).  The price difference between the two are not that far off, but I ended up choosing the 1TB since I don't need that much memory space, and since I have another HD specifically for my desktop. The other reason was, if I should get the wireless HD or not since the wireless HD almost cost twice as much as the one without the wireless capability.  So after a long and gruesome decision making, I finally decided to get the one with the wireless capability.

The Seagate Wireless Portable HD has its own battery that would last upto 10 hours as per advertised, but as per using it the battery only lasted for roughly 8 hours on a full charge, which is still great. It would take you 2-3 hours to charge the seagate and then you are ready to go.

So overall my experience with my Seagate Wireless Portable Harddrive has been positive, the only downside is that not all video formats are playable in your mobile device.

I would highly recommend this product to those people who love to take a lot of pictures or love watching movies on the go.

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