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Mostly Everything

Remember the “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” Anti-Piracy ads? Turns out the ad is pirated.

As one YouTube commenter (PianoGamer64) said, “You wouldn’t steal the background music to your own anti-piracy propaganda…”

But they did.

With the proposed tightening of Philippine laws to combat online piracy, a very recent article was called to my attention regarding the anti-piracy ads that have become staples in the movie theaters and in DVD releases. “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” … I’m sure you remember the catchy music in the background. As it turns out, that music was pirated from its original composer.

Dutch Musician Melchior Rietveldt explained was asked in 2006 to whip some background music “to be used exclusively at a local film festival”.

When he noticed his music popping up everywhere (first hearing it in a Harry Potter DVD) Mr Rietveldt went to royalty agency Buma/Stemra, who made a € 15,000 ($AU 17,500) advance and then appear to have completely dropped the ball.

[source]

There you have it. These anti-piracy laws need to be thought through very well. Every single DVD that had that clip is violating copyright law. And every single movie theater that played that advertisement. What does this say about the industry?

Categories
Mostly Everything

Expanded PowerBag lineup include Tablet Messenger and Deluxe Bag

A couple of weeks ago I road-tested the PowerBag, a backpack that lets you charge your gadgets on the go. It’s essentially a backpack + battery pack + gadget cables. The battery pack is user replaceable and can carry between a 3000 to 6000 mAh charge. That’s essentially a full charge and a half for an iPhone 4s.

These two other models fit a 14″ laptop (you could probably fit in the 15″ retina display MacBook if you tried hard enough) and your favorite tablet be it a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an iPad.

Tablet Messenger PHP 6,490

• 6000 mAh battery allows for power on the go
• Dedicated External charging pocket with micro, mini and Apple connectors • Internal tablet pocket
• Adjustable shoulder strap

Deluxe Black Backpack PHP 7,490

• 6000 mAh battery allows for power on the go
• Dedicated External charging pocket with micro, mini and Apple connectors • Carries up to 14″ laptop
• Suspension contoured back strap

Categories
Mostly Everything

Dual screen Samsung DV100 appeals to solo travelers for PHP 7,990.00

Traveling solo? Sure you may have your phone with you to take photos, but when you’re on the road you’d rather save your phone for more important things — like calling and surfing the web. You might want a dedicated camera with a longer battery life for that reason.

Continue reading “Dual screen Samsung DV100 appeals to solo travelers for PHP 7,990.00”
Categories
Mostly Everything

16GB Google Nexus 7 Priced at PHP 17,999 (Villman)

OK two things here:

Villman is selling the new 16GB Google Nexus 7 at PHP 18,000 pesos. That’s twice the price in retail when you buy the device in the USA. Stocks are limited and that’s what you get when demand is high. It’s actually a bad deal if you think about it — you’re paying more than twice the price for this device if you peg the dollar at PHP 44 (total SRP should be around PHP 8,600.00) which is an amazing steal that destroys all other affordable tablets the local scene.

But then you also have to realize that Google is HALTING new orders for the new 16GB tablet, making only the 8GB model available for sale on the Play store.

The company has now halted further orders of the 16GB version of the tablet, costing £199, on its Google Play store in the US and UK. Orders made in the period up to the end of last week are due to be fulfilled, but a shortage of stock now means a hiatus in sales.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s forever gone. It’s more like .. are you willing to pay almost twice the price of an affordable tablet or wait a bit longer?

I go for WAITING. And this is for the simple reason that the USD $200 SRP is a feature of the device and paying anything more than that mitigates the amazing price point. If you’re going to pay PHP 18,000 for this tablet, you might as well have gotten an iPad.

[info c/o John Nieves]

Categories
Geek

How to perfectly install a screen protector: The Hinge Method

Installing a screen protector for your brand new smartphone can be a pain in the ass. There have been outlandish methods such as installing it in a steamed room to lessen the chances of lint as well as other methods that require feats of dexterity with your fingers to avoid bubbles. This is by far the most practical and easiest way to install the screen by yourself: the hinge method. And it’s really simple as all you’ll need is electric tape.