#ViberNowOpen as it celebrates 25 million Filipino users! Viber partners now with the Presidential Communications Office and Gary V

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As Viber Philippines recently had a media event called Viber Now Open held at Valkyrie, Bonifacio Global Center last July 21, celebrating 25 million Filipino app users and launch more interesting new things and stickers for Viber users. 

Viber, the Philippines’ leading communications app, celebrates its continuous growth in the country as it recently hit 25 million unique registered users nationwide. Viber also officially opens its doors to brands and businesses in the Philippines

Viber has become a household name for Filipinos here and abroad when it comes to connecting with their friends and family.

Each month, Filipinos send over 44 million stickers through Viber messaging and group chats. Viber stickers have indeed become a new and fun way for Filipinos to communicate and express themselves.

At the celebration party of Viber last July 21, Viber Regional Head for Southeast Asia, Crystal Gonzalez, said “we truly appreciate the overwhelming and continued support from our Filipino users and we’re committed to making Viber even better through local content and partnerships that celebrate and empower Filipinos and be part of their daily lives.”

Based on Viber’s latest sticker data, users in the Philippines are fond of sending stickers about daily expressions such as “Xoxo” (kiss mark), “Good night”, “Good morning”, thumbs up, “I miss you”, “Thank you”, and sad face.

Moreover, the most downloaded sticker packs in the Philippines—Violet, Freddie, Yango, LegCat, Noy Pi, Becky Vibe, and Vibe On—feature famous Viber characters as well as slang words that Filipinos use on a daily basis.

To make sticker content more relevant for Filipino users, Viber has partnered with the Presidential Communications Office to create awareness on being a #PartnerForChange and has collaborated with the country’s most-awarded male recording artist and performer, Gary Valenciano.

You can now download the free #GVonViber Sticker Pack, which features legendary Filipino musician/singer/songwriter, Gary V, and his iconic song titles like “Hataw Na,” “Shout For Joy,” “Take Me Out of the Dark,” “Di Bale Na Lang,” “Sana Maulit Muli,” “Eto Na Naman,” among many others.

To download, visit the Viber Sticker Market and search for #GVonViber.

Also follow Gary V’s Public Chat for behind the scenes and his conversations with his family and celebrity friends (Visit www.viber.com/garyv).

Viber is also a #PartnerForChange, and being the leading communications app, has partnered with the Presidential Communications Office to launch a Public Chat (www.viber.com/presidentialcom), providing official news and announcements straight from the Presidential team.

Ms. Crystal Gonzales, Viber Regional Head for Southeast Asia

The #ViberForChange Sticker Pack was launched using the most popular expressions and social media memes like “Just DU it!,” “Change Is Here,” “Aprub Yan!,” “Proud to be Pinoy,” “Daghang Salamat,” among others.

Lastly, to further enrich content and engagement with Viber users, Viber is officially opening its doors for business and partnerships in the Philippines. Brands, celebrities, and organizations can now partner with Viber and open branded stickers and Public Chat accounts, reaching millions of Filipino Viber users here and abroad. Viber has collaborated with industry leaders like Jollibee, Coca-Cola, Sunsilk, Globe, Smart, PLDT, GMA News, Inquirer, ABS-CBN, and McDonald’s.

"We invite brands, influencers, and businesses to work with the Viber team if they want to step up their game and engage with our 25 million Viber users,” Gonzalez added.

And there's more! Expect more Viber stickers to come and enjoy!  

Here are more picture of well known celebrities who made the guests got wild singing and dancing with them while performing their famous songs.

Gary V

Nina and Joey G

Side A Band's Joey G

Nina

Gab and Gary V

Viber event was hosted by Toni Toni and Sam YG

About Viber:

Part of the Rakuten family, Viber freely connects users around the world with the people that matter

to them most. With more than 754 million unique users on the platform, Viber allows people toconnect in the way that works best for them, whether that’s through individual messaging, video

calls, group chats, or following brands and celebrities on Public Chats. Viber can be used on

iPhone®, iPad®, AndroidTM phones and tablets, Windows Phone, Windows®, Windows 8®, Mac, Linux and Symbian devices over mobile or WiFi connections.

For partnerships, contact sea@viber.com. For media inquiries, contact philippines@viber.com.

Last Call for Entries for the AirAsia Travel Photographer 2016!

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Don’t miss this chance to become this year’s AirAsia Travel Photographer!

Sign up now for the chance to fly one of AirAsia’s exotic destinations and win as much as 200,000 AirAsia BIG Points.

Now on its second year, AirAsia’s photo contest is getting bigger and more exciting! The top 6 finalists will get a chance to fly to one of AirAsia's exciting destinations to compete in a series of challenges with the winner receiving as much as 200,000 AirAsia BIG Points convertible to flights to any AirAsia destination, a vacation package and a lot of other exciting gifts from our partner brands.

Joining is easy. Simply log on to www.airasiatp.com, fill up the form and upload three (3) of your best photographs. 20 semi-finalists will be selected and will be asked to present their works to a panel of judges represented by Nachi Ugarte, Creative Director and co-founder of Grid Magazine; Wawi Navarroza, Artist, Photographer and founder of ThousandfoldPH and Jacob Maentz, American Documentary Photographer from Cebu. 

The Top 6 contenders will be declared finalists and will be one step closer to becoming the next AirAsia Travel Photographer. They will then fly to an AirAsia destination to compete in a series of challenges that will test their photography and storytelling skills, all leading up to one grand prize winner. 

Are you up for the challenge? Experience, capture and share your unique travel stories through the AirAsia Travel Photographer 2016 Contest. Hurry as registration ends on July 31, 2016!

For more updates, visit www.airasiatp.com and follow us on Facebook (@AirAsiaPhilippines), Twitter (@AirAsiaPH), and Instagram (@AirAsiaPH). #AirAsiaTP2016.

Watch out for the webisodes hosted by Tracy Abad (@tracyabad) of Mellow 94.7, which will premiere this August!

The AirAsia Travel Photographer 2016 is also brought to you by AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme, Mellow 94.7, Grid Magazine and Flight 001 Philippines.

Local furniture and home decor brands to showcase products at Urban Living Collective on July 30-31

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Millennial homeowners will get a chance to shop for locally-made furniture pieces and home decors at the Urban Living Collective event on July 30 and 31 at one of the metro’s hippest lifestyle destinations, Capitol Commons. From kitchenwares and bedroom essentials to lighting fixtures and home accessories, shoppers will have a grand time checking out items to jazz up their home with. 

"We want to reach a wider range of customers and offer items that believe more on craftsmanship than mass production. We want to impart belief in supporting local artists and artisans, and that creating beautiful spaces can be easy and enjoyable as well," says Nikolette Fraginal of Wheelbarrow Store, one of the participating merchants at the event. The store sells uniquely stylish home linens and accessories. 

For Eva Manipol of handcrafted wooden furniture brand Hazo.ph, Urban Living Collective is an opportunity to showcase their products. "Our products are handcrafted by our uncle, who maintains a woodshop. Whenever we visit him, we are in awe of his creations and we decided to market the products to support him. Our products are of good quality and truly fits the Urban Living Collective concept."

"Although Epicenter Lifestyle is slowly emerging in social media, nothing beats face to face interaction with customers through events like Urban Living Collective. We trust that through this event, the company will expand its network and exposure. We think that this is a good platform to great things ahead," furthers Ronan Abear of Epicenter Lifestyle. 

Decorating the millennial homeowner's abode

Sporting boho chic style in your home? Make sure to drop by Likhaeria's booth as it offers hand-made Bohemian accessories and home decors. "I joined this event to showcase my talents and products with people who share the same passion for culture and the arts," muses Jeia Merioles.

Another way to style up your home is to install creative, quirky, and mood-enhancing lighting options. Head over to the booths of Lumos by Lighthouse Enterprise and Amber Lights Laguna. 

"We offer a luminous way to express yourself through Lumos, a light box, where letter tiles are used to spell out infinite customized messages," quips Nicole Chua of Lumos by Lighthouse Enterprise. Amber Lights Laguna, on the other hand, will showcase premium quality home fragrances such as soy candles, reed diffusers, and other home fragrances that could create the ambience you want. 

Bespoke furniture will definitely add character to any space. You can find some at Ylaya Studio, which custom makes furniture, lighting, home accessories, and decors and takes into consideration both form and function.

Growing a garden in the city? Red Slab Pottery's terra cotta pots painted with flat acrylic paint come in geometric angular shapes that are too fancy not to notice. "For homeware pottery, we are also taking the same approach, pushing very ethnic-engraved pottery from Kalinga Apayao up north and Subanon communities down south in Mindanao and giving them modern and geometric shapes. We are also using 'carbonization' in pottery, a technique that gives traditional palayok the black matte finish," explains Eric Sanchez. 

Other merchants participating in the Urban Living Collective include The Fur Factory, The Nifty Decorator, Fake Alchemy, Curtains and Blinds by Alnardo's, Bronco Philippines, Anouk Natural Skincare, Gabrienne's Home Accessories and Décor, Home Fabrics Manila, Vitrum Bottles, Mr and Mrs Green, Globe Telecom, Storage Solutions, Interior Motifs Inc, Obranico Arts and Craft, Manmade Woodworx, The Carpenter PH, Wagger Kani Salad, Serbesa Manila, The Coffee Cart by Cafepino, The Birdmen by Vape Pub, Buccino's Ice Cream Experiments, and Wit's Sweets and Savouries.

Urban Living Collective is open to the public from 10 am to 9 pm on July 30 and 31 at Capitol Commons, the new mixed-use space developed by Ortigas & Co., which has fostered food, shopping, and other lifestyle activities since it opened in 2013. Freebies will be available to the first 300 shoppers who will purchase at least P300 from any of the booths. The event is presented by Project 1 MNL and supported by Capitol Commons, Sharetea, OMIZU Beautifying Natural Spring Water, The Linden Suites, Real Living, and WhenInManila.com.

Explore and Enjoy the all-new Globe Switch app with all the hottest apps and mobile internet deals at the flick of a switch

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The Globe Switch App offers you the chance to discover and enjoy the hottest app deals and take full control of your digital lifestyle 

Globe Prepaid/TM customers get to try the best app deals, and track their data usage

The exponential growth of smartphones and mobile data usage has customers constantly searching for premium online deals that will give them the most value for their money – from free app access to mobile data bundles.

Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Dan Horan welcomes everyone and introduces the all-new Globe Switch App 

With all these in mind, Globe gives customers another reason to enjoy their digital lifestyle with the all-new Globe Switch App!

Brand Manager for Business Development for Consumer Prepaid Jaime Alfonso Zobel navigates through the Globe Switch app to demonstrate how its features work 

This all in-one-app solution gives Globe Prepaid/TM customers affordable access to the hottest apps and lets them discover the best online deals. In addition to the exclusive mobile offers, Globe Switch sets itself apart with its data management and usage tracking capabilities

Globe Senior Vice President for Consumer Mobile Business, Issa Cabreira said, “Giving our customers an enriched and immersive digital lifestyle entails giving them full control of their access and spending. Globe Switch solves that need by curating a great selection of trending app deals and at the same time giving users a way to understand their usage and freeing them from unwanted charges.”

Brand Manager for Business Development for Consumer Prepaid Jaime Alfonso Zobel, Globe SVP for Consumer Mobile Business Issa Cabreira and takes the audience in a step-by-step tutorial on how the Globe Switch App works Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Dan Horan led the launch of the new Globe Switch app that will give its over 50 million Prepaid/TM customers the perfect app to access the best app deals online 

Globe Switch is designed with three main functions: OFFERS, CONTROL and USAGE. 

Globe Switch has three main functions: OFFERS for the latest app deals, USAGE to check your mobile data consumption and CONTROL to monitor the mobile data consumption of your apps

Under Offers are the best app deals that are only exclusive within Globe Switch. These deals are ready for download, ideal for those new to navigating online and using mobile data. Users can freely try and purchase these deals at a more affordable price. Globe Switch is your gateway to more than 3 GB worth of access to over 50 of the most popular apps.

Purchases are conveniently charged to ones prepaid load, while some apps are permanently FREE to explore.

With the Control feature, users are given a way to properly regulate which applications consume data charges. Certain apps can be turned on or off, preventing unexpected data consumption from some apps that are rarely used. The Usage feature gives visibility into how much mobile data and WIFI each app is consuming on an hourly, daily and 12-day basis, alongside a data saving mode. Also, upon opening an app that consumes data, Globe Switch will automatically notify the customer on how long they want to use the app and consume data.

From hot deals and trending apps, to data usage, control and tracking, Globe Switch gives customers more confidence to discover and explore amazing deals online! 

As a special launch treat, starting July 21 and for a limited time only, Globe is giving the first 500,000 Globe Switch users free 5 days access to the app of their choice! Users can avail of the "Special Launch Day Treat" option under the OFFERS tab to choose their free app.

Currently some of the apps available to access on Globe Switch include Skype, Grab, Waze, Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, Candy Crush, Musical.ly, Smule, Spotify, Zalora, Lazada, Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat, among others.

Globe Switch is free and available for download on Google Playstore. 

To learn more about Globe Prepaid and its latest offers, visitwww.globe.com.ph/Prepaid. Globe Switch is also available for TM subscribers.

#Selfies bring out the best in you, experts say

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OPPO delivers customers with the most delightful electronic experience that is full of surprises, through meticulous designs and smart technology.

Here's something interesting that OPPO wants to share about #selfies: 

Whether it’s an artistic shot, a glam pic, or a duckface, the selfie is a way of celebrating different aspects of “who you are.”

Various studies have linked the selfie with self-obsession. But Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, pointed out in her column for Psychology Today that “in spite of the wealth of negative headlines, there are several reasons for selfies that have nothing to do with narcissism.”

“Selfies offer the opportunities to show facets of yourself, such as the artsy side, the silly side, or the glamorous side,” Rutledge said.

“By offering different aspects through images, we are sharing more of ourselves, becoming more authentic and transparent—things encouraged by digital connectivity,” she added.

Instagram has over 260 million #selfies to date. An average millennial spends more than an hour each week to snap selfies and may take up to around 25,700 selfies during their lifetime, a 2015 study by Frames Direct and Now Sourcing, showed.

OPPO Philippines recently conducted an online survey among 6,000 Filipinos and found that 48 percent take two to five selfies a day. Makati City, the country’s business hub, has been dubbed by Time magazine as the “selfie capital of the world.”

‘Exploration and identity experimentation’

Stephen Cheng, OPPO Philippines’ brand marketing manager, said, “Camera-focused phones like the F1 and F1 Plus have made it easier to take great photos of oneself. Gone are the days when you need to go to a studio to have your self-portrait taken by a professional photographer.”

Rutledge said new technology has made “selfie-ing easy. All you need is a camera phone and a Facebook page or Instagram app.”

“This makes [the selfie] ripe for exploration and identity experimentation, particularly among ages where identity formation and emancipation are key developmental milestones as well as for those who are just interested in looking at themselves,” she added.

Defining one’s identity is a human pursuit. Since the Ancient Greeks, people have been observing themselves to gain a sense of self, she added.

Dr Mariann Hardey, a lecturer in marketing at Durham University, said in an article on The Guardian, "The selfie is revolutionizing how we gather autobiographical information about ourselves and our friends."

"It's about continuously rewriting yourself. It's an extension of our natural construction of self. It's about presenting yourself in the best way … [like] when women put on makeup or men who bodybuild to look a certain way: it's an aspect of performance that's about knowing yourself and being vulnerable," Hardey added.

Pride and Selfie

According to a 2014 survey conducted by AOL.com and the TODAY Show, social media, especially for teen girls, was a tool to “put themselves in the best light.”

The study found that 65 percent of teen girls and 41 percent of adult women “feel more confident” when they see selfies and other flattering photos of themselves.

Posting selfies on social media allow users to gauge others' perceptions through comments and likes. Rutledge said, “One of the most effective ways to know yourself is to see yourself as others see you.” 

Selfie, however, is not all about presenting one’s “best self” but also one’s quirks and flaws.

Wendy Wick Reaves, curator of prints and drawings at the National Portrait Gallery in London, said in a previous article, “Even with ‘ugly selfies,’ you’re exhibiting pride in your sense of humor…It’s not that different from showing yourself in a new bikini. You’re still sharing something you’re proud of.”

Cheng said, “OPPO sees the value of selfie. We have developed photo-centric smartphones such as the F1 and F1 Plus that enables people to be build their sense of self and empower themselves through high-quality selfies.”

“OPPO has established itself as the ‘selfie expert’ and a leader in smartphone photography. Research indicates a strong consumer recognition that ‘OPPO shoots great,’” he said.