Vivo’s New FullView™ Flagship V9 Creates Perfect Shots and an Enhanced AI-Powered Experience

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MANILA, Philippines - Vivo recently unveiled the V9, an all-new FullView™ Display smartphone, with a 90% screen-to-body ratio that packs AI-powered features in a sleek and stylish design. From photography to enhanced mobile performance, the V9 adapts to specific users’ needs to create the perfect shot while providing a fun and optimized mobile experience.

FullView™ Display for Unlimited Fun

The V9 is as compact in design as a traditional 5.5-inch phone but offers an incredible 6.3-inch display, while still feeling comfortable in your hand. The Vivo V9 adopts a 19:9 aspect ratio to increase screen size by 5.2% compared to the previous generation’s V7+, and the side bezels have been reduced by 19% to a mere 1.75mm. Taking phone design to the extraordinary, every arc and curve on the ergonomically optimized 3D curved cover is carefully polished to ensure absolute comfort in the palm of your hand.

Creating the Perfect Shot with AI Photography

New AI-powered camera functions continue Vivo’s ambitions to provide smart mobile photography with the V9’s crystal-clear 24MP front camera and 16MP+5MP dual rear camera. Based on in-depth research, powerful software and machine learning, Vivo uses AI to help consumers pursue a great photo that truly represents their beauty.

AI Face Beauty identifies users’ age, sex, skin tone and texture, as well as the surrounding lighting environment. A comprehensive database of almost one million facial images from around the world has been used to train the AI algorithm. This allows AI Face Beauty to adapt and apply the ideal algorithm for optimized photos. As usage increases, the AI will also learn your customized setting preferences, automatically creating the ideal photo every time and exactly the way you want. 

The new AI Selfie Lighting feature also allows users create artistic photo masterpieces anytime anywhere without an elaborate equipment setup. The V9’s AI algorithm transforms the facial profile in the original 2D photo into a 3D model to process the light accents authentically. Users can choose from a range of effects like Natural Light, Studio Light, Stereo Light and Monochrome Background. When coupled with AR Stickers that provides numerous effects to decorate your selfie, the V9 helps users to take selfies that reflect their unique style with just a few clicks.

The rear facing 16MP+5MP dual camera of V9 creates amazing bokeh shots that rival those taken on a DSLR camera using its AI Bokeh algorithm, which has been optimized based on machine learning, so it can achieve high-level precision in identifying the key subject to ensure optimal focus in the photo.

AI-Optimized Mobile Experience

The V9’s AI also ensures the best mobile performance and endurance with Vivo’s AI Smart Engine. By learning your usage habits and preferences, the AI Smart Engine prioritizes processing and storage resources for an optimized experience. Not only does it ensure smooth operation and save power, as the AI picks up on your usage habits, Smart Engine can accurately predict your next move and have your favorite apps launch 20% faster.

With its updated AI Face Access technology, the V9 can detect the reflection of natural skin and the subtle movements of the face to further reduce the possibility of accidently unlocking when shown photos or videos. AI Face Access for App-Lock even helps secure your data and privacy for individual applications.

The V9’s AI Attention Sensing also recognizes when you’re looking at the phone to keep disruption to a minimum by automatically reducing the volume of message alerts, incoming calls and alarms, since you’re already looking at the screen.

Entertainment and Power

Updated Game Mode delivers the hyper-focused environment required for the most dedicated gamers with the ability to block all messages, calls and alerts while gaming. Alternately, you can set it up to display phone calls from designated contacts only. The new picture-in-picture for games feature means you won’t even have to exit the game to reply to critical messages.

The V9 comes equipped with the latest Android 8.1 OS and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64 ROM.

Pricing and Availability

The V9 will be available in Pearl Black and Gold. Prices and availability vary in markets. It will be retailed at Php17990 in the Philippines.

About Vivo

A global smartphone brand focused on introducing perfect sound quality and ultimate photography with cutting-edge technology, Vivo develops innovative and stylish products for young people. We now have over two hundred million users and are one of the preferred brands of young people around the world. As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, Vivo believes in the importance of encouraging young people to embrace self-expression and an energetic lifestyle. In the Philippines, Vivo is the top 3 smartphone brand in terms of market share with 1.5 million users nationwide.

More information about our innovative smartphones can be found at www.vivo.com.

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo websites at www.vivo.com/ph 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil, 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vivophil/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/vivo_phil 

SM Skating MOA to host Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia, April 3-8

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The Philippines will host the 2018 Challenge Cup of Asia from April 3-8, 2018 at the SM Skating Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is the first time that the country will sponsor the annual international ice hockey tournament that is sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

“We are very proud and excited to host, for the first time, the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia which has been held in different countries since it was founded in 2008,” said Chris Sy, Federation of Ice Hockey Philippines president.

The 2018 Challenge Cup also marks the first time that the Philippines will compete in the men’s top division of the annual tournament among some of the best ice hockey teams in the region.

Riding on the momentum of its gold medal victory in the first-ever ice hockey event of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine Ice Hockey Team, backed by the SM Group, hopes to make a podium finish in the 5-nation Challenge Cup of Asia as it plays against Thailand on April 3, Kuwait on April 5, Mongolia on April 6, and Singapore on April 8. All games of the Philippine team are scheduled at 7PM.

Other Challenge Cup of Asia games will feature Singapore vs Mongolia on April 3 (3:30PM), Mongolia vs Kuwait on April 4 (7PM), Thailand vs Singapore on April 5 (3:3PM), Mongolia vs Thailand on April 7 (3:30PM), Kuwait vs Singapore on April 7 (7PM), and Kuwait vs Thailand on Aril 8 (3:30PM).

During the Challenge Cup, the Olympic-size ice skating rink at the SM Skating Mall of Asia will be the battleground of the competing ice hockey teams. It is equipped with complete facilities such as a digital scoreboard, players’ boxes, scorekeeper and penalty boxes, locker rooms, and a 200-seater stands located around the rink.

“We are honored to be a part of this wonderful opportunity to host the first official IIHF event in the country. This shows how the Philippines can truly be at par with its Asian neighbors not only in terms of the quality of its sports programs and athletes, but also in the quality of its sports facilities,” said Herman Medina-Cue, COO of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., the only company in the Philippines to carry Olympic size ice rinks.

The Philippine Ice Hockey Team hopes to make the country proud as it competes against Thailand, Kuwait, Mongolia, and Singapore in the 2018 IHHF Challenge Cup of Asia at the SM Skating Mall of Asia. All Philippine team games are scheduled for 7PM.

GCash Scan to Pay Now Accepted at Daiso Japan Outlets Nationwide

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Daiso Japan, the authorized retailer of Daiso Industries Co. Ltd, is the latest partner of Mynt, operator of GCash, the electronic mobile wallet that can be used to pay for goods and services in the Philippines by using QR codes.

Anyone who loves to shop at Daiso Japan can now use the GCash Scan to Pay at the Japanese retailer’s outlets all over the Philippines.

“GCash is here to ensure that Daiso Japan customers are given the convenience and security they deserve when paying for their purchases. With the GCash scan to pay feature, customers with a GCash account and smartphone can easily pay the exact amount using their phone.  There is no longer any need to wait for loose change or pay in smaller denominations, or even stand in line for a long time,” said Albert Tinio, President and CEO of GCash.

A unit of Robinsons Retail Holdings, Daiso Japan offers a wide range of unique products - from home and kitchen ornaments, office knick-knacks, and beauty essentials to novelty items that are both practical and collectible. It makes sure that the merchandise in store are grounded by three pillars, mainly, variety, quality and uniqueness and strives to offer these at affordable prices starting at Php88.

Using the Scan to Pay feature of GCash is simple. A customer with an iPhone or an Android smartphone only needs to download or update to the latest version of the GCash App, register an account, and fund the GCash wallet at any of over 12,000 GCash Partner Outlets nationwide which includes Robinsons Business Centers. Once done, the customer just has to tap on Scan QR, point a phone’s camera at the partner’s QR code, and pay.

From construction to cars: “Build, Build, Build” Program set to thrive at MIAS 2018

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Time and again, Worldbex Services International (WSI) – the country’s biggest events and expositions organizer – proves its unrivalled capacity in stimulating economic productivity with the recently-concluded WORLDBEX 2018. Following in the footsteps of its groundbreaking installments in the past, this year’s WORLDBEX had once again broken new grounds as it welcomed close to 180,000 visitors – transcending last year’s visitor count of 170,000.

As the country’s biggest construction event draws closer to its Silver Anniversary, attendees and exhibitors alike significantly benefitted from the dynamic B2B opportunities that unfolded during the widely successful trade event – a development that openly complements the ongoing “Build, Build, Build” Program of the current administration.

Drawing from the same objective, WSI picks up the pace in realizing the vast economic possibilities that abound as it gears up to deliver another highly anticipated trade event that will serve to augment the country’s plight towards infrastructure development. Hailed as the biggest and most awaited car show in the country, the Manila International Auto Show is set to return on April 5 to 8, from 10:00am to 10:00pm at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM), WTCMM Northwing, and the Philippine Trade Training Center.

This time around, fueling the direction for this year’s MIAS is its strong intent to focus on the dual nature of today’s vehicles. Through the theme of “Work & Play”, this year’s MIAS will be all about showcasing a wide array of cars and other automotive innovations that will elevate not only the way people travel but also, the way companies do business.

To date, MIAS has noted a 38% increase on its exhibiting companies and a whopping 60% increase on the anticipated car and motorcycle displays which is in part a result of the 16% increase in venue of this year’s show. Moreover, apart from boasting of over 200 exhibiting companies and over 400 car and motorcycle display, MIAS is thrilled to announce a new addition to its roster of event highlights – the Truck Pavilion which will be located at the WTCMM Northwing.

Taking cue from the “Build, Build, Build” Program, MIAS believes that vehicular and automotive development play just as crucial a role in actualizing the planned expansion and growth in the infrastructure sector. As such, attendees can expect a high percentage of commercial vehicles on display at this year’s show.

Among the must-see exhibitors at MIAS 2018 is FOTON, an international automotive company which designs and manufactures trucks, buses, sport utility vehicles, and even agricultural machinery. At this year’s show, FOTON is expected to unveil the FOTON Tornado C, a Cummins-powered light duty transport vehicle best suitable for construction businesses.

From passenger cars that can double as Transport Network Vehicle Services to commercial vehicles that bear features as luxurious as executive sedans, this year’s MIAS is all about highlighting the multi-functionality and flexibility of today’s vehicles. Furthermore, this is attested by the fact that around 40% of this year’s exhibitors primarily deal with commercial vehicles. 

MIAS 2018 is expected to bridge the gap between various industries by providing business owners and investors with an extensive access to the world’s leading automotive brands. Likewise, it serves to open up the possibilities for automotive companies to foster connections across other sectors. Indeed, the optimistic and ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program finds a fitting platform in MIAS 2018.

Now on its 14th year, MIAS remains to be the most significant automotive event in the country for car enthusiasts and industry players alike! As this year’s show centers on the theme of “Work & Play”, MIAS 2018 invites everyone to take part in a different kind of automotive experience; one wherein the boundaries between leisure and progress collide to create a never-before-seen spectacle of automotive evolution. For more information, visit our facebook page @mias and on instagram: @mias.ph.

Alsons Power Group turns over DU30 Early Learning Center in Sarangani.

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Alsons Power’s Sarangani Energy Corporation (SEC) recently inaugurated the first President Du30 Early Learning Center located at Mangelen Integrated School at Barangay Kamanga in Maasim, Sarangani Province. The two-classroom building donated by SEC which has a 210-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the area will cater to kindergarten students from host and nearby communities. Each classroom that can accommodate 40 to 50 pupils is equipped with a television and other visual aids, illustrated children’s books written in Blaan with English translations, and other learning materials.

Madame Cielito “Honeylet” S. Avanceña (third from right) graced the turnover ceremony. Also, in photo are Mangelen Integrated School principal Cleofe Quintana (second from right) and former Sarangani Governor and now Alsons Aquaculture Corporation Chief Operating Officer Miguel Rene A. Dominguez (rightmost).​

Alsons Power, through the Alcantara Group's Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. (CLAFI), continues to support host and surrounding communities through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects centering on education, the environment, and community welfare.