Teaming the Art of Football with Exquisite Phones: FC Barcelona & OPPO Announce Partnership

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Local fans of smartphone brand OPPO and Spanish football team FC Barcelona, two winning global brands that have become more and more popular in the Philippines, have twice the more reason to cheer nowadays after the recent teaming up of the art of football and exquisite phones.

After a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final on May 30 (Spanish local time), FC Barcelona announced their partnership with smartphone brand OPPO.

Thus, starting from the new football season this year, OPPO will be collaborating with FC Barcelona as their official partner for the mobile phone category.

The players of the first team gave a warm welcome to OPPO

FC Barcelona Chief Executive Officer Ignacio Mestre expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating: “OPPO is a global leading smartphone brand known for its exquisite product design and state-of-the-art camera technologies. We are more than happy to welcome OPPO to our family and hope this partnership can bring us closer to our supporters all over the world.”

According to Tony Chen, CEO of OPPO, the company chose FC Barcelona not only because of their status as an iconic world class football club but also because they represent the art of football. He described the partnership with FC Barcelona as an important step in OPPO’s global marketing strategy.

Teaming with OPPO was both unexpected, yet balanced for FC Barcelona, who always follows strict criteria when selecting partners. FC Barcelona is known for playing football as a fine art, supported by superb skills and excellent teamwork of their players and making every match a feast for the eyes.

Such competitive artistry is very much in line with OPPO’s pursuit of perfection and artistry of their products by combining inspired design and sophisticated manufacturing.

Another point which unites FC Barcelona and OPPO is their shared ability to lead trends. From the Dream Team in the Cruyff era to the four-time Champions League winners, FC Barcelona have always been at the forefront of football.

FC Barcelona just won the Copa del Rey for the 27th time

In the case of OPPO, over the ten years since their inception, they have introduced a stunning range of awesome products, from eye-opening MP3 devices to world-renowned Blu-ray players.

Creating the then world’s thinnest phone ‘Finder’, the globe’s first motorized rotating camera phone the ‘N3’ and the planet’s fastest rapid-charging technology VOOC, OPPO has never failed to impress and delight.

The two partners – each with an army of fans around the world including in the Philippines – also have much in common in repaying their audience in a similar fan culture. 

Ollie, the mascot of OPPO, stands alongside FC Barcelona

Though details of the partnership have not been disclosed, it is certain that they will cooperate in extensive fields including football events, fan activities, TV advertising, and accessories.

FC Barcelona fans will be able to see OPPO’s presence in the club’s matches from the new season this year. In a couple of days, FC Barcelona who have won two consecutive championship titles to their name, will kick off the last push towards the Champions League final, whetting the keen anticipation of fans worldwide.

About FC Barcelona 

FC Barcelona was founded on November 29, 1899 by initiative of a Swiss gentleman called Hans Maximilian Gamper, popularly known as Joan Gamper. Since it was founded, the club has had 44 different presidents. From Walter Wild to Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barça has grown into a massive social phenomenon that reaches far beyond the bounds of mere sport. The club has grown along with the city around it, and has come to represent Barcelona and Catalonia all around the world.

FC Barcelona is one of the football clubs with more members in the world and its achievements have also made it one of the most successful. The many famous victories and all-time greats that have played for the club (Kubala, Cruyff, Maradona, Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, and so many more) form an important part of the Barça legacy. But these would be no more than historical anecdotes if it wasn’t for the extraordinary social reality behind the events.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global technology brand dedicated to providing consumers across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and Asia with pioneering products that never fail to inspire and excite. At OPPO we design, manufacture, and promote our own products, combining innovative technology with unique design, to ensure our customers always receive the best.

Founded in 2004, OPPO quickly proved itself in the market with its intense obsession to details. Each OPPO product encompasses a carefully selected array of attributes to specifically cater for users, combining impressive features with elegant designs. After entering the mobile phone market in 2008, OPPO quickly expanded into overseas markets a year later. OPPO mobile phones are currently available in over 20 markets and offered for online purchase in over 50 additional countries, with the brand already registered in 116 countries as of April 2015.

But OPPO doesn’t stop there. Using our passion for design and commitment to new technologies, OPPO has made a big impact in the audio-visual market by offering world-renowned, premium Blu-ray players in the United States and across Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.oppo.com/en/.

Dremel partners with skilled hobbyist Sonny Limjap

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Multi-tool industry leader Dremel recently welcomed renowned Cab1net founder and administrator Sonny Limjap as the brand’s newest Rotary Tools ambassador. Dremel’s partnership with Sonny aims to showcase Dremel tools’ powerful features that will benefit any craftsman as he creates his projects. 

Woodworker hobbyist Sonny Limjap (Right)

“We at Dremel offer products and services that deliver the best results, such as our line of multi-tools and accessories,” says Michelle Espinosa, Brand Manager of Dremel Philippines.

“We are delighted to welcome Sonny to the Dremel family. With his technical know-how and vast experience in craft making, we are confident that our joint efforts will promote the complete and flexible solutions of Dremel.”

Sonny has been using Dremel tools since 1982. A skilled woodworker, DIY enthusiast and hobbyist, Sonny has worked with various materials such as acrylics, teal, metal, and stone, but wood, according to Sonny, is special. 

He started woodworking in 2006 after a long career as a professional in the automotive industry. He inherited his passion for woodworking from his grandfather, who Sonny says is a “jack of all trades and master of all”. He is Sonny’s inspiration in pursuing this craft. “As a child, I spent a lot of time with my Lolo. I was always curious about his impressive old toolbox for home repairs, so I decided to tinker with it and created my first project – a computer case,” Sonny said. 

He continues to hone his craftsmanship skills by studying woodworking lessons online and recreating them using his Dremel tools. “It’s one thing to know something, and another thing to do it,” he said. 

“To become genuinely good, you must apply the things you learn. I strive to do that with my craft everyday.”

Sonny proudly shared that Dremel is his go-to brand of tools for his smaller projects, which enable him to finish quicker without compromising craftsmanship and quality. “It’s perfect for the application. I can get into the micro-details, unlike other tools. The wide selection of accessories and its industrial design are just bonuses to an already very good Dremel tools lineup,” he said. “Dremel stands out because it definitely makes my life easier.”

From miniature home embellishments to 14-foot conference tables, Sonny now has a collection of customized furniture which patrons may purchase from his own shop. Aside from woodworking, Sonny maintains his founding website www.Cab1net.com, an online network of builders, carpenters and architects. 

To check out Sonny’s creations, visit his YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/timber175. 

For more info about Dremel, visit www.dremel.com.ph and www.bosch-pt.com.ph or visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/DremelPH

German-PH trade and investment remain on upswing

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German trade with the Philippines continues to be on an uptrend, with bilateral trade registering a record-high of 38.1 percent increase in the first quarter of 2015 amidst positive feedback of the country’s business climate.

Trade volume between Germany and the Philippines showed a landmark increase to US$ 1.57-billion in 2015 from US$ 1.17-billion registered for the same period last year.

Trade growth remains in favor of the Philippines with exports increased to US$860.6 million during the first quarter of 2015 compared to the US$758.2 Million during the same period last year, according to data by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany.

The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) lauded the double digit growth saying it is proof of the growing interest of German companies in the country. 

GPCCI executive director Peter Kompalla cited the latest P3.77-billion contract of German company Voith Turbo to supply railway components and drive-lines for the new 48 light rail vehicle train sets for the MRT3 of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

Voith Turbo, represented in the Philippines by Maschinen & Technik, Inc. (MATEC) in the last 36 years is a leader in German drive technology.

Likewise, Kompalla said he is confident that German firms such as Matec Solar Power, engaged in Renewable Energy, will increase presence in the Philippines, which is rich in natural energy resources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric.

Total trade between the two countries reached US$5.24 billion in 2014 from US$ 4.48 billion in 2013.

Kompalla said the double digit growth valued at US$760 million can be attributed to the growing interest of German companies to trade with and invest in the Philippines.

In a press statement, he said the aggressive promotion of the Philippines as an emerging investment destination in Southeast Asia has paid off.

“The Philippines is indeed back in the radar screen of German investors,” the GPCCI official said.

He said many factors contribute to the growing interest in the Philippines such as governance reforms of the Aquino administration and the positive investments grade outlook by credible institutions such as Moody’s and Standard and Poors.

Increase in bilateral trade volume remains in favor of the Philippines with export growth to Germany at 16 per cent to US$3 billion in 2014 compared to US$2.59 billion in 2013.

At the same time, German exports to the Philippines grew by 18 per cent to US$2.24 billion in 2014 from US$ 1.90 billion in 2013

Kompala welcomed the renewed interest of German investors in the Philippines following a more than ten year lull.

GPCCI figures showed that top Philippine exports to Germany include data processing equipment, electrical and optical products; electrical equipment; clothing; food and fodder; as well as chemical products.

On the other hand, top German exports to the Philippines include data processing equipment; electrical and optical products; food and fodder; other vehicles; pharmaceuticals and related and chemical products.

Top German investors in the Philippines include Continental, Lufthansa, car manufacturer Volkswagen, Steag, Bayer, Deutsche Bank and SGV.

German investors are also expanding Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations in the Philippines for their accounting and banking services as the country becomes the world’s top BPO center surpassing India.

Some Tips to Let Kids Enjoy Their Meals At School

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Any parent with young children would admit that nothing can be more mentally draining than going through the painstaking process of preparing healthy meals for their kids’ baon.

A lot of little fussy eaters have a tendency to wrinkle their noses, make faces, or deliberately gag on their food and bring home their baon. Thus, every meal has the potential of becoming a battle between you and your children. This shouldn’t be the case! Meal time is NEVER meant to become a fight.

Revive the fun in your child’s lunchtime! Accept the stage where your kids are s-l-o-w-l-y learning to adjust to a new school-year and to eating packed lunch with foods that are new to them, and save yourself from losing your sanity over unfinished food. 

Here are parenting hacks that may help:

Hack #1: Little eaters need rules

Granted, it’s a parent’s instinct to set rules and standards for the kids. But there will always be a part of you that’s afraid of being too stiff because you don’t want your children to rebel. You know what? The whole “rules = rebellion” belief is a myth. Studies say moms and dads who set ground rules for their children are also the warmest of parents.

Don’t hesitate to start a “No-Thank-You Bite Rule” for your little picky-eaters as early as now. If they say no from eating the meal, require them to at least take one big bite or two small bites of the food. That way, you will still get to make them have some food in their stomach for the remainder of their classes. Who knows, they might realize they are hungry and like their baon after all. 

Here’s the catch: warm parents set rules. Controlling parents rub rules on the faces of their children. This calls for balance. Loosen up! Let go of the all-mighty “Clean-Your-Plate Rule” you grew up with. Stop forcing your kids to eat everything, even the small bits to pieces, just to win the power-struggle over food. 

Children know when they are full so allow them to stop eating when they want to. To avoid food wastage, serve them small portions but give them an opportunity to ask for more. Make their mealtime at school a way to strengthen your bond and instill independence in them, not to create gaps.

Hack #2: Welcome kids in the kitchen

Invite your kids to help out in the kitchen. By doing this, you’ll give them an idea what it takes to prepare their food. Letting them help and allowing them to frequently assist you in the kitchen will make them want to try and sample the food they’ve helped prepare.

Hack #3: Be creative!

Presentation is key to making a meal more enjoyable. Children, being very observant, may be more persuaded to eat if what they see looks attractive. This is also one way of masking nourishing ingredients for your little ones.

Here are the best hiding options - Grate, wrap, blend, or mix!

What comes in handy for all the aesthetically pleasing healthy meals is an equally attractive food container. Tupperware Brands introduces its Small Square Rounds to solve that for you. This is downright perfect for starting up a kitchen collection, too!

The Small Square Rounds have virtually airtight seals that keep food fresh and flavorful. With a tab on the seal for easy opening, this food container is also modular and stackable. You may use it in the fridge, bring to outdoor activities, or use for organizing. The Small Square Rounds comes in four great colors: lime aid, grape fizz, pink punch, and orange peel.

Mealtime is not just about healthy eating; it also entails taking in the water your body needs! Pair up your kids’ Tupperware Small Square Rounds with the Kids Eco Bottle. This comes with a sipper seal spout for convenient drinking and a tight-screw-on cap that prevents leaks. Made of safe, non-toxic materials, the Kids Eco Bottle has two fun character shapes: a frog in lime aid color and a purlicious (purple) penguin.

Make it a habit to prepare well-balanced and healthy meals and get your kids involved. Don’t forget to brighten up children’s lunches with Tupperware’s Small Square Rounds and the Kids Eco Bottle so you can make every mealtime at school fun and meaningful for your kids.

Tupperware Brands Philippines distributes well-loved brands including Tupperware, Baby Care Plus+, Kids Plus+, Colour Collection, Ivana and White Result.

For your questions and inquiries on how to be a dealer, log on to www.tupperwarebrands.ph, email us at questions@Tupperware.ph, or call the hotline number 867-2222. Like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/tupperwarebrandsph.

WD adds high performance network attached storage (NAS) solutions for expert and business users to My Cloud line

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Designed for Creative Professionals, Prosumers and Small Businesses, the Four New My Cloud NAS Solutions Round Out a Full Portfolio of Powerful NAS Products Built With the My Cloud OS and WD Red Drives

WD, a Western Digital  company and a world leader in connected storage solutions, today expanded its suite of network attached storage (NAS) solutions with four new products that address the increasing demands for content storage, management, protection and streaming among prosumers, creative professionals and small businesses. 

The My Cloud Expert Series includes My Cloud EX2100 (two-bay) and My Cloud EX4100 (four-bay) high-performance NAS systems designed from the ground up for creative professionals and prosumers that need to reliably save, share, back up, stream and manage large amounts of digital data. Powered by the latest version of the dual-core Marvell ARMADA™ processor, these two new additions to the Expert Series offer top of their class read/write speeds for simultaneous, high-performance HD media streaming with up to 24 TB of storage capacity. 

The new My Cloud Business Series includes My Cloud DL2100 (two-bay) and My Cloud DL4100 (four-bay) high-performance NAS systems built to provide the reliability, security and scalability small business customers need. Powered by Intel® Atom dual-core processors with up to 24 TBof storage capacity, the My Cloud Business Series runs on the acclaimed Linux-based WD My Cloud operating software (OS).

“As the market leader in the single-bay personal cloud category with our award winning My Cloud platform, as well as in the NAS hard disk drive (HDD) category with our WD Red line, WD understands that customers need more power and more choice in NAS systems,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president, WD Content Solutions Business and Worldwide Sales.

“We are very excited about our new My Cloud Expert Series and My Cloud Business Series NAS products that offer the performance, ease of use, reliability and My Cloud OS that customers want from WD.”

My Cloud Expert Series

For photographers, videographers, graphic designers and other creative professionals adapting to ever increasing file sizes, from RAW images and 4K video footage, the new My Cloud Expert Series products include the latest and fastest dual-core Marvell ARMADA 385 and 388 processors for high-performance media streaming, provide up to 24 TB of storage and the ability to keep files safe, secure and accessible from anywhere. The robust data management and security features let customers select their preferred methods for managing, sharing and protecting their most important movies, photos, music and digital files.

The included WD Red drives can be configured using multiple RAID options (model dependent) including RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 JBOD and spanning modes. Customers can use their My Cloud Expert Series products to centralize and back up all of their computers and notebooks with WD SmartWare Pro software for PC users, and with the Apple Time Machine backup software for Mac users. 

My Cloud Expert Series products can also serve as a digital entertainment hub, seamlessly streaming movies and music to any DLNA®/UPnP® certified multimedia device such as gaming consoles, smart TVs and WD TV® Live™ media players. The Twonky, DLNA-certified media server and iTunes® server make for simple streaming of large movie and music libraries. 

Additionally, the integrated file server, FTP server, backup server and P2P download server provide advanced data serving options. Customers can also customize their My Cloud Expert series NAS, monitor system health, manage users and energy saving features with the My Cloud dashboard, as well as use a suite of third party apps, including aMule, Icecast, Transmission, DVBlink, SqueezeCenter and more.

My Cloud Business Series

The all new My Cloud Business Series solutions allow small businesses to centralize and protect their data in the workplace and provide employees with secure access to critical data from anywhere. Powered by the latest Intel Atom dual core processor, with RAM up to 2GB, and data storage capacity up to 24 TB, small businesses have the performance and scalability, to meet their business needs. 

Secure access, protection and backup of data for small businesses is critical. Offering AES 256-bit volume encryption and multiple RAID options (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, JBOD and spanning modes), the My Cloud Business Series offers small businesses multiple options to secure and protect their data. Customers can also use their My Cloud Business Series products to back up all of their computers with WD SmartWare™ Pro software for PC users and Apple Time Machine support for Mac users. My Cloud Business Series products can also backup themselves, either to another My Cloud in a different location or to cloud services such as Amazon S3 and ElephantDrive. Users can also use the one-touch USB 3.0 copy button to automatically copy data from an external USB storage device onto the NAS.

The My Cloud Business Series products feature many business-ready capabilities including iSCSI target and initiator, replication and file synchronization, integrated FTP, WebDAV server, SSH Shell, and Microsoft Active Directory support. Additionally there are enterprise-class redundancies such as dual power supply ports with fail over, dual Gigabit Ethernet and UPS support. The My Cloud Business Series also provides memory expansion up to 6GB, and scalable storage through dual NICs or USB.

My Cloud Business Series products are available in several capacity options. The My Cloud DL2100 (two-bay) is available diskless or with 4 TB, 8 TB or 12 TB capacities. The My Cloud DL4100 (four-bay) is available diskless or with 8 TB, 16 TB or 24 TB capacities. With Easy-Slide-Drive technology, My Cloud Business Series customers can easily install or hot-swap drives in seconds, without the need for a screwdriver, toolkit or trays. 

Anywhere Access

The award-winning WD My Cloud mobile app provides anywhere access to the entire My Cloud product family. With the WD My Cloud mobile app users can easily view photos, stream video and share, save and manage files from anywhere on their iOS® and Android™ devices. The mobile app makes file sharing and collaborating simple, allowing customers to easily email files, share files as a link and print and open files with third party apps. The WD My Cloud mobile app also integrates major public cloud services so that customers can easily transfer files from their Dropbox™, OneDrive® and Google Drive™ public cloud accounts3.

Pricing and Availability

My Cloud Expert Series and My Cloud Business Series products will be available in June through selected retailers and resellers and are distributed by Iontech, Inc. in the Philippines. 

MSRP for the My Cloud Expert Series EX2100 is Php 13, 999 for diskless unit, Php 24, 099 for 4 TB, Php 32, 399 for 8 TB and Php 41, 699 for 12 TB. MSRP for the My Cloud Expert Series EX4100 is Php 22, 699 for the diskless unit, Php 42, 599 for 8 TB, Php 59, 999 for the 16 TB and Php 81, 999 for the 24 TB.

While the MSRP for the My Cloud Business Series DL2100 is Php 19, 999 for the diskless unit, Php 29, 999 for 4 TB, Php 36, 599 for 8 TB and Php 48, 699 for 12 TB. MSRP for the My Cloud Business Series DL4100 is Php 29, 999 for the diskless unit, Php 47, 999 for the 8 TB, Php 65, 999 for the 16 TB and Php 85, 999 for the 24 TB.

The WD My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download for free from the App StoreSM and Google PlayTM.

Warranty

The My Cloud Expert Series and Business Series products come with a 3-year limited warranty for the populated products and a 2-year limited warranty for the diskless products. Terms and conditions of WD’s limited warranty may be found at support.wdc.com/warranty. 

Compatibility 

My Cloud Expert Series and My Cloud Business Series are compatible with Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, as well as DLNA/UPnP enabled devices. 

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the estimated availability in March of the My Cloud Expert Series and Business Series products. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the failure by certain suppliers to develop and manufacture components, technology or production equipment for our products, global economic conditions and or other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q to which your attention is directed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak as of the date hereof, and WD undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.