Ferdz Decena

The Nokia Lumia 1020 Let’s get to the point, Nokia Lumia 1020 is the best camera phone in the market right now. It’s 41MP mechanical shutter camera delivers what it promises – top notch image quality in a mobile phone. If that is what one is looking for a phone, I would highly recommend the Nokia Lumia 1020 of course, but if you consider the balance of the phone system, form factor and price, that’s where the decision making comes in. Here’s my lowdown on Nokia’s best phone to date.

The entry-level Fujifilm X-M1 I got to give it to Fujifilm. When they entered the mirrorless camera market, they entered in a way that piqued the interest of old-school photographers yearning for a retro rangefinder-like camera digital body. Indeed, the launch of Fujifilm X100 and succeeding interchangeable cameras like the X-E1 and X-Pro 1 made a lot of pro photographers happy by harkening back to the good old analog camera controls (like shutter speed dials and aperture ring on lenses) in now digital format. With the Fujifilm X-M1 , they hope to capture a much broader market and appeal to the mass consumers who are highly connected compact camera and mobile phone users. With a different build, controls and features, let’s see how this entry level Fujifilm X-M1 performs from my recent real world test from city walks and trips to Calaguas Islands and Iligan City .

The TYR Specialized goggles I felt I just had to replace my 3-year old swim goggle which I had been using for regular pool laps. It occasionally fogs on just 2 laps that I had to rub them off more often than I wanted to. I found the TYR Special Ops Goggles when I was shopping around for a new one at a sports store. I was used to using a mediocre goggles I decided to try a more expensive and specialized one. And I don’t think I would be turning back anytime soon.

View of Mahabang Buhangin Beach in Calaguas Islands Beginning with an initial list of 175 upcoming and on the rise tourism destinations in the Philippines, the list was shortlisted by the screening committee to 25. To determine the top 10, Philippine Gems opened at least a month’s long public voting. After 80,000 unique votes the top 10 tourism gems were unveiled last Thursday with Calaguas Islands in Camarines Norte emerged on the top. Find out the rest of the top 10 after the break.

Zem Gear for Running and Training More and more are experiencing the Zone of Endless Motion. As Filipinos are becoming more adventurous and starting to adapt  an active lifestyle, ZEMgear is proud to offer a wide range of styles that are meant to cater to specific lifestyle demands.

Tne 41mp cameraphone Nokia Lumia 1020 No doubt Nokia has been in the forefront of camera phone hardware. I’ve had their N82 and N8 (which I’m still using) and recently they stunned the world with their groundbreaking Nokia 808 Pureview which had an impressive 41mp cameraphone . Now Nokia is again pushing the boundaries of camera phone technology with their latest Nokia Lumia 1020 . During the launch night, they showcased the nifty camera interface of the Pro Camera App that can make camera usability idiot-proof, the impressive mechanical shutter slow speed functions, the low light capability all packaged in the sleek Windows Phone 8. Then the eye-popping Php 35,650 price tag (which comes with a free grip worth Php 4000) was announced.

Romi Garduce and his book “Akyat!” It was back in 2006 when I first met Romi Garduce when we did a feature on him after his climb to the 8000-meter high Mt Cho-Oyu. He was already making waves then to the mountaineering community for his announced attempt to climb Mt Everest, which at that time, no Filipino has ever done before. He was simple, unassuming and with the occasional witty remarks. Seven years later, after climbing the world’s 7 Summits including Mt Everest, being part of the TV Show Born to Be Wild and other slew of accomplishments, he still feels the same, unpretentious with some witty remarks here and there. Adding another glory to his cap is the launch of his book “ Akyat! A Filipino’s Journey to the Seven Summits ” (which means Climb! in English) which tells his story of his journey to the Seven Summits which includes the behind the scenes challenges he had to face.