The long wait is over! Project Runway Season 6 will start airing in the US soon.  After finally moving out of Bravo and into Lifetime, the much-awaited sixth season of this television show will start airing on August 20.

16 talented designers will compete for slots at the New York Fashion Week as well as for prize money and the honor of being called the Next Big Thing in fashion.  So who are the designers? We will all find out on July 9 on Project Runway’s official website!

Plus!  More exciting news!  Models of the Runway, a new companion series to Project Runway, will also be aired after each episode. Each 30-minute episode will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the reality competition – from the models’ perspective. Viewers can experience the drama, anxiety, joys, tears and frustrations as the models themselves face elimination each week and compete for a cash prize and photo spread in Marie Claire magazine.

And if you noticed, it no longer says “Elle magazine” in the prizes.  That’s because Nina Garcia, erstwhile Fashion Director of Elle Magazine, is now Fashion Director for Marie Claire Magazine!

The show will still be hosted by Heidi Klum, mentored by Tim Gunn, and judged by Michael Kors and Nina Garcia.

Project Runway on Twitter

Project Runway on Facebook

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Project Runway, project runway season 6, heidi klum, tim gunn, michael kors, nina garcia, marie claire magazine, lifetime, models of the runway

Globe Telecom will start offering the latest iPhone 3Gs in the Philippines beginning July 31, 2009! The fastest and most powerful iPhone yet will be available in the Philippines through Globe.

Want to be one of the first few to own the iPhone 3Gs here in the Philippines? Globe accepts reservations beginning July 15.  To reserve, simply call the Globe hotline at 730-1000, visit http://iphone3g.globe.com.ph or go to any Globe Business Center.

For more information on iPhone 3GS Compass visit www.apple.com/iphone.

Who’s bringing sexy back and bringing the laptop back to the LAP?

When I was younger, I have always wanted to own a laptop. Seeing laptops on TV and in movies was such a treat for me. When I was finally able to own one of my own (bought using my own hard-earned money), I was too excited to put to use the idea of a computer placed on my lap. Thirty minutes into using it, I was reminded that during those times, people were arguing about what it was supposed to be called. Notebooks, portables, laptops – these were what I heard as names of that thing. So what reminded me? The HEAT on my lap! That was when I realized why some people refused to call laptops as such – because the heat from the machine could actually toast or boil parts of a man’s reproductive system. So ever since then, I called them “notebooks” or my “portable computer”. If a laptop keeps your lap hot (and not because it does a lap dance), it should never be called a laptop.

Recently, Acer Philippines, Inc. brought to the Philippine shores something that would actually make me start calling laptops as laptops again. Acer, one of the world’s most trusted computer manufacturers, recently unveiled their new Timeline series. One of the more impressive (and non-technical) features of the series is their environmentally-friendly nature. I’m not really a great tech guy (but I do know some specs of computers and mobile phones), so I will share some of the things that I know about this product series.

Battery Life

We all want our portable devices to last long when we’re bringing them away from the house right? (Continue reading…)And that’s what they’re supposed to do right? The batteries should last long enough for us to be able to use them for say, at least four hours straight? The Timeline series gives us that! The products from the Timeline series has one of the longest – if not the longest – battery life in the market today.

The products in the series are capable of up to 3 hours of battery life with its 6-cell batteries. However, due to the revolutionary Acer PowerSmart Manager, with its centralized control over system-wide power, battery life can extend up to 8 hours long. It’s like charging fully your laptop before leaving the house and not worrying anymore about losing battery power and having problems looking for a recharging station elsewhere, which is pretty scarce. With this wonderful feature, Aspire Timeline notebook series is dubbed as the world’s first Ultra Low Voltage notebooks.

Efficiency

The chic and ultra-modern gadgets from the Timeline series are efficient pieces that allow everyone to perform more digital tasks without fear of using up the battery power quickly. What’s more is that aside from this technical feature, the laptops are also environmentally-efficient.

Two of the features that best exemplify this is the Acer PowerSmart key, a one-touch energy conservation element, and the Acer PowerSmart Adapter, which gives the laptops the ability to save up to 66 percent more power when put into sleep mode. The two also have the Laminar Wall Jet Engine design that air-cools the processor and the notebook case for a more comfortable use, especially when you put the laptops well, in your lap.

Size

Size matters. And in the case of laptops, the smaller the better (at least for me)! Who wouldn’t appreciate an eye-catching less-than-one-inch form factor?

Designing the Aspire Timeline Notebooks, Acer broke another barrier: creating the finest and lightest notebooks to provide all-day computing. At its thinnest point the Aspire Timeline is just 24 mm thick (less than one inch) and thanks to the aluminum cover it’s a featherweight, ranging from 1.6 kg for the 13.3” model up to just 1.9 kg for the 14”, making it both lighter and easier to carry around than anything else. The Aspire Timeline notebooks open up a new dimension where lightness and more time meet and you have total freedom to get things done unhurriedly anywhere you want.

Products and Specs

Here’s a list of the products from the Acer Aspire Timeline Series and their specifications:

Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T (Full Specifications)

Intel Core 2 Solo SU 3500 (1.4 GHz, 3MB, 800 FSB)

Mobile Intel GS45 Express Chipset

3GB DDR3 (Upgradeable to 4GG)

350 GB SATA

Intel Graphics Media accelerator 4500MHD with up to 1759 MB DVMT 5.0 (64 MB dedicated memory, up to 1695 MB shared)

1366×768 px resolution

13 inches High-bright Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD

1.6 kilos

Acer Aspire Timeline AS4810T (Full specifications)

Intel Core 2 Solo SU 3500 (1.4 GHz, 3MB, 800 FSB)

Mobile Intel GS45 Express Chipset

2GB DDR3 (Upgradeable to 4GB)

250 GB SATA

Intel Graphics Media accelerator 4500MHD with up to 1759 MB DVMT 5.0 (64 MB dedicated memory, up to 1695 MB shared)

1366×768 px resolution

14 inches High-bright Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD

1.8 kilos

With this kind of graphics quality and display feature, no wonder these two will soon become favorites of mobile cyberwarriors who prefer to go out in the open and carry out their computing tasks at the most convenient and relaxing environment possible (a.k.a., coffee shops and malls).

Take a sneak preview of these babies at http://www.acer.com.ph or visit your nearest Acer reseller for a quick demo. And trust me, you too can say that these laptops are really meant for your lap! Who needs a lap dance when you’ve got an Acer Aspire Timeline laptop?

Technorati Tags: acer, acer aspire timeline, acer aspire AS4810T, Acer aspire AS3810T, laptop, notebook, philippines, battery life

Kuvi is Mindanao Civet Coffee that comes only from the finest ripe, organically grown, coffee cherries of Mindanao’s forests.  The world’s rarest and best tasting coffee revered for its luscious chocolatey taste. Isn’t now the time to taste the ultimate brew?

People’s organic products support farming communities. These are produced observing fair trade principles and environmentally friendly practices. Buy their products, support livelihoods, improve well being and inspire the maintenance of a balanced ecology.

Meticulously picked and gulped by nocturnal palm civets (called alamid or musang in the Philippines) that freely roam the forests, the cherry pulp gets digested but the bean remains intact. The beans undergo chemical processing in the civet’s digestive system and are eventually excreted whole, appearing undigested.

During the coffee season (November – March), farmers collect civet droppings and extract the beans by carefully washing and cleaning them before drying.

After drying, the farmers bring the clean beans to MinLand Foundation. MinLand subjects the beans to quality control measures and testing like size sorting, moisture content evaluation and random physical checks for consistency and authenticity. MinLand then washes and dries the beans further.

When the beans are dry enough, the outer covering of the bean is physically removed. Beans are roasted and packed thereafter. The coffee finally undergoes disinfection through Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to destroy pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, mold, and mildew.

Kuvi is strong and naturally sweet when roasted. It gives off a sweet chocolatey aroma that rouses the senses.

The coffee concoction has a fine, smooth and clean taste and is perfect for high power meetings or to simply jumpstart your day. Enjoy it black and pure.

Kuvi also provides a dignified livelihood for Mindanao rural communities and promotes healthy ecosystem.

PhP 1,000/bottle + Shipping  ORDER NOW! (For order inquiries, email kuvi@baklaako.com or text 0908 7568674

Learn more about KUVI here:
www.moveonphil.org
www.minland.ph
http://minland.multiply.com

Technorati Tags: civet coffee, kape musang, civet poop, mindanao land, philippine coffee, kape alamid

Pop singing sensation Lady Gaga is coming to Manila!  Yes, you read that right Lady Gaga + Manila.  The hitmaker (Poker Face, Just Dance, Love Game, Paparazzi, etc.) is set to perform at the Araneta Coliseum on August 11, 2009 at 8:00PM. 

The poster above, taken from the Ovation Productions website, confirms that the concert will push through!  How much are the tickets?  Ticketnet (as of this writing) has published the following ticket prices:

Also, tickets are not yet available at this time but you can reserve tickets online via the Ticketnet website.

Technorati Tags: lady gaga, lady gaga manila, lady gaga philippines

“Television is Dead” – this is what the people behind Flippish.com believe. With the now-easy availability of the Internet and increasing broadband speeds being offered, more people spend more time online nowadays, online entertainment is proving that it is indeed the wave of the future.

FLIPPISH is a play on the word Filipino.  In the US and other countries, some Pinoys are called Flips. The word FLIPPISH could also mean something that is odd, crazy or weird.

Flippish.com is spearheaded by Chris Tan, the co-founder and Managing Director of Ideal Minds (yes, the makers of JM Rodriguez’s On Air!) and Kring Elenzano, my kabaklaan and blogger friend (who also happens to be the Creative Director of Ideal Minds and Flippish.com. Flippish.com is the first Pinoy online video channel that produces original online shows that are of broadcast quality.  The people behind Flippish.com believe that it is about time that we Filipinos take on the challenge of coming up with online entertainment that is of international standards.

Flippish will tickle your funny bone (and sometimes give you a boner? lol); get you up to speed on the latest hotspots and goings-on around and outside the metro (check out their coverage of iBlog5 – when I pretty much hogged all of the running time); stimulate your brain cells with thought-provoking reality shows; and most importantly, entertain you until it becomes an essential part of your daily Internet habit! 

Flippish.com will finalle be officially launched on July 2, 2009 at Fiamma (Jupiter St., Makati). For more information about the launch party (and yeah, the website and its shows), check out http://www.flippish.com

Technorati Tags: television, dead, death of tv, flippish.com, kring elenzano, funnysexy

Sandbox, the latest web platform that unites social networking, online media content downloading and web services was recently launched with a banging event at Club Bureau in Makati.

We’ve all seen the TV commercials, saw the print ads, and witnessed the buzz online about it, and now Sandbox has finally arrived!  Sandbox fuses your digital lifestyle – online and on the go. With a growing number of members, Sandbox is well on its way to providing the future of digital connection for Filipinos.

I’ve been a member of Sandbox for a while now and the reason why I’m saying "well on its way" because there are still some quirks here and there that Sandbox has to fix.  It’s a very promising project and once those quirks are fixed and polished, it will definitely become the "it" thing in digital connection for Filipinos.

Powered by Smart Communications, Sandbox is also fuelled by the avalanche of user-generated content building on the web. In the simplest terms, this means logging on to Sandbox lets you create a profile, upload and view photos and videos, write a blog, join forum discussions, download music, games and movie-themed content, both on your desktop computer and your cellphone.

Using Sandbox is also free. You can check out the latest tunes and games on Sandbox, update your social network, or sort through shopping listings on your mobile for free.   All you have to do is download the Sandbox launcher to your mobile phone through SMS (text SANDBOX to 211) or WAP (visit http://m.mysandbox.com and click on the launcher link. (You will be charged, however, for downloading and uploading).

Sandbox seamlessly integrates the desktop web and mobile interfaces which (when fixed) will empower its users to stay connected anytime, anywhere. Eventually, one will no longer to visit different sites to get everything: all one needs to do is register and be part of the Sandbox website.

Downloading content via Sandbox is pretty nifty.  Content is delivered straight to your mobile and is charged to your prepaid load (or postpaid bill) so you don’t need a credit card to get the content you want. Downloading and installing is trouble-free: by filling up the purchase details on the pop-up window in the site. After clicking the download link sent to one’s mobile, the requested music, game, or movie wallpaper is installed to one’s phone.

Digisoria, Sandbox’s unique online retail portal takes shopping to a whole new level! Digisoria categorizes online merchants to make searching for specific products that buyers want faster. This probably is one of the most cost-efficient ways of finding the things you want on the web!

See you in Sandbox!  (search for me on Sandbox http://mostyle.mysandbox.com/profile/view/2479)

Mint is one of my favorite local retail stores in the Philippines.  I’m a big fan of their Mint Men line not only because of their innovative and creative designs and styles, but also because they are not that mass-produced.  I also love Mint because their products are surely a value for your money.  Their prices are relatively affordable and you can definitely say that you’re getting what you paid for.  Their men’s jackets (my favorite!) range from P1,000.00 to about P2,500.00.

One thing I hate about the retail stores here is that they have one too many stocks of each item that it is very likely for me to see another person wearing the same stuff I am. The only other store I know that does not produce their stuff in massive amounts is Bleach Catastrophe (TriNoMa).

So yeah, Mint! According to their news release dated June 11:

Jericho Rosales will be endorsing Mint starting June 1, 2009. Wait till you see the new pictures as we post them.

Here’s a list of Mint stores in the Philippines:

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• Zara owner’s net profit down 15% (news.bbc.co.uk)

Penshoppe’s Collection at the Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2009.

Akihiro Sato
Victor Basa
Melissa Ricks
JC Tiuseco
Matteo Guidicelli

All photos protected by copyright. Email me for permissions and requests for high-resolution, non-watermarked versions: penshoppe (at) baklaako (dot) com

Penshoppe!

I was so busy in April and May that I forgot to buy my copy of Garage Magazine’s April/May 2009 issue.  And what do I find out? Hot male model Hideo Muraoka is on the cover of that issue!  I have always been a big fan of Garage (loved the Akihiro Sato and Gerald Anderson-Enchong Dee issues!) I scoured the whole of the metro and was quite unsuccessful in my search (so please, if you know where copies are available, please do let me know!).

So anyway, Garage Magazine’s June/July 2009 issue is already out with speed racer Matteo Guidicelli on the cover (PLUS!  My new ultimate cursh Leonardo Corredor also appears in a spread there!). The issue is their back-to-school guide special.  The issue also celebrates teen spirit as they feature star athletes from different sporting disciplines and universities in Metro Manila.

Matteo Guidicelli also invites you:

Over at Garage Magazine’s Twitter account, they have shared with us some behind-the-scenes photos and info about this month’s issue. Now I’m wondering who these guys are:

So grab your copies now before it’s too late!

Technorati Tags: garage magazine, matteo guidicelli, hideo muraoka