Philippines Top 3 news content providers for mobile applications

GMA News Online recently launched two new applications for mobile, enabling users to download the latest news at their convenience. Powered by GMA New Media, Inc. (NMI), GMA Network’s digital arm, GMA News Online applications are now available for Android smartphones and tablets and for iPhone users as well. The iPhone app is recommended for use in iPhones but may also be used in the iPad.

The mobile applications for Android and iOS devices allow users to get news content at their leisure. They also provide automatic updates of news stories and photos when a connection to the internet is detected. When offline, users can continue reading previously downloaded content. Everything is downloaded directly to the mobile device. GMA News Online is the first Philippine news site with its own Android application.

Mobile phones using Google’s Android mobile OS are now the world’s fastest-selling smartphones. Based on independent research from Gartner Inc., Android-powered devices won the top spot in the US smartphone market. In the Philippines, entry-level models of Android smartphones are widely available for as low as P4, 000 per unit. Barely two months after its release in the iTunes Store, GMA News Online’s iPhone app is in the Top 3 for the news category in the Philippines.

Both apps have so far had an average of five star ratings from users. The apps offer other functionalities such as the sharing of news feeds via Facebook. Upgraded versions with video and audio streaming, commenting platform, and user-customization are being developed, according to NMI VP for Development and Operations Michaela Agcaoili. Meanwhile, GMA News Online Editor-in-Chief Howie Severino said that GMA is establishing itself as a local leader in the mobile Internet with the launches of the two apps.

My tips for a healthier you

The most difficult means to becoming healthy is having an appropriate diet from which the body benefits. For those who need the “not so complicated” nutritional advice, here are some tips to keep in mind and most importantly, to practice:

• You don’t need to deprive yourself of foods you love. Weight being an immediate parameter of wellness can be managed well if we just take in what we need and burn out whatever excess we may have taken in. At the very least, do not take for granted counting calories. Once you know your caloric needs, keep focused and do not exceed. If you exceed, the best thing to do is to increase physical activity.

• Keep watch of your caloric intake and note where most of the food calorie is coming from. Do not forget that fat has double the calories from protein or carbohydrates. So when you have two foods to choose from, choose one with much less calories from fats.

• As calorie counting is not the only means to achieve a healthier you when it comes to dieting, remember to eat foods with good amounts of fiber as it helps in heart and digestive health and blood sugar control. Dietary fiber is not only found in fruits and vegetables but also in other common Filipino foods like suman, bibingka, palitaw, puto, sapin-sapin, noodles (bihon, miswa and spaghetti), espasol and tupig.

• Speaking of heart health, emerging studies have shown that a supplementation of citrus extract and vitamin E may reduce levels of a marker of inflammation and promotes a healthy heart. Experts in the medical community view chronic inflammation as an equally or even more important marker of cardiovascular status than cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

• When it comes to eating patterns, many people who want to reduce weight/body fat has the mistaken notion that the longer gap between food intake, the better. This is wrong. Especially during waking hours, when our body has higher consumption for energy, we should appropriately space our food intake, so as not to create a state of temporary deficiency, a state which can even lead the body to produce more cholesterol than at any other time.

• When eating, small mouthfuls of food eaten slowly taste the best and gives the greatest pleasure. Remember not to use food as a means to handle any emotional ups and down. This will surely lead you to taking much more than you need.

Greatest Filipino Lover

For the longest time, his name had been linked to a petite Segunda Katigbak, to a towering Leonor Valenzuela, to a protective Leonor Rivera, to a poetic Consuelo Ortiga, to an intelligent O-Sei San, to a buxom Gertrude Beckette, to a demanding Nelly Boustead, to a lachrymose Suzanne Jacoby, and a happy Josephine Bracken. And his name is Jose Rizal. Yes, one of the world’s greatest lovers is a Filipino.

But, to the more avid Rizalians, or Rizalists, they would prefer remembering him – on his 150th birthday on 19 June 2011 -- for his love, other than romantic.

As a professor who used to handle Philippines Instutions 100, or Rizal Course, we find him as classic and universal as his love for his country. In fact, his “predictions” could have prevented bad, or sad, news from happening -- had the concerned parties listened to him or read between his famous lines.

The day before last year’s Rizal Day, a decree issued by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo on 20 December 1898, our family had the chance to visit Fort Santiago. At the Rizal Shrine, we were able to watch a play -- Rizal: Haligi ng Bayan -- directed by Dr. Anton Juan who used our National Hero’s quotable quotes as his actors’ script.

A week after, Walter Hahn did the same, by citing his words of wisdom, in his lecture called 3 X 150 at the Philippine Education Theater Association (PETA) Theater Center. It was on the Feast of the Three Kings and he used the wise sayings of these Three Wise Men -- Tagore, Rizal, Steiner. But what stuck in our minds was the letter from another Wise Man -- Ferdinand Blumentritt: “You have a brave heart and a more noble woman looks at you lovingly: Your Native Land. The Philippines is like one of the enchanted princesses of German folklore who is the prisoner of an ugly dragon waiting for a valiant knight to liberate her.”

It was a letter for Rizal written on 15 February 1891.

Yet, it sounds as if it was the latest privilege speech of, say, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago or Pastor Ullmer’s clan’s updated blog entry from Wilhelmsfeld, a.k.a. “Noli Village,” where he finished Noli Me Tangere at the age of 25 and where you can find the sandstone fountain from which Rizal had drunk in 1886, which can now be seen in Luneta Park as a German donation to the Philippines.

We can go on and on, as our favorite love song goes, about Rizaliana.

Well, if you won’t lift a finger to make things happen, expect Rizal to haunt you with his take on unfinished businesses: ““It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice.”

How to use an underwater camera

Underwater, whether in the pool or under the sea, is an entirely different scene from the surface above it, and it is definitely a nice setting to take some cool photos. It isn’t such a good idea to just sink in with your digital camera because you’ll only end up damaging the device. An underwater camera is the preferred tool for this activity. But, before you purchase any camera, dive in and take some photos, here are helpful tips you need to know so you can use your underwater camera well:

There are plenty of underwater cameras available today in different models with different specifications and features. While not all underwater cameras take the best photos underwater, it is better to have an in-depth review of the product so that you won’t waste money on something that does not meet your expectations. Underwater cameras come in two types–one that is readily made for underwater use, and one that has a hard removable waterproof camera case which can be removed when not needed.

All bodies of water have the tendency to bounce off light, hence making them darker. Seas and oceans have particularly dark waters because of their murky appearances. That is why it is best to use the camera when the environment is bright or sunny. This adds more light and makes clearer photos. You can also experiment with the built-in flash of your camera, though it will not always assure great photography because of the reflecting light. It is also advisable to take underwater photos as near to the surface of the water because the lighting is better.

When taking underwater photos, you may find it hard to get a good shot because of the unsteady water, especially at sea or at a pool where there are lots of people enjoying the water. To come up with better shots, it is best to take pictures while holding the camera as still as possible.

Secure the camera by tying it to your wrist with a wrist strap or clipping it to your bathing suit. Surely, you don’t want to drop your camera into the bottom of the ocean, or hit it with anything and lose all the great photos you’ve taken.

All underwater cameras have limitations as to how deep you can take them underwater. Always conform to the depth recommendation of your camera. Exceeding it only risks damage your camera. Most underwater cameras likely have the same features and functions as ordinary cameras. So, use it is as you would a regular point and shoot camera.

Some people find it hard to open their eyes underwater, especially in salty waters. It is important to wear clear protective eye wear when taking pictures so that you can have a clearer view of your subjects and produce good pictures. Taking underwater photos could be fun, especially when you are with your family and friends. It is best that you take some precautionary measures and follow these tips to make the experience a fun and memorable one.