Author: Dawn Solano

HONOR has opened pre-orders for its latest foldable smartphone, the Magic V6, at P119,999 in the Philippines. Pre-orders are available from Aug. 25 to Sept. 4 through HONOR Experience and partner stores and online. Buyers who claim their units on Sept. 5 will receive an HONOR Pad X8b worth P12,999, according to the company. The Magic V6 is also being offered through Globe postpaid plans, starting with the All-New GPlan Plus 1799.The device is priced at as low as P3,937.50 monthly for 24 months under the plan, which includes 50GB of all-access data, unlimited calls and texts to all networks…

Philippine companies are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI), but fragmented systems and unmanaged “shadow” integrations are emerging as obstacles to scaling AI projects beyond the pilot stage, according to a Boomi executive. In an exclusive interview with PhilSTAR Tech, David Irecki, chief technology officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Boomi, a data activation company, said organizations often underestimate the systems behind their AI deployments. “When you look at why some organizations are scaling AI successfully while others remain stuck in pilots, the differentiator is rarely the model itself,” Irecki said. Nearly two-thirds of Philippine organizations remain in the proof-of-concept…

PalawanPay, the e-wallet and digital financial services platform of the Palawan Group of Companies, is preparing to expand its virtual card offering with physical payment cards. Karlo Castro, president and CEO of the Palawan Group of Companies, said the company is targeting a November to December 2026 rollout during a media interview held alongside the launch of the group’s “Palawan for All” campaign in Makati on Thursday, Aug. 20.The card will come with a fee, although the company has yet to disclose the amount.The planned card rollout comes as the Palawan Group expands its financial services through its “Palawan for…

Roblox says local laws and regulations will guide how it approaches age verification as governments around the world consider stricter measures to protect children online. Papri Dev, head of Asia-Pacific Communications at Roblox, said the platform works with lawmakers and regulators in individual markets to understand their requirements and adapt to local regulations. “We ensure that we are very understanding and clear about what the government in a country wants and what the local laws are. And we always follow that as it happens,” Dev said during the Unbox Roblox: An Interactive Media Familiarization Session in Taguig city, held on…

Roblox is giving families a new way to experience the platform together with Family Zone, an interactive space designed to help parents and children explore Roblox side by side. Launched in July 2026, Family Zone was showcased during the Unbox Roblox: An Interactive Media Familiarization Session in Taguig City, Aug. 18, where the company demonstrated the feature alongside its parental controls and educational resources. The feature is designed to give parents greater visibility into their children’s digital experiences while helping families navigate Roblox together. How to access Family Zone Parents can find Family Zone directly through the Roblox app. Simply…

Editor’s Note: This special report was originally published in the 40th anniversary issue of The Philippine STAR on July 27, 2026.The questions began as soon as the gunfires stopped. The shooting in Tacloban City revived a debate that resurfaces after almost every act of youth violence. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said that the teenage suspect had played Gorebox, a sandbox game that features graphic violence and realistic physics. While authorities have not identified a motive, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) announced a temporary ban on GoreBox, later securing Google’s and Steam’s cooperation to restrict access to the…

OpenAI is rolling out a dedicated ChatGPT experience for teenagers, adding age-appropriate safeguards and learning tools as the AI chatbot becomes increasingly popular among younger users. The company began rolling out ChatGPT for teens globally on Aug. 18, according to its Help Center. The experience is designed for users under 18 and is automatically enabled for accounts OpenAI identifies as belonging to a teen. Rather than creating a separate chatbot, OpenAI says teens will continue to use the same ChatGPT, but with additional protections designed around their age. Here’s what teens can do with ChatGPT: The teen experience also promises…

Artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, governance, research and talent development are among the areas set to receive a boost from a Php 704-million European Union (EU) support package for the Philippines.Equivalent to €10 million, the funding is part of the EU-Philippines Digital Economy Package (DEP), which supports technology, research and investment initiatives focused on AI policy, governance, infrastructure and talent development. The package was highlighted during the three-day “EU-PH Advancing Research and Innovation on Artificial Intelligence Mission” held from July 28 to 30, bringing together Philippine and European experts, government officials and industry representatives. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)…

“Cute” is not usually what you describe a ₱109,990 smartphone, especially one Samsung wants to position as a serious productivity machine. However, after using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as a daily driver for more than a week, “cute” is exactly the word that kept coming to mind.It is compact without feeling cramped, thin without feeling fragile, and versatile without demanding that I constantly unfold it to get the most out of it.Most importantly, I found myself reaching for it even with three other phones on rotation. There was simply something about the Fold 8’s wider, passport-like form that made…

Instagram has refreshed its wordmark for the first time in a decade to give the social media platform’s familiar lettering a new look.Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the update on Instagram on Thursday, August 13, saying the wordmark at the top of the app had remained unchanged for ten years.He described the new wordmark as “cleaner and more modern,” while retaining references to Instagram’s original design and the “simplicity and craft” that have long been associated with the platform.The redesigned wordmark retains the familiar script-inspired character of Instagram’s branding but uses a combination of cursive and more conventional letterforms.The new…