Author: Dawn Solano

Parents can now do more than track their teenagers’ rides through Grab’s new Grab for Family feature. Available to teens aged 13 to 17, the feature allows teenagers to book rides independently while giving parents and guardians real-time visibility into their journeys and access to safety tools throughout the trip. One of its features, 3-Way Chat, also allows parents to join the conversation between their teen and the driver during the ride. Here are the ways parents can stay informed when their teen is riding with Grab: 1. Talk to their teen and the driver Through 3-Way Chat, parents can…

Dyson has introduced the CameraJet, an electric toothbrush equipped with a built-in camera that detects gaps between teeth and directs precision water jets to clean them. The device combines sonic brushing with what Dyson calls precision-flossing technology, aiming to make interdental cleaning part of the regular brushing process. The CameraJet’s camera captures 28 frames per second as users brush. Its software analyzes the images to identify spaces between teeth and triggers a water jet when it detects an interdental gap. Each water pulse delivers around 0.15 milliliters of water in about 0.1 second, targeting individual gaps instead of continuously spraying…

Acer has introduced the Predator Atlas 7 gaming handheld ahead of IFA 2026, with Intel Arc processors, a 7-inch 120Hz display and up to 80Wh batt

The HP EliteBook X Flip G1i showed me that having more laptop power isn’t always about demanding workloads. For a journalist, it means being able to write, research, edit and multitask with fewer limitations.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy S26 FE, with prices in the Philippines starting at ç 46,990 for the 8GB+128GB variant. The Galaxy S26 FE features a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,900 nits of brightness. The smartphone is powered by the Exynos 2500, a 3-nanometer application processor, and comes with 8GB of RAM. Storage options include 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. For cameras, the Galaxy S26 FE has a 50-megapixel wide camera with optical image stabilization, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 123-degree field of view and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera. The telephoto lens…

Meta Platforms has agreed to impose sweeping restrictions on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under a settlement with 47 US states, the District of Columbia, and several US territories, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among the states that originally sued Meta in 2023, alongside states including New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts and Virginia. Florida and New Mexico are not part of the agreement.Under the agreement, Meta will impose the following restrictions and safeguards on teen users: The changes are part of a proposed settlement resolving allegations that…

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…