Author: Dawn Solano

Samsung Electronics Philippines, in collaboration with Union Bank of the Philippines, launched Samsung Finance+, a financing program that will allow its customers to purchase its products with 0% interest rate, which will only require one valid, government-issued I.D.“It’s a lowered downpayment, a lowered interest rate. It’s an ongoing promotion for everyone who wants to avail of the Samsung devices,” Samsung Philippines president Min Su Chu told the press during its launch event on December 12 at the Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City.Aside from the low interest rate, customers who plan on buying a Samsung Galaxy device can get as…

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has launched a program designed to help Filipino researchers, scientists, and tech entrepreneurs in the commercialization of their products or services in the local and global stage.The PROPEL program opens its existing research and develop resources, provide guidance, aand facilitate access to funding for participants.It will cater to Filipino innovators offering science and technology-driven solutions in health, information and communications technology, smart agriculture, energy and more.Furthermore, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said that they are not only looking for innovations that can only be used in the Philippines, but in the other countries…

Teradata, a global leader in data management and analytics, is doubling its efforts in the Philipppine market by bringing more of its technology in local projects for the year 2025. Praveen Thakur, Teradata’s senior vice president for global growth markets, told PhilSTAR Tech that the company is strategizing to adapt its global practices to address the unique needs of the Philippines. On that note, the Teradata executive revealed that they have partnered with the local government of Makati for the creation of a Citizen 360 Platform. The platform consolidates citizen data into a single repository, providing government officials with a…

This 144-year-old estate in Tiaong, Quezon welcomed its second renewable energy facility with a switch-on event last November 7, 2024. 

Founder and CEO of Mylo Speech Buddy, an autism learning mobile app, said that winning two golden Stevie Awards this year was a “step forward” in making conversations around autism and related speech disorders normal within the Filipino society.“By making our app accessible and highlighting the positive impact it can have on children’s lives, we aim to change perceptions and show that these conditions aren’t something to be hidden,” Mylo Speech Buddy app creator Vincent Rocha told PhilSTAR Tech via email.In September, the locally-developed app received the “Tech Startup of the Year- Software” and the “New Product of the Year-…

SINGAPORE – Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy said that the ability to defend a country’s cyber infrastructure requires good intel, which the Philippines currently lacks. Having the right people with the right skillset and tools is important in identifying where a threat is coming from, the DICT chief told PhilSTAR Tech in an exclusive interview during the Singapore International Cyberweek 2024 (SICW 2024). “But we have zero intel files, zero confidential funds to do so. So, how do you pay for the intelligence you need?” Uy lamented. Last year, the DICT’s proposed 300 million confidential…

Last year, Lazada launched the first ChatGPT-powered chatbot for e-commerce in Southeast Asia. If you haven’t heard of this, try going to your Lazada app. Pull down from the top of the screen and then release once you see a cute-looking lion winking at you. That’s LazzieChat.Pauline Castro, Lazada Philippines’ head of user product operations, said that Lazada is standing at the forefront of the AI revolution.With 60% of e-commerce companies in Southeast Asia adopting some form of AI into their business models, Castro said that they have leveraged on its potential to the “extra mile.”“So, why is AI important…

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) warned the public that there will be a significant increase in fake, manipulated media content in the nearing mid-term elections, saying that AI has made it “easier” to create and spread deceptive content.During the second day of the Singapore International Cyber Week 2024, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said that the country has seen proliferation of fake news in the previous elections, and he believes that AI will make it even a larger threat today.“I think Comelec is in the right direction in saying that they would like to ban AI-generated content,…

The Philippines is now in cooperation with United States and Japan in enhancing the country’s cybersecurity and digitalization.The agreement between the three nations was held during the Singapore International Cyber Week 2024 (SICW 2024), on October 18. The dialogue was co-chaired by U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel C. Fick, Japan’s Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau Yukio Saita, and Department of Information and Communication Technology Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian C. Dy. Officials from the three nations discussed partnership in the cyberspace, including cybersecurity capacity building, workforce development, maritime cybersecurity, and enhancing information-sharing mechanisms.The dialogue also…

SINGAPORE – The first commissioner of Cybersecurity in Singapore urged ASEAN countries to view cybersecurity as the key to reaping the benefits of technology today, saying that the first step is to address it.David Koh, also the first and current chief Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), said that cybersecurity opens up the gates to educational, social, and economical opportunities.Seeing cybersecurity as the key to these gates more than it being an “existential threat” will not only redefine cybersecurity approaches within one ASEAN country, but to all other countries within the region.“If you don’t address cyber security, then it’s 650…