Author: Jayvee Fernandez

We go through several iPhone 17 accessories including cases, power banks, and wallets. Many of these are magsafe compatible which means you can also make them work on other compatible devices or compatible cases. Apple MagSafe and Cygnett Magnetic Clear Case Two cases I’ve seen being sold at Power Mac Center are the Apple-branded clear case w/ MagSafe (P3,390) and the Cygnett Magnetic Clear Case for iPhone (P1,295.00). The main advantage of the Apple case is that it’s OC-friendly, reprinting the Apple logo on the center of the case. Other cases, including Cygnett don’t align the magnetic guide with the…

For most of his life, Jehremiah “Jehri” Asis thought his path was already written. A top student from Philippine Science High School and the University of the Philippines, he had the makings of a corporate lawyer: precise, analytical, and efficient. But as fate would have it, his career would one day flow toward something more elemental: water. Today, Jehri is leading one of the country’s most successful public-private partnerships in wastewater management. Through his company, JCA 1221 Holdings, he conceptualized and led the implementation of the Puerto Princesa Sanitation Project, the first city-scale facility in the Philippines to integrate septage…

At the recent VST ECS CXO Summit in Boracay, IT leaders from across the Philippines called for the fast-tracking of a digital sovereignty law, a legislative move that would require personal and enterprise data to be physically hosted within the country. Across Asia, countries such as China, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia already have similar laws in place. These frameworks ensure that citizens’ data — from financial transactions to healthcare records — remain within national borders. In practice, such laws compel hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft, and AWS to invest in local data centers, creating new jobs in infrastructure, cybersecurity, and cloud…

Forget the buzzwords and FOMO. AI is all about accuracy, cost, and flexibility. At this year’s VST ECS CXO Summit in Boracay Island, I spent some time talking to Dennis Sze and Lemuel Low, two of the three co-founders of ReN3, an Agentic AI company that I’ve been covering since last year. As a treat, Sze sat me together with Scott Albin, APAC General Manager for Groq. ReN3 has been testing their AI models with Groq for more cost-efficient deployment per token — a critical detail in a world where the cost of compute dictates who can actually afford to…

Jimmy Go is a man from the future. When you have oversight over the distribution of more than 100 IT brands from Apple to Zoom, there’s a foresight you develop across several decades in the tech space. We are at Shangri-La Boracay for the VST ECS CXO Summit, a yearly event bringing together the actual do-ers in the IT space. Where we leave behind the smartphones and action cameras and instead put agentic AI solutions and server racks forward. In a short interview with Go, he said there’s no doubt that everyone has taken the AI plunge. The difference this…

I spent some time with the new 2025 iPhone releases in my latest trip to the Apple Store in Singapore. I got to fiddle with the iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the new iPhone Air. Typical of iPhone release cycles, reactions could be either hills or valleys depending on the year of release and the phone you own. For many, the jump from the iPhone 15 to iPhone 16 was not very significant in value proposition. But this year, I’m making the case that the iPhone 17 line seems to be quite an…

When browsing for the best value iPhone, the side-by-side spec sheet shows that the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro are the best deals. This is because you’re either interested in a base model iPhone, or if you’re a power user who wants a triple camera, you may want to choose the iPhone 17 Pro (or even the Pro Max if size is your thing). The iPhone Pro and Pro Max both come with the A19 Pro chip. But guess what, so does the iPhone Air. The A19 Pro chip is the beating heart of the iPhone Air, allowing…

“When you play the game of phones, you win or you lag. There is no middle ground.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by PhilSTAR Tech (@philstartech) realme is bringing Westeros closer to home with the launch of its latest crossover innovation, the realme 15 Pro 5G Game of Thrones Limited Edition. Created in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and inspired by the legendary HBO series Game of Thrones, this release is set to captivate Filipino fans with a smartphone that combines epic storytelling and flagship performance. We were lucky to have scored the realme…

Every year, I get to review a pocket Leica camera. It also happens to be a phone from Xiaomi. In my past reviews, I’ve described the numbered series of Xiaomi as the most affordable Leica camera you can buy, and I’ve stuck with that pitch to friends who have always wanted a small flagship phone – a true rarity. Now, In between these flagship launches, Xiaomi would also introduce variations in the form of the “T” series. The Xiaomi 14T was an affordable follow up to last year’s Xiaomi 14 flagship. This year I get to play with the Xiaomi…

The realme 15 Pro 5G is the latest successor in realme’s mid-range line. Historically, the number series has always been a hit as it balances true performance with price. The 2025 refresh follows this tradition because it offers a number of in-demand premium features as a practical daily driver for shooting, play, and productivity. Aesthetics and performance At its core, the realme 15 Pro 5G is powered by a 4th generation Snapdragon 7 4nm SoC. Compared to its previous 3rd generation ancestor, the big changes are in NPU performance, which makes it a good base for on-device AI functions and…