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How to apply for the new MySSS Card

The days of the UMID card may soon be over as the Social Security System (SSS) launched the new MySSS card. MySSS Card is a big upgrade to the UMID. Why? Well, apart from being an official SSS ID, it also works as a debit card, thanks to the built-in EMV chip. You can use the MySSS Card directly at a partner bank’s ATM to instantly withdraw SSS benefits, loans, and other proceeds. No need to do a separate enrollment process under the Disbursement Account Enrollment Module (DAEM). SSS teamed up with RCBC DiskarTech for the initial rollout of the service. UnionBank, China Bank, and AUB are expected to join soon. However, SSS noted that government agencies and private institutions are not mandated to accept the new MySSS card as an official ID. Your old UMID or any issued SSS cards are still valid, so you might want to keep them. You’re eligible for the new MySSS card if you’re a: member, prior registrant, pensioner, individual claimant, and representative payee who will p...
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Lenovo launches two new tablets: ThinkTab X11 and Idea Tab Pro Gen 2

Lenovo is broadening its tablet offerings with a pair of new devices built for very different environments. One is engineered to survive drops and dust, while the other is tuned for performance in the office or classroom. ThinkTab X11: Lenovo’s first rugged Android tablet The new ThinkTab X11 marks the company’s debut in the rugged tablet space. It comes with IP68 certification, meaning it can handle dust and water with ease, and it meets MIL-STD-810H military standards for durability. A standout feature is its Batteryless Mode, which lets the tablet run off a power source while docked, making it a good fit for checkout counters or information kiosks that need to run all day. When operating on battery, it draws from a large 10,200mAh capacity. The tablet packs 5G and Wi-Fi 6E support along with two USB-C ports. There is also an NFC reader mounted on the front for quick payments or secure logins. Its 10.95-inch screen delivers a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution with a 90Hz refresh r...
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Travereel launches AI assistant to take the stress out of vacation planning

A Filipino-owned travel platform is rolling out a new artificial intelligence tool that it hopes will cure what it calls “planning paralysis” for travelers overwhelmed by too many online options. Travereel, which describes itself as the country’s first video-centric travel social network and booking app, has officially launched Vicky. The company is calling the feature an “AI Travel AI-gent,” designed to help users discover destinations, build itineraries, and book trips all in one place. The app combines a short-form video feed similar to other social platforms with a new AI Itinerary Builder. The idea is to let users move from watching a travel vlog to having a customized, multi-day schedule in just a few seconds. Vicky works by analyzing user preferences, budget limits, and trending spots within the Travereel community to generate daily plans. These can include hidden gems and local favorites, with the option to book featured hotels and activities directly through the itinerary. ...
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OPPO Find X9 gets native AirDrop sharing support for iOS and Mac

OPPO has announced that its next premium phones will include a tool for sharing files with Apple devices. The feature works without needing to download any extra apps. The company confirmed that the Find X9 and Find X9 Pro will get this ability through a software update later this month. The Find X9 Ultra, which is set to arrive soon, will also have it from the start. This tool is based on Google’s Quick Share system, which was recently updated to work with Apple’s AirDrop. When the update is ready, people with a Find X9 can send pictures, videos, and other files to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac just as easily as they would to another Android phone. OPPO worked with Google and chip designer MediaTek to make this happen. The company said the goal is to make it simple and safe to move data between different devices. This is a big step forward for ease of use. In the past, OPPO phone owners had to use an app called O+Connect to send files to an iPhone. That method was less convenient...
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Smartphones to be more expensive in 2026 due to rising memory cost —Counterpoint

More bad news for tech prices. This time, Counterpoint Research’s Memory Price Tracker hints at smartphone price hikes in 2026, as mobile RAM costs have increased by 50 percent quarter-on-quarter and NAND storage is now up by over 90 percent QoQ. This translates to a higher Bill of Materials (BoM) for smartphones — extra costs that will be passed on to consumers. While all price segments will be affected, low-end phones will feel it the most. With these new prices, the 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB eMMC storage on a low-end phone will amount to a whopping 43 percent of its total BoM. That’s a staggering 25 percent increase from the previous quarter. For midrange phones with 8GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage, they expect to increase BoM by up to 20 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Flagship phones’ higher margins provide slack, but the higher prices of the 2nm chipset could be an issue. Bottomline, expect price hikes on smartphones this year. In fact, Counterpoint for...
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MetroFuel Tracker shows a map of gas stations with the cheapest prices

Tensions in the Middle East are disrupting oil supply and prices worldwide, especially here in the Philippines. If you’re curious where to fill up next, there’s a website that shows you where the cheapest gas prices are. The MetroFuel Tracker website shows a map of gas stations with their prices listed, allowing you to compare prices to decide where to go. No need to visit stations one by one just to find the cheapest one. Again, this is a website, so there’s no need to download an app. The website currently list over 1,500 gas stations across Metro Manila. Once you pick your preferred station, there are buttons for Google Maps and Waze that help you navigate there quickly. The website lets you filter by brand. The data is crowdsourced from drivers who update the prices as they visit a gas station. The developer said that over 500 motorists have contributed to the website. Alexander Miguil Sy, the web developer behind the service, created it after being frustrated with the...
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Arduino Ventuno Q: Dragonwing IQ-8275 chipset, Adreno 623 GPU, 40 TOPS AI power

Arduino has announced the Ventuno Q, its first product since Qualcomm acquired it last year. The Arduino Ventuno Q is powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ-8275 chipset, which has two Gold Prime cores at 2.35GHz, two Gold at 2.1GHz, and four Silver at 1.95GHz. It also has an Adreno 623 graphics, up to 16GB RAM< and up to 64GB of eMMC storage. It also comes with an M.2 NVMe Gen 4 connector for SSD storage. The chip’s most impressive feature is its AI performance, offering up to 40 TOPS of power. To give you a perspective, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite has 80 TOPS while the Intel Panther Lake has 50 TOPS. It can run on Linux (Debian or Ubuntu) or Robot Operating System 2. It also has an STM32H5 microcontroller for handling real-time interactions with accessories. So, what is this single board computer (SBC) is for? It can handle PoseNet for pose detection, YOLO-X models for object tracking, local LLMs, MediaPipe, speech-to-text and text-to-speech models, and more. It...
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