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TECHNOLOGY

Win P150,000 SM shopping money at PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway

More prizes and surprises await the lucky winners of the PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway promo this October and November, with the telco giant adding ten (10) SM Gift Cards worth ₱150,000 each to the prize pool! There’s nowhere to go but up in terms of the stakes, with a whopping ₱5 million cash prize up for grabs in the grand draw on December 8, 2021.

Here’s some better news for shopaholics: The draw dates coincide with SM’s Christmas Season sale, rewarding winners with a once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience to welcome the holiday season!

Planning to join the PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway promo? Keep your eyes on that ₱150,000-worth SM Gift Cards! To get you fired up, here’s what to add to your wish list straight from SM’s upcoming Christmas sale inventory!

1. A wardrobe makeover – Spice up your OOTDs with cool fashion finds from the SM Store! Get that classic Levi’s High-waisted mom jeans  for that all-around casual look and pair it with an SM Woman Puff Sleeve Crop Top.

Complete the look with a Kicks Jelai Lace-Up Sneakers. You can also prepare for that upcoming–and honestly, long-awaited–beach trip with the beach-ready Orange Halter Dress from Coco Cabana and pair it with Crocs Tulum Sandal.

2. A dream home entertainment set – What’s more nostalgic than getting everyone together in the sala, laughing and gushing to some cheesy holiday movie like those good ol’ family reunions? Even with a fewer number of family members to celebrate with at home, you can still continue this tradition with Netflix’s almost unlimited range of flicks and series—just press play. Up the experience with a shiny new Samsung 75″ Real 4K UHD Smart TV set and a Sony Shake X30D high-power home audio system from SM Appliance Center! While you’re at it, it might be time to upgrade your furniture, too, by getting your hands on a brand new Gracen Sectional Sofa from Our Home!

3. Homeschooling essentials – In these days of blended learning, no kid should be left behind. Level up your youngsters’ online school experience with a high-powered Lenovo™ Chromebook C330 laptop from SM Appliance Center, plus a Wi-Fi printer to help them in their requirements. To secure their connection at home without them having to stay put next to the router the whole time, a Wi-Fi mesh system might just be the perfect holiday gift! This add-on ensures strong internet signal coverage wherever they are at home, giving them more movement and space to help in their focus!

4. Work-at-home essentials – Is your trusty computer not as trusty anymore that it’s slowing down your efficiency at work? A nifty Asus X415EA-EK760T laptop from SM Appliance Center equipped with the best specs might just inspire you to work better. Add to cart a pair of high-quality wireless earphones to help you multitask, plus a chic, ergonomic Hank HB Office Chair from Our Home to combat any stressor on the job with utmost comfort. Expect your productivity rate to shoot up soon!

5. Home improvement must-haves – With most of you in the fam toiling through daily life still locked down at home, revamping your space to better fit this new normal mold is now a must. Before rolling up your sleeves for some dirty, DIY sesh, it might be easier to get any kind of job with some nice and shiny-new power tools. A top recos: Black And Decker 18V 1.5AH Cordless Lithium Hammer Drill, Bosch Professional GWS 060 Mini Grinder, and Black and Decker Pressure Washer BW15 – all from Ace Hardware.

Besides the ₱5 million cash prize and the 10 SM Gift Cards each worth ₱150,000, PLDT Home is also gifting one lucky winner with a Play-at-Home Package. Continuing the trend from the previously awarded bundles, the Play-at-Home Package comprises a Sony PlayStation 5, a premium Gaming Chair, and Asus RaptureTouter.

Other exciting prizes for the October-December promo period include a cash gift worth ₱50,000, to be raffled to ten (10) winners.

Over 200 PLDT Home subscribers have already won since the PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway launched in April, with the prizes getting bigger and better each run.

To join the PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway, PLDT Home subscribers simply need to enroll their PLDT account in the PLDT Home Rewards program.

By paying PLDT bills on time, applying for paperless billing, and availing other PLDT services, enrolled subscribers earn Crystals that can be exchanged for shopping and dining vouchers and bill credits for PLDT, Smart, and Cignal subscriptions.

Every five (5) Crystals earned also automatically come with one (1) raffle entry. It’s that simple. The more Crystals earned, the more chances of winning!

New PLDT Home Rewards program registrants can claim 20 welcome Crystals upon registration. That’s easily a lot of raffle entries for more chances of winning!
For more details about PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway, please visit https://pldthome.info/HomeRewardsxSM2021.

TECHNOLOGY

SEA 2023: Cybercriminals clog business networks with financial phishing

6:36 p.m. March 18, 2024

In 2023, Kaspersky anti-phishing technologies detected nearly 500,000 attempts to follow a phishing link on businesses’ devices in Southeast Asia (SEA). Interestingly, this number only refers to phishing links related to finance matters – e-commerce, banking, and payment systems.

Phishing persuades users to take action which gives a scammer access to your device, accounts, or personal information. By pretending to be a person or organization the users trust, they can more easily infect the victim with malware or steal their information.

These social engineering schemes “bait” with trust to get valuable information. This could be anything from a social media login, to your entire identity via your social security number. These schemes may urge the user to open an attachment, follow a link, fill out a form, or reply with personal information.

“Financial phishing” is a type of phishing which refers to fraudulent resources related to banking, payment systems and digital shops. Payment system phishing includes pages impersonating well-known payment brands.

From January to December last year, Kaspersky solutions detected and blocked a total of 455,708 financial phishing attempts targeting companies of various sizes in the region. The statistics reflect clicks on phishing links placed in various communication channels, including emails, fraudulent web sites, messengers, social media, etc. 

“Phishing is a trusted technique for cybercriminals when it comes to infiltrating business networks because they usually work. The rise of generative AI helps cybercriminals to make phishing messages or scam resources more convincing. As a result, it becomes challenging for people to distinguish between a scam and a legitimate communication. That’s why the role of robust security solutions increases,” comments Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky. 

The Philippines logged the highest number of financial phishing at 163,279 attempts in 2023, followed by Malaysia with 124,105. Indonesia chalked up 97,465 incidents while Vietnam experienced 36,130 phishing attacks related to financial matters. Thailand and Singapore registered the least number of this threat at 25,227 and 9,502 respectively.

“Cybercriminals employ various tactics, including financial-related phishing, to deceive employees and trick them into falling victim to an attack Our recent study showed employee security violations can be as damaging as external hacking for companies in Asia Pacific which means the human factor continues to play a role in making businesses vulnerable. Tools to help safeguard against human error are a vital step forward, but they can’t exclude employee education, skills development, and overall strengthening of the company’s ability to detect and respond to cyberattacks,” adds Yeo.

To help companies protect their systems against the damages of a successful phishing attack, Kaspersky experts recommend:

  • To advance decision-makers’ understanding of the importance of cybersecurity and how best to distribute budgets to stay ahead of threats, engage them with Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation for enhanced C-level professional education.
  • Consider experts’ help. For example, Kaspersky Assessments family of professional services identifies security gaps in your system’s configuration, and the Security Architecture Design helps create an IT security infrastructure that’s a perfect fit for a particular company. Every step of implementation is grounded in real security needs, giving decision-makers convincing arguments to allocate budgets.
  • Install and use enterprise security solutions with anti-phishing software: The Advanced Anomaly Control feature within Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Advanced, Kaspersky Total Security for Business and Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum help prevent potentially dangerous activities that are ‘out of the norm’, both undertaken by the user and initiated by the attacker who has already seized control of the system.  
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TECHNOLOGY

Revolutionizing social networking: Rili, groundbreaking AI-powered platform

6:11 p.m. March 9, 2024

Rili.ai officially launches its AI-powered app to redefine how individuals connect, interact, create, and communicate in the digital age. Thanks to voice cloning and lip-syncing, anyone can create their own digital twin (Rili) and interact with anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

Users can cultivate their digital twin, training it with content in over 100 languages to break down communication barriers and foster worldwide friendships. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, gain insights and information from other individuals, or delve deeper into meaningful conversations with other users, Rili.ai is the app to do so effortlessly.

To train Rili, users can share knowledge and information through chat (written messages or voice audios) or by speaking into a microphone. Moreover, it is possible to integrate the digital print of anyone into Rili profiles with their existing accounts on platforms such as Twitch, X, and YouTube. Leveraging this integration, Rili.ai gathers personalized information from users’ public profiles on these platforms, ensuring a tailored experience based on their interests and preferences.

Features for Enhanced Social Engagement

The app offers various features designed to enhance users’ digital interactions. The explore feature allows users to effortlessly search for their favorite Rili users and discover others who share similar interests and preferences, fostering meaningful connections in a virtual community. With profile customization, users can tailor their Rili to reflect their unique personality and interests. The chat functionality allows users to initiate conversations with other “Rilis” and review their past chats, promoting seamless interaction and boosting engagement. Other features include creating favorite Rili lists, scoring conversations, adding likes to conversations or phrases, and sharing messages with anyone through different channels.

Through Rili, users have the unique ability to deeply connect with others, gaining valuable insights and understanding into their perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Rili.ai facilitates meaningful connections that transcend geographical boundaries and time constraints. With its advanced capabilities, Rili.ai offers an app for preserving digital heritage, allowing users to capture and preserve their memories, stories, and experiences for future generations.

“Rili is the new generation of social media platforms. Powered by AI and using the most relevant state-of-the-art technologies, its development will be a turning point for the history of communication. The creation of digital twins will give the opportunity to the society to expand their knowledge, connections and share of voice beyond boundaries”, highlighted Antonio Camacho, Rili Co-founder. “Rili’s mission is to fight against isolation, allowing people to connect with others you would not be able to reach”.  

Join Rili’s white list

The Rili alpha version is already live for anyone interested in joining the community. You can sign up for the white list and will be notified once you have access to create your own Rili. The app is available for iOS and Android.

Revolutionizing Social Networking: Introducing Rili, the Groundbreaking AI-Powered Platform for Sharing and Expanding Your Legacy

Rili.ai officially launches its AI-powered app to redefine how individuals connect, interact, create, and communicate in the digital age. Thanks to voice cloning and lip-syncing, anyone can create their own digital twin (Rili) and interact with anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

Users can cultivate their digital twin, training it with content in over 100 languages to break down communication barriers and foster worldwide friendships. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, gain insights and information from other individuals, or delve deeper into meaningful conversations with other users, Rili.ai is the app to do so effortlessly.

To train Rili, users can share knowledge and information through chat (written messages or voice audios) or by speaking into a microphone. Moreover, it is possible to integrate the digital print of anyone into Rili profiles with their existing accounts on platforms such as Twitch, X, and YouTube. Leveraging this integration, Rili.ai gathers personalized information from users’ public profiles on these platforms, ensuring a tailored experience based on their interests and preferences.

Features for Enhanced Social Engagement

The app offers various features designed to enhance users’ digital interactions. The explore feature allows users to effortlessly search for their favorite Rili users and discover others who share similar interests and preferences, fostering meaningful connections in a virtual community. With profile customization, users can tailor their Rili to reflect their unique personality and interests. The chat functionality allows users to initiate conversations with other “Rilis” and review their past chats, promoting seamless interaction and boosting engagement. Other features include creating favorite Rili lists, scoring conversations, adding likes to conversations or phrases, and sharing messages with anyone through different channels.

Through Rili, users have the unique ability to deeply connect with others, gaining valuable insights and understanding into their perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Rili.ai facilitates meaningful connections that transcend geographical boundaries and time constraints. With its advanced capabilities, Rili.ai offers an app for preserving digital heritage, allowing users to capture and preserve their memories, stories, and experiences for future generations.

“Rili is the new generation of social media platforms. Powered by AI and using the most relevant state-of-the-art technologies, its development will be a turning point for the history of communication. The creation of digital twins will give the opportunity to the society to expand their knowledge, connections and share of voice beyond boundaries”, highlighted Antonio Camacho, Rili Co-founder. “Rili’s mission is to fight against isolation, allowing people to connect with others you would not be able to reach”.  

Join Rili’s white list

The Rili alpha version is already live for anyone interested in joining the community. You can sign up for the white list and will be notified once you have access to create your own Rili. The app is available for iOS and Android.

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TECHNOLOGY

The lightest smartphone with massive 6000mAh battery HONOR X7b coming to PH on March 9

4:34 p.m. March 7, 2024

HONOR Philippines never stops! After the successful launches of HONOR X9b 5G, HONOR Magic V2, and HONOR X8b, the leading global smart devices provider is expected to launch the HONOR X7b in the Philippines on March 9!  

“We, at HONOR, believe that technology is very inclusive, there is technology that caters to even the most unique requirement there is. We had HONOR X9b 5G that is ultra tough that can withstand harsh drops. HONOR X8b was recently introduced with a massive storage and great camera quality for those who value design and photography. Now, we are welcoming a new addition to our X Series, the HONOR X7b,” said HONOR Philippines Vice President Stephen Cheng. 

Welcoming the HONOR X7b 

HONOR X7b is the latest addition to HONOR’s X Series line-up, offering consumers a reliable, well-rounded device available to consumers at an affordable price. Delivering upgrades in hardware performance, battery performance, and photography capabilities, the new device promises an exceptional, uninterrupted user experience. 

Equipped with a 6,000mAh ultra-large battery, the HONOR X7b delivers the best battery life among all HONOR X Series smartphones to date. It can support various activities for up to 3 days  on a single charge, making it a reliable companion for users on the go. Thanks to HONOR’s innovative battery technologies, the HONOR X7b is the thinnest and lightest smartphone with a 6000mAh battery. The device’s battery maintains over 80% of its health even after three years of usage, ensuring exceptional longevity and reducing the need for constant recharging. 

The HONOR X7b boasts a 108MP Main Camera  with a 1/1.67-inch sensor. To enable the camera to capture bright and vivid shots even in challenging low-light conditions, the HONOR X7b supports 9-in-1 pixel binning, achieving a pixel  size measuring 1.92µm that ensures night colors are faithfully reproduced in images. 

For more information and announcements, you may visit HONOR’s website www.hihonor.com or social media platforms: Facebook (Facebook.com/HonorPhilippines), Instagram (Instagram.com/honorph/) and TikTok Shop: (Tiktok.com/@honorphilippines). To check out HONOR’s complete list of retail stores, go to https://www.hihonor.com/ph/retailers/

In the meantime, check out HONOR’s wide array of mobile phones, tablets, and laptops at any HONOR Experience and Partner Stores nationwide or online via Shopee (https://bit.ly/HONORPHShopee), Lazada (https://bit.ly/HONORPHLaz) and TikTok Shop (https://bit.ly/HONORTikTokShop)

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