Scientists recently invented microscopic robots with four legs that move when stimulated by a laser. This could be injected into the body through hypodermic needles, and can have a lot of use in the field of medicine.

One of the main challenges in the development of these microrobots has been combining control circuitry and moving parts.

The microrobots are said to be less than 0.1 millimetre wide, just as thick as a human hair, and have four moving legs that are controlled by circuitry, and powered by the attached solar cells.

By shooting laser light into these solar cells, the legs were able to move, causing the robot to walk. According to Marc Miskin of the University of Pennsylvania, the key innovation of the research was that the actuators on its legs could be controlled using silicon electronics.

A while ago, researchers in Korea have developed a swimming microrobot that delivers stemcells to the cartilage. These microrobots act as delivery modules and are guided by magnetic field.

But the researchers of the four-legged microrobots acknowledged that their creations are slower, and not easy to control, than other microrobots that swim.

But these robots are prototypes that shows the possibility of integrating electronics with actuators to move around. The next step is to build sophisticated circuitry, and possibly create a much smarter microrobot that actually moves by its own legs.

The researchers envisions biomedical uses for the robots such as repairing materials at the microscale. But the possibilities are endless.

These microrobots can survive highly acidic environments and temperatures of more than 200 degrees Kelvin. They said the new study provides a clear vision for solving the challenge of creating a tiny robot that can be programmable, and autonomous.

As the Covid-19 pandemic had disrupted the educational system in the Philippines, and the government declared that there would be no face-to-face classes for this year, teachers have to start finding solutions to reach their students, hand out assignments, manage their classroom, communicate with students, and so on.

For face-to-face interaction, there's Zoom, or Skype. But what about lessons, and class management? Luckily, there's a free application from Google, called Google Classroom.

Google Classroom helps both  teachers and students to communicate, and can be used to organize and manage assignments, for collaboration between students and between teachers, and for distance learning.

Here's what teachers can do with Google classroom:

1) Teacher's can add announcements and lesson materials.

2) Add and schedule assignments.

3) Grade submitted assignments.

4) Manage students and their progression.

Setting up Google Classroom is very easy.

1) Teachers can sign-up and log-in using your Google account and add students one-by-one.

2) Teachers can create their first class

by clicking "plus" button in the right upper corner. 

3) Once Teachers have created their class, they can invite students. Teacher's can also let students go to classroom.google.com and click "join class".

Now your online class is ready! There also several applications that you can integrate with Google Classroom to make online learning fun and convenient. For face to face interaction, your class can use Google Meet, a video conferencing too. You can also take quizzes or watch educational videos with appropriate applications. The possibilities are endless!

So, let's make most out of home schooling until the Covid-19 vaccine is discovered and the pandemic blows over. Soon, you'll be able to go back to classes like you used to and you'll appreciate how learning is more fun with social interaction.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made the lives of students in the Philippines, miserable. The government has banned face-to-face learning until a vaccine for the virus is found.

So, the Department of Education has come up with a plan to start the school year without face-to-face learning. For schools and universities, online learning via a teleconferencing app is the way to go. And Zoom is the recommended app to use in order for teachers and students to interact with each other, at the comfort of their own home.

​​​​Zoom is a video-conferencing application that allows people to have face to face meetings with many people online. By using your computer, or your mobile phone, you'll be able to connect to your teachers and your classmates, and attend classes.

So, how do you join Zoom If you are using a mobile device? Search for Zoom in the Apple App Store if you are using an iPhone, or Google Play Store, if you are using an Android phone. Install and download the Zoom App. 

If you are using a computer, you can access Zoom using a browser. You can also download the Zoom program and install it to your computer.

If you have your meeting ID and password given by the meeting host, click 'Join Meeting'. 

Allow Zoom to access your phone's camera and audio. Then click 'Join with Video'. If you are shy or taking a class in your pajamas, click 'Join without Video'. You can customize your profile to show your best photo.

Here's a tip so that you wouldn't be late for your Zoom class. Click the Zoom meeting link minutes before your class schedule. Follow the instructions to join computer audio and mute your microphone. Only Unmute when you are required to talk. Most of the time, your instructor should be recording the session so you and your classmates can watch it later.

This year may be a challenging time for both students and teachers. But learning must continue, and people are discovering new tools to interact and to share every day.

Do you love drawing and coloring? Have you dreamed of becoming a Manga or Webtoon artist? You can buy cheap tools in Shopee or Lazada and start flexing those fingers.

Today, we are going to review one of the cheapest brands of writing tablets out there. the Veikk A640. I got mine for 1,200 pesos plus shipping from Shopee.

Veikk is one of many Chinese brands that makes tablets so there is little information available in the internet. Veikk has a line of products which includes S640 and A30 graphics tablets, and a VK1560 pen display.

The S640 is small compared to those used by professionals. At 6 by 4 inches, this is an ideal size for beginners or hobbyists like me.

The included items in the box besides the tablet are replacement nibs, nib remover, the pen, and pen holder.

The pen is very lightweight yet sturdy. There are two side buttons that you can configure on your computer. All you need is to install the driver, which you can download online.

Unfortunately, No driver disc is included. Installation is pretty straightforward.

I'm using free software called Medibang. It is used generally for making Manga and webcomic. All the tools that you will need for creating your first Manga or Web Comic are all there.

This tablet is highly recommended for beginners and hobbyists. It's cheap, easy to set up, and you can use it right away.

Hindi ka na maiinip at hindi na rin mauubos ang data mo sa kapapanood ng YouTube habang nag hihintay ka sa coverage!

ABS-CBN just recently launched a portable version of their best selling digital television device, TVplus. This dongle attaches itself to the micro USB slot of your android device, which allows you to watch ABS-CBN channels anytime, anywhere, free of charge.

Channel list includes:

1. ABS-CBN channel 2
2. ABS-CBN S+A
3. DZMM Teleradio
4. Cinemo
5. YeY!
6. Knowledge Channel
7. MYX
8. AsiaNovela channel
9. Movie Central
10. Jeepney TV
11. O Shopping

ABS-CBN TVplus Go is now available in Cellboy and Celltime branches in SM malls around the country.

Chinese smartphone maker and telecommunication giant Huawei has recently unveiled its top-of-the-line smartphone series that rivals that of Samsung and Apple, the P30 series. Huawei P30 will have 6/128 GB memory, while the P30 Pro will have 8/128 GB as a base.

The latest smartphone from Huawei is available in the regular P30 and the much premium P30 Pro. Both models sports Leica-engineered cameras that reportedly can zoom 30 times (P30) and 50 times (P30 Pro).

The P30 Pro model has a 40 megapixel f/1.6 main camera, secondary 20 megapixel wide-angle camera, and a 8 megapixel 10x hybrid zoom lens. Huawei P30 has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, while the P30 Pro has 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage capacity.

Since this is Huawei's top of the line phone, expect that the base model will be priced ranging from Php 40,000.00 to Php 50,000.00 when it is finally available locally.

MANILA, Philippines - Facebook has committed another security nightmare. Facebook confirmed yesterday, March 21, that millions and millions of passwords were compromised as the social media giant had all our passwords stored in its servers were not encrypted. In fact, the passwords were stored just as it is, plain text.

Usually, passwords are stored and automatically encrypted so as they are not easily compromised by hackers. But a bug in Facebook's password management systems caused hundreds of millions of passwords for Facebook, Facebook Light, and Instagram to be stored in text and criminals can easily search through the server and get access to your social media accounts.

Facebook has already corrected the system and has notified its users to immediately change their passwords. To change your passwords using a desktop computer, go to SETTINGS, then to SECURITY and LOGIN, and CHANGE PASSWORD. For mobile devices, go to SETTINGS & PRIVACY, then SETTINGS, then to SECURITY and LOGIN, and CHANGE PASSWORD.

Netflix is the leading streaming site with hundreds upon hundreds of movies, TV shows and documentaries in its library. And if you have a high-speed internet connection, subscribing to Netflix is a must.

Netflix produces its own TV series and big-budget movies to be exclusively streamed on its site. There are three subscription rate for you to choose from: BASIC, STANDARD and PREMIUM.

Netflix will charge your credit card a fixed amount every month, depending on the type of subscription you choose. You also have the freedom to upgrade or downgrade depending on your needs. So, a year's accumulated cost for a BASIC Netflix subscription non-HD is P4,440.00, but you can only watch on one screen (either on a smart TV or your mobile phone app). For STANDARD subscription, the annual cost is P5,520.00 and you can watch HD on two smart TVs, or two mobile apps, or a TV and an app, at the same time. For the PREMIUM subscription, it is pricier at P6,600.00 but you can watch on four screens at Ultra High Definition.

But did you know that you can have a year-long Netflix subscription for less than P1,000.00? I was browsing Lazada for an Android TV device one day when I saw several product listings that offer a subscription to different apps and streaming sites, including Netflix, for an unbelievable rate that was too good to be true. There are different stores that offer different subscription rates for different Netflix service. I got a STANDARD Netflix subscription for P700.00 a year and so far (I'm 3 months in), it's good. You just have to read all the reviews and hope that it is legit.

But here's the kicker: the account is not yours. You are sharing it with another. So, if the account has two screens available, you can only use one because the other person might be using it, too. Yes, that's a bummer. You cannot also change the settings as it may affect the account.

There are other services available in Lazada. There are subscriptions for HBO Now (for just P699.00 per year), Hulu (P200.00-300.00 per year), Crunchyroll (watch anime for 299.00 per year) and several others. But before you pay to any services posted in Lazada, make sure you read the reviews, and subscribe at your own risk.

Xiaomi has finally launched its latest Redmi Note series in the country, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and it is looking good. Sporting a single camera teardrop notch at the front, dual camera at the back, this latest high-specs mid-level smartphone is priced starting P7,990.00.

There are two versions of the Redmi Note 7. The first one has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, while the mid-range has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which will retail for P9,990.00. The top of the line Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 has 4GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, which will retail for P11,490.00

Here are the device specifications:

• Dimension - 159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm
• Weight - 186 g
• Build - Front/back glass (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame
• Size - 6.3 inches, 97.4 cm2 (~81.4% screen-to-body ratio)
• Resolution - 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~409 ppi density)
• OS - Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10
• Chipset - Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 (14 nm)
• CPU - Octa-core (4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260)
• Card slot - microSD, up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
• Internal - 128 GB / 4 GB RAM or 64 GB / 4 GB RAM or 32 GB / 3 GB RAM
• Main Camera 1 - 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF or 12 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.9", 1.25µm, PDAF
• Main Camera 2 - 5 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor or 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor
• Selfie Camera - 13 MP, f/2.2, 1.25µm
• Battery - Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery

You'll get your Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 real soon as this will be available for sale starting March 27 on all Xiaomi outlets and exclusive distributors nationwide. Or you can buy it here.

Imagine yourself commuting one day and you felt really hungry, and you see this Minute Burger stall where you buy a burger by just tapping your card or scanning a code. Later, you ride a bus, and to pay for the fare, you just tapped your card. Then you have to transfer to MRT on the way to Makati, again you tapped your card to pay. Super convenient, right?

I was in Hong Kong recently and one of the good things I experienced is how locals and tourist pay for goods and services. What amazed me is that cashless payments are so widespread you can virtually buy anything by tapping your Octopus Card!

Yes, I know. you can do that with your debit card, credit card, and we have our own version from different competing companies such as Globe and Smart. But the difference there in Hong Kong is that you can use only one card to pay for everything! And the payment terminals are available everywhere! Yes, retail shops, fast food, food kiosks, trains, MTRs, everywhere!

How I wish that is the case here in the Philippines. There should be a universal payment portal, regardless of the card issuer. How hard can that be? We already have the technology available so what the hell are they waiting for?

Right now, we have competing companies, such as Globe's G-Cash, Smart's Paymaya, Beep Cards, and some other companies who wanted a piece of the pie. And now, they are scratching their heads why Filipinos are too slow in adopting these services. The Answer is right in front of them. They need to make sure that vendors micro, medium or large they may be, should have their own payment portal. Again imagine a Balot bender who accepts cash-less payment? Far fetched? I don't think so. If the vendor has a smartphone and access to cheap internet data where he can use his accounts, it is possible!

So here's my suggestion: All big companies engaged in financial tech should create a consortium to give cashless payment portals to all types of vendors. They work out their inter-operability and all that shit and roll it out. Then they will see an influx of cardholders who don't want to keep a large amount of cash in their wallets.

The pharmaceutical industry has always been the first in terms of adopting new technology to help the sales efforts of its personnel. During my time as a Medrep, we were the first to be given with a palm computer for our call reporting system. How did we submit our reports? By physically connecting our device to a modem and the telephone line. Although not encouraged, we were able to hack our way in and used it to surf the internet and play games with it.

Not long after, acetates and overhead projectors was replaced by LCD projectors. The office wanted all reports in powerpoint, saved digitally and presented to them. Thus, the demand for laptops arises. Of course, not all companies are willing to issue each of their Medreps their own buky laptops, so Medreps had to buy it on their own thru loans extended by the company or charge it with their credit cards.

Then, there's the Apple iPad. The iPad was so versatile and the available application technology was so useful that multinational and Filipino pharmaceutical companies adopted it for their call reporting system as well as field evaluation system. With the speed of mobile internet kept on improving, information can be made available in real time by just a tap of a button. So, almost every Medreps you see now has that gadget with them.

As the title says, I believe that the next gadget obsession for the industry is the foldable phone. Why you ask? You'll have two devices on your hand, that's why! The company no longer have to provide you with two gadgets and two mobile plans, but instead, you'll only need one sim card for it. You have your regular Android phone, and when you fold it up, you'll get your tablet!

Now, at the beginning of this year, companies such as Samsung and Huawei have unveiled their version of the foldable phone. Samsung Galaxy Fold has a 7.3-inch screen that folds over itself when you're ready to put it in your pocket. It has a high-end processor, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. There's going to be a triple-lens rear camera (16MP+12MP+12MP), and a 4,380mAh battery split up between the two sections of the phone.

These devices, the first versions of this class, will still be pricey, with the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X reportedly priced between $1,500 to $2,000 US Dollars. But give it a year or so, once the technology gets cheaper and the demand shoots up, pharmaceutical companies will surely consider this to automate the salesforce.