The game features a hot air balloon which players keep afloat until they reach their destination while dodging obstacles along the way. Obstacles that hit the balloon slow it down and drain the life bar. Game ends when life bar hits zero.

The game which can be accessed after “liking” the Caltex Philippines Facebook page, has four stages or destinations: Ilocos to Manila, Manila to Bicol, Bicol to Bohol, Bohol to Zamboanga. Player earns P10 by reaching their target destination. Player has the option to donate earnings to one of three charities or continue playing. Caltex will convert game earnings to cash donations for charities selected by player.

The three recipient non-profits are Project Seahorse Foundation (PSF) for environment, Smokey Mountain Team for sports and Hospicio de San Jose (HSJ) for education.

CPI Caltex Brand Manager Veronica Pangilinan said, “Caltex has always been active in partnership with non-profit groups that positively impact people’s lives. These disadvantaged groups of people are also host communities of Caltex, living next or near our terminals and facilities. We created this simple online game so that these partner non-profits of Caltex will be able to draw upon a global network of like-minded people.

To create the game and facility for donations Caltex partnered with Ammado, a global funding network for non-profits. Ammado connects non-profits, socially responsible companies and engaged individuals in a unique, interactive environment. It harnesses the power of the Internet to accelerate communication, awareness and fundraising.

In a new report, the independent technology analyst reveals that it expects the decline, representing nearly 6% of total messaging revenue in 2010 and 9% in 2011, to continue as the popularity of messaging apps continues to grow. Ovum warns operators to rework their legacy services if they want to secure their future position in the messaging market.

“Social messaging has disrupted traditional services, and operators’ revenues in this area will come under increasing pressure,” says Neha Dharia, consumer analyst at Ovum and author of the report. “Tapping into the creativity of app developers, forming industry-wide collaborations, and leveraging their usage data and strong relationships with subscribers are the key ways for operators to ensure that they hold their ground in the messaging market.”

However, despite the threat to messaging revenues, Ovum believes that the strong presence of social messaging should be looked upon as an opportunity. “This threat will drive telcos to consider alternative sources of revenue, such as mobile broadband. And now the market has been tested, operators know what types of messaging services work,” comments Dharia.

“In addition, operators are in a position of strength because they control the entire messaging structure through their access to the user’s phone number and usage data. The established billing relationship is a great advantage, as is the fact that operators control to a great extent the services to which the user is exposed.”

However, offering innovative messaging services and aligning revenue schemes with models in the social world will not be enough to win the battle against social messaging. Industry-wide collaboration and co-operation will be the key to growth in the messaging realm.

“Operators must remain open to partnering with app developers, sharing end-user data with them and allowing integration with the user’s social connections. Working closely with handset vendors will also be important; they control some of the most popular social messaging apps, and can also provide preloaded applications. The most important factor, however, will be co-operation between telcos. They are no longer competing merely among themselves, but must work together to face the challenge from the major Internet players,” concludes Dharia.

Mr. Chng finds living up to everyone’s expectations is the most challenging part of his job. He also quoted that “leading a company of thousand employees is not a walk in the park.” He believes that it definitely requires hard work, fulfilling his responsibility to set as a good example and a role model.

Spoon-feeding is not Mr. Chng’s way of leading the company. He is the kind of leader that lets his people explore and discover things on their own. He does not dictate them in the means they want to do their job nor interfere in their decision-making. He aims to have a team that value responsibility in their respective jobs.

He believes that there are three things that allow people to thrive: creativity, spontaneity and flexibility – which he encourages in the company. The slogan “Delighting You Always” is the way that reminds Canon employee to maintain a delightful atmosphere inside the company. Mr. Chng makes it to the point of keeping and promoting a healthy and fun working environment for them to be able to delight all their customers. They actually have a Customer Intimacy Program that was created for them to love the customers in order for them to provide services beyond expectation.

Even though Canon always does its best, it doesn’t take for granted their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Mr. Chng believes that CSR activities play a significant role in shaping the perception of people about Canon. “We want to provide an even greater value to our customers by creating and engaging in CSR activities,” he stated.

DIALOGUE

What makes you happy?
There are many things that make me happy. Professionally, when our company is being recognized for its hard work, when I see the faces of the families who we’ve helped with our CSR projects, or just customers expressing their appreciation. These are signs that we are continuously doing the right things. Personally, my family makes me happy and after a hard days work, I get the joy out of knowing that I am working hard for them.

What makes you upset?
I try to remain as positive as possible. An example would be if I don’t play a really good game of golf, I don’t feel disappointed or upset. I enjoy what I am doing and I just look at the future in the positive light so I know that the next time I play, I can do better and enjoy the companionship of people I get to meet.

What inspires you the most?
I find myself lucky to be working with Canon whose expertise in business and imaging solutions has helped me and my team to improve efficiency. I am also fortunate to have a bright, healthy and productive team that continues to motivate me and others.

How do you unwind after a hectic day at work?
To see that my family is well and happy relaxes me. Normal day to day stress dissipates quickly when I see my daughter laughing and simply enjoying our quality time together.

How do you handle pressure?
Pressure comes when dateline gets near or things happen suddenly. We are always prepared for eventuality / crisis management, however, disasters like March 11 Japan Tsunami and flood in Thailand is different.

How do you handle success and failure?
I believe that one must always remain positive. Even negative experiences can be taken as opportunities for change or the chance to do better. And in times of success, it is best to share and celebrate this with all those who have contributed to the achievement. I also believe that once you are at the top, there are still new challenges that you must face to stay on top so continuous development is a key. Success is a journey and not a destiny. Yesterday and today’s success cannot guarantee us for tomorrow’s success.

What new products should we expect from Canon this 2012?
I do not want to spoil the surprise! We have many new products and activities in store for the year 2012 because this is our 15th year anniversary. Many feel as if we have been here longer because of all that we have already achieved. What I can promise our customers is that we will ensure that they are all continuously delighted, beyond their expectations in 2012.

What are your goals for Canon Philippines this 2012?
For 2012, I’d like for Canon Philippines to be the market leader for all product groups. We’ve done it in 2011 for DSLR, Video Camera, and Inkjet. But in 2012, I envision us being over-all number one in the Philippines for all major Canon products.

The research, which is based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers in January 2012, includes 10 personal computer makers. Apple was the top-rated computer firm, earning an “okay” rating and the 89th overall spot across industries. Three other computer makers earned “okay” ratings: Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP. The remaining companies received “poor” ratings, with Gateway and Dell at the bottom.

The computer industry received the fourth lowest-average customer experience rating, falling only ahead of health plans, Internet service providers, and TV service providers. The industry, however, earned the second largest increase between 2011 and 2012. Only insurance carriers improved more over that timeframe. Lenovo and Toshiba made the largest year-over-year improvements in the industry, earning double-digit increases in their ratings. Apple had the third largest increase. Dell and Acer were the only computer makers that did not earn at least a one-point improvement.

The pace of improvements in the computer industry has changed the rankings. In 2011, Apple had a two-point lead over Acer and a three-point advantage over HP and Sony. This year, Apple has a three-point advantage over both Lenovo and Toshiba, while both HP and Sony have slipped farther back.

“Apple remains the customer experience leader in the computer industry, but Lenovo and Toshiba have made significant gains this past year,” states Bruce Temkin, author of the report and Managing Partner of Temkin Group.

A regular host of GMA 7’s “Walang Tulugan with the Mastershowman” every Saturday, a commercial model, bright and beautiful young actress, Mara Alberto loves acting, and is currently attending acting workshops with Direk Emmanuel dela Cruz to continually develop her acting skills. Mara is now being managed by DMV Entertainment Inc. of Manny Valera.

PROFILE

Screen Name: Mara Alberto
Real Name: Deniece Dianne Matrix Fortuno
Nickname: Chills
Birthday: September 23, 1994
Age: 17
Blood type: O
Hobbies: Reading Books
TV Show: Walang Tulugan and Party Pilipinas
Facebook Page: Mara Alberto, CastMedia Entertainment and “Potpot”

DIALOGUE

How do you see your career five years from now?
I somehow see myself doing films and appearing in teleseryes in GMA 7. Actually, I really love acting and I believe I’m good at it.

What is your dream role?
I seem to like the roles of Angelina Jolie. I like her in Tomb Raider; she’s a very good actress. Someday I’d like to be a versatile actress just like her.

If you’re not acting, what do you think would you rather be doing?
I’d like to be a young entrepreneur. I want to have a business that caters to health and beauty, such as a spa or a salon.

What other activities do you enjoy doing aside from those you do in show business?
I like going out with my friends especially my non-showbiz friends. We usually go out-of–town, but sometimes we simply enjoy the nightlife in Quezon City, either in Timog or Tomas Morato.

What gadgets do you own and which do you love the most?
I own a laptop and a cellphone. But I love my cellphone the most, because with my phone I can do almost everything I want like talking to my friends, and checking on my facebook and twitter accounts.

How do you think these gadgets help you in your everyday activity?
Through my phone, I can easily talk with my handler, and the “Walang Tulugan” staff. I can also connect with my fans using my laptop. Online ako lagi. (smiles)

As a celebrity, what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites?
Social networking sites makes it easy for me to access all my needs in showbiz — like my call-time slip, script, and a constant communication with my handler and fans. Disadvantages? I can think of none as of the moment.

What is your perception about the innovations in technology at this point of time?
All I know is that it’s costly. After I bought a gadget, for example my cellphone, around 6 to 8 months passed and then a new version arrives. Technology progresses so fast, keeping up with its progress is going to be really hard, and it might get even harder.

Raymond Goh, Regional Director Systems Engineering and Luichi Robles, Senior Country Manager

Symantec Corp. announced the latest edition of Symantec NetBackup 7.5 to help enterprise organizations overcome their data protection challenges. The current approach to backup modernization offered by other vendors is broken. Data growth has been exponential while backup performance gains thus far have been incremental. At the same time, backup teams are frustrated with missed backup windows and non-integrated solutions for physical and virtual backups, deduplication and snapshots. Ultimately, organizations face a situation where recovery, the end goal of why backups exist, is complex and unnecessarily expensive.

Symantec is delivering a new approach to data protection and introducing NetBackup 7.5 with new options, including NetBackup Accelerator to speed backups by up to 100 times while delivering “Instant Full Recovery” capability, NetBackup Replication Director to integrate NetApp Snapshots with backup, and NetBackup Search to allow simple search and recovery of backup data and selective legal hold. Unlike other backup technology that relies on the IT team to integrate multiple disparate backup solutions, NetBackup is available as a single integrated appliance for the data center, remote office and virtual environments, providing customers with simplified deployment and operations.

Symantec is also announcing an expanded partnership with NetApp to integrate with NetBackup Replication Director, enabling customers to unify Snapshot and backup management, and remove the cost and risk associated with multiple backup and recovery tools. Replication Director enables organizations to reduce costs and complexity by recovering and managing backup and replicated Snapshots from a single, NetBackup management console.

“Just as we have 117 as the single contact number in the Philippines for fire, police, or medical emergency support, NetBackup is the single point of recovery for tape, disk, physical, virtual, snapshot or cloud backups,” said Luichi Robles, senior country manager, Symantec Philippines.

Raymond Goh, regional technical director for Asia South Region, Systems Engineering and Customer and Advisory Services added, “Symantec NetBackup 7.5 will speed backups by up to 100 times, unify snapshots and backup, and unite physical and virtual protection. The days of running seven different backup solutions are numbered, and the task of making it all work together no longer falls on the backup administrator.”

NetBackup 7.5 will deliver benefits such as Break the Backup Window with 100 Times Faster Backups, Unify Snapshots and Backup, Fight Infinite Retention, One Product for Any Recovery, Unite Virtual and Physical with V-Ray and Stop Putting Tapes on Trucks.

“NetApp and Symantec are focused on collaborating to help customers manage growing data volumes, drive greater efficiencies and reduce overall costs,” said Tim Russell, vice president, Data Lifecycle Ecosystem Group, NetApp. “Customers are increasingly turning to NetApp Snapshots and replication for faster backup and recovery and meet demanding business requirements. The expanded integration is a major step in enabling customers to simplify management of Snapshots, replication, backup and recovery and maximize their investments in NetBackup and NetApp storage systems.”

Baek Doosan, General Manager of NEXON Korea Corporation

Asiasoft Online (“Asiasoft”) announces its official expansion into Philippines with the launch of MapleSEA, the localised version of MapleStory, the popular 2D side scrolling Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (“MMORPG”).

To order to accede to the increasing number of requests and enquiries from Filipino gamers about the availability of MapleSEA in Philippines, Asiasoft is proud to officially launch MapleSEA on the shores of Philippines and fans of the game can now play, interact and exchange Maple tips with the well-established community from Singapore and Malaysia. Through the server aptly named Artemis, the Goddess of Wildness, Filipino Maplers can now embark on their Maple journey and experience the world of MapleSEA for themselves.

The launch of MapleSEA in Philippines will feature its latest content JUMP, a content update where the three job classes – Warrior, Bowman and Magician, user interface and party quests will be revamped. In addition, new maps and monsters will be introduced to enhance the gaming experience in MapleStory.

NEXON Korea Corporation’s Product Manager Anna Lee, General Manager Baek Doosan, and Assistant Product Manager Tammy Song with TeamAsia managing director Michael Hamlin discussing the Philippine launch of MapleSEA

Divided into two phases, the first phase, entitled Arising of The Origins, was officially introduced on 8^th February 2012 which saw a major revamp and rebalance to the Warrior, Bowman and Magician jobs in the Explorer and Knights of Cygnus classes, a move to keep the game fun and interesting for the gamers. Another key highlight of the first phase was the introduction of Treasure Monsters, monsters that drop items of higher value such as advanced scrolls and Trait items, as compared to their normal counterparts. Depending on their levels, they will also drop the much sought after Spiegelmann’s Monster Park Entry Tickets or Mystery Mastery books.

The second phase of JUMP, entitled the Amazing Monster Park, will take place on 7 March 2012! Much like its namesake, it signals the release of a new map called Monster Park. It is a new party zone for gamers who are of Level 13 and higher, and within the park, they can go on a solo challenge or team up with their friends and buddies to defeat the monsters that lay within this park. Gamers will have to be on their toes and not be fooled by the seemingly harmless monsters, as these monsters are much stronger and yield higher HP, but the rewards for success will be very satisfying.

“We are very delighted and excited to expand into the Philippines with the launch of MapleSEA. It gives us great honourand pleasure to be able to bring the MapleSEA experience in its entirety to the fans in the country, that will include more great content, exciting features and interesting activities across the region for all our gamers.” said Mr Sherman Tan, Chairman of Asiasoft Online. “As we celebrate this monumental occasion, we also look forward to bringing more titles for the Philippines gaming community and continue to engage our gamers through fun and entertainment.”

Since MapleSEA began in 2004, the much-loved MMORPG has evolved into the leading 2-D scrolling MMORPG in the region. Over the past 7 years, MapleSEA has enjoyed increased popularity among gamers of all ages in Singapore and Malaysia, with the total number of registrants crossing the four million mark last year. And with this launch of MapleSEA in Philippines, Asiasoft hopes that the Filipino gamers can join forces with Maplers in Singapore and Malaysia to reach new heights in MapleSEA.

Visit www.MapleSEA.com for more on activities to celebrate the launch of JUMP, as well as latest news of upcoming content.

Research in Motion (RIM) announced that the much awaited BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 has been released and is now available for free download. BlackBerry PlayBook users can now download the new version of the OS for a more enhanced tablet experience whether for work or leisure purposes.

“Building on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s proven web browsing, multimedia and multitasking strengths, the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces a range of new communications and productivity enhancements as well as expanded app and content support,” said David J. Smith, SVP Mobile Computing, Research In Motion.

The new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 features an integrated email client with a powerful unified inbox; the social integration with calendar and contact apps; the updated BlackBerry Bridge app; the Print To Go app; and thousands of new apps that are being added to BlackBerry PlayBook including a range of Android apps that will run on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

In conjunction with the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, RIM is making available an initial release of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion that will include support for managing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry smartphones2 in an enterprise. The full release of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion (with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices) is planned for general availability in late March 2012.

GXI President Paolo Baltao (5th from left) together with ACE Insurance CEO & Country President Daniel Daly (6th from left) and SVP & Regional Head A&H Asia Pacific Juan Luis Ortega (4th from left) display the new PowerPay+ kit containing a Globe Prepaid SIM and PowerPay+ ATM Card. With them are from left, ACE Insurance’ AVP & Head A&H Brokerage Woodie Ebron, VP & Head Specialty Personal Lines Moe Hilario, VP & Head A&H Myla Gonzalez,, AVP & Head A&H Direct Marketing Racel Sotto, GXI Technical Head Joanne Avendano, GXI Sales Head Jim Fraginal, GXI Corporate Strategy and Operations Head Ricardo Alair.

Globe Telecom, through its mobile commerce subsidiary G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), has recently launched a first in the industry—a salary disbursement service that is linked to the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines and comes with insurance coverage.

The new GCASH PowerPay+ enables employees to receive their salaries on their mobile phones and withdraw from any of the 9,000 ATMs all over the country using the PowerPay+ ATM Card or cash out their money at any of the 6,000 GCASH outlets nationwide.

“We strive to enhance the traditional way of disbursing salaries with value-added features, most especially for small and medium-scale businesses. GCASH PowerPay+ supports companies not only in the efficient and convenient fulfillment of salary payouts but also in giving financial security to its employees. With GCASH PowerPay+, we address challenges in disbursing payroll and at the same time, engage employees more with insurance benefits relevant to them and their families,” said GXI President Paolo Baltao.

The GCASH PowerPay+ insurance bundle includes life, accidental death, burial assistance, ATM theft and residential fire coverage.

“ACE Philippines is delighted to become a part of another innovative, market first mobile wallet service facility through GCASH PowerPay+. Being a strategic partner of G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), we are committed to provide the best possible service and insurance coverage in the market today. Now, employees under PowerPay+ have an array of protection benefits embedded as a unique value-added feature,” said ACE Insurance Country President, Daniel T. Daly.

ACE in the Philippines is a member of the ACE Group of Companies®, a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Operating in the country for more than 60 years, ACE delivers specialized and customized coverages for Casualty, Marine, Financial Lines, Property and Accident & Health.

PowerPay+ is a payroll service with no maintaining balance required from the company. In addition, every PowerPay+ ATM card is linked to a Globe SIM registered to GCASH that gives employees access to mobile money services. Employees can now do money transfers, purchase Globe or TM airtime load at a discount, and pay bills at the speed of a text message without the need to cash-in to their GCASH accounts.

Monster.com.ph, one of the leading providers of online career and recruitment solutions, recently launched the Monster mobile application for BlackBerry smartphones, empowering employers and jobseekers while they are on the move. The free new app is now available for download on BlackBerry App World.

Elaborating on the launch, Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com (India/ Middle East/ South East Asia) said, “We are excited to launch the Monster application on the BlackBerry platform. The significant reach and popularity of BlackBerry smartphones provides us an ideal platform to reach out to both jobseekers and employers who want access to Monster.com.ph from their handset. The launch of this application is a step further toward expanding the Monster Mobile Solutions portfolio. Keeping innovation at the heart of all our initiatives, our new mobile application for BlackBerry smartphones caters to the mobile, tech-savvy working population.

“In the backdrop of a dynamic 24X7 lifestyle, this application will provide both seekers and employers using mobile smartphones the valuable convenience of using Monster’s offerings on the go.”

Andrew Vardon, Director of Alliances in Asia Pacific, Research In Motion said, “We are pleased to support Monster.com in bringing its app to the BlackBerry platform. The integration Monster.com has done with BBM and Universal Search delivers a rich and robust application to BlackBerry customers.”

The Monster application for BlackBerry smartphones provides access to all the features and services that are present in Monster.com.ph. It also supports the Universal Search feature on smartphones running the BlackBerry® 6 OS and higher, giving users access to Monster’s search technology in the palm of their hands.

For jobseekers, the new app provides: mobile access to available jobs on Monster.com; ability to view and apply to job postings directly from the BlackBerry smartphone; job alerts integrated with BlackBerry smartphones to deliver matching jobs directly in their messages inbox; and effortless management of their Monster.com account.

For employers, the new app offers: mobile access for management of new job postings; and capability to search and shortlist relevant resumes

What’s more, the new app is a BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) connected app allowing seekers and employers running BBM version 6 (or higher) to easily share the Monster application and search results with their BBM friends.

With this latest offering, Monster continues to meet the needs of jobseekers and employers by extending its mobile solutions to the global workforce.