Flippin' for Flip Video!

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the Philippine launch of the Cisco's Flip Video MinoHD. Cisco, in partnership with SM Cinemas, hosted the launch at SM Megamall Cinema 6. The place was jam-packed, and well attended by bloggers, media, celebrities and your everyday Juan.




While I'm no stranger to Flip cameras, it was definitely exciting to be part of the crowd who'll be the first to experience the new line that Cisco was launching. I've been blogging since 2003, but I'm fairly new to the events scene, so pardon the uber excited vibe I may be exuding.

Cisco launched three new cameras during this event: The Flip MinoHD 1HR, Flip MinoHD 2HR and the UltraHD. These cameras are small, stylish and easy to operate, standards set by the previous releases of the Flip Video. They're also ready to operate straight out of the box. A no-fuss video camera that takes high resolution footage? Sign me up!


Photo by Ryan

A screening of several short films shot using the Flip Video MinoHD was presented to the guests. Before that, cocktails were served while guests mingled. I had a grand time hanging out with friends Arpee and Ryan, and meeting new ones as well. It was also a thrill to finally see the faces of people I know only through their blogs. *waves hello*

Among those whose films were shown using the Flip MinoHD were Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Mitch Dulce, Dimples Romana, director Topel Lee and blogger Jayvee Fernandez.

Probably the much awaited moment of the night was the raffle for the Flip MinoHD. Guests were asked to fill in a raffle stub at the registration tables earlier in the event. I didn't expect to win, but imagine my elation when my name was called. Plurk friend Fritz Tentativa also won a camera.

While I haven't really played around much with the camera, in an oddly positive way, there's not much look at. Being simple is the camera's biggest selling point, among others.

1. You don't have to be technical to use the camera as there are no confusing controls to worry about when you want to shoot. 
2. The camera is small and very lightweight, probably weighs as much as an iPod classic (or even less). 
3. It powers up fairly fast. I can be up and shooting videos in two seconds. 
4. There are no messy and confusing wires to worry about. The Flip Video MinoHD has a built-in USB arm that flips out of the body and attaches easily to any USB port for fast and easy file transfer. 
5. There's a pre-packaged software called FlipShare that's compatible to both PC and Mac, which you can use to organize, edit and share your videos.

On the downside, battery life seems a tad too short for a camera that can shoot two hour footage. The storage, even for the 8 GB, isn't ideal if you want to shoot long footage, like weddings or other events, especially if you don't have a computer handy to connect to. The fact that the memory isn't expandable may be a problem for some. Also, the USB plug is awkward because it cannot support the camera's weight when it's plugged in but Fritz's suggestion to get those USB extension cables works around this concern well.

Those aside, it shouldn't stop you from getting one. The cameras are very handy and easy to operate. Having a dedicated camera for video now frees up your still camera for what it's originally made for.

The Flip Video MinoHD is available locally in various electronics and gadget stores like Ansons Appliance, Digital Walker, selected outlets of Human (yes, the clothing shop), Power Mac Center, Robinsons Appliance Stores and of course, SM Department Stores and Appliance centers.


Arpee, me and Jo Bonsol. Photo by Ryan

Thanks to Arpee of Pinoy Life At Large for extending the invite!

Linaw Beach Resort

One of the nicest resorts I've been to is Linaw Beach Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol. I'm not a big fan of resorts, as they're often crowded and noisy. The only other resort I had a wonderful time in was in Sariaya, Quezon (but that was because we were there on a weekday, thus had the place to ourselves).

It was Joiz who found Linaw Beach Resort online, and it got our vote not only because it looked great, but because she received a prompt and thorough reply to her query. Plus, the price for the rooms were quite affordable, especially since we split it between the five of us.

We booked three days and two nights, and the resort even had a service pick us up from the airport in Tagbilaran. It arrived a little late due to some mix up with the van driver, but we forgot about thanks to our excitement.

Linaw Beach Resort is about thirty minutes away from the airport. The scenery along Panglao is very provincial and peaceful, a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Tagbilaran.






When we arrived at the resort, we were greeted by the staff who offered us tall, cold glasses of iced tea. From the road, it looked like a modest sized house, with some construction going on outside. Still, it was a beautiful place and we couldn't help but go "Oh my God" over and over.

Once entering our rooms, we started rhapsodizing about the awesomeness of the place all over again. Our rooms were on the first floor of the adjacent building from where we checked in. A connecting door allowed us to pass through the rooms. They opened directly out to the restaurant and pool area, which was open to the majestic view of the white sand beach.

We decided then and there that we wanted to live in Linaw.

Professor Layton VS. Ace Attorney on the Nintendo 3DS

I am a big Professor Layton fan, although it was quite by accident. I borrowed a friend's Nintendo DS mostly to play Final Fantasy. One boring afternoon, I took a break from FF and decided to check out "Professor Layton and the Curious Village".

I was hooked. My sister was hooked, and so was my mom. I played that and "The Diabolical Box" and wanted more. Since I can't understand Japanese, I have to wait for the English releases, and boy, sometimes it is a long wait.

Today, I heard the news that Level 5, the company that created Professor Layton, is working with Capcom (yes, that CAPCOM) to bring a crossover puzzle/crime mystery game to the Nintendo 3DS. It's called Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban (Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney).

Yes. Layton AND Ace Attorney.



Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi will helm the writing team for the game. This ought to be good. In the meantime, I will go scour the internet for an Ace Attorney Revoltech, and save up for a 3DS.

Thanks to MarkPoa for the heads up. Joystiq and Siliconera for the details and photos.

My feedback: Nokia 2730

My parents recently renewed their contract with Smart Bro and received a Nokia 2730 classic for free. It looks like a younger sibling of the Nokia 6730 classic that I had the chance of using before, if somewhat lighter and a bit more flimsy.



The Nokia 2730

Bidding wars

I started working at oDesk with an hourly rate of $3. I increased it to $5 but sadly, I get a lot of "bid is too high" responses. I acknowledge that while don't fully understand the dynamics of how buyers get their funds to pay for the work they need, it is still rather annoying and disheartening to receive such notices when I know that one, my rate is not high compared to other providers, and two, what I am charging is still affordable enough for great quality work.

What many buyers might not consider is the worth of the dollar to the person who is looking for work. A dollar is worth about forty to fifty pesos in the Philippines, depending on the market, but it usually falls around in that range. It may sound big --- if you tend to think that what fifty bucks can buy is the same as what you can get with a dollar.

In most cases it is not. In order for someone to live substantially here, you have to at least earn P500 a day. That's about $10 (again, depending on the exchange rate), and that's only for the daily expenses. In other countries, a person earning $10 an hour is standard. Ten dollars a day is not enough, especially if a person has to pay his bills and sustain a family.

Some writers accept a low paying work because they accept other work as well. Totaling what they earn for all that would most likely net them a substantial amount. Then again, it would be undermining their talents and skills, and sometimes, getting bulk work compromises the quality of the articles.

I also noticed that many buyers prefer to get people from non-US countries because they will take a dollar per article rate. Browsing through some writing forums, I've learned that many writers consider a $10 per article rate the bare minimum, as it's the rate many US writers charge.

In many instances, it's a strike against me to have the Philippines listed as my location. Buyers immediately think I'll be willing to accept a very low rate for my work. While I do want to get a job, I too have my standards. I have a university degree and more than ten years of writing experience in various fields under my belt. I speak and write English as well as anyone who is from an English speaking country. In fact, I learned how to speak it alongside the vernacular language. English is not a second language for me, but one of my primary languages.

Still think the bid is too high? Here are some suggestions you can look into to help you decide what to do next.

1. Check the provider's work. Make a portfolio a requirement for applicants. Do they write in the way that you want your articles to come out? Are they up to your standards of "perfect English grammar"? Is their work original and pass Copyscape? These are common requirements I see in many job postings.

Even without asking, I include links to my blog so that the buyer will be able to look at how I write. I try to keep my blog as updated as possible, and write in a variety of styles. I am confident that my work is worth more than my current oDesk bid. I've seen some writing samples of people who bid around a dollar or so for their work and honestly, it is worth even less.

2. If you think the rate is too high even after you've checked the provider's work, don't cancel the bid just yet. Ask the provider if they would be willing to negotiate their rate to meet your budget. While many would not consider doing so, there would be others who would be willing to. If by chance they cannot lower it to the exact amount that you need, try to see if you can compromise to an amount that would be satisfactory to both of you.

3. Consider the kind of job you want them to do. Seriously, a 500 word article is not easy to write. If you could do it quickly, then I'm sure you wouldn't be looking for a writer now, right? Think of all the work that goes into it: research, writing the draft, the cycle of editing and rewriting until you get it right. I've looked into freelance forums and writing forums and many agree that a dollar for one article that includes research and editing is a very low rate. Even if the data has been provided, it still is a low rate.

4. Look into the writer's feedback, history and testimonials, if they are any (usually for sites like oDesk there would be). Is it good? Does it meet your standards? Or are you seeing low scores and ratings? I'd personally pick a writer who charges $10 per article (or hour, depending) if I am confident that they can meet my demands, versus someone charging a dollar but has issues with deadlines and quality.

5. In relation to the previous items, check the writer's credentials. With the Internet, there has been a proliferation of people who call themselves writers, mostly because they get their works published in a blog or an online publication. As previously mentioned, you can ask for work samples and use them as a measuring stick. My research showed that many prefer to look for seasoned writers over people who just blog, unless their entries are truly good.

I hope that buyers would see that sometimes, just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it's good. There are some things that are worth spending money for, and if you truly want great value for your dollar, well, you will get what you pay for.