It’s time to elevate your life and your sound trip with JBL!

Everyone is a true original. We march to the beat of our own drums, with the freedom to design our life exactly the way we want it. Goodbye to treading the “traditional,” and here’s to paving our own exciting paths. Whether you like the adrenaline of living it up in the fast lane or taking it slow and steady, cruising through life on your own terms, JBL understands that there’s no such thing as a “one-size” fits all kind of lifestyle. That's why JBL continues to innovate and provide SOUND ALL AROUND.

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JBL is the brand for all your audio needs--encompassing all aspects of sound, whatever your field. From professionals, to students, athletes, gamers, content creators, and more, every person can enjoy unique sound tailored to their own story. And in pursuit of providing only the best for each individual, JBL is introducing a new range of essentials under the gaming, sports, speakers, and True Wireless categories. 

Here, find exactly what you need that that reflects your own reality. It’s time to elevate your life and your sound trip with JBL!

 

Living Hands-Free

 

For students and professionals, you may find yourself spending countless of hours commuting or hanging out at your work/ study desk, tackling the day’s load. Allow yourself to fully focus on your task at hand or make the trip around the campus or city more enjoyable with JBL’s True Wireless Earbuds. 

 

The JBL Wave Beam and JBL Wave Buds are perfect if you want to bring your sound everywhere. With bass you can feel and a battery life of up to 32 hours, these ear candies deliver crystal clear sound with Smart Ambient technology that keeps you aware of your surroundings.

 

For the go-getting entrepreneur or professional, the JBL Tune Flex is a flex you should get. Its ergonomic and water-resistant design gives you all-day comfort for any weather. In addition, it’s designed with a simple touch feature that allows you to manage and enjoy calls anywhere, without ambient noises. Now, you can choose whether you want to tune out the world or engage with your surroundings.

 

Working/ studying from home? No problem. The JBL Live Free 2 and the JBL Live Pro 2 allow you to make clear, perfect calls with six beamforming mics. You can also access your preferred voice assistant for seamless, hands-free control and connection. The Live Free 2 earbuds deliver up to 35 hours of incredible JBL Signature Sound (with 7 hours in the earbuds + 28 hours in the case), speed charging, and Qi-compatible wireless charging for when your batteries need a boost. The Live Pro2 delivers the same amazing benefits with up to 40 hours of incredible JBL Signature Sound (with 10 hours in the earbuds + 30 hours in the case). Each are beautifully designed to fit your aesthetic and give you a stylishly elevated, ergonomic set. 

 

Born to Move

 

When you’re in the zone, nothing should distract you. JBL’s in-ear sports earphones keep you on track, especially if you want to be unstoppable. For athletes and other active individuals, the JBL Run 2 and the Run 2 B make for a perfect fit. 

 

These wireless sets will get you the motivation you need to push harder. Their FlipHook design adapt to an in-ear or behind-the-ear fit for convenience. In addition, the comfortable combination of FlexSoft ear tips and TwistLock technology guarantees that they will never to hurt or fall out. Heading out into the rain or heat? Thanks to IPX5 waterproof, these wireless headphones keep up with you every step of the way. Enjoy a playback of 10 hours, an in-line microphone, and remote for hands-free control of sound and calls. 

Director Product Planning & Strategy, Consumer Audio Harman Asia Pacific, Megan Lee and Country Head of JBL By Harman in the Philippines, Larry Secreto

Built to Win

 

Gaming is no longer just a hobby, it’s a real profession. And if you’re looking for a set that helps you stand out, then going with the JBL Quantum 810 is a must! Fully immerse in a new world ushered by the signature JBL QuantumSOUND, which makes even the tiniest audio details come in crystal clear; and JBL QuantumSURROUND, the best spatial surround sound for gaming with DTS Headphone:X version 2.0 technology.

 

If you’re more on-the-go, JBL Quantum TWS is for you. Play anywhere and hear everything as this innovative pair features True Adaptive Noise Cancelling technology. Lose yourself in the game and limit distractions with accurate surround sound. Easily Fast Pair with Bluetooth smartphones and establish low latency 2.4GHz connections to compatible devices with the included USB-C dongle.

 

Life of the Party

#YOLO Make every day and every gathering one for the books! Turn your space into a club with the JBL Boombox 3,the most powerful portable Bluetooth speaker now made even better! It’s been redesigned with a new subwoofer unleashing much deeper bass and massive JBL Original Pro Sound, all with lower distortion. Party to 24 hours of play time, hyping you up from your morning workout to the late-night rendezvous with your friends. 

 

For a truly unforgettable experience, grab the JBL PartyBox Encore speaker and the JBL Pulse 5. Sync the lightshow's rockin' strobes, ring, and club lights for an awesomely immersive experience. You can also sing along with JBL PartyBox Encore’s premium digital wireless mic, optimized for karaoke with adjustable echo, bass, and treble. Both speakers are dustproof and waterproof so take them from your backyard to the beach and beyond! 

 

Life is what you make it. So, enjoy every moment and dive into the perfect sound trip every day with JBL. Now, that’s a vibe. 

 

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JBL’s newest ear buds and speakers will be available at all JBL branches starting October 19, 2022. For more information, visit https://www.jbl.com.ph/ or visit the JBL branch nearest you.

 

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jblph_official

  

5G has grown faster than any previous generation of mobile technology

5G is enabling new service scenarios, applications, and business models, paving the way for unprecedented growth opportunities in the industry. How should we seize these opportunities? In Huawei's 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) which kicked off in Bangkok, people might find the answer.

During the event, Huawei Rotating Chairman Ken Hu gave his keynote speech, "5G has grown faster than any previous generation of mobile technology," he said, "In just three years, we've seen solid progress in network deployment, consumer services, and industry applications." 

"5G is in the fast lane," he continued, "and we should all be proud of the progress we've made. But there's more we can do to maximize its value. We need to work together to fully unleash the power of 5G networks and expand into services like cloud and system integration. Together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole."

Ken Hu speaking at MBBF 2022

 

As of October 2022, more than 230 carriers around the world have launched commercial 5G services. In total, the industry has set up over three million 5G base stations, serving more than 700 million subscribers. 

In telecoms, consumer services still account for the bulk of carrier revenue. As 5G becomes more prevalent, its vastly superior experience is driving new shifts in consumer behavior, including a sharp rise in high-definition video traffic. New mobile applications that take advantage of 5G's greater speeds and lower latency have doubled average user data consumption (DOU) and are increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) by 20%–40%, contributing to steady growth in carrier revenue from connectivity.

At the same time, B2B 5G applications are also becoming a new engine for carrier revenue growth, producing considerable value in industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation. 

These applications are not only innovative – they're generating real commercial value for carriers. In 2021, for example, Chinese carriers brought in over CNY3.4 billion (roughly USD500 million) in new revenue from more than 3,000 industrial 5G projects. What's more, these projects also generated 10 times that amount from related data and integrated ICT services. 

According to a report released by GSMA in July 2022, the importance of 5G technology and its role in enabling digital transformation is one of the pillars of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) in the Philippines. It outlines strategies and initiatives that should be taken to increase accessibility, affordability, and network quality, country-level 5G Availability almost doubled within a space of a year — from 9.4% in Q1 2021 to 18.1% in Q1 2022. 

Ms. Lara Dewar CMO of GSMA said during the MBBF 2022 keynote that, we need to work together to unlock the full potential of connectivity. 

B2B 5G applications are poised to become the fastest growing revenue stream for carriers. 5G is enabling new service scenarios, applications, and business models, paving the way for unprecedented growth opportunities in the industry.

"To seize these opportunities," said Hu, "there are a few things we need to do."

Building out networks for better user experience

Beyond expanding coverage, networks should be built in a way that optimizes different types of user experience. For example, Chinese carriers have optimized their networks for TikTok and other popular video services, reducing first input delay by 50% and frame freeze by 90%. This much smoother video experience has doubled data consumption and is attracting new users to 5G services.

Driving the development of 5.5G 

To push 5G to the next level, Huawei worked with carriers and industry partners to propose four features for 5.5G, the next evolution of 5G technology: 10 Gbps downlink, 1 Gbps uplink, support for 100 billion connections, and native intelligence. 

"The industry needs to come together to define standards, prepare the spectrum, and build out the ecosystem," said Hu.

Driving service innovation to maximize the value of 5G

With large bandwidth and low latency, 5G can be integrated with cloud and AI to provide entirely new services for consumers and businesses alike. Carriers can deliver new experiences like extended reality (XR), cloud gaming, and enriched calling services for individual consumers, and provide enterprises with more comprehensive digital transformation solutions. These open up new revenue streams, presenting an opportunity for carriers to go beyond connectivity and move into cloud services and system integration.

Industry digitalization is the next wave of global economic development. As a key enabler of digital transformation, 5G opens up a world of new opportunities. But the ICT ecosystem needs to work together to make the most of them. "If we work together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole," Hu concluded. 

The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners GSMA and GTI. This annual forum gathers mobile network carriers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to make 5G a commercial success, as well as other high-priority industry topics like green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution. For more information, please visit: 

https://www.huawei.com/en/events/mbbf2022.

Top 10 most wishlisted Airbnb Stays for your next trip to Japan

It’s time to include Japan on your travel destination list! The Land of the Rising Sun fully reopened for visa-free, individual travel earlier this month and the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines has announced that they are now accepting applications for all visas.

 

According to latest data from an Airbnb survey conducted among Filipinos this October, 9 in 10 Filipino adults intend to travel to Japan when they are able to and 45 percent ranked Japan their number one travel wishlist destination. The data also showed that 71 percent of Filipino respondents would like to visit a major city in Japan. Approximately a third indicated that having a unique accommodation was important when traveling toJapan.*

 

Airbnb has further revealed the top searched destinations in Japan by global travelers on the platform:**

1.     Osaka

2.     Tokyo

3.     Shinjuku

4.     Shibuya

5.     Fukuoka

6.     Kyoto

7.     Taito

8.     Sapporo

9.     Okinawa

10.  Niseko

Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said, “We greatly welcome the lifting of Japan’s travel restrictions, as it is an extremely popular destination forinternational travelers including Filipinos. We know that many are excitedly gearing up to plan holidays for the end-of-year festive season and next year.”

 

Whether you want to immerse yourself in the buzzy vibes of downtown Tokyo, indulge in Osaka’s incredibleculinary scene, or go off-the-beaten-track and discover something new in lesser known but equally beautifulregions like Tohoku — Japan definitely has something to offer for every type of traveler. To help you plan your much-awaited adventure, here are Airbnb’s top 10 most globally wishlisted stays in Japan.*** Douitashimashite!

For a taste of Japanese living

●              [Private room] An old folk house guest house with a goat! Equipped with Wi-Fi - Matakitai (Iwate)

●              [Inn house] Yanagi-dori west wing Asakusa A modern Japanese-style luxury house with an open-air bath limited to two people (Tokyo)

 

For an eccentric yet exciting experience

●              Handmade strawbale house Tida House (Hokkaido)

●              MANGA design, all-you-can-read comics, 1 bed, free snacks included, free WIFI [Hotel Tavinos Kyoto](Kyoto)

 

For the minimalist enthusiast

●              4beds in Tokyo/3min. from the station : Studio B (Tokyo)

●               【Ginza/Tokyo area】 Junior Suite (Free Wi-Fi) (Tokyo)

●              YANAKA SOW STANDARD TWIN (Tokyo)

●              [Shinagawa Oimachi] Good access to the airport and Shinkansen! A stylish designer hotel that can be used for both business and travel (Tokyo)

For some off-grid exploration

●              Enjoy the superb view of Lake Nojiri, a detached

 house with private sauna Anoie (Nagano)

●              Elegant, secluded cabin for couples & families (Nagano)

As travel returns, Airbnb recently announced an exciting new partnership with MUJI Japan to renovate empty homes, shopfronts and government-owned real estate to drive new and creative types of travel accommodation in towns across the country. To start, both parties are converting accommodation owned by Shimizu-cho, Hokkaido into unique stays for travelers

– with two MUJI-designed and styled homes now bookable exclusively on Airbnb here and here. Both feature local Hokkaido timber furniture and MUJI-branded tableware, cooking utensils, and home appliances.

 

*Based on data from a YouGov survey commissioned by Airbnb, that polled 1063 respondents in the Philippines between 6-12 October 2022.

**Based on guest locations that generated the most searches for Japan on the day of the

Japanese government’s announcement, 23 September.

***Based on most wishlisted listing data from Sept 1 - Sept 22, 2022. All Homes referenced are intended purely toinspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not recommend or endorse specific Home listings on the Airbnb platform.

Could Collective Intelligence be the Solution to Money Laundering in the Philippines?

Despite the government’s increased efforts to prevent money laundering, the Philippines still remains on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list. Citing technical compliance deficiencies with its anti-money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation of financing programs, the FATF also shared that it needs to improve overall financial intelligence.

 

In the second installment of the webinar series called Compliant Conversations, Tookitaki AML experts and legal pundits talked about how fintech companies can comply with the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) in the Philippines. As digitisation continues to escalate in the financial sector, the webinar shed light on the potential impact of collective intelligence on the industry. 

 

“From years of experience, the most effective and efficient way to detect money laundering is to compare customer transactions and study irregularities in established patterns,” shared Enrique V. Dela Cruz, Jr., Senior Partner and compliance attorney at DivinaLaw. “If these transactions were actually consolidated into a shared database that can be accessed by financial institutions, it could actually equip the public and private sector to monitor fraudulent transactions better.” 

While consolidating and comparing customer transactions could be beneficial to tackling financial crime in the country, this could also be a challenge as most financial institutions do not have complete customer and depositor records. In fact, there are still local banks that are manually monitoring transactions and are still in the process of digitizing records as pushed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and AMLC.

 

This is the advantage that fintech companies have over traditional financial institutions. With technology already integrated with its business model, fintech companies  can seamlessly adapt new innovations encouraged by the government, beginning with automated transaction monitoring. 

 

Akshara Karanjekar, an AML expert at Tookitaki, added that “An effective automated transaction monitoring system should enable fintech companies to detect and assess whether a customer’s transaction poses suspicion considering their respective backgrounds and profiles. It should also facilitate holistic reviews of customer transactions over a short period in order to monitor and identify any unusual or suspicious streams.”

 

However, as newer forms of payment arise, fintech companies also need to understand that fraudulent transactions are getting harder to detect. While automated transaction monitoring is integral to improving financial intelligence, being able to compare these transactions against a database of fraudulent activities is crucial to actually spotting money laundering.

 

“With fraudulent activities increasingly driven by the pickup of digitisation, more companies are looking for emerging AML solutions that are agile and scalable”, shared Abhishek Chatterjee, Founder & CEO ofTookitaki. “Fintech companies have the agility to lead the use of digitally transformed AML compliance programs that will promote financial intelligence in the country.”

 

Tookitaki pioneered The AML Ecosystem,  a first-of-its-kind community-driven initiative that helps remove the information vacuum created by siloed AML operations. The Ecosystem consists of the Typology Repository and a network of experts. The Typology Repository collates the pooled intelligence of a community of AML experts from across the globe. Tookitaki recently made the AML Ecosystem public, which is a strong testament to using technology for the greater good fuelled by innovation. Underpinning it is a valued partnership program that is mutually beneficial for all stakeholders engaged in reducing the laundering of illicit proceeds of crime.

 

Money laundering can’t be fought in silos. In order to effectively tackle crime, there should be a collaborative effort within the industry. The AML Ecosystem enables financial institutions, risk advisers, legal firms, consultancies, and AML experts to share their domain knowledge related to financial crime for the benefit of society,” added Chatterjee

 

URC, UP Diliman sign collab to support students’ graduate research

Universal Robina Corporation (URC) and the National Graduate School of Engineering of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP NGSE) recently agreed to collaborate on a program that supports their shared vision of sustainable national development through advanced research in engineering. 

 

Under this program, URC will provide mentors and up to PhP250,000 in financial grants for select UP NGSE graduate students who pursue research projects on sustainability and environmental engineering. Some members of URC’s Technical Leadership team will also deliver lectures at the UP NGSE, where they will share insights and experiences on URC’s engineering and sustainability-focused efforts.

 

“The UP College of Engineering and its graduate school, the National Graduate School of Engineering, warmly welcome the opportunity to provide students pursuing advanced engineering degrees with valuable industry perspectives and service learning activities,” said Dr. Maria Antonia Tanchuling, Dean of the UP College of Engineering.

 

Tanchuling added that they strongly believe the vision of sustainable national development will be advanced through industry-academe partnerships that synergistically combine advanced academic and research training in engineering with industry readiness and relevance. 

 

“Through this partnership, we hope that both URC and the NGSE will demonstrate to industry at large the value of having ‘industry-ready’ graduates with advanced degrees,” she said.

 

In 2016, URC pledged to become a sustainable global enterprise. It has since championed environmental efforts such as transitioning to low carbon power and renewable energy sources.

  

These initiatives are in line with URC’s long-term goals, which include achieving plastic neutrality and having net zero carbon emission.