7 must-have apps for Manila’s Traffic Armageddon

ABS-CBN has reported that yesterday might be the beginning of the so-called ‘Traffic Armageddon’ in Manila due to the construction of the Skyway 3 project and the NAIAEx phase 2 project. It was foreseen that traffic volume in EDSA would increase by more than half, so it’s inevitable that we’ll get stuck in traffic. Here are 7 free must-have apps that you should have to prepare for this fiasco!

1. Tour Events – Available in iOS

Source: appcrawlr.com

Source: appcrawlr.com

For those who like sleeping while commuting (and occasionally oversleeping and going past your stop), this is the perfect app. After setting your destination, it uses your GPS to know where you are and wakes you up, most likely through your headphones, when your stop is approaching.

That’s not all, it can also send a text message to your contacts when you’re near your destination. For example it can send a message to your partner saying, “Honey I’m almost home. Make me a sandwich.” Pretty neat, eh?

2. Winobi – Available in iOS and Android

Source: androidpit.com

Source: androidpit.com

Winobi is a game for people who want to pass the time and tease their brain while suck in traffic. The app has a bunch of puzzle games to test your math, association, and perception skills.

You can also invite your friends and family to join in the fun if you’re connected online to challenge them and beat their high scores. Basically, it makes use of the time you spend in traffic and sharpens your brain at the same time!

3. Vector – Available in iOS and Android

Source: celldekho.com

Source: celldekho.com

Don’t want to think a lot and just play purely for fun? Do you like parkour? Then Vector is the game for you! It is a side-scrolling, arcade-style game with a free-runner as your main character. Run, vault, slide, and climb like a ninja and avoid obstacles so that Big Brother doesn’t catch up to you.

Vector is a really simple game, navigated by just swiping the screen of your smartphone. It’s easy and interesting enough to accompany you during your whole duration in EDSA!

4. Waze – Available in iOS, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry

A screenshot from my phone.

A screenshot from my phone.

I’m sure most of you have heard of Waze. It is a navigation app that informs you of traffic and other road conditions in real time. I have been personally using Waze for quite a while now and I could say that it has helped me more than once to find a shorter route, avoid traffic, and watch out for cops!

Hopefully, it proves as useful for you as it did for me during this Traffic Armageddon.

5. Grab Taxi – Available in iOS, Android, and Windows

Source: grabtaxi.com

Source: grabtaxi.com

Grab Taxi is another app that’s been gaining popularity here in the Philippines. It does what its name suggests — the app notifies the taxi (that also uses this app) nearest you and it will show your location so the taxi can fetch you.

Partner this with Waze, and there’s a high chance that you’ll be in a faster route, while enjoying the comforts of a taxi. Of course, you’ll need to shell out more dough if you opt to take a cab home rather than a van or jeepney.

6. Yank – iOS

Source: itunes.apple.com

Source: itunes.apple.com

This has been a new discovery of mine and I think a lot of people could really make use of this app. What Yank does is basically to alert people (friends, family, and even emergency personnel) for an emergency. Simply yank the headphones out of your mobile device and a text or email will be sent to them together with your GPS location, informing them that you might be in danger.

A lot of crime has happened in the past involving public transportations on the road, and this app could definitely come in handy when you’re in traffic and something goes wrong. In addition, Yank could also be used when you’re jogging, hiking, biking, and a lot more to ensure your safety.

7. Twitter – Available in iOS, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry

Source: gmanetwork.com

Source: gmanetwork.com

Yes, I’ve included Twitter in this list. Who doesn’t want to tweet their frustrations when they’ve been in the same area for over 30 minutes already? Venting out could help you release tension and a bit of stress.

Also, during this time, you can stalk your favorite celebrities. Who knows, they might be in the same traffic as you are, like Andi Manzano here!

8. Mirror – Available in iOS and Android

Source: gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com

Source: gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com

This is just a bonus app for the ladies out there. If you girls are bored out of your wits in traffic, there are probably few things that come to mind, and one of those is to take a traffic #selfie! The Mirror app makes sure that you’re ready to snap those photos away and upload them to either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or all of them at the same time!

Got more apps you want to share to other readers? The comment box is ready!

The post 7 must-have apps for Manila’s Traffic Armageddon appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Snap, a Google Play client for BlackBerry 10

If we thought that BlackBerry OS 10 devices are doomed, this is probably the best news we’ve heard from their camp in a long while.


Presenting Snap, a Google Play client for BlackBerry 10 devices running the latest 10.2.1 update which just rolled out. From the UI stand point, it looks like the BlackBerry World but with Google Play apps. That means more apps and more fun for the good ol’ BlackBerry 10.

In order to use Snap, you must first sideload it to your BB10 device. If you haven’t tried sideloading apps into a BlackBerry before, here is a guided step by step procedure from CrackBerry.com

With the latest 2.0 version of Snap, you can download your previous purchases in Google Play to your BlackBerry 10 device. This is finally having Android apps without the need to sideload or convert them separately. If you have tried using this client, please share your comments and experience so far.

{source}

The post Snap, a Google Play client for BlackBerry 10 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Parrot is great voice recording app for BlackBerry Z10

Parrot voice record BlackBerry Z10

PARROT ON BLACKBERRY Z10. Parrot is a beautifully-designed app that produces very clear audio recordings. (Photo by Max Limpag)

As a journalist, I use my phone extensively for news gathering. Apart from it being my camera, the phone is also my main voice recorder for interviews. I still carry an MP3 voice recorder but this serves only as backup, the quality of recording in smartphones is so much higher.

Whenever I set up a phone, one of the first apps I install is a voice recorder. On Android, my favorite voice recording application is Easy Voice Recorder, which has a free version that more than meets my needs. On iOS, my favorite voice recording app is iTalk, which produces clear and great quality recordings.

On the BlackBerry Z10, which uses the company’s BlackBerry 10 platform, I find Parrot to be the best voice recording application.

Parrot is easy to use and the user interface is beautiful and minimal. It’s easy to use the app for recording.

I used Parrot in several interviews, including the Tell It To Sun.Star roundtable interview of defeated congressional candidate Annabelle Rama before the elections and the sound quality is really exceptional. Play the clip below to check it out for yourself. My phone was on the table about 2 feet away from Annabelle during the recording.

Parrot on BlackBerry Z10

INTERVIEW. I used Parrot on the BlackBerry Z10 to record the interview by Sun.Star journalists of defeated congressional candidate Annabelle Rama. The recording was very clear. Check out a sample clip below. (Photo by Max Limpag)

Parrot has a live graph of audio input to give you an idea of the sound levels so that you could adjust the placement of the phone.

Listen to this sample clip of the Annabelle Rama interview to check out the quality of Parrot’s recording.

The app is exclusive to the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Parrot also allows you to define the quality of your recording from Low (.awb files), Good (.m4a files) and High (.wav files). You can then copy the recording to the external memory card or share this via Bluetooth, email, BlackBerry Messenger or even NFC.

If you regularly do interviews or record voice memos whenever an idea occurs to you, Parrot on the BlackBerry 10 is an excellent free app for that.

The post Parrot is great voice recording app for BlackBerry Z10 appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Tech Experiments.

WWF-Philippines’ New Mobile Game to Raise Funds for a Cause


Words by Ethel Merioles

Remember the Tubbataha Reef incident that happened last month? Just a little background on the World Heritage site located in the Sulu Sea, over 1000 animal species inhabit in the reef, including hawksbill sea turtles, giant trevally (jacks), hammerhead sharks, barracudas, manta rays, palm-sized Moorish idols, napoleon wrasse, parrotfish, and moray eels. Whale sharks and tiger sharks have reportedly been seen in the large coral sanctuary, as well.








The Tubbataha Reef is just one of six marine priority conservation areas that WWF-Philippines are helping, and this time, in an effort to raise funds for a cause, the independent conservation organization released a cool mobile game in February this year.

As part of WWF-Philippines’ fund raising campaign to save marine animals from pollutants and unsustainable fishing practices, a Filipino app development company known as AppLabs Digital Studios designed and developed a time-pressure puzzle game. The game is primarily meant to provide hours of entertainment to any user and at the same time donate to WWF-Philippines’ marine conservation programs. A dollar can go a long way, especially if it means saving the rich marine biodiversity of the Philippines, including, of course, the world-renowned Tubbataha Reef.



The app, dubbed EnviroPop, is currently available for download at the Apple App Store, and will reach the Android market very soon. Sales from the app will go straight to WWF-Philippines’marine conservation programs to help conserve our biodiversity and mitigate the impact of human footprint on our environment. With this app, people will learn more about our environment and essentially save the Philippine seas!
Interested iOS users may try the app for free (Download link: http://goo.gl/kwUKU) or purchase the full version for $0.99 (http://goo.gl/Qec9I). The Android version is scheduled to be released early this year.