James Ryan Jonas

Where to buy Apple iPad in the Philippines

What I want for Christmas is a touchscreen tablet PC. Right now, my options are narrowed down to the Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Toshiba Folio 100. My major, major problem, though, is that neither of these products have been officially launched in the Philippines yet and it looks like they still won’t be released anytime soon.

However, unofficial versions are already available in the Philippine market, and this might be one’s chance to own these units prior to the official launch.

Exchange rate to reach $1 = P40?

Market analysts are again expecting the Philippine Peso to further appreciate against the US Dollar.

In a GMA News article, London-based investment bank Barclays Capital says it is revising its earlier exchange rate forecast from P42.50=$1 to P40=$1 within the next 12 months.

Apple iPad vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. Toshiba Folio 100

With Christmas just a few months away, I’m thinking of getting a new PC to replace my 5-year-old Fujitsu laptop which is starting to break down. Touchscreen tablet PCs seem to be the in thing these days so if the specs and price are right, I might get this gadget as a Christmas gift to myself this year.

Which one is the best? That’s what I’m about to find out. I’ll use this space to post some good and bad reviews that I can find for these tablet PCs.

The 3 emerging choices for me, after a preliminary search, seem to be the Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab and Toshiba Folio 100.

Jollibee sells Delifrance business unit

By 2011, gourmet sandwich and pasta company Delifrance will no longer be part of the Jollibee family. This is according to a disclosure by Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) sent to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on September 8.

The company disclosed that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Fresh N’ Famous Foods Inc. (FNF), has entered into an agreement to sell assets of its Delifrance business unit to CafeFrance Corp. for P100 million cash. In connection with the sale, FNF will terminate its franchise agreement with Delifrance Asia Limited on December 31, 2010.

Globe Asiatique (GA) IPO canceled as Pag-IBIG lawsuit looms

Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. (GA) submitted on September 6 a letter to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) requesting to withdraw its P3.39 billion Initial Public Offering (IPO) slated this month.

Globe Asiatique cited as reason the resignation of BDO Capital and Investment Corporation as Issue Manager and Lead Underwriter. In its letter to the PSE, Globe Asiatique said BDO Capital did not talk to them about this decision and only knew of the latter’s resignation via a letter.

5 Best Facebook Like / Share plugins for WordPress

With Facebook.com easily becoming one of the most-visited websites on the web, it pays to have your blog connected to Facebook too. Using Facebook’s Share and Like buttons, a reader can forward your post to his or her friends or simply announce to the Wall that he/she likes your blog post. Through this word of mouth scheme, you can advertise your content with no additional cost.

We searched the net for the best, easy-to-use Facebook Like and Share plugins for WordPress blogs. Here are our selected picks.

Hostage survivor's story of the Manila (Philippines) bus hostage crisis

Here are excerpts from the first-person account of a survivor in the bus hostage-taking incident at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines.
Lee Ying-chuen was one of 25 Hong Kong tourists aboard the Hong Tai bus that was taken hostage by Rolando Mendoza. Her story of their ordeal inside the bus was published last week in the Chinese newspaper Ming Pao Daily News.

(Video, Transcript) Radio interview with Manila bus hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza

The role that media played is now at the center of the investigation of the Manila bus hostage-taking last August 23. The main question: Is the media partly to blame for the hostage-taker’s rampage that killed nine Chinese tourists from Hong Kong?
We all saw how the media scrambled to outdo each other on that fateful day. One local Philippine radio station — Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN) — successfully managed to interview Rolando Mendoza minutes prior to the killings.
Listen to the radio interview and decide whether the media contributed to the tragic ending of this hostage incident.

James Ryan Jonas

Pinoy Money Talk