Binondo is more prosperous now with Lucky Chinatown

MANILA, Philippines - . The mall, the latest venture by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, is part of a massive urban renewal project designed to revitalize Binondo as one of the country’s most prosperous and culturally rich districts.

Hosts Tim Yap and Tessa Prieto-Valdes opened the program amidst the sounds of Chinese drums and the revelry of the dragon dancers. Andrew Tan, chairman and president of Megaworld, spoke of Binondo’s cultural heritage and how the mall aims to inject new excitement into the area while staying true to its Chinese-Filipino roots. President Aquino lauded Megaworld’s efforts in keeping Binondo’s heritage alive at Lucky Chinatown.

The President joined Tan in the traditional dotting of the dragon’s eyes. A virtual ton of confetti shower officially kicked off the grand celebration followed by a shadow play performed by El Gamma Penumbra. A fashion show highlighted several of the lifestyle brands found in the mall.

Celebrities spotted during the festivities included GMA 7 Artist Center’s rising talents Rocco Nacino, Sheena Halili and Louise delos Reyes, couple Aubrey Miles and Troy Montero as well as Doug and Cheska Kramer.With Lucky Chinatown, the future of Manila’s Chinatown looks very lucky indeed. (The mall is located on Reina Regente corner Dela Reina streets, Binondo, Manila.)

All about being smart

Home entertainment products have never been this smart!

Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. unveiled its 2012 Smart TV lineup at its newly opened Samsung store at Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City. These products are built on three pillars: Smart Interaction, Smart Content and Smart Evolution.

Samsung’s Smart Interaction technology provides Smart TV users with new motion control, voice control and face recognition. Users can turn on and off the TV, activate selected apps or search for and select content in the web browser — all without touching the remote. Smart Interaction is available in the company’s 2012 flagship Smart TV sets including the LED ES8000 series, the LED ES7500 series and the Plasma E8000 series. All these feature a built-in camera that recognizes movement in the foreground, as well as two microphones to recognize voice.

As the Smart TV platform of choice, the electronics company provides consumers access to the widest variety of premium content available, with over 1,500 apps offered worldwide. It also provides a much faster Smart TV experience powered by a new dual-core processor. At the launch, the company also showcased its commitment to convergence and content accessibility through AllShare Play, a Smart TV service that allows content to be pushed or pulled — regardless of the user’s location — from device to device, and device to cloud for limitless sharing. “Family Story” allows consumers to stay connected with their families and share photos and calendars through the Samsung Cloud service. “Fitness” allows consumers to access exercise content and track progress both on the TV and on the go. “Kids” offers a wealth of kid-friendly content that kids can access and parents can control and monitor.

(From left) Empress Schuck, Megan Young, Samsung business unit adviser for AV Jay Ha, Bangs Garcia, Jim Paredes, Valerie Concepcion and Paolo Bediones.

Finally, Samsung’s Evolution Kit — an industry first — will allow consumers to easily and cost-effectively enjoy the latest technology services on their TV. With a simple slot-in at the back of select 2012 Samsung Smart TV models, consumers can keep pace with rapid advancements in both TV hardware and software — without needing to purchase a new TV set every year. Users can now keep their Smart Evolution-enabled TV up to date through the company’s proprietary system-on-chip technology, making use of their existing TV and getting new features from the chip! Samsung is the only consumer electronics company to offer this evolving TV solution.