Get the perfect gifts with Nokia’s pre-holiday sale

MANILA, Philippines - Nokia is holding a pre-holiday sale with up to 50 percent off on nine phone models today and tomorrow only in select Nokia Stores.

Take your pick from the entry-level Nokia 1280 for consumers who need a basic, no-frills mobile phone.

The Nokia X1-01 is a slightly higher upgrade that provides the same simplicity but gives you clear, long-lasting music and Dual SIM feature.

Also included are select models from the Asha line, all with Easy Swap Dual SIM. Choose from the entry-level Nokia Asha 200, a colorful QWERTY messaging device; the Nokia Asha 202, with intuitive touch screen; or the Nokia Asha 305, a full touch-screen phone with 40 free EA games ready for download from the Nokia Store.

The 1GHz processor in the Nokia 500 with full touch screen gives you faster access to what you need — apps, Internet, social networks. Plus you get Nokia Maps and a five-megapixel camera.

On the high-end, there is the much talked about Nokia 808 Pureview which boasts of a 41-megapixel camera sensor with Nokia PureView imaging technology and Carl Zeiss optics.




There are also select Nokia Lumia models up for grabs. Take your pick from the Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 900 running on Windows Phone OS.

Both models have the same unibody design with the Lumia 900 boasting a bigger 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display and 1.4GHz processor.  They come in black and white and standout colors like cyan and magenta.

The two-day sale happens only in Nokia Store SM Mall of Asia, Nokia Store Festival Mall and SM Dasmariñas. It’s first-come, first-served and strictly no reservations.

The sale is open for cash and straight transactions and only those in-line and in-store are entitled to avail themselves of the promo.

For more details, go to http://www.facebook.com/NokiaPhilippines.

source: philstar.com

Souvenir edition of One Direction’s phenomenal debut album to be launched at SM malls

Sorry, there’s no sign that One Direction is going to perform in Manila anytime soon. Local fans, or Juan Directioners as they are so called, will be treated to the next best thing as the phenomenal British boy band will launch “Up All Night: The Souvenir Edition” on September 16 simultaneously at AstroPlus at the Skydome of SM North EDSA and at Odyssey Music and Video at SM Megamall.

In a feat that not even The Beatles and Coldplay were able to achieve, One Direction made history when they became the first British group to enter the Billboard 200 chart at number one with its debut album, “Up All Night” only last March. The record-breaking album went on to sell over 2.3 million copies worldwide and is a certified number one release in 16 countries.

Jeff Joson of Ivory Music and Video said that the Souvenir Edition will only be available in limited quantities and will include five exclusive tracks, a 32-page booklet, and five photocards with a special message for the Directioners.

In addition to the Souvenir Edition, Joson said that One Direction’s “Up All Night: The Live Tour” DVD is now available.

The live DVD features a 73 minute concert of their hit songs, plus never before seen, behind the scenes footage and three music videos, namely “Gotta Be You,” “One Thing” and “What Makes You Beautiful”, which won the Most-Shared Video and Best Pop Video in addition to the group’s Best New Artist award at the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday.

In a recent review of one of their concerts, Jon Caramanica of the New York Times wrote, “Onstage the men, who are 18 to 20, are barely choreographed, unlike a group that has been training for years…One Direction is the most casual of boy bands, a British import that emphasizes panache above all.”

Ivory also announced that One Direction’s latest single, “Live While We’re Young”, which is scheduled to be officially released on September 30 in the UK and October 1 in the US and Canada, is the fastest selling pre-order in history. It became available on iTunes last August 24 and immediately hit No.1 in 40 countries, including the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Spain, France, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico and, yes, The Philippines.

In less than a year, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have achieved things that only a few other artists, if they’re lucky, would take a lifetime to achieve.

Formed by Simon Cowell on the 2010 series of “The X Factor”, they released their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” in September 2011 and have since been a ubiquitous presence in the music charts. With over 12 million records sold worldwide, 1D Mania has indeed swept the globe.

source: interaksyon.com

SM to collect P2 plastic bag charge in QC even without IRR

MANILA – A day before a ban on the use of plastic shopping bags takes effect, the Quezon City government has yet to provide retailers a copy of the implementing rules and regulations of the new ordinance.

Corazon Guidote, SM Investments Corp. head of investor relations, told InterAksyon.com that the conglomerate’s retail establishments in Quezon City will collect starting September 1 the P2 charge for every plastic bag customers use in line with the city ordinance.

The money raised would be remitted to the LGU once the IRR is in place, she said.

"It's easy to monitor all the transactions because they are all recorded in the cashier. We can monitor how many used the plastic bags," Guidote said.

Quezon City is one of the largest markets of the SM retail group, she said, with its largest mall in the Philippines located in North Edsa, housing three supermarkets and a department store.

"We have always been supportive of environmental initiatives. We've been doing it in Pasig through our hypermarket there," Guidote said.

The Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance will enforce a Plastic Recovery System Fee that charges a fixed amount of P2 per plastic bag used regardless of its size.

The collected fee will be part of a "green fund" that will finance various initiatives for the benefit of the environment.

Reusable bag users will be given incentives, giving them points that can be used later for purchase, and a “green lane,” which is a special counter for customers with reusable bags.

source: interaksyon.com

SM Supermalls denies cutting trees in Baguio

Amid continuing protests for supposedly cutting trees at its property in Baguio City, SM Supermalls on Thursday said what it did was uproot the pine trees using the balling out method and planted them in a different location.

In a statement, SM Supermalls claimed it "… utilized recommended specialists for this activity who will replant them in designated areas within the SM property."

The practice follows globally accepted standards for green development that creates new employment opportunities, as well as business and tourism in the city, known as the country’s Summer Capital, the operator of SM malls claimed.

An offshoot of this redevelopment plan, the company said, include:

A new parking facility that will provide alternatives to street parking and, hopefully, help decongest traffic on the streets around the facility.

A roof garden with trees and shrubs to cover the building footprint.

A rainwater collection system to help control water runoff in and around the property, while providing a secondary water source for the facility’s needs.

SM Supermalls said it decided to plant 50 saplings for every tree that would be uprooted, or 30 more saplings than the initial agreement with authorities.

"As a responsible mall developer, we shall continue to inform the public of our plans to help safeguard and improve life in the city by supporting the need to plant more trees, promote improved engineering and safety standards, help in traffic and vehicle management, and make better use of Baguio’s abundant rainfall," SM Supermalls said.

The Baguio City Regional Trial Court last Tuesday issued a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) against the removal of 182 pine and alnus trees for the expansion of SM City Baguio.

The TEPO was issued after the National Union of People's Lawyers filed an urgent motion to stop SM City Baguio's plan to clear the area before constructing a parking lot and an entertainment plaza. —Amanda Fernandez/VS, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com