I admit, I’m not a gadget freak. I can go on a day or months without a new gadget and I won’t mind. Heck, when I first moved on from the Nokia 3210, it took me over 2 years before I finally decided to reward myself a Nokia 7610 for working so hard for years.

I guess it’s the practicality of it all that keeps me from buying the latest gadgets. As they always say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… or in my case, don’t replace it. So, for the past decade, I’ve only had 2 mobile phones and I only had to replace the first one ‘cause it was already broken. This is the one I’m using now, and I even got it as a prize from a Twitter giveaway (oh and I won another one from an international giveaway) – my Nokia 5230.

But, because of my brother, I gradually developed this love for gadgets, especially after I owned my first Apple iPad (again, I won it as a prize). I’m saying first because it’s no longer with me, but I’m planning on getting a new one – an Apple iPad 2 probably.

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Last week, my bro Ken and I (of Certified Foodies) were invited to the launch of HTC‘s latest phones that will be exclusively offered by Smart, an industry leader in telecommunications here in the Philippines as part of their partnership to bring in the most advanced smartphones to-date.

At the announcement party of the partnership between SMART and HTC in Opus Restaurant and Lounge, Resorts World, they revealed and introduced us to the new HTC smartphones that surely will satisfy any social networking or mobile internet addict out there (like us!).

Four new HTC phones were featured that star-studded night. They were the HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S, HTC Sensation and HTC ChaCha. All these phones and other selections offered are equipped with the unique and intuitive interface HTC Sense.

With that feature, it’s pretty easier to view your friends’ social network updates since you can all view them in one screen, the Friend Stream. They also mentioned that these phones can help you not miss any more calls. Well, that feature, I definitely need.

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Last June 13th, Dell Philippines launched the new additions to their family of laptops. With their partnership with Intel, the top brand when it comes to reliable processors, these Dell laptops surely will give us users better security and mobile computing experience.

Dell’s new laptops for 2011 aim to suit every user’s needs. From professionals who need both mobility and desktop computing to those who must have a more rugged laptop for their business needs. They even have options for the stylish laptop users out there.

Here are some of their features that were shared to us during the launch which the Dell Philippines executives are extremely proud of:

• Chiclet and spill resistant  keyboards – With the chiclet design, it’s easier to type on these laptops. Plus, you no longer have to worry about accidental spills on your keyboard as they won’t get into the circuitry.



• Backlit keyboard – This option is available for those who usually work in the dark, like me.
• Enhanced fingerprint reader for added security
• Multi-gesture touchpad

L-R: Country Managers Ricky Lopez and Chris Papa, and Brand Manager Alvin Go

Out of all the laptops they unveiled that night at Robot Restaurant and Lounge in Makati City, this is my favorite – the Dell Vostro 3000 series.

With the durability, cutting-edge design and the 12 hours of battery life (on select models), I know this one’s for me! It’s available in 13-, 14-, 15- to 17-inch forms. It’s packed with the latest Intel 2nd generation Core I Series processors.

The Dell Vostro 3000 series laptops are perfect, I say, for those who meet or communicate with people online for business, like, take for instance, virtual assistants. With the voice-enhancing technology SRS Premium Voice Pro software and a full HD webcam (except for the 13-inch), you surely would have no sound or picture quality issues for online meetings or collaborations.

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Over a week ago, on April 27th, I was invited to join the launch of Fujitsu’s Lifebook series here in the Philippines. Fujitsu is a leading provider of ICT-based business solutions for a global marketplace so it’s expected that their products are high-end and efficient.

Being a laptop user and geek that I am, I was pretty excited to check out their latest products and what they have to offer. Along with my brother Kenneth, a fellow gadget geek, we headed to the Shangrila Makati Hotel to attend the launch.

The host of the event was Kat Alano, who was stunning that afternoon. She first introduced us to Mr. Ivan Ong, Associate Director of SEA Operations of Fujitsu. He expressed rather briefly his excitement about launching their new Lifebook series as they are very proud of the performance and experience it’ll bring to mobile computer users like me.

After Ivan, we were introduced to Mr. Edmund Lim from Fujitsu Asia Pacific. He told us about what their company is trying to accomplish this year – Green IT.

I was all-ears when he was describing about what Fujitsu has added to their new line of laptops, including the following:

• Green 0 Watt AC Adapter – Uses 99% less power during off/hibernate mode compared to normal AC adapters. Will help you conserve energy and lower your electricity bills, especially if you’re like me who usually neglects powering off my laptop when I’m extremely tired from a day’s work.
• Power Off Battery Indicator – This is perfect for those who are very OC when it comes to their battery use. The indicator helps you know how much battery power you’ve got left. Very useful when you have a fullscreen application or movie on and you wouldn’t want to switch to the desktop to see how much battery power you’ve got left.
• Power ECO button – One of their latest energy-saving feature.
• Anytime USB Charge – This enables you to charge USB-enabled gadgets without turning on the laptop.
• Finger Print Sensor / Authentication – The accuracy and sensibility of their Lifebook’s FP sensors got better this year.
• Spill Resistant Keyboards – Oh, I need this!
• Scroll Wheel – For better navigation using only your fingers, with less wrist movement. Can help ease wrist pains.
• OmniPass Control Center – Integrated this into Windows Explorer so you’d be able to login to Facebook, emails, etc. using the FB sensor login. You can also encrypt and decrypt selected files right here. This feature, I particularly love since I’m very paranoid when it comes to my files.
• Dust Filter – This is one of the many features that convinced me that I would most likely get a Fujitsu Lifebook next time I’m in the market for a new laptop.
  With my very busy schedule, I tend to neglect cleaning my laptop. Thus, it accumulates a lot of dirt and dust. I can still remember my first laptop repair experience. I was embarrassed by how dusty the insides of my laptop was! WIth the dust filter, I won’t have to worry about that since I only need to take the dust filter out, clean it and put it back. Easy, eh?

Along with the above-mentioned unique features of the 2011 Fujitsu’s Lifebook series, their new laptops are also equipped with the latest 2nd Generation Intel Core processors that promise higher computing performance, speed and visual capabilities. These Fujitsu Lifebook laptops were individually engineered to suit users with different lifestyles and needs, following the theme “Live, Work, Play”.

Fujitsu Lifebook SH761 – Technology Flagship

This Lifebook is equipped with the essential top-of-the-line features including superior graphics with NVIDIA GT520 1GB graphics card, 2GB of RAM, 500GB of hard disk capacity, the Green 0 Watt AC adapter, 1.6kg ultra-portable system, SuperFine HD backlight LED display, and long battery life of up to 5 hours. This is perfect for mobile business owners or professionals like me who need portability and performance in one package.

Fujitsu Lifebook LH531 – Everyday Computing

This is perfect for first time PC buyers or students, or those who only have basic computing needs. It’s very lightweight, only 2.1 kg, and has a long battery life of 6.5 hours. I think this will suit my Nanay Techie.

Fujitsu Lifebook SH561 – Portable All-Rounder

This Lifebook is best for always-on-the-road / mobile users. It’s very lightweight, only 1.75kg.  The battery can last up to 5.5 hours.

Fujitsu Lifebook P771 – Modern Executives

With its lightweight system of only 1.3kg and longer battery life of up to 8 hours, this is perfect for frequent travellers or mobile executives who is always on the go. I love the glossy Magnesium Alloy chassis, it simply looks elegant.

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What are the top 10 fun things I can do if I win the Lenovo Ideapad G460 from the Lenovo-Yugatech giveaway?!

1. Donate my old laptop to my mother and use the new Lenovo laptop as my primary computer. Yayyy!

My mother is a Public Health Nurse and they don’t have access to a computer at their health center. Since she writes all their reports at work, giving her my old laptop would definitely help her fulfill her job more easily. I can’t possibly give her the new Lenovo laptop (the G460 if I win) ’cause she only needs to work on office documents.

Oh, did I mention that if I win the Lenovo laptop, it’ll be public service in a way? My mother’s dedicated to her work in helping the community in Navotas City so it’ll be a great help if I could give her my old laptop.

2. Continue teaching my mother how to use a computer, type and create office documents (spreadsheets, reports, etc) using my new Lenovo laptop, with its full-sized keyboard.

I’ve already started teaching my mother how to type and use a computer. She even has her own Facebook account! She accesses it at our computer shop, but she couldn’t stay as long as we needed for the computer tutorials because she gets easily exhausted when I teach her on our desktop client computers at our shop.

If I have a new Lenovo laptop, especially the G460, I can finally teach my mother how to use the computer on my old laptop while I perform my online tasks on my new Lenovo laptop. We can finally do it in her room so she’ll be 100% comfortable.

3. Maximize my new Lenovo laptop’s portability.

My old laptop can no longer be brought anywhere without its power adapter. Yes, the battery can no longer hold its charge for more than an hour. So, I honestly haven’t brought it anywhere to avail of WiFi services in coffee shops, etc. It’ll be really embarrassing to bring the power adapter. *LOL*

So, with my new Lenovo laptop, I can now go to my favorite coffee shop with WiFi and hang out while browsing the web and accessing my favorite social networks on the laptop. I can even do my work on it without worrying about the battery power.

4. Finally switch over to Windows 7 with my new Lenovo laptop!

Ever since Windows 7 came out, I have wanted to switch over to this new operating system. My old laptop was downgraded to Windows XP because it can’t handle Vista that well. Now, if I own a new Lenovo laptop, since it comes with GENUINE Windows 7 Home, I can now discover and enjoy Windows 7. I won’t be that outdated anymore. *LOL*

5. Multi-task, multi-task, multi-task with my new Lenovo laptop.

I am a multi-tasking addict, may it be on my computer or offline. I work like a horse and I tend to do multiple things at once because I believe I’m more efficient that way.

With my old laptop, I can’t multi-task as much as I wanted to because it’ll usually hang when I have multiple spreadsheets open, while having Photoshop open ready for photo editing, designing or printing, playing music, downloading my favorite TV series torrents, blogging and browsing websites and my favorite social networking sites.

Now, with the Lenovo Ideapad G460 I’m hoping to win, with its Intel Core i3-350M 2.27GHz processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and 512MB video RAM, I can perform all my tasks simultaneously without worrying about my laptop freezing up on me.

6. Declutter Project #1: Play and burn DVDs and CDs on my new Lenovo laptop. No need for my external DVD-RW drive anymore!

My old laptop’s DVD drive is broken. For some reason, it broke and I can’t even use it now to play DVDs or even access CDs. I had to purchase an external DVD drive, which is really a hassle, especially when traveling.

7. Declutter Project #2: Keep all my digital scrapbooking elements and photos on my new Lenovo laptop.

Yes, I already bought an external hard disk for backups and important files since my old laptop can’t handle it anymore. It’s really a hassle when I have to connect the external HDD to my old laptop when I’m designing scrapbook pages and when I’m in need of my photos or vectors. Plus, it’s really bulky to bring around not just the external DVD drive, but even the external hard disk.

With the Lenovo Ideapad G460 I’m hoping I’d win and its hard disk drive capacity of 320GB, I can keep all those scrapbooking elements and images on it so it’ll make my digital scrapbook designing more fun and easy! Then, I’ll just use my external hard disk for backups.

8. Extra security options with my new Lenovo laptop.

With the Veriface face-recognition technology that comes with my new Lenovo laptop (yes, I’m owning the G460! *LOL*), I have the option of more security for the contents of my laptop. I consider myself a bit paranoid when it comes to computer and internet security. So, using the face-recognition technology can help make me feel at ease, especially when I leave my laptop behind when I need to.

Just imagine how much fun I’d have playing around with this software before I actually start activating it. *LOL*

9. Video chat and use the webcam on my new Lenovo laptop.

My old laptop’s webcam is broken. I had to buy an external webcam just so I can video chat with relatives and friends abroad. It’s really a hassle having to bring that webcam with me and setting it up somewhere I’d look good (yes, it’s all about the angles!) when I want to video chat with friends.

Oh, I can also use my new Lenovo laptop’s webcam for video recording myself and taking photos that I can easily edit. This is how my photos look like when I use my old laptop’s webcam:

No, that’s not edited. Well, except for the arrow and text. But, that’s EXACTLY how images and videos look when I use my laptop’s internal webcam. Can you see anything?! That’s right. That’s why I need a new laptop!

10. 50% Work, 50% Play on my new Lenovo laptop.

My old laptop only has 256MB video memory, 2GHz Intel Dual Core processor and 1GB DDR2 RAM. With the poor processing power and low RAM, I can’t play my favorite online and offline games on it, especially when I’ve got Photoshop, multiple spreadsheets and my mp3 player running in the background. I can’t close the spreadsheets because I use them at our computer shop. That’s why I get easily bored when I’m manning our shop ’cause I can’t do anything else, especially for entertainment purposes, on my laptop.

When I also watch my favorite TV series that I downloaded on my laptop when I’m in my room, I have to make sure everything else is closed so the video won’t skip or hang while watching it.

With the Lenovo Ideapad G460′s widescreen display, 512MB of video RAM, Intel Core i3 processor speed, and with the 2GB RAM, I’m sure I can still work while playing! I can play my online games while my other important applications are running in the background. I won’t get easily bored and won’t be needing that much coffee anymore.

So, you see, I really want a new Lenovo laptop! This is my official entry to the Lenovo-YugaTech Laptop Giveaway and I am really hoping I’d win. I want the Lenovo G460!!! Now na!!

I would like to give credits to my mother, Virgie, for playing along with me and acting in front of the computer for the 2 photos of her I used on this post. I love my nanay! What a sport, eh?