Unboxing: Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Last Thursday, I was fortunate to be able to take the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 for a spin. Let me share with you my experience and what my thoughts are with this recently launched mobile phone.

Straight out of the minimalist black box, you have: the Mi Mix 2, the USB-C cable, the fast charger, a SIM ejector pin, a case for the Mi Mix 2, and a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, your documentation and a warranty card. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 also did an "iPhone 7" and removed the 3.5mm headphone jack. Beginning to see a trend here.

Compared to its predecessors, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is much more compact. Unlike the Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2 has rounded edges which makes it more comfortable to hold in the hand. The Mi Mix 2 also has ceramic back and has a glossy-like finish, which means its a fingerprint magnet, however, with a darker shade, the fingerprints will not be that too prominent.

While the new Mi Mix 2 has a 5.99 inch LCD display, I have no trouble operating on one hand. It is smaller and narrower than the original Mi Mix, making it easier to hold and use. It also weighs 185 g (6.53 oz).

Upon closer look at the rear, you get to see the camera rim made from 18K gold. The Mi Mix 2 smartphone sports a 12MP Sony IMX386 sensor with 1.25-micron pixels, an f/2.0 aperture 4-axis optical image stabilization (OIS), 5-piece lens, and facial recognition, dual-LED (dual tone) flash primary camera. On the front is a 5MP which features facial recognition as well. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the device just below the camera.

The new Mi Mix 2 has a 5.99 inch 2160 x 1080 px LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It also has a 12% reduced bottom bezel and a screen-to-body ratio of 80.8%. The device is powered by a 3,400 mAh battery which is considerably smaller than the previous generation’s 4,400 mAh battery.

SIM Card slot is located at the left side of the unit while the ON/OFF and volume +/- are at the right side.

This device features a cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic speaker and ultrasonic proximity sensor. With the absence of the 3.5mm headphone jack, you will need to use the adapter that comes with the package or a pair of Bluetooth earphones.

The Mi Mix 2 runs Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 9 on top. Under the all this beauty of a smartphone, the flagship smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, Adreno 540 GPU, 6GB RAM and storage options of 64GB, 128GB or 256GB. The on-board storage will not be expandable due to the absence of a microSD card slot. If you save a lot of photos, videos and other files, you might want to consider having the 256GB.

During the time the device was with me, I also tried to play Marvel Future Fight all in HIGH settings and the device delivered. No lags, no hiccups. Just a smooth gaming experience. I will post a short clip of the game play in my YouTube channel this week.

I also tried to watch a HD video clip in YouTube and liked what I saw.

Overall, a mobile phone worth the consideration if one is planning to upgrade. Easy to hold an use, very light, amazing primary and secondary camera, huge RAM (6GB) and storage (64GB/128GB/256GB), rocking display, a bezel less phone. Premium look and feel.

The perfect Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one.

Announced last September 2017, this flagship device is now available in the Philippines and you can get your own through Widget City.

Celebrating Candied Holiday Cheer @ Century City Mall

We celebrate special occasions with sweets – cakes, lollies, donuts, candies, desserts and more. Why? Because this elevates mood and gives us that "happy feeling!" Exactly what Century Mall wants us to feel as we enter this special place. "Sweet Treats" adorn the place, making it a feast for the eyes of shoppers and guests. So, let us all head to Century City Mall and relive our childhood Christmas joys with our love ones.

Here are the activities lined up by Century Mall for you to enjoy this season of Christmas:

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Last November 16, Century Mall officially marked the beginning of Christmas Season by lighting its giant Pink Christmas Tree on the fifth floor al fresco area. Guests enjoyed the awesome dinner, sweet treats and Justice League special screening. What a way to start this season!

Santa Baby

Bring your family for a holiday cheer and sweet treats as Santa Claus will be in town every weekend from December 1st to 31st from 4-7pm.

Sweet Mysteries at Mystery Manila

Mystery Manila is ready to give you and your friends a scavenger hunt that’s full of fun and sweet dreams! The kids and the kid in you will surely enjoy this hunt! Reserve now and don’t miss this adventure from December 1 to 31.

Silverbells Christmas Fair

Do not forget to make a stop at the Silvebells Christmas Fair on Dec 16-17 at the 4th level of the mall as you complete your Christmas List. Unique and awesome gifts are ready for your taking at the best price.

On this busy season, do not forget to take break, watch the anticipated movies this year – Justice League, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and MMF entries @ Century City Mall Cinemas!

Have an overload of sweet treats this holiday season that only Century Mall can bring!

Visit Century City Mall and its #SweetTreats promos and events, visit http://www.centurycitymall.com.ph

INAUGURAL SUNSET MARATHON TO HAPPEN ON DECEMBER 9

RUNRIO partners with Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Clark Development Corporation for a running event that aims to promote night running in the Philippines.

Manila, Philippines – November 16, 2017: RUNRIO, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and the Clark Development Corporation announces the upcoming Clark Sunset Marathon happening on December 9, 2017, at the Parade Grounds of Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga at 4pm. It is the first of its kind ever conceptualized in the Philippines.

RunRio Events, Inc. representatives Andrew Neri (center) and Franco Bambico (standing), together with Clark Development Corporation Tourism Promotions manager Noemi Julian (right) talk about details for the coming 1st Clark Sunset Marathon

The Clark Sunset Marathon is a race conceptualized and organized by RUNRIO, Inc. and was inspired by the fact that in tropical countries like the Philippines, the weather is mostly hot and humid. A night run is the perfect running event for running enthusiasts to have a more cooler and more exciting race experience. 

Clark Sunset Marathon features running categories in 5KM, 10KM, 21KM and 42KM with the full marathon gun start happening at 5pm. The 21KM, 10KM and 5KM follow shortly at 5:15pm, 5:30pm and 5:45pm respectively. 

The race event is expected to attract a total of 5,000 running enthusiasts coming from all parts of the country, as well as runners from other parts of the world. "The Clark Sunset Marathon comes at an opportune time when we are being very aggressive in promoting Clark Pampanga as one of the country’s premiere tourist hub." Said Noemi Julian, manager, Clark Development Corporation, Tourism Promotions.

This landmark running activity is inspired by other world-famous famous running events such as the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, Singapore Marathon, and the Tokyo Marathon, and is expected to put the country on the global map as a destination for running enthusiasts. 

In partnership with Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Clark Development Corporation the Clark Sunset Marathon aims to establish Clark, Pampanga as a venue of world-class running events in the Philippines. The activity also aims to establish this event as a premiere international marathon foot race in the country by securing route standard accreditation from AIMS/IAAF, the international governing body for distance races in the world. 

"The development of Clark International Airport, including the construction of a P12-billion passenger terminal will not only provide running enthusiasts easy access to attend this event, but will also open new opportunities for both tourist and business groups in Clark Pampanga" added Julian.  

Running coach Rio dela Cruz of RUNRIO Events, Inc. is proud of this ambitious running event that will not only promote the sport of running, but more importantly, promote the country as well and boost tourism. 

"When we started conceptualizing the Clark Sunset Marathon, we wanted to have a first class running experience that targets not only local runners but also foreign running enthusiasts. We thought of a running event that can be compared to world-renowned marathons such as Boston Marathon, Singapore Marathon, New York Marathon among many others. And our goal is not just a one-time event. But to have an annual running event that will make our country one of the top running destinations" said dela Cruz. 

For the inaugural year, runners can choose five categories and their cut-off times. 42K (7 hours), 21K (4 hours), 10K (2 hours) and 5k (1 hour).

Since Clark has an international airport, Clark Sunset Marathon is also targeting foreign runners to join the race that will culminate with the Clark Sunset Marathon Music Festival, an after party celebration at the finish line. The activity will showcase DJs that will provide the party atmosphere of the running event. 

"We at RUNRIO want to give a one-of-a-kind experience to all the participants. We staged this running event on a Saturday evening so that the participants will have a relax and “chill-type” of an experience.  It will be a night of running and partying with DJ Ashley Rivera and DJ Tom Taus dishing out the coolest music. This will make sure that participants, their families and friends will have a good time," said Andrew Neri, managing partner, RUNRIO Events, Inc. 

Clark Sunset Marathon is made possible by Gatorade, the official sports drink, ActiveHealth, the official sports system solution, Garmin, the official timing partner and Solar Sports as the official media partner. The first running event of its kind in Clark, Pampanga is also made possible by Nizoral and Nyxsys.

For more information, visit www.runrio.com or like the official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/runrioeventsinc/.

(Literally) Help the Nature and the Children via Tree Top Adventure

At this day and age especially if you have a family, a trip at Tree Top Adventure is a must. Living in the city nowadays, a lot of kids will not appreciate the greens anymore since gadgets, tech and robots are part of their lives. No backyard to plant vegetables or flowers to smell. A time for us to bring them at Tree Top Adventure whether in Baguio or Subic to be aware about the importance of being in nature and preserving it. 

The vision came from the expertise of the owner of Tree Top Adventure who are Engineers and advocates of conservation of environment and healthy living thus Tree Top Adventure in Subic inside SBMA and Baguio inside Camp John Hay are making sure not only for the visitors to enjoy but also making sure the safety and health benefits of the activities they are offering for them. 

There is no entrance fee at Tree Top Adventure, (The Php 100 pesos in Baguio is consumable) you will only pay the activities you like to enjoy, unlike other theme parks and very affordable. Zip lines fee per ride cost from Php 100.00 to Php 350.00 and can have a huge discount if visitors will take a package instead with a combination of activities.

Tree Top Adventure is the only "Team Building" facility in the Philippines with motorized activities plus different kinds of Zip line adventure and more activities in the heart of nature; Superman, Canopy, Tree Drop, Silver Surfer, Free Fall, Funicular, Trekking, Skywalk and many more to be added. 

For the "Team Building" activities, there are facilitators to lead the program and events. Unlike other facility, at Tree Top Adventure, everything can be measured and the output and success will be coming from the effort of the whole group who are working simultaneously to achieve the goal. Cost per head for the Team Building has two choices; Php 800.00 and Php 1000.00 but can be tailored depending on the needs of the company.

"We invite you to experience nature tripping from a breathtaking view – from 100 feet above the ground! With jungle trails comprised of platforms nestled on branches, suspension bridges, and the world’s first motorized canopy tour, what we offer is more than just the peak of excitement but for the visitors to appreciate more the only nature we have in this planet. Let's focus on our children, this is their future, need for them to understand its benefits."

Learn new things; with fresh eyes, we encourage you to explore. Find inner peace as you go through a natural sanctuary hidden by foliage. Or at the very least, conquer your fear of heights. 

Tree Top Adventure offers each one a personal journey, with unforgettable memories as dense as the forest and  feel closer to the ones you take this most marvelous trip with."

For more information about bookings and entrance, please contact Engr. Grace Bondad Nicolas at 09166299381 or send email to grace@tagmedia.asia 

http://www.treetopsdventureph.com

Milk Magic Introduces its New Fresh Milk offering in Modern Tetra Brik® Aseptic Edge Packaging

Milk Magic, the milk brand that offers to fulfill every Filipino’s calcium needs, introduces its latest offering, "Fresh Milk from Australia" which comes in a modern Tetra Brik® Aseptic Edge package from Tetra Pak. Under Consolidated Dairy and Frozen Food Corporation, Milk Magic has produced Full Cream, Low Fat and Chocolate Milk products for more than 15 years in the Philippines. With the launch of Milk Magic Fresh, they are expanding their current portfolio of milk products to give more choices to Filipino consumers. 

Milk Magic Fresh comes in 2 carton sizes. It comes in a 1 liter TBA Edge with LightCap 30 ideal for in-home consumption by the family and in a 250 ml TBA Edge with HeliCap 23 for on-the-go consumption so that milk lovers can bring it anytime and anywhere. Both come in Tetra Brik® Aseptic Edge packaging which is the first time in the Philippines. Its modern shape comes with an angled top panel giving it an "edge" design. Both also come with resealable caps allowing for smooth pouring and convenience so that consumers have a hassle-free drinking experience as they enjoy fresh-tasting milk from Australia. 

For inquiries, contact Consolidated Dairy at (02) 242-4305.