Speaking at PLDT’s DigiHub session were (from left) PLDT FVP and Chief Information Security Officer Angel Redoble, PLDT Home ambassador Roxanne Montealegre-Luz, PLDT VP and Head of Home Digital Services Evert Chris Miranda, Microsoft Philippines PR and Communications Head Joshua Aquino, PLDT FVP, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Head of Investor Relations Melissa Vergel de Dios, eufy and Anker Assistant Brand Manager Marinel Pascual, former PLDT and Smart Public Affairs Head Ramon Isberto, PLDT Home ambassadors Edric and Joy Mendoza

As PLDT ushers in the transformation of the Philippines into a Smart Nation by enabling the creation of Smart Cities, the conversation inevitably turns to the Smart Home and various consumer applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

PLDT FVP and Chief Information Security Officer Angel Redoble reiterated the PLDT Group’s commitment to ensure the cyber security and safety of customers.

PLDT VP Evert Miranda demonstrated how PLDT Home is enabling Filipino families to build sustainable and Smart Homes.

Advancing further in terms of adoption and usage, Smart Home and AI continue to headline conversations on digital transformation and breakthroughs in the tech industry. These were among the highlights of the recently concluded Philippine Digital Convention (DigiCon) 2023 presented by PLDT Enterprise at the Marriott Grand Ballroom. 

PLDT FVP and Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa Vergel de Dios talked about PLDT’s strategic direction towards sustainability and thrust to enable a digital and sustainable future.

PLDT Home showed Digicon attendees a glimpse of the near future with AI-powered Smart Home and security solutions, and showcased how people can use new technologies responsibly at home.

In a DigiCon session called “Family Perspectives on Smart Home and Artificial Intelligence”, PLDT brought together thought leaders on technology and parenting, and emphasized the importance of fostering meaningful connections and responsible use of technology.

Now more than ever, digital technology is changing the world at a faster pace, with that change happening right at our doorstep with the growing availability of Smart Home solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Smart Home solutions and AI offer a variety of benefits to consumers, including convenience, comfort, productivity, and security. These breakthroughs are seen to further diversify and continuously impact people’s lives standard of living.

As access to Smart Home technology and AI applications increasingly becomes universal, consumer education on responsible use gains greater importance. Consumers need to understand these technologies, particularly digital solutions that connect into their homes and interact with their families and loved ones.

Recognizing its role in enabling families to foster meaningful connections at home and in line with its commitment to do business responsibly, PLDT held a session called “Family Perspectives on Smart Home and Artificial Intelligence” at this year’s Philippine Digital Convention at the Manila Marriott Hotel.

Together with PLDT Home ambassadors Edric and Joy Mendoza, industry partners Microsoft Philippines’ PR and Communications Head Josh Aquino and eufy and Anker’s Assistant Brand Manager Marinel Emeres Pascual, as well as technology advocate Ramon Isberto, PLDT Home’s Evert Miranda led conversations about the impact of Smart Home technology and AI to family life, parenting, and home security. 

 

The brand also talked about their 24/7 cyber security operations and highlighted the importance of responsible use of these technologies.

“As we enable access to these evolving digital solutions, our thrust at PLDT is to ensure that each connecting customer and end-user gets to fully maximize the benefits of technology, while being safe and protected from potential threats and harms online,” said Angel Redoble, First Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at PLDT.

This session aligns with the PLDT Group’s agenda for Sustainability, particularly supporting focus areas on digital inclusion, cyber security, customer welfare, and child protection.

“Sustainability for PLDT is not just about managing our environmental impact and taking action on climate, it is also about staying true to our purpose of delivering meaningful connections to our customers, helping narrow the digital divide among Filipinos, and doing business responsibly,” said Melissa Vergel de Dios, First Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Head of Investor Relations at PLDT.

“A digital and sustainable future is one that makes use of technology to enhance our way of living, fosters responsible use of our shared natural and digital resources, and thrives on collaboration among generations and across sectors,” she added.

The PLDT Group continues to enable the transformation of the Philippines into a Smart Nation, by building smart cities and starting with one smart home at a time.

The world has arrived in the era of artificial intelligence. Most smartphones, if not all, are equipped with AI features to enhance the user experience. But global smartphone brand Vivo is making the most of this technology in its newest flagship.

The Vivo X21 is powered by AI technology to enhance the experience of every user.

One of the most basic uses of AI technology in mobile devices is through photography. The Vivo brand has been well-known for the way it revolutionized the selfie game.

In Vivo X21, the brand augmented how users take selfies with the AI Face Beauty and the AI Selfie Lighting.

Vivo’s AI Face Beauty feature can identify the subject’s sex, skin tone, and surrounding lighting environment to create the ideal settings, which are eventually based on the user’s habits and preferences.

But what really makes it stand out is that this feature collected almost a million facial images from people all over the world to create an AI database so its algorithms can accurately detect the age, gender, and skin tone of users in different countries. This provides each user with the most appropriate beauty effects also based on specific market habits and culture.

TechPinas’ Mark Milan Macanas, in fact, affirmed that the feature renders a more natural result.

“With this technology from Vivo, your selfies will be beautified, but at the same time, you still look like your selfies,” he said at the launch of the Vivo X21 on June 21.

To give more impact to the selfies, Vivo X21 also has AI Selfie Lighting that processes light accents authentically. It does by identifying the different parts of the face so the X21 can fill light, adjust sharpness, enhance shadows, and apply filters. The user can choose among a range of light accent effects like Studio Light, Stereo Light, and Monochrome Background to enhance that perfect shot.


Aside from its selfie capabilities, the front camera also has a new infrared module to help user to recognize faces even in dark situations. Now enhanced by AI, Vivo X21’s AI Face Access can intelligently detect ambient light intensity and ensure fast and accurate unlocking at night.

Vivo X21’s AI Photography, moreover, is improved with the AI HDR and the AI Scene Recognition.

With just a single press of the shutter, Vivo X21’s AI HDR captures more frames of a wider dynamic range than previously possible with existing HDR technology. This provides more image options for merging to perfectly light all the parts of the eventual photo to render crisper results.

The AI Scene Recognition, meanwhile, goes beyond the night, sports, vibration or backlit scenarios. It can also detect and identify 18 tags and 140 scenarios such as portraits, food, and plants. It is activated using Vivo’s AI algorithm based on a large database of almost one million photos. Through this database, the Vivo X21 can detect different scenarios and adjust settings such as saturation, sharpness, and brightness.


Also during the launch of the Vivo X21 on June 21, GadgetMatch’s Daniel Moral praised this AI feature in helping a user sort out the photos taken.

“Vivo X21 has more scene detections than any other phones in the market… There is an album dedicated called AI Image Identification, so you go there then it sorts out by selfies, by documents, by food, and by people,” he said.

Vivo’s newest flagship also uses AI technology to enhance its processor. Named AI Smart Engine, the Vivo X21 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Artificial Intelligence Engine (AIE) which can effectively utilize CPU resources for complex AI processes.

In fact, according to GizGuide’s Peter Jan Icogo, the Vivo X21’s chipset is the smartphone brand’s most powerful processor in the Philippines to date.

“What I like about the Vivo X21 with the help of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 is its battery efficiency... Its battery life can last for around 1.5 days in a single charge. That is very impressive,” he said during the Vivo X21 launch.

The AI Smart Engine, moreover, also familiarizes itself with user preferences and predicts different usage scenarios to launch and switch apps faster for a seamless user experience.

The AI Smart Engine is further amplified by the AI Game Mode. The Vivo X21 knows it when you play games and transforms into a dedicated game console with features to help eliminate distraction. For instance, the Background Calls feature means you can stay on calls without stopping the game, and AI Game Mode prevents accidental touch operations, ensuring you only make the moves you intended.

With all these AI-powered capabilities, Vivo X21 proves that its priority is making smartphone experience a pleasure to every user.

The Vivo X21 is available for only Php29,999. It is retailed at authorized shops nationwide. The list of participating stores can be found on this link: http://vivoglobal.ph/x21_stores/. #

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph or check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vivophil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivo_philippines/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/vivo_phil) accounts.