EVERYBODY seemed to be excited that the world’s leading video streaming provider is now in the Philippines. Finally, Filipinos can now participate in the “Netflix and Chill” mantra. But before being exuberantly joyful about its entry to the country, there are some particulars that we need to know.
Like YouTube and other video streaming sites, Netflix’ movie and TV show catalog varies from country to country. What may be streaming in the US or Australia may or may not be available in the Philippines.
Now, you may think that with the technology that we have right now, users can easily bypass these geoblocks by making use of several tricks like VPN or virtual private network, which allows users to direct Internet traffic to other parts of the world, making it look like you are in another country even if you really are not. However, Netflix has got that covered too by strengthening its terms of conditions and safeguarding its policy against these geoblocks.
But what is sure is that because of copyright issues and concerns, and also many video creators are still wary, Netflix provides a small fraction of what an American user can get.
Speaking of security, you may want to recheck your password after this. SplashData has compiled a list of the 25 worst passwords in 2015, with topnotchers including the no-brainers “123456” until “123457890”, “qwerty” to qwertyuiop”, password”. The year-end hype on the latest Star Wars episode, “solo” (in reference to Hans Solo) and “starwars” gained the spotlight as 23rd and 25th on the list. If you don’t want your account to get hacked easily, it pays to think of more personal, and less predictable passwords to safeguard your account.
The year 2016 will see a decline for smartphones, tablets and PCs, according to Gartner, Inc., a leading research group on information technology. For many years, it was predicted that less people would use notebooks and desktops, as more people just used tablets and smartphones. Last year, tablets did not do so well, and the growth was higher for smartphones. Now, it is expected that the smartphone market may also be getting saturated, and will grow minimally the next two to three years.
Worldwide, shipments of such devices are expected to grow by 1.9 percent, but for the first time, overall end-user spending will decline by 0.5 percent. Gartner says that there is a need for new strategies, not only for emerging markets, but also for mature ones.
(wilson@ngkhai.com)