Philips enters local LCD monitor market

A monitor fit to be my window to the world.”

This is how Philips wants consumers to regard its line of high-definition multimedia displays as it officially enters the Philippine LCD market.

A household name all over the world, Philips is confident it can quickly make a dent in the existing local market given the strength of its brand and the proven quality of its products.

To start off Philips is making available its E-line of LCD monitors targeted for home and multimedia savvy users. The E-line series is available in 16-inch, 19-inch, and 22-inch wide-screen formats with glossy finish and is Windows Vista-ready.

All three models are equipped with Philips SmartContrast, a video processing technology combined with unique extreme dimming and backlight boosting capability resulting in vibrant images.

Company executives also did a media preview of the Philips LightFrame LCD monitor that features a front screen bezel illuminated by a blue light designed to reduce eye fatigue.

Scientists looking to lessen the effects of jet lag found that light plays a major role in the body’s sense of well-being. Philips LightFrame monitor was conceived on this widely accepted scientific tenet that blue light passed through the eye’s receptor energizes viewers and enhances their performance.

Putting to work Philips’ leadership in ambient lighting, Philips Innovation Lab transformed the research to a practical product — a new generation of LCD monitors with screens that are surrounded by blue light-emitting modules. The light is said to help relax the user by lessening eye fatigue even after an extended period in front of the computer.

Among the Philips Brilliance range of monitors, the LightFrame monitor will also be made available in the Philippines sometime soon along with Philips’ professional line of LCD monitors, said Benjamin Wong, director and general manager of MMD Singapore, the exclusive marketer and seller of Philips branded LCD displays worldwide.

Meanwhile, MMD appointed Glee Electronics as the official local distributor of Philips LCD monitors.

Glee also distributes AOC monitors, which is a sister brand of Philips as they share the same manufacturer, TPV, which wholly owns MMD.

Jason Cheng, president and CEO of Glee Electronics, said they will be providing separate product teams for Philips and AOC but all their 28 service centers nationwide will be at the beck and call of customers of both brands should they need technical support.

Cheng likens Philips and AOC to Audi and Volkswagen cars that appeal to two different types of consumers due to their respective costs. In this regard, he sees no problem carrying two different brands of monitors as they have their own markets, he said.

PSE, Thomson Reuters ink accord on Makati eBoard

The Philippine Stock Exchange and Thomson Reuters signed a memorandum of agreement to redo the Makati eBoard located at the Insular Life building at the corner Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas.

Under the agreement, Thomson Reuters will have the exclusive right to publish real-time market prices, news and summaries on the electronic display board in Makati City.

“The PSE continues to seek effective ways to raise its investor base to a significant share of the population. We partnered with Thomson Reuters for a more dynamic form of communicating with the investing community to deliver a stronger, more visual message that the stock market is a viable alternative especially during these difficult times,” Francis Lim, PSE president said.

He added that “information and technology play crucial roles in investment decisions and we are improving on both these respect to help the market and its industry players make more prudent and accurate calls.”

News feeds of Thomson Reuters will be seen at the electronic screen from 6 in the morning until 12 am starting on August 19, 2009.

Thomson Reuters Philippines managing director Rainer Fuchsluger said “the financial landscape is constantly transforming. That’s why market professionals need reliable insight to feel confident in their trading and investment decision making.”

He added that Thompson Reuters and the PSE are mutually exploring future investor relations and education programs that will strengthen the local stock market going forward.

SAP gathers clients for RP leg in world tour

OVER 300 customers, partners and prospective clients of German business software company SAP gathered recently at the Philippine stop of the SAP World Tour, one of 27 stops of the 70-leg tour in the Asia-Pacific region and in Japan.

SAP Philippines country manager Jenny Ligones said the world tour “is a global event, but at every stop, it addresses the unique needs of companies in that particular region. In today’s business environment, our customers need to see clearly, think clearly and act clearly to thrive. Gaining clarity and then acting upon it, both within their organization and across their wider network, ensures our customers become best-run businesses.”

SAP’s clientele in the Philippines cuts across all sizes, from food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. to small and medium enterprises like Optical Works and food franchise business Rice in a Box. The solutions SAP offers its clients are, as Ligones said, “customized to their needs and are designed for transparency and real-time efficiency in their business processes.”

The SAP World Tour “takes place in over 100 cities across 50 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America, and it is seen as a premium business and technology event that has reached over 240,000 of SAP’s customers, partners and influencers over the last five years, providing businesses with information on how SAP solutions can help companies of all sizes successfully transform business challenge into opportunity,” Ligones said.

The tour has an interactive format focusing on the SAP’s new, strategic initiatives, highlighting the power of SAP Business Suite 7, focusing on analytics and business intelligence, surviving the current market conditions with the SAP SME portfolio and best-run now packages, SAP customer relationship 7 and CRM in SAP Business All-in-One and a specific industry focus for each market.

The interactive format included industry- and product-specific breakout sessions where SAP World Tour Manila participants learned how the SAP business software solution portfolio can help companies adapt more quickly to changing market needs, differentiate against tougher competition, execute growth strategies in an international environment and maximize results with existing resources, while continuing to concentrate on core business competencies and maintaining close customer relations.

Ligones said this year’s SAP World Tour “comes at an opportune time, as best-run businesses have an advantage in coping with the current economic situation. The Philippines is indeed fortunate to be a part of such an event.”

Filipino CIOs learn from each other

As the global economic crisis slowly unravels, local chief information officers (CIOs) continue to look for strategies that will ensure business continuity and prepare them for the eventual upturn.

However, not all strategies could work and some CIOs still lack the maturity to implement strategies either because they are not familiar with effective industry practices or even with simple yet novel ideas.

“The best way to learn new techniques is to bring them together and share experiences so CIOs know what works and how these can be implemented in their organizations,” according to Accenture Philippines country managing director Beth Lui.

Speaking before a CIO workshop conducted by Accenture, Lui said CIOs are inclined to learn more from others’ experiences to enable their own companies to effectively maintain business continuity.

She said CIOs are able to exchange ideas and ask relevant questions pertaining to business operations, citing that as the economy turns, these companies would want to deliver faster and better services without breaking their budgets.

“The general consensus is that companies have smaller budgets, especially for information technology but they still expect to deliver their services better. They’ll learn if they find out how others did it,” Lui said.

Accenture has been conducting CIO workshops in other countries bringing together executives from different industries specifically to showcase key findings on how companies leverage in IT for specific business requirements.

The Philippine CIO workshop would be the first the company is conducting locally. About 40 are expected to attend.

Accenture CIO Organization Executive Director Kenneth Corless said the event will highlight different usage models for new technologies.

Among the topics include network security, data consolidation, return on IT investments, strategic IT cost reduction, and even new technologies such as virtualization and “green” technologies.

In the workshop, Accenture will be used as one of the models of a large company that successfully managed their IT needs while reducing costs.

“What’s important here is that they have a venue for peer collaboration and to share these experiences. A large company may learn new things from a small company that is using new ways to operate efficiently. People are hungry for new ideas,” Corless said.