Hyundai PH honors Filipino-Korean ties with a show of local art, fashion, and cars

Hyundai Motor Philippines, Inc. marked the start of its campaign in commemoration of the diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea reaching 75 years this 2024.

This enduring bond is being honored through various activities in both nations. For HMPH, special stops in its Hyundai Mobility Experience (HME) tour have been incorporated, so Filipinos can take part in this milestone.

Entitled “Partnership Beyond Borders”, HMPH will be fusing the rich culture and future of the two countries when it comes to art, fashion and music.

Starting with this weekend at SM Megamall, where it has partnered with four (4) up-and-coming local artists for a collection of upcycled pieces. Spotlighted by the Hyundai IONIQ 5 which epitomizes the brand’s commitment to progress for humanity and innovation.

Friday was opened with a kulintang drum performance by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) and Pilipino Etniko Ritmo Kanta sa Sayaw (PERKS), which blended beats of Korean and Filipino instruments. Followed by a showcase attended by HMPH executives, including, Mr. Dongwook Lee, President, and Mr. Cecil Capacete, Managing Director. Mr. Myeongjin Kim, Korean Cultural Center Director, and on behalf of the City of Mandaluyong, Mr. Ernesto Victorino, their City Administrator, were also in attendance.

First, the “Synthesia” is an imaginative crossover of the Filipino baro’t saya and Korean Hanbok, curated by Glyn Alley Magtibay, an Oriental Mindoro-born designer.

The piece mainly comprises of discarded X-rays, as her style revolves around clothing inspired by their beauty and uniqueness. With the hopes of encouraging a new generation of creatives to think outside the box and give new meaning to objects that might otherwise be discarded as waste, can actually be made wearable and stylish.

Second, the Ilocos-based designer, Amor Albano, takes inspiration from the wrappers of the Filipino delicacy pastillas, in her Filipiniana-Hanbok inspired piece named “East Meets Amore: A Fusion of Korean and Filipino”. She uses light materials to evoke ease and airiness, while also using the iconic colors of the Philippines’ sampaguita, and the cherry blossoms of Korea. Currently, she runs a fashion studio in Laoag and continues to use aesthetics and imagery in her creations.

Then, the “Strange Beauty” is another Filipiniana-Hanbok fusion highlights its Filipino-Korean features through tassels, pearl beads, and details unique to the traditional outfits. Its creator, Glady Rose Pantua, is a fashion designer and instructor from Zamboanga City. Her featured piece uses colorful, handwoven Yakan Clothing from the indigenous people of the island province Basilan in Sulu. Through her work, she aims to promote the use of locally sourced materials, such as that of Yakan

Lastly, the “Bioniq 1.0” is an eye-catching ceiling installation of an upside-down vehicle, showcasing a reimagined IONIQ 5. The life-size applied sculpture was created by Leeroy New, a Filipino sculptor, street artist, jewelry maker and fashion designer. The multi award-winning designer’s works combine sustainability with fashion and innovation.

 

It is made entirely of biodegradable and renewable materials and other agricultural surplus like sawdust, bamboo, rattan, and copper grounds. He also has a display of wearable art called the “Carapace BioSuit”, which is made of reconstituted sawdust.

These installations shall be open for viewing at the Mega Fashion Hall Activity Center until Sunday, April 28, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. After which, they will be moved to Artist Village at Camp Mariana in Jala-jala, Rizal. Camp Mariana is a sustainable farm with glamping sites and artist-owned properties, serving as a peaceful oasis for artists who want a quick escape from the city.

Mallgoers will also be able to check out an array of Hyundai vehicles namely the Creta, the Custin, the All-New Santa Fe, the Stargazer X, the Staria, and of course the IONIQ 5. The latter is powering up the brand’s signature café through its Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) feature. Customers who purchase a Creta or Stargazer will also enjoy an on-site exclusive discount of Php 10,000 (terms and conditions apply). Moreover, visitors who register at the booth can enjoy not just a free cup from Dumbo Coffee but also free snapshots care of Hello Photo.

Visit https://www.hyundai.com/ph/en/hyundai-story/hyundai-mobility-experience for the complete details. As for more updates, like and follow @HyundaiMotorPhilippines on Facebook and Instagram.

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realme Smart TV (43in) review: An affordable hub for your smart home

Last year, we’ve seen realme broaden its horizons from not only offering quite a lineup of smartphones throughout the year, but also through its AIoT offerings. 

2020 was also the year the company was recognized as the number one smartphone brand in the Philippines so it only makes sense to further reinforce its presence in the country.

This year, the company is heading straight to smart homes with the same idea of bringing the latest tech at reasonable prices. 

Design

This is the realme TV. What we have here is the 43-inch variant with Full HD resolution. There are only two variants available right now with the other being a smaller 32-inch model with HD resolution. 

Realme says it’s positioning the 32-inch variant as more for those living in smaller spaces like condos while the bigger 43-inch model could be set up in living rooms or even as digital boards for small businesses. 

The package comes with its own plastic stand. It’s a bit wobbly at first but really tighten the screws underneath and you’ll get it to be stable. 

Of course, it’s preferable to have a more solid stand but the included plastic ones feel sturdy enough. Besides, the TV itself is not that heavy so it feels like the plastic stand could easily support the TV.

And if you prefer hanging it on a wall, that’s also possible and the realme TV is compatible with the standard VESA bracket. 

In terms of design, it does look up-to-date with its thin bezels measuring only 8.7mm. At the back, we have a series of ports for connectivity including three HDMI ports, two USB, SPDIF, DVB-T2 for digital TV, and an Ethernet port. 

For audio, there are two sets of speakers at the bottom consisting of one full-range speaker and one tweeter each. These have a total power of 24W which realme says is more powerful when compared to its competitors. We’ll get to audio quality in just a bit. 

The included remote control comes with dedicated buttons for Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and even access to Google Assistant so those are just one click of a button away at all times. 

Features

Being a smart TV, it does come with a number of features and is mainly the selling point of this product. It has a built-in Chromecast and brings all the features that go along with it like casting photos or videos from your phone to the TV.

And one of our most used features on this thing is its Google Assistant. Again, it works just like it does on an Android smartphone. Just press the dedicated Google Assistant button on the remote, and you can give commands to your TV by using the remote control as a mic.

With this feature alone, your TV now acts as a central hub if you have a smart home setup. We have a couple of smart lights installed at home so we could now control their brightness, color, and intensity through the TV. Really useful.

It also comes with pre-installed apps popular for smart TVs. You can easily connect to platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and Live Channel.

Third-party videos, music platforms, movies, and even games can also be downloaded through the Play Store. Just make sure you have Bluetooth-enabled game controllers. That means it has Bluetooth connectivity for controllers and wireless speakers as well as WiFi at 2.4GHz.

The realme TV runs Android TV OS based on Android 9. And just like Android’s user experience on smartphones, the layout is both easy on the eyes and simple to navigate through.

There are a lot of apps to choose from which we like since it gives you a way to personalize your TV. Some of our personal picks are Hue Essentials for our lights, Spotify of course, and Live Gallery for keeping the TV on in the background.

And in terms of picture quality, the realme TV boasts the company’s Chroma Boost Technology that we’ve seen in their smartphones that enhances overall clarity, contrast, and color to aim and improve overall visuals. 

The TV also supports HDR 10 for brighter images and more realistic picture quality. On top of this, you can also choose between different display modes depending on your preference and the content you’re viewing. 

Overall performance

Inside, the realme TV runs on a MediaTek quad-core 64-bit processor partnered with 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage. This combination resulted in decent performance and speed when navigating through the menu and jumping in and out of apps.

For image quality, we really like how the realme TV produces bright images which work well especially when in bright rooms. Details are impressive and watching HD movies on Netflix shows good picture quality. 

There are some noticeable artifacts and color renderings that are not that smooth but they’re not big issues and some wouldn’t even notice them. Its Chrome Boost Engine effectively made sure colors were punchy but they don’t go overboard.

The display also has good viewing angles so you can sit in more areas around the TV and still enjoy good picture quality. 

As for its audio, we do appreciate the 24-watt speakers that do go loud. We also like the implementation of having Dolby Audio solution to ensure more vivid audio. But of course, they still wouldn’t replace dedicated speakers especially if you’re really into immersing yourself in the environment of what you’re watching.

While these do make the quad-speakers decent enough for normal viewing, turning them all the way up will produce distortion so it’s best to keep the volume in check. 

Creature Feature

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having. Something that would make a product stand out from its competition. And for the realme TV, it would definitely have to be its built-in Google Assistant.

This feature alone can not only bring you quick facts or show you the latest films, but it also turns your TV into a hub for your smart home. And with today’s accessibility to affordable smart products, a smart TV is a great addition to have. 

Pricing and final thoughts

realme has been known to bring premium features to more people and the new realme TV is no exception. It’s able to offer not just entertainment but also functionality for everyday use. 

This is also a great choice if you want to start your smart home setup as you’ll get a feel for having a digital assistant around. 

The realme TV starts at PhP 11,990 for the 32-inch model and PhP 18,990 for the 43-inch variant. There will be an exclusive PhP 3K off for Shopee’s 3.3 Sale as well as a free realme soundbar for every purchase. 

You may read more about the promo here.

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