Wearable technologies continue to evolve. From telling the time and date, heart rates and beats per minute, to active notifications for people, innovation in devices such as smartwatches and health trackers continue to push forward.

Over the years, users may have embraced and adapted to technological innovations in whatever form or function, but I find that there is some peace in simplicity and minimalism.

And the mWell Health Ring stands out not for its flashiness, but for its quiet efficiency.

As a recovering cancer patient, I鈥檝e found the mWell Health Ring to be more than just a health accessory鈥攊t has become an unobtrusive companion in my daily routine.

Unlike smartwatches, which often demand visual attention, the mWell Health Ring is designed for minimalism. It doesn’t feel bulky or heavy, and wouldn’t require much of an adjustment for married people. The ring feels less like a gadget and more like a natural extension of one鈥檚 lifestyle.

The mWell Health Ring provides real-time insights into heart rate, oxygen saturation, sleep quality, and physical activity.

Its compact design and extended battery life allow for continuous monitoring without the need for frequent charging or screen interaction.

It is true that smartwatches can gather the same information, but personally, I never got into the practice of swiping through the screens of such devices.

The mWell Health Ring does not require me any extra effort to make use of its functions to the fullest. All it requires is for me to wear it.

With its integration to the mWell PH app, accessing the information gathered by the ring requires only a few taps on my phone.

Empowering decisions for a healthy lifestyle

One of the ring鈥檚 most compelling features is its ability to provide users with a basic overview of their health status, enabling proactive adjustments without the need for constant medical consultations.

Whether evaluating sleep patterns, tracking daily steps, or assessing sedentary behavior, the ring empowers users to make informed decisions about their wellness routines.

I have been a multimedia artist and producer in the news industry for 17 years. Given the nature of my occupation, it is hard to avoid that most of my days are spent in a sedentary way.

Finding myself engrossed in work or leisurely activities, it’s quite easy to neglect even the most basic practices for a healthy lifestyle.

The information provided by the health ring such as the comparisons of how much time I spend doing exercise, light activities, or just sitting in front of my computer already helps me decide on whether I should stand up, walk a bit, or do something healthier.

Practical enhancements for future versions

While the ring excels in many areas, one practical limitation remains: its ease of retrieval when misplaced.

Admittedly, I have misplaced it several times during the course of using it, and I found it quite difficult to locate.

A simple feature allowing users to trigger a beep or blinking light via the companion app would greatly enhance usability鈥攑articularly for those using darker variants that blend into their surroundings.

It does light up to gather health information from time to time, but a function in the mWell app where a user could trigger it would be an enormous help.

More personalization options are something that mWell might want to consider in the future too.

With current color options limited to black, silver, and bronze, expanding the color palette and offering features such as name engraving could enhance its appeal鈥攑articularly for users seeking a more expressive or individualized design.

Not just wearable tech

The mWell Health Ring is not merely a piece of wearable tech鈥攊t is a quiet, intelligent partner in personal health management.

For individuals navigating recovery or simply seeking a more discreet way to monitor wellness, it offers a thoughtful balance of form and function. With continued innovation and attention to personalization and usability, it has the potential to redefine how we engage with our health鈥攐ne subtle signal at a time.

mWell is the digital healthcare arm of Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC).

MPIC is one of the three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority share in听大象传媒听through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.

There are over 84.45 million social media users in the Philippines, accounting for 72.5% of the population, as reported in

With that many users consuming content regularly, the content creator industry in the Philippines has seen rapid growth over the years.听

Mobile phone manufacturers were bound to take notice of the demands of content creators, and Realme is one of them.听

The global technology company indicated during the launch of the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G that the significance and attributes of content creation have greatly influenced the design of their new phone.听

Branded as 鈥淎 DSLR in your pocket,鈥� the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G boasts an improved tri-camera setup, a focus on AI enhancement, and a bigger battery capacity.听

鈥淣ow it is so easy to spread any type of content that you want to put out there,鈥澨� Jimmclaude Gayo, Product Marketing Lead at Realme Philippines, said in an interview during the event.听

Is the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G a great tool for content creation or is it just a model refresh?听

听

The specs听

The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G shares some core features with its predecessor, the 12 Pro+ 5G. This is the reason why the new flagship phone of Realme may be considered a model refresh.

Similar as they may be, there are some upgrades to the newer 13 Pro+ 5G.

The 6.7 OLED screen of the 13 Pro+ 5G can produce twice the brightness than its predecessor.

The battery of the newer phone also has a larger capacity at 5200 mAh, and allows for faster charging at 80W, something that content creators would surely appreciate.

鈥�Kailangan power-efficient ka (para) at the end of the day, magagamit mo yung phone [You need to have power-efficient batteries that can last the whole day,]鈥� Mr. Gayo said.

Some might see it as a deal breaker that the core technical specs of the 13 Pro+ 5G is the same as that of the 12 Pro+ 5G, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t perform well.

The phone’s is relatively slim and lightweight (190 grams), contributing to its portability. Although the 13 Pro+ 5G comes with a free case, some users may opt to buy third-party cases that would add a bit more weight based on their preference.

Work, work, work

The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G performs well with productivity apps.

The combination of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen2 and the 12gb of RAM ensures smooth multitasking for productivity apps such as Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and management tools such as Trello.

For professionals always on-the-go, the ability to switch between apps seamlessly is a must-have. The 13 Pro+ 5G does that with ease.

The touch interface is smooth and responsive, which is always the first thing that smart phone users notice.

The OLED display with the 120Hz refresh rate and higher brightness capabilities proved quite useful for apps that demand detailed visuals such as Canva.

With the Realme UI 5.0, the 13 Pro+ 5G also comes with AI driven features such as AI Screen Recognition and AI Smart Loop. These apps are very helpful in streamlining workflows.

Standby time is also impressive with the higher battery life.

Got game

The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G may be marketed more for content creators, but it certainly does not slack with performance on gaming.

The 13 Pro+ 5G performs admirably with popular mobile games given it’s powerful hardware.

The Adreno 710 GPU in particular allows Mobile Legends to run smoothly at high settings. Game experience is fluid with minimal lag.

Genshin Impact, known to be demanding for its graphics, plays decently at low to medium settings, providing a balance between visual quality and performance.

No significant lag or frame drops for Call of Duty Mobile. Gameplay is smooth even at high graphics and max frame rate.

Overall, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is a very capable mobile gaming phone.

Power to create听

At first glance, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G looks it has the same camera setup with its predecessor, but in truth, there are some improvements.

The main camera of the 13 Pro+ 5G uses the Sony LYT-701 sensor. Granted, the sensor is basically a rebrand of the Sony IMX890 that came with the 12 Pro+ 5G, the LYT-701 takes of advantage of Sony’s latest sensor technology. These come with improvements in image processing and low-light performance.

Another difference between the two phones is, again, the sensor that comes with the telephoto camera.

The 13 Pro+ 5G makes use of the Sony LYT-600 sensor, while the 12 Pro+ 5g uses the Omnivision senser.

Both provide excellent low-light performance and color accuracy, but the advance features of the LYT-600 gives it the edge over the Omnivision sensor.

Also of note is that Sony LYT-600’s 100% focus pixels actually provide faster and more accurate autofocus.

One thing that content creators would like about the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is it’s front camera. Unlike that of it’s predecessor, the 13 Pro+ 5G’s front camera can record video in 4k.

Being able to see the framing and lighting through your screen as content creators produce video helps a lot in overall production quality. Now, the output is in 4k.

Through end-user feedback from customers and partners, Mr. Gayo said these allowed them to address and leverage the common pain points of cameras in other smartphones, like blurred photos due to lack of OIS and evident noise due to automatic ISO adjustments.听听

“Anything that they experience that is a pain point for them definitely has to be considered for us to solve that with the next one there,” he said.

The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G comes with AI enhancements that significantly improve user experience and overall performance for the phone’s camera.

1. AI HyperRAW Algorithm: enhances image quality by improving clarity, dynamic range, and color accuracy
2. AI Ultra Clarity: enhances details and sharpness of photos
3. AI Smart Removal: allows removal of unwanted elements in a photo
4. AI Group Photo Enhance: adjust lighting and focus to ensure everyone in the photo looks great
5. AI Natural Skin Tone: skin tones are enhanced to look natural
6. AI Pure Bokeh: makes background blur look more natural

Conclusion

Overall, it is understandable that the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is branded as a “DSLR in your pocket.”

The high quality of images, color accuracy, shallow depth of field, and low-light performance actually attests to its capability to cater to photography and videography enthusiasts.

However, it should be of note that the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is more than just a phone with a great camera. Productivity and gaming performance are also excellent.

Realme has achieved a great balance between quality, performance, and price with the Realm 13 Pro+ 5G. – with contributions from Almira Louise S. Martinez

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The cliche 鈥渢he way to a man鈥檚 heart is through his stomach鈥� is especially true in the Philippines, where food is central to gatherings and 鈥�kumain ka na ba鈥� or 鈥渉ave you eaten鈥� is a common greeting.

When the pandemic struck, the simple act of breaking bread in the presence of friends and family was taken away from us.

In this听B-Side听episode, John Paolo C. Dalupang, a research associate at the Institute of Philippine Culture and lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, tells听大象传媒听reporter Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan about the social role of food.

Mr. Dalupang, who has done research on feeding programs, public health, and disaster resilience, shares what he鈥檚 learned about what we lost when we were deprived of social gatherings and how our relationship to food has changed because of the pandemic.

TAKEAWAYS

Food can maintain identities and relationships.

鈥淔ood practices enable people to create and maintain cultural, racial, and ethnic identities,鈥� said Mr. Dalupang, adding that it is the ritual of food preparation and sharing that helps build relationships.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the experiences that surround the food that really help form the bonds,鈥� he said.

Food can sometimes express what words cannot, he continued, like when someone is asking for forgiveness or when courting someone.

鈥淚 think, in general, when we give food to others, there is this notion of concern.鈥�

Food is a status marker.

鈥淔ood is a reflection of the particular context that you are in,鈥� said Mr. Dalupang

Food preferences can hint at what you can afford or where you live.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this concept called conspicuous consumption wherein you buy things and you ensure that other people see you buying it,鈥� he said.

The pandemic changed our relationship with food.

鈥淲e lost the ability to gather and share food but being resourceful, we have made adaptations,鈥� said Mr. Dalupang, who pointed out that Zoom parties allowed us to gather virtually. 鈥淭he only thing is, it鈥檚 still a different feel. A lot of people will tell you that it鈥檚 still different when you can sit with each other and actually converse.鈥�

Recorded remotely on Feb. 16, 2022. Produced by听Jino D. Nicolas听and听Sam L. Marcelo.

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Vote buying is prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code, with penalties of imprisonment for one to six years, disqualification to hold public office, and forfeiture of one鈥檚 right to vote if found guilty.

And yet, vote buying still happens.

In this听B-Side听episode, Froilan C. Calilung, a political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, talks about the legalities and loopholes that have allowed vote buying to become part of the Philippine political system, with structures built by those with power and money. 鈥淲e could simply say that poverty is one of the contentious issues why we have vote buying, and why it is still very much prevalent in our society nowadays,鈥� he tells听大象传媒听reporter Alyssa Nicole O. Tan. 鈥淢any Filipinos actually see election time as a frivolous event 鈥� more like a carnival of sorts, if I may say.鈥�

TAKEAWAYS

Utang na loob听(debt of gratitude) has a dark side.

Many voters will come from the C, D, and E margins which include the lower middle class, working class, and the poor, making them susceptible to the pressure of accepting bribes in exchange for votes.听

There are two schools of thought when it comes to vote buying, said Mr. Calilung: 鈥淥ne of which says that you vote according to your conscience which means鈥� you don鈥檛 accept the money at all,鈥� he explained, 鈥渁nd the other one is relevant to the idea of accepting the money but not voting for the candidates.鈥�

He added that vote buying doesn鈥檛 even have to involve money; it can come in the form of canned goods, job placements, leisure opportunities, or whatever gains the candidate any sort of favor 鈥� this, in turn, leads to 鈥�utang na loob,鈥� or a feeling of indebtedness.

Vote buying shouldn鈥檛 be 鈥榗ondoned, normalized, or romanticized鈥� no matter how widespread it is.

People have learned how to rationalize vote buying. 鈥淭he premise and the belief that this money is ours, this is taxpayer鈥檚 money that these politicians get, and they鈥檙e just trying to give it back to us,鈥� said Mr. Calilung.听

Even better: when a preferred candidate buys a vote that was already theirs. 鈥淭hey are hitting two birds with one stone.鈥�

However, Mr. Calilung said vote buying must not be condoned, normalized, or romanticized even if the Commission on Elections is unable to prevent it.听

If you can鈥檛 reform politicians, reform the populace instead.

Appealing to the collective conscience to 鈥渄o the right thing,鈥� might work, said Mr. Calilung, who pointed to non-government organizations and the church as possible messengers.

Eliminating vote buying, he added, will 鈥渙pen the floodgates for more honest, competent, and highly qualified political aspirants to join the fray.鈥澨�

鈥淚 think it all boils down to the kind of moral fiber that we have,鈥� Mr. Calilung said, but this reasoning only works for the privileged.听鈥淧overty is still going to play a big role in the elections, and it will factor in the decision to accept money from the candidates.鈥�

Recorded remotely in December 2021. Produced by Bront毛 H. Lacsamana, Jino D. Nicolas, and Sam L. Marcelo.

While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dominated the headlines, other issues such as mental health concerns, tuberculosis, and cancer still need to be addressed.

鈥淭here are a lot of patients who are not able to get treatment because of COVID-19, and access to treatment is an issue,鈥� said Dr. Erwin G. Benedicto, head of medical affairs at Johnson & Johnson Philippines.

In this听B-Side听episode, the second on strengthening the country鈥檚 health system, he tells听大象传媒听reporter Bront毛 H. Lacsamana how the public and private sector can work together to provide better healthcare and protect the country from multiple health-related threats.

鈥淢oving forward鈥� we will have to enhance the private and public partnership because I know that the government cannot do it alone, and private cannot do it alone,鈥� Dr. Benedicto said.

Recorded remotely in December 2021. Produced by Bront毛 H. Lacsamana, Jino D. Nicolas, and Sam L. Marcelo.

Listen to听Part 1. To read the related story, get the January 2022 issue of听.