A few days ago, newspapers displayed photos of the president with his first pay check. While the president’s move reinforced most people’s confidence in his administration and his efforts to be a transparent leader, it also made some people realize that the president’s salary is relatively small.

Heck, most bank executives out-earn the president. I know at least one BPO executive whose take-home pay is twice that of the president.

Why then would politicians spend billions of pesos to become president? Your guess is as good as mine.

Full LED 3D Glory

Last week, a bunch of IT writers and journalists was asked by LG Electronics Philippines to come to a hotel room somewhere in Ortigas Center. While that might sound a little hanky-panky to some of our readers, yours truly wishes to assure everybody we went there purely out of our love and passion for new gadgets and devices.

LG Electronics wanted us to have an intimate get-together with the Korean electronics vendor’s full LED high-definition TV, the LG Infinia. And so, unlike the usual product launches I have covered, the LG TV’s coming-out party was more like a typical “pamamanhikan.”

Not that the event was boring, quite far from it. We had the chance to witness and experience the Infinia’s probable impact on our notion of living room entertainment. The HDTV set made quite an impression with its 2D and 3D modes, and trailblazing capabilities.

Androids beat berries

Market research firm NPD Group’s latest report shows that Android-powered smart phones have outsold erstwhile bestseller BlackBerry in the United States in the second quarter of 2010. Android phones accounted for 33 percent of the smart-phone sales in April–June, while BlackBerry devices made by Canada-based Research In Motion accounted for 28 percent to take second place.

RIM hopes to take back market share it lost courtesy of its soon-to-be-released Torch smart phones that run the BlackBerry 6 software.

Same chargers for all

New mobile phones sold in Europe next year should be compatible with a universal charger design, the European Commission recently announced. According to EC representative Dennis Abbott, consumers should be able to “use the same, one-size-fits-all charger for mobile phones sold in the EU from the beginning of 2011.”

While our initial reaction understandably would be to turn green with envy, we should be encouraged by the possibility of a universal charger reaching our shores sooner rather than later. After all, if mobile phone makers were left with no choice but to comply with the EU’s directive, they might find that it makes sense to also bring a similar charger here.

That’s all for the meantime folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.