ICYME: Samsung to launch Note7, ‘Star Wars’ Episode 8 finishes filming, PH vs. China sea dispute

This week’s ICYME (In Case You Missed Everything) is as packed with news as ever. We learn that the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII is done with filming (and we get a new look into Rogue One), the Philippines wins against China over the West Philippine Sea dispute, plus more big news you may have missed. Read on below…

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• A taste of victory. As you well know, we were able to secure a victory at a UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration trial over a longstanding maritime dispute with China. But said nation refuses to acknowledge the victory and still bars our fishermen from acessing the likes of Scarborough Shoal, which the tribunal has named as a traditional fishing ground for our fishermen. The Philippine government is looking to enter into talks with China to resolve this issue but according to Solicitor General Jose Calida, they will fight for this landmark victory when it enters talks with China. We don’t know how responsive China will be as they completely ignored and opposed the ruling. We’ll keep close watch over this issue and share important updates.

• Pokémon Go mania continues. Even without it being available in majority of the countries, coverage of Pokémon Go is at its peak and with all its users, its breaking industry records. A recent report by SurveyMonkey claims the game is seeing retention rates more than double the industry average. At the same time, it’s also earning revenue twice the average rate of casual games, too. But this isn’t without any bad news as people are warned of the dangers of playing the game. Please, when the game makes its way here, don’t play the game while driving.

• Remember it’s Note7, not Note6. We didn’t jump a year ahead. Samsung is looking to unify its product line by skipping over a number and releasing the the Note7 instead of the Note6. We’ll be hearing more about this flagship phablet on August 2 (or most likely August 3 here in the Philippines).

• Updates from the galaxy far, far away. This year’s Star Wars Celebration in London brought with it a new hair-raising look at Rogue One, the first anthology film that serves as a standalone prequel to the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. Excuse us while we try to process seeing Stormtroopers on a beach. Rogue One is set for a December 15th here in the Philippines On other Star Wars-related news, Episode VIII has wrapped up filming and we get to see a badass shot of Daisy Ridley as Rey from her Instagram. This film will be ready for us in December 2017.

• There’s a new watch in town. Famed for their fliptop Razr phones of old, Motorola seeks to reenter the Philippine market by launching the lauded Moto 360 2nd Gen smartwatch this month. The circular smartwatch doubles as a fashionable timepiece and functional smart device simultaneously.

• OLX’s new groove. After successful campaigns like “Yes, Yaman” and “Ano Ang Hanap Mo,” OLX is launching its brand-new campaign for 2016, dubbed “Win Together.” The campaign focuses on how the entire community benefits from the company’s services.