So far, 240 reported dead and hundreds of thousands of evacuees have been documented in the aftermath of Ketsana (Ondoy), a tropical storm that barely registered as a Typhoon. The Philippine government, by some accounts, have been slow to react, undermanned and under-equipped. Contrast that to individual Filipinos, like a 49-year-old judge who miraculously saved a 100 people with the help of his jet ski. Or 18-year-old Muelmar Magallanes (more of the hero here, and also here), who was a good swimmer and saved 30 people including an infant before being swept away by strong currents.

Google page of tropical storm Ondoy relief

In the deluge, technology became one of the few shining beacons for the people of Manila and environs and the guiding light for heroic Manilans. From mobile Facebook and Twitter, Filipinos were able to locate srranded individuals in urgent need of aid.

(popular movie actress and FHM covergirl Cristine Reyes waits for help on the roof of her home)

One real life drama amid the catastrophe was played by superstars in local cinema. The hero braved darkness and flood to save a beautiful damsel in distress[times].

(A local celebrity uses surfboard to help out. via)

The unsung multitude waited for help, texted their locations to relatives who in turn Twitted or Facebooked their locations to rescuers and most everyone else who will listen. Some savvy individuals collated information and made a Google map. Relief is largely coordinated through Twitter and blog posts.

Meanwhile, the disaster was evident on Youtube and news Philippine news channels (gmanews, abs-cbn.news). If you need to see more images, I suggest you do a Google Image Search for “Ondoy.”

The Philippine government is overwhelmed and individual Filipinos, though tough and generous, could only do so much. Speed is of the essence. You can help:

1. PayPal link from TXT Power
2. List of ways to donate from outside Philippines
3. .org (aggregates news and updates)
4. Spreadsheet for verified Online donations
5. relief.org (for Philippine donations)
6. Philippine Aid accepts PayPal (temporarily closed: reason here)

[also read: sfgate, nyt]

The Samsung M1 you’ve been watching above is just a prototype, but what an awful prototype, especially when it boasts Tegra.

[via engadget]

China has a ton of portable media choices. One way of giving the market a boost is through a little fashion show.

We’d like to inroduce our first “Dear PMP Today” blog post. We’ve been receiving quite a lot of requests and advice regarding portable media players and we usually help out when we can, and we do listen. However, resources are limited and some request, like this one, almost impossible. So we’ll leave it to you, dear readers, to help us out and the anonymous people looking for their ideal PMP. Leave a comment below, and LINKS are allowed (no salesmen please).

Energy Sistem, dubbing the 6030 and 6031 MP5 players, gives us RM/ RMVB playback as well as AVI (DivX, Xvid) and FLV on a 2.8-inch screen. The 6030 is black and the 6031 white and both come with 8GB of storage with microSD of up to 32GB additional storage. Price is 109 euros ($154).

[via gmp3]

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbJ8YPHwXM[/youtube]

MP4 Nation is all excited about HACHA’s 4-inch PC90 PMP. The screen is an explosive component with more than 45-degree viewing. The screen, after all, is one of the most important parts of a portable media player and so often neglected especially by manufacturers from China. It will be available in 8GB and 16GB. No price yet but it’s bound to be very reasonable.

Read more here.

At last, here it is, the Meizu M8 finished product.

Is it just me or does the background music remind one of Zune ads? Got to admit the UI is sophisticated and beautiful. Screen resolution of the Meizu M8 is crisp. The swiping touch control is almost as amazing as iPhone’s. It’s one of the best Windows CE 5.0 device we’ve seen here at PMPToday.

Update: if you’re looking for another great Windows CE 5.0 phone, look no farther than the Newman VX1000, our gadget of the year for 2007. The Japanese-made Sophia Nani is pretty good as well.

[via itechnews]

Dell’s ready to bust out their second model in their netbook line aptly named the Inspiron Mini 12. With the Inspiron Mini 9 touting a near 9-inch display, this new Inspiron Mini 12 will, you guessed it, come with a bigger 12-inch 1280×800 max resolution screen. Options for this model will include a 1.3GHz Atom Z520 or 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, XP or Ubuntu OS for 2008 with Vista Home coming into play next year, 60GB or 80GB HDD, and an optional 6-cell battery for those who really need more juice than what the standard 3-cell battery can provide. With a larger screen, the Inspiron Mini 12 is definitely bigger than its predecessor but it manages to stay pretty slim measuring in at a mere 21mm in thickness. Reports indicate that it will hit Japan first and will eventually land in the US in November with a starting price of $600. No word on when it will roll out in other countries. This new Inspiron Mini is definitely a step up from the pioneering model from Dell, and you’ll have to pay the price for it. It’s a whole lot more expensive than the Inspiron Mini 9, but with a bigger screen, thinner profile and larger storage capacities, I think it’s worth the added cost.

[businesswire via bgr]