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Showing posts with label Techbitz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Techbitz. Show all posts

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Apple and Samsung doesn't own the Smartphone world

I think a lot of people would agree with me that in the Smartphone world, small Smartphone makers can go head to head with giants like Apple and Samsung. Three years ago it is a different story but today brands like Huawei, ZTE, and HTC are slowly getting a piece of the market. Here in the Philippines brands like Cherry Mobile and Myphone are offering budget phones that could compete in terms of features against the Smartphone giants.

I honestly considered buying one of the Myphone model, A919. Why do you ask? It has a 1 GHz dual core processor, 5 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camera. On top of that you could insert 2 sim cards and use it simultaneously. The price is below Php8,000. That is a good deal with all the features that it has.

 Do get me wrong. I think Apple and Samsung phones are worth it. That is if you could afford them. But for those who can't there are lot of smartphone makers out there that you should consider. 

Nokia use to dominate the cellphone market before the release of Smartphones, They have been trying to win back the piece of the market that they have lost. They have recently release Windows phone in an attempt to gain the trust of their customers, but gaining the lead in market would not be as easy as it use to be especially small company or start up company has joined the smartphone bandwagon. 

Personally I don't think the brand matters. What matters is the features that the Smartphone offers. Some may still give a lot of weight with the brand but why spend all that money if you buy a phone with all the features that you need for less? Well that's just me. What do you think?

IOS vs. Android

Which is the better platform? I have used an Iphone for the last two years and have recently started using an android phone. I have found android a better choice. Here are the reason why.

1. Customization 

- You can't do a lot of customization with IOS. One of features that I wanted my Iphone to have is to capability to change the appearance. I heard that in IOS 7 that somehow change the appearance but I am not sure to what extent. With Android phones, you could change the appearance by downloading launchers. There are quite a few good one out there. So far I have tried the Smart Launcher and have been satisfied. 

2. Apps choices

- You can find a lot of apps in the Apple Store. The only problem is, most of the good ones are not free. with Android, you could find a variety of great apps which are free on Google play. Another great thing about android phones is that you don't necessarily have to root your phone to be able to use some of the apps. 

3. Phone features. 

- IOS is not particularly fond of sharing data. The bluetooth feature could by use mostly using two IOS phone. This is totally different with android in which you could pair would almost any other phones. 
- FM Radio feature is not readily available for IOS phones. If you want to listen to the radio, you would have to download an app for it. 

4. Affordability

- This is one of the main reason why I bought an android phone in the first place. I wanted to upgrade  my outdated Iphone and would cost a lot of money to buy am Iphone 5 or Iphone 4s. Not to mention that they might release another Iphone within the year. Who knows? 


Are you an Android user or an IOS user? What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sun Broadband Service state: Trinoma Mall

I recently brought my pocket Wifi when we went to the Medical City clinic last week. So I did the usual test by opening facebook, watching a clip in Youtube and browsing other sites. The Sun broadband did not disappoint.

Please see the screenshot below for the speed test

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Sun Broadband Service state: Ever Gotesco Mall Commonwealth

I was in Ever Gotesco Mall the other day and was putting the Sun Broadband to the test. There were 3 users connected. We were all connected to Facebook. One was watching a clip and Youtube and connection was pretty normal. It was raining as well. Most of the time for some reason the broad band connection is somehow slow.

Check out the Screenshot from the screen test

Friday, August 12, 2011

Sun Broadband Service state: UP Ayala Technohub

I brought my laptop in UP Technohub and I am testing the Sun Broadband service. I am downloading files and browsing the internet at the same time. It is quite slow and pretty manageable. It would take a while though to open a site.

I checked the internet speed using speedtest.net. It takes a while to test the internet speed using this site. After five minutes of waiting, I got the results Download speed is at 0.36 Mbps (368.64 kbps) while upload speed 0.21 Mbps (215.04 kbps).  Based on the Sun broadband panel, the current internet speed would around 60 kbps to 200 kbps. The speed is fluctuating and most of the speed based on the Sun broadband panel would be around 50 kbps. I also tried checking using bandwidthplace.com. Download speed is at 268 kbps (33.5 KB/sec transfer rate) while upload speed 186 kbps (23.3 KB sec transfer rate).

In conclusion, the broadband service in UP Ayala Technohub is around 6 (highest is 10). I encountered difficulty in accessing some sites. I received an "Page cannot be displayed" or "No data received" on some sites. I tried watching Julie Ann's cover of superbass  from you tube and it took me two attempts to watch it. During the first attempt I encountered a "No data received error prompt". The second attempt went smoothly. I tried uploading a video in Facebook  (something that I have been trying in San Mateo). I wasn't able to upload it as well

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Sun Broadband Service state: Marikina

I am currently in the border of Barangay Banaba San Mateo Rizal and Marikina City. And I am testing out the Sun Broadband Service. I am quite satisfied with the service. I am staying in a friends place and I would have to say that Sun broadband service here is okay!

I reside in Ampid San Mateo Rizal and I have no problem in connecting with the service. The only problem that I have is the speed. Sometimes the connection is slow and would be really fast only from 2 o'clock in the morning until 5'oclock. Since I am a heavy internet user, I need a internet service that is fast.

I wonder if it's Sun's fair use policy that is kicking in that's why I am experiencing slow connection speed sometimes or the fact that Sun was bought by PLDT (who owns Smart Communications). I had bad experiences with the Smart Bro plug it service. So I hope Sun's cellular services doesn't deteriorate


Friday, July 8, 2011

Sun Broadband Service update


I have been looking for an internet service that would cater my online needs. I used to be a subscriber of Bayantel DSL service. Since I transferred residence, I needed to get a postpaid internet subscription. I could have chosen a prepaid service but it is too much of a hassle to reload every now and then.

I have been testing the Sun broadband service whenever I can. I have visited several places recently and I wanted to impart to you how the service is like in certain places. I have been to Sto. Tomas Pampanga. There is absolutely no service. I have no problem with the Sun prepaid cellphone service in Pampanga. The signal in that area is a lot stronger than Globe and Smart. So I concluded that Sun's cellular service and their Broadband service is not sharing the same network. That is good news and bad news about this. Assuming that is the case, it is beneficially for sun broadband user who are situated in areas where there a lot of sun cellphone user. Globe and Smart use their cell sites to provide service for both cellphone and broadband user. So what it means is that, if there are a lot of cellphone subscriber's in a particular area, chances are broadband service would be poor.

I have tried to use the broadband service in Mandaluyong, and it is pretty slow. I could only maximize the service from five o'clock in the morning until six. I also tried the service when I was in better living. The internet connection there is fast most of the time, however there are certain days when it is slow. Out of 10 days, I experienced a day of slow connection.

I primarily use sun's broadband service in San Mateo. I haven't experience any problem with browsing. But when it comes to torrent downloading, most of the time it is slow. But compared to Smart bro or Globe Tattoo, at least I could even download torrents with Sun. One more good thing about it is that I don't get disconnected. With the other network providers, I always had to reconnect from time to time



Thursday, May 19, 2011

Sun Broadband Service

I have been looking for a good internet provider that would provide me with a fast internet connection and unlimited surfing time. I wanted to try to apply for a DSL service from PLDT but it would be a hassle to submit all the requirements. My old DSL provider unfortunately doesn't offer their internet service in San Mateo. So I was left with the broadband service provided by the three telecommunications company in the Philippines.

I tried Globe tattoo prepaid broadband service. But I was really disappointed with the speed and their connection. I always have to reconnect to the service and it was really slow. Plus they have a so called Fair Use Policy which limits a heavy downloader like me to maximize their internet usage. You see I tried several times to register for their Unlimited Surfing service. But when I reached the 800 Mb limit, I get cut off from my internet usage and have to wait the next day. This is not beneficial to me since I work at nights and I am always too sleepy during the day. Hence I don't maximize the P50 worth of unlimited service. I thought it would be different with their postpaid subscription. Unfortunately they have the same policy for the postpaid subscription. I also tried Smartbro but I always get disconnected. They don't have a Fair Use Policy though.

Now I am using the Sun Cellular Broadband and I am very much satisfied with their service. Not only could I use it for downloading files, it it also doesn't get disconnected. Among the three broadband service provider, Sun is far superior than the two. Maybe it is because of the location. A friend of mine is also using the prepaid Sun service but his connection is quite slow. The connection speed depends on the number of subscribers using the service in a particular area.

So far so good. I'll let you know if I encounter any problems. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Globe Tattoo's Fair use Policy

I have been looking for a suitable replacement for my Bayantel DSL internet services for the last couple of months. I could have retain my old subscription but Bayantel does not have any connection in my new residence in San Mateo Rizal. I have tried Globe tattoo but I was really disappointed with their Prepaid service. Not only do I need to reconnect from time to time but it is really slow especially when I am using it for downloading files. I am fond of opening multiple browser at the same time. Globe Tattoo has proven their service doesn't have what it take to provide internet usage for heavy user like me.

I tried to avail their so called "Unli-Surf" internet subscription. For the price of fifty pesos, I would be able to use their internet service to my heart's content. But wait there is a catch. I could only use up to 800 megabyte per day. So if you have reach that limit you would have to wait the next day to be able to use their service again. I wonder why they even called it "Unli-surf"? Shouldn't it be unlimited surfing?My brother subscribe to their Wi-max service it is also subject to their Fair use policy. I don't know if it is just the location but the connection is way to slow to even consider it a Wi-max connection.

I still have to try Smart and Sun's broadband services. I have heard that sun is superior among the other to telecom companies. But a friend of mind the his Sun Broadband connection is slow. He is currently residing in Mandaluyong. So I still have to test their service before buying subscribing to a broadband service.

Currently I am using my 3g phone to connect to internet. I am currently satisfied since I am just using it to browse the internet. But I can't use it for downloading. 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Which company provides superior internet service in the Philippines?

It has been years since I have been a loyal subscriber of Bayantel's DSL service. Unfortunately since I had to transfer residence I had to find a new means to connect to the Web. Bayantel would have been fine but they don't have any connection in San Mateo. So I have to choose whether to get a Smart or Sun Broadband service or PLDT mydsl. The problem with PLDT is that I have to submit a lot of documents and it would take time to have it installed.

You might be wondering why I didn't include Globe Tattoo to the list. Well I am currently using the Tattoo's prepaid service but I am very disappointed with the service. This is the reason why. First it is hard find a good connection. And I did find a good connection it wouldn't last that long. I kept on disconnecting and reconnecting all the time. Second, I subscribe to their Supersurf 50 service which would supposedly allow me to access their web for 24 hours. I am a heavy internet user. I download a lot of files so I am looking for a stable connection. Here is where the problem lies. Globe has a certain policy call "Fair Use policy" in which you are only allowed to use 800mb (If I am not mistaken) per day. If you exceeded the quota, then you would have to wait the next day to be able to connect to the web. Most of the time I am able to connect to the web for only  2 hours max. 

I have to test the other two Sun and Smart Broadband services. I'll keep you posted on what I find out. 

Monday, June 7, 2010

Things to know about Phone Viruses

The technology has gone a long way. Before mobile phones were introduced, landline phone was the popular way to communicate. The first mobile phones introduced where analog phones. Analog phones were basically landlines that are mobile. Compared to mobile phones today, an analog phone does not have the capability to send Text messages. Now with the latest innovation, Phones are now capable of using operating system like computers have. The common operating system use by mobile phones is Symbian. 

Since mobile phones today could be use to access the internet, send MMS (multimedia messaging service) and transfer of files via Bluetooth, the risk of getting a phone virus has increased. Phone Viruses are the same as a computer virus. They are executable files (.exe) that infects your mobile phone and then copies itself to other mobile phones. So how are they transferred? Files sent by Bluetooth, files downloaded from the Internet or files copied to your phone from your PC are the common ways a virus is transferred. 

So what are the different types of Phone Viruses? Here are the most common ones

Cabir.A
This virus commonly infects Symbian Series 60 Phones. The most common way to get this virus is via files transferred using Bluetooth. This is one of the mildest phone viruses since it does not affect your Cellphone. This was first reported on June 2004

Skulls.A (Trojan type)
This phone virus is usually transferred for files downloaded from the internet. It infects various Symbian Phones and came out on November 2004. This is a nasty one since it disables all the phone functions except sending and receiving calls. It also changes the phone’s icons into skills and crossbones. 

Commwarrior.A
This phone virus would really cost you money since it sends out expensive MMS messages to everyone in your phonebook. This particular virus infects Symbian series 60 phones. You could get it from files sent via Bluetooth and MMS. It first came out on January 2005

Locknut.B
This is another nasty virus. This virus crashes your system ROM and disables all phone functions. This also inserts other malware into your phone. It infects Symbian Seies 60 phones. 

Fontal.A
Another phone virus that disables your phone is this virus. It locks up your phone in startup mode. It spreads via internet download and infects Symbian Series 60 phones. 

SymbOS/PornDial.A
This is another virus that causes an increase to your Postpaid Bill or your prepaid balance if you are using a prepaid account. It infects Symbian Series 60 phones as well. A phone could be infected if you open an Ipornplayer installation file. The effect is that it dials predefined Premium rate IDD numbers when left idle 

Hatihati.A
No phone with a system operating system is safe from this one. This spreads when you swap a memory card from one phone to another. This virus is also costly since it sends Text messages to predefined international numbers.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Phone Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

I have been a fond of using Sony Ericsson phones for quite some time. The great thing about this phone is that it has a lot of the features that I look for in a phone. The phone could be use as an MP3 player, Camera to take photos or shoot videos and the phone has the capability to connect to the web. Since I have been using a Sony Ericsson P1i phone, I have been used to a qwerty keypad. The Xperia also uses qwerty feature for text messaging. Although I am not sure if it would be easy to use the phone for text messaging while traveling.

The phone has a built in 8.1 megapixel camera that has a 16 times digital zoom, Auto focus, face recognition, image stabliser, Photo light, Picture blogging, video recording, Video light, Geo tagging and Smile Detection.

The phone supports MP3 and AAC formats which you could use as a ringtone or you listen to music with formats mentioned earlier. You could connect to Web using the phone with built in widget that allows you to easily access Youtube, Google search, Google Maps and web feeds. You could use you the phone in Wifi hotspots to the web as well.

A new feature that is offered by most of the new phones is GPS capabilities. This phone uses GPS powered location based services. You have to check with your local network provider for the availability of the service.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Mobile phone review: Nokia N97 Mini


I normally purchase and prefer to use Nokia Phones only. But since I got my Sony Ericsson P1i, I have fell in love with the brand and have not tried using a Nokia mobile phone since. Since I had my phone for two years, I have been checking the market for a suitable replacement. One of the phones that caught my eye is the Nokia N97 Mini. I have been used to a Qwerty type of keypad and for those are use to using it as I am, this the phone is highly recommendable. The great thing about this phone is that you could personalize your home screen so that you accommodate widgets that provide feeds from your social network like Facebook. You could also add bookmarks of your favorite webpages.

Since I have been using a phone with touchscreen capabilities, I want a phone with that feature as well. You could modify the themes for a selection of preinstalled themes or a theme that you have downloaded. You could also modify your ringtone to accommodate files like mp3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+ amd wma.  The phone is equipped with a FM radio feature and you could listen to music files with same format mentioned earlier.The phone comes with an internal memory of 8 GB. If that is not enough storage, you could simply purchase a MicroSD memory card that could store up to 16 GB.

The phone uses a High-speed USB which would make transfer of files from the Phone to computer faster. It also has Bluetooth capabilities with enhanced date rare so that you could transfer files from one phone to another at a faster speed. A cool feature of the Nokia N97 mini is the TV out feature which would allow a user to watch a video which is stored on your phone in your TV.

Before I got my DSL subscription, I used my phone as a modem so that I could use my Laptop to connect to the web.  This phone could be use to connect to the web at a faster speed because of the enhanced data network feature.  You could browse the real web page using this phone.

The phone is equipped with a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. You could zoom up to 4X and has a different camera for video calls. Still photos could be saved as JPEG. The phone supports to MP4 and 3GP formats for video files.



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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Jamming devices

While I was watching the ABS-CBN news, a segment caught my attention. There are unconfirmed reports that a large amount of Signal jammers were smuggle in the Philippines. There is a theory that Jamming devices would be use to disrupt the May 2010 election in the Philippines. ABS-CBN tried to purchase the said device in one of the electronic shops in Manila. It is surprisingly easy. They were not required to present any form of identification and the retailers did not ask the purpose in purchasing the device.


Even if Telcommunication company would use this contraption to disrupt their competitors signal, their services would be affected as well. This devices doesn't have the capabilities to jam a specific network. That won’t be beneficial to anyone.

So it got me thinking. This would be fun if I want to annoy somebody. But that is not enough reason for me to shell out at least Php4000 for it. I could buy a lot of things instead. So what is the purpose of buying such device?

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Apple Ipad unveiled

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has shown the world its latest contraption in the form of Ipad. I thought that the caption misspelled the name when I first saw the news this afternoon. I thought it was a new type of the Ipod, a music and video player release by Apple.


The Ipad is like a bigger version of Iphone and is smaller than a laptop. It is equipped with a 9.7 inch touch screen, half an inch thick and weighs only 1.5 pounds. Flash memory storage ranges from 16, 32 and 64 gigabytes. It’s quite similar to Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle with a few additions. The Ipad is outfitted with Wifi and Bluetooth and web surfing browser Safari. It also includes calendar, maps, video and music player. Electronic Arts Inc. creator of famous video is collaborating with Apple in this new project.

Some people are doubtful that the new Ipad will attract consumer who already has Smart Phones and Laptops. Apple has to do a lot of convincing to do. Ipad is expected to be released by March and will cost from $499 to $699, depending on the flash memory storage. While 3g capable iPad models are expected to come on April with prices ranging from $629 to $829 depending on the memory capacity.

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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Smart 24-hour unlimited access to social networking sites

Good news for Social Network addicts. Smart communication is offering a 24-hour unlimited surfing service to some of the Social networking sites for only 20 pesos. You could have unlimited access to Facebook, Multiply, Twitter and Plurk. This would benefit those who plays Mafia wars, vampire diaries, Pet society, café world or Farmville in Facebook on a daily basis. Another good thing is that they also offer this service to other sites such as Inquirer, TMZ, Wikipedia, Photobucket, EYO, Flickr and Ebay. The cost for accessing these sites is Php20 as well.

If you started using the service at seven in the morning, you have unlimited access from seven in the morning until seven the following day regardless of the number of times that you logged out. You jsu7t have to access http://m.smart.com.ph/surf using the mobile phone browser. Select your preferred Web Unlimited package. You will be deducted Php20 if you are using a prepaid account or billed above their monthly service fee if you are using a postpaid account. If you’re using a prepaid account, you have to maintain Php1 to keep service active. For more information please log on to http://smart.com.ph/ or call *888 using your smart mobile phone

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Chrome Operating system

cGoogle has released Chrome web browser about a year ago. I am very satisfied with the browser’s performance. It’s really fast and has a very useful cloud feature. It makes browsing using multiple tabs a lot easier. I have to say that I prefer this browser than Internet explorer and Mozilla.

Last year, Google has unveiled their plans in releasing their New Operating system called Chrome OS I got pretty excited when I first heard about it. I wonder if it would be a better operating system compared to the commonly used Microsoft operating system.

The plan is pretty straight forward. They envision that their Chrome operating system would be fast, simple and secure. Since Google is internet based, the new OS would be internet centered. Initially, it would be available to certain netbooks where the software is compatible. The good thing about the Chrome OS software is that it would be free. Google plans to include Chrome OS available in netbooks before the end of 2010.

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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Who is the fairest DSL provider of them all?

Internet has become a big part of the people's lives in the Philippines. And day by day internet users are growing. That is one the reason why Telecommunications companies are finding ways to make Filipino's lives easier to connect to the web.

I am a heavy internet user and I had to find a service provider that would meet my online needs. I am in to online gaming and heavy content downloading. I could have just bought a Plug-it device if I was only going to connect to social networking site such as Facebook or Friendster. But the internet speed that Plug-it device is not sufficient for my online gaming needs.

PLDT DSL is most the recognize DSL provider and is still the top choice. There are alternatives as well. There's SmartBro, Globe Broadband and Bayantel. I ended up subscribing to Bayantel DSL because they were not that strict with the documents that I submitted and it only took them three days to install. I just had to pay Php999 pesos when I submitted my documents and Php250 per month for the first four months. When I was applying for a PLDT DSL account, I was told that it would take three weeks to process the installation.

There is no such thing as a perfect service provider but since March 2009, there were only two incidents when my connection was down. On both occasions, the rain was pouring really hard. One of the incidents was during Typhoon Ondoy. I am satisfied with the service so far.

From the banners and leaflets that I have read regarding the Bayantel DSL service, the internet speed could go as high as 1280Kbps. Another good thing is that I had to pay Php899 per month only. But there is a catch. A subscriber could only use the advertised speed of 1280 kbps from 10pm to 10am. From 10:00am to 9:59 pm, internet speed is only at 768 kbps. Now here is the bigger catch. In order to use the Burst speed (1280 Kbps) you have to modify the username in order to avail the service. For example: If the username is jddelacruz, you would have to put put @sod after the username making it jddelacruz@sod. I hope this information is useful


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