Bazaars are now a fixture during the holiday season, but fulfilling your gift-buying duties in places where the finds are most often cheaper than goods being sold in malls, not to mention unique, can be a hassle these days. Metro Manila traffic alone is enough to dissuade even the most zealous of last-minute shoppers.
PLDT intros PC-on-a-stick broadband add-on… again
It seems PLDT is enjoying a successful run with its PC-on-a-stick broadband add-ons. Otherwise, why else would the local telecom giant bring in another product that’s admittedly very similar in pricing and features to the Intel-branded TVolution Stick PLDT released a couple of months ago?
Globe Telecom rolls out 100Mbps public WiFi service in PH
While the government’s public WiFi initiative seems to be in limbo at the moment, one company has doubled down on its efforts to provide the masses with free and, perhaps more importantly, fast Internet, albeit in only one address for the time being.
Globe intros Plan 499 with 3GB of data, unlimited calls and texts
Globe Telecom has announced a new low-tier, SIM-only postpaid plan that costs just P499 a month, but comes with a decent amount of data and unlimited calls and texts to Globe and TM subscribers.
Samsung head for handset business steps down
The biggest Samsung-related news of today has nothing to do with the company’s Galaxy line of devices, or the homegrown Exynos chipsets that power some of them. Rather, it has everything to do with the chief executive behind them: Samsung co-CEO JK Shin is stepping down from his leadership role in the handset business to focus on new growth areas and long-term strategy.
Megabits, not megabytes: 5 things you should know about PLDT Home Fibr
As you’ve probably heard, PLDT’s fiber-to-the-home connections are now more affordable and available than ever. And while so much has been said and written about the telecom company’s fiber offerings, I feel that the subject remains in urgent need of clarification. Case in point: Some people in the local tech community, judging by their Facebook posts, have confused megabits with megabytes.
Globe outs P150 GCash Mastercard w/tap-to-pay support in LRT, MRT
Earlier today, Globe Telecom announced an improved GCash Mastercard prepaid credit card that can be used to pay for train fares. It’s among the first payment solutions in the country that supports tap-to-pay payment terminals found in MRT and LRT stations. Up until now, the issue of considerable queuing in stations had not dealt with. So, as credit cards in usa go this is a pretty impressive development, as there has been huge demand for changes to be made to this system.
PH’s top phone brand is now in the telco business… sort of
Cherry Mobile has announced a partnership with Globe Telecom that will see the Philippines’ top phone brand foray into the cutthroat telecom business with the new Cherry Prepaid mobile service.
SkyCable rolls out up to 300Mbps broadband service in Metro Manila
You may have heard that local Internet service providers PLDT and Globe Telecom are now offering ultra-fast fiber broadband service to residents in select upscale condominiums and communities in Metro Manila. What may have escaped your notice, however, is that SkyCable has also updated its broadband offerings to lure higher-paying customers who want faster Internet speeds sans the constraints of a monthly data cap.
Smart prepaid, postpaid users get free P2,500 Airbnb voucher
For a limited time, local telecom Smart Communications is giving its customers another reason to book their accommodations on Airbnb, the wildly popular short-term rental platform, which currently has over 2 million listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries. Think Uber, but for accommodations in the Philippines and abroad.
Harsher penalties, not competition, is key to improving PH Internet speed
Slow Internet? I hear you. If you’ve lived in the Philippines long enough, you may have come to the realization that local broadband speeds could conjure images of a turtle slow-walking on a swath of peanut butter, something you wouldn’t find distractingly cute or hilarious if you were in the position of the guy waiting — for weeks — for a game he had bought from Steam to finish downloading. Having the same issues? You could look for faster internet by searching broadband deals site like usave.co.uk.
NTC: PH Internet service providers fall short of speed claims
You may have heard in the news earlier this year that the NTC [National Telecommunications Commission] is looking to crack down on the telecom industry and bring Internet service providers to task if they fail to hit the NTC-set minimum downstream of 256Kbps or don’t deliver on their advertised broadband speeds.
Comparison: Globe’s 1Gbps broadband vs other countries’ offerings
Tomorrow, Globe Telecom will begin offering its fiber-broadband network at adjusted rates that won’t be prohibitively pricey for many, albeit initially only in upscale communities and condominiums. The top-tier offer promises superfast speeds at one gigabit, or 1,000 megabits, per second, by far the fastest commercially available broadband plan in the Philippines.
Is Globe seeking price cuts on fiber service? (UPDATE: Yes!)
(UPDATE: Globe has just confirmed new pricing tiers for its fiber-based broadband service: 50 Mbps for P2,499 per month; 100 Mbps for P3,499; 200 Mbps for P4,499; 500 Mbps for P7,499; and a whopping 1 Gbps for P9,499. Check how it compares with plans being offered in other countries here.)
IDC: Cherry Mobile is PH’s top phone brand in 1st half of 2015
Buying local, as is the case last year, is more attractive to smartphone buyers in the Philippines, according to recent data emailed to Revü Philippines by market-research firm IDC. Cherry Mobile, not Samsung, remains the country’s market leader, accounting for 17 percent market share of the total smartphones shipped in the first half of 2015. Samsung holds the second spot with 14 percent market share, followed by MyPhone, CloudFone, and Lenovo at 6 percent, 5.2 percent, and 5.1 percent, respectively. The gap between Cherry Mobile and Samsung is closing, though: In 2014, Cherry Mobile owned a hefty 21.9 percent share of …
Police nabs man after swindling P2M worth of phones from Globe
A 47-year-old resident of Quezon City was arrested by local police on criminal charges of estafa and falsification of documents leading to the acquisition of 63 high-end smartphones from Globe stores and a projected fraud loss of P2.4 million, Globe Telecom said in a press statement. John Michael Cruz was nabbed by authorities in an entrapment operation after submitting additional requirements for cellular plans that would have netted him 3 units of iPhone 6 Plus. Cruz has used various aliases in previous applications and has declared himself the owner and marketing manager of CJMD Trading, LMDJ Garments Manufacturing, DMJJ Manufacturing …
Why your MediaTek-based phone is among the cheapest on the market
Image via allthingsd.com A couple of days ago, I sat down with Cedric Chang, a MediaTek account manager assigned to the Philippines, to shed light on a few burning questions that consumers may want answered about the Taiwan-based company’s main business of selling chipsets. Chipsets that, mind you, power a good majority of Android devices on offer not only in the Philippines but in other parts of Asia, including China and India. The company rep explained why MediaTek-based phones are generally more affordable than the competition; and it’s not because MediaTek makes the cheapest silicon out there — though they are priced lower …
Globe blames Smart for PH’s poor LTE speed in OpenSignal report
If you read OpenSignal’s previous State of LTE report, you know pretty well that the Philippines once again appears to be lagging behind other Asian countries and regions like India, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan both in terms of LTE speed and coverage. What may have escaped your attention, however, is that the country could’ve fared better had Smart Communications posted better results in the testing conducted by OpenSignal, something Smart’s rival, Globe Telecom, pointed out in a recent press release.
Sponsored tweet from LeBron James valued at P6.5M
Image via VAV news You’re familiar with Twitter, right? And LeBron James? Good. But have you ever wondered how much a sponsored tweet from King James is worth? Wonder no more. Per a report from ESPN’s Darren Rovell, getting the Cavs superstar to dispense wisdom in 140 characters or less to his 23.2 million followers will cost an advertiser $140,000 ($139,474, to be exact), or around P6.5 million. Do the math, and that’s $1,000 per character. According to ESPN, getting LeBron James to tweet about a product or service will cost an advertiser $140,000, or around P6.5 million. It’s a king’s ransom, …
Apple Music has people listening, but for how long?
Image via Tech2 By now, you’ve probably heard a lot about Apple Music, the subscription music-streaming service that the American tech giant launched in June and is currently in its “free to try” phase. What you may not know is, despite being hammered by critics, it is actually doing pretty well compared to rival platforms that have had a head start in offering unlimited music on-demand. According to The Guardian, Apple Music has 11 million listeners since launch — 2 million of whom have opted to pay $14.99 (around P690) a month for a subscription that gives up to 6 …