Smart's Freedom Plan: Postpaid Plan Redefined

Who wants complete freedom with a postpaid plan that starts from ZERO, has no monthly fees, has no lock-in period and does not require the presentation of documents before you can be given a subscriber line?

That's what Smart is offering to prepaid subscribers now with its Freedom Plan.

My Smart Freedom Plan sim

For the next few months, I will be testing out this plan.

The facts: I'm a prepaid subscriber on both Globe and Smart (and I used to be one with Sun too). Many friends ask me why I have stayed prepaid all these years although I was a postpaid subscriber when I was still fully employed. I tell them that with prepaid, I can monitor my mobile spending based on how much I load (very important for one with no full-time job and is on a tight budget). I have the freedom to choose what telco and even what plan I will enroll in from day to day (I use my home wifi most times and only need internet when I am mobile). I am free of bill shock risk. When they tell me that postpaid subscribers get a free phone, I just shrug and tell them that the phone I want usually comes with a monthly plan (which is too inflexible for what I need) so I'd rather just buy the phone I really want and use a prepaid sim.

I really enjoy my prepaid freedom and won't just give it up and be tied to a network or postpaid plan unless I enjoy the same or better flexibility I now enjoy as a prepaid mobile user.

So when Smart invited me to try out their Freedom Plan, I agreed to give it a test run. Here's what the Freedom Plan is all about.

Key Features

* No fixed monthly fees (you start from ZERO)
* No lock-in period (you just get the SIM. No phones are bundled with the plan.)
* No documents to submit if you stay within the default credit limit
* No bill shock - Each SIM is ready with a P600 credit limit. You can mix/match the plan's  "postpaid buckets" for the month until you reach P600.

The latest Sun Cellular promos

I had been wondering already for some time why Sun Cellular, which began with a bang and appeared to be eating up subscriber market share when it started out, was very quiet lately on social media although very much present on print and traditional media. So when some bloggers were invited to dinner, I decided to attend and see what was up with Sun.

I used to be a Sun prepaid subscriber when I went back to a part-time job. At that time, I loved it. I would buy the P150 card that gave me unlimited Sun-to-Sun texts plus 4 hours of call time within the Sun network. That worked well for me then as 4 hours were usually more than enough for me. After my work ended and I spent most days at home, my usage of Sun dropped significantly so eventually, my sim expired.

For those of you wondering what are the latest Sun promos out now, here’s a rundown.

BROADBAND

Tattoo@Home's 2012 Product Line-up

At a recent blogger event, we were introduced to the 2012 line-up of Globe Tattoo@Home.

At the launch was Ford Supermodel of the World 2010 Danica Flores Magpantay who is Tattoo@Home's newest brand ambassador. Danica's mom, Lala Flores, was herself the 1990 Supermodel of the World-Philippines winner who is now making a name for herself as a celebrated makeup artist.

The main feature of Tattoo@Home plans is its customization. Depending on how you use the internet, whether you are just a light user or an ultra heavy user who demands faster speed and more bandwidth, there is a plan you can choose from.

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The barebones, cheapest plan is only P999/month (internet only) with speeds up to 1MBPS. Plans P1,099 to P6,299 are internet and landline bundles with speeds ranging from 1-15MBPS and from 3-5 users. Calls to Globelines and Globe DUO subscribers are FREE for these plans. Plans starting with P1,299 also come with a free wifi router.

Now, if you and your kids download large files, play games like WOW or other image-rich games, or want a smooth streaming experience for music and videos, check out the Tattoo Torque Plans that all come with free landline and wifi router.

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And for those who want to surf using 4G connection, there's still the Tattoo Wimax plans:

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Watch out for Globe Telecom's aggressive expansion over the next 5 years which will see it building an entirely new network infrastructure to address the growing data usage of mobile subscribers. 

Globe Spike: the launch of its future-proof, LTE and IPv6-ready network

In a grand launch headed by none other than Globe's President, Ernest Cu, media and the tech community were introduced to Globe Telecom's most aggressive telecommunication network modernization and expansion project.

Globe President Ernest Cu

Cu told us that when their network infrastructure was put up, it was primarily meant for SMS and calls. But these past years, they had seen a significant drop in SMS and calls. In fact last Christmas, they found that more people were communicating through Facebook and greeting each other there than calling or texting.

Globe will be investing US$ 90 M over the next 5 years (US$70 M of that to be spent in 2012/13) in order to put up a structure that will be able to handle the exponential data traffic that smartphones are now handling. Roughly 90% of its BSS and BI platforms covering billing, campaign management, front-end systems and enterprise data warehouse will be replaced by the new network infrastructure. Cu says that Globe subscribers should expect faster response to customer requests, convergent billing, better credit control, quicker time-to-market for new products, and better analytic models to support campaigns.

This does sound like good news but as a subscriber to both of the major mobile carriers as well as one who has tried various internet service providers, I take all expansion announcements with a grain of salt. In the end, the test of the pudding is in the eating. Will currently dissatisfied subscribers who complain of dropped calls, slow internet connection, billing woes and the like really get the service they deserve and pay for?

I really hope this time we do. The next 5 years will be a test of whether Globe's planned expansion will become a promise come true.

BPI's Limited Edition 160th Commemorative Tattoo (winner posted) Stick + a Giveaway

(UPDATE: I asked a BPI branch manager and her staff to select the winner. So firstly, thank you to Ms. Helena Tiu of BPI-Wilson branch!!! And *drumroll*, the winner who gets the BPI 160th commemorative Tattoo stick is -- Joyce Rivera Mauricio! Congratulations, Joyce. I will be contacting you directly.)

Last Thursday, an intimate gathering of bloggers at Cafe Mary Grace in Greenbelt 2 met up with BPI and Globe people for the launching of the BPI 160th Commemorative Tattoo Stick to mark 160 years of the Bank of the Philippine Islands' existence as a financial institution.

(photo courtesy of Globe Tattoo website)

Being online is now a part of my waking and working hours. From the time I wake to the time I sleep, I am online (so how many hours is that?). If I'm home, then I use our wifi but the moment I step out, that's another matter. My mobile phones are wifi and 3G-enabled, my ipad is also 3G-enabled, and when I bring my Macbook along with me, I have USB sticks as well.

My confession? I have sticks for 2 other carriers but not for Globe Tattoo yet (guilty!!!).  I got one stick from an event and the other one, I bought during a promo. I guess at that time, I felt that having 2 dongles was more than enough. And yet, living in the Philippines, I experienced times when I could not connect through those two carriers in the particular area where I was so I had already been mulling getting a Globe Tattoo stick to give me a third option. And then this event came along.

Charo Logarta (met her for the 1st time here) emcees the event

Dong Ronquillo, Globe's Head-Nomadic Broadband

Anj Mirasol, BPI's Head-Electronic Channels Marketing Dept.

Bloggers in attendance
(L-R): Roch, me, Jackie, Faith and Alvin (standing)

As this is a tie-up with BPI (and I am a BPI accountholder who uses online banking a lot), I was happy to note that many of the online banking services were embedded in the commemorative stick, something that made this particular Globe Tattoo stick even more useful for me.

What's so special about the BPI 160th Globe Tattoo stick?

1. It's a limited edition stick commemorating BPI's 160 years. That's never coming around again, right? You'll own a collector's item right there and then.

2. It's the first (and only) co-branded internet broadband stick (with speeds up to 3.6Mbps) that allows you to access various BPI websites such as fund transfers, prepaid mobile reloading, bills payment, express cash reload and balance inquiries even with ZERO PREPAID BALANCE. So imagine yourself being able to go to BPI Express Online site, paying your bills or reloading prepaid phones with zilch load in your stick. This feature is available for free till Dec. 31, 2012.

3. BPI, BPI Family Savings Bank and BPI Direct accountholders can have 24/7 internet access because these BPI Tattoo sticks can be topped up via BPI Express Online REAL-TIME, among others. Other top-up channels are Express Phone, Express Mobile, Express Teller ATM machines, Globe prepaid cards, AutoloadMAX, Share-a-load and GCASH.

4. The stick has a CALL OPTION so clients can access the BPI Express Phone for more banking services.

And here's MORE!

Samsung Galaxy Y levels app in the metro

Smartphone. Android 2.3. Under PhP 6,000.

Possible? Yes! Because that is what the Samsung Galaxy Y is.

Everyone wants a smartphone these days and the youth are not exempted from that. After all, like my kids, they are forever hankering to be online, stay in touch via social networks with their friends, and play games at will - all in one device.

But the regular smartphones do come with hefty prices that are beyond the reach of the youth, yuppies who may have just began working, or the ordinary Juan who is on a limited budget.

My first mobile phone in the 80s cost me P10,000 big bucks then and the features were nowhere near what smartphones are capable of these days. I'm using a mobile phone that runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and although I have not yet really gotten my hands dirty using all its features, I can say that it is pretty neat and powerful. My most handy use for it is as a personal hotspot for my ipad.

Now think of a powerful OS in a phone that is selling for only P5,990. That was something not possible just a few years ago but here it is now. Anyone who is in the market for a smartphone that allows you to send SMS, chat on social networks, play games and download applications, among other things, should check this one out.

Here's my quick assessment of the Samsung Galaxy Y just based on specs (I'm still hoping I get to do a hands-on review of it if and when I can get my hands on a demo unit).

Entry-level smartphone: This is one of the most basic smartphones in order that the price can be made reasonable and affordable. So if you're a power user, this may not be the phone for you. But if you're like my kids who just want internet access, ability to engage on their favorite social networks, check email, listen to music and play games, this could be for you.

Gingerbread: Running on Android 2.3, 832 MHz processor and HSDPA module of up to 7.2 Mbps brings many powerful uses. Browsing, checking email, playing media happen smoothly with hardly any lag. You also have access to over 150,000 apps available in the Android Market.

Smart launches its All-Net postpaid plans with an amazing race

I've been on prepaid status with two of the mobile carriers since I left the corporate world. It has served me well because I could not fit my new mobile usage and lifestyle into any of the postpaid plans being offered then. Some were inflexible and offered call and text quantities that I knew I would not use. I did not want to be pegged to a fixed monthly fee which I could not maximize.

The invitation to join Smart's All-Net Amazing Race (while being introduced to its new All-Net offerings under its All-In plans made me curious and interested to join. I wondered if, this time, I would have a clear alternative to just remaining a prepaid subscriber forever. Of course, the other motivator in this whole amazing race thing (as this was my first ever amazing race) was the fact that my teammate was my own dear friend, Noemi. Also in our team dubbed the "Yellow team" were Ryan (another blogger friend) and Marlon (who I just met that day).

The tasks given to us were physically challenging. We had to bungee jump to get some phone numbers hanging from a tree (that task was assigned to Marlon, the tallest in our team). Then we had to call 3 numbers from those papers and show the call logs to the game marshal to get the next task.

(Marlon did such a great job on this one. I would have been an epic fail.)

Noemi, by stroke of luck, had just finished reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Y, the
very unit given to our team, so she was our designated texter.

Ryan makes the calls.

Netphone: Smart's affordable smartphone

While smartphone prices have already been on the decline, making it affordable to more and more people, there is still a great majority of Filipinos whose mobiles are not internet-capable. This is true despite the Philippines being recognized not only as the texting capital of the world but also the world's online social networking champ. Almost everyone I've asked has a Facebook account. A friend of mine even has a yaya (nanny) who's got a Facebook account.

Recognizing these patterns, Smart designed its own brand of an internet-ready phone and tailor-fitted its features and apps to the Pinoy's lifestyle and preferences. At a media launch recently, I was introduced to the Netphone, Smart's offering for those who are budget-conscious but love to get on the internet and engage on social media.

By September 10, the public will be formally introduced to Smart's very own brand of internet-capable phones via Netphone 701 (which I hear is a ZTE model). It is only the first model to come out, with other higher-end models being planned in the coming months.

Netphone 701 is an Android-powered phone, running on Froyo (ver. 2.2). This was my first time to play around with an Android handset but I noted that the initial apps loaded on it were pretty good. An FM radio, a Bible app, and even my favorite Docs To Go app was loaded in it. It's got 2 cameras. The back camera is 3.2MP while the front cam is a VGA one. It was pretty light, something I'd always appreciate in a phone. Colors were quite vivid. This handset also allows you to turn your phone into a hotspot and it supports Flash 10.1. It has a 3.5" touchscreen and runs on a 600MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Not being familiar with the menus, I was trying to find out if the phone had wifi or ran on 3G only. Yup, the Netphone is good for both wifi and 3G. 

High-Speed Smart LTE 4G Technology is Coming!

Download movies in minutes. Download songs in seconds. Watch an HD YouTube video without buffering. Seriously.

Am I excited, am I excited? You bet I am! Because I got to hold in my hands the device and watched a demo showing that the upcoming Smart LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G technology can do all that. And all I can say is -- IT'S WICKED FAST!

The LTE dongle - from the front...

...and from the back

A few of us bloggers were invited to sit down with some of Smart's executives from their networking and marketing divisions and here is what we learned.

Send SMS within the Philippines with Gmail

Chatting using the computer has been around for some time now. This technology has allowed people to communicate without having to pick up a phone or call/text using a mobile phone. The drawback though was that both parties had to be online and both had to be on Gmail.

Now, Gmail makes it even easier to contact friends via their mobile phones. You can send FREE SMS to a friend from within your Gmail account.

I took this screencap from Gmail's site:

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1. Log into your Gmail account. In the Send SMS box above Chat, enter the phone number you want to send a SMS to.

2. In the dialog box, enter Contact name of the SMS recipient and check that country and phone number are correct. Then, click Save.

3.Type your message in the chat window and hit Enter.

4.Your message will be sent to the phone number you entered.

When your contact replies to your SMS, it appears on your Chat window, which is great because your exchange is saved as chats in your Chat History, just like ordinary chats.

Any messages you send or receive from Gmail are FREE. Your contact, on a mobile phone, also gets your SMS free but the reply from phone to Gmail will be charged a regular SMS rate by the mobile provider.

This is good news for those who are online at work or at home. Best example: ME!!!

Now I need not pay SMS charges and still be able to contact my family and friends on their mobile. You can do the same from work. Well, that is if Gmail is not blocked in the office. :-)

If you already have a Gmail account, you can log in right now and try it. If you still don't have Gmail, create an account now.

NOTE: SMS with Gmail is available as of now only for Smart and Sun Cellular subscribers.

Read about Gmail SMS HERE.

McDo is now on your mobile phone

It became such a big convenience when many fastfood outlets and restaurants allowed online ordering and payments. In this age when everyone seems to lead such hectic lives and Metro Manila traffic is horrendous, the advantages of being able to go online in your own home and order lunch, dinner or merienda delivered to your doorstep was obvious.

McDonald's was one of those fastfood outlets known for online ordering. My kids have ordered online not just from McDo but from other outlets several times already and you know what? It beats having to place your order via phone because sometimes, the one taking down the order can make mistakes.

McDo has moved online ordering up one step. It has partnered with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to allow ordering via mobile phone to BPI, BPI Family Savings Bank and BPI Direct clients.

Here's how to do it.

First, you need to register at www.bpiexpressonline.com. I got these screencaps from My BPI Magazine.

SmartBro's B Free Day Gives Out FREE UAAP/NCAA Plug-Its

Please click here to read the post on my new domain - philippinebeat.com

Globe Launches ImmortalTXT and Tattoo Broadband SIM

Please click here to read the post on my new domain - philippinebeat.com