Several weeks ago I reviewed the first BlackBerry 10 handheld to hit local shores, the BB Z10. It was essentially the Canadian company’s foray into a revamped OS to keep up with the ever-changing market. In that review I basically spelled out how the new OS is both condemning and innovative: the new OS doesn’t provide any new innovation that makes it stand out (unless of course you’re a BlackBerry Hub loyalist in which case my argument is moot) but it also has something great going for it — Android compatibility. This is what I had to say back then regarding that:
If it’s one thing gamers will never compromise, it’s their Internet connection. The launch of Diablo III has prompted gamers around the country to scrutinize the quality of their Internet connectivity. As a fan myself, I really take these things seriously and no amount of marketing BS will convince me otherwise. The proof is in the pudding and it seems that not everyone is a chef.
This feedback is based on a number of qualitative feedback from friends and personal experience as well.
So far, it seems that Diablo 3 works fine with the following ISP’s
Wireless:
Smart (tethered) – I tether my MacBook with my iPhone 4s and get to play just fine. Some people prefer a fixed wireless broadband connection though.
Globe (tethered) – I get to play with Rico of Technogra.ph (he tethers using a Samsung Galaxy S II)
Wired
PLDT – Generally good. I hopped into a number of games of friends and we’re rolling seamlessly.
On another note, one ISP stands out to be the provider to avoid for Diablo III:
Sky Broadband – Woes to Sky Broadband. They really dropped the ball on this one. I used to swear by Sky publicly as the best wired connection money can buy in the country. Service has dropped to a really poor rating in the past 2 months.
Many many emails to Skybroadband support center regarding Blizzard downloader P2P issues and unplayable in game experience with Diablo 3 (may be DNS, but may be that they have restricted Port 1119, which Diablo 3 uses) – to no avail.
Sky simply does not respond to queries and when you call them they tell you to send an email through to support center. Its a vicious circle.
Playing it on my friends PLDT connection works perfectly.
After 2 years with Sky, seems like PLDT really is the way to go.
– Brendan
As my cousin said, ” Pre-term fee for Sky is PHP 2,000.00, Diablo 3 is priceless. If it doesn’t work at 3Mbps, I’m dropping them for (insert ISP here).” Sorry Sky Broadband. I swore by your services. I really did. But sad gamer can’t compromise.
You know what’s most interesting? My wireless tethering is faster than my ethernet connection. Why, Sky, why? Note that I write this not to smear Sky’s reputation but 2 months of your IT support not knowing what the problem is makes for really bad service. Fans have waited for Diablo III for about a decade and we absolutely need to be online to play this (there is no offline mode). So you definitely should understand why gamers feel really bad about this and need to switch. We waited 9 years for Diablo III. We absolutely can’t wait for you.
To the others: how’s your gaming experience? Add me up: LOLMOWER#1648
Last week I asked Nokia if I could have a look at their drool-worthy Lumia 900. As a former Windows Phone user (I had not yet upgraded to the latest Mango 7.5), I was curious to know why the 900 series had won so many industry awards and, after finally getting to hold one in my hands I knew what all the praise was all about. In a nutshell, the Nokia Lumia 900 is the best Windows Phone to date. Not only is it top of its class, it readily competes with the top tier smartphones running Android and iOS in terms of speed and power.
I’ve been a loyal SMART subscriber for more than 8 long years and I’ve always seen them as the better network (which is also why I chose to work with them). This commercial finally captures their brand equity.
I wouldn’t have stuck with them for this long if their service was crap.
Last week, HTC launched their new ‘Beats’ line of smartphone composed of the HTC Sensation XE and the Sensation XL. Main difference of both is that the XE comes with a 4.3″ screen while the XL comes in a hybrid 4.7″ form factor. I have the XE version at home so here’s a quick unboxing and weekend first impressions.
The release of HTC’s ‘Beats’ is exciting as these phones come bundled with a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre in-ear earphones which are some of the best in the industry.
