Tag: Manila

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List of SMART LTE sites in the Philippines

EDIT: Here’s a visual map of the LTE sites as of Dec 29 2011:

High resolution version here

EDIT: Updated list of LTE sites from Smart Communications as of December 13 2011. Please click on the image for full size.

SMART is in the process of rolling out their LTE sites across the nation. I am one of the beta testers involved in this rollout alongside over 120 other civilians. The HUAWEI USB dongle that was provided gets speeds up to 46Mbps which is around half the speed of the proposed LTE Network of SMART Communications. LTE is hardware dependent so even if the network allows for above 70Mbps, the mobile phone or dongle you have will limit the speed. 46Mbps = 5.76MB / second.

This is a list of LTE sites for future reference. I will add to this based on the feedback of the beta test group and personal experiences. Note that this is only an initial list and does not reflect the commercial release of LTE in the Philippines.

List of confirmed LTE Sites in the Philippines

Boracay
Jump Store, Megamall (Cyberzone) — LTE connection is shared via WiFi
Greenbelt 3 (CBTL area)
Greenbelt 2 (Mary Grace area)
Greenbelt 1 (Bon Chon, Starbucks / AIM area)
Promenade, Greenhills (Figaro area)
Festival Mall, Filinvest

List of LTE sites being turned online
** does not reflect the final list of LTE coverage

Quezon City
Cubao
15th Ave Parc
Ateneo
magnolia
UP Diliman
Xavierville

Manila
Singalong
Manila P. Noval
UST

San Juan
Annapolis
PLDT Greenhills

Pasig
Ugong
Meralco Ortigas

Pasay City
SM Mall of Asia

Makati
Greenbelt
PLDT Wise Tower
RC Bldg Pico
VAR

Mandaluyong
Wack Wack
SM Megamall

Muntinlupa
Filinvest City

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Presenting Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich

Google has been working closely with Samsung to unveil the latest iteration of its ‘Nexus’ line. Simply put, whenever you see a phone tagged as Nexus, it means that it was made with direct collaboration with Google, not just through the regular Android licensing agreement for hardware manufacturers. So what does this mean?

Continue reading “Presenting Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich”
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So I hosted two events for Samsung in Manila and Cebu. T’was loads of fun.


Photo: Taking Marlon Rivera “off the hook” in post-event cocktails

I do my best to try something new every year, even if it’s just a one-off or a thing that eventually turns into a hobby. Well, I’d say this year I found myself in another comfortable position wearing the hat of an events host. The past two weeks had me hosting two gigs for Samsung. They were both selling events for their Samsung Smart TV line done at the Tower Club in Manila and at the Maya Bar in Cebu City. Manila had me in tandem with (the multitalented) Marlon Rivera, designer and director for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank. Marlon helped me demonstrate the Skype calling features present in their 55″ and 60″ models (the 40″ model also has it).

Cebu had me paired up with the charming Lani Osmena and we went through the main features including Search, Apps, and Social TV (access to Facebook and Twitter while watching your shows), and yes, Skype. It was great taking a non-geek approach to technology, something that I’ve always tried to be consistent in with my writing on this blog. I guess the biggest complement I’ve ever received is that the way I speak and the way I write seem to be fairly consistent and I do seem to project similar auras whether I’m writing or speaking. And I think that’s a good thing. Thanks!

I went about both events wearing two hats on “stage” — that of the host and the “demo guy” going through all the pertinent features for 15 minutes, answering questions and chit-chatting with people who had questions in between. It was these in-betweens that were more fun as I got to dialogue with Marlon and Chef Chris of Panizza fame (he provided the food for the night at the Tower Club) in Manila and Lani and some new friends in Cebu.

I’m really happy to have taken the stage for Samsung and even more satisfied that they were able to sell more than a dozen of these next generation TV’s. More than 3 million pesos worth of sales in two nights — congratulations Samsung! =)

———

The 60″ Samsung TV retails for PHP 319,000.00. That night, there was an exclusive discount (it rounded off to something like PHP 280,000 cash) + freebies. Get this. If you bought that night, not only do you get the TV, but a second 27″ LED, a Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi, the BT remote keyboard, 3D glasses, HD webcam, the 3D Blu-ray player and the Samsung Blu-pass card for rentals.

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SMART Netphone Pricing for Postpaid and Prepaid

Well here it is! The moment you’ve been waiting for — NETPHONE PRICING SCHEMES! The first Netphone will be available on both prepaid and postpaid plans. You can hop on to www.netphone.ph for all the details but to sum up everything:

This is the list of plans on postpaid. And here is the list of daily and monthly “bite sized” plans for data.

If you look closely, there is an obvious “sweet spot” in the pricing scheme under the “all-in” unlimited monthly data for PHP 999 a month as apart from unlimited IM and social stream usage (that’s SmartNet, Facebook and Twitter), you also get 3,500 SMS messages and 200 minutes of voice calls. Insane. I’d change my 8 year old plan if I could.

If you’ve all been curious as to what exactly the Netphone can do, there’s a guided tour on the Netphone site.

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HTC ChaCha: The Facebook phone you’ve been waiting for! (Part I)

EDIT: Part II of review here

You could probably argue that all Android phones are made of the same stuff. Some may have bigger screens. Other are thinner than the rest. Some duke it out with better cameras and battery life. But essentially, they’re all made of the same operating system with the same basic features. So, choosing what Android phone to buy is usually based on aesthetics, brand loyalty and basic phone specs (I mean, there isn’t really much difference between a 5MP and 8MP camera but to some they feel it matters).

Continue reading “HTC ChaCha: The Facebook phone you’ve been waiting for! (Part I)”