Posts Tagged ‘3G’

SMART To Launch Its 4G LTE on August 25

After more than nine months since SMART Communications begins public testing of its upcoming 4G wireless technology known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), the company announced today that the official launch will be on August 25, 2012.

This launch is expected to further boost SMART‘s lead in wireless internet connectivity.Currently, SMART is offering variety of wireless technologies, from GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, 4G HSPA+, and WiMAX. With the addition of LTE on the line up, it will take SMART to another level of wireless communication, both in terms of speed and efficiency.

SMART LTE Launch on August 25, 2012

What is LTE?

LTE or Long Term Evolution is the most advanced commercially available wireless communication standard capable of achieving speeds as fast as 100Mbps, depending on variety. In the case of SMART, testing shows that it is capable of clock download speed of up to 42mbps. To give you an idea, a 700mb movie can be downloaded in  less than 30 seconds (depending on signal consistency). And based on public beta tests, LTE is lightning fast!

On August 25, the Philippines will be the third country in the region to have a commercial LTE available to the public. The other two were Singapore and Hong Kong.

Still Lagging in Internet Speed

Although the country is one of the biggest internet users in the world, based on study, we are still lagging in terms of internet speed. For instance, data from Internet World Stats and SpeedTest.net says that the Philippines is lagging behind almost two-thirds of the world. We are not only surpassed by wealthier nations but that of relatively of the same income range as ours. For more details, see the article published by GMA News Online here.

With the launch of SMART LTE, I hope that better internet will be here in the Philippines.

Broadband Stick Users: DO NOT Upgrade Connectify to Version 3.4

I’ve been using Connectify since Windows 7 was launched three years ago. For those who were not familiar, Connectify is a Windows 7 application that converts your laptop’s wireless adapter to a router. With that, you can share your computer internet to your wireless devices through a Wifi broadcast.

For the past two years now, I’ve also been using Smart Bro plug-it device (USB Broadband stick). I used Connecifyto share my internet connection to my other wireless devices an

Connectify (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

d it worked fantastic ever since. But then, last May 2012, I received a notification to update my Connectify to a newer version, I think it’s version 3.4 (I had version 3.1 installed). And because this is not the first time I updated the program, I went ahead for an update.  After restarting the Connectify though, I was surprised to find out the support for 3G/4G cards has been disabled for free version and was now reserved for the paid Connectify Pro version. Oh yeah!

Thankfully, I still have the installer of the older version, 3.1. I uninstalled the 3.4 and re-installed the 3.1. It worked just fine. So, warning for Connectify users out there who are also using 3G/4G cards: DO NOT EVER UPDATE!

Do you want to FREE notifications as to the latest tech news and tips from Techalang.com? Well, you can do either of the following:

1. Subscribe via email

2. Follow us on Twitter

3. Be a our fan in Facebook

4. Make us part of your Google Plus Circle

SMART Shows Upcoming 4G LTE Broadband Stick on Its Product Page

It’s already a public knowledge that SMART Communication has been testing a new mobile wireless technology for quite a while now. That technology is classified as 4G (4th Generation) and is known by the acronym LTE which stands for Long Term Evolution.

4G LTE was by far the fastest mobile wireless technology in the world. SMART reports that it can deliver as fast as 50Mbps data transfer rate. For consumers, SMART claims that it can download a one-hour HD movie in less than a minute, while a 200-mb upload is done in 5 seconds!

Today, if you check SMART Bro’s product webpage, you can  notice that they already added the upcoming broadband stick for 4G LTE.

SMART 4G LTE Broadband Stick

Note: SMART’s 4G Rocket Plug-it is also a 4G technology but is not LTE. Instead it was using a technology called HSPA+.

SMART Unveils 4G (HSPA+) Rocket Plug-it

SMART has formally released today its newest wireless internet device, the Rocket Plug-it offering up to 12 Mbps broadband internet speed, the fastest in the Philippines.

SMART Bro Rocket Plug-it device

SMART Rocket Plug-it works in SMARTS 4G HSPA+ Wireless Broadband network which is currently available on selected areas in the country. Currently, those areas are located key cities such as Metro Manila, Cebu City, Davao City and many others. See the full list of SMART Bro HSPA+ coverage in the Philippines.

SMART Rocket Plug-it device is available at a price of 3995 pesos on time payment. It is not available on a post-paid. Internet rates is the same as the 3G Plug-it which was 10 pesos per 30 minutes. The rate is subject to change when the promo ends this September 2011.

Rocket Plug-it was SMART’s counter offer to the recently released Globe Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini which as a maxiumum speed of 10-Mbps and also runs in 4G HSPA+ technology.

How to Register to Globe POWERSURF?

Image via Wikipedia

If you are the type of person who uses the internet intermittently or “as needed” basis, the best choice for you is to have a mobile or plug-it internet such as those offered by Globe Tattoo and register for Globe PowerSurf promo.

Globe PowerSurf is the latest promo offer from Globe Telecoms that allows you to consume a minimum of one hour internet connection on a “per minute” basis for only 15 pesos valid for one-day consumption. PowerSurf has three variants, each with its own length connection time and consumption validity. The one I mentioned above is called PowerSurf15. here are the complete list

PowerSurf15
Price: 15 pesos
Connection: 1 hour consumable on “per minute” basis
Validity: Consume within 24 hours
Registration: Text POWERSURF15 to 8888

PowerSurf30
Price: 15 pesos
Connection: 2 hours consumable on “per minute” basis
Validity: Consume within 24 hours
Registration: Text POWERSURF30 to 8888

PowerSurf50
Price: 15 pesos
Connection: 5 hours consumable on “per minute” basis
Validity: Consume within 3 days
Registration: Text POWERSURF50 to 8888

Notes:
- Except for PowerSurf15, all variants are availble for both Globe Prepaid and Tattoo Prepaid Subscribers
-Except for PowerSurf15 (1 peso only), all variants should have a maintaining balance of 5 pesos for continuous usage.

How to Register For Globe Tattoo Supersurf (Unlimited Internet)?

The old Globe corporate logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are are an internet power user (can’t live offline ), the best thing to do is to apply for a postpaid plan. Under this, you can choose wireless broadband such as USB sticks (tattoo stick) WiMAX or a wired internet (i.e. DSL). Globe Telecom’s postpaid data plans usually starts at 999 pesos a month for a decent speed of 1 to 2Mbps.

On the other hand, if you are a user who do not need to frequently go online, you can try a pre-paid plug-it USB stick (Tattoo). The cost is just 20 pesos per hour. On pre-paid though, you have to buy the USB stick.

But what if your need for internet connection is just between the two, between a power user and an intermittent user? Well, I think the best Option is to buy a prepaid and just register for Globe Wireless Broadband unlimited internet promo.

Globe has this so called SUPER SURF promo where you can get unlimited internet connection for a fixed a mount at a specified length of time. This is very similar to SMART Bro’s UNLI SURF.

SUPER SURF has two options, SUPER SURF 50 and SUPER SURF 220. Here are the details regarding these two options as well as how to register:

Super Surf 50
One-day unlimited surfing

To Avail: Text SUPERSURF50 to 8888

Price: 50 pesos

Super Surf 220
5 days unlimited surfing

To Avail: Text SUPERSURF220 to 8888

Price: 220 pesos

Note: You have to maintain a minimum balance of 5 pesos to be able to enjoy Super Surf.

Do you want to FREE notifications as to the latest tech news and tips from Techalang.com? Well, you can do either of the following:

1. Subscribe via email

2. Follow us on Twitter

3. Be a our fan in Facebook

4. Make us part of your Google Plus Circle

NTC Orders Internet Providers to Specify Minimum Broadband Speed

Image by Bede Jackson via Flickr

The National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) has finally ordered internet service providers to specify the minimum speed and reliability of their offered internet connection to the customers, reported GMA News Online. This move is in response to the public clamor for better internet connection which became a hot issue in the past months.

In the new circular issued by NTC, the regulation body requires that the services offered shall have a minimum reliability of 80%.

“The service offers shall specify the service rates for a minimum broadband/Internet connection speed and the service reliability. For example: a broadband service provider can offer P900.00/month for 512Kbps minimum connection speed and 80 percent service reliability, or P1,000.00/month for 512Kbps minimum connection speed and 85 percent service reliability, or P1,000/month for 1Mbps minimum connection speed and 80 percent reliability, etc.” the circular explained.

With this new requirement, the telcos will be forced to include not just the maximum but also the minimum broadband speed of their products in advertisements and service agreements. The current situation is that the telcos just mention the maximum speed but failed to specify how reliable their service was. For instance, a claim of “up to 2Mbps” may actually have an average of just 512Kbps or worse, lower than that and just peaks at 2Mbps for just a minute or two.

Reliability is a big deal especially with regards to wireless broadband where signal qaulity, coverage, and the type of technology used may cause huge variation in internet connection speed.

Galaxy S Now Only Priced at 21990 Pesos – Philippines

The highly successful Samsung high-end smartphone, the Galaxy S is now available at a relatively lower price of 21990 pesos, more than 10,000 pesos lower than it’s original price when it was first introduced in the Philippines last year. This was the latest price as I check Samsung Store here in Cebu. It may be even lower in other stores.

For those who want to review, here’s the specifications and features of Samsung Galaxy S smartphone:

Samsung Galaxy S

- 480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches, Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display
- 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, Hummingbird chipset
- 8 GB/16GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 2GB ROM
- Google Android 2.2 (Froyo) Mobile OS
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3G (HSDPA), EDGE, GSM, GPRS connectivity
- SD Card and USB Support
- Front and back-facing Cameras, VGA and 5MP respectively (back camera can record 720p video quality)
- Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh
-Accelerometer sensor, Proximity Sensor, Digital Compass

The lowering of its price is expected as it’s successor, Samsung Galaxy SII is now available in the country via Globe Telecoms.

SMART Bro Canopy Plan 999 is Down to 1Mbps Again!

SMART Bro Fixed Wireless Plan 999 speed is back to 1Mbps again. If you will check the SMART Bro website, you’ll find that SMART changed the speed specification for their Canopy Home Broadband Plan 999. This is the third time that SMART changed it for this month alone. Last June 4, SMART downgrades the Canopy Plan speed to 1Mbps. Two days after, it was back to 2Mbps! And now it was down to 1Mbps again. What happened?

Screenshot of SMART's website taken at 11PM June 22 showing SMART Bro Canopy Plan 999 speed that was downgraded to 1 Mbps

This is really confusing and annoying to the existing and potential customers. It seems like SMART always change their mind when it comes to quality service. As to the reason why SMART keeps on changing, we still don’t know. But one thing is sure, this will really affect SMART’s reputation.

Huawei Announces the MediaPad – An Android 3.2, 1.2 GHz Tablet

Huawei Technologies, the largest Chinese telecommunication equipment manufacturer unveiled today their own entry to the already heated tablet wars, the MediaPad. MediaPad is the first tablet to use Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) tablet OS and the 1.2 GHz Snapdragon dual-core processor. With 7-in capacitive touchscreen display, it is smaller compared to the new tablets in the market such as the iPad 2 (9.7 in) and Galaxy tab 10.1 (10.1 in).

Huawei MediaPad tablet powered by Android 3.2 (Honeycomb)

In addition to the above mentioned specifications, Huawei MediaPad has a typical rear and front-facing cameras (5MP and 1.3MP, respectively). The MediaPad supports HSPA+ (14.4Mbps), 3G , Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11n Wi-Fi, 1080P full HD video playback, and has a battery life around six hours. MediaPad’s internal memory is 8GB but is expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

Purchased MediaPads will come pre-installed with Facebook, Twitter, Let’s Golf and Documents to Go (cool!) applications. There’s currently no mention about WiFi-only models as well as RAM specifications.

Huawei Technologies has yet to announce the final pricing and schedule of availability of the MediaPad.