Posts Tagged ‘Globe Telecoms’

Reset Your Unfinished Plan and Get Globe iPhone 5

Here’s a nice offer from Globe Telecom that I think make sense and will really attract more people to buy the new iPhone 5. The offer is to enable the existing iPhone user to upgrade to Globe iPhone 5 even though they are still locked up to their earlier iPhone plan. For example, if you avail any of Globe’s iPhone 4S plans last year or even early this year and want to upgrade to get the new iPhone, all you have to do is to renew your plan and you will be able to have the iPhone 5 at a discount. The discount though depends several factors such as the original plan you have, the remaining months left on your original plan and more.

Globe iPhone 5

iPhone 5 Upgrade Calculator

Globe has launched an online calculator to see how much you have to pay to get the iPhone depending your situation. The link to the calculator is here: http://www.globe.com.ph/iphone5-reset-calculator

Globe iPhone 5 Plan Reset Calculator

SMART Versus Globe iPhone 5

Like last year, SMART and Globe is on a head-on collision with respect to the new iPhone 5. Both telcos, being the two largest networks in the country, have set-up truly competitive offers on the celebrated device.  Whether it will be a Globe iPhone 5 or SMART iPhone 5 will boil down to what the customer need and how both companies will market their offers to the customers.

Upgrading to iPhone 5

iPhone is still one of the most expensive smartphones in the market today and is generally picked by those who have the money to spend on gadgets that are considered a luxury. Still, there are those who are tech addicts, people who can’t accept being left behind by fast-moving technology. Those people are the ones who are willing to upgrade to newer versions of phones as they arrive. Well, that matter is a personal decision. And if you have the means, what’s the reason for not enjoying your hard-earned money?

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iPhone 5 Philippines on December 14 – Apple Press Release

Finally, the latest version of the celebrated smartphone is about to come to the Philippines on December 14. Apple Inc, through a press release announced that iPhone 5 will officially be available in the country on the said date. Of course, as you have expected, the device will be made available through Smart and Globe, the two major mobile networks in the country.

Apple iPhone 5 – the biggest and the best iPhone to date.

Globe Starts Registration for iPhone 5

Immediately after the press release, Globe Telecoms begins pre-registration for those interested to buy the iPhone 5. Here’s the link to their webpage:  http://iphone5.globe.com.ph/registration/register_1.php

Globe iPhone 5

iPhone 5 SMART Pre-orders

SMART Communications has already started pre-oders of iPhone 5 units.  You can register in this link: http://www1.smart.com.ph/Postpaid/iphone5/register

SMART iPhone 5 Pre-order registration

With both telecoms set to offer the device on December 14, we can expect another epic duel of events to be held simultaneously just like what happened last year when Globe and SMART organized their own events in different locations offering iPhone 4S to the excited Filipinos. It was unclear who really won last year, but both events really rocked the nation.

iPhone 5 Philippines Price

Globe has not yet announced prices for the iPhone 5. It will naturally come tied up to a data plan or be sold as locked-up prepaid version.

About iPhone 5

iPhone 5 is the biggest iPhone since the device debuted in 2007. It has a 4-in retina display, a more powerful A6 processor, and comes loaded with iOS 6, Apple’s mobile operating system. The new iPhone also sports a thinner and lighter design, new color schemes black – slate and white-silver and a support for the fast LTE  mobile  network. The iPhone 5 box also comes with Apple’s new design of EarPods.

For more details, please check this article:

Apple iPhone 5 – Specs, Features, Price and Availability in the Philippines

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Google Free Zone Philippines – Free Google Access Via Globe

Google Free Zone is now in the Philippines and in fact, the Philippines is the first country where this Google initiative goes live.

What is Google Free Zone?

Google Free Zone allows users of mobile phone to use Google Search, Google+ and Gmail without charges. You do not need to have a data plan, just your ordinary phone service will work. Here in the Philippines, Google has partnered with Globe in the project. It means, Google subsidized all the data consumed by the user using the three Google services mentioned.

Google Free Zone works only to mobile phones with a browser. Feature phones with WAP browsers up to smartphones like Android and iPhones with fully functional mobile browsers will work. Tablets and PCs won’t work.

Google Free Zone Philippines via Globe Telecoms

On Clicking Links and Attachments

Google Free Zone aims to reach billions of people in developing countries who do not have access to broadband connections. But there are certain actions that will incur a charge from the service provider. Here’s some of them.

1. Viewing an image outside Google or Gmail.
2. Viewing an email attachment.
3. Clicking a link on the results page will not incur charge and will allow you to view the webpage for free. But clicking a link on that webpage will incur charges.

Don’t worry much about this rules. Globe will pop-out a warning before you do anything that will incur charges.

Google Free Zone and Facebook Zero

Remember Facebook Zero? Similar to Google Free Zone, Facebook Zero allows users to view their Facebook accounts for free but there are also actions that may incur charges.

If you are asking how Google and Facebook benefit in these “free” (subsidized) services, well, the answer is simple: advertisement. I’m not sure if either Google or Facebook serves ads on pages viewed using these free services. If not now, it is likely that they will do in the future to compensate for the expenses.

For more details about how to activate Google Free Zone on your phones, please check this link:
Google Free Zone

For more details about Facebook Zero, check this article.
How to Register Facebook Zero – Sun’s Free Facebook Access?

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Apple iPhone 5 – Specs, Features, Price and Availability in the Philippines

Apple Inc unveiled today the biggest and probably the best update to the iPhone since its release in 2007: the iPhone 5. Sporting a bigger 4-inch retina display, LTE support, iOS 6 and a new industrial design, this is indeed the biggest iPhone ever!

Here’s a rundown of the iPhone 5 features and technical specs.

Appled unveiled today the iPhone 5 – the biggest and the best iPhone to date.

Bigger Screen. iPhone 5 doesn’t become wider compared to iPhone 4S, it just get taller. The reason is that Apple wants to maintain users comfort when using the phone by one hand. The new iPhone 5 has a screen of 4inches diagonally.

New Design. Thinner and Lighter. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and the lightest iPhone ever with 7.6 mm (iPhone 4S is 9.3 mm) in thickness and 112 grams in weight (20% lighter than iPhone 4S). The new design also sports a dual shade color anodized aluminum uni-body available in black and white models.

A6 Chip. The new A6 chip will deliver the fastest performance  while maintaining the same battery capacity as that of the iPhone 4s – up to 10 hours of video playback.

LTE Support and Nano SIM. iPhone 5 supports both LTE and CDMA technologies. With this, the iPhone 5 is ready to support the blazing speed offered by LTE networks. Here in the Philippines, both Globe and SMART have launched their own LTE offerings. The iPhone 5 supports the smaller, nano SIM cards.

Earpods and New Connector. Apple also introduced a new design of earphones and called them EarPods which promises to deliver excellent audio performance that first most ears. The new Lightning connector, a smaller digital connector poised to replace Apple’s 30-pin connectors.

iOS 6. The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, the iOS 6 is poised to deliver excellent mobile experience by revamping its default apps and the integration of Facebook to its system. As it has been revealed earlier, Apple revamped its mapping system ditching out Google as the data provider. With iOS 6, the iSight camera can now be used to take panoramic shots, a feature that was already offered by Samsung Galaxy lineup. Siri, our beloved assistant is now wiser and more capable than ever.

iPhone 5 Price and Availability in the Philippines

The iPhone 5 will be available in US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on Friday, September 21, and customers can pre-order their iPhone 5 beginning Friday, September 14.  By September 28, the iPhone 5 will be available in 22 additional countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

For the Philippines, I think it would be before the end of this year just like what happened with iPhone 4S. The pricing would be the same as the iPhone 4S. Both Globe and SMART have already hinted that they will be offering the device to the Philippine market.

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iPhone 5? Apple to Unveil the Next iPhone in September 12 Event

Apple has sent invitations to the media Tuesday (US)  regarding an event that will be held on September 12, 2012 at Yerba Buena Center, San Franciso. Although not explicitly mentioned, the invitation gave hint at a possible release of the next iPhone, which the media often refers to as iPhone 5.

The invitation shows a big number 12 but casting a shadow of something that looks like 5. See for yourself below:

The Apple event invitation shows hint of the possible release of iPhone 5.

What does the rumor tells us about the next iPhone?

Big Screen (4 inches)

Recently, there’s a strong rumor that iPhone 5 will sport a bigger screen.  In my opinion, this move is logical since Apple’s main competitor in the smartphone market, Samsung Mobile has already released dozens of smartphones which gigantic screen.  The Galaxy line for instance sports screen sizes of as big as 5.5 inches (Galaxy Note 2). Other phone manufacturers such as HTC and Motorola follows a similar move.

Smaller Dock Connector, Thinner Uni-body Aluminum Case

Photos of rumored iPhone 5 reveals a smaller dock connector, a thinner uni-body aluminum case. The thinner aluminum might compensate for the increase in the phone size and maintain the current weight of iPhone.

LTE Support and Nano SIM

Rumor also says that iPhone 5 will be the first to use the so called nanoSIM, smaller than the current microSIM used in iPhone 4S. The purpose of which is to conserve space inside the already jam packed smartphone design.

Even before the release of iPhone 4S, people have been expecting Apple to support the increasingly becoming popular 4G LTE wireless technology. Many are unsatisfied that iPhone 4S just support up to 14.4 Mbps of data transfer (3G HSDPA). If Apple will indeed finally support the faster LTE network, then it would be a huge leap for many.

iPhone 4S Availability in the Philippines

Now that the two largest mobile network company in the country (SMART and Globe) selling iPhones in the Philippines, it would be good that Apple make the device a little earlier. Last year, it took more than two months before the celebrated device officially entered the Philippine market. I hope, this time it would be much earlier.

When it comes to price, I think Apple won’t break its tradition of keeping the price of the iPhone series while lowering the prices of the previous models. If that holds true then the prepaid 16GB iPhone 5 will likely be priced at 33, 200 Pesos.

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SMART and Globe to Open Pre-orders of Samsung Galaxy S3 in the Philippines on May 23, 2012

It’s another showdown between the two giants of telecommunications in the country as Smart Communications and Globe Telecom sets the start date pre-order of the newly released Samsung Galaxy S3 on May 23, 2012.

The new Samsung Galaxy S3

Both telecoms haven’t revealed yet the post-paid plans to which you can get the celebrated device for free but early estimates shows that they will likely be targeted to high-end users on plans with minimum subscription of 2500 pesos per month.

Anyway, May 23 is just three days away, so the full detail will be revealed by then. To know that is at store for you in Samsung Galaxy S3, please check out this article:

Samsung Galaxy S3 Release – Features, Availability, and Price in the Philippines

or you can check this commercial video for S3:

How to Apply for Internet Connection in the Philippines?

The internet is rapidly taking bigger and bigger portion of Filipino lifestyle. A few years ago, internet is considered to be a leisure and only few can afford the service. But as the Philippines gets deeper and deeper into information age, the need for an internet connection is getting critical.

Image by Steve Rhode via Flickr

For those who wants to know how to apply for an internet connection, here are the typical steps to follow. This is generic with all the local Telcos may also vary a little depending on circumstances.

1. Prepare the Requirements

Globe, SMART, PLDT, Sun Cellular and others will usually require you to bring the following items to the nearest sales office:

- Valid ID

- Proof of Billing Address (Electric Bill, Phone Bills, credit card statement under YOUR NAME)

2. Fill-up the application form

This will be provided by the employee in the sales office.

3. Schedule them for the installation

Depending on the type of service you want to subscribe with, you may be asked to schedule a time where they can visit your location to install the devices. This is usually the case when you’re applying for fixed internet connections such as DSL, WiMAX, Canopy etc.

- For mobile services such as plug-its, 3G SIM, etc, you may not need to do this step. They will give you the device immediately after paying it.

4. Pay whatever they require you to pay.

This can be the price of the device or your first month bill.

Note: Again this procedure may vary a little depending on the internet service provider company.

Festivities Welcomes iPhone 4S in the Philippines!

Parties and festivities welcomed the official release of iPhone 4S in the Philippines as two of the largest mobile network in the country held separate events in Makati this evening.

The new iPhone 4S

SMART Communications held their party in Power Plant Mall while Globe Telecom held their own festivities at the Ayala Museum. Crowd of people flock the two events, most of them if not all were excited to welcome the newest iPhone model from Apple.

iPhone 4S – the best iPhone so far?

The new iPhone 4S commonly marketed as the “best iPhone to date” boasts some major upgrade from its predecessor iPhone 4. iPhone 4S has a new faster A5 dual-core processor which boosts iPhones graphics and computing powers. At the back of the unit is a new camera with advanced optics capable of capturing 1080p HD video as well as great still shots.

The new iPhone also introduces Siri, an intelligent assistant that can help you find what you are looking for. It’s not just simply a voice activated search engine but an assistant that  understand you and learns from you.

Globe iPhone 4S Will Be Available on December 16

Globe finally confirmed today that the iPhone 4S will be made available under their roof on December 16 (Friday). This was exactly the same date as what their rival SMART Communications had announced earlier.

Globe iPhone 4S vs SMART iPhone 4S

The real competition between the two networks in terms of Apple products is bound to unfold next week. With the two largest network in the Philippines releasing the iPhone 4S, consumers are in a better position when it comes to choices. Globe had been the exclusive partner of Apple way back in 2008 with the iPhone 3GS. Three years later, the exclusivity of Globe to market the celebrated Apple Smartphone has apparently ended giving an opportunity to SMART to strike a deal with Apple and sell iPhones.

Globe to release iPhone 4S on December 16

This development is bound to affect Globe Telecom but as to what extent is yet to be seen. In its official blog post, Globe maintains that they were better equipped to handle Apple products since they have several years of experience regarding it.

iPhone 4S For Sun Cellular Subscribers?

With PLDT, the parent company of SMART, getting majority stake at Sun Cellular, it would be more likely that Sun subscribers will have the iPhone 4S as well, although no official announcement has been made yet.

Text Message (SMS) is Now 20% Cheaper (0.8 Pesos per Text)

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) confirmed today that the three major telecommunications networks in the country (SMART Communications, Globe Telecoms and Sun Cellular) have agreed to implement the order from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to lower the price of text or SMS messages.

SMART

From the current 1 peso per text rate, the price will be reduced to 0.8 pesos per text. This is more significant in inter-network messages. The three companies adhere to the order of NTC to lower the interconnection charge rate from the previous 0.35 pesos/text down to 0.15 pesos/text. The official start of this rate is tomorrow, Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

Text or Short Messaging System (SMS) is still one of the most popular way of communication in the country. The Philippines is even called the “texting capital of the world” because of its popularity. It was also a lucrative business to the three networks just mentioned.