Posts Tagged ‘Internet access’

Samsung Galaxy S3 Free at Sun Elite 1500 Plan

Days before the unveiling of the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, Sun Cellular announces that the current flagship phone of Samsung Mobile, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is now free at Plan Elite 1500.

Sun Cellular now offers the Samsung Galaxy S3 free at Sun Elite 1500 Plan

[Related: Samsung Galaxy S4 Event on March 14]

About Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung Galaxy S3 is the flagship smartphone of Samsung Mobile.  Unveiled last May 2012, it quickly became one of the most successful smartphones in history selling over 20 Million units in its first 100 days.

Samsung Galaxy S3 has the following specifications:

• 4.8” Super AMOLED Touch Screen
• S Voice Application
• 1.4 GHz Quad-core Cortex A-9
• 8MP Camera
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich

For the detailed specs and features, please see the article below:
[Read: Samsung Galaxy S3 Release – Features, Availability, and Price in the Philippines]

About Sun Elite 1500 Plan

The Sun Elite 1500 Plan gives you the following services:

• Unlimited Sun Calls and Texts (Sun to Sun)
• Unlimited Mobile Internet
• Unlimited Local Landline*
• 250 FREE Texts to other networks
• 60 IDD minutes**

*For landline calls within your local area only. Unlimited landline feature is available in NCR, Rizal, Albay, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Pangasinan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Benguet, Tarlac, Bataan, Isabela, Bulacan, Pampanga and Ilocos Sur

** IDD 10 Countries: US (Main), Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Guam, Macau

How to Apply for Sun Elite 1500 Plan?

Just go to the nearest Sun Shops and bring the following requirements:
Subscription Application Requirements:
I. COMPLETELY FILLED OUT APPLICATION FORM/S WITH LANDLINE NUMBERS
II. VALID ID (example Philippine Driver’s License)

III. ANY OF THE TWO (2) OPTIONS BELOW:

Option 1: Proof of Billing & Proof of Income

A. PROOF OF BILLING (example Electric Bill)
B. PROOF OF INCOME ( example Income tax Return or BIR Form 2316)

Option 2: COMPETITOR BILL – Account must be current with no overdue balance or paid if already due.
The Subscriber must have been with the competitor network for at least six (6) months at the
time of application to Sun Cellular.

Please see more details here:

[Read: Sun Cellular Subscription Requirements]

Reminders Before Applying for Sun Elite 1500

I know many already know about this but for the sake of those who still don’t, here are a few reminders and notes:

- Make sure that the place where you usually go or stay have Sun Cellular 3G signal
- for those in major cities, this won’t be a problem
- voice and text signal does not guarantee 3G internet signal
- You can always share your mobile phone internet connection through tethering or personal hotspot, a feature common in smartphones like Galaxy Grand
- Sun Elite 1500 Plan has a 2-year contract

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Promo: Price of Sun Broadband Prepaid Kit Reduced to 795 Pesos

Sun Cellular has reduced the price of their Sun broadband prepaid kit from 995 pesos down to 795 Pesos. That translates to 20% discount, making it the cheapest plug-it device among the three major mobile internet provider in the country (the other two are Globe Tattoo and Smart Bro).

Sun Broadband Prepaid Kit for only 795 Pesos

The prepaid kit consists of the USB plug-it device and a Sun Broadband Prepaid SIM card pre-loaded with 1 hour of internet load. The kit can deliver up to 7.2 Mb/s internet speed.

Since it was a prepaid kit, you will have to load it before use. Regular rate is 10 pesos for 30 minutes. You can also register for an unlimited internet for a period of time. Please read the article below to know how.

[Read: How to Register Sun Unlimited Internet?]

The prepaid kit can be purchased in the nearest Sun Shops and authorized retailers.

A good reminder though is to check first if there is a Sun Cellular 3G signal in places where you intend to use your device.  To ask, go to the nearest Sun Shop.

Sun Broadband Postpaid Plan

If prepaid is not for you and you think you regularly need an unlimited internet for the month, you can try the postpaid version. The same package is available, except that you will be under an up to 24-month lock-up contract to subsidized for the device. The price though of their postpaid plan can be as low as 799 pesos only.

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How to Register Sun Unlimited Internet?

I already wrote about how to register to the unlimited internet in SMART (Unlisurf) and Globe (Supersurf) networks. Now, I’m going to show how to register Sun Unlimited Internet Broadband.

First, you have to insert your prepaid SUN Broadband SIM card in a mobile device that can access its SMS ability. It could be a simple cell phone, smartphone, pocket wifi, dongle, or Broadband Plug-it device. The last three devices should be connected to a computer to reach the SMS Menu.

Once inserted, wait until the signal stabilizes. Then send the following codes to 247.

i50 – 1 day sun unlimited internet

i50 ON - 1 day sun unlimited internet – recurring every 7 days

i100 – 3 days sun unlimited internet

i250 – 7 days sun unlimited internet

The i50 costs 51 pesos, the i100 registration costs 101 Pesos, and so on and so fort. The extra 1 peso is for registration charge.

Sun Cellular

Sun Unlimited Internet Speed vs SMART vs Globe

I don’t have data from a systematic test that will give us conclusive answer on who among the three telcos provides the fastest speed and most reliable internet connection. But based on experience and feedback from other users, I concluded the following:

1. If you are located in a place where there is good Sun 3G signal, then Sun Broadband is the best choice for you. It offers the cheapest and the most stable connection among the three. The reason behind is that Sun Cellular has the newest mobile telecommunication equipment among the three networks.

2. If you are mobile and shifts place often, the best choice probably is SMART. SMART Bro has the widest coverage among the three options.

3. If the only 3G Signal available in your place is Globe, then choose Globe. Based on my experience, Globe has the worst service among the three.

Cellular Signal is Not Always 3G

There is a common misconception among users about cellular signal. Most think that if there is a call and text signal in a place, then you can have internet connection. But that’s not always true. Cellular network technology are classified into several types or categories. For example, Call and Text signals are just GSM networks that are designed to handle voice calls and SMS only. For internet connection, you should have at least an EDGE or the more common 3G signal. 3G networks provides the required bandwidth to transfer internet data (video, text, images, audio, etc). To make sure that your place has a coverage for mobile internet connectivity, visit the nearest sales office of your chosen provider.

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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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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!

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Cebu Pacific to Offer On-board Wifi

In a press release early this morning, low-cost airline Cebu Pacific announced that they have teamed up with OnAir to provide in-flight WiFi internet access on its long-haul flights which are expected to start  next year, 2013. If this materializes, Cebu Pacific will become the first long-haul low-cost airline in South East Asia to have an in-flight internet access.

With OnAir on-board, Cebu Pacific will be able to provide internet access to their passengers using their devices such as computer laptops, tablets and mobile phones. It is unclear though if this will be a free access or is subject to payment options.

Cebu Pacific have announced early this year that they are planning to take long-haul flights to popular Filipino destinations such as the United States, Europe, Middle East and Australia.

Page 12 of 366 – What’s Happening?

This is the 12th day of the year (2012) or as netizens (on twitter) call it, Page 12 of 366. Below is the screenshot of Twitter Philippines trending topics.

Twitter Philippines Trending topics

One of the buzz topic for the day is none other than Bourne Legacy lead actor Jeremy Renner. News says he already arrived in Manila for a few days of shooting.

As expected, Cebu is slowly climbing up the top trending list as the festival of Sinulog is fast approaching.

The day is still young and I’m pretty sure there will be more interesting new topics later.

Page 5 of 366 – What’s Trending on Twitter Philippines?

Good morning everyone! It’s the 5th day of the year, or Page 5 of 366. This countdown has been trending in twitter for consecutive days now. I first notice it at Page 2 of 366 (January 2, 2012), then Page 3 of 366 and Page 4 of 366. And now, we’re at Page 5 of 366. What’s trending on twitter today?

Page 5 of 366 on Twitter

As you can see above, Page 5 of 366 is at the top. Then, usual topics such as Justin Beiber is at the list again.

As we go along the course of the day, we can expect to see changes on this list.

Page 3 of 366 Trending on Twitter as Expected

Yesterday is Page 2 of 366, which represents the second day of 2012 (with 366 days due to leap year). Now, Page of 3 of 366 is at the top spot of twitter trends for the Philippines and just like yesterday, as more and more countries welcomes January 3, it will slowly climb up in the worldwide trends list.

Page 3 of 366 on Twitter

Anyway, what would you do on the Page 3 of 366? Let us know by posting your comments.