Smart No More...

That's it!  I'm done with it!  It's over!  Twice is too much!

Two years ago, I tried to access the net through my Smart mobile data, armed with a P300+ load.  Few minutes after I finished surfing and turned off the mobile data button, I checked my balance, was stripped off less than a 50 bucks, and was okay with it.  Later, I was surprised when I failed to register for a P150 international call promo.  When I checked my balance, lo and behold!  I didn't have sufficient load for that promo!  Thus, I called up Smart and was advised to turn off my phone and take out the sim card.  Thereafter, I checked my balance from a non-internet capable phone and.. surprise to my surprise!  My load balance had been continuously declining!

I called up Smart again and I was told that, according to their system, I was using my mobile data!  But they could not explain how on earth was I able to fully consume my load even when the sim card was already taken out from the mobile phone!

And now, it's happening again!  This time, I lost P1000+!  Smart customer representative said that, according to their system, I used my mobile data few minutes before 6 o'clock in the morning of a Monday.  How could that be?  I usually get up early every Monday morning to hastily prepare for work!  Also, I have a sky broadband at home! Why the hell would I shift to mobile data when I didn't have problems with my wifi connection, particularly for that questioned period?!

Smart, you are so smart...

Starry-eyed over Starmobile phone..

Photo Credit

Now that my three alternative phones are already resting in peace, I have decided to go ahead with my plan of buying another, but better one.  I could have tried to revive my old phones, e.g., replacement of battery and/or charger but then, for now (read: temporarily), I just seem to grow tired of saving a few hundred/thousands bucks at the expense of my inconvenience.

In the spirit of Christmas (read: another excuse), I deserve a little bit of splurging, don't I?  Well, I'm still trying to control my spending and I hope, this time, I will succeed.  I've been goggling for the best tv phone and just recently, I came across with Starmobile's Up Max, which specs are as follows:

Screen Size: 5-inch IPS Multi touch

Scratch Resistant DragonTrail Glass

Sim: Dual SIM (Regular + Micro)

WiFi: Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot

Internal Memory: 16GB Internal Storage

RAM: 1GB RAM

Card Slot: Expandable Up to 64GB via MicroSD

Camera: 13.0 Megapixel Autofocus Main Camera with Sony IMX 135 Sensor and LED Flash

Front Camera: 5.0 Megapixel Autofocus Front Camera

OS: Android 5 Lollipop OS

Processor: 1.3GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex-A7

GPU: Mali-400 MP2 GPU

Chipset: MediaTek MT6582 Chipset

ISDB-T Digital TV Tuner

Radio: FM Radio

Battery: 5000mAh Li-Po Battery

I like that the phone has a digital tv tuner, fm radio, and a 5000mAh battery, which is almost twice the life of my primary phone's battery.  And per their website, it costs P6,490 only, which exceeded my targeted expense of P5,000 by P1,490.  Nonetheless, the price is still cheap compared to the better but pricier Knight Spectra's P14,990.  The downside, however, of Up Max is that its connectivity is only 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 / 3G UMTS/SCDMA: 850/1200 / HSPA+ compared to Spectra's 2G / 3G / HSPA+ / Download upto 21.1Mbps / 4G LTE.  In other words, there might be connectivity issues that is expected to be dealt with concerning the use of Up Max.

Urggh!  I am so into internet!!!

But I am not willing to shell off P14,990 just for that.  No!!! I must remind myself that I am buying an alternative phone, and that means, going for the second best.. :(

Globe, No Longer An Option

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Just when I already decided to get myself a Globe Plan P1,799, I found out that my residential address is not among those covered by Globe's long-term evolution (LTE) service.  I will be transferring to a new residence soon and my inquiry disclosed that even my future location is not covered too.  Too bad, Globe's plan package would have had suited my budget and lifestyle as compared with that of Smart.

It is disappointing to know that Globe is not yet that competitive especially when it comes to internet service.  It does not even offer LTE connection yet for those on prepaid plans and/or light internet users like me who, at times, depend on free wifi signal every time there is a chance to be connected free of charge.

No wonder Smart still dominates the telecommunication industry.  That only means one thing, I have no other choice but to get a Smart plan.  Whether it is a postpaid or a prepaid, that is the question.. :(

Prepaid? Or Postpaid?

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I am now in dilemma., whether to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4, or bundle it with a postpaid plan.  Right now, I am maintaining two separate plans, one for my internet needs and the other for my mobile use.  Good thing, the lock-in periods of both plans have already expired.  Hence, I could terminate my subscriptions anytime I want to.

Now I am thinking, why not get two-in-one package for internet and mobile postpaid plans?  By doing so, I might get the phone I'm aiming for as a freebie.  But then, browsing through the plan builder of Globe and that of Smart, I realized I could not consume the free calls and texts that goes with the plan.  In fact, I have not maximized the unlimited texts that I am getting from current mobile plan.

With that, having a prepaid plan might be a better idea.  In that way, I only get to pay on  what I consume for.  But then, spending P30,000+ for a phone may not be practical for budget-conscious freaks like me.  Now, I'm more confused...

Next question, Globe or Smart? :)

Dealing With My Ipad..

After a year of having an ipad, it's only now that I get to enjoy it. Thanks to my recently-subscribed internet connection and recently-bought router, I am now exploring its features as if there's no tomorrow.

But then, embarrassingly ignorant as I obviously am, my exploration is limited yet to downloading free apps e.g., magazines and games. I have yet to discover where to find and how to download free movies, as well as, save my pdf files and pictures, etc.

As a preppy of this gadget, I still have a long way to go. I just hope my impatience won't get in my way towards my journey to learning the intricacies of technology. ;)

Lazy Mode..

After I recently finished my International Audit training, I have been splurging my time on things that I generally deprived myself of for almost a year - surfing the net, watching movies, and sleeping.  I should say that, now that I am on leave from school, I should have all the time in the world. :)

Unfortunately, there's one task that I failed to do, and that is, to keep my blogs updated, at least daily. Today, November 30, 2011, is the last day of the month, and I am so guilty that I've only written four posts for this blog for this whole month.  Now, compare that to my 13 articles posted just last August when I recall, at that time, I was busy studying for the midterm exams, catching up with my office workload, and spending sleepless nights with hubby.  How's that?! :(

I just hope this realization will stop me from procastinating, and instead, nudge me to roll up my sleeves and get moving. :)

Goin' Loco Over Bruno

I've been playing this music video everytime I go online.  It's a shame though that I don't get to have a youtube access at the office. Guess, I'll just have to make use of the youtube downloader. :(

I don't know if this is an old music video.  I just happened to watch it only last Monday, August 15, 2011, while I was having breakfast at the office cafeteria.  Since then, I've been hooked to it.  That makes me, officially, an instant fan of Bruno Mars. ;)

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