Get these Unbelievable Deals from Globe - August 23 to 26, 2013

Who would have thought that a telco will remove it's cash out on the  Samsung Galaxy S4 after 4 months of its release in the Philippines.

Globe launched a great deal this long weekend, and temporarily removed the P4800 cash out when getting a Samsung Galaxy S4 on Plan 1799. 

Other great deals include the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE which is now free on Plan 1799, Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, now free on Plan 999 which both are originally free on Plan 1799, and the budget-friendly phone Huawei Ascend G510 which is now free on Plan 299. All phones are at 24 months lock-up period.

The problem with this is, the deal is only available to NEW subscribers. Weekly offers like this do not apply to old subscriber who are already out of their lock-up periods. 

I think, Globe needs to revisit their loyalty/retention policy to its subscribers as there are customers out there who are willing to stay with them despite the network issues they encounter everyday

Official Jellybean update now available for Optimus L5, L7, L9 and 4X in the Philippines

Courtesy of LG Philippines Blog:

The latest version in Android is now available in select models of the first-generation LG Optimus L Series smartphones!  For Optimus L5, L7, and L9, users may now upgrade their current Android to Jellybean OS.

The Jellybean version adapts the functional features of earlier updates of Android such as Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and Ice Cream Sandwich, but it also includes new developments to further beef up the dynamic and consumer-centric package of smartphones.

For one, audio feedback and gesture controls are enhanced for a more sensory and accessible user experience.  Smartphone screens are made more visually attractive with smoother and speedier graphic displays as well as improvements in web browser and file management.  Intuitive experiences are pushed even further with smarter keyboard predictions and the Jellybean’s advanced natural language voice command.  The most impressive inclusion of the Jellybean would be Google Now, which gives the user information relevant to the current situation, such as train schedules while one is on a subway platform, traffic or weather conditions while on the road, and many more.

To upgrade, customers may visit any authorized LG Mobile Service Center or download Jellybean through http://www.lg.com/ph/support.  Users of Optimus L9 may also choose the built-in Firmware Over-the-Air or Software Upgrade Option.

The Jellybean update is also now available in LG’s first Quadcore device, the Optimus 4X HD.

For more information on the products of LG Mobile, visit www.lg.com/ph or www.lgblog.com.ph or like LG Mobile’s official Facebook page—LG Optimus PH.

Smart Freedom Sale on June 12, 2013

In celebration of the Philippine Independence Day on June 12, 2013, Smart will be holding it first ever Smart Freedom Sale.

Image from Smart's Facebook Page

Get the 64GB iPhone 4S for P10,490 P10,900, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (P3100) Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (P6200) for only P4490 P5600, and 8GB iPhone 3GS for only P4900. Other phones are also on sale! Go get these great deals only from Smart Gateway (Gateway Activity Center) and Smart Robinsons Galleria (Robinsons Movie World area) on June 12, 2013 only from 10AM to 7PM.

The catch: You have to subscribe to SMART freedom plan, which is a zer0-plan. If you dont use it, you don't get billed. It also does not have a holding period. So bring an additional P600 for 1 month advance and valid IDs. Want to know more about Smart's Freedom Plan? Click here! http://www1.smart.com.ph/Postpaid/plans/freedom-plans 

For complete list of phones, go to: http://www1.smart.com.ph/Postpaid/promos/freedom-to-follow/

Disclaimer: Smart is NOT an advertiser of this blog and this is not a paid post.

Follow and send me a tweet on Twitter: @JBTizon

Nokia Lumia 920 now available on Smart Data Plan 1500

Windows Phone 8 and Lumia lovers rejoice! Smart recently announced that they are now carrying the best camera smartphone yet... Nokia Lumia 920. Well, a friend of mine already availed of this phone together with a plan from Smart a week and half ago before this was announced on Smart's website.

It's free in Data Plan 1500 (30 month commitment) with unlimited LTE connectivity*, 120 texts to all networks and 60 minutes of local/domestic calls or All-In Plan 1800.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.5" 16M-color PureMotionHD+ IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording
• Optical Image stabilization with floating lens technology
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset, 1GB of RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
• GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
• Free lifetime voice-guided navigation
• 32GB of inbuilt storage
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Wireless charging with optional accessories
• Built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and EDR, file transfers
• SNS integration
• Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
• NFC support
• Digital compass
• Nokia Music

Main disadvantages

• App catalog falls short of Android and iOS
• No microSD card
• No FM radio
• No system-wide file manager
• No lockscreen shortcuts
• Size and weight something to definitely consider before you buy
• Audio output not worthy of a flagship
• Non user-replaceable battery

Reference: http://www1.smart.com.ph/About/newsroom/all-press-releases/2013/06/07/get-the-best-lte-smartphone-experience-only-from-smart

Follow and send me a tweet on Twitter: @JBTizon, 

My Globe complaint regarding the latest billing system upgrade

Hello Globe,

I am very disappointed with your service recently. This is about your billing, after being delayed for three weeks, I finally received my Globe billing statement #26 which covers 16 Feb 2013 – 15 March 2013. To my surprise, I saw my data charges on “per-KB” basis, and worst of all, I am charged P45,390.26 for using my data which is supposed to be on a “special” time-based charging. I am grateful that you waived P43,158.12 of it because of the “No-Bill shock” feature, but I am sorry to say that I am still shocked to look at my bill as there are a lot of errors on my latest bill. I am blaming your “I.T. Billing upgrade” because it seems like it does not recognize how my legacy plan charges.

Now let’s enumerate the facts here first:

1.       Affected Mobile Number: 0917564****
2.       Plan prior March 19: MY FULLY LOADED PLAN 999 (Legacy Plan)
3.       Having billing issues with Bill Number: 26
4.       I have an unpaid balance of P1310.62 from Bill Number: 25

Let me enumerate the issues I have with my current bill:

1.       I did not request to change my data charging scheme from time-based to KB-based, so why am I being charged on per-KB basis?... and what is WAP charges? (See image below)

2.       I have Freebie F: 3-hour free mobile internet. You know what this means? If I consume this freebie, I will be charged P0.33 PER MINUTE and will not be on-top my bill because it will charged against my consumable. I have this freebie during this period, so why am I still being charged on per-KB basis? Please refer to ALL my previous bills, and you will be surprised that I am charged for data usage by the minute, and not per KB.

Bill No. 26

Bill No. 25

Now, you may be asking why I am sending an email instead of calling the hotline. Well, I already did. Three times actually, and it seems like all your representatives can’t understand English or Filipino because they can’t get the report right. You may refer to reference numbers:

1.       50202381 (4/20/2013) – Was not submitted by the first agent according to agent who created 50229581.
2.       50229581 (4/25/2013) – Disapproved. The agent just said on the report that I just wanted a bill adjustment, no details mentioned as above according to agent who created 50256847.
3.       50256847 (4/30/2013) – I don’t know if he took note of all the details I mentioned above.

You don’t know how stressed I am with this issue. I never had a billing issue with your company until this bill came along. I am also really disappointed because I have to repeat myself three times to report this issue without any resolution. Your customer service sucks when handling issues with bills. You better fix this because I am not responsible if there are issues with your “new” billing system, and I am not paying for something that is clearly isn’t my fault.

Regards,

Jan Brane Tizon





Follow me on Twitter @JBTizon, for updates regarding this matter. 

Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 finally receives Jellybean update

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 for Philippines received the much awaited Jellybean 4.1.2 update.

To download it, just connect your phone to your PC with fast internet connection and launch KIES, or download it over-the-air.

If you still don't know what the enhancements in the new Jelly Bean update are, just look the items below!

- Android 4.1.2 – Build JZO54K
- Buttery Smooth Performance & Great Stability (Thanks to Project Butter)
- Multi-View (Multi Windows Multitasking, same as in Note II)
- Multi-View can also be disabled
- Page Buddy
- Notification Panel can now be customized
- New Additions in Notification Panel
- Smart Rotation (Screen Display adjusts to your angle of sightings)
- Continues Input in Samsung Keyboard (Like Swipe or Android 4.2 Keyboard)
- Samsung’s Cloud services
- Features like Direct Call, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play
- New Widgets From the Galaxy S III
- 2 Home screen modes
- New Notifications bar
- Google Now

LG Optimus 3D P920 International Version finally gets official Ice Cream Sandwich update (Update: BETA)

Most LG Optimus 3D P920 users thought that the official Ice Cream Sandwich will no longer come to their devices. Some of them sold the phone, while others gave it away. For those who held on to their devices with hopes up high, the wait is finally almost over! 

LG Germany released the BETA Ice Cream Sandwich update for P920 International users. Firmware is V28b.  So expect for v30a and v30b updates similar to LG Optimus 2X ICS update.

For those who can't wait, you may flash it already as the KDZ and BIN files are now up for download. If you are still skeptical, just look at the screenshots below.


Download the files here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2185406
http://bbs.gfan.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=5913469


Screenshots:

 

Follow me on twitter @JBTizon