Sunday, October 19, 2008
02:02 by FoxTwo
Image by sean dreilinger via Flickr With recent announcements of price increases from Singtel on their fixed line subscriptions, I just had to stop and review the situation. Now, adding 0.1 cent per 30 secs (or 60 secs off peak) is a very very small amount. Tiny, in fact. In total it's just $10 per year, the price of one pack of cigarettes.
Being the lazy-assed bum that I am, I was going to just "leave it alone". It's just $10 more.
However, my recent mobile bills have been climbing too. Part of the increase is due to work. The other part, a more major part, is due to personal stuff. It is also fortunate that I am currently contract-less in the mobile department - I can "jump ship" anytime I wanted to. My contract ran out in May actually, and the only reason I stayed with Singtel is because I've been such a loyal and faithful customer since the 80's (OMG is it 20 years already?!)
Also, suddenly work requirements stipulated that I need to enter several sensitive (and hence, "high security") areas on a frequent basis, and hence phones with cameras are disallowed. Now, I personally think that this is a stupid rule. If I truly had bad intentions, I'd have no problems sketching out whatever I need using a pen and some paper. Having a camera just makes it more convenient to plan dastardly deeds, that's all. Disallowing cameras just makes it a tad harder, but not prevent it.
In any case, my first thoughts are - how many modern phones today come without a camera? A quick search through CNet showed only a handful. Choices are truly limited. Personally I don't mind a phone without a camera. What I do mind is that I can't get the phone(s) I really want because they come with a camera. Phone manufacturers should really make more camera-free versions of their phones!
Also, my Sony Ericsson phone has just decided to introduce me to yet another hidden feature - auto-poweroff-at-random-times. Yeah, in my opinion, Sony Ericsson stuff suck really bad. And, I don't mean just their phones.
So, this really provided me the push I needed to evaluate my position with Singtel. Since I needed a new, non-camera-enabled phone, that would mean signing a contract with a provider just to get the phone I am limited to, for free or almost free.
After reviewing my choices, M1 seemed to have the best combination of perks vs price. Starhub was a close second. The only thing Singtel got going was that I'd get the phone free if I signed a contract with them. The thing that made me consider Starhub over M1 was simple - price. While I may need to pay an amount for the phone (under $50), I'll get something like 30% discount off my bill because once I subscribe to Starhub, I automatically become a "Hubber" since my Cable TV and Internet connection are all under Starhub. Besides, my work areas are usually in town anyway, so Starhub's rumoured "sucky coverage" in Jurong is irrelevent to me.
With full Number Portability, there isn't really much incentive to stick with Singtel. Nobody needed to be informed of my "new number" since it'll still be the same. The second thing is that Starhub has a dataplan that is cheaper than Singtel's, meaning it has an "in-between" plan that Singtel doesn't. I'm not a lite user (10MB?! Who the hell surfs as little as 20 web pages in a month?), but I'm not always on the mobile broadband to require a 50GB limit a month and a speed of 1 or 2 or even 3Mbps. Yeah Singtel's plans only go up to 3mbps.
Starhub's "in-between" plan which I am currently on, called the "MaxMobile Value", has no speed limits. It'll go as fast as your phone is capable of (and on my new NOKIA camera-less phone, that's 7.2mbps if I am hooked onto a 3.5G GPRS connection). Although the "free bundled data" is just $30 (or 10MB) worth, the subscription is only $5. Besides, even if I do exceed the "free bundled data", the plan caps it all at about $36. Yes, even if I do exceed like crazy, like maybe downloading stuff or whatever and using up 200GB, they'll just bill me for $36. Yes I confirmed this with Starhub, both on the hotline as well as in person at the counter when I was signing up a new line with them.
As a clarification, the MaxMobile Surflite plan may be "unlimited", but it's a constant $38 a month. Plus, according to them, you can't have it on your phone. You need to get a USB device. The helpdesk has no answers to this, because I told them technically this was POSSIBLE since it's also using the GPRS network. All they can say is that company policy requires the subscriber to pick up a USB device and it won't be activated on a phone. So if you want an unlimited plan on a phone, you need to get the MaxMobile Ultimate which will set you back $72 a month.
Since I needed it on the phone, I dropped one level down to the MaxMobile Value plan. Besides, even if I exceed the provided 10MB "free data" like crazy it's still capped at $36. That's still $2 cheaper :) That's like having an unlimited data plan for $36 instead of $38. This plan also means that I don't pay $36 every month, because the amount is variable depending on whether I exceed by a lot or very little.
With all these "plus" factors, Starhub gets my money. And I got a new Nokia phone off them too. Yeah, no more Sony Ericssons for me! Oh yeah, I am also swapping my Singtel fixed line phone over to Starhub's Digital Voice. Now, I am completely Singtel-free!
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02:02 by FoxTwo
Starhub Gets My Money, Goodbye Singtel!
Image by sean dreilinger via Flickr With recent announcements of price increases from Singtel on their fixed line subscriptions, I just had to stop and review the situation. Now, adding 0.1 cent per 30 secs (or 60 secs off peak) is a very very small amount. Tiny, in fact. In total it's just $10 per year, the price of one pack of cigarettes.Being the lazy-assed bum that I am, I was going to just "leave it alone". It's just $10 more.
However, my recent mobile bills have been climbing too. Part of the increase is due to work. The other part, a more major part, is due to personal stuff. It is also fortunate that I am currently contract-less in the mobile department - I can "jump ship" anytime I wanted to. My contract ran out in May actually, and the only reason I stayed with Singtel is because I've been such a loyal and faithful customer since the 80's (OMG is it 20 years already?!)
Also, suddenly work requirements stipulated that I need to enter several sensitive (and hence, "high security") areas on a frequent basis, and hence phones with cameras are disallowed. Now, I personally think that this is a stupid rule. If I truly had bad intentions, I'd have no problems sketching out whatever I need using a pen and some paper. Having a camera just makes it more convenient to plan dastardly deeds, that's all. Disallowing cameras just makes it a tad harder, but not prevent it.
In any case, my first thoughts are - how many modern phones today come without a camera? A quick search through CNet showed only a handful. Choices are truly limited. Personally I don't mind a phone without a camera. What I do mind is that I can't get the phone(s) I really want because they come with a camera. Phone manufacturers should really make more camera-free versions of their phones!
Also, my Sony Ericsson phone has just decided to introduce me to yet another hidden feature - auto-poweroff-at-random-times. Yeah, in my opinion, Sony Ericsson stuff suck really bad. And, I don't mean just their phones.
So, this really provided me the push I needed to evaluate my position with Singtel. Since I needed a new, non-camera-enabled phone, that would mean signing a contract with a provider just to get the phone I am limited to, for free or almost free.
After reviewing my choices, M1 seemed to have the best combination of perks vs price. Starhub was a close second. The only thing Singtel got going was that I'd get the phone free if I signed a contract with them. The thing that made me consider Starhub over M1 was simple - price. While I may need to pay an amount for the phone (under $50), I'll get something like 30% discount off my bill because once I subscribe to Starhub, I automatically become a "Hubber" since my Cable TV and Internet connection are all under Starhub. Besides, my work areas are usually in town anyway, so Starhub's rumoured "sucky coverage" in Jurong is irrelevent to me.
With full Number Portability, there isn't really much incentive to stick with Singtel. Nobody needed to be informed of my "new number" since it'll still be the same. The second thing is that Starhub has a dataplan that is cheaper than Singtel's, meaning it has an "in-between" plan that Singtel doesn't. I'm not a lite user (10MB?! Who the hell surfs as little as 20 web pages in a month?), but I'm not always on the mobile broadband to require a 50GB limit a month and a speed of 1 or 2 or even 3Mbps. Yeah Singtel's plans only go up to 3mbps.
Starhub's "in-between" plan which I am currently on, called the "MaxMobile Value", has no speed limits. It'll go as fast as your phone is capable of (and on my new NOKIA camera-less phone, that's 7.2mbps if I am hooked onto a 3.5G GPRS connection). Although the "free bundled data" is just $30 (or 10MB) worth, the subscription is only $5. Besides, even if I do exceed the "free bundled data", the plan caps it all at about $36. Yes, even if I do exceed like crazy, like maybe downloading stuff or whatever and using up 200GB, they'll just bill me for $36. Yes I confirmed this with Starhub, both on the hotline as well as in person at the counter when I was signing up a new line with them.
As a clarification, the MaxMobile Surflite plan may be "unlimited", but it's a constant $38 a month. Plus, according to them, you can't have it on your phone. You need to get a USB device. The helpdesk has no answers to this, because I told them technically this was POSSIBLE since it's also using the GPRS network. All they can say is that company policy requires the subscriber to pick up a USB device and it won't be activated on a phone. So if you want an unlimited plan on a phone, you need to get the MaxMobile Ultimate which will set you back $72 a month.
Since I needed it on the phone, I dropped one level down to the MaxMobile Value plan. Besides, even if I exceed the provided 10MB "free data" like crazy it's still capped at $36. That's still $2 cheaper :) That's like having an unlimited data plan for $36 instead of $38. This plan also means that I don't pay $36 every month, because the amount is variable depending on whether I exceed by a lot or very little.
With all these "plus" factors, Starhub gets my money. And I got a new Nokia phone off them too. Yeah, no more Sony Ericssons for me! Oh yeah, I am also swapping my Singtel fixed line phone over to Starhub's Digital Voice. Now, I am completely Singtel-free!
Labels: mobile phones, self
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
11:23 by FoxTwo I think someone up there is trying to give me a big hint. A hint that I am not fated to own any Sony Ericsson device.
Some time back, I misplaced my bluetooth earpiece, which was a Motorola model H500. So, I had to go get a new one. A colleague managed to convince me (at the time) that getting a same-brand bluetooth earpiece is very much more preferable to me getting a Motorola again, justifying that since the devices came from the same manufacturer there should be zero compatibility problems etc etc.
So I went and got a Sony Ericsson HBH-PV702 bluetooth earpiece. Initially, I was wondering why it would "disconnect" by itself from the phone. It didn't happen too often, so I didn't really give it much thought.
Yesterday I had to send my SE phone in for servicing. So, I broke out my old Nokia 6280 to use as a backup phone, and I paired the Sony Ericsson HBH-PV702 bluetooth earpiece to the Nokia. It connected.
Then, it disconnected in less than 10 mins.
I reconnected, and again it disconnected some minutes later. This kept happening in a short space of time. The length of time it stayed connected is variable - could be as little as 10 mins, or as long as 3 or 4 hours.
Then it dawned on me - it must be the earpiece that's at fault, because I have NEVER had any sort of disconnects with the Motorola H500 before. NEVER. With any phone.
So in addition to not beeping me like how the Motorola would if it detected out of coverage, low batt, incoming SMS etc, SE earpieces suck at staying connected via bluetooth, EVEN TO A SE PHONE. And, the sound quality isn't anything to shout about either - I hear static when using it to talk, and yes it has "static" too when it was connected to the SE phone.
Ok that's it, I'm taking the hint and not getting anymore SE stuff.
When the phone comes back from repairs, I'll still use it till it dies a natural death (or when I get sick of it and get a new phone next year or something, whichever comes first). However, I'm definitely going to get a Motorola H500 earpiece again.
Good grief.
ps - today, the earpiece has auto-disconnected 4 times already, and it isn't even noon yet.
11:23 by FoxTwo I think someone up there is trying to give me a big hint. A hint that I am not fated to own any Sony Ericsson device.
Some time back, I misplaced my bluetooth earpiece, which was a Motorola model H500. So, I had to go get a new one. A colleague managed to convince me (at the time) that getting a same-brand bluetooth earpiece is very much more preferable to me getting a Motorola again, justifying that since the devices came from the same manufacturer there should be zero compatibility problems etc etc.
So I went and got a Sony Ericsson HBH-PV702 bluetooth earpiece. Initially, I was wondering why it would "disconnect" by itself from the phone. It didn't happen too often, so I didn't really give it much thought.
Yesterday I had to send my SE phone in for servicing. So, I broke out my old Nokia 6280 to use as a backup phone, and I paired the Sony Ericsson HBH-PV702 bluetooth earpiece to the Nokia. It connected.
Then, it disconnected in less than 10 mins.
I reconnected, and again it disconnected some minutes later. This kept happening in a short space of time. The length of time it stayed connected is variable - could be as little as 10 mins, or as long as 3 or 4 hours.
Then it dawned on me - it must be the earpiece that's at fault, because I have NEVER had any sort of disconnects with the Motorola H500 before. NEVER. With any phone.
So in addition to not beeping me like how the Motorola would if it detected out of coverage, low batt, incoming SMS etc, SE earpieces suck at staying connected via bluetooth, EVEN TO A SE PHONE. And, the sound quality isn't anything to shout about either - I hear static when using it to talk, and yes it has "static" too when it was connected to the SE phone.
Ok that's it, I'm taking the hint and not getting anymore SE stuff.
When the phone comes back from repairs, I'll still use it till it dies a natural death (or when I get sick of it and get a new phone next year or something, whichever comes first). However, I'm definitely going to get a Motorola H500 earpiece again.
Good grief.
ps - today, the earpiece has auto-disconnected 4 times already, and it isn't even noon yet.
Labels: bluetooth, cell phones, mobile phones
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
14:37 by FoxTwo Ooooo I can hear the outcry from SE loyalists from here already.
Yeah I've been a Nokia user for the longest time. So far all my phones have always been Nokias. However, last year when I wanted to get a new phone, I decided against Nokia (finally). Nokia had nothing really fantastic out at the time. All the phones they'd release up to that point had been buggy. Many friends of mine said their Nokia phones would "hang" or "auto-reboot" etc. One particular friend of mine even told me his N80 would auto reboot after every call, and also as soon as he took a picture with it.
Many friends around me keep persuading me to forget Nokia and go with Sony Ericsson because "the quality is better". So I succumbed (and also due to lack of interesting and reliable models from Nokia) and went for a Sony Ericsson K810i.
Initially I was pretty pleased with it. It performed flawlessly. No hangs, no reboots. Everything worked as advertised. I was wondering why I never got around to owning a Sony Ericsson until then.
Fast-forward 6 months later - present day. The keys on the number pad would quit working intermittently. Sometimes the volume buttons don't work too. THIS time, I really had to send it in to the "Sony Ericsson Hospital".
That got me thinking - technically speaking, Sony Ericsson's quality is worse than Nokia's. Every Nokia that I have ever owned, never had a single technical fault (other than buggy OS). I have never had to send any of my Nokia phones in for any sort of servicing.
Now, I own my first Sony Ericsson, and it decided to get sick and require a hospital visit in just 6 short months. To me, that shows Sony Ericsson make sucky phones, man.
Well I guess the next phone I own will not be a Sony Ericsson anymore. I'll just go see what's in the market at the time when I want to get a new phone. Sending phones in for repairs is very inconvenient - I have to break out my old sets, transfer data all over etc etc. Not to mention, getting used to the old functions again. Even now, when I SMS, I press the wrong keys because Sony Ericsson decided to swap the shift, space and punctuation keys around and completely different from Nokia's.
14:37 by FoxTwo Ooooo I can hear the outcry from SE loyalists from here already.
Yeah I've been a Nokia user for the longest time. So far all my phones have always been Nokias. However, last year when I wanted to get a new phone, I decided against Nokia (finally). Nokia had nothing really fantastic out at the time. All the phones they'd release up to that point had been buggy. Many friends of mine said their Nokia phones would "hang" or "auto-reboot" etc. One particular friend of mine even told me his N80 would auto reboot after every call, and also as soon as he took a picture with it.
Many friends around me keep persuading me to forget Nokia and go with Sony Ericsson because "the quality is better". So I succumbed (and also due to lack of interesting and reliable models from Nokia) and went for a Sony Ericsson K810i.
Initially I was pretty pleased with it. It performed flawlessly. No hangs, no reboots. Everything worked as advertised. I was wondering why I never got around to owning a Sony Ericsson until then.
Fast-forward 6 months later - present day. The keys on the number pad would quit working intermittently. Sometimes the volume buttons don't work too. THIS time, I really had to send it in to the "Sony Ericsson Hospital".
That got me thinking - technically speaking, Sony Ericsson's quality is worse than Nokia's. Every Nokia that I have ever owned, never had a single technical fault (other than buggy OS). I have never had to send any of my Nokia phones in for any sort of servicing.
Now, I own my first Sony Ericsson, and it decided to get sick and require a hospital visit in just 6 short months. To me, that shows Sony Ericsson make sucky phones, man.
Well I guess the next phone I own will not be a Sony Ericsson anymore. I'll just go see what's in the market at the time when I want to get a new phone. Sending phones in for repairs is very inconvenient - I have to break out my old sets, transfer data all over etc etc. Not to mention, getting used to the old functions again. Even now, when I SMS, I press the wrong keys because Sony Ericsson decided to swap the shift, space and punctuation keys around and completely different from Nokia's.
Labels: cell phones, mobile phones
Monday, January 28, 2008
11:25 by FoxTwo
For me, I realised that blogging is a way for me to vent. Thus, I probably won't disappear from the blogging scene.
However, I am definitely quitting some stuff. I'm gonna quit drinking. I'm gonna quit smoking... NOT! Well, cut down maybe. I'm gonna lose myself in my workouts and stop thinking about things I am powerless to change.
Anyway, since I so drunkenly misplaced my bluetooth earpiece, I had to go get a new one. I bought the Sony Ericsson HBH-V702 Bluetooth earpiece. No I didn't get this because I have a SE phone. I got this because it's the cheapest 8 hour talktime set I can find on Ebay ($45.00).
The one which I "misplaced" was a Motorola H500. It too had an 8 hour talktime rating, which is perfect since my current phone, the SE K810i is rated for 10 hour talktime. When I went hunting for a replacement earpiece, I had asked a few shops if they had anything that is over 5 hour talk time. A couple of the shops actually told me "Sir, no such thing lah. Where got bluetooth can talk more than 4 hours one?"
I am sad that retail personnel can make such claims. If you don't have what I want, say it. "Sorry sir we do not have anything that is over 5 hour talktime". Don't tell me they don't exist ok? Because I owned one that was 8 hour talktime. What makes you think telling me that "they don't exist" will make me buy the earpiece that you currently have?
So how's the new earpiece, compared to the one I misplaced?
Sigh, I shouldn't have misplaced the old one. I still preferred it over the new one. For one thing, the part where it loops over the ear is entirely rubber. The new one has plastic backing to it, thus making the whole thing "stiffer".
For another, if the phone went out of coverage (ie "no signal"), the old earpiece would beep and let me know. If another Bluetooth device was attempting to connect to my phone, the old earpiece would beep too. The new one is completely silent! In fact I got so worried that I actually placed a call out to 1711 just to check whether it was working.
However, the V702 is much lighter than the old one, and after a while you actually forget you have it worn on your ear.
Ah well, can't complain for a $45.00 earpiece I guess.
11:25 by FoxTwo
New Bluetooth Earpiece, And Some Ramblings
For me, I realised that blogging is a way for me to vent. Thus, I probably won't disappear from the blogging scene.
However, I am definitely quitting some stuff. I'm gonna quit drinking. I'm gonna quit smoking... NOT! Well, cut down maybe. I'm gonna lose myself in my workouts and stop thinking about things I am powerless to change.
Anyway, since I so drunkenly misplaced my bluetooth earpiece, I had to go get a new one. I bought the Sony Ericsson HBH-V702 Bluetooth earpiece. No I didn't get this because I have a SE phone. I got this because it's the cheapest 8 hour talktime set I can find on Ebay ($45.00).
The one which I "misplaced" was a Motorola H500. It too had an 8 hour talktime rating, which is perfect since my current phone, the SE K810i is rated for 10 hour talktime. When I went hunting for a replacement earpiece, I had asked a few shops if they had anything that is over 5 hour talk time. A couple of the shops actually told me "Sir, no such thing lah. Where got bluetooth can talk more than 4 hours one?"
I am sad that retail personnel can make such claims. If you don't have what I want, say it. "Sorry sir we do not have anything that is over 5 hour talktime". Don't tell me they don't exist ok? Because I owned one that was 8 hour talktime. What makes you think telling me that "they don't exist" will make me buy the earpiece that you currently have?
So how's the new earpiece, compared to the one I misplaced?
Sigh, I shouldn't have misplaced the old one. I still preferred it over the new one. For one thing, the part where it loops over the ear is entirely rubber. The new one has plastic backing to it, thus making the whole thing "stiffer".
For another, if the phone went out of coverage (ie "no signal"), the old earpiece would beep and let me know. If another Bluetooth device was attempting to connect to my phone, the old earpiece would beep too. The new one is completely silent! In fact I got so worried that I actually placed a call out to 1711 just to check whether it was working.
However, the V702 is much lighter than the old one, and after a while you actually forget you have it worn on your ear.
Ah well, can't complain for a $45.00 earpiece I guess.
Labels: bluetooth, mobile phones, Rant
Sunday, October 28, 2007
15:57 by FoxTwo
Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung et al, have much better phones, with newer functions and features, than that of iPhone.
Also, you need to "unlock" the iPhone if you do get it. Once you do, there is not guarantee it'll work with the next "patch". Speaking of patches.. well, what do you expect from the manuafacturer, who makes computer OSes (Operating Systems) for a living? Yes you get PATCHES! Not only are people not miffed, they're happy?!
I have almost NEVER ever seen someone sending his phone in to the service centre just to get "the latest patch". Even when Sony came out with this "downloadable" patch system which the user can patch his own phone via the web, I don't see people doing that. Everyone tells me it's "leh-cheh lah". And now, they tell me the iPhone can be "upgraded", and they're happy about it. So, what isn't "leh-cheh" about downloading a patch for the iPhone over the web compared to one for another brand?
"The iPhone can play movies and music!"
Uhhh.. so can the rest.
"The iPhone has touch screen!"
Ehhh... The htc does too... so do the DuoPods, or any number of Pocket-PC based PDA smartphones. Want a new layout? Download a new skin for your smartphone!
"Can connect to Internet!"
Newsflash. Other phones have been able to do that just fine, all before the iPhone was ever conceived - all you need is a mobile data plan. Or if you own a wifi-enabled phone, you can just use a wifi hotspot.
Well, I'm not going gaga over the iPhone.... and I'm just curious why people are.
15:57 by FoxTwo
Why All The Hype About iPhone?
Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung et al, have much better phones, with newer functions and features, than that of iPhone.
Also, you need to "unlock" the iPhone if you do get it. Once you do, there is not guarantee it'll work with the next "patch". Speaking of patches.. well, what do you expect from the manuafacturer, who makes computer OSes (Operating Systems) for a living? Yes you get PATCHES! Not only are people not miffed, they're happy?!
I have almost NEVER ever seen someone sending his phone in to the service centre just to get "the latest patch". Even when Sony came out with this "downloadable" patch system which the user can patch his own phone via the web, I don't see people doing that. Everyone tells me it's "leh-cheh lah". And now, they tell me the iPhone can be "upgraded", and they're happy about it. So, what isn't "leh-cheh" about downloading a patch for the iPhone over the web compared to one for another brand?
"The iPhone can play movies and music!"
Uhhh.. so can the rest.
"The iPhone has touch screen!"
Ehhh... The htc does too... so do the DuoPods, or any number of Pocket-PC based PDA smartphones. Want a new layout? Download a new skin for your smartphone!
"Can connect to Internet!"
Newsflash. Other phones have been able to do that just fine, all before the iPhone was ever conceived - all you need is a mobile data plan. Or if you own a wifi-enabled phone, you can just use a wifi hotspot.
Well, I'm not going gaga over the iPhone.... and I'm just curious why people are.
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Labels: cell phones, iPhone, mobile phones
