Beanster Blog

Unlimited Data, I like I like!

2009-11-09T12:02:00.000+08:00

If you follow my blog or twitter (shameless plug FTW!), you know that I have recently got an unlimited data plan for my 3GS. As always I have taken the SIM only approach and managed to get the lockout period reduced to 1 year instead of the standard 2 years that most Philippine operators stick to. I got Call & Surf Unlimited from Sun Cellular. Which is 999/month Unlimited data, unlimited calls & SMS sun-to-sun. Pretty good deal especially if you are a city dweller and have a lot of contacts who use Sun.

The upside of having an unlimited data plan is I get to be connected all the time and anywhere (reception and coverage permitting, YMMV). In the case of Sun, it’s Metro Manila and major cities. The rep says you drop down to an 2G (read: GPRS) speed when their 3G is not available. I have not had the opportunity to road test this outside Metro Manila yet.

Another notch in the positive side is the peace of mind of not having to worry on how long I am connected or how much data I have used. Globe has already started offering an unlimited data plan but it costs twice as much as Sun’s and we all know how much Globe’s network sucks for me at least. I am pretty sure that Smart will offer something soon if only to one up Globe. I am not sure if I am willing to take out a 2nd data plan for my SMART line as I am still smarting (pun intended) for their refusal to remove the International Roaming deposit bullshit that they have foisted on subscribers.

The downside of having unlimited data on the smallest operator are of course you don’t get the best coverage or reception (although in my use case it has been pretty solid so far). Another issue is battery life. We all know that a device will use more juice if it is on 3G and it will also use more power to try and latch on to a weaker signal. So I find that I am charging my 3GS more and more. I plan to do more testing on this theory by swapping out my Sun SIM to my TreoPro and checking if it too will experience the same level of battery drain. Not really all that scientific but hey that’s what I have hehe. I will do a follow up post on how that goes.

Something that I have been trying to do is to use the data connection (that I am already paying for!) as a dumb pipe so that I don’t get charged with inter-operator fees and such. Services like email and twitter are great for this but alas there are still too few people using them on a regular basis and on their mobile for these to be a real replacement to SMS or straight up voice calls.

Speedtest.net iPhone Result

2009-11-07T19:51:00.001+08:00

Test Date: Nov 7, 2009 7:50:46 PM
Connection Type: Cellular

Download: 1288 kbps
Upload: 263 kbps
Ping: 2267 ms

A detailed image for this result can be found here:

http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/16880847.png

http://bit.ly/bnycastro

Christmas Wishlist

2009-11-05T23:40:00.001+08:00

Christmas is right around the corner and if Santa subscribes to my blog this short list will help him decide what to give me. :P

Darth Vader Force FX Lightsaber
Windows 7 Home Premium
Star Wars Clone Wars Season 1 DVD or Blu-ray Box set
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim
~~Ultimate Vader Coffee Table Book~~ (already ordered this and it’s already shipping)
HTC Touch Pro 2 (or HTC HD2)
STAR WARS x LEGO Death Star
STAR WARS x Ecko Boba Fett Hoodie or Storm Trooper.
Cash (PhP or USD accepted)
And of course WORLD PEACE (no christmas wishlist is complete without it!)

Sana totoo

2009-11-04T19:28:00.001+08:00

You are about to come into great wealth

Get Your Own Fortune Now!

http://bit.ly/bnycastro

Tethering with iPhone OS 3.1.2 & blackra1n

2009-11-04T12:54:00.000+08:00

I find it silly that a factory unlocked iPhone from Apple can’t do tethering if it is used with a non-partner SIM card and that we have to resort to jailbreaking to get features that should be enabled anyway.

While I was browsing tweets I saw that tethering has been fixed with AT&T using geohot’s blackra1n jailbreak system. Since I just got a plan with unlimited data tethering was very very very interesting for me.

The original instructions are here I got my mobileconfig file elsewhere because the Philippines and Sun Cellular are both not in the link provided.

Device:

iPhone 3GS (vanilla) OS 3.1.2

System:

Windows 7 Ultimate RC1 Build 7100

Operator:

Sun Cellular (APN: fbband)

On your PC, Go to: http://blackra1n.com/ and download the exe file
With your device connected shutdown iTunes (important)
Click on the file
Wait for the device to reboot and you are done with the jailbreak
Reset Network Settings
Open blackra1n on the iPhone tap sn0w and wait for the process to be done.
Go to http://www.iphone-notes.de/mobileconfig/ and get (or create) the config file for your operator, download or send to your iphone and install
turn on tethering

I have not tried installing the other goodies included in the jailbreak (cydia or rock) because I find no need for them. I do need tethering and this fix seems to work (until the next update at least).

Just checked my cousin’s iPhone 3GS and it has tethering even without jailbreaking so if you are using a Globe issued device you do not need this.

DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOU SCREW UP YOUR DEVICE.

Speedtest.net iPhone Result // Mandaluyong

2009-10-31T06:24:00.001+08:00

Test Date: Oct 31, 2009 6:23:10 AM
Connection Type: Cellular

Download: 1094 kbps
Upload: 279 kbps
Ping: 696 ms

A detailed image for this result can be found here:

http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/16353111.png

http://bit.ly/bnycastro

Sun Call & Surf Unlimited // Speedtest // Mandaluyong

2009-10-30T19:05:00.001+08:00

http://bit.ly/bnycastro

Sun Finally Caved!

2009-10-27T20:55:00.000+08:00

SUN CELLULAR has agreed to my demands and I now have a Call & Surf Unlimited SIM card without the handset and a reduced lockout period of 12 months instead of 24.

I am just waiting for it to go live so I can start using it with the 3GS and start disseminating my new number to my friends. The Sun rep says it’ll take a max of 24hrs so it should go live at around noon tomorrow.

Sun Saga Coming To A Close

2009-10-25T10:07:00.001+08:00

Hello readers! Guess what? I receive a call the other night from Ms.
Mario (Sun Business Center GH) and she has informed me that my request
for call & surf unlimited without the handset and with a reduced
lockout period has finally been approved. It took them awhile but I am
happy with the outcome.

I hope to get my SIM card on Tuesday when I get back from my trip.

http://bit.ly/bnycastro

Cake 

2009-10-16T10:33:00.002+08:00

Got a piece of hizon's chocolate cake from my guama the other day as
she greeted me happy birthday. I said thanks but she shouldn't have.

Her reply: e alam ko wala lang girlfriend na magbibigay sa iyo kaya
binilhan kita.

Toink!

Guama 1 - Bny 0

http://bit.ly/bnycastro

Never Fade Away

2009-10-15T14:23:00.000+08:00

John O’Callaghan Feat. LO-FI Sugar – Never Fade Away

Never fade away
Never fading out
Stars aren’t so bright
When you’re not here
I’ll wait forever my dear

Your light, your light
Your light, your light
May never disappear

Carry on through the night
Tomorrow you’ll find
A healed heart and a calming mind
A ray of light this world will not decline

RIP ML

2009-10-14T14:27:00.000+08:00

thank you for always being kind to me… rest well my friend.

Review|Amazon Kindle App for iPhone

2009-10-12T15:42:00.000+08:00

I love to read but I don’t think I can justify getting a standalone device just for eBooks. I still have dozens of books for Microsoft Reader or in PDF on my WM device. Besides I’ve always loved the idea of convergence so getting a Kindle is not high on my priorities. Enter the Amazon Kindle App for iPhone.

The Amazon Kindle costs USD 279 sans SHiT (Shipping, Handling including Taxes) well they have an iPhone App so I think I can forgo getting the hardware.

The app itself is pretty simple.

You have font size options (always appreciated)

and the ability to lock reading mode in landscape or portrait. Also options to change the font color.

The App also syncs up your last read page to Amazon’s WhisperNet cloud using WhisperSync which is ideal if you have the Kindle hardware. So I guess if Oprah is able to jedi mindtrick me into buying the reader then my books will be synced up and ready for reading.

What’s missing of course is text-to-speech function but seriously who wants a robot reading your books for you when you can get REAL/performed audiobooks from Audible.com (I think they are owned by Amazon too??)

Gotchas:

iTunes US Account needed to get the app. No OTA (over the air) purchase of ebooks, you have to buy them from your computer. But they are delivered to your iPhone/iPod Touch OTA.

Price:

It’s free and that’s unbeatable.

Pros:

Works with iPhone and iPod Touch

Books are cheap

Cons:

No OTA purchase for the Philippines

Links:

Amazon Kindle site

Amazon Kindle iPhone App (via iTunes)

The 3G Battle of Mandaluyong

2009-10-09T11:38:00.000+08:00

Globe Visibility:

With speed likes this I pity the fool who signed up for a 2 year plan with Globe Visibility. It’s GPRS for heaven’s sake. Good thing I got in on pre-paid.

http://globe.com.ph

Sun Cellular:

The youngest and smallest network Sun Cellular fared better. I am considering getting Sun Call & Surf Unlimited ~ P999/month for unlimited Calls & SMS Sun-to-Sun plus unlimited data.

http://suncellular.com.ph

Smart :

SMART posted the best results among the 3 carriers. I think it is the only one who was able to reach 3G speed. No luck with HSDPA though.

http://smart.com.ph

Tests were done using an iPhone 3GS

Test location:

Pricing:

Globe Visibility: P5 / 15min

Sun Cellular: P10 / 30min

Smart: P10 / 30min

Conclusion:

Without a doubt SMART comes out on top in terms of speed. Both SMART and SUN stayed connected for the most part. Globe Visibility had the most miserable experience.

It should be noted that a lot of factors affect speed. The network, location, interference, signal strength, network load, etc. YMMV

Globe Visibility HSDPA @ 6kb/sec

2009-10-07T20:53:00.000+08:00

This is a travesty…

System: MSI Wind U123H Windows 7 RC1 32bit

Location: Mandaluyong City

GLOBE YOU SUCK!!!

Vote for Shen Mao by Radrad Co to be your next MIMIBOT

2009-10-05T11:26:00.001+08:00

Vote for Shen Mao by Radrad Co to be your next MIMIBOT:
http://digg.com/d316KrM?t

Quote of the Day

2009-10-04T23:47:00.001+08:00

remember: use your mind first, before your heart :) // from twitter

Tips & Tricks|Creating iPhone Ringtones

2009-10-03T10:01:00.000+08:00

Here is a painless way of getting your fave MP3 ringtones on your iPhone.

What you need:

MP3 Ringtone
iTunes

Part 1: Prepare iTunes

Fire up iTunes Edit > Preferences > General (tab)

Click Import Settings Make sure AAC Encoder is selected (you may change the quality as desired) > Click Ok

Part 2: Add / Locate and Convert your MP3 Ringtone

Copy your selected tone into iTunes

Look for it in your Music Library

Select it > Right Click > Create AAC version

Select the new file > Right Click > Show in Windows Explorer

You will see an mp3 file (orig) and an m4a file (converted)

Select the m4a file > Hit F2 (Rename) > Change the extension to m4r

Double click the file and it should show up under Ringtones in iTunes

Part 3: Sync the Ringtone to your iPhone

Connect your iPhone

Ringtone (tab) > Select which tones to sync

Hit Sync and you are done. HTH.

Typhoon Ondoy Hotlines as of 1900H/26SEP09

2009-09-26T20:16:00.002+08:00

Repost

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: A A X S (光启学校校友会) <aaxs@aaxs.com>
Date: September 26, 2009 7:16:06 PM GMT+08:00
To: aaxs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [aaxs: Grand PriX - Dec 5] Typhoon Ondoy Hotlines as of 1900H/26SEP09

Hotlines for Typhoon Ondoy

* Office of Sen. Villar to send dump trucks to flooded areas to rescue
stranded people. CALL/SMS 0917-4226800, 0917-2414864, 0927-6751981.

* National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Emergency Numbers:
912-5668, 911-1406, 912-2665, 911-5061.

* Help hotlines: 734-2118, 734-2120.

* AIR FORCE 0908.112.6976, 853.5023

* COAST GUARD 527.6136

* MMDA 136

* MAKATI RESCUE 168

* TAGUIG EMERGENCY 1623

* MERALCO 0920.929.2824

* NDCC Hotline at 911-1873, or RESCUE 407-123015

* Private citizens who would like to lend their motor boats for rescue
please call emergency #s: 912-5668, 911-1406, 912-2665, 911-5061.

__,_._,___

What I Want To See On The Next iPhone Update…

2009-09-24T21:18:00.000+08:00

I’d like to see tethering fixed 3.1 broke tethering for my 3GS.
I’d like to see user customizable SMS alerts (it’s nearly 2010 for Job’s sake!)
I’d like to see AVRCP support for Bluetooth. At the moment I am only able to do A2DP (tried with 2 stereo headsets)
I’d like better power management as well. It seems the 3GS is very very very juice hungry.
I’d also like some multi-tasking 2 to 3 programs that we the user can run in the background.
I’d also like to see syncing over WiFi or Bluetooth (better if both)

Tips & Tricks|WMDC / Toshiba BT Stack Workaround

2009-09-24T17:22:00.000+08:00

I decided to install the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack on my MSI Wind U123H and surprise surprise it broke Windows Mobile Device Center Bluetooth Syncing. I decided to try a 2 year old fix I did on my then UMPC (SONY VAIO UX280P) running Vista HP and it works on Windows 7.

On the PC.

Open WMDC > Mobile Device Settings > Connection Settings
Make sure Bluetooth is selected under Allow connections to one of the following
Close them windows
Hit Start (Orb) + R (Run command) type in regedit then hit enter
Navigate to the ff: key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows CE Services
look for SerialPort and modify it to COM7
Exit the Registry Editor and Reboot your PC
Connect as you would :D

HTH

SingTel HiCard GPRS settings

2009-09-18T20:16:00.001+08:00

First Impressions|SAMSUNG Omnia II i8000

2009-09-17T11:21:00.000+08:00

The much awaited successor to the very successful Omnia.

This bad boy had one of nicest screens I’ve seen, better than the fruitphone even. The 3.7in AMOLED WVGA display was just gorgeous… The slab type device has good heft the screen had haptic feedback (just like the 1st Omnia). Of course it has all the bells & whistles any top tier device should have. The 5MP auto focus shooter w/ photo LED (yes HTC camera's do need flash), the 3.5mm jack, a choice of 16 or 32Gb internal storage, plus microSDHC expansion (hey Apple how about a card slot for the iPhone) make this ideal for multimedia creation or playback. Samsung is touting 480p video recording & playback… yes kiddies that’s DVD quality. I was not able to try out the camera because I kept on playing with the screen. Like most touch based devices Samsung releases this one comes with their TouchWiz system of widgets. The heavily skinned touch optimized UI is nice to look at but I feel it makes the device sluggish (just like early version of TouchFlo from HTC). Again Samsung promises a FREE upgrade to WM6.5

Specifications

http://ph.samsungmobile.com/mobile/Samsungi8000

The Omnia II is a worthy adversary to any modern device hardware wise. I would recommend this to people who require massive amounts of storage and don’t want to get tied down with Globe or the iPhone. In terms of software I think Windows Mobile Professional needs to adapt or it will die out. Don’t get me wrong I still use Windows Mobile daily the raw power is amazing it just requires a re-design (ground up please) for the UI, I feel like: XP is to 6.1 whilst Vista is to 6.5, hopefully WM7 is to Win7.

First Impressions|SAMSUNG OMNIA PRO B7320

2009-09-17T10:29:00.000+08:00

After signing in we got to play with the devices. I got the Omnia Pro B7320 (a mouthful, I know). The device is a QWERTY bar Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard device (no touch screen). The specs on this are nothing to write home about. I’d rank it as an entry level device by today’s standards. I think it would do good in a corporate environment since the lack of a touch screen or moving parts and hinges makes the device leaps and bounds more robust over the Professional devices or sliders.

Construction was solid and the device was not too heavy even with the 1480mAH battery. It was good to see that Samsung opted to use microUSB and not their proprietary connecter (get a clue Apple). The device was very responsive and snappy (keep in mind these were fresh ones with just the default Samsung stuff loaded) WM6.5 Standard would be a free upgrade once it was available. I do hope they get their act together in terms of the upgrade. The upgrade from 6.0 to 6.1 for the SGH-i780 was fraked royally. The deal breakers, they went ahead and released a device that didn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack (microUSB sync port doubles as the audio jack… boo!) and the camera though sporting a 3.2 MP resolution was fixed focus (another boo!). The device though having a crisp display was still 320x240… hey it’s 2009 already. WM needs higher resolution for Standard devices!!! This might not be entirely Samsung’s fault (I blame you MS I do!!! hahaha).

Specifications:

http://ph.samsungmobile.com/mobile/SamsungB7320/spec

Omnia Pro B7320 may suite you if you can look past the lack of the 3.5mm jack, fixed focus camera, and the dated qVGA resolution.

Free upgrade to WM6.5 is very much welcome and the device looks and feels very well made. If priced properly they will slay with this device!

Samsung Omnia II & Omnia Pro B7320 Preview Event… Good Effort Samsung.

2009-09-17T00:59:00.000+08:00

16-Sep-09

Was fortunate enough to get invited to the Samsung Omnia II & Omnia Pro B7320 Preview at Hanjin Center @ Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.

It was good to see folks from http://pinoywindowsmobile.net and meet em in person. Was seated beside XB and his wife.

A couple of things… the preview was held at a training room at Samsung’s offices. The event started late and there was no WiFi available. The nice lady from Samsung was apologetic about the WiFi (something about security). They also didn’t have SIM cards so we had to slap in our own and use our own dime to get tweets, pics or youtube vids out on the interwebs… The devices we got were not fully charged but they lasted well past the duration of the presentation (note: most of them we put on flight mode since we didn’t have a lot of SIM cards) They served food & drink (no alcohol, which I don’t mind cause I don’t drink hehe). Would’ve been nice to have a smoking area but discrimination against smokers has been very bad these past years (back on topic…).

Seems to me the Samsung folks needed a bit more forward thinking and prep time. Inviting enthusiasts may assure you of the proper demographic but then again I think we are more critical and vocal of a lot of things… Good effort though :)

I will now split off this blog post into the two devices that we got to fondle…