A gift of home this Christmas

Am back from the holidays!

And it has been fun… being with family, and friends, with lots of food and fun things. Got to go home to the province for five days and it was glorious! I don’t see my family that much, and even when I was going home to Bulacan everyday, we rarely see each other, much more eat meals together. or hang out. It is definitely a privilege to spend the holidays at home.

But in different parts of the country, families don’t even have a home to go to. While I feel immensely blessed to be able to go home this time of the year, my wish for the families, especially those who met storms and typhoons, is for them to spend this wonderful time with family under one roof.

GoGadgets!

Once upon a time, having a postpaid line in the Philippines was a remote idea, especially when I was a student. For someone who had a loooooot of communicating to do (thesis group, lab group, parties, boys… among others!) it is very important to have a line at hand but it was too ambitious then until I had a part time job and could actually have something to show to Globe for my first line then.

But now, it’s a bit more accessible and even prepaid options are becoming exciting… and with those GoSAKTO offers you’re never disconnected and are always on the go!

Get to know more after the jump!

Samsung Note 4 joins Globe’s Smartphone Portfolio

So a few days ago, Globe announced their iPhone 6 launch. And now, we’ve got wind of the latest plans for the new Note 4 from Samsung! It’s a great choice if you’re not really the iOS type of person – Mashable announced that it is the best Android phone there is.

Plus, the plans over at Globe seem so good to be true – but yeah it is true – with the launch of App Bundles you can definitely focus your plan on to what matters most to you as a user.

More info about this indeed after the jump.

On fueling innovation to move the world

Guy Kawasaki at TedX

Innovation is an important part of the human society. It is why a lot of us have easier lives. It is why we have these technologies helping us get through the day. It is why you’re reading this blog post. It is why I have a job (furrealz). The matter that from my desk at a random cafe here in Manila, I get to cut across this message is an amazing product of innovation.

Where would we be without innovation? I don’t know that is why it is important for us to learn how to innovate ourselves. Personally, I’d like to sit in a round table with great minds to discuss this — given that my job gives way for it hehehe. But seriously, if you have the time, let’s start innovating.

It’s the name of the game nowadays anyway.

Emergency numbers

Earlier this day, we heard of the news that a new low pressure area is near the Philippines. It’s like the 3rd one (I’m not keeping tabs) to hit the country in one month. And even if the news tells that it’s just Habagat — we all know what it did the last time it hit us. Climate change is real and all we can do is to prepare for the worst.

I was just at El Nido just after Glenda and pre-Henry when I experienced first hand how coastal areas are in these times of big ass tandem of waves and winds. I can’t help but to worry if the place I was staying at will be torn apart. Everything just went wild! So be prepared — and it starts with having this numbers at hand. Store them on your phones, laptops, and even on a notebook. You just don’t know when your gadgets will die on you.

Let’s all be prepared for the storms ahead!

News and weather photo source: Weather.com.ph

I support TxtHIV to 8504

Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom powers “TxtHIV to 8504” campaign, a first of its kind SMS-based information, counseling, and clinic referral drive in Asia for people who wants to be tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but are afraid of facing societal discrimination. The disease leads to the fatal Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) often associated with sexual promiscuity.

“TxtHIV to 8504 is Globe Telecom’s way of tapping into the wide use of SMS in the country and harnessing the power of telecommunications to further solutions in health care. It offers an accessible and easy-to-use solution which can change and even save lives. Our assistance to this campaign is part of Globe Telecom’s advocacy to provide communities that it serves with access to social services,” said Fernando Esguerra, OIC of Globe Corporate Social Responsibility.

Currently available only to Globe postpaid and prepaid mobile users, those at risk may simply text HIV to 8504 and answer five yes or no questions via an interactive voice recording to check if testing is necessary. The sender is then provided with contact details and addresses of the nearest specialized accredited health centers where they can go for assessment, counseling, and immediate treatment. The use of IVR, likewise, ensures that all calls remain very impersonal and confidential.

“I wish to thank all our collaborating partners for their support and involvement in this pioneering effort. Development of this IT-driven platform took some time as it required the involvement of key partner organizations that believe in the same cause of making health accessible to all, are willing to share their resources and expertise, and are committed to make the idea become a reality. Indeed, this is a trailblazing public, private, civil society partnership for an innovative, cost-effective, and practical solution to reach individuals who are at risk or vulnerable to HIV and STI infection,” said Oscar Picazo, chairman of Philippine NGO Support Program (PHANSuP).

PHANSuP spearheads TxtHIV to 8504 together with the Philippine National Aids Council, Globe, S&S Technologies, and local health programs of the cities of Manila, Pasay, Pasig, and Quezon. It is currently being piloted in Metro Manila but is expected to eventually go nationwide. More clinics and local government units are also being enjoined to be part of the program.

There are only seven countries in the world which are experiencing a steady increase in the number of HIV cases and the Philippines is one of them. The Philippines received 12 new cases of HIV daily in 2013 from only one case in 2009, with 95% of them involving males. Since 1984, 17,450 Filipinos have been reported with HIV, 1,599 of them have progressed into AIDS.

By widening awareness about HIV and encouraging people to get tested, the campaign would be able to contribute to the country’s efforts of halting or reversing the spread of HIV/AIDs by 2015 in line with the UN Millennium Development Goal 6.

At present, only one percent of the general population has been tested for HIV since most people are afraid to ask for help or simply do not know where to get information, making TxtHIV to 8504 an important avenue not only for sending across information about HIV but also in encouraging those who may be affected to take the first step. The text service is provided for free to Globe users for one year.

HIV may be contracted through blood transfusion, needle-sharing, mother-child transmission, and unprotected sexual contact.

Internet Security for Kids in the PH

It’s so important that we foster a healthy and secure environment in the internet, especially for the young ones. They’re the most susceptible to attacks – fraud, phishing, and all that nasty things crazy people do in the internet. I’ve read a lot of horror stories here and abroad how kids (or relatively kids) are being deceived into meeting people online and how it turns not their type of date.

Signing the covenant wall in support of cyberwellness were NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, Anti-Cybercrime Group Director Police Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa and Tattoo Home Broadband Marketing Director Joseph Hans.

The increasing number of cybercrime cases in our country is brought by the rising number of internet users. To prevent these modern day criminals, PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group in partnership with Globe Telecom held the Angel Net Summit recently at Camp Crame, Quezon City, with the theme “Safeguarding Our Children From Internet Dangers”.

The forum was participated by selected companies in the country, including Globe broadband Tattoo, sharing knowledge and approaches to be used for research and prevention of cybercrime especially among children.

Globe Hotline teaches English to out-of-school youth for BPO employment

I feel proud of being a Filipino whenever big companies and small social enterprises partner on one goal. Especially, education and employment is a pressing matter in the country. This can help a lot of out-of-school youth better their lives! I hope this catches up. Good news in the morning indeed :)

Globe President and CEO Ernest L. Cu with Anne Bouverot, Director General and Member of the Board of GSMA at the Globe m-Education booth, GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain

The country’s out-of-school youth can soon learn English easily and conveniently just by using their mobile phone as leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom introduces its new English Proficiency and Training Hotline during the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain where Globe is one of the exhibitors.

Fair Play

So let’s be real here. What if you’re in a restaurant and we all know that a restaurant only has limited staffing. There are a lot of people and everyone’s demanding, everyone wants the waiter’s attention. You got to order in your first hour of stay. Then another hour for the food to come. And another hour to get your bill. It’s irritating and quite clearly you wouldn’t go back if it has to happen all over again.

That’s also what happens when a fair use policy is not implemented. Of the recent news about Globe’s FUP, I think it is not fair that we are hammering them for it. I will not defend Globe, because there is nothing to be defended in the first place. I get them, because it’s clear to me that as a subscriber to a larger network, there are also a lot of people using their service and it’s just fair to have each other’s portions equally. You wonder why your connection gets cranky a lil bit before midnight? Because people are downloading shit. If the fair use policy is in effect, then we have equal opportunity to fast internet. NOTE that, your connection speed might be affected by factors like illegal signal boosters and infrastructure around you.

Like you, I have a lot of questions about this. Like why is it called unlimited if it’s capped (which was answered already: the connection is unlimited, what’s capped is the amount of data downloaded in a day or month.) Or why is the cap so low (read above, and you’ll see that Globe’s has a fairly high cap compared to other countries.) And other questions. It’s good that you have questions, but ranting won’t help you. Contact Globe instead and let them address your concerns. Believe me, they’re nice people.

Now I think the big elephant is why does it seem that the other network doesn’t have a cap Actually they have 1.5 GB cap, half of Globe’s. And if they’re not informing you about this or not strictly implementing this, some time or another, they will have. Restaurant analogy.

Get the BlackBerry Q10 or BlackBerry Z10 free at Plan 999 from Globe

Get the BlackBerry Q10 or BlackBerry Z10 free at Plan 999 from Globe

Welcome the Year of the Horse with a brand-new BlackBerry handset from Globe Telecom, as the postpaid leader offers the BlackBerry Q10 or the BlackBerry Z10 free at Plan 999, making the latest BlackBerry devices more accessible to users who have grown to love the smartphone brand.

The BlackBerry Q10 or BlackBerry Z10 is exclusively available to new subscribers and new line applications at Plan 999 with no additional cashout, now the most affordable postpaid plan offer available for the BlackBerry 10 devices in the market today. The plan bundle comes with Long Term Evolution (LTE) surfing of up to 42 Mbps and a monthly consumable amount for calls and texts. 

The postpaid plan bundle also comes with a free one-month subscription to Globe Gadget Care, the most comprehensive mobile phone protection against robbery, theft, and accidental damage, as well as 24/7 access to Globe customer service channels available on the mobile phone and landline, e-mail, online chat, Twitter, and Facebook. 

“The demand for BlackBerry in the country remains robust on the back of the devices’ user-friendly features and powerful smartphone experience,” said Raul Macatangay, Head of Postpaid Business and Devices at Globe. “With this, we are poised to give more Filipinos access to the newest BlackBerry handsets by offering them at a price within their reach. For as low as P999 monthly, get the BlackBerry Q10 or BlackBerry Z10 and enjoy the wonderful world of postpaid from Globe.” 

In 2013, Globe became the first Philippine telco to launch the BlackBerry Q10 as well as the exclusive carrier of the BlackBerry Z10 LTE, on the back of its strong and longtime partnership with BlackBerry. 

Built with precision and offering premium performance in a signature design, the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone combines BlackBerry’s best physical keyboard and a touch screen with the power of the BlackBerry 10 platform to help users communicate and collaborate faster and more efficiently. The BlackBerry Z10 is the first BlackBerry smartphone to launch with the re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform, giving customers a unique new mobile computing experience. 

Visit www.globe.com.ph/bb-at-2-plans-lower or the Globe Store nearest you to know more about the exclusive BlackBerry offers of Globe.