racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

Last time I reviewed a Smart Bro plugit prepaid kit, with the intent of trying it out first before plunging into a postpaid subscription. I had submitted documents for an unlimited subscription last week, but I’m having second thoughts already at this point.

First, I’ve been submitting all kinds of financial documents, but the approving officer/s don’t seem to consider my finances enough to sustain the unlimited PhP 1,500 plan (or even the lower plan, for that matter). Not only is it disheartening, but for someone who pays for almost everything in cash, this is really frustrating. I even asked if I could pay for the subscription for the entire two-year lock-in period in outright cash (which translates to PhP 36,000) and they said I couldn’t do so.

I’m somehow glad I didn’t get approved. At least not yet. Reading around and from my own tests using my 3.5G-enabled Nokia E51, I’m thinking Globe Visibility is the better option.

I picked up a prepaid kit for PhP 2,500. This came with PhP 30 in prepaid load.

Here’s a comparison with Smart, based on my experience.

Pros

Convenience. For me, Globe is the more convenient option, since I use a Globe prepaid as my main mobile phone line (my alternate phone is a prepaid PLDT wireless landline). Smart BRO can only be loaded either via electronic load, or by scratch card. With the scratch card option, you can only reload by texting some codes using a Smart cellphone.

With Globe Visibility, I can just pass (or “share”) credits from my phone’s own. This simplifies things, and this is probably cheaper in the long run, if I’m just a light user. Also, I’m a big fan of Globe’s share-a-load because of its flexibility.

Speed. Based on my speed tests, Globe 3G and 3.5G connections are generally faster than Smart’s. I read somewhere that Globe’s 3G network is a “true” 3G network, whereas Smart’s is not (or something to that effect). So this means that while the point-to-point connection may be the same for both, the actual throughput is faster from Globe’s network. Speed test results below.

Hardware. Smart’s black USB dongle looks sleek (it seems to be made of aluminum or some light metal alloy, too!), but I generally find Globe’s ZTE MF626 better because of the brand and support. Because these are more widespread, you have better support (both official and community-based) for ZTE, in terms of firmware upgrades, driver upgrades, and even drivers for open-source OSes.

Also, the Visibility package’s ZTE MF626 has a slot for a micro-SD card. I know most laptops and netbooks these days come with multi-card readers, this can be handy for those who don’t have a micro-SD to SD converter, or those who don’t have a slot at all.

SIM Functionality. The Visibility bundled SIM card can be used for calling and texting. Smart Bro’s SIM can not. And so while the bundled software cannot let you make calls from your Globe Visibility SIM, you can use it to send and receive SMS. I doubt if you want to do this, though, since I think receiving SMS or calls can usually cut off data connections.

Cons

Now Visibility has some disadvantages over Smart BRO.

Time-based charging. Globe does offer time-based charging, so you don’t get charged according to the amount of data transferred. With Smart, the charge is PhP 10 (or about $0.20) per 30-minute block. For Globe, the charge is PhP 5 per 15-minute connection period. Now with Smart, the moment you connect is considered the start of a 30-minute block, and you can reconnect an indefinite number of times within that 30-minute period, and you will only be charged once. So this means you can use your Smart BRO connection on different devices and you only get charged PhP 10 for a 30-minute period.

With Globe, you get charged each time you connect. So if you get disconnected in the middle of a session, you start with your PhP 5 per 15 minutes again. The moment you connect, that’s PhP 5. If you get disconnected after 5 minutes, and reconnect again, you get deducted PhP 5 again for the first 15 minutes.

This is generally good for those who only need quick bursts of connectivity through a day, like for checking emails, twittering, or the like, since you only spend PhP 5 for that 15 minute period. But if you tend to get disconnected a lot, then it will end up more expensive.

Update: Since early 2009, Globe has implemented block-based charging. You only get charged PhP 5 per 15 minute block, regardless of how many times you re-connect during this period.

Image compression. Globe Visibility uses image compression technology to make downloads and page loading faster. The downside is that you sometimes get ugly, pixelated images! Sometimes images even get resized so websites look bad. One workaround is by using tunneling software or local proxy software such as toonel.

Software Overhead. In general, Globe Visibility’s dialer takes longer to load than Smart BRO’s. and the footprint of the Globe connection manager is about four times that of Smart’s. Globe’s will eat about 20 megabytes of RAM, while smart will only take 5 megs.

Other observations

From my tests, it seems that both Smart and Globe allow access to non-HTTP ports like FTP, telnet, and IM ports. But I haven’t tried downloading torrents from either.

Price-wise, both prepaid kits seem at par with each other:

Globe Visibility
* Kit price: PhP 2,500
* Inclusive of PhP 30 prepaid credits

Smart BRO Plug-It
* Kit price: PhP 2,500
* Inclusive of PhP 100 prepaid credots
* Must purchase a PhP 300 prepaid card along with kit

So Smart BRO ends up more expensive nominally, because you are required to purchase a PhP 300 prepaid card. But the kit itself has more inclusive credits out of the box (PhP 100 for Smart and PhP 30 for Globe).

A PhP 300 load from either network would expire within two months if not used. The good thing with Globe is that you can transfer credits to another Globe prepaid subscriber (whether Visibility or not). Also, if you decide to load thru card, you can actually use the free SMS credits that come with PhP 300 or 500 cards (you would have to load by plugging in the Visibility SIM on a regular phone, though).

Images

3G connection earlier today:

HSDPA connection from my home office:

Globe Visibility dialer:

Globe Visibility prepaid pack:

Globe Visibility MF626 plugged into Compaq B1200:

Plugged into HP mini note:

Smart BRO plug-it USB dongle and Globe Visibility prepaid USB dongle:

SIM card just peeking out:

My verdict

Having been a longtime Globe user, I would go for Globe Visibility. The image compression issue is bad, but it’s not a dealbreaker for me, since there are workarounds. But if you require raw access–perhaps you’re into graphics design or web development–then maybe you would want to think twice before going for Visibility, unless you are okay with tweaking your system a bit. Speed-wise, Globe is generally better, with more 3G-enabled cell sites. Smart may have a wider coverage, particularly in the provinces, so you might want to take this into consideration if you’re outside of the metro areas.

Globe Visibility does not have an unlimited postpaid subscription, but the closest is the PhP 1,499 plan, which gives you 100 hours mobile connectivity per month plus unlimited Globe WIZ WiFi access. Perhaps this is worth looking into. If Globe launches an unlimited account, then that would be better.

I’ve been on the lookout for a contingency connection for those times that my main Bayan DSL account lets me down (which is oftentimes these days). I do have a 3.5G (HSDPA) enabled mobile phone, which I can use as a modem via BlueTooth, but somehow I have found that option to be cumbersome. First, it causes my mobile phone battery to drain quickly, and so it’s not exactly an elegant solution as I would have to worry about notebook/netbook batteries _and_ mobile phone batteries discharging. Also, it’s a bit expensive when used heavily, at PhP 5 per 15 minutes on the Globe network. Sure that’s cheap enough for on the go browsing, but when you’re using your internet connection the whole day, you end up spending more.

Smart recently announced the availability of an unlimited plan that comes with a USB HSDPA modem for PhP 1,500 per month (about $30 per month) and so I decided to visit a nearby Smart Wireless center to inquire and possibly apply. As I submitted my application form I was told that the modem that came with postpaid plans was still the old white Huawei-supplied one, and this reportedly had many connectivity, compatibility and reliability issues. And I was told approval would take two to three days.

I decided to pick up a prepaid kit for the meantime, to evaluate Smart’s service. I’m primarily a Globe user, and so my 3.5G-enabled mobile phone runs on the Globe network. Best try out Smart’s service this time.

Great things about the prepaid kit are:

* It came with the newer, black USB modem that looks just like a pen drive. This means no dongles to mess up your otherwise wireless set-up.
* It’s cheap at PhP 2,800 net (you have to pay PhP 2,500 for the modem, which includes the SIM card and PhP 100 prepaid load, then you have to purchase a PhP 300 prepaid card).
* It’s prepaid, so there is no need for contracts, lock-ins, or proof of identity/income, as is usual with postpaid plans.
* If you have an existing Smart prepaid or postpaid SIM, you can also use these to connect. Standard rates apply.

So far, so good. It’s been a reliable mobile connection for me, for those times I need to connect while out of the office, or when my home-office connection is simply too slow.

I do get slow speeds when the cell site I’m connected to has non-existent or weak HSDPA signals. With this, it tops at 300+ Kbps. Where there are no 3G signals, it tops at 200+ Kbps (EDGE) or 56 Kbps (GPRS). It sucks, but when it’s your only option you will take it. So far I’m able to access most services and ports I need, including instant messengers, FTP, cPanel and the like, where previously these wireless networks imposed some prohibitions with non-HTTP ports.

The provided software was a breeze to install. The USB modem itself has read-only storage, so the drivers for Windows and OS X (Tiger and Leopard) are included. You may have to download drivers and do some tweaks for Linux, though.

You can always just dialup using your OS’s dialer, but the bundled software gives you more options, like the ability to detect what kind of signal you are currently getting, and the ability to lock connection to certain types only (the connection moves across HSDPA, 3G, GPRS, and EDGE depending on signal strength and availability).

Speedtest results

168 Kbps down on EDGE.

1.2 Mbps on HSDPA

Some photos

The retail kit:

Contents:

With the SIM card:

With a USB pen drive (to compare and illustrate size):

With the SIM card just peeking out:

Attached to an HP mini note netbook:

The main advantage, as I see it, is that this takes out the necessity to bring an extra phone or to use your extra phone just to connect. The main disadvantage is that you do have to shell out some money for the unit itself. But at PhP 2,800, that’s already a steal. A couple of weeks ago, this was still retailing at PhP 3,800 (PhP 4,500 farther back).

I do hope my unlimited plan gets approved soon. When that time comes I’ll really get to put the system to an abuse test–whether it can take sustained speeds, and whether it can serve as a reliable connectivity option full-time. Of course I cannot share it among my various computers simultaneously, but again my purpose is for backup connectivity that I can also use while mobile.

When I get that plan approved, I would use it instead with this black modem and I would probably sell the white one (along with the prepaid SIM) or keep it as backup.

Updates: From research, I discovered that the black USB dongle sold with this prepaid pack is the LongCheer WM66. I believe that’s a relative newcomer, compared to Huawei and ZTE, which supplies most other dongles out there. Huawei is usually un-lockable, while ZTE dongles are more difficult (if possible at all) to unlock. But at PhP 2,500 for a prepaid kit, these things are cheap already!

Also, I have a Globe Visibility prepaid kit review upcoming!

Some words of advice

We offer best quality itil v3 certification test papers and 70-662 materials. You can get our 100% guaranteed 650-987 questions & testking mcdba to help you in passing the real exam of 000-977 dumps.

I’ve been using Globe Telecom’s new time-based charging system for data. I only get to pay PhP 5 per 15-minutes, which is comparable to Smart’s PhP 10 per 30 minutes charging system. Globe seems cheap enough, but there’s a catch.

To recap, Globe has two data charging schemes:

KB Browsing Rate

This kind of charging is best for info-based browsing like browsing for the latest news or movie schedules, searching online dictionaries and checking sports stats. Since you are charged only P0.15/kb, a search for the definition to a puzzling word would only cost P2.30 while checking that movie schedule would only cost about P1.62.

Time Browsing Rate

This charging scheme is best used for multimedia-based activities like sending and receiving files through email or even viewing pictures and videos. All these are done more affordably when you use Time Charging at P5 for 15minutes.

My big gripe with Globe’s rate is that the charge is per 15-minute session. This means if your connection is broken for any reason, and you connect again, you would have to pay another PhP 5 for another 15 minutes. This is unlike Smart’s flat rate charging, where you get charged a single PhP 10 for the whole 30-minute duration, no matter how many times you connect or disconnect.

Globe’s system has many disadvantages. For one, if you’re connecting via 3G or even HSDPA (a.k.a. 3.5G), your phone would usually automatically adjust speed according to the available network signal. Depending on signal strength and availability of the data carrier, you can change connections across GPRS, EDGE, 3G, and HSDPA.. So if you move in and out of a 3G-enabled cell site, in all likelihood, your connection would be considered broken and re-connected.

A tip: watch your signal meter while connected. For Nokia phones, indicators would include 3.5G, 3G, G, or E (for EDGE).

Secondly, you might have several applications on your mobile phone that need to connect and reconnect, in case you switch apps. For example, Nokia’s XHTML browsers might automatically disconnect upon exit. Or if you launch an IM client (which, by the way, doesn’t work on Globe), you might find yourself having to pay another PhP 5 for a new session.

Or, perhaps you receive a call or SMS in the middle of your data connection. In these cases, the packet data connection is usually paused or broken. And since a reconnection would be considered a new session, there goes your PhP 5 again.

In my opinion, Smart’s charging system is simply smarter. It’s truly a flat-rate charging scheme, whereas Globe’s is more complicated. While PhP 5 seems cheaper than PhP 10 (especially when you just need to check a few tidbits of information at a time), it might turn out more expensive in the long run. With Smart, one gets no worries about being double-charged. It’s really as simple as PhP 10 per 30 minutes.

And I’m not even talking about Internet protocols yet (in which Globe only supports port 80 or Web). But that’s another story.

At least I get to use my phone’s data capabilities practically free when at home or when at any public hotspot. I use WiFi! The phone even lets me make and receive VoIP calls via SIP, Google Talk or Skype. (Review coming soon.)

When Globe came out with Visibility, I thought to myself that would be a great thing to have. Imagine wireless broadband anywhere (anywhere there is a 3G / HSDPA signal, of course). But the cost at PhP 2,000 per month (with a few Gigs limit at that) was a bit steep, considering I already subscribe to residential DSL and also to an unlimited Airborne Access account.

Enter Smart 3G / GPRS, with PhP 10 per 30-minute charging, and I found it was a good backup system when I’m in areas without decent (or free) WiFi coverage. At least this could work with prepaid, and I won’t be locked into long-term contracts.

Sure it’s not blazingly fast. You max out at 384 Kbps. But considering you’re mobile (and not likely downloading Gigabytes and Gigabytes of files), I think that’s sufficient. Works okay with VoIP and even video chatting.

Smart Bro Anywhere

Smart recently introduced an “anywhere Internet” plan under their Smart Bro brand. Thing is, the introductory marketing material said you get 60 hours for PhP 799 a month. So that’s about PhP 13 per 30 minutes, or approximately a 40% savings over prepaid. In excess of that you pay the usual rates of PhP 10 per 30 minutes.

Thing is, I talked to a marketing rep earlier today, and she clarified that the initial announcement was wrong. They give you 40 hours for the PhP 799 plan. that means you still pay the equivalent of PhP 10 per 30 minutes, but with a one-peso saving per month.

So instead of spending about PhP 800 for the same amount of online time (i.e., at PhP 20 per hour), you spend PhP 799.

40 HOURS FREE per MONTH!

• Initial Payment – P1,999 (upon subscription)
• Monthly Fee – P799 only
• In excess of 40 hours will be charged P10 per block of 30 minutes.

I would rather stick to my prepaid plan, considering I’ve already bought myself an LG KU250 to serve as a 3G modem. The KU250 is affordable enough at PhP 6,000. That’s cheap for a 3G-enabled phone (cheap on the price, but I think the value exceeds my expectations).

Now the advantage of this Smart Bro plan is you get the Huawei USB modem for just PhP 1,999 (whereas the modem sells for upwards of PhP 10,000 outside of this subsidy). That in itself makes it worth to subscribe to Smart Bro with this USB plan.

Still, one advantage with my using my 3G phone to use as modem, I have one advantage–I can surf without opening my laptop (or ultraportable computer, as is the case with the Asus Eee). I can just open Opera Mini and work from there. Of course, this is just for those emergency cases where I really need to connect, but don’t have the luxury of sitting down somewhere to open my laptop.

So, what do you think? Is the Smart Bro USB plan worth it?

Got myself an LG KU250 for backup and mobile connectivity. Who can beat that–at PhP 6,000 (about US$ 136) you get a 3G-enabled phone that can connect via bluetooth or USB (USB cable is even bundled in!). And Smart prepaid lets me surf for PhP 10 per 30 minutes (flat rate), so I don’t have to worry about monthly fees or contracts.

My first problem was making it work on Ubuntu. Initially I was only able to use it with Windows, with the bundled PC connectivity suite. But that’s now solved with these configurations.

Here’s my current speedtest.net result:

Not bad for mobile internet. What’s great is that I was able to install Opera Mini so I have a more or less full-fledged browser on my phone.