The Good: Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

Despite of a few forgettable moments this year, there are still a handful of things that we can thankful for in 2014.

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are not arranged in any particular manner.

Rise of the Cheap But Feature-packed Smartphones – The mid-range and entry-level smartphone segment in the Philippines have been mostly dominated by the local players thanks to the aggressive pricing of their devices. Butg that changed dramatically after the arrival of the Xiaomi Mi3 and the Asus ZenFone lineup, more specifically the ASUS ZenFone 5, in the country.

mi3_9

The ZenFone 5 and Xiaomi Mi3 are testaments that smartphones with decent build quality and respectable engine setup don’t always have to be expensive. This, obviously, made these handsets crowd-favorites and sold like pancakes when it became available in the local market.

Slowly Getting There – Since last year, we’ve been keeping track of the reports that Akamai has been publishing, which gives us an bird’s eye view of the current situation of internet connectivity both here and abroad.

In their most recent report that was published last October, they’ve shown that the average internet speed here in the country for the first half of 2014 was at 2.5Mbps. It’s not a huge jump to say the least, but it’s more than 1Mbps better than the average speed we have over the same period last year.

Filipinos are Now Lemon-proof – like most of you, we’re also waiting for the day that the Freedom of Information bill will finally become a law. But while we’re all waiting for that to happen, it’s good to know that useful house bills such as the HB4082, or what is known today as the Republic Act 10642 or the Philippine Lemon Law, was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Image credit: freep.com

Image credit: freep.com

The Philippine Lemon Law of 2014 “seeks to protect consumers in the sale of motor vehicles against sales and trade practices that are deceptive, unfair, or otherwise inimical to the consumers and the public interest.” The bill makes sure that cars have until the first 12 months or 20,000 kilometers (whichever comes first) that a warranty will be honored.

Much OPTIONS. So BETTER. WOW. – The success of the local players in the consumer electronic scene in the past couple of years has paved the way to up and coming brands/companies. In 2014 alone, three new brands we’re added to the growing number of local players in the market which includes Blackview, Happy Mobile and BS Mobile, not to mention the introduction of some note-worthy Chinese brands like Xiaomi, as well as Meizu, THL and Zopo courtesy of Novo7 Tech.

Free Access/Bandwidth Allocation – Even before local telcos started to be more strict in implementing the Fair Use Policy, they’ve provided their respective subscribers free access to a few commonly used websites and social networking sites.

In 2014 though, both Globe and Smart have ramped up their initiatives. The latter has announced that they’re providing their subscribers with 30MB of data allocation everyday, on top of giving free access to Wiki.

globe-freefbisback

Globe Telecom, on the other hand, has revived the Free Facebook Promo which gives users access to the country’s most popular social media site at no extra charge (provided that the user will not click on an outbound link) and without the need for any SMS subscription.

Although there’s really no substitute for unlimited data allocation (which we all deserve, considering the price we pay for mobile internet here), these small initiatives certainly helps in managing the limited bandwidth that we are allocated every month.

In addition to the initiatives listed above, various organizations are also pitching in to further improve the current situation of internet access in the country. There’s the recently-inked partnership between Smart Communications and the University of the Philippines which will bring free Wi-Fi access in various UP campuses, and the Department of Science and Technology’s plan of putting up Free Metro Manila WiFi Act of 2014.

The post The Good: Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of . Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

header

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste on their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

globe-fup

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation on the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Old PC

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none is probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

MRT Derailed

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might’ve overlooked these two just a little bit.

ZTESaleDavao

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were not sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.

The post The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of . Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

header

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste on their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

globe-fup

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation on the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Old PC

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none is probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

MRT Derailed

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might’ve overlooked these two just a little bit.

ZTESaleDavao

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were not sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.

The post The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of . Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

header

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste on their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

globe-fup

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation on the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Old PC

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none is probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

MRT Derailed

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might’ve overlooked these two just a little bit.

ZTESaleDavao

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were not sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.

The post The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Biggest Tech Stories in the Philippines in 2014

Lazada Philippines

As we fold the year 2014 to an end, we take a look back at some of the biggest moments that defined technology in the country. Here are this year’s top tech stories.

Xiaomi, FUP, and 5G. These are just some of the biggest stories we’ve had this year, and there are a lot more to tell. Read on and find out how this year has been in the world of tech.

FUP, LTE, Free Internet, and more FUP

2014news11

Telecom giants sure started out 2014 with a bang: Globe Telecom started to enforce their new FUP policy, which caused an uproar among its postpaid subscribers. It didn’t stop there: It switched its SuperSurf customers to GoSurf, a new volume-based, tiered mobile dataplan that comes with free Spotify streaming. Along with its 100 percent 4G HSPA+ coverage later this year, the telecom giant also announced that Prepaid LTE SIM Cards are now available, to which many, as they say, found confusing because they can’t find any at their stores.

Arch rival Smart Communications, on the other hand, announced that it started to roll out its 5G network, but is 5G really here? In other news, they also unveiled later in the year a groundbreaking free 30MB internet promo for all its subscribers under their three networks, and also started to cap its data plans as well. These data caps, after all, were results of consistent consumer backfire that even led to the Department of Justice releasing a memo to telcos against capping, throttling and false unlimited internet advertising. Well, if they can sue carriers in the US, I’m pretty sure they could do it here too.

More companies enter the PH market

2014news12

This year also saw a number of new software and handset companies enter the Philippine market in hopes for your subscriptions and purchases. One was music streaming app Spotify, which has first seen a limited release in partnership with Coca-Cola last March before becoming official a few weeks later, and was soon carried by Telecom giant Globe into their GoSurf plans. We also had Xiaomi, currently the #1 smartphone brand in China, enter the country and later on sell their bang-for-the-buck Mi3 and RedMi 1S devices like pancakes in flash online sales and local pop-up stores.

If there are companies that made successful entries, there are those that are still waiting for the coveted market share. Among those brands that are still to make an impact in the market are Deezer, which Smart has an exclusive partnership with, and new handset players such as Blackview, and Happy Mobile.

In the News

2014news121

This year also saw a few tech-related boo-boos that made it to mainstream media. Remember the Pentium 4 PCs DepEd bought for around Php400k each? How about the ZTE Fire Sale Chaos that made 472 complaints over the DTI? How about those worthless house bills that we must not name? And then there’s the MRT that got derailed a few months ago, which was the peak of a mount-load of faults the train line has been having. These are just some, and we’ve got them all covered in another article.

Well, there are still good news this year, after all. DOST is planning to put up 50,000 Free Public WiFi hotspots starting 2015, and we’re hoping that they have internet connection as well. There are companies that are building their manufacturing plants in the country such as Epson, which can generate more jobs in the long run. We also saw top tech personalities both here and abroad take the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS research. We’ve got a clip of our own, too.

The iPhone, The Nexus, and The cheaper smartphones

2014news13

Inch by inch, they’re growing bigger. This year also saw the flagship phones getting larger by the size. Apple released two flavors of its smartphone with much fanfare — the iPhone 6 (our review here) and the iPhone 6 Plus (our review here), both sporting bigger-than-the-usual screen sizes, an updated design, and a flaw in the form of #bendgate. Google, on the other hand, released the Motorola Nexus 6, also sporting bigger pixels at 5.9 inches. Blackberry also released an oddly-shaped smartphone it called the Passport (our quick review here), and sells for a premium price.

From the more premium, we also saw local and international brands alike sell cheaper smartphones with beefier specs. Taiwanese brand Asus brought the ZenFone series to the country, and were deemed as one of the best bang-for-the-buck phones with its specs. Smartphones below Php5k now offer better hardware under the hood compared to last year — with a quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and at least a 5-megapixel rear camera.

Mergers, acquisitions, and selloffs

2014news15

2014 also marked the year for those deals that can be said what’s best for business. The Microsoft purchase of Nokia’s mobile division is probably one of the most talked-about acquisitions this 2014. A lot mentioned that it was the end of an era, but the Finnish giant stood up again and announced a new Android tablet in a bid to reclaim its former glory.

Others include Sulit.ph becoming a part of the international OLX network, and soon bought out its competitor AyosDito months after. There’s Motorola, which Google sold to Lenovo for less than what it paid for. In TV, we shall see a new news agency roaming around the streets of the metro as International news channel CNN is launching in the country via an acquired franchise in RPN9.

How’s your internet speed?

2014news16

While gas prices are going down low and South Korea is on its way to install a 10Gbps internet, there is no movement with the average Juan’s internet speed. We are still one of the ASEAN’s slowest when it comes to internet connection speeds, as it remained to be on the average of 2.5mbps, and research says 40 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with it.

Remember the whole senate probe on the country’s internet speed that even made Sen. Recto himself propose a 10Mbps minimum internet speed? The NTC doesn’t even have its own equipment to monitor those themselves. Maybe everyone’s too busy surfing using free internet, a promo we actually theorized as a cover-up to present-day issues plaguing the telecommunications industry, so they forgot that these problems actually exist. How is this going, anyway? We haven’t heard anything after the NTC hearing last month.

These are just some of the biggest stories we’ve covered this year, and we’re pretty sure that there are a lot more. What was this year’s biggest tech news for you? Drop your reactions down at the comments section below.

The post The Biggest Tech Stories in the Philippines in 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.