Sun Cellular's latest: Mobile and Landline in ONE SIM & PHONE

As a loyal Sun postpaid subscriber of Plan 350, I receive email from The Sun Shop on the latest services and promos. This evening, to my surprise, I received an email from Sun that it is now possible to turn my phone into a mobile landline! My initial reaction?

"Yes, finally a competitor of Globe Duo!!!"

PRICE
From the ad, I just have to pay an additional PHP 249.00 on top of my current subscription plan at PHP 350.00/ month. That would be a total of PHP 599/mo. for a mobile and landline subscription...not bad at all! This is a lot cheaper than Globe Duo, which asks subscribers to pay an additional PHP 399.00/ month.

WHO CAN AVAIL?
Those who are Sun Cellular Regular Postpaid Subscribers and Group Plan subscribers.

HOW TO AVAIL?
Dial *738# or Text SDU ON to 2738.

And then in tinier red font on the ad, it states,

Subject to a 6-month subscription contract.

Ummm what does that mean? I have to be a postpaid subscriber for at least 6 months to enjoy the service? Or is there a lock-in period of 6 months once I have availed of this new version of Sun's Double Unlimited?

There's no information from the Sun Cellular website, I hope they post details soon. I'm wondering, will the unlimited landline service be limited to Digitel-to-Digitel calls? I hope not, because most landlines I know are on PLDT.

On the subject of PLDT, will we see something like this with Smart-PLDT?


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A study on e-book readers

Since I've been blogging about e-book readers, I thought I'd share this article from CNET. A study was made by In-Stat who surveyed 1,529 high-end consumers who typically adopted to new technology.

I've summarized some of the findings:

• Only 5.8 percent owns an e-book reader

58 percent of these owners use Amazon Kindle; 9 percent use the Sony E-Reader
45.5 percent spend between $9 - $20 a month on e-books

• 11 percent plans to buy an e-book reader in the next 12 months
• 40 percent are potential buyers, and are willing to pay for $200 - $299 for an e-book reader

From another study by Forrester, it was found that consumers find E-book readers too expensive. Among the 4,706 U.S. adults surveyed, 65 percent would consider buying an e-book reader if the price were $98 or less.

If I answered that survey, I would actually consider buying if it were between $100 - $150.

E-book readers will never become a very big player in the electronics industry, that is for sure. I even think E-book readers would eventually be non-existent. Why? Because of how technology is positioned towards convergence. The electronic paper screen of e-book readers could be a stable feature to cellphones, mp3 players, and even lcd monitors. It's like beepers/pagers, it's a thing of the past.

Let me know what you think! Would you buy an e-book reader? If yes, how much are you willing to pay? Read more...

Bringing the inner child in me: PLAY DOH

I recently bought a set of four colors of Play Doh just for fun. I was in Toys 'R Us in Robinson's Galleria with a friend and reminiscing our childhood toys and comparing them to the toys of today's generation. Then at the Play Doh section, I saw that one set of four colors only costs PHP 130.00 (~ US$ 2.70). It's really inexpensive now compared to before, and I'm guessing because it's China-made now.

I also recalled that I played with Play Doh at my cousin's house last month, and had so much fun that I figured I should buy my own!

And last night, me and Borgy had fun playing! Check out our creations:


Set of roses and cement truck (by me):




Borgy's netbook, named Xor and my netbook, named Rox (by Borgy):



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Coming soon: Asus Eee Reader!!!

Hooray for another e-book reader is coming out - the Asus Eee Reader! For the full story, read it at the London Times

Listed below are some if its features, with my comments of course. :)

1. It's more affordable than the Sony E-Reader and Amazon Kindle! It will cost ~£100 (~US$ 145 / ~PHP 7,000). This could become the cheapest e-reader in the market. Can this spark a price war for e-readers?

2. It has two screens and folds like a book. This makes the reading experience more natural, as if reading from a printed book. Love it!

3. Full-color screen, unlike the monochromatic screen of its competitors. Does this mean it will have a screen similar to a laptop? I wonder, is it possible to switch to a "reading mode" (monochromatic) screen?

4. Size of the screen has not yet been revealed. But based on the picture, it looks pretty big, as large as a 10" screen netbook. As a reading device, this is quite large to carry around, but I think Asus envisions this device to be multi-functional.

5. One of the screens can function as a virtual keyboard, hence the device could be used as a laptop that enables one to surf the Internet, etc.

The Eee Reader does not mention of a stylus included, and I hope there is because I think a stylus is essential for all e-readers. Let's just wait and see for the official announcement from Asus, this initial announcement is exciting book geeks like me. :)

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A netbook bag that's easy on the wallet

The netbook bag pictured here from Save On Surplus is only PHP 290.00 (~US$ 6.00). Borgy bought it in Megamall for his Eee PC netbook. I think it's a very good deal if you're looking for an inexpensive bag that looks (and hopefully is) sturdy, a really great value for the price. It looks plain from the picture, but the color of the bag is actually a nice shiny gray.

Two things I like about this bag:

1. The bag handle includes a thick strap that makes it easier to carry around, pictured below:

2. There are pockets inside the bag to store your battery charger, and maybe even a mouse.


Save on Surplus also sells netbook bags and sleeves in different colors and designs. I'm actually tempted to buy one of these bags even if I already have a bag, because my bag is too big for my 10" netbook. Or maybe a sleeve instead because the MSI Wind sleeve looks boring. :p Read more...