Apple’s newest iteration of the iPhone was greeted with mixed reactions from the market. A lot has been said, both praises and disappointments, about what it should have been in the first place. Since the local launch of the iPhone 4S with Globe and Smart is just a couple of days away, let me share with you what I think of this phone. Check out our iPhone 4S review after the jump.
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The HTC Evo 3D separates itself from the rest of the smartphone pack by including two 5MP rear cameras to produce stereoscopic 3D images and videos. Like the high-end LED TVs we’ve seen lately, the 3D rendering is either regarded as a gimmick or the next big thing in entertainment. Check out our full review of the HTC Evo 3D after the jump.
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After getting that list of Globe HSPA+ sites within Metro Manila, I took the task of finding out one and do some tests of my own.
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During a press briefing with one of the local telcos last week, the question of minimum speed was again raised by one of the members of the media. NTC has also released a memorandum circular to that effect but I think the issue will continue to linger.
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So people are asking for a minimum guaranteed speed. How about a true guaranteed speed? It’s when you subscribed to a 1Mbps line and you constantly get 1Mbps speeds anytime, all the time.
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So, we had a talk with another telco/ISP the other night and they asked us for feedback about a proposal to offer bucket pricing on top of their existing unlimited plans. As I previously wrote here, I’m open to having more options for broadband consumers.
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A recent draft memorandum by the NTC indicates some sort of service level agreement where ISPs are required to provide a minimum guaranteed speed on subscriptions as well as allow for daily bandwidth capping on subscribers.
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Apple’s been touting the 2010 Macbook Air as the thinnest and lightest notebook ever. With the 11.6″ MBA out in stores and an entry-level unit coming in at Php52k, it’s actually one of the most affordable Macbook in Apple’s line-up. Check out our full review after the jump.
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It’s a little hard to size up a smartphone like the HTC Wildfire when you’ve been using its better sibling (HTC Desire) and given it good marks. Check out our full review of the HTC Wildfire after the jump.
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When I first read about that proposed NTC circular about “Guidelines on the Provision of Contents, Information, Applications, and Electronic Games“, I shrugged it off because it was obviously referring to the mobile telecoms industry.
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Or something along those lines… I couldn’t remember the exact phrase mentioned to me by Dr. William Torres (more commonly known in the local IT industry as the Father of Philippine Internet) during the last eCommerce Forum when we huddled in a group discussing suggestions on infrastructure that could help promote internet commerce in the country.
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Now that the Bill of Quantities (BoQ) of the controversial ZTE National Broadband Network Project by the Philippine government has been released, I was asked to take a look and see what I make out of it. Here are my findings so far.
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Looks like Australia will be following China’s footsteps and build its own mandatory state-wide firewall. Aussies will bid goodbye to
smut and say hello to “clean feeds”.
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Now that we’ve finally tasted the full potential of the globalized economy, thanks to Paypal going full-circle, I’m hopeful that e-commerce in the Philippines would flourish in whatever way, shape or form and Filipinos would start shedding their paranoia over online transactions.
Here’s my Top 10 list of where you can use your new Paypal account:
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Since eBay Philippines (eBay.ph) was introduced in the Philippines some 3 years ago (November 16, 2004 to be exact), it has remained free to Filipino users. The eBay model (subscription + sales commission) has been the core of it business with Paypal as its major financial backbone. Now that Paypal Philippines has gone full circle, will eBay start charging subscription fees on eBay.ph?
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Sign up for Paypal in the Philippines!. You can withdraw an amount not exceeding $500 per month to any debit, credit card or directly into your Philippine bank accounts. You will just need the bank codes and savings account number.
At long last, Paypal’s promise to allow receiving funds into Philippine accounts have been fulfilled. Just today, reports have been circulating in the previous post here about the development.
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Looking back at the lawsuits I had to go thru in the past, I feel that there is a need to amend the 2000 Philippine eCommerce Law (RA 8792).
My case was that of libel on the internet and it cannot be denied that the nature of my involvement in that case strikes worry and concern among fellow online publishers and web hosting providers alike.
My legal counsel, Atty. Fred Pamaos, discusses the case in detail in his 6-part series entitled “Anatomy of an Internet Libel Case” — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 (unpublished).
Despite the fact that the case against me was already dismissed, there is still a looming concern that a similar one could be lodged anytime considering that fact that we host thousands of websites, forums and blogs. It would be a nightmare to monitor all of them for potentially the same circumstances.
Likewise, personal blogs may also be exposed to such harassment law suits and even how silly they may be (remember, anybody can post libelous statements in the blog comments), one can only imagine the total waste of time, effort, and money just to go thru these proceedings. Yes, they may not succeed nor see a day in court, the trouble of getting a legal counsel and making personal appearances in the fiscal’s office on a weekly basis can take its toll.
It is obvious that the eCommerce Law was passed in haste to address an urgent issue at that time but it has been seven (7) years hence and we need a stronger bill to protect internet service providers, web hosts, bloggers, forum owners, webmasters and internet users in general.
From Bloomberg, California Supreme Court rules Web Publisher Isn’t Liable for Defamation.
The California Supreme Court said Internet publishers can’t be held liable if they post defamatory comments written by others, a victory for online companies like Google Inc. and Time Warner Inc.’s America Online Inc.
The court, in a unanimous decision, said those claiming defamation can only sue the original source of the allegedly offending comments, not publishers or distributors, even if the distributor is an individual. Internet users are protected by the same 1996 Communications Decency Act that grants immunity against defamation claims to publishers in most circumstances, the court said, overturning a San Francisco appeals court.
“By declaring that no `user’ may be treated as a publisher’ of third party content, Congress has comprehensively immunized republication by individual Internet users,” the court said today.
This news is very relevant to me as I have been subject to similar cases situations before.
In fact, my business is currently entangled in an ongoing investigation for a libel suit. Of course, I will not cower in silence so a counter-suit is in place. Can’t say more about it but will share more details once everything has been properly filed by my lawyer.
