Top Ten Stories in YugaTech: March 2015

March has passed, and so are the stories that made it to the headlines. Here are our Top Ten stories in YugaTech for the past month.

Last month was just as eventful. With Mobile World Congress happening in March, we saw the launch of three new flagship devices from two global brands. We also saw a local player unveil their budget flagship, and the debut of a new Filipina character in an international game franchise. Here are our top stories, in descending order.

10. All the 7 Philippine ISPs to Choose From

The call for a more open competition in the internet service space is becoming louder as major players started to shift into volume based charging. While most people might think there are just 2 players in the Philippines, we tried counting and found 7 significant ISPs to choose from.

9. Lazada scheduled to sell the ZenFone 2 on May 10

We got some confirmation from a source close to Lazada Philippines that the e-commerce site is scheduled to sell the upcoming ZenFone 2 in May 10, 2015. This is a more accurate date than the one we gathered from a different source earlier that week that points to a Q2 release.

8. Free WiFi internet access across PH to rollout in July

Good news for our folks out there: The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is planning to rollout its free public WiFi internet access project across the Philippines beginning July of this year.

7. Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge prices in the Philippines

We got word that the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will be priced higher than expected when it is released in the Philippines this month.

6. Alcatel Flash Plus coming May 1 for about Php6k+

The bang-for-the-buck smartphone competition instensifies. We also got confirmation that Alcatel’s very affordable yet capable smartphone, the Alcatel Flash Plus, is set for release in the Philippines by May 1, 2015 with a price tag of around Php6k or more. Launched in China earlier under a different name for $RMB899 (Php6,300USD 107INR 9,101EUR 102CNY 782), the Flash Plus is positioned to be a very powerful and capable entry-level handset.

5. Globe clarifies details on new broadband plans

In an press release sent to us by Globe Telecom, the company has clarified that existing subscribers will not be affected by the changes introduced in their broadband plans. This is in response to our report about the new data scheme.

4. Specs Comparison: Meizu M1 Note vs ASUS Zenfone 2

Novo7 Tech’s Meizu M1 Note went on sale last March 10 at Novo7 Tech stores around the Metro. At the same time, the ASUS Zenfone 2 has also been launched in Taiwan and is available in different models. We picked the variant that’s close to the M1 Note in terms of specs to determine which of these offer the better bang for your buck.

3. Asus Zenfone 2 now on Lazada for Php10,999USD 187INR 15,889EUR 179CNY 1,365

We discovered that the new line of Asus Zenfone 2 is now up and available in the Philippines thru online store Lazada. Upon further investigation, we also found out that the device being sold in the e-commerce website is direct from a Hong Kong retailer.

2. ASUS Zenfone 2 launched in Taiwan, starts at Php7K

The past month also saw the launch of the ASUS Zenfone 2 in Taiwan, introducing four variants with the base model starting at NT$4,990 or around Php7,000USD 119INR 10,112EUR 114CNY 869.

1. Globe DSL switches from daily to monthly data caps

Our top story in March 2015 has earned the ire of many of its existing subscribers. New subscribers of Globe Tattoo DSL will have a new subscription offering which puts the daily data cap to a monthly cap. Old subscribers will continue to follow the old plans while renewals or new subs will be offered monthly caps ranging from 10GB to 500GB per month.

That’s it for our some of the top stories in YugaTech this past month. What news or original feature left an impact the most for you? Leave your reactions down the comments section below.