General Info

[Nightrider1]

The latest iPad mini is a very nice device GE. I find today's smartphone web browsers capable of 90% of my needs but there is no substitute for a real desktop web browser sometimes due to shitty web site coding. That's where the Surface Pro 2 (stupid names) steps in & saves me from having to use an insecure 3rd party PC.

I'd love LTE but see enough coverage to be bothered with it yet GE. That also applies in Australia unless your not mobile & sitting right in the middle of a coverage area.

One area if smart phone design / performance that rarely, if ever, gets mentioned is reception. This does vary significantly from one handset design to another. Many of the older Nokia's were good. An old LG Renoir I owned had outstanding reception compared to anything else.

This Motorola Moto G (stupid names) is very good I must say. I had the option of the Moto X, a 4 g variant but I eschewed LTE because of afore mentioned spotty coverage & more importantly battery issues. LTE radios suck way more power. Ill take a slower steady connection to a fast intermittent connection. Long battery life is very important to me also. Motorola should know a thing or two about radio engineering given their history.

Switching from iPhone purity of design to Windows Phone or Android is a bit of a culture shock he he. What Android lacks in refinement it makes up for in flexibility.

I would warn any one contemplating an Android based phone to only go with a Google Nexus or Motorola g / x as these get all the latest operating system bug / security fixes the sane as Apple. Having a device in your pocket always connected to the net its imperative to be right on top of security inho.

I would rule out most other Android handsets because they simply don't get updated in a timely manner. If ever.

AV.

I wanted a smart phone I could use both in USA and Phil because of my three times a year trips there and I picked the Moto G. My last trip was 30 days and it performed flawlessly in every regard. I used a Globe simm and had better coverage and in more places than the people I was with. So I will second Amavida's recommendation.

[Econo Tech]

I sent responding posters (RA, SK and ET) a PM but for those lurkers who might also be interested, here is an informative link for a Meralco innovation.

My experience was with another power company. Seems like Meralco is getting its act together at last, even if the price of electricity is high.

http://www.rappler.com/business/indu...s-net-metering

That's a helpful post.

I will see how to get things going in Baguio.

BTW Mr Guzman's air cons in the report. I believe partly his high bill is due to bad air cons plus positioning. LOL.

Amavida, personally I opted for a Smart pocket Router since my experiments with a Huawei Tablet, a I pad Mini, A Samsung Tab and a Samsung S3, and few devices made me conclude part of the reception issue is on the receiving antenna.

The pocket router got full signal in places where other devices showed low or no signal.

Plus a router means you can share with 'guests ' LOL.

That's my suggestion. And since the pocket routers have a battery to last few hours they are reasonably mobile.

[Red Kilt]

And it is illegal for foreigners to own or operate public utilities, which by a broad definition can mean you generating power and depriving the bloated monopolies of fat bonuses.

I sent responding posters (RA, SK and ET) a PM but for those lurkers who might also be interested, here is an informative link for a Meralco innovation.

My experience was with another power company. Seems like Meralco is getting its act together at last, even if the price of electricity is high.

http://www.rappler.com/business/indu...s-net-metering

[Amavida]

i'm a fairly committed apple addict, so my standard kit is two iphones--one smart and one globe--and an ipad mini with sim card. the only problem for me is that the connection speeds are slow, whether 3 g or lte, and the voice capabilities are unreliable. given the generally poor quality of the cell networks here, there's no perfect solution.

ge.

the latest ipad mini is a very nice device ge. i find today's smartphone web browsers capable of 90% of my needs but there is no substitute for a real desktop web browser sometimes due to shitty web site coding. that's where the surface pro 2 (stupid names) steps in & saves me from having to use an insecure 3rd party pc.

i'd love lte but see enough coverage to be bothered with it yet ge. that also applies in australia unless your not mobile & sitting right in the middle of a coverage area.

one area if smart phone design / performance that rarely, if ever, gets mentioned is reception. this does vary significantly from one handset design to another. many of the older nokia's were good. an old lg renoir i owned had outstanding reception compared to anything else.

this motorola moto g (stupid names) is very good i must say. i had the option of the moto x, a 4 g variant but i eschewed lte because of afore mentioned spotty coverage & more importantly battery issues. lte radios suck way more power. ill take a slower steady connection to a fast intermittent connection. long battery life is very important to me also. motorola should know a thing or two about radio engineering given their history.

switching from iphone purity of design to windows phone or android is a bit of a culture shock he he. what android lacks in refinement it makes up for in flexibility.

i would warn any one contemplating an android based phone to only go with a google nexus or motorola g / x as these get all the latest operating system bug / security fixes the sane as apple. having a device in your pocket always connected to the net its imperative to be right on top of security inho.

i would rule out most other android handsets because they simply don't get updated in a timely manner. if ever.

av.

[GoodEnough]

agreed 4 g is a bit of waste of money in the phil's especially if you travel about a bit.

i was a very long time apple mac & later iphone / ipad user but as a business user i am becoming agnostic to technology. i'm into practicality. nothing wrong with apple's gear in general & i still recommend it to non tech users.

these days my minimal kit is a microfoft surface pro 2 (essentially a real laptop with a full powered usb port + ethernet port shrunk into a tablet) plus a decent 3 g smart phone.

i did have a beautiful nokia 1030 but the screen shattered so easily i can't be bothered to get it fixed. i replaced it with the ultimate work horse smartphone, a motorola moto g. these 3 g android based phones are marketed as a dual sim phone. i find having a globe & smart sim very useful. globe is arguably the most consistent signal all around the phil's but there are black spits where smart is the only way to go. downtown balibago for example.

put a postpaid sim in it or a pre paid + p1000 load & subscribe to unlimited internet for 30 days. this saves me from relying lousy insecure wifi connections in hotels etc.

the tablet can use it via usb tethering or wifi hotspot.

av.

i'm a fairly committed apple addict, so my standard kit is two iphones--one smart and one globe--and an ipad mini with sim card. the only problem for me is that the connection speeds are slow, whether 3 g or lte, and the voice capabilities are unreliable. given the generally poor quality of the cell networks here, there's no perfect solution.

ge.

[Econo Tech]

Yes I have.

Yes there are, and the costs are quite reasonable too (for solar anyway).

I checked out if I could sell surplus load to the grid of the local electric company and that caused a major problem.

The local power companies do not want people generating their own power.

And it is illegal for foreigners to own or operate public utilities, which by a broad definition can mean you generating power and depriving the bloated monopolies of fat bonuses.

[Sam 14]

I find having a Globe & Smart Sim very useful. Globe is arguably the most consistent signal all around the Phil's but there are black spits where Smart is the only way to go. Downtown Balibago for example.

There's no way to tell how many opportunities I've missed not having dual Sim capability. It's a problem for so many of these girls to maintain load. Davao for example, almost everyone uses Smart so they're unlikely to even text outside their network. So I end up packing an extra phone as well as sending an occasional load or two. Man, what a hassle.

[Amavida]

my sim allows alte, but the only problem i've experienced is that the lte speed in he philippines is slow and often intermittent.

ge.

agreed 4 g is a bit of waste of money in the phil's especially if you travel about a bit.

i was a very long time apple mac & later iphone / ipad user but as a business user i am becoming agnostic to technology. i'm into practicality. nothing wrong with apple's gear in general & i still recommend it to non tech users.

these days my minimal kit is a microfoft surface pro 2 (essentially a real laptop with a full powered usb port + ethernet port shrunk into a tablet) plus a decent 3 g smart phone.

i did have a beautiful nokia 1030 but the screen shattered so easily i can't be bothered to get it fixed. i replaced it with the ultimate work horse smartphone, a motorola moto g. these 3 g android based phones are marketed as a dual sim phone. i find having a globe & smart sim very useful. globe is arguably the most consistent signal all around the phil's but there are black spits where smart is the only way to go. downtown balibago for example.

put a postpaid sim in it or a pre paid + p1000 load & subscribe to unlimited internet for 30 days. this saves me from relying lousy insecure wifi connections in hotels etc.

the tablet can use it via usb tethering or wifi hotspot.

av.

[GoodEnough]

took me a few trips but i figured it out. i bring an unlocked iphone and get a local sim card for local texting and calls also for data plan. under the 3 g / data or wifi i can text people back home in us thru imessage to their iphone or ipad for free. also make facetime calls free too. while in us i download magic jack app on iphone and ipad and can make free calls to us and canada from anywhere in the world for free using wifi or 3 g. just thought i would pass this along in case you didn't know.

i've been using that protocol for a few years now, and it works well, particularly since most of my friends and family outside the philippines also use iphones, so facetime and imessage are especially useful. my sim allows alte, but the only problem i've experienced is that the lte speed in he philippines is slow and often intermittent.

ge.

[Dg8787]

Took me a few trips but I figured it out. I bring an unlocked iphone and get a local SIM card for local texting and calls also for data plan. Under the 3 g / data or wifi I can text people back home in US thru iMessage to their iPhone or iPad for free. Also make Facetime calls free too. While in US I download Magic Jack app on iPhone and Ipad and can make free calls to US and Canada from anywhere in the world for free using wifi or 3 g. Just thought I would pass this along in case you didn't know.

[Roll Aides]

I checked out if I could sell surplus load to the grid of the local electric company and that caused a major problem.

The local power companies do not want people generating their own power.

RK, would you be willing to elaborate on what you encountered?

[Red Kilt]

Out of curiosity, have any of you with property in the provinces ever looked into alternative energy sources--solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal? I'm wondering if there are respectable suppliers and engineer-type experts around.

Yes I have.

Yes there are, and the costs are quite reasonable too (for solar anyway).

I checked out if I could sell surplus load to the grid of the local electric company and that caused a major problem.

The local power companies do not want people generating their own power.

[Fred Gold]

I want to thank whoever said (probably several people) that Phil girls like having babies and do not worry about getting preg, in fact many want to get preg. I've been 'fixed' for many years and while video chatting on skype she said how she wants me to cum in her so she can get preg (told her I had a few kids). I am sure if I said that I was 'fixed' she would drop me like a lead balloon. Oh also condoms are only for prostitutes.

So, ty for the heads up. So to speak- oh, she assured me that I was very special to her and that others never see her naked on skype. Just me. I wonder if she also has a bridge for sale?

HAPPY HUNTING FRED.

[Soapy Smith]

So maybe for those planning a visit to the Philippines the period March / April 2015 could be a time to avoid?

I think he said April and May. Aren't they usually the hottest months, so presumably it's about aircon and fan use because of the heat. But the heat makes those months less pleasant anyway.

Out of curiosity, have any of you with property in the provinces ever looked into alternative energy sources--solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal? I'm wondering if there are respectable suppliers and engineer-type experts around.

[Hutsori]

You didn't read the article responses Huts? Avalanche of women saying "don't".

I hadn't. But now I have; I read the first 20-odd comments. Appears the prevailing opinion has now swung the other way to the anti-pubes camp. The accommodate the wishes of the women I meet I do trim, but not shave, my pubes to a shorter length; I'm not a over-all manscaper, but I'm also not especially hirsute.