Lifestyles with Internet and Electronics

Smart Bro Share It Misfortunes Part 3

The last two problems I encountered with Smart Bro Share It were very disappointing. But I was optimistic I won't be having any more problems with my new internet connection. Then, I was wrong. What I experienced was only the tip of the iceberg.

Very Poor After Sales Support...

Technical Support not technical at all...

It was December 24, 2009 (48 days after we received our Smart Bro Share It) when my elder brother came home from Manila to sped Christmas vacation with us. I was excited to show him our new internet connection with built-in wireless LAN (wifi) capability. It was almost 12 noon that suddenly we could not connect to the internet. I noticed that our Huawei 3G Router (the Smart Bro Share It unit) indicated "searching for signal". I thought it was just an ordinary interruption so I did the Smart-24-hour-hotline-connect-most-recommended-troubleshooting technique, the very famous Unplugging-then-Restarting of the internet modem/router. From this point onward, let's call it the "Smart Troubleshooting". After several attempts using Smart Troubleshooting, our internet connection was still down and the same "searching for signal" indicator status in the Router unit.

I thought it was time for more "smarter" troubleshooting techniques. As a senior Electronics and Communications student I was gifted with the technical skills in network troubleshooting. So I tried checking the different network devices to see which one of them is not properly working. I can give a detailed explanation on network troubleshooting but to make the story short, I found out that our Smart Bro Share It unit was problematic. To verify my findings, I observed my internet connection for 24 hours.

December 25, 2009. Still no internet connection. I double checked everything and still the same problems as yesterday.

Since we were busy with different Christmas activities, we were able to report our problem December 26. My mother called the Smart Hotline, talked to the representative, and explained our problem. As expected the representative advised us the Smart Troubleshooting. Even though we had performed it several times already, even had in-depth troubleshooting, we still did what the representative told us. After nothing happened, he just told us that we observe our internet connection for next 24 hours. Wow, we already did that, but still, we followed.

The next day, December 27, we called again. And again, we were asked to wait for another 24 hours. And we waited. December 28, still there was no internet connection. We called again, and finally we were advised to visit the nearest Smart Wireless Center.

Was this their best way to handle a complaint? What were they doing for 3 days??? After all the waiting, telling us to go to the nearest Smart Wireless Center was all they could do. Thank you very much for wasting our time!

You can read my previous entry on my Smart Bro Shareit Misfortunes Here:

Smart Bro Share It Misfortunes Part 1

Smart Bro Share It Misfortunes Part 2

Smart Bro Shareit Misfortunes Part 2

Remember my Smart Bro Shareit Misfortunes Part 1? Here is the sequel..

Promo.. Promo.. What Promo?

As I mentioned my my last blog entry, we applied for the Smart Bro Shareit that came with a promo. With the promo flyer given to us together with the application form, it said that new Smart Bro subscribers can avail of a 4GB Imation flash drive. Wow, I thought it was pretty nice.

After getting our new Shareit unit last November 6, I noticed that there was no 4GB Imation flash drive in the package. So the next day, I texted the agent/representative who took care of our application the following day. To my surprise, he replied that the promo period expired October 31. Whaaat? We applied and gave all the necessary requirement October 25, and thanks to their turtle-slow processing, it was approved November 5. To be honest, I was quite disappointed I did not have the 4GB Imation flash drive.

Well, I guess there are things we just have to charge to experience... and write in our blog of course.

You can read my previous entry on my Smart Bro Shareit Misfortunes Here:

Smart Bro Shareit Misfortunes Part 1

Just a couple of months ago, we had our internet connection changed. From the old fixed-wireless line-of-sight Canopy-style Smart Bro, we changed it to the new Smart Bro Shareit Unlimited 999.

The Long Process of Application...

Even if I was a 3-year subscriber of the old Smart Bro service, I was not eligible to apply Smart Bro Shareit myself simply because I didn't have any income documents which they required. Wow, for 3 years I was always on-time in paying the bills (thanks to my parents and brother's money) yet Smart still required me those documents. So I had to interrupt my mother's busy schedule and asked her to apply for the internet service. She immediately went to Smart Wireless Center at Lim Ket Kai, I think it was October 25, 2009, with all the necessary documents they required. At that time, we received the application form, a promo flyer (free Imation flash drive for new subscribers), and another form I could not clearly remember (I think it was some kind of an agreement that Smart will not be liable for any loss of connection if we access the internet outside the registered service area). Unfortunately, I had to go to Manila to attend a field trip starting October 26.

I returned home October 31, and guess what, our application was still pending. I didn't know what's keeping it long but we were getting impatient. We followed up our application and we kept on waiting.

Sometime after the Halloween, my mother got very impatient and called the Smart sales agent and said that if Smart isn't interested in our application, they should tell us immediately instead of making us wait for nothing. They just said they are working on it and we waited.

I think it was November 5, 2009 that my mother finally had a return call from Smart. Our application had been approved and that we can get our internet router anytime now. Around 1pm that same day, I immediately went to the Smart Wireless Center to get our router. I asked the for the agent/in-charge that called us and I was excited when he came out. To my surprise, he said he needs to have his lunch first, and I can leave the P1,000 fee to him so that he will forward it to the cashier himself for my convenience. Was it they way Smart transacts its business? Of course I did not give the money to him, I wanted to pay to the right person, the cashier. So he said, "Okay, I'll be back." I had a class at 1.25pm so I cant wait for him to finish his lunch. I just said I will come back by 5:30. It was almost 6 that I came back. Too bad, the agent was already off duty. I recognized that I was late, so I just decided to go back the following day.

The next day November 6, morning, I came back. After almost 2 weeks of waiting and waiting and waiting (since October 25), we finally received the Huawei 3G router from the Smart Wireless Center. At last!

More of my Smart Bro Shareit Misfortunes to follow...

Unlock Your iPhone 3GS

My friend has this iPhone and she wanted it to be unlocked so that she could use the phone for another service provider. I don't have my own iPhone but I have my classmate who has it. So I ask for instructions and here it is.

1. go to http://blackra1n.com/

2. choose your OS (windows or mac) to download the software

3. install blackra1n

4. check your iphone's firmware/model (in your iphone settings/general/about)

5. connect your iphone to the pc and run blackra1n

6. just follow the instructions after runningcl blackra1n

According to my classmate, the data won't be deleted when you run blackra1n to unlock your iPhone. However, after unlocking it, you must sync it to only one iTunes because connecting it to another iTunes will delete everything in your phone. But i suggest, always backup your data everytime you change your iPhone's software.

Download Youtube Videos

There are so many video clips posted on Youtube. Probably, there are videos you want to keep a copy for yourself for one reason or another. So how do you download videos on Youtube?

Well, there are plenty of ways to do this. You can search, download, and install a program that lets you download videos on Youtube. Whoah! Search, download, and then install? Isn't that a toll order for most users who just want to download videos on Youtube? How about download videos without searching, downloading, and installing a program? Like, just visiting a website that lets us download videos on Youtube directly?

Good news, there is a website that lets us do exactly just that. TubeG

TubeG is a shortcut for "youTube Grabber". Just cop-and-paste the URL of the Youtube video you want to download on the "Enter the video URL" area of the homepage of TubeG. Then click on "Download file".

After that, you will now see "Download as FLV" to download the video. Just click on that and your video will now be downloaded. Pretty easy, right? By the way, the default file name of the video you just downloaded is video.flv. You can just rename it the way you like, and most of all, you can watch it with your favorite FLV player!

Farewell Tita Cory

My deepest condolences to the Aquino family as I join the millions of Filipinos praying for our former president Cory Aquino. Tita Cory has been an icon of democracy for the Filipinos for the past few decades.

Good bye Cory Aquino. May you rest in peace.

I've Changed

I have felt that my blog title was a little boring and limiting, so I changed it to expand my thoughts and ideas. I will still be writing about consumer electronics, computers, softwares, and the likes, and incorporate it to our lifestyle today to give my posts more relevance. New ideas will include current events, news, sports, business, and more!

Please update your links, that if, you have linked me. Thanks so much!

happy blogging!

Earning While Surfing

Are you looking for some extra source of income? Good news! I found these great sites that these will surely help you and me what we’re looking for. You can join Clixsense, Wordlinx, and Palmbux. They pay you every time you click on their ads. You really wanna try these, they’re completely safe and FREE! Don’t be left behind so join now!

You might also start having your free PayPal account. This is where Clixsense, Wordlinx, and Palmbux pay their members.

You might also wanna read:

Smorty Gives Me Another Reason to Blog

New Ideas for a Techie Home

I’ve been looking for some useful home projects using a microcontroller chip. I’m still not sure on what kind of microcontroller I will be using but most probably it will be a Zilog microcontroller. Simple digital calendars, LED arrays, or even an electronic home security are just examples of microcontroller projects. I’m planning to go for the simple electronic home security for our home improvement, but I still have to consider many things like availability of the materials, costs, and aesthetics as well. Hopefully I can do it for the sake of home improvements.

I will be very grateful if you give me some suggestions. Thanks!

XU ECE Video Presentation 2009

This is the video presentation of the Junior Institute of Electronics Engineers - Xavier University during the Xavier University College of Engineering General Assembly 2009 "BuildEng'g One Tribe".

Microsoft said it will not ship the Windows 7 'E' version of Windows...

By Ina Fried CNET News
Posted on ZDNet News: Aug 03, 2009 4:47:16 AM

Microsoft on Friday said it will not ship the Windows 7 'E' version of Windows, even though Europe has yet to sign off on the revised plan. The plan calls for the company to ship Windows 7 with Internet Explorer, but present a 'ballot screen' in which users in Europe can decide whether they want Internet Explorer or another browser.

The software maker had originally proposed shipping Windows 7 in Europe without a browser at all — the so-called 'E' version of the operating system. However, European regulators indicated that might not satisfy its concerns.

Microsoft announced last week that it was open to the ballot screen, but said it would wait to drop the browserless 'E' version until European regulators approved its plan.

The software maker said late on Friday that it decided to ship the same version of Windows 7 for Europe after PC makers complained that having to use the browserless version of Windows 7 for a short period of time would be problematic.

"In the wake of last week's developments, as well as continuing feedback on Windows 7 E that we have received from computer manufacturers and other business partners, I'm pleased to report that we will ship the same version of Windows 7 in Europe in October that we will ship in the rest of the world," deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a statement.

The European Commission had said it "welcomed" Microsoft's move, also giving the software maker some confidence that it could ship Windows 7 with the browser included. If the Commission accepts Microsoft's proposal, it will fully implement that proposed ballot screen to Windows 7 buyers in Europe.

"One reason we decided not to ship Windows 7 'E' is concerns raised by computer manufacturers and partners," Heiner said. "Several worried about the complexity of changing the version of Windows that we ship in Europe if our ballot-screen proposal is ultimately accepted by the Commission and we stop selling Windows 7 'E'. "Computer manufacturers and our partners also warned that introducing Windows 7 'E', only to later replace it with a version of Windows 7 that includes IE, could confuse consumers about what version of Windows to buy with their PCs."

The move also solved a challenge for Vista users in Europe who, under the previous plan, would have had to do a clean install to move to Windows 7. It also allows Microsoft to sell an "upgrade version" of Windows 7 in Europe. Microsoft had previously said it would only sell a full version of the OS, though it had said it would sell that at the upgrade price, at least for a time.

Those who pre-ordered Windows 7 'E' through a recent discount offer will get the full version, as Microsoft had promised. However, Microsoft plans to now sell Windows 7 upgrades in Europe and also offer a higher-priced full version (for those without an earlier copy of Windows) — similar to what it is doing in the rest of the world.

CD-R King Car Cassette Adapter

I bought this CD-R King Car Cassette Adapter (TM-CCS01) just a couple of weeks ago so that I can connect my MP3 player to our car stereo. Unfortunately the CD-R King Car Cassette Adapter did not work properly with our car stereo. Every time I inserted the CD-R King Car Cassette Adapter to the cassette tape slot, the player just seemed to eject it. I tried to use the CD-R King Car Cassette Adapter to our home stereo player, and guess what, it worked. Maybe it was our car stereo that's broken so I tried playing a cassette tape into it. But it worked as well.

So I went back to CD-R King branch where I bought the Car Cassette Adapter and requested for a replacement of the same item (the Car Cassette Adapter had a 1 week replacement period). The saleslady then replaced it upon my request, with the official receipt of course .

I tried everything all over again. But the problem was still not solved even with the new item.

Maybe the CD-R King Car Cassette Adapter wasn't just compatible with our car stereo. Too bad.

Other post related to CR-R King:

Encore Wireless G Router

My Flash Drive's Still Flashing

Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan Suspends Classes Due to AH1N1

It is true, the AH1N1 virus has already reached Xavier University, a top Jesuit school in Cagayan de Oro City. It is earlier reported that eight students from Xavier University High School at Pueblo campus were first confirmed to have the virus and then a tertiary faculty of the main campus. As of now, the all confirmed cases are now in quarantine. Xavier will suspend its classes for ten days starting July 16 and will resume on July 27.

To read more about this development, check Xavier University's official website. Click Here.

Smart Bro Plan 999 now up to 512kbps

Just last week, I noticed that there is an increase download speed with my Smart Bro Plan 999 as I was downloading some files. I checked out speedtest.net so I can verify my download speed. As you can see, the download has gone up to 0.53Mbps or approximately 530kbps from its previous average of 380kbps! I also checked Smart Bro website and there it was posted that Plan 999 is now up to 512kbps. Talk about good news.

Laptop SALE!

Hi guys! I'm selling one of computers, my ACER Aspire 4520 laptop. It's in its best condition with no history of bad handling for 10 months since I bought it brand new ( I've been taking care of it like a baby guys..).

Here is its specs:

Processor:
AMD Turion64 X2 Mobile Technology
AMD Turion64 X2 TL-58 (1.90GHz, 1Mb, L2 Cache) (arguably better than the common Intel Pentium Dual Core)

Video, RAM, Harddrive:
NVIDIA nForce® 610M
2.0Gb DDR2 667MHz
14.1in. WXGA TFT LCD -- CrystalBrite --
(1280 x 800 pixel resolution)
NVIDIA nForce® 610M (MCP67-MV)
NVIDIA GeForce® 7000M with up to 896Mb of TurboCache
80GB SATA HDD

Other Specs:
Built-in Super Multi Double Layer Drive
Built-in 56Kb Modem, Built in Gigabit LAN
Built-in Acer InviLink Wireless LAN (802.11b/g)
Built-in 5 in 1 Card Reader (MMC, SD, XD, MS, MS Pro)
Built-in New Acer CrystalEye Webcam supporting Acer PrimaLite Technology
Built-in Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Express Card Slot 54
4x USB 2.0 ports (most laptops have only 3 or less USB slots)
S/PDIF (Sony Philips Digital Interface)
External display (VGA) port
Headphones/speaker/line-out jack
Microphone-in jack
Line-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
Modem (RJ-11) port
FireWire (IEEE 1394) Port
S-Video Port
Weight 2.6Kgs.
choice of XP or Vista

with Free ACER BAG!
Free shipping for Cagayan de Oro area

all for only Php 25, 995 and still negotiable! Save at least Php4,000 (price reference: Laptopking.com.ph )

PRICE UPDATE!!

Now only Php 24,995

You can leave your comments or you can contact me at 09177514067 for more details.

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