Meralco opens 1st Electric Car Charging Station

Yesterday, Meralco officially opened it’s first public charging station for electric cars. Officially called Meralco eVehicle Power Station, the charging station is located inside the Meralco Compound in Pasig City.

As more and more electric cars and hybrid cars are being sold in the Philippines, the need for more accessible charging stations like this one becomes evident.


Shown above is a Tesla Model S owned by MVP being charged in the station. Image by TopGear.com.ph.

Electric vehicles like the eTrikes in Taguig and the eJeepneys that ply the routes of Makati are the among the few ones that will benefit from this, alongside other commercial units from Honda or Toyota. On a related note, the hybrid Honda CR-Z will be launching next week with a starting price of Php1.4 Million.

Charging is done on a “per kilowatt” basis with a flat rate of about Php12/kWHr.

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Sierra Wireless 4G/LTE pocket WiFi review

While scouring the web for good gadget deals, my friend came across this rather inexpensive 4G/LTE pocket Wi-Fi from Sierra Wireless/NetGear that’s being sold for only Php5,000 at Sulit. But apparently, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

This pocket WiFi is known by many names, as is the case for most devices being sold in the US, especially if it’s adopted by one of the major telcos there. Its official model name is AirCard® 754S Mobile Hotspot. It was initially a part of Sierra Wireless’ AirCard portfolio, but is now being retailed by NetGear after it acquired the entire lineup from Sierra.

aircard 754s

Design and Construction

Compared to the other Pocket WiFis that we’ve used in the past, the AirCard® 754S has a more premium build, or at least that’s what the impression it gave us the moment we lift it from its box. The glossy front panel, which houses its 1.7-inch display, is properly complemented by rubbery matte finish that coats the majority of the device.

The sides are slightly tapered which makes it easier to pick up from a flat surface. The maker also gave its flanks some ridges which not only add a touch of style to the whole facade, but also makes the device easier to grip.

The top panel houses the fairly large Power button, accompanied by Mute/Sound toggle switch. Meanwhile, the micro-USB port is placed at the bottom and sits in between a pair of antenna ports tucked underneath a rubber cap.

lte pocket wifi

There’s an engraved “Sierra Wireless” logo at the top of the battery compartment door. Slide it open and it will reveal the AirCard® 754S’ 1800mAh power pack with the full-sized SIM card slot below it.

Performance

Being marketed in the US, one of the top concerns that I had when I saw this being sold online is if it’ll work on our local LTE frequency. I already knew that there’s a big possibility that LTE won’t work after seeing its specs sheet that the only supported LTE frequencies are 700/1700MHz. But my friend insisted to give it a shot, so I decided to meet the seller to check the item myself.

During our “meet-up”, I tried two LTE-enabled SIM cards and both were immediately recognized by the device. Next, I went on to test if it can operate in our local LTE frequencies by running a bunch of SpeedTest. To get a baseline, I ran the test on the LTE handset first which had my Globe SIM inside. I then put the same SIM in the AirCard® 754S.

test1

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a definitive result as the average speed (1.5Mbps DL – 400Kbps UL) I got was too low to convince me that I am indeed on LTE. However, it’s worth noting that both devices displayed 4G on the signal during the tests which led me to think that it may just be a location-related concern. That I said, I still went on to purchase the item, hoping that my friend was right about the product.

As soon I got home (where I’m certain that I have LTE signal), I immediately ran a SpeedTest using my PC while connected to the mobile hotspot with the same Globe SIM that I’ve used during our transaction. After that I switch the SIM to an LTE handset, enabled the wireless tethering and did same test. I did the same routine for 4 hours, testing each device once every hour.

Much like the first test, the first three results were a bit inconclusive, as far as the DL speed is concerned. However, I noticed that I’m getting significantly higher upload speeds on the LTE handset as compared to the AirCard® 754S. That trend went on until I reached the 4th hour mark where there’s already a considerable discrepancy between the two device’s DL and UL speed.

Battery Life

The AirCard® 754S’ 1800mAh battery was able to give us 4 hours of mileage on a single full charge. We were able to use it for two full hours before last week’s Google press event, finished the entire live streamed conference and still have something left for an hour’s worth of casual browsing.

Sierra Wireless AirCard® 754S specs:
Network compatibility: LTE, HSPA+, HSPA, UMTS, EDGE & GPRS
Supported Frequency bands:
• LTE 700/1700MHz (AWS)
• UMTS 850/1900/2100MHz
• EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• GPS 1575MHz
Max. Uplink speed: 50Mbps
Max. Downlink speed: 100Mbps
1.77-inch colored LCD, 160x129px
Micro-SD card slot
Supported OS: Microsoft XP and up, Mac OS v10.5 and up & Ubuntu Linux 9.04
1800mAh replaceable battery
Dimension: 57 x 96 x 16.5 mm
Weight: 102.05g

Conclusion

It’s such a shame that the AirCard® 754S, with its well-constructed body, just turned out to be just another pocket WiFi that is only capable of HSPA+ speed, for our country at least. Unless you’re planning to use the device in a country that has 700/1700MHz frequency or Smart/Globe just decided to add such frequency on their arsenal, we think that this pocket WiFi just isn’t worth your dough.

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Huawei donates cloud-based computer to DepEd

Huawei, a well-known Chinese networking and telecommunications equipment company, has recently donated a cloud-based computer system to the Department of Education (DepEd).

This is made possible through the DepEd’s Adopt-a-School program (ASP) which gives private entities the opportunity to become active partners in providing assistance, either on a short–term or long–term basis to various concerns in public education.

huawei deped

Huawei’s Cloud-based Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) system consists of 50 terminal units composed only of monitor, keyboard, mouse, and adaptor. According to Huawei, the system can save energy and improve efficiency since the terminals do not need a CPU. The company also believes that it is an ideal platform to deliver learning modules to public schools.

The cloud-based computer system costs Php8 million and will be installed at the DepEd central office first for testing.

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DATA A DAY: How many SONAs by Marcos?

THOSE WHO LIVED THROUGH the Marcos years would probably remember how Marcos seemed to have been president forever. Elected to his first term in 1965, Ferdinand E. Marcos won a second term in 1969. He declared Martial Law three years later, effectively allowing him an extension that ran for the next fourteen years.

With a presidency that spans 21 years, Marcos would logically have given the most number of State of the Nation Addresses of any president of the Republic.

So now the question for today’s Data a Day:

In all, how many State of the Nation Addresses did President Ferdinand Marcos deliver?

That should be a fairly easy question to answer. Those who want to double check may go to our MoneyPolitics online website, or go straight to the site’s answer page here.

J.Co Philippines opens 12th store in Glorietta 2!

J.Co Dozen

The phenomenally delicious J.Co Donuts & Coffee has opened its 12th store in the Philippines and its second spot in the Makati area. Find it in Glorietta 2 facing Fairmont Hotel. At 236 sq.m., it’s certainly spacious and ideal for meeting with friends or simply hanging out – whether indoors or al fresco.

We were there during the opening and along with the other guests, got entertained by the antics of DJ/host Sam YG and athletes Gretchen Ho and Robi Domingo. They engaged everyone in a lively game of tic-tac-toe where the bestselling J.Co Donuts were the stars of the game.

J.Co Glorietta

I also bonded with my favorite fellow bloggers Rowena of animetric.me and Michelle of mrs-martinez.com. For being loyal supporters of J.Co Donuts, we got Perk Me Up Passes entitling us to one year’s supply of J.Co Donuts and drinks….. yehaaay!

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Aside from Glorietta 2, J.Co’s existing branches are in SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 3, TriNoma, SM City Fairview, Alabang Town Center, Eastwood City, The District-Cavite, Centrio Mall in Cagayan de Oro City, SM City North EDSA, and SM City Pampanga.

More stores are also scheduled to open in the following locations: Araneta Center, UPIS Katipunan Ave., UN Ave., SM Southmall, Greenhills, and General Santos City.

Established in 2005, the Indonesian based J.CO Donuts & Coffee has become the fastest growing donut and coffee chain throughout South East Asia, operating a total of 125 branches in Indonesia, 12 in Malaysia, 4 in Singapore, and 2 in China. In 2012, the J.CO Donuts & Coffee chain opened their first flagship store in SM Megamall.