Headlines We Wish to See in 2015

Lazada Philippines

2015 is just around the corner and I’m sure that you are also hoping or wishing that the new year would bring better things compared to 2014. And for us at YugaTech, we are also looking forward to bringing you better news. So before we say goodbye to 2014, here are examples of headlines we wish to see in 2015.

Philippine Internet: One of the fastest in Asia – a lot has been said about the status of the Internet in the Philippines. We all know it is one of the slowest and most expensive among Asian countries. A lot of proposals were put in place this year like IP peering, law amendment, Senate bills, and increased budget allocation for the NTC. We’re hoping that the efforts exerted in 2014 will finally bear fruits in 2015.

Google Fiber to arrive in the Philippines – This may not happen next year but since the article is technically a wishlist, we can include Google’s Fiber Internet service which offers speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. Just imagine the things you can do with that kind of speed.

MRT to get new trains, upgraded systems – The aging MRT has been the talk of the town this year due to accidents, commuter inconveniences, and technical problems. Our lawmakers and corresponding government agencies are already aware of the problem and know that the mass transit system along EDSA needs a complete overhaul and upgrade. We just hope that the process goes quickly and efficiently so we can enjoy it next year.

Public transportation in the Philippines now safer, cleaner – It’s not just the MRT or LRT that needs improvement. Our public transportation needs a complete transformation as well. It is alarming to see the number of accidents and crimes that involves jeepneys, buses and taxis in 2014. Companies like Uber which provide better services compared to ordinary taxis are being restricted in the country. One of our wishes for 2015 is that our public transportation to drastically improve. We want to see more eco-friendly vehicles like the e-jeep and e-trike on the road as well.

SLEX to Baguio in 3 hours – If you Google “SLEX to Baguio”, the search result would show a travel time of 3 hours and 22 minutes, that is “without traffic”. Since the term “without traffic” is almost not applicable in all major roads in the country (like EDSA), the actual travel time could be significantly longer. This was experienced by Senate President Franklin Drilon who spent more than 11 hours on the road traveling from San Juan to Baguio. Drilon blamed the inefficient system of collecting toll fees in expressways and calls for a probe. Hopefully it works, so we can go to Baguio without spending the whole day on the road.

Freedom of Information bill passed into law – The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act aims to make the government transparent by mandating the disclosure of information pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as government research data used as a basis for policy development, regardless of its physical form or format. If passed into law, every Filipino will have the right to request such information from all government agencies, thus allowing them to participate and contribute in good governance. As of March 2014, the Senate passed the FOI bill on third and final reading. Hopefully the FOI Act finally becomes a law in 2015.

Project Ara officially launched – We’ve been reporting about the module-based smartphone that Google has been working on for quite a while now. A lot of people, including ourselves, have been looking forward to it not just because of its unique interchangeable parts that open up different possibilities, but also because building your own phone could generally be more affordable than current flagship models in the market. Finally seeing it available on store shelves would be something to look forward to.

Devices on Google Play now available in the Philippines – Not all of Google’s services are available here in the Philippines and one of them is Devices on Google Play which allows customers to purchase Google Nexus mobile devices, Chromebooks, other Google-branded hardware, and accessories. You can buy some of them through our local online sellers but you won’t be able to enjoy Google’s support and warranty for these devices. If Google can start selling their devices in the country, that would be great.

Solar-powered homes becoming more common in the Philippines – We reported in November about SM North EDSA being the largest solar-powered mall in the country. Now imagine if every household can also have access to solar-powered systems. We can now lower our electricity bills as well as contribute to the environment by utilizing clean and renewable energy. Solar-powered systems don’t come cheap though but since Pag-IBIG now offers loans for purchase of solar panels, the idea isn’t too far-fetched.

Filipino students can now study at home using the Internet – In June, we wrote about House Bill 4161 that aims to institutionalize the open electronic learning school system that allows students to receive the educational services they need without having to go to their classes regularly. Once the Bill is enacted into law, hopefully in 2015, the new system will allow students to study on their own without having to regularly attend class in conventional classrooms. Students can use the Internet and other multimedia technologies as a learning alternative.

How about you guys, what headlines do you wish to see in 2015? Share your thoughts in the comments field below.

Kevin Francisco contributed to this post.

The post Headlines We Wish to See in 2015 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Good: Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

Despite of a few forgettable moments this year, there are still a handful of things that we can thankful for in 2014.

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are not arranged in any particular manner.

Rise of the Cheap But Feature-packed Smartphones – The mid-range and entry-level smartphone segment in the Philippines have been mostly dominated by the local players thanks to the aggressive pricing of their devices. Butg that changed dramatically after the arrival of the Xiaomi Mi3 and the Asus ZenFone lineup, more specifically the ASUS ZenFone 5, in the country.

mi3_9

The ZenFone 5 and Xiaomi Mi3 are testaments that smartphones with decent build quality and respectable engine setup don’t always have to be expensive. This, obviously, made these handsets crowd-favorites and sold like pancakes when it became available in the local market.

Slowly Getting There – Since last year, we’ve been keeping track of the reports that Akamai has been publishing, which gives us an bird’s eye view of the current situation of internet connectivity both here and abroad.

In their most recent report that was published last October, they’ve shown that the average internet speed here in the country for the first half of 2014 was at 2.5Mbps. It’s not a huge jump to say the least, but it’s more than 1Mbps better than the average speed we have over the same period last year.

Filipinos are Now Lemon-proof – like most of you, we’re also waiting for the day that the Freedom of Information bill will finally become a law. But while we’re all waiting for that to happen, it’s good to know that useful house bills such as the HB4082, or what is known today as the Republic Act 10642 or the Philippine Lemon Law, was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Image credit: freep.com

Image credit: freep.com

The Philippine Lemon Law of 2014 “seeks to protect consumers in the sale of motor vehicles against sales and trade practices that are deceptive, unfair, or otherwise inimical to the consumers and the public interest.” The bill makes sure that cars have until the first 12 months or 20,000 kilometers (whichever comes first) that a warranty will be honored.

Much OPTIONS. So BETTER. WOW. – The success of the local players in the consumer electronic scene in the past couple of years has paved the way to up and coming brands/companies. In 2014 alone, three new brands we’re added to the growing number of local players in the market which includes Blackview, Happy Mobile and BS Mobile, not to mention the introduction of some note-worthy Chinese brands like Xiaomi, as well as Meizu, THL and Zopo courtesy of Novo7 Tech.

Free Access/Bandwidth Allocation – Even before local telcos started to be more strict in implementing the Fair Use Policy, they’ve provided their respective subscribers free access to a few commonly used websites and social networking sites.

In 2014 though, both Globe and Smart have ramped up their initiatives. The latter has announced that they’re providing their subscribers with 30MB of data allocation everyday, on top of giving free access to Wiki.

globe-freefbisback

Globe Telecom, on the other hand, has revived the Free Facebook Promo which gives users access to the country’s most popular social media site at no extra charge (provided that the user will not click on an outbound link) and without the need for any SMS subscription.

Although there’s really no substitute for unlimited data allocation (which we all deserve, considering the price we pay for mobile internet here), these small initiatives certainly helps in managing the limited bandwidth that we are allocated every month.

In addition to the initiatives listed above, various organizations are also pitching in to further improve the current situation of internet access in the country. There’s the recently-inked partnership between Smart Communications and the University of the Philippines which will bring free Wi-Fi access in various UP campuses, and the Department of Science and Technology’s plan of putting up Free Metro Manila WiFi Act of 2014.

The post The Good: Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of . Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

header

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste on their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

globe-fup

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation on the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Old PC

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none is probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

MRT Derailed

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might’ve overlooked these two just a little bit.

ZTESaleDavao

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were not sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.

The post The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of . Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

header

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste on their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

globe-fup

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation on the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Old PC

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none is probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

MRT Derailed

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might’ve overlooked these two just a little bit.

ZTESaleDavao

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were not sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.

The post The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

Lazada Philippines

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of . Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

header

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste on their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

globe-fup

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation on the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Old PC

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none is probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

MRT Derailed

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might’ve overlooked these two just a little bit.

ZTESaleDavao

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were not sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.

The post The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.