a smarter alternative
most of you might have seen the smart bro prepaid ad and are wondering if it really is too good to be true. the starter kit is priced at php4500 preloaded with php30. broadband internet use is php10 for every 30 minutes. afterwards, your usage will be based on your purchasing power for a prepaid card. i was able to give it a try and believe me, you're better off using dial-up. i'm not going into details on how slow the service is. just imagine, i accessed friendster and it took 10 minutes to load the login page. not a smart choice at all.
but here's a better alternative from smart if you really want wireless internet with "tolerable" speed. yes, i'm saying tolerable, not broadband. if you have a nokia 3g phone, you're off to a good start. the thing is, smart bro prepaid uses the same signal that carries their 3g services (video call, video streaming, wap). all you have to do is install the nokia pc suite (it comes with your phone kit) on your pc, plug your phone via usb, connect to the net and wallah, you're all set. but don't expect this to have the same speed that you have when browsing at the office. it's far better than dial-up but it won't compare to dsl. if you want dsl, go get dsl, period. it has the same rate as using your 3g phone as internet modem.
although i say this as a better alternative, there's a downside when using your 3g phone as a modem. though you can still receive call and sms, the lifespan of your phone will be dramatically affected as it is used everytime it needs to connect to the internet. better have your charger with you all the time when doing this. you can either use your 3g phone as a modem, or buy the kit from them and use that as an internet modem. same rate, no lock-in period.
