Now, you can stop worrying about costly landline calls for you can already get an unlimited mobile and landline in only one SIM with Sun Double Unlimited. It's easy to apply for one. If you're a postpaid subscriber, you can enroll to get your own Sun Double Unlimited by dialing *738# or you can type SDU ON and send to 2738. You'll only be charged P249.00 a month on top of your monthly billing.

Lock-in period for this landline subscription is six months.

Related post: Introducing Sun Double Unlimited.

Labels: news

published by dodong flores @ 1:56:00 AM | Permalink | 0 Comments | Links to this post

Now, you can send email even without Internet using your Sun cellular phone. It's called SMS2EMAIL.

Text <email address> <your message> and send to 2575. Example: nospam@suncellulartips.net Hi, this is just a test to see if it works . After typing the message, send it to 2575. It's easy as that.

Since you're only using SMS, you'll only be charged P1.00 for every message send.

Labels: How To

published by dodong flores @ 4:21:00 PM | Permalink | 0 Comments | Links to this post

It was jazz an ordinary day. The skies were clear, the birds were chipping. Ang ganda-ganda ng araw! Nasa SM ako noon at katatapos ko lang mamili ng groceries. Timing naman nasa foodcore si Angel Locsin, nagpro-provoke ng movie nya. Grabe, andaming fans, pull-packed talaga! Dahil fans nya rin ako, nakipila rin ako.

Then suddenly, out of the loo, may bumulong sa akin ng: "Indaaaayyyy. ......"
Huh? It sounded like a familiar sound. Who can it be now?
"Dodong!" sigaw ko.

Napalakas yata voice ko. Kasi the other fans turned their backs to their behind at napatingin sa amin. Sabi ko "Sorry, I didn't mean to be loud and proud." Hinawakan na lang ni Dodong ang kamay ko at lumayo kami from the crowd.

"Kamusta na Inday? Do you come here open? tanong nya.
"Bihira lang, Dodong. I'm just droppings by. Ethnic and schedule ko eh" sabi ko.

Memories came flushing in my mind. How can I forget to remember Dodong? Siya na may mata ni Piolo, dimple ni Aga, at bigote ni Rex Cortez. he's every woman's dreamboat. I was just starting my tour of duty kay ate noon nang unang makilala ko si Dodong. Contraction worker siya sa ginagawang bahay sa tapat namin. Naging kami for a while then after that were not an item anymore.

"Tanghali na Inday. What did you say we have lunch together?" tanong ni Dodong. "I don't mine" sagot ko.

Sa restaurant, nilapitan kaagad kami ng waiter. "What's your odor sir?" sabi nung waiter kay Dodong.

"Do you have porkshop?" tanong ni Dodong. "Yes sir" sabi nito. "Our porkshop with a resistance to the teeth of boast of our chef. Domestic careful selection of pork with little fat of female liking is used. The exquisite cooking which repeated trial and error and was completed. it also has healthy vegetables with salad feeling fully" dagdag niya.

"And you mam?" sabay tingin naman sa akin.
Hmmm... mukhang masarap yung porkshop. Pero I'm cutting down on my carbon kaya pinigilan ko.
"I'll just have water, thanks. Liquidate diet ako eh." sagot ko.

Pagkatapos kumain, nagyaya si Dodong manood ng sine. Teka teka, this is going too far. Besides, it's a long, long way to run.

"Reality chess, Dodong. May asawa na ako, si Jay. As a mother of fact, I'm happily married" pagmamalaki ko. "Di na pwede yung tulad ng dati. Sorry pero I didn't expect you still have more feelings than I expected. i don't want you getting the way. Past is fast. Therefore, cause and defect." dagdag ko pa.

Tumahimik sya. Parang may language barrel na namagitan sa amin. The seconds that passed seemed like fraternity. Di nagla-on, nagsalita na rin sya.

"I don't care less!" sigaw ni Dodong. Shocks, give me a brake! The nerd ng taong ito para sigawan ako! To think it's his other woman that caused our separation to part.

Kinabahan na ako. I felt speedbumps all over my body and was having panic attach. Tinalikuran ko siya at nagmadali akong lumakad palayo. Pero sumunod pa rin siya like a monkey on my butt. Hanggang sa makakita ako ng security guard. Biglang nawala si Dodong.

"Excuse me kuya, pwedeng magtanong?" sabi ko sa mamang guard.
"Of course miss, I can help you with my pleasure." sagot niya.
"Saan po ba ang exit? Could you point me to the right erection? I got lost in my eyes."
"Diretso lang." sabi niya. "Then turn right anytime with care."
"Thanks for your corporation" sabi ko.

Buti na lang nandun si kuya. Pero saglit lang, I smell something peachy. As I turned, nakita ko na namang nakasunod si Dodong! Delaying static lang pala kanina ang pag disappear nya.

"Nyahahaha! You can run but you can hide, Inday. No matter where you go, there you are!" pananakot nya.

Oh no, is this the end? This is too much, I feel degradable. My world started falling afar.

Then suddenly, Jay come from behind! Dodong was caught to the act! In the matter of minute, it's all over. I'm out of arm's way.

"Thanks Jay, my love. But how did you?" bago pa man ako matapos, sabi niya:
"I was in the neighborhood. Fans din ako ni Angel eh. I heard you shout but at first I didn't give it a thought. Pero nang makita ko kayong magkahawak ng holding hands, then i give it a thought. I know something is a missed."

From then on, Dodong did not brother me again. In fact, he didn't even sister me. As in platonic at wala na talaga. Pero kami ni Jay, heto, shoot sailing pa rin ang relationship. Lalo pa ngayon, open na kami sa isa't-isa at walang exhibitions. i feel I'm on cloud.

Labels: humor

published by dodong flores @ 4:14:00 PM | Permalink | 3 Comments | Links to this post

Our country was devastated by two typhoons, Ondoy and Pepeng that both hit our country just a week apart. People who were caught offguard were victimized by the calamity. Won't it be cool if we received news update through our phone? Yes, network operators are offering such service for a fee. What about a totally free news update?

Gerry Chua aka Mr. Ube started TXT FIRE, an SMS Dispatch Server whose primary task is to inform people especially responders the information regarding fire incidents. Information such as Location, Time and Status of Fire is also specified. It is the world's first dispatch system through SMS.

If you subscribe to TXT FIRE, also known as Ube News, not only you would be receiving news about fire incidents but feeds to the most latest news headlines as well. Subscribing to TXT FIRE is free.

Here's how to subscribe to Ube News:

Type REG FIRSTNAME SURNAME ADDRESS then send to 0922-6888888
e.g. REG MARIO CARPIO Boni Avenue Mandaluyong

Not only that you would receive news updates from Mr. Ube, once you're in the active subscribers' list, you can also report a fire incident. To report a fire:

Type REPORT EXACT LOCATION then send to 0922-6888888
e.g. REPORT 888 Zaragosa St. XXXXX City

You can also inquire where a fire incident is. To know about a fire incident:

Type FIRE and send to 0922-6888888

When you subscribe to Ube News, not only you would be receiving news, but you may be able to help save lives as well. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe na! Now na!!!

Labels: How To

published by dodong flores @ 12:14:00 PM | Permalink | 0 Comments | Links to this post

You can use your Sun Cellular phone as modem to access the Internet on your laptop. Attach your phone to your computer (via cable, Bluetooth, or the old infrared connection) and setup its PC Suite software. Use "minternet" as access point name and then connect. Setup may vary per phone model. You also need to set your phone to connect to 3G network for faster access.

Connection charges is only P10.00 per 30 minutes.

Labels: How To

published by dodong flores @ 5:27:00 PM | Permalink | 0 Comments | Links to this post

My use of POP3 mail client can be traced back in 1995 since the organization I worked with was subscribed to a 33.6kbps dial-up Internet service. Back then, I was using the proprietary software provided by the Internet service provider so I can download e-mail to the computer. Then, there was Outlook Express, MS Outlook, Netscape Messenger, and Eudora that are far intuitive and flexible than the e-mail client provided to us by the ISP.

My Years with E-mail Clients

In my 14 years of online life, e-mail technology had changed a lot. In this era of fast broadband and unlimited connection, it was getting easier to access e-mail via web interface. Some of the younger generations don't even know that emails were once downloaded to your own computer for offline reading therefore saving the the subscribed limited time of Internet connection. On a personal note, here's my timeline in using email client:

• mid-1995 to mid-1996 - the organization I worked with was subscribing to a 30 hours a month Internet connection from an ISP based in Paranaque. We were only provided one ISP-based e-mail address. I forgot the name of that ISP.
• mid-1996 to mid-1998 - we changed our ISP to the Makati-based Virtual Asia. We were only provided one ISP-based e-mail address for our organization. We subscribed to a 40 hours a month connection service. Organization e-mail messages were downloaded using Outlook Express while we staff started to use the arising web-based free email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and then usa.net. I also have a Geocities e-mail that came with Geocities' free hosting service (unfortunately, Geocities service will be terminated on October 26, 2009).
• mid-1998 - our organization subscribed to a 56kbps dial-up but dedicated leased line provided by Netgazer, an ISP based in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Our LAN was getting an unlimited Internet connection for the first time and everyone was getting happy about it. I bought a new 200MHz Toshiba Sattelite Pro, the fastest laptop at that time and was connected to the unlimited Internet connection through LAN.
• 1999 - I was hired by the now defunct Mabuhay Internet based in Quezon City. I did have the virtual world in my hands at that time. Except for web-based e-mail service provider, downloading e-mail client was already a habit.
• 2000 - I transferred to another work in Pasig City. The company I was working for subscribed to a dial-up Pacific Internet and was using Eudora as e-mail client.
• 2001 - I was working in Iloilo and personally subscribed to the reloadable plan of Camp Internet. It was a prepaid system but they provided their client one e-mail account with access to POP3 and SMTP.
• 2003 - I was backed in Manila jobless but was in high spirit to support a pioneering Japanese advertising agency based in Manila. I was able to subscribe to a 56kbps dial-up but unlimited connection by Tri-Isys and we were given three free e-mail accounts. Downloading email using Outlook Express was already a habit.
• 2004 - I was hired in a travel agency that subscribed to the pioneer in wireless Internet, the Meridian Telekoms which is using Sendfar Antenna to receive signal from its base station. There was no e-mail included in the package and POP3 and SMTP access didn't work. At that time, the travel agency was subscribing to three premium Edsamail e-mail accounts that are actually supporting POP3 and SMTP access using a dial-up Internet connection. But it simply didn't work with Meridian Telekoms. Travel agency staff accessed their premium Edsamail e-mail account through web browser.
• 2005-2006 - I transferred to another work and backed to subscribing unlimited Tri-Isys dial-up Internet connection. I subscribed the service for personal use though I was using it at work. The rest of the staff were using Internet prepaid cards. With Tri-Isys backed in service to me, back were the happy days of downloading e-mail messages to my computer using e-mail client software.
• 2007 - Our company subscribed to the canopy-type SmartBro so I terminated my subscription to Tri-Isys. With the new Internet connection with SmartBro, I found out that while I could download my e-mails using POP3, I couldn't send email using SMTP. Even my IMAP connection with Lycos UK (now defunct / was offering IMAP access in their free e-mail service) and Hotmail wouldn't work. So I started accessing via the web all of my email accounts and I totally forgot opening up my Outlook Express to download e-mail.
• April 2009 to present - My wife gave me a Sun Broadband Wireless as birthday present. After I had it configured in my computer, I remember to check if Sun Broadband Wireless is granting access to POP3 and SMTP protocols. So I popped out my Outlook Express which was never exercised for two years. The email client started to download thousands of e-mail messages - even those I already opened web-based. Even sending email using SMTP also worked without glitch. It was pure magic and I was very much relieved. I wouldn't want to go back into the days where I have to open more than 30 e-mail accounts (don't get me wrong! I technically maintain a lot of web sites!) in the web browser.
  Back in my work place, I tried SmartBro if it would already work with POP3 and SMTP, and it already did! Now, I'm back with my happy days downloading e-mail through Outlook Express (I'm using Mozilla Thunderbird too!).

Why E-mail Client?

1. Clients like MS Outlook, Outlook Express, or Mozilla Thunderbird are generally a little faster in retrieving messages because they reside in your computer.
2. E-mail messages and the e-mail files are kept inside your computer hard drive that you may be able to read at a later time even if Internet connection is not available. This is very useful especially for people on the go like me.
3. E-mail client is very useful when you maintain more than 30 e-mail account just like me (vanity and ISP-based combined). You only need one e-mail client to download all the messages from different e-mail accounts. Needless to say, you don't need to open up more than 30 tabs or windows of your favorite web browsers to check your e-mail messages across all accounts.
4. The comfort of having all emails in one centralized location, being able to flag messages, send 'read' receipts, as well as getting notified when new mail arrives.
5. Contacts are saved in the address book of the e-mail client that you may scan in your computer anytime even if you're not connected to the Internet.
6. Other features include Calendars, Tasks, etc that you may be able to access even if you're offline.

Web-Based E-mail

Some users prefer accessing their e-mail via the web for the following reasons:

1. All the information such as messages and contact details are virtually stored in the web and are safe even if your computer crashed.With e-mail clients like what we mentioned above, you won't be able to retrieve anything if your computer crashed. You'll be luckier though if your mail client does not delete the messages from the mail server so you may be able to download it again.
2. Free storage, unlike downloading all your e-mail into your computer wherein you should take responsibility of your own storage media.
3. Specialized features of the web-based e-mail such as built-in instant messenger and etc. that you may not be able to enjoy with standard "e-mail downloader."

Personally, I don't think that one is absolutely better than the other. This is just a matter of preference. Most younger generations are already happier checking their e-mail accounts based on the web, and I respected that. But those who would like to learn the tricks of the old school, this is what this tutorial is all about. So how do we get started? If you're presently subscribed to DSL services, it is most likely that an ISP-based e-mail account is automatically assigned to you and may be already working with your present e-mail client such as MS Outlook or Outlook Express. Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Gmail, and even Google Apps e-mail can also be accessed via POP3 and SMTP protocol. You just need to its settings. In this tutorial, I'm using my Google Apps email here as an example.

A) Enable POP in Gmail (or in my case, my Google Apps email).

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
3. Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
   
   
4. Select Enable POP for all mail or Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on.
5. Choose the action you'd like your Gmail messages to take after they are accessed with POP.
6. Save Changes.

B) Set up your Outlook Express client to work with Gmail

Note: Google Apps users may follow the default instructions unless otherwise noted.

1. Make sure you already had enabled POP in your email account (the instruction above) before you proceed into this setup. Don't forget to click Save Changes when you're done.
2. Open Outlook or Outlook Express.
3. Click the Tools menu, and select Accounts...
4. Click Add, and then click Mail...
   
5. Enter your name in the Display name: field, and click Next.
   
6. 6. Click the radio button besides I already have an e-mail address that I'd like to use. Enter your full Gmail email address (yourusername@gmail.com) in the Email address: field, and click Next. In this particular screenshot where I am using my Google Apps email as an example, I enter my full e-mail address in this format: 'flores@gph.org.ph'
   
7. Enter pop.gmail.com in the Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP or HTTP) server: field. Enter smtp.gmail.com in the Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: field. Google Apps users should enter the server names provided below. This should not be confused with your own domain name.
   
8. Click Next.
9. Enter your full email address: Gmail user may enter yourusername@gmail.com. In my example where I am using Google Apps email, I entered my full email address flores@gph.org.ph in the Account name: field. Enter your email password in the Password: field, and click Next.
   
10. Click Finish.
11. Highlight pop.gmail.com under Account, and click Properties.
    
12. 12. Click the Advanced tab.
13. Fill in the following information:*
• Check the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL) under Outgoing Mail (SMTP).
• Enter 465 in the Outgoing mail (SMTP): field.
• Under Outgoing Mail (SMTP), check the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL).
• Under Incoming mail (POP3), check the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL). The port will change to 995.
• Change the Server Timeout from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
• You may check Leave a copy of the messages on server.



*The order of Outgoing and Incoming mail server fields varies by version. Make sure you enter the correct information in each field.

14. Return to the Servers tab, and check the box next to My server requires authentication.
    
15. Click the General tab. Under Mail Account, rename pop.gmail.com to another one that you would like to refer into this server. This is very useful especially if you have setup several e-mail accounts in your Outlook Express. In this example, I just renamed the default pop.gmail.com into gph.org.ph mail
    
16. Click Apply and then OK.

Congratulations! You're done configuring your client to send and retrieve Gmail and/or Google Apps messages.

If POP isn't working properly for you, please ensure that your settings are identical to those listed below. Even small differences may prevent Gmail's POP service from functioning properly.

The tutorial on how to configure your Outlook Express with Gmail and/or Google Apps e-mail that can be found above is following the information that was taken from Gmail Help.A summary is also available below.

E-Mail Accounts tab

Outgoing Server tab

Advanced tab

Important: This e-mail client settings are tested using SmartBro, Sun Wireless Broadband, and a variety of Internet prepaid dial-up access. So far, it worked 100% as expected. If this doesn't work with you, don't ask me. Call your Internet service provider.

Labels: How To

published by dodong flores @ 7:41:00 PM | Permalink | 2 Comments | Links to this post

Don't miss the chances that life is giving you to spend with people you love.

Remember there are no rewinds...

Labels: inspirational message

published by dodong flores @ 6:42:00 AM | Permalink | 2 Comments | Links to this post

Sun Broadband Wireless Doesn't Work with Torrent

Whether you are a Sun Broadband Wireless (SBW) user or not, you probably must have heard about SBW users complaining about very slow connection speed, connection “throttling” (e.g. when you try to download huge files i.e. torrent, software, etc., the download stream will slow down dramatically); cannot use video chat service; cannot play online games; FTP clients won't connect to FTP ports, etc.

As for the torrent issues with all SBW subscribers, I can only assume that Sun Broadband restricts/blocks/controls torrent listening ports to screen for any abuse or misuse so that the bandwith can be easily shared by all subscribers in any vicinity. I've read from one forum that Sun deliberately restricts file-sharing bandwidth during peak hours to prioritize browsing.

Simply put, that's where their fair usage policy comes in.

Sun Broadband Wireless Doesn't Work with FTP

Personally, I’m not too concerned with the torrents download or online games. As a web developer, my main concern is to gain FTP access to web sites that I presently maintained. And since all of my FTP clients wouldn't work when I'm connected to the Internet using my Sun Broadband Wireless, I resorted to find an FTP client with http and https protocols. Then I came across Fire FTP. FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client that works as plugin for Mozilla Firefox. It provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers. Please see the screen capture below (click to enlarge):

Before my wife signed the lock contract for the SBW subscription (the SBW subscription by the way is a birthday gift from my wife), we read the contract thoroughly and were fully aware that the Internet connection I'm availing would be somehow limited due to the so-called Fair Usage Policy. It is important that every subscriber read the contract verbatim. I have heard that most subscribers would just sign the contract given to them without even reading a part of it.

Factors Affecting Your Internet Connection

We used to live in East Rembo, Makati and I didn't experience downtime so far. My connection problem started when we moved to our new home in Pasig. There was zero signal inside our house especially in our dining area. I can only get sufficient signal when I'd bring my laptop down the road. But of course, who will do computer works at the road side? Inside our bedroom, I could get weak signal if I extend my SBW usb dongle outside our window (click the thumbnail to enlarge photo). Obviously, the culprit are the two towering houses on both sides of our apartment that must have blocked the wireless signal. For a wireless Internet connection to work properly, location is a primary consideration. Fortunately, or unfortunately, some areas could be better spot than others. It's a fact of life.

Other factors that could affect the speed of Sun Broadband wireless (and of any wireless broadband thus far) is the Internet traffic, GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA signal, hardware conditions, software settings, etc. An article with tips and comments relating to Sun Cellular’s unlimited mobile broadband service is available here for us to read: How To Speed up your Sun Broadband Wireless (SBW) mobile broadband connection.

What Works Best For You

If you're already a SBW subscriber who would want to enjoy torrent downloads, I'm pretty sure the download "throttling" may only disappoint you. Some users were bypassing it though, trying to work around a virtual portal or VPN or figured out what particular ports of their torrent downloader worked best.

If you are presently subscribed to a wired Internet connection and wished to migrate to a wireless service, you should weigh your priorities before making the leap. If you are for Internet mobility, then wireless service is best suited for you. But if you are a hard-core online gaming fanatic, you better stick with your present DSL subscription. It’s a known fact among online gamers that wireless internet is not the best for network gaming.

Lastly, if you're a SBW subscriber who is always getting pissed off with slow connection, you may also try checking your network settings. If you do not fix the signal to WCDMA sometimes it will use other network signal such as EDGE GPRS and causes an extremely downfall in the speed. You should always set up your modem first. Here's a simple workaround:

WCDMA
Go to...
1. Options
2. Network
3. Network Type => change from WCDMA preferred to WCDMA only
4. Band = All bands
5. Connect it.
6. You're done!
(otherwise see the step-by-step installation procedure here)

Lastly (again), in my humble experience, Sun Broadband is still better in its connection compared to SmartBro.

Labels: How To

published by dodong flores @ 12:36:00 AM | Permalink | 14 Comments | Links to this post

Today is September 9, 2009.

9th day of the month,

9th month of the year,

9th year of the century,

9th year of the millenium,

9 o'clock in the evening.

May your blessings multiply 9x9x9.

Please greet all people close to you. This only comes once in 100 years...

Labels: inspirational message

published by dodong flores @ 9:09:00 PM | Permalink | 0 Comments | Links to this post