Does Email Marketing Irritate You?

You are sleeping. Or perhaps, a sudden idea has just enlightened you and you are about to write that Palanca-winning story. Suddenly, your Mobile plays that "Humanap Ka Ng Pangit" ringtone which you use for your text messages.You hurry up to see the important message and you forget all the task at hand. When you looked at your inbox, it says: Subscribe to Smart's (or Globe's whichever service you prefer) new ringtones and get bla-bla-bla..."How would you feel?

Mobile service providers should not take advantage of the control they have over your messages. In the first place, SMS is not a free service so they do not have a right to send any marekting message at all unless the user has subscribed or has indicated his willingness to receive such messages.

Smart’s Plan 799 Not So Smart After All

I got frustrated with PLDT”s We Roam (which provides wireless access to the Internet) after I was told that the local computer shops no longer sell the gadget and that if ever they have one, it won’t fit in my HP-Compaq laptop and it’s not compatible since I have a Vista operating system.

Imagine my glee when I chanced upon Smart’s 799 Plan which provides wireless coverage. This means I can just plus the gadget not my USB and then I’m on. Very convenient especially during the Holiday Season when I would be going out of town and would be living behind my DSL connection.

A quick visit to Smart’s SM City Davao office however proved frustrating since the Plan is not yet available (READ: Gadget not yet sent by Manila). Initial payment is P1,999. Furthermore, the P799 monthly fee is only good for 40 hours per month. Wow! That means around P20 per hour of surfing the Internet and you pay P10 for every 30 minute excess. How’s that for “harang?”

The rate would have been more acceptable if this was a monthly plan but lo! There is a 24-month lockin period so that would mean two monthly payments for my DSL and the wireless connection which is not ideal since I can hook up with wifi in any Davao or Gensan café’ anytime.

I considered Globe’s Visibility months ago. It has an initial fee of P2,000, guaranteed fast connection anywhere there’s a Globe signal and a monthly fee of only P2,000 with unlimited Internet use. However it also has a lockin condition.

Compared with Smart’s 799 Plan, Globe’s Visibility is a bargain! If you surf for 10 hours a day (which I usually do in my line of work) then that would mean P6 per hour of comfortable Internet service, anytime, anywhere, But there’s the lockin hitch again.

Well, I just need to call PLDT again if they have made their WeRoam compatible with newer laptop models already. In the meantime, it means surfing and drinking coffee while I'm on vacation. Suggestions, anyone?