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This is the first time that I’m blogging and I’m not in front on my desktop PC (which rarely happens). I’m currently in Laguna right now (Calamba, Laguna to be specific) on a yearly summer family reunion. For readers not familiar with it, Laguna is a province located southeast of Metro Manila.

I’m using Smart’s 3G connection through my Nokia N95 connected to my laptop. Download speed is pretty decent at 384kbps though I can’t get a good VOIP call. It’s understandable since latency problem is common on a wireless connection and can be a big hindrance to VOIP and data streaming.

Smart’s Internet rate is also cheap at Php10 every 30 minutes which is almost the same with what you pay on Internet cafes these days. Smart 3G hotspots seems almost everywhere now. The 3G status on my phone didn’t drop from Manila to Laguna on a moving bus.

Since I arrived here, I already used my 3G connection for browsing, downloading AV updates and some PDF documents. Some of my cousins watched Youtube videos then listened to some online radio.

For Smart 3G users, here’s a list of 3G hotspots around the country. The list is updated from time to time and I have been using it for reference. For Globe users, you are not left out. Globe already announced that their GPRS/3G/HSDPA access is 5 pesos for every 15 minutes.

So far, I’m pretty happy with Smart’s wireless Internet offering and the freedom to be online almost everywhere. Service and coverage will definitely improve in the future. Have you use 3G to access the Internet or use it for a video call? What’s your experience?

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 4:08 am and is filed under Blog, Gadgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.