Expatriate Living in Philippines

How to be permanently connected to E Mail anywhere in the Philippines

People are starting to ask me about Push E Mail, for those that don’t know, Push e mail is the next evolution in smartphone/pocket PC technology, RIM in Canada pioneered this very well with the blackberry range of devices, I suppose there is something to be said for having a e mail delivered to your windows mobile phone/pocket PC, or other Symbian smartphone device, the minute it arrives at the server, after all, you would want to know what the latest Soccer scores were, or that your friend had his dentist appointment cancelled, that sort of thing, or maybe it was financial information that you needed quickly, corporate communication centres have very much made use of push e mail for their roving staff out and about doing business.

The thing about the Blackberry exchange server is that the service was generally expensive, unless your corporate provider was picking up the bill, for most of us, we want a service where its low cost and even free, and actually works, most of us who want mobile e mail, tend to pick it up on send and receive when we check with our POP3 provider, POP3 which means Post Office Protocol, is where we log into our ISP e mail server, i.e. mail.btinternet.com or mail.microsoft.com and check for our mail, when mail is present, we can then download the header and subject heading, this automatically downloads to our smartphone/PDA/Pocket Pc, if you then want to download the full content, you click on the attachment and it will be sent to your phone.

So whats wrong with that ? after all, you do have the benefit of checking the server for mail whenever you want it, and surely if anyone wants to tell you something that important, surely they would call you wouldn’t they ?

And do you really need to know that instant, that the wife has asked you to pick up a loaf of bread and a carton of milk on your way home from work, I am being the comedian I know, its all about being connected and being instantly aware of critical information.

This is where PUSH E MAIL comes in, instead of you having to physically tap a connection to your server and collect any e mail, push e mail notify’s you the minute an e mail is received at the server, and actually Pushes it out to your handheld device.

So for techies how does it work ?

Historically access to Exchange 2003 has been through a synchronisation mechanism whereby your device would contact the server at a pre-defined interval between 5 minutes and 4hrs and it would download any updated email, calendar or contact items. This synchronisation uses a protocol and solution called Exchange Activesync.

With the release of Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2 and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices equipped with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) customers will have a different experience of mobile messaging with Exchange 2003. Essentially what Direct Push provides is a mechanism to ensure your device is always up to date with the latest information in your mailbox.

With Direct Push - when a change is detected in your mailbox a trigger is sent over IP to your device to tell the device to synchronise. The device then picks up any new email, calendar, contact or tasks. No data is sent directly to the device except for the trigger. If no trigger is received after a period of time then a heartbeat is sent to ensure the device is still available. This heartbeat uses a very small amount of data which over a month period will use approx 1MB. (See data compression section later). Through this mechanism the device will always get new items as soon as they are received whether the device roams, is on GPRS, WiFi, CDMA or any IP based network.

Many people are familiar with the mobile email experience that Blackberry provides which is termed ‘Push Email’ with Blackberry as a new email appears in your mailbox - the first 2kb of that email is forwarded from your Exchange server to the Blackberry Network Operations Centre (NOC) and then on to your device.

Direct Push provides the same real-time experience as Blackberry in that when a new email is sent it is received almost immediately on the device. In fact if you set a RIM device next to an MSFP device then they bleep about the same time (if not quicker on the MSFP device) - typically email is received between 5-7 seconds on my device after leaving my mailbox. In reality it’s like I get email on my device as soon as it’s sent.

The major benefit to IT Professionals and Security teams about Direct Push is that no data is sent to a 3rd party (the NOC) and similarly the Direct Push solution doesn’t have the scaleability challenges of other Push Email solutions such as Blackberry which is limited to 500 users per server (or 2,000 if you cluster them)

Microsoft is a good example, where they have over 20,000 users being provided Mobile email on Pocket PC’s and Smartphone’s using just 2 (yes 2) servers in Redmond. Those Servers are managed by 2 people and also provide all other remote email services for Laptops and Web Browsers.

The beauty of push email and exchange server 2003, is that it works fantastic with Mobile Outlook which is on most windows mobile 5 devices, and symbian smartphones, in laymans terms, the server sends a very tiny data ping to your device, when it has detected that their is a change to your mailbox, i.e. an e mail arrived, the device in a split second is asked to connect and synchronise with the server, the server then immedeatly transfers any changes including, contacts, e mail and tasks, to the device in range, either by WLAN or for those out and about roaming on GPRS using that service, this is great for mobile users, who can have emails sent from anywhere in the world direct to their device, they then have the opportunity of responding, so why is it better than simple SMS ?

For one thing, not being limited to 160 characters per message, not having to have someone make mistakes in spelling doing one fingered inputting of data, having attachments such as photos, word docs, excel docs, in fact any amount of data.

Now back to the Philippines, Both Globe and Smart networks support GPRS and provided your device is set up correctly using MS Activesync, you can receive your e mail anywhere in the Philippines on your smartphone/Pocket Pc/Symbian device, but do you have to have a Blackberry style package to acheive this ?

Quite simply no !, Cortado - the Business Class of mobile e mail is a superb push e mail solution, which offers free accounts, and an online Outlook exchange connected to Exchange server 2003 permanently, free accounts do carry some advertising, but standard accounts do not, and cost from as little as £2.50 per month or $5.00, once your device is set up using their instructions, your account and mobile e mail is working, but remember, no need to check to see if you have mail, yours will come to your device instantly, and by the way, dont forget to set your notification sounds to tell you, it will play a sound on receipt, and even flash the screen, so now you can be instantly connected through e mail anywhere in the Philippines.

Fring manages to Interface with Skype, MSN, Googletalk, SIP, And Twitter so why can’t the back room boys at Skype make it work on Mobile phones ?

For many of you who have been reading my articles on VOIP recently, youre probably wondering why I am so excited ? well I can tell you, my calling costs have shot down, albeit they are being managed carefully, so which way to call ? Skype out ? Truphone etc, and what about Fring, what do they do ? well look at my options:

Option 1: I want to call a UK Landline for free (3p connection charge) so Skypeout, is the best way.

Option 2: I am in my home, I want to talk to another Skype user - Skype to Skype is the answer.

Option 3: I am out on the road, but one of my SKYPE contacts is available, how do I call them ?

Simple: use wi-fi or GPRS on my Nokia E61 using FRING as my gateway, my question is this, if FRING can come up with an interface solution for handheld phones using the Symbian platform, why can’t skype themselves ?

So first a little about Fring:-

what is fring?

fring™ is a free mobile VoIP software that lets you talk and live chat (IM) using your handset’s Internet connection instead of costly mobile airtime (GSM) minutes. fring enables free mobile calls over Wi-Fi Internet access or your GPRS, EDGE or 3G Internet data plan.

fring lets you easily communicate with all your fring, Skype®, MSN® Messenger, Google Talk™ , Twitter and regular phone contacts from one, integrated contact list. fring also supports SkypeOut and hundreds of SIP-based services such as GizmoProject, VoipCheap, VoipStunt, Free World, even from non-SIP enabled handsets, enabling cheap local and international VoIP calls to contacts’ PCs, mobile phones and landline numbers. fring is also enhanced with real-time contact availability (presence) so you can see who’s available before dialing.

How do you get Fring working ?

All you need to use fring is a 3G handset Fring has a list of supported devices on its home page, with Internet connectivity that is already available from your mobile service provider, or through your nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. fring does not require any proprietary hardware or airtime, and works with phones purchased through any mobile operator. fring can be simply downloaded into your handset via SMS received from another fringster™ or from our website download page – it’s as easy as downloading a ring tone.

Should I consider having it ?

Fring roams seamlessly between Wi-Fi and 3G networks while bypassing traditional mobile voice and SMS text messaging services mobile-to-mobile calls, mobile-to-landline calls, and mobile-to-PC calls including integration into Skype, MSN Messenger and Google Talk wherever you are. The patent-pending peer-to-peer mobile VoIP technology delivers full-duplex voice quality with rich internet functionality and maximum network efficiency.

Why use Fring ?

Why use fring ?

Gain true mobility:
with your Skype, MSN, Google Talk & Twitter contacts on your mobile you’ll stay connected wherever you go

save money:
using mVoIP for local or international calls, rather than costly airtime minutes, and free chat rather than SMS

presence status for all of your contacts:
and know who’s online before dialing!

make cheap calls to landlines & regular cellular contacts
using your SkypeOut account or SIP provider.

pay us nothing!:
you will NOT receive an invoice from us!

don’t wait for call-backs:
just pick a contact and hit the green button.

no physical limitations:
all you need is your mobile phone! No need for a PC, Wi-Fi or special hardware.

So why doesn’t skype support handheld devices as yet?

Skype’s head of mobile access has said that until network operators stop charging by the quantity of data transmitted then Skype won’t be available on mobile phones.
Skype is a popular VoIP service which offers free calls to other Skype users, but if the user is paying their network operator for the data they use then the calls can be anything but free.

I think that might be why people such as T-Mobile and Orange and Vodaphone prohibit the use of wi-fi calling, but took it a stage further, T-Mobile my provider has recently stated, but then withdrawn its rules that you would not be allowed to make VOIP calls over its GPRS or Super GRPS network, because the technology wasn’t of sufficient quality to be passed over its network, and secondly that they did not think the service was of good value to its customers.

They also went on to say that to make such calls would be a violation of its end user agreement, and that contracts could be withdrawn and sim cards blocked if end users persisted, they have since withdrawn this statement, and noticably have allowed VOIP calls over its network, on its web n walk tarrif, but naturally calls made over Fring to Skype, use data, which is measured by the network operator, skype is right in one sense, as their business model promises free calls, but these calls would not be free, if mobile operators were charging for data used.

A recent quote from Skype’s Eric Lagier said this :”We don’t want to be in a situation where we say: ‘Skype is free’ and then at the end of the month the user gets this huge broadband bill,”.

How have the networks reacted to Fring ?

When the idea of Skype on 3G was first mooted many networks responded that it wasn’t a problem: given the amount they intended to charge for data they would make more money on a Skype call than a normal voice connection. But with the emergence of Wi-Fi networks, and Wi-Fi-capable handsets, unlimited connectivity is available; and with the promise of free calls such connectivity could challenge the dominance of network operators.

So it might seem that this is just an excuse from SKYPE to draw attention to the problems Skype has had getting its software ported to mobile phone handsets, Fring has now shown that skype can be put on mobile phones given the technical expertise, and Fring does not provide its own telephony or minutes packages, it simply interfaces with skype and others, also competitive products such as Truephone work on Nokia N-Series handsets And E series, so it can be done. Fring is even integrated with the Skype network, albeit though a gateway, and works perfectly well over the T-Mobile network.

Its my view that SKYPE at present cannot make it work, their glossy speak about free calls and effecting their business model is probably just a stop gap until their engineers work out a way to integrate it into mobile handhelds on the symbian platform, I suspect they will be embarassed by Fring being able to do it without let or hindrance, I also suspect in the future, one or more of the mobile operators will find a way to make money out of skype, by bundling skype with their handsets and sharing the cost of termination fees, (that is the charge mobile operators pay each other to route calls to each others nework), someones got to make money somewhere havent they ?

VOIP revolution leads the United States behind

With the new VOIP (Voice over Internet protocol) revolution hitting the shores of the United kingdom, wich has produced service innovators such as SKYPE and TRUPHONE AQ and GiZMO, Our American cousins across the water are a little less enthusiastic.

The Take off of Wi-Fi free calls from mobile to mobile pioneered by London docklands based Truphone has sparked huge interest, at present mainly from Geek enthusiasts, who tend to dabble with no ways of cutting their GSM Phone bills, what UK Subscribers dont put up with of course, unlike our American counterparts, is that the receiver of GSM calls, pays for the incoming call time, as much as the sender of the call does, again something which disgusts UK users when travelling on vacation in the U.S.A.

The Symbian platform geek show recently in Londons docklands attracted over 4000 visitors, some of which came across the water from the U.S.A., and they might have wondered whether they had made a mistake in ignoring the future of VOIP as it is firmly implanted in the UK forever, is it possible they will miss the boat.

Some thought that VOIP over mobile phones, would simply force the network providers such as Vodaphone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, and 3, to lower their tarrifs, and that VOIP would simply be a catalyst to cause a price war, some even will go so far as to say, that it might eventually force GSM to be obsolete, provided that access to long range Wi-Fi base stations is rolled out as it is in some London Boroughs, where for example in the business district (the square mile) is 100 per cent Wi-Fi Free, in an agreement signed up with the Cloud hotspot network.

Its a long way off from that though, Wi-Fi at present has a short range, and for it to be effective, there would need to be a lot of investment in long range stations, and they would have to be rolled out in most parts of the country, for it to be a major success, and if so, where would the operators get their revenue, especially as in a previous post, I alluded to the fact that network operators had already paid out £22 Billion pounds for licences to offer 3g services in the UK.

VOIP is here to stay in the UK, and although in its infancy, its a very real and tangible threat to the existing ways of communicating over GSM, Nokia’s decision to include a SIP stack in its E-series Symbian phones has created a small explosion of start-up service providers. Kinks abound - and the number of devices available on the market is still limited - but the benefits are tangible. As I noted 2 weeks ago, since trialling VoIP such as Truphone and Skype through Fring, on Symbian a month ago I haven’t used any cellular minutes at home - except by accident.

For Landline calls, their is of course no substitute for SKYPE the ability to sit at my desk at home and call any UK landline for (free) well not actually free, they have to make some money somewhere, actually its a small connection charge as skype term it, of 3p, however, to call my office for 20 minutes which equates to a long distance call in the U.S.A. the small charge of 3p is a welcome, all my business calls at home are now routed over skype, with the addition of my handheld pocket pc, the Dell Axim 51 is a superb tool for making such calls, as it is permanently connected to my home wi-fi nework, and connected to skype.

My call costs have dropped significantly by using Voip at home, where the real benefits would be in the future, is VOIP out and about, I have tested this once or twice from free hotspots, such as Chicago Rock Cafe, Hollywood Bowling alleys, and other hotspots, I suspect those who are in major airports in the future, such as Hong Kongs Chep Lap Kok international where the whole airport lounge areas are free wi-fi will have much fun making calls back to UK and USA for free, a nice little gesture, considering roaming on GSM costs the earth.

So why are US consumers and businesses failing to reap the benefits so far? Two reasons stand out. Intransigent network operators are determined to cripple SIP-capable devices they sell in the USA - and they’re getting away with it, thanks to a lack of real competition.

And the United States’ home-grown technology simply does mobile VoIP really, really badly - while it spurns providers who do it well, Let’s start with the first. Nokia’s E-series range made its debut a few weeks ago in the US in the shape of the E62. This conservatively-styled phone has been well-received - it resembles a RIM, only slimmer. But look a little closer and you’ll see a significant difference to the identical E61 sold in Europe and Asia - there’s no Wi-Fi. The E61 supports 3G, and 802.11b and 802.11g - but the E62 is hampered to EDGE-speeds. It’s possible to make SIP calls over EDGE, but you wouldn’t really want to. And while Nokia’s keyboard communicator the 9300 finally made it to market, as a Blackberry device, it’s Wi-Fi enabled sibling the 9300i hasn’t - and won’t. Thank you for interfering with our Nokia phones again, take a bow Cingular wireless in the USA.

Secondly, the proposition is being trail blazed by Nokia on Symbian OS, and neither Nokia or Symbian are particularly prominent in the US, to put it charitably. While it leads in Europe, and dominates in much of Asia as the must-have brand, Nokia has historically struggled to make much headway in the US.

For this it can blame carriers wary of ceding branding to the world’s no.1 - they’ve preferred to rebadge cheap Korean clones, as well as a market split between three incompatible air interfaces. Earlier this year, in fact, Nokia signalled a retreat from the CDMA business - effectively declaring it couldn’t compete in a significant portion of the market. As for Symbian, its profile is negligible in a high-end market dominated by old technologies: RIM grew out of the pager business, and Palm from the PDA business.

Now we see so much why U.S. network operators won’t get with the programme, its all a matter of strangling innovations available to UK and Far East users, simply because its not right for them, forget the customer, since when did the needs of the customer every come into it ?

US manufacturers seem particularly schizoid about Symbian. Motorola pulled out of Symbian, preferring to go with Linux. Palm once agreed to develop PalmOS on a Symbian kernel, a design which would particularly suit the current operating system “personalities” supported by the real-time Symbian today. Palm went its own way. And recently RIM denied suggestions it would have to make the jump, as investing in its own technology was increasingly not cost efficient.

Another, even greater irony is that the technology utopians, the Wi-Fi crowd and people like me, saw it as a way of “freeing the radio waves”, in effect the U.S. Mobile operators like things as they are, they like the fact that when you buy a GSM phone in the States, they control how you call, and how much you pay, they decide what features you may have, your choices simply are not relevant, what is relevant is who controls the supply of Mobile handsets, how they are connected, and what is bundled with them, a present, SIP stacks as they are called, that is the firmware required to make voice calls over wi-fi hotspots has silently been removed, the phones themselves are capable of making such calls, and the software has been removed which enables them to do so, one might argue that they have no right to do this, for the moment, US Entrepeneurs and techno geeks have to bite their lip and wait !

Freeing up the airways of network interference is a laudable goal in many ways,, but technology won’t do it by itself. The only way to ensure oligopolies don’t carve up the marketplace between them is to regulate them fairly and effectively - which means lobbying, organizing, and creating a consensus for a strong regulatory environment. This is an anathema to the deregulation happy utopians- politics is messy, and fraught with compromises. But technology without an FCC that serves the public, offers no magic light sabres.

Market watcher Ovum reckons that only one US mobile phone subscriber in 50 will have a Wi-Fi enabled phone by 2010. Dual-mode phones that support both WLAN and cellular are already a familiar sight in the Europe and Asia markets. Most of Nokia’s E series, and its N80 consumer smart phone, feature both standards.

Thats a frightening prospect for US Mobile subscribers, Who I fear will be left far behind in the Mobile phone revolution.

A Discussion of the merits of Checking your Nokia E or N series phones for compatibiity with WLAN/Internet Calling

As you know I have been talking and discussing the great new innovations and opportunities for internet calling from Nokia handheld phones, the supported phones at present are mainly the new generation types such as the latest Nokia the N95, at present one of the most expensive phones (unlocked) on the market, others such as the earlier E61, the new E61i, the N80 the E65 and E90 all run the truphone service.

What has come to light recently, is that the Handset providers such as Vodaphone, O2 and Orange, have been caught out being sneaky, by removing certain software embedded into the Firmware, that allows internet telephony calls, Truphone has released a video on youtube, which you may watch below, it shows that one has to be careful when buying an E or N Series phone on a ‘FREE” phone deal with the main GSM providers, as you might find its been tampered with.

Our advice is, if you are going to avail yourself of the truphone service, then buy your phone unlocked from any network, the phones can be bought in UK from Expansys and from the Nokia on the Cloud .

The last thing you want to do is buy one of these beauties on contract only to find that you cannot change the firmware of the phone, and that internet telephony options are not available.

Expatriates can take advantage of exciting new developments in world of Internet Telephony

During a previous post I was discussing the impact that VOIP providers (Voice over Internet Protocol) such as SKYPE, FRING, VONAGE, SIP, GOOGLETALK, MSN, would have on the future of telecommunications.

Many of you reading this blog are here because you are attracted to the thought of being able to make mobile telephone calls that quite simply are “FREE”. Its true to say that everyone wants something that is free, and the exciting prospect of making cellular telephone calls that are free is simply something that none of us could imagine would happen, well its a play on words really, dont rush to call your mobile phone operators, and calm down, they are not about to send you a zero bill for all your calls, just keep a low profile about this one, because UK GSM Subscribers could be in for a shock when they buy a new E or N series Nokia mobile phone on contract, I will be talking about the “Little War” that is going on at present, and will be issuing warnings about buying the latest Nokia Wi-fi enabled phones, so watch out for that.

Just to put this in prospective before I start telling you about Truphone which I suspect will be the first of many players that will come into the market, other companies have a habit of jumping on the back of anything that attracts new subscribers.

First unlike the United States where the infrastructure of mobile telephony is more fragmented, the United Kingdom is one of the most saturated mobile phone subscriber countries when it comes to numbers of cellular telephones per square mile.

That means that mobile operators such as Orange, Vodaphone, O2, 3 Network, T-Mobile, are literally all punting for the same subscriber, by offering them free fones, free minutes, free texts, free picture messages, and lots of very innovative offers to take on new subscribers, in fact many existing customers complain, that the best deals on mobile phones always seem to be offered to new customers, and that existing customers tend to get a bum deal.

Actually there is a very good reason for this, some of my UK Readers may wish to cast their mind back to 1998 when the UK Government decided to put up for sale the right to provide 3G services in the UK, by selling off licences, I can remember when there was quite a stir about these licences, what is not generally known, is that the big 5 mobile phone companies paid in excess of 22.4 Billion Pounds, or around $45 Billion dollars, for the privilidge of being allowed to provide these services.

Not only that, you have to understand that the big 5 operators also had to invest millions of pounds into providing the new base stations and network servers to handle the new 3G services, and with all of that investment, they are getting pretty annoyed by the emergence of VOIP companies, who offer free phone calls to existing GSM Subscribers, but there is more…..please read on.

So lets be honest about it, the mobile phone operators are now pretty keen to recover some of their costs, and they have been pushing 3g services as far back as 2000, and now its 2007, they have been aggressively been competing for the same customer for years, by trying to entice existing customers away from other providers in favour of themselves, this has driven down costs, enhanced exciting packages, and its generally been good for the consumer.

It has been reported that in 2006 the number of cellular calls, that is GSM mobile calls have reached incredible levels, this is something that is not going to change, however there is about to be a small revolution in the making, in the last couple of years, the phrase Wi-Fi is appearing on the scene, and you may hear of phrases such as Wi-Fi hot spots, these are nodes that are connected to broadband internet servers, and there are thousands of them both in the United States and Europe, the problem is, many subscribers do not possess the technology nor the expertise to connect to them.

However in the future this is expected to change, as subscribers become more aware of what can be offered by companies such as Truphone, I will now be talking about this.

Truphone is the trade mark of a new British Company who are innovators in mobile phone technology, they are based in London, the London based startup that enables free mobile-mobile calls over WiFi, has closed one of the biggest Series A round in the recent history.

Truphone has announced a funding round of $24.5m(£12.5 million). The funding round was led by Wellington Partners, and participated by Independent News & Media and Burda Digital Ventures.

It was only recently that I had written about upcoming release of Fring’s WiFi enabled application and few other startups competing the this space. Innovative efforts by companies like Truphone, Fring, Gizmo, and Nokia are set to disrupt traditional wireless business model. Truphone’s big funding round shows the reconignition this fact and that mobile over WiFi is a viable option especially for areas with poor wireless coverage while also enabling free mobile-mobile international calls.

It is the ability for Truphone subscribers to make mobile to mobile international calls that is very appealing, so how does it work, and what does it cost ?

Firstly, Truphone is a peice of software developed by Software Cellular Network Ltd, (truphone) and is headed by Managing Director James Tagg, the software integrates with the new range of Nokia handsets, such as the E61, E61i N90 N95 and other phones, the phones require Firmware Version 2+ to run the Truphone software Wizard, the amazing thing about the services is that their are no contracts, no monthly subscriptions or other services that have to be paid for to run the service.

To keep it simple, I will detail how the system works, firstly those GSM Cellular users who have a handset that is supported, will text a short message to truphone, truphone then automatically will text back a link, which the subscriber will open and follow, they will then be asked to download and install a small peice of software called the “Truwiz”.

Once having done so, providing the subscriber is within range of their own home wireless network, or any 802.11b wireless hotspot, the software scans and logs on to the nearest free hotspot, or the subscriber can set up an access point to a wep encrypted node.

Simple, but true…once connected the mobile handset is then able to make mobile phone calls to any other Truphone user who is connected to the network.

So far so good …..

The above movie on youtube shows GSM Subscribers how to install the service onto the New Nokia E65, which is very clear and explanatory.

Truphone works wherever you have access to the internet via Wi-Fi - and the availability of wireless connectivity is absolutely booming.

This can mean your home, office, public areas or commercial hotspots (coffee shops, airports etc). You will be able to make free or VoIP-rate calls from your sofa or when visiting friends with Wi-Fi. Similarly, Truphone calls can be made from your office and other workplaces you visit.

Truphone now roams seamlessly on The Cloud’s network of hotspots. That means you walk into one of 7,000+ UK locations - such as airports, coffee shops, pubs or train stations - run the new Wizard, and Truphone just works. This hotspot service adds 3p/min to incoming and outgoing calls, so treat yourself to a muffin while you’re saving money and sipping cappuccinos. Read more about The Cloud here. New users will automatically be hotspot-enabled. Existing users should get the new Truphone Wizard from Truphone

For UK users Free mobile to mobile calls, this means calls from your mobile to other Truphone users when you’re both in Wi-Fi are 100% FREE forever - as are calls to other SIP-based VoIP services.

No monthly charges - There are no monthly charges or fees to pay. To use Truphone, just top-up and talk (and all new accounts include free credit).

Free calls from your mobile to 1.6 BILLION landlines globally We have extended our launch offer, so now UK users can call 1.6 billion landlines (and some mobiles) in 40 countries around the world for FREE until June 30th 2007.

Free countries include USA (inc. mobile), Australia, New Zealand, most of Europe and China. See the full list of free destinations.

Very cheap mobile calls to other countries’ landlines Truphone users can call landlines in every other country at characteristically-cheap VoIP rates from their mobile (e.g. Bangladesh 6.5p/min, Croatia 4.3p, South Africa 6.5p, Turkey 4.1p). See the complete tariff table.

Very cheap calls to other mobiles around the world Call UK mobiles at a flat 15p/min (any time) and many international mobiles for less than 20p/min (e.g. India mobiles 7.4p, Australia mobiles 12.7p, France mobiles 18p). See the complete tariff table.

And… we’ll Truphone gives you £2 credit upon sign-up.

Free call forwarding and you’re always reachable If someone calls your Truphone number from a landline or mobile and you are out of Truphone coverage, Truphone will simply forward the call to your cellular number without charge.

You can choose who pays when the call is from another Truphone (the default is that your caller pays) - read full details of how call forwarding works.

For users in USA and elsewhere Free mobile to mobile calls means calls from your mobile to other Truphone users when you’re both in Wi-Fi are 100% FREE forever - as are calls to other SIP-based VoIP services.

No monthly charges there are no monthly charges or fees to pay. To use Truphone, just top-up and talk (and all new accounts include free credit).

Free calls from your mobile to 1.6 BILLION landlines globally Truphone have extended and expanded our launch offer, now users in the USA and elsewhere outside the UK, can get completely FREE calls to landlines (and some mobiles) in 40 countries worldwide until 30th June 2007. See the full list of free destinations.

And (we say it again), Truphone users have no monthly charges or fees to pay.

Very cheap mobile calls to other countries’ landlines - Truphone users can call landlines in every other country at characteristically-cheap VoIP rates from their mobile (e.g. Peru 8.6c/min, Pakistan 12.5c, Russia 8.2c, Japan 6.2c). See the complete tariff table.

Very cheap calls to other mobiles around the world call international mobiles for characteristically-cheap VoIP rates (e.g. India mobiles 14.8c/min, Australia mobiles 25.3c; Malaysia mobiles 9.3c, Poland mobiles 17.1c).

And… they will give you $2 credit upon sign-up.

No inbound charges and you’re always reachable By default you pay nothing for getting your calls forwarded to cell when you’re out of Wi-Fi range - the calling party pays. However, you can opt to pick up your caller’s costs (great for businesses). Read full details of how call forwarding works.

Nokia has announced their hot new E-series phones - E61i, E65 and E90 - and all of them run Truphone.

The Nokia E61i is an update to the classic E61 and is slimline with an improved keyboard and a 2Mpix camera. It’s perfect for extensive mobile email usage and also has a music & video player.

The Nokia E65 looks fantastic with a new ’slim slider’ and One Touch keys on the front cover. It has a built-in 2 Mpix camera and a new long-life battery.

The Nokia E90 is the first Nokia Communicator format device to be based on the Series 60 platform. It is capable of displaying the full width of a web page at once (800 pixels wide) and genuinely allows you to take your office with you.

So what are you waiting for - get truphone and start making free mobile phone calls to the Philipines, a word of warning though, if you do decided to purchase a Nokia handset, check with your GSM provider that none of the features of your phone have been disabled by the network operator such as VOIP and Instant messaging, because if so, your phone will not be able to work on Truphone, our suggestion is, to buy your phone unlocked and sim free, then the features will not be turned off, there is a little bit of a war of words going on at present in the UK between Vodaphone and Truphone, and other VOIP companies.

Next I will be discussing how to get the best out of Truphone when youre not at home, and roaming around looking for WLAN networks to connect so that you can make your free mobile phone calls.

so point to How to Connect to WLAN for Free

A Discussion about low cost communication in the Philippines for expatriates

Quite literally there is a new revolution taking place in low cost communication long distance, many co-bloggers by now should be used to hearing the phrase VOIP, but if you are not, let me tell you what it stands for.

Voice over Internet Protocol

Voice over internet protocol is a very cheap and effective communication solution for those who wish to live and retire in the Philippines.

Just think for a moment, the cost of calling the Philippines especially on British Telecom standard rates is almost prohibitive for most people, as much as £1.00 per minute or more, and I can remember a time when no one would consider making trans atlantic phone calls to the U.S.A. because the cost was 60p a minute, of course those days have gone now, its around 3p a minute with some of BT’s call plans.

Who would have ever been able to forecast that today’s desktop computer would have become a household appliance just like a hoover, a washing machine and a television set.

What I want to talk about though is the endless possibilities that exist if you have access to a wireless network, or the 7000 or so free hi-fi hotspots in the UK, and your home network, most people are aware, who regularly communicate in the Philippines of SKYPE .

As far as crystal clear calls to the Philippines from a home PC or pocket Pc, there is no substitute for Skype, although other VOIP providers such as FRING and also a new innovation in Mobile phone to Mobile phone VOIP provider TRUPHONE are paving the way for more innovative communcation now and in the future.

Recently American provider VONAGE has done pretty much the same as SKYPE by offering VOIP calls.

So how does this all work you might ask, and if it does, how exactly do these companies make their money ?

To keep it in simple terms, and thats how it should be, if ever we as a growing communicating mass of mobile phone users are able to grasp the logic of signing up for these providers, it works by routing calls over existing internet broadband connections without actually using trunk landlines which have always been the portal for voice to voice calls.

That is why for those who choose to have a Free skype account, anyone who is logged into the skype server, can actually talk for free anywhere in the world, and there are some 9 million users everyday logged into skype, when you think about it, thats an awful lot of calls going around the world, its all matter of software, broadband, and personal computers.

SKYPE makes money out of people who extend their free acount into calls to other regional and national landline numbers, by routing the call over internet, there business model is simply to offer additional services to existing free accounts by enticing them to take out a subscription albeit its a low low fee at first to make calls they cannot make free.

For example SKYPE has a skype pro package, which enables subscribers to call any UK Landline Number for free, with a connection charge of just 3p per call, in effect you could talk for 30 mins to an hour, or more, for a small connection charge of just 3p.

Very similar you may say to BT’s low rate weekend free call service, but their is one major difference, provided you are logged into skype at your PC or handheld computer or other device, it wouldnt matter where you were, because if you were in the Philippines, and you can access a wi-fi hotspot, once having logged into skype you then dial the number as a skype out contact, or the number itself, this then is routed over internet to your contact, who hears the phone ring as normal, the only difference is, your call cost is still a 3p connection charge, and you talk as much as you like.

Next time I will be discussing the new innovation of Truphone, and how that will have a major impact on VOIP services to subscribers over next year or so. so come back and join in the discussion if you wish to comment.

So What about Truphone ? Truphone

Just How Much Privacy Do You Really Need

I am a regular reader and contributor of Mindanao Bob’s Living in the Philippines blog, Bob often makes some very thought provoking posts, I wanted to make one of my own, so my own blog is the best place to do this, something that often has not much thought attached to it, is living in close proximity with your Filipino wife’s nearest and dearest, that is of course the extended family.

Are you very similar to me, in that you are used to lots of privacy, you probably have your own appartment, or house, how often do you visit your parents, assuming of course that they are still alive, if you do, it might be once a year at christmas, or no more than twice a year, and sometimes with work commitments, that really takes time to arrange.

But how would you feel once you moved to the Philippines, youve got your spot picked out, nice house and lot, and you live happily ever after, ahah, not quite, have you taken into consideration, the masses of extended family who will descend on you on a daily basis, often dropping in uninvited and staying for lunch and dinner, do you think you could get used to a house full of chattering voices in languages you cannot understand, whilst you become an irrelevance surplus to requirement.

Its not that your wife considers you as such, its just the way it is, she cannot simply read them the riot act and send them on their way, its good manners to give them something to drink and not to let them go on their way unless they have eaten, so the above theme is pretty valid, dont you think, you can choose your freinds but not your family, in other words, if you really wanted a freind to pop around, you can invite them, but what if you dont want to see your extended family in your house every day, and at times you least expect them.

How do you feel about family members i.e. brothers sisters, cousins, 2nd cousins, suddenly appearing wanting to borrow from you ? this is common practice in the Philippines, borrow in fact isnt much different to give, in other words, if they borrow from you, its unlikely that you will ever get it back, not now, not ever, this is something you will have to give thought to before you contemplate moving to the Philippines permanently.

Filipinos are pretty strong willed when it comes to these matters, when it comes to starving children, Filipinos tend to take a more stronger view, they will say, its not their problem, remember, this is a country which does not have state assistance, does not have a comfortable social security system for those who cannot make ends meet, cash is King, and those that have it hang on to it, because their very own personal survival depends on it.

Some of my co-bloggers have come up with ingenious solutions for dealing with this, firstly, they tend to live some distance from the immediate relatives, when the relatives cannot afford the cost of travel to your location, its unlikely that you will be bothered by them, I can think of two cases that have come to light recently, where expatriates have upsticks and moved to other cities, because of this very irritating problem of lack of privacy.

The other solution in my view is to put your Filipino wife up to passing you off as a private person, they can always blame it on the foreigner husband, i.e. “My husband likes his privacy and does not want visitors, so please call ahead if you want to visit” or “My husband does not want to be disturbed, so please do not come un announced” this often takes the sting out of the tail, and of course you do not have to deal with it, after all, its her family, let her deal with it.

Remember culturally speaking Westerners tend to be independant, not inter-dependant like Eastern cultures, being in ones own privacy is a trademark of westerners, having a house full is a bit of a shock to the system, so give some thought about how you will deal with this once you arrive in the Philippines.

Don’t be tempted into Burning your Bridges

I noticed a great peice of written work that Bob Martin (MindanaoBob !) wrote in his blog at
Live in the Philippines
I felt so strongly about the peice of work which i attribute to Bob’s advices, which he got from Mike a fellow expat just before he arrived in the Philippines, I decided to put my own thoughts on paper so to speak, as this peice of advice is so important for would be expatriates.

This advice could actually apply to almost anywhere expatriates live, in the UK we watch many programmes about those who make a life in other countries “No Going Back” is a favourite here, it shows how British expats attempt to make a life in countries they do not fully understand, they leave behind many of the securities that they are used to, in search of a better quality of life, some make it others do not.

The best piece of advice one can give, is not to ‘burn ones bridges’ this means don’t put yourself in a situation where you cannot come back if things dont work out the way you expected, don’t run up debts or take out loans or use credit cards in such a way, that you will not be able to return without much financial hardship.

Secondly, try and plan things so that you take time of from your current job, if you are self employed this is always much better if you have a trade, you can take that anywhere, but if you can return to your employment or self employment if things turn sour, that is always a good protection.

If you have something to come back to, including your furniture, you can always put all your furniture into storage, that is an idea that was put to me, for people who are worried about having to come back, short term storage under the authority of a trusted freind means that youre belongings are always there if you need them, if like us, you have furnished your home in advance of arriving in the Philippines, then you dont have to worry too much about your belongings back in UK, you can always sell them eventually if not required, and if you can get back into your job, or give some notice, then you can always come back if it doesnt work out for you.

Any comments anyone ?

Excited About the Trip to Jomabo in my July Visit

I am getting quite excited about our visit in July, as this year (2007) my wife and I are travelling back to the Philippines together for the summer holidays.

We are due to leave on the 21st July 2007, I will go for 3 weeks, my wife for 6 weeks, but one of the trips we have planned is to Jomabo Island resort, this lies out to sea, Truly, JOMABO ISLAND PARADISE BEACH RESORT is the place to be. A mere one and a half hour ride from Bacolod City, you can enjoy the scenic beauty of nature in a 25-minute leisure filled boat ride from the port of Barcelona, Old Poblacion, to the island.

Just listen to the write up: Luxuriate in the warmth of the gracious service and comfort of the Resort facilities. Try our watersports: parasailing, the trampoline, ocean kayak, aqua cycle, water wheel. island hopper and banana boat ride. Those and more. Snorkel, surf, hike, sail. Do anything, everything, or simply nothing! Soak in the wonders of nature and life’s pleasures! At Jomabo Island Paradise Beach Resort, days go by gentle and unhurried. Here, the romance of life and nature never ends.

Jomabo Island Paradise Beach Resort is a haven of fun, sun and excitement. Our selections of water sport facilities can surely make your stay in the island paradise memorable. Go ocean kayak around the mangrove and feel the tranquility of the seas as school of fishes frolick underneath you. Feel the beauty of nature, visit Jomabo Island Paradise Beach Resort and experience ultimate fun!

I am so looking forward to going to Jomabo resort, and to just hanging out at night on the beach, with a few San Migs and a nice barby, get those steaks on….and we have great freinds to go with us, they are all Filipino, so thankfully the barbecue will be great, the beer cold, and the sea, lapping up on the beach, what more can we ask for, I was just looking out of the window in pisssy cold UK, and cant wait to go.

Boracay Island - the perfect place for the expatriate to relax

Gina and I love Boracay and would like to welcome any readers to share our experiences, Boracay Island combines crystal clear waters, sugary beaches that squeak when walked on, and lush hilly landscapes into an idyllic tourist haven, that’s guaranteed to fascinate and lull visitors into tranquil harmony with its simplistic beauty.

Visitors commonly refer to Boracay as a breath-taking, unbelievably magical Island. A paradise set in the unspoilt South China Seas. The small island, only seven kilometers long and one kilometer wide at its narrowest point, is located just off the northern tip of its mother Visayan island of Panay. The northern and southern parts of the island rise into picturesque hills, with elevations of 100 meters above sea level, that face the sea with weather worn cliffs. The Island has numerous scattered villages ( ’sitio’s’ ) interconnected by a maze of intriguing jungle pathways.

Boracay boasts one of the world’s finest beaches - White Beach, a broad 3.5 kilometer stretch of sun-drenched sand, washed by perpetually turquoise water. White Beach runs almost the entire length of the western side of the island. During the summer season ( December till July ) White Beach is the leeward shore which results in calm, turquoise seas, ideal for frolicking in the warm cool water (naturally with your beautiful Filipina) the warm water is the perfect tool to cool off from the summer’s tropical heat. During this period the opposite, eastern side, forms the windward shore, with almost continuous onshore winds and protective reef that are ideal for both the novice and the experienced wind surfer.

The eastern shore also contains numerous sheltered and popular dive school locations with good shallow coral dives and drop-offs to depths of thirty meters being within easy reach, while the more experienced and adventurous may try a cave dive at Black Rock ( ‘Buruanga’ ) or Maniguin Island a distance of three hours by native outrigger, which is popular among shark enthusiasts. To record the captivating underwater scenery, underwater photography and video equipment is available.

For more leisurely pursuits, many local fishermen and holiday resorts offer all-day around the island trips by motorized bangkas, with stop-offs at the northern caves, near Yapak, home of Boracay’s giant fruit bats, locally called “Flying Monsters” and the ‘Kar-tir’ Sea Shell Museum with Filipino craft displays in Ilig-Iligan.

For active landlubbers the Island’s center extends a natural invitation to hike or mountain bike its many trails, criss- crossing its gently hilly slopes, while offering occasional glimpses of far-off sandy coves, fringed by palm trees. Your hike could extend to Puka Shell Beach, located on the Island’s northern tip, facing Carabao Island. Puka Beach is the home of Boracay’s famous and at one time plentiful Puka shells.

Boracay is a beautiful place to humanize your long months of cyber dating and the perfect place to fall in love, thats what happened to us in 2004.

A Typical lazy day on Boracay for the expatriate

Boracay is about having all day and nothing to do ! during the daytime Gina and I love to get up late, then go down to breakfast, the hotesl have a buffet style breakfast and offer seated restaraunts, they cater for international tastes as well as Filipino so they are excellent places to have breakfast, you could start off after collapsing back on your bed after breakfast with a morning swim, followed by a boat trip around the islands, for around P1500 that includes a boatcrew of 3, so you are in very good hands.

The video plug in above shows both myself and Gina and our boat crew, relaxing just off crocodile island, you can also hear me shout to the captain “Blash” that this experience will end up in Europe !” although he does not seem to understand, the concept that we came from a country over 6000 miles away, nevertheless, you can see the tranquility of the area, you can also hear the lovely sound of the waves as they lap up onto the mildly shingle beach.

You can also hear me commenting to the Captain about “How he has this every day, but for us its paradise” that is surely true

Filipinos never seem to go anywhere without access to food, so its common to arrange a packed lunch, I’m sure your Filipina companion will be very good at attending to this small detail, if you have a packed lunch, you can spend all afternoon sailing around the other smaller islands such as Crocodile island or Crystal cove, having personally swam off Crocodile Island i can recommend it to anyone who goes, the beauty of the untouched shingle beach cascading down into crystal clear blue green waters is a sight to see, its the place itself which mesmerizes each individual, its also a great time for your boat crew to fall alseep, and they will !, if you leave them undernath the sun canopy of your hired boat for the day.

Be careful though of the sun temperatures run over 100F degrees, so you need a light cotton shirt, shorts, and flip flops or tennis shoes with you at all times, also make sure you have plenty of sun block on, and boy do you perspire ! in fact I found that it was better to stay in the room with the airconditioning on during the hotest part of the day which is around 11am-3pm

I cannot stress to new visitors to Boracay the power of the sun during swimming sessions, an hour in the water and you will be looking like a lobster ! so watch your sun block situation. I tended to leave a thick white soccer shirt on during my swimming sessions, this prevented the sun from attacking me, I had to learn the hard way, especially when you go in the shower and hot water touches your skin, the pain is excruciating.