Spotlight | Ringke Fusion X Case + other noteworthy Ringke products.

It was around this time last year when I first came across 'Ringke', a Korean brand of phone cases and gadget accessories, and its extensive array of products. Back then, I was on the hunt for a new phone case for my Huawei P20 Pro, because the clear case that came with it was starting to look a bit... unclear, lol (more like dingy, actually).

Ringke's phone cases looked impressive from the get-go - from the designs, to the color choices, and even the price point. But it was the drop test videos that I saw on YouTube which convinced me to get the Ringke Fusion X for my phone. It was the start of my love affair and obsession for the brand, and in the months that followed, I ended up buying all sorts of phone accessories from the Ringke flagship store - wrist straps, cable ties, screen protectors, just to name a few.

This week, I received a wonderful surprise from GDGT Trading, the official distributor of Ringke products here in the Philippines. Behold, a bag filled with Ringke products, and oh wow - another Fusion X case for my P20 Pro!

Thank you, Ringke Philippines! :)

Now I have two Fusion X cases - the Lilac Purple which I already have, and Black, which was sent to me as a gift.

Ringke Fusion X case for Huawei P20 Pro - Black (left) and Lilac Purple (right, in use)
Yes, that's Jung Hae In on my phone.

So what makes this case so special, you might ask. Well, there are three key points to the Ringke Fusion X - transparency, protection, and grip.

Clear back with Anti-Cling Dot Matrix Technology.

With its Anti-Cling Dot Matrix Technology, the Ringke Fusion X case prevents watermarks or rainbow-like discoloration on the back of the device, leaving a clear view at all times. And if your phone has a lovely color like the Huawei P20 Pro (mine is Midnight Blue), then you wouldn't want that color to be marred by unsightly watermarks or fingerprints.

Outstanding features of the Ringke Fusion X.

The Ringke Fusion X also has an impact-resistant back bumper, designed for tough shock absorption and protection against accidental drops, bumps, and scratches. Its inner and outer corner barriers are reinforced with resilient TPU (thermoplastic urethane), specially crafted to protect your phone from all sides. In addition, this phone case has a Certified Military Grade Drop Protection - meaning it went through drop tests of sorts and passed all of them with flying colors. 

Sleek and shock-resistant.

A shock-resistant phone case need not be bulky, and the Ringke Fusion X is a testament to that fact. With its sleek design and exceptional grip, you get precision protection for your phone without sacrificing the 'aesthetics'. 

Tactile grip for ergonomic handling.

With every purchase of the Ringke Fusion X case, you get a free Paracord Lanyard Wrist Strap to keep your phone safe and handy. The wrist strap is compatible with most electronic devices, and is made with the same material as a parachute cord with internal cord strands.

Ringke Fusion X case for Huawei P20 Pro, Php 1090.

Ringke Paracord Lanyard Wrist Strap, free with every Fusion X case.

Ringke Paracord Lanyard Wrist Strap in Checkered Gray.

Even my son uses a Ringke Paracord Lanyard Wrist Strap for his Samsung Note 5. This wrist strap makes playing Pokemon Go easier and safer, especially when he's hunting for Pokemons outside.

Ringke 4-pack Lanyard Finger Strap (Php 390)
+ Paracord Lanyard Wrist Strap in Green Camouflage (Php 249).

Ringke Philippines sent me a pack of 4 Lanyard Finger Straps - they're like the Paracord Lanyard Wrist Straps, only shorter. While the latter measures 165 - 175 mm (some designs are longer than the others), the Lanyard Finger Strap measures 65 mm on the average.

Ringke Lanyard Finger Strap in Checkered Gray, Green Camouflage, Black Ruby, and Black.

I also received a pack of Magic Cable Ties, which I absolutely love. They're very useful in tidying up wires and cables, and they prevent earphones and charger wires from tangling up inside my bag.

Ringke 10-pack Magic Cable Tie, Php 290.

Each pack comes with five different colors - Orange, Army Green, Light Blue, Gray, and Black - with 2 cable ties for each color. The Ringke Magic Cable Ties are made with durable, high quality microfiber, designed to readjust and reuse. Each cable tie measures 5.3 inches, and if you think that's too short, you can connect the ties together to lengthen the strip.

Magic Cable Ties in dynamic colors.

Finally, we have the Ringke Ring Slot Card Holder, which doubles as a kickstand and a wallet. This product reminds me of the ahjummas that I've rode buses (and subways) with in Korea. I usually see them tapping their phones against the card reader as they get on board and alight the bus; turns out, they have their T-money card tuck somewhere inside their phone case.

Ringke Ring Slot Card Holder, Php 590.

The Ringke Ring Slot Card Holder holds a maximum of 2 cards, and has a 4-Corner Locking Gear, which holds the cards securely even when the phone is held upside-down. The ring itself is sleek and sturdy, and can be used as a kickstand to keep your phone upright while watching videos.

My Super Junior Cash Bee card fits perfectly!

I haven't attached the Ring Slot Card Holder to my phone just yet, but I'll probably be using this when we return to Korea. I'll be like one of those ahjummas who keep their phones and cards together in one bundle, haha!

Ready to suit up your phone with Ringke?
Check out the Ringke flagship store in Lazada, and Ringke's official Facebook page and Instagram.

Globe offers Libreng Tawag from 8 countries to the Philippines.

Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom is offering Libreng Tawag services to the Philippines from eight countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North America in support of overseas Filipino workers who may want to check on their families residing along the path of Typhoon Ruby.

Gil Genio, Globe Chief Operating Officer for Business and International Markets, said that the countries identified are among those with the highest number of Filipino migrants and expatriates in the world.  They include Spain, UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, and Italy.

The onslaught of Typhoon Ruby.
Photo credit: Inquirer.

“We realize how important it is for our kababayans abroad to get in touch with their families especially during calamities.  This is why we have set up free calling stations in these 8 countries where Globe is directly serving the Filipino communities there,” Genio said.                   

“In Italy, free calling services are available at the Globe Stores in Milan and Rome. For Spain, UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, this public service started yesterday and is being offered through some of the accredited Globe retailers in those countries,” said Rizza Maniego-Eala, Globe Senior Vice President for International Business.                

“For the United States, Libreng Tawag in the west coast will be available in all branches of Seafood City through our partnership with them while Filipinos in the east coast will be served via web through the subscribed access service of Lunex, the Globe partner servicing the area,” Maniego-Eala added.                

Libreng Tawag will be available until 11:59pm EST on 08 December 2014.

Globe Project 1 Phone | A Call for Good.

How many mobile phones have you owned in the past five years? One? Two? Maybe even five or more? Technological changes sure happen at a very rapid pace these days, especially in the field of telecommunications. Continuous popularity of social networking sites, the high demand for mobile browsing, and the availability of very affordable communications gadgets encourage more people to replace or upgrade their mobile phones almost yearly.

With this development, old gadgets often end up abandoned or worse, thrown into the trash together with drained phone batteries and broken chargers. These obsolete and unwanted electronic and electrical devices add up to millions of metric tons of e-waste disposed worldwide every year which cause toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and beryllium to be released into the air and seep into the ground and waterways.

Through the years - some of the old phones that I have owned.

To combat the dumping of e-waste and promote stronger social and environmental practices, leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom is embarking on the biggest and most ambitious mobile recycling program in the Philippines. Dubbed as Project 1 Phone, it is designed to create awareness on proper e-waste disposal and to promote sustainability.

By donating unused, non-working, or damaged phones and tablets, mobile phone batteries, and even personal computers to the campaign, each Filipino would be able to do his share in minimizing not only the environmental impact of e-waste but also counter its harmful effects on health such as skin diseases and possible damage to vital organs and the skeletal system.

#Project1Phone.

Globe also makes it easy for its customers and other stakeholders to participate in the drive by providing donation bins in participating Globe Stores in various parts of the country (for the complete list, please visit the Globe Telecom website www.globe.com.ph/project1phone).

Schools, corporations, local government units, and other private and non-government organizations may also participate in the program by adopting recycle bins. Interested parties may email Globe at bridgecom@globe.com.ph.

All devices and accessories that Globe will gather shall be turned over to TES-AMM, a leading electronics waste recycler which will take responsibility for at end-of-life products to ensure that they are managed responsibly.

TES-AMM will, likewise, work on recovering precious metals and plastics from the recycled gadgets. Globe has committed to build at least 40 school buildings in the province of Aklan and proceeds of Project 1 Phone will be used to add to the said number since hundreds of classrooms are still needed in the area.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Partnership with Globe is a 'homerun'.

A few days ago, the Mobile World Conference - the  biggest annual convention in the mobile industry - happened in Barcelona, Spain with Mark Zuckerberg as its keynote speaker. And in his speech, the Facebook CEO and founder commended Globe Telecom for being a pioneer in providing free internet service in the Philippines.

“Internet.org is a partnership, it’s an industry coalition working together to make the internet and the different parts of it more efficient. For everyone to have access to it for a really affordable price or free is the real goal for basic internet services. In the Philippines, for example, we’ve been working with Globe, and what we’ve seen in the Philippines is the number of people who are using internet and data has doubled. It’s a homerun, it’s going really well. We delivered this product, where basically, in partnership with them [Globe], there’s free basic services with upsells. We’re starting off with Facebook and Messenger, the next version we’re going to do is more basic services,” shared Zuckerberg in his keynote.

Mark Zuckerberg speaking before a packed audience at the Mobile World Conference.

Internet.org is a global collaboration among technology leaders, nonprofit organizations, local communities and experts who are working together to bring the internet to the vast majority of the world’s population.

Sharing tools, resources and best practices, Internet.org partners will explore solutions in three major opportunity areas: affordability, efficiency and business models. The Philippines became a test bed for Zuckerberg’s vision, brought to life through leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom offering free Facebook access to its over 38 million customers, in close partnership with Silicon Valley-based Facebook engineers.

“Once again, Globe has proven that it is the mobile data service provider of choice by industry and technology leaders around the world with this breakthrough partnership with Facebook to give our customers uninterrupted, seamless, and worry-free Free Facebook experience. This is collaboration at its peak, which has resulted in the best and most innovative Free Facebook experience yet,” said Peter Bithos, Chief Operating Advisor at Globe Telecom.

Globe CEO Ernest Cu and Peter Bithos with Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook headquarters.

Available to all Globe Telecom customers using feature phones and smartphones and accessing either through the mobile site of Facebook or the Facebook app, users can post, like, comment, chat, add friends, upload photos, share posts, and more on Facebook without the need for Wi-Fi services.

Aside from offering Facebook at zero data charges, the collaboration between the two global companies has also paved the way for Globe to put together innovation that covers key milestones in the customer experience journey such as availability of access on feature phones and smartphones across all Facebook mobile platforms whether via the Facebook app or the m.facebook.com; proactive notification if the customer will incur data charges once a link that leads out of Facebook is clicked; and one-click registration to the data plan of choice to continue browsing without having to leave the site. Recommended data plans consider a subscriber’s available prepaid balance and/or megabytes (MB) balance of existing data plan.

The Free Facebook service, which was initially offered for three (3) months paved the way for the Philippine telecom company to double its mobile data user base. Mobile browsing and other data revenues also increased to P11.6 billion as of end-2013, up 42% from P8.2 billion in 2012.

The offer also formed part of the company’s mobile data strategy to grow the number of users who access the Internet on their mobile phones, as well as provide a seamless customer experience with service innovations that address the fear of mobile internet. Now, more than 1% of Facebook users worldwide are using Free Facebook on Globe.

Citing strong demand and customer take-up for one of its biggest promos to date, Globe Telecom is extending its Free Facebook offer until April 30, 2014.

Globe Telecom to step up drive vs signal interference in 2014.

If you own a signal booster at home, or knows someone who owns one, better be warned. Such devices are illegal, and the use, sale, and possession of them are prohibited by law.

“While illegal signal boosters may enhance wireless coverage in a particular area, such devices, when improperly designed or installed, will cause interference with mobile networks and thus will impede communication services, including emergency calls in the community. This is why the company is determined in addressing this issue by eliminating the sale and use of illegal repeaters and provide better customer experience,” said Atty. Froilan Castelo, Globe General Counsel and Head of Corporate and Legal Services Group.

Looks familiar?

Globe Telecom said it will step up its campaign this year to address the unscrupulous sale and use of illegal repeaters or signal boosters that cause network interference resulting in mobile phone subscribers to experience dropped calls, garbled lines, and weak signal.

The campaign against signal interference began in 2011 following growing evidence of proliferation of the use of illegal repeaters or signal boosters. Such illegal devices are not coordinated with mobile telecommunications providers or with government regulators. Illegal repeaters come in the form of indoor or outdoor antennas and wireless adapters which boost network signal by hogging bandwidth from a legitimate network infrastructure. As per monitoring by the company, cases of signal interference are being reported particularly in metropolitan areas of Manila, Cebu and Davao.

The proliferation of signal interference has, in fact, prompted the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to issue Memorandum Order 01-02-2013, prohibiting the sale, purchase, importation, possession or use of signal boosters operating on the 800 megahertz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz frequency bands without the approval of the regulatory agency. Violation could entail penalties and even imprisonment. 

Globe Telecom’s drive against signal interference now includes the uncoordinated use of high-intensity radio frequency identification (RFID), a wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects., such as those used in upscale villages for security purposes.

Following unrelenting drive last year, the company uncovered and resolved 15 cases involving the use and sale of illegal repeaters or signal boosters. In these cases, the devices were confiscated by the NTC.

Compare Mobile Phone Insurance.

The increasing number of people searching for mobile phone insurance online is simply unbelievable. With brands like Protect your Bubble and Gadget Buddy all offering insurance policies including loss and accidental damage cover, finding the right company to insure our mobile phones has become a task in itself.

Whilst searching online today looking for mobile insurance for my new phone I found a comparison site offering nothing else other than mobile insurance - Mobilephoneinsurancecomparison.com.

I found the site fairly easy to navigate, the home page has a compare your handset button which directs you to a page with a number of mobile phone brands including Blackberry, iPhone and Samsung.

The next stage is to select the value of your phone, I chose £400 -£500 and then pressed the next button in order for a comparison table to appear, a few seconds later a long list of insurance companies were in full view.

Fantastic I thought, a simple list with prices and details of insurance cover. The companies I had seen advertising on TV were on the list as were a couple of insurance companies I had never heard of. It only took a few minutes and I had made my choice. £5.99 a month, full cover including loss and accidental damage. On direct debit, I'm covered from today. (One of the sites didn't cover me until 30 days). Vodafone wanted to charge me £14.99 a month. Big saving...yipee!

Like me, If you are looking for insurance for a mobile phone or want to check to see if you can make a saving on your current insurance provider, give this site a look— mobile phone insurance comparison.

Note: This is a guest post.