iPhone experience 2: All's Well that Ends Well

My close encounters with iPhone & SMART Communications really tried my patience.

Just as my iPhone 4S got busted, my office, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) issued me an iPhone 5 that I received on May 10.

Excited to use it, I immediately put the retention SIM in.

Called PIA-regional operations & Admin to request our PLDT/SMART corporate account coordinator to facilitate the activation of my retention SIM.  

I was told to wait for 3 days. The 3 days ran up to 11 days before I could use it because SMART had to change the SIM.

iPhone 5 is wonderful, very much better than iPhone 4S. Apple must have fixed all the kinks in iPhone 4S to come up with this wonderful experience of iPhone 5.

Now, let's go back to my busted iPhone 4S which SIM is still under the P2000/mo plan until May 2014. 

Called Ms. Hazel Amoyan of SMART again, asked her advise on what I should do with this busted iPhone unit, and whether SMART can change it so I can continue with the plan.

Ms. Hazel tried everything and then..a replacement unit was possible! It was a Samsung Galaxy Mega dual core.

"Ah, Android technology," I thought. I heard so much good reviews about the Samsung Galaxy. I was actually excited to try it. 

It's been 3 months now that I'm using the unit. I like its size, just exact for a palm grasp and great for reading ebooks, news, documents, Facebook and everything else. 

This is Ms Hazel and her protégé of SMART-Visayas.  We had coffee after I got the Samsung Galaxy Mega to show my heartfelt appreciation of what she did to take care of my needs.

Ok, now my review of the Samsung Galaxy Mega compared to iPhone 5.  

All apps in the iPhone 5 are very user-friendly. One click for every use and you are on your way.  Steve Jobs must have figured this out. 

For example, at the iPhone 5 I can easily switch from one twitter account to the other as admin to 5 accounts without so much fuss. 

I can't do this in the Samsung Galaxy Mega. It asks too many questions before you can manage your tweets, retweets or quotes! 

This is the same with the other applications in the Samsung Galaxy Mega, even with FB or with blogger or with wordpress.

I'm comfortable using both iOS and android but I mostly prefer the iOS because the keyboard of Samsung Galaxy Mega is too light your words or letters literally jump out and more often get the wrong letter and mis-spelling your words. 

Choices differ from person to person. For busy executives, the iPhone is really handy & fast.

I wish Apple makes the next iPhone unit a little wider than its size now-- even as wide as the Samsung Galaxy Mega, that is perfect for me!

I have actually best of both worlds in terms of smart phones and computer.

The iPhone and MacBook Air are swank, they really are a seamless pair that editors, writers and directors must have!

The Samsung Galaxy Mega serves as a spare when your iPhone runs out of battery.

My iPhone experience

I got an iPhone 4S on May 4, 2012 thru a SMART P2000/mo plan locked in for 2years with a cash out of P4500.

On May 10, 2013 my iPhone 4S started to have intermittent smart signal and displayed a "NO SIGNAL" sign and difficult to pick up WiFi signal even while I'm in my office.

May 13, Election Day my iPhone worsened! No more signal anywhere else.

I frantically called up our office's Smart corporate contact in Cebu Ms. Hazel Amoyan.

She told me to go to the nearest Smart service center. I went to Ayala Smart service center ASAP.

A guy attended to me and checked my iPhone 4S. After several off and on attempts, he told me to just switch it off and or drained the battery for the phone to be refreshed.

Went home and did exactly what I was told. Somehow, there was signal but it lasted only for a few minutes then signal was gone for good.

Called again Ms Hazel & reported the updates of my phone. She advised me to go to the istore service center either Ayala or SM. Off I went to istore Ayala.

Waited for hours until the technicians surrendered & told me it's a hardware problem.

Called Ms Hazel again. She brought the unit to Smart & was returned to me and I was told to go to a phone repair center called "Airtouch" at SM CyberZone.

That was May 28, 2013. The verdict? Cannot detect SIM, base band chip, defective!

I asked Airtouch whether it can repair my iPhone. It told me, it will open my unit & that I have to execute a waiver that it is not liable for any damage to my phone after the technician opens it up? 

I found that ridiculous. I told them I can't sign a waiver because the unit is SMART PLAN LOCKED!

Then went back to SMART service center in SM to tell them about my problem.

Finally, the girl that attended to me said i can still continue to use the SIM coz that carries the P2000/mo. plan, not the iPhone!

You mean, I'll buy another iPhone to use my SIM? 

Yes, is the answer or SMART will change the SIM to fit other cellphone.

That defeats the purpose, right? I got a P2000/mo plan so I can have an iPhone 4S & now that it is broken, I will continue to use that P2000/mo plan?

Or go back to Airtouch service center, sign the waiver so it can can open up my iPhone & will try to repair it. 

I took a risk. Did the last option but Airtouch's verdict was: cannot repair the unit! 

So now I'm stuck with a defective iPhone 4S with a SIM plan of P2000/mo until May 2014! 

Surely, there must be an alternative!

Why is there no service center for apple products (iPhone,iPod,iPad, etc) in Cebu?