Tired of Waiting for the iPhone
I don’t know about you but I’ve totally given up on getting an iPhone in Singapore. We had previously written about the failure of the iPhone in terms of trying to keep phones locked only to have about 1.7 million phones go “missing”. Today, I’m writing about iPhone’s failure to get its phones out to the hands of customers who want them- to the point of really turning them off Apple altogether.
The more I think about it, the more I believe it is pointless to have one. I already have a full fledged 3G PDA and I never use any of its features except for the phone. Everything else is just there, just because. Why did I get it? It cost less than S$100 because of vouchers, discounts, and telco packages. But then Singapore Telecom announced they were finally bringing in the iPhone. For real this time. Coupled with the huge discounts and great improvements announced by Steve Jobs- especially that it is now 3G, I thought, “hey, why not go ahead and get another phone?”
But now I’ve changed my mind, especially after hearing rumors that it’s going to cost S$1000, even with a 2 year tie-up. Of course there are rumors that its going to be really cheap, but only if you get other packages bundled in to your monthly, but who really knows at this point? All we know for sure is is that the target to sell the iPhone in Singapore has moved again … and again … and that no one really knows at this point how much the iPhone is also going to sell for in Singapore.
It’s really bad marketing on Apple’s part. Really bad.
Do leave a comment. We follow!
Subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your reader.
A Controversial Social Entrepreneur in the Philippines
Singapore Entrepreneurs (TLE) spoke to Harvey Keh, 29, social entrepreneur, founder of Pathways to Higher Education and AHON Foundation. He is also the project director of the Asia Society’s Philippines 21 Young Leaders Program and teaches part-time at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Harvey Keh started Pathways in 2002 and left it at 2006, content to let others run with his ideas although he still sits on its board. He is controversial for his outspokenness and became famous in the blogosphere for his open letter to the Filipino regarding the elections in 2007 which quickly went viral and garnered lots of reactions.
(1) Was there a defining moment in your life that made you want to start Pathways to Higher Education or has it always been a personal philosophy to help others?
KEH: There are two major reasons why I started Pathways - first was the influence of my dad. He is a businessman but he always told us that you have to help the poor, those who don’t have, those who have less than what you have.
Second, in high school, every Saturday, I would walk maybe around one kilometer from Xavier School to this street called Barasoain street in San Juan. It’s a squatter’s community. We’d pick up the kids and bring them to Xavier, and we taught them catechism. That was when I first saw how poor some children were in terms of education. I had students who were in high school but did not know basic addition. There was a second year high school student. I asked him to read a story book about Jesus Christ to Grade I kids, but he didn’t know how! That’s when I realized that not everyone knows how to read, that life is vastly different for others. And that went on when I was in college, I joined the Student Catholic Action, and then eventually after college, I was in the Student Activities Office in Ateneo and I was teaching Theology.
All these made me realize that education is important. I’ve always lived by this motto “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
(2) So how do you find the money to give the students under your charge an education- not only at a higher institution, but at the premium universities in Manila?
KEH: We find sponsors to give us the day-to-day expenses of the students. The typical Pathways participant is smart but poor. So he usually gets a scholarship but the main problem is not the tuition and fees but the the day-to-day expenses: transportation, project materials, lunch, books, etc.
When you hear of Rochelle who walks six kilometers everyday to the school and yet still graduates salutatorian of her class, you would want to support this kid.
(3)What about AHON setting up libraries. You said there are “55,000 public schools all over the Philippines and less than 15 percent of those have adequate and really functional libraries. It’s really a sad reality.”- Won’t it be better to equip them with the internet instead where they have access to the world’s digital libraries? Because it seems really costly to set up a physical library (space, books, library admin & maintenance, upgrading of outdated books, etc.).
KEH: Yes, ideally that would be the best case scenario wherein all students would have access to the internet and the numerous resources that it has however, it will prove too costly to set up computers and provide internet access to all public schools as well. At the same time, I still believe that one has to first learn how to read using books before one gets to use the computer.
(4) What’s the worse you’ve gotten into with your frank statements about what is right and wrong in a culturally sensitive society like the Philippines?
KEH: This is a tough question. I think the worse I’ve gotten into is that I’ve received some hate emails from people who do not necessarily agree with the things I write about or speak about. I don’t really get affected by that since I believe in the things that I write about or say. I’ve also been turned down by institutions that I have sought support from since they say that my political inclinations and beliefs may affect their relationship with government. I’m a person who will stand by my principles and values regardless of the consequences that may be caused by these stands.
(5)You have very strong political views and mentioned, “If we elect a good president in 2010, and elect another good president in 2016, we’ll have a great country.” Do you really think the President matters that much? If yes, what do you think a good president should be?
KEH: Yes, as we can see now, the President is powerful because at present we have very weak democratic institutions. A Good President is someone who will seek the welfare of the many above the interests of a few. A Good President must not only be effective in terms of delivering basic services such as food security, shelter, quality healthcare and education to the poor but must be able to lead ethically and honestly. We need a President who can make every Filipino proud of the Philippines and will make each of us realize that there is so much hope in our country if only we learn to work together for the common good.
To contact AHON Foundation:
683-0262 loc 106 or 109 /
ahonfoundation@gmail.com /
3/F Topy’s Place, Industria cor.
Economia Sts. Bagumbayan, Q.C.
Do leave a comment. We follow!
Subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your reader.
Comparing Singapore Homes Just Got Easier
Last February we interviewed Singapore’s HOMESPACE head honcho, Vinod Nair about their new offering in the market. They were still in beta stages, gathering information and feedback from users to beef up the system so that it didn’t become just one of the usual property market portals. Just this morning, we received word of their latest blockbuster: A HOME VALUE COMPARISON ENGINE.
Basically, it tracks price trends and plots them on a graph for really easy comparisons. That’s not what’s great though. What is really cool is that HOMEVALUE actually does a radius scan for similar properties in the area for you and pulls up the past transactions automatically. If you’re looking to buy or sell property right now, or even if you just want to see where the market is at, you should definitely give it a try.
For more information on HomeSpace, visit www.homespace.sg
Do leave a comment. We follow!
Subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your reader.
