Then it was Viber, WhatsApp, and FB Messenger, and now Apple Facetime Blocked in Saudi Arabia?

Is it the request of telecommunication companies to blocked the app because of profits going down? Or maybe this has something to do with the terrorism incidents that rocked the country a couple of days ago?

The past years and this year has been very painful for most expats relying on internet connectivity specially audio and video call applications in Saudi Arabia. First it was Viber that was blocked by telecommunications companies, then it was WhatsApp call option, both audio and video that was blocked to the dismay of many users.  Then this year, Facebook Messenger, one of the most popular calling app widely used by expats and locals alike was blocked without noticed. 
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Today, posts in social media abound from people using Facetime complaining that the apps pre-downloaded and installed in Apple's gadgets is now blocked in Saudi Arabia.

CHECK THIS OUT

Top 50 ANDROID FREE AUDIO/VIDEO CALL MESSAGING APPS

Apple users in Saudi Arabia was caught by surprised because today marks the first holiday of the Eid Holiday after a month long Ramadan and most people are having audio and video chat with their families. 

SEE ALSO:
IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WILL THEY ALLOW HOUSEHELP OR KASAMBAHAY TO USE MOBILE PHONE?

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Excerpt from the ArabNews article

The communication authority and the companies working in the Kingdom have blocked the FaceTime communication service for users of Apple mobile devices.

FaceTime is a free audio visual communication service on Apple devices for which many Saudis were opting to purchase new units from abroad, as it was available only in those editions available outside the country. But the blocking of FaceTime on Apple phones purchased abroad has taken many users by surprise.

Saudi netizens have contacted Apple through Twitter, enquiring about the blocking of the service. The response was that it was blocked by the Kingdom’s telecommunication authority and not the company.

The users of FaceTime have expressed their disappointment on social media. They said that the decision to block FaceTime didn’t have any logic. Several other such services have also been blocked and they still work in most countries. They have demanded that an enquiry should be made to learn the reason behind the blocking and who benefits from the decision. They have also urged the concerned authorities to restore the service."

Read more here

Apple’s FaceTime service now blocked in Kingdom

©2016 THOUGHTSKOTO

Some Thoughts About Communication and Filipino’s Abroad (OFWs)

I’ve been here for quite long and a few times I will receive inquiry or asking support from families and love ones back home  para sa kanilang minamahal na nandito sa abroad.

“Ano na po ang balita sa nanay ko dyan?”

“Pwede po bang matawagan ang tatay ko, kasi di na po siya nagtetext sa amin.”

“Kuya, yung nanay po namin, nag-aalala, di na po kasi nagtetext ang Ate na Domestic Helper sa Kuwait.”

“Kenji ito daw yung employer ni Mang Pat, pakitawagan naman at kumustahin siya.”

“Kabayan, kilala niyo po ba si Tomas E. Alba?(Fiction lang yan ha, alam ko alam niyo siya yung nakaimbento ng  light bulb, hahaha) Pakitawagan naman oh, pakisabi naniningil na ako ng pinautang ko sa kanya, di na kasi nagtetext at nagpapakita ang misis niya.

The example goes on and on and on.

I have been suggesting ever since Filipino’s are text addict in the world, and the Philippines is texting capital of the world, to initiate a regulation or a law that each departing OFW must have a number, email address/YM, even Facebook account if talagang kelangan na para makeep track ang bawat OFW kahit saan man silang panig ng mundo. This info must be stored sa POEA at OWWA and even sa mga recruiting agencies at mailagay sa isang microchip where all the names and contact info’s of OFWs is stored for easier access.

Naalala ko lang nung Day of Rage, or nung Arab Spring, last year when there were protests actions in the Middle East. I heard that European and American national receive a constant SMS of update about the situation and what to do and where to go in case the protest escalates. Well, oo nga naman, 12 Million OFWs, paano mo matetext yun but sa galing ng Pinoy sa IT, can we make a system where we can override the system and send important and emergency updates to all our OFWs?

Nung nagkaroon ng Earthquake and Tsunami sa Japan, the social media is buzzing with contact details of embassies and consulates, how can victim be able to call or locate them, but if we have a systematic way of sending those contact details to the registered SMART/Globe Roaming of each and every OFWs, chances that we can convey the message to a lot of people.

During emergency, people will still hold their mobile phones, true? Of course.

 Sa mga OFW naman, there is a distance sa mga OFW and sa kanilang pamilya na naiwan sa Pinas because of lack of communication. Despite of the easy of way communicating through mobile phones and internet chatting, wala na tayong communication except once a month sa pamilya natin ng mga ganitong linya,

“Oh, ayan nagpadala na ako ng P20,000, ikaw na bahala magbudget dyan para sa mga anak natin”

Yan na lang, and then tapos na, next month na lang ulit. Perhaps we cannot blame the poor OFW also. Pagkatanggap ng pera or pagsabi ng padala na naideposito na, wala man lang sasabihing Thank You, kundi

“Bakit P20K lang, kulang yan, may bayaran sa ganito, sa ganyan, etc etc etc”

I know so many OFW’s nagtitiis ng de lata, tuyo, itlog, noodles, and kung minsan, tinitipid ang pagkain para lang may malaking maipdala sa Pinas, and yet wala man lang thank you or text messages galing sa Pinas. Ang text messages or tawag or chatting ay yun na nga lang ang nagbibigay ng lakas ng loob sa mga OFW na tinitiis ang lungkot at pangungulila para lang magkaroon ng maayos na kinabukasan ang mga anak at mahal sa buhay.

Another suggestion, bakit kaya hindi nila gawing requirement na ang mga OFW na paaalis ay dapat magkaroon ng PC or laptop at internet sa bahay sa Pinas, para kahit papaano ay magkaroon ng chance ng chatting at communication sa Pinas ang Tatay or Nanay or Anak na umalis at nangibang bansa?

Anyway, mukhang napahaba, ang suggestion ko lang sa mga OFW saan mang panig ng mundo, magparamdam kayo sa mga mahal niyo sa buhay sa Pinas, hindi lang sa pera kundi kahit sa text man lang kahit isang beses sa isang linggo para di sila masyadong magworry.

Sa mga kababayan naman sa Pinas, please lang, wag naman kada text sa OFW ay hingi ng pera, minsan kaunting text sa isang araw or sa isang linggo na nakakainspire, nakakatuwa, nakakataba ng puso, is enough for an OFW to carry on.

Dun sa may mga utang, or talagang ayaw ng magparamdam, wala na po akong masabi. 

©2012 THOUGHTSKOTO

How to Configure Internet Mobile Phone In the Philippines

We at the Thoughtskoto enjoyed chatting. In fact, me and my wife doesn't use the SMS that often. We used VOIP when we make a call. We use messenger or internet chatting when we send SMS. So even my wife is doing grocery at Trinoma in Manila, and I am testing the solids of the soap in my lab here abroad, we are chatting, it is not a text message or SMS, we can chat for hours, depends on the urgency.

There are good applications in the Philippines that your love ones can subscribed to. Smart have UZZAP and Globe have UnliCHat. My wife is subscribed to UZZAP, 10 pesos per day and she is online everyday in her mobile phone, for 24 hours! Well. except if she is not chatting in the laptop.

So here is the configuration settings depending on your mobile phones. All networks are covered here so it's a bit comprehensive. Walang kawala!

INTERNET OVER THE PHONE

How to set your mobile in the Philippines with Smart, Globe and Sun Sim Cards

FOR SMART HERE

Halos lahat ng SMART BUDDY na SIM, may preloaded na Settings

To activate and download 3G/GPRS/MMS settings on your cellphone, text

SET [phonemodel] to 211.

Upon receiving the configuration settings, choose to “Save All” to save the settings on your phone.

To get a list of supported handsets, key in SET LIST to 211

But here is the step by step Guide

What are the standard Smart GPRS and MMS settings?

You may configure your phone's GPRS/MMS Settings using these information:

I. GPRS/WAP Internet Settings

Connection name: SMARTGPRS

Data bearer: Packet data

Access point name: smart1

User name: leave this blank

Prompt password: No

Password: leave this blank

Authentication: Normal

Homepage: http://wap.smart.com.ph

Network type IPv4

Phone IP address: 10.102.61.46

Name servers: Automatic

Proxy server address: 10.102.61.46

Proxy port number: 8080 or 9201

(differs from one handset model to another)

Default access point: SMARTGPRS

Data bearer: Choose GPRS

Access point: internet

User name: (leave it blank)

Prompt p’word: No

Password: (leave it blank)

Authentication: Normal

Homepage: http://wap.smart.com.ph

II. MMS Settings

Connection name : SMARTMMS

Data bearer:Packet data

Access point: mms

User name: leave it blank

Prompt password: No

Password: leave it blank

Authentication: Normal

Homepage : http://10.102.61.238:8002

Network type IPv4

Phone IP address: 10.102.61.46

Name servers: Automatic

Proxy server address: 10.102.61.46

Proxy port number: 8080 or 9201

(differs from one handset model to another)

Default access point: SMARTGPRS

Data bearer: Choose GPRS

Access point: mms

User name: (leave it blank)

Prompt p’word: No

Password: (leave it blank)

Authentication: Normal

Homepage: http://10.102.61.238:8002

FOR GLOBE HERE

Select which brand/model or unit do you use. Click the links below and you will get the Step-by-step guide to set your mobile phone to activate to internet.

NOKIA GLOBE

N- Gage QD 2600 3100 3220 3230 3250 5300 5700 6020 6070 6101 6111 6151 6170 6230 6230i 6233

6260 6270 6280 6288 6300 6500 Slider 6500 classic 6600 6630 6680 7200 7260 7270 7280 7360 7370 7610

7710 8800 9300 9300i 9500 E51 E65 E70 E90 N71 N73 N80 N90 N91 N93i N95

SONY ERICSSON GLOBE

SE K300i SE K310i SE K500i SE K508i SE K600i SE K608 SE K610i SE K700i SE K750i SE K800i SE K810i SE M600i SE P1i SE P800 SE P900

SE P910i SE P990i SE R600 SE S500i SE S700i SE T100 SE T105 SE T200 SE T230 SE T300 SE T310 SE T600 SE T610 SE T630 SE T68i

SE W200i SE W300i SE W580i SE W660i SE W800i SE W810i SE W850i SE W880i SE W900i SE Z200 SE Z520i SE Z600 SE Z710i SE Z800i SE J210i

SAMSUNG GLOBE

SA A800 SGH C100 SGH C450 SGH D100 SGH D140 SGH D500 SGH D600 SGH D900 SGH E100 SGH E250 SGH E330 SGH E600 SGH E610 SGH E620 SGH E700

SGH E800 SGH F500 SGH I600 SGH N620E SGH P150 SGH P400 SGH S100 SGH S200 SGH S300 SGH S500 SGH T200 SGH T400 SGH T500 SGH U700 SGH V200

SGH V200C SGH X100 SGH X120 SGH X200 SGH X400 SGH X430 SGH X460 SGH X480 SGH X600 SGH X610 SGH X660 SGH X720 SGH X820 SGH Z560

MOTOROLA GLOBE

A668	C650	V878
A780	E360 **	V3
C155	E365	V290
C300	E380 **	V690
C330	E398	V300 **
C350	L7	V60i
C350i	MPX200	V70
C375	MPX220	V303
C380	T720 **	V80
C550	T720i	V600
L6	V3X	E770
E1070	KRAZR K1	V6 MAXX
E608 **	V3XX	A1200
V8	Moto Q

other phones here

FOR SUN HERE

Sun Cellular have all the configuration you need here

Simply fill in the two blanks, your phone unit and model type and you will get an Excel file of Step-by step configuration of your mobile phone.

©2010 THOUGHTSKOTO