Sensible Netnonsense

Where pop culture and information technology collide

by Ignatius Javellana, Philippines

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Connectivity blues and why I can't afford an iPod

Apr 24, 2007 12:30

The past couple of weeks have been a real downer for wired folks like me. Apparently, something has hit the Philippine ISP cables and made all our ISPs next to worthless. Well I exaggerate of course… but not being able to log in to your favorite and regularly visited websites is cause for alarm and frustration.

Funny thing is, it only affected particular websites and IP locales, while leaving the rest completely lag-free. Of course our website was hit with the lag bug. And of course World of Warcraft had to get hit by the same lag as well. Sigh. And to think we had a long weekend a couple of weeks back…

Anyway, thank God things are back to normal in the office. At home? I shudder to think what downloading the latest episode of Heroes will be like tonight…

iPoops and Bokias
Interestingly enough, on my way to work today, I traveled through all types of neighborhoods. There's the rural, or the more ghetto part of Makati, leading up to the more industrialized parts, and then opening up to the more urban and upscale parts--all in the span of a few minutes (or an hour depending on traffic).

So while I was stuck in traffic, I was quite surprised to see a tricycle (one of the many forms of public transportations in the metro) driver with an iPod. Now, I don't mean to be prejudiced and derogatory, but how in heavens can she (it was a female driver, too) afford one? I bust out laughing after that and thought maybe some unlucky passenger left it in the seat.

Or maybe it's something else.

One of the more not-so-savory details of technological life in the Philippines is that everything can be cloned and pirated to an extent. iPods and Nokias sell for dirt cheap in the more notorious bazaars in the metro, making practically every single piece of gadget open to the broader CDE market. So how do these vendors make money? By selling services, of course! Your "brand new" cell phone gets busted right away? No problem! We can fix it... for a fee, of course. "Engineer's fee" and all that. Want more songs in your "brand new" iPod? Sure! Just pay us per song transfer.

Need new software on your phone? Heck, we'll even throw in a few more free software for a small fee, and you won't get a better deal from the guy in the next stall!

Sadly, I can't afford to buy one myself because of fear. Fear that if I do decide to buy gadgets from shady dealers, even if they do claim these things are brand new and that these gadgets are sealed, how can I possibly be sure that I'm getting my money's worth? How can I possibly be sure that the stuff I'm buying won't make me keep coming back again and again for addons, repairs, and what not? Ah, the price of piracy... or so they say.

And, modesty (and discrimination) aside, if I can't afford a new unit from a legit outfit, what more these folks? Of course, there are loads of legitimate dealers and sellers in the Philippines, but for a tricycle driver like that lady earlier, the price difference in exchange for being "in" was well worth the risk.

After my short laugh in the car, still stuck in traffic, seeing her bob her head to probably her latest pop MP4, I thought, who's laughing now?

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About Ignatius Javellana

Iggy Javellana, who is the Digital Director for Universal McCann Philippine's, is what you would call a "wired" individual: Online practically 24/7. He's an avid gamer, satiric blogger, budding musician and independent film enthusiast, and still hopes to one day become a rock star.