Got plenty of reactions via e-mail to the question that I posted yesterday regarding UTS and their 4MB ADSL upgrade deal. Most people seem to think that it's a good deal and I can definitely understand why. I mean, your doubling your speed for the same price and no one would say no to that. But on the other hand, the two year contract extension makes me uneasy. I really don't want to tie myself down like that, especially when my current contract expires in May.

That said, it's February 2010 and our best broadband options are a 4MB Adsl connection for Naf. 149,- (restrictions apply) and an 8MB Adsl connection for Naf. 399,- (have mercy). We're making some progress I guess, but it's still highway robbery if you ask me. Somewhere, this guy is still crying "tears of disgust" and rightfully so....

It appears that you can upgrade to a 4MB UTS Adsl connection while still paying the Naf. 149,- price that's connected to the 2MB connection. But as usual, there is a catch. The deal is only for existing 2MB customers and you have to renew your contract for another 2 years (shoot me please).

I was offered the same deal, but instead of renewing my contract, I have to give back my 3G modem. UTS apparently still thinks that I'm using my 3G too much (A SERVICE THAT I AM PAYING FOR!) and if I choose to give it back, they'll upgrade my 2MB connection to a 4MB connection, without raising the price and without extending my contract. Again, the catch is that i have to stop using another service that I AM LOYALLY PAYING FOR. Awesome huh??

So, would you give your 3G modem back in return for an upgrade in speed and no change in price? And would you upgrade from 2 to 4 MB while extending your contract when Columbus is lurking??

It's that time again kids. My latest column has gone up over at Meet Curacao. This one involves an epic photoshop job by Sebastiaan.

Enjoy....

Sigh.........

* Update: Curacao is still a part of the Netherlands Antilles (no Fail there) but I imaged someone Googling this and thinknig that Curacao is geographically located in another country. My imagination is childish and awkward. You see now why I don't have any friends....

I received a very interesting email yesterday from a worried reader . It seems like he received an email from a hacker/scammer who is using Via Via Curacao as the subject to trick people. The message was sent from " This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it " and contained the following message...

Subject: Reply To Your Ad at the ViaVia Curacao

 

hello seller

,tell me the last price and the payment will be by cheque by my agent okay,its after the comfirmation of the payment in bank before he come for the   pickup.

hilton

The reader said that he currently has no ads placed on Via Via and that people here in Curacao need to be aware of emails like this one, especially if hackers are using Via Via as the bait. It's one thing to receive emails from "Nigerian royalty" or from companies that tell you that you have won the lottery...but a subject like the one above might catch a few people off guard.

If you receive an email that is similar to this one, be very, very careful. Especially if you HAVE NOT posted any ad on Via Via.

My latest Meet Curacao column has gone up. It tackles "writer's block", the tragedy in Haiti and bunny rabbits.

Enjoy....

Some interesting Curacao related "tech news" to mention today. First, Curacao will be hosting the LACNIC conference for the first time ever. The LACNIC is the 'Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry" and it will be held at the WTC from the 17th 'till the 21st of May.

The conference will host 350 international Internet and telecommunications experts and will be a follow up on the 'ICT Masterplan' that was created back in October 2009. The ICT Masterplan is supposed to raise the level of ICT in Curacao while also making Curacao a "knowledge based economy" during the next 10 years.

Facebook And The Elections

Mariano Heyden, Caroline Perret en Yves Cooper will "host" an election debate tonight on Facebook. The debate will throw out various questions and statements on which people can react to. To participate, you have to add all three hosts as a friend on Facebook.

A number of Facebook debates are planned between now and the 23rd of January so keep that in mind if you have opinions about the elections or just want to participate in general.

This story has made the rounds the last two days and while I wrote about it over at Versgeperst, I thought it would be cool to mention it here as well. Curacao has been chosen by Microsoft's Bing search engine as one of the top 10 vacation destinations for 2010. Curacao was the top Caribbean destination and the only Caribbean representative in the top 10.

I did a visual search over at Bing for travel destinations but when switching it over to "Caribbean", it only put the islands in alphabetical order. A regular search for "Top Destinations for 2010" however returned a gallery where Bing puts the top 10 places that they think will stand out the most in 2010, which includes our great little island.

If you click that link, you'll see the reasons why Bing picks Curacao. They mention "its gorgeous natural features (including wild flamingoes), a rich history and a unique culture" while also saying that "the capital city of Willemstad is a worthy base for exploring the island and its quiet beaches."

In the end, it's a great promotion for Curacao and we should be really happy with the selection and inclusion from Microsoft.

Today was my first day over at the Versgeperst.com office and by the looks of it, we're ready to mold it into the leading online news publication in Curacao. If you have visited the site, you'll see that we cover local news, local activities, local sports and we'll soon be adding much more to the table.

In the end, we just want it to be the first place you go to when searching for Curacao related news on the web. Either way, if you have any news or tips (Curacao related) that you think we should cover over there, feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at the usual address... This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I did a mini Curacao related "decade sports retrospective" over at Meet Curacao. It looks at the accomplishments of Andruw Jones and what could have been for Churandy Martina.

When my wife was done reading my "look back at 2009" article, she mentioned that UTS did give her good service when she switched over to a new Blackberry plan a few months ago..

Wife: You have to add that the Blackberry service was pretty good when I switched to the new phone and new plan...
Dave: The service was pretty good that particular time. Do you think that I am too hard on them?
Wife: No. I'm just saying that the Blackberry team helped me very good and I think that it should be mentioned.
Dave: Well, why don't you add it in the comments then?
Wife: I will...and I WILL USE MY TRUSTY BLACKBERRY!
Dave: *cuddles with the iPhone and reads it a bedtime story*

That little back and forth made me wonder. Am I being too hard on these people? Am I only mentioning the negatives and leaving out the positives?? After thinking it through a little, I came to the conclusion that I'm not being too harsh.

Personally, I just haven't experienced many good moments with them this year and when you are a paying customer, I think that you are allowed to expect a certain level of quality, especially when you are paying the ridiculous prices that we are paying.

* The only positive thing that I can point to UTS-wise during 2009 is that they finally seemed to have that DNS issue fixed. My Internet has been fine for the past two weeks but I can immediately deduct points again because this has been an issue SINCE SEPTEMBER!

That said, I decided to do some Google searches to see where Curacao Connected ranks with regard to UTS. The results were interesting but I can't say that I am surprised...

Searching "UTS Curacao Bad Service", we are result number 1, 4 and 6 on Google's first page (including Twitter and Meet Curacao).

Searching "UTS Curacao Bad Internet", we are result number 1.

Searching "UTS Curacao Horrible", we are number 1 and 2 (including Meet Curacao article).

The results when doing 3G related searches are not much better......

Searching "UTS Curacao 3G Not Working", we are result number 1.

Searching "UTS Curacao 3G Bad", we are result number 1 and 2 (including Twitter).

Searching "UTS Curacao 3G Sucks", we are result number 1.

If there's one bright spot for them however, when you search "UTS Curacao Sucks", we are result number 2.

Bonus Fun With Google

On that "UTS Curacao 3G Sucks" search, there's a result that points to an article dating back to February of 2009 on BoingBoing.net where blogger in Japan tells everyone that he has a 100Mbps optic fiber connection for 11 dollars a month. Again, that's a connection that averages 64Mbps down/55Mbps up, with NO INSTALLATION FEES FOR JUST 11 DOLLARS A MONTH (and the setup takes less than an hour)!!!!!

* Excuse me while I drink pure bleach *

Either way, check out this comment that was left on that page...

I'd like to wish all of the Curacao Connected readers a very Merry Christmas and a very wonderful 2010....

Like I mentioned before, starting January 1st, 2010, I will be one of the main editors and writers over at Versgeperst.com but Curacao Connected (and divisions) will be here and hopefully we can keep growing like we have all year. Some big things are planned for the new year so I'm very much looking forward to those and I'm very thankful that I'll be writing for Meet Curacao as well.

And while 2009 had some big ups and downs for this site, we managed to wheather the storm and to keep growing in the process. Thank you again for reading, thank you for contributing and thank you very very much for inspiring me to keep this site going. Have a safe Christmas and take it easy out there...

When I look back on 2009 a few years down the road, a number of things will immediately come to mind. First of all, 2009 (for me) will be the year that was defined by Twitter and Facebook. These two platforms have been around for a number of years but their exponential growth on the web is something that none of us have ever seen before.

Try to think of any other website or platform (outside of Google and their array of products) that has grown so much and so fast like Facebook and Twitter have grown and that also affect everyday life as much as these two platforms do. I bet that you won’t come up with anything because no other platform has the sheer amount of users nor the reach that these two have.

Think about it. One law firm in the UK that specializes in divorce claims that 1 in every 5 petition will cite Facebook as the reason for the divorce. “Tweeting” much like “Googling” might as well be added to the dictionary. And while I could go on, I really don’t need to explain that these platforms are beyond huge. Just look at your browser or on the screen of your co-worker or family member. It probably has Facebook open and odds are that they’re Tweeting about something.

2009 will also remind me of Windows 7, Microsoft’s “Bing”, Google Wave, Netbooks, the iPhone 3G(s), the continued rise of the Blackberry, Plasma TV’s, Android, Google Chrome for Linux, the Pirate Bay and Chrome OS. There is more, but if I think “tech” and 2009, these are the products and services that immediately come to mind.

However, when I think of tech in Curacao during 2009, the picture becomes very murky and disappointing. I had hoped that 2009 would bring more options in the broadband internet world but sadly, we seemed to only go backwards....

UTS is having a special Christmas "One Day Sale" where you'll be able to get a free Blackberry Curve 8520 with 160 free minutes and unlimited data for only 99,- guilders a month. The deal is only valid for tomorrow, December 23rd, between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM local time but there is a limited stock so plan accordingly if you want to assure yourself of a new Blackberry.

The "fine print" mentions that the price excludes 5% O.B tax and that the offer is based on a 2 year post-paid contract. If you are a new post-paid customer, a deposit fee will be required and some installations fees may also apply.

The ad mentions the UTS Business Center at the Orionweg 18 (behind Burger King) so I assume that you'll have to be there if you want to get this special offer. However, it's probably a better idea to call and confirm the location because UTS tends to unpleasantly surprise us from time to time (Understatement).

Last week I got a very interesting e-mail that speculated a little about the prices and packages that Columbus Networks would be offering here in Curacao starting January 2010. The speculation was that Columbus would be offering a triple play package (phone/cable tv/15 MB broadband Internet) for about 200,- guilders a month. And while we all started to foam at the mouth for a possible 15 MB connection (that would possibly cost somewhere between 100,- and 150,- guilders), the question now becomes if Columbus is even ready to start offering these services...

Columbus was supposed to go to work here in Curacao somewhere during the end of November but their acquisition of Curacao Cable Television was supposedly not completed yet. People are wondering now how far along Columbus is and when they'll start going to work here. Maurice Adriaens has also stated that he's trying to contact the company to see what is going on and that does not really sound very promising.

Our tipster mentioned that UTS launched their 8MB Fiber Power connection just to tie more customers with 2-year contracts right before Columbus launches and while that sounds very likely, it looks now like Columbus may not be as close as we thought. I guess that we'll just have to wait on an answer from them and also have some hope that their launch is sooner rather than later.