PLDT vs GLOBELINES vs BAYANTEL: what’s the best ISP?

by: Jale Xanders

The Philippine market for internet service providers is very fierce, and with all the advertising and promotions, it’s really hard to choose which ISP to subscribe to. Here are a few tips though:

• See what’s the nearest node to your home. The shorter distance the node from your modem is, the lesser the attenuation in signal and the better chances you get the optimum speed
• Check the connectivity and maturity of ISPs in your region. Get advice from real users in your community. There are places which a certain ISP is great, and in some places they’re not… (could be of reasons like: old equipments, failing maintenance, weak user network)
• If pricing is of concern to you (of course, it should be), then compare their prices. And the promotions (freebies) that come along with the subscription.
• Check out their customer support. How accessible are they? or their office from your home?

Too general tips.

Filed under: Technology

21 Best Open Source Online Expense Tracking and Budgeting Tools

by: Jale Xanders

BillMonk
makes it easy to track expenses between friends, and to settle them up instantly online. Particularly popular with roommates, young professionals, and college students, it has been used for splitting bills like rent, utilities, meals, and beers. BillMonk also allows users to keep track of books, DVDs, or other items that they have lent to or borrowed from their friends.

Billster
online application developed to organise your personal and shared expenses.

BudgetOnWeb
free online system that integrates project management with contacts management and financial tools to manage your budget online.

BudgetTracker
allows you to track your budget, bills and transactions together in an easy to read calendar that can send you reminders when bills are due. You can also view most of the data stored on this site with your cellular phone so you can take all your data with you where ever you may be.

Buxfer
online tool to track your personal expenses online.

ClearCheckbook
online checkbook register that will help you to keep track of all your checking, savings and credit card accounts in one place.

ExpenseView
easy to use application that helps track your expenses, budgets and income. Use it to get an understanding of how you’re spending your money.

Expensr
online tool that tracks your expenses and then compares your spending with similar people so you know where to improve.

IOweYou
expenses sharing calculator, ideal for shared houses, clubs, societies, business partnerships or other cost sharing.

JustBudget
free online web application to manage your personal budget, easily and succesfully.

MoneyTrackin
free online webapp that allows you to track all your expenses and incomes easily and without effort, thus allowing you to have a clear view of your financial situation. It intends to be a simple yet powerful online budget management tool.

MyBillQ
web-based application that gives you an easy way to keep track of your bills.

MySpendingPlan
secure online personal finance budgeting software that can help you manage your spending to save money, reduce debt, manage tasks and reach your financial goals faster. You can create shopping lists online (and buy the items), set bills due and task reminder email alerts and create savings goals that you can track.

Paybackable
online expense reporting tool, track out of pocket and mileage expenses spent on behalf of your business or company.

Plan2Spend
free tool, you can perform several simple tasks which will help you understand the dynamics of your expenses. It can help you to organize your bills and payments, track your daily expenses, view summary and detailed budget, learn to manage money from the Plan2Spend community and learn to budget your monthly spending.

SharingBills
web based tool that helps you keep track of your shared and personal expenses that reminds you who owes you and whom you owe.

Spending Diary
simple spending tracking and analysis site.

SpendingProfile
website where you can track your spending and watch your budget.

Wesabe
makes it easy to better understand how you spend your money and links you to a community of people dedicated to helping each other make better financial decisions.

Xpenser
online tool to track your expenses via Email, SMS, instant messaging (AOL, MSN, Yahoo), Twitter, and voice (call and say your expense). Export to Quicken/MS Money/CSV/other.

YeeBudget
enter and tag your expenses. View in a simple month to month view what expenses you’ve got. View at a glance what expenses are costing you the most with the tag cloud.

Filed under: Technology