While playing with the email settings I asked if he would mind me trying out the location awareness in Maps. Since the phone can use local cellphone towers to work out its location I expected this to have no problem. After a few minutes searching the iPhone still hadn't worked out where it was so I gave up. My mobile is on O2 and I had maximum signal strength, so did the iPhone.

The second dissapointent was at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. I was there to see the new Batman film and stopped at the O2 store. They had several 3G iPhones on display so I tried the location awareness in Maps again. Since the store is inside the shopping centre the GPS hardware won't work, but the iPhone was connected to the O2 wireless network. My mobile again had a strong signal, but the iPhone couldn't get its location.

One of the biggest reasons for me to buy an iPhone would be the location awareness, for finding local services. It's a killer feature, but doesn't work on my iPod Touch or the two iPhone's I have tried. I would like to hear from anyone who has had a positive experience of location awareness in the UK (outside the major cities) since it's not doing much to convince me so far.

Starting with the design, the N95 8GB, despite being loaded with hefty features, is very compact. It is comfortable while holding. the phone’s soft-touch finish on its back gives it a softer and easier grip. We can not call the phone sleek, but it certainly is attractive!

What further adds to Nokia N95 Black’s style is its unique dual slider design which makes it possible for the user to slide up the front cover of the phone for using the alphanumeric keys and slide it down to use the media player.

Next comes the display. The 8GB N95 Nokia has a 2.6 inch screen which is QVGA TFT. The resolution is 320x240 pixels. The clarity is good with sharp definition. The Nokia N95 Black also carries a light detector that changes the backlight according to the changing environment, thereby, improving display readability under various conditions. However, the users need to be cautious as the screen holds smudges and fingerprints very easily.

Talking about the navigation controls, they are user-friendly and slick. The buttons in the numeric keypad are large and tactile and, thus, are easier to use. In comparison, the controls for the media player are less tactile and, thus, are a little hard to press.

The sexy Nokia N95 Black phone comes loaded with a 5.0 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens. There are seven shooting modes and five quality settings to choose from. An interesting thing to note here is that the flash in the N95 8GB Black has red-eye reduction power. Additionally, an option for video stabilization ensures that the camera is not shaking while shooting.

After the camera, another feature that is quite valuable is an integrated music player in the Nokia N95. It supports multiple formats including MP3, AAC+, W4A etc. alongside, the phone also has the facility for radio FM. The audio quality of the phone’s speakers is exceptionally good.

The Black Nokia N95 comes packet with a GPS system, in addition to a mapping facility. This enables the users to get maps in different colours, plans for the routes, details about the total distance to be travelled, the total time taken in travelling and the average speed. But if the you want to get directions turn-by-turn, you’ll have to shell out a little more from your pocket for downloading the device upgrade.

But is it still coming to town after all this while?

I'm awaiting the little bird to whisper to me more information about the X1 and I'm particularly interested in the X1 coming to Malaysia.  For now, we do know that we can expect SE to bring it out in mid-September.  Handango's Content Partner Newsletter revealed that the X1 will be launched in mid-September (read here).  We shall see as 4th Quarter 2008 comes around.  Hutchinson's 3 is rumored to have a November schedule (read here).

The more interesting news I think is the rumor that the X1 is made by HTC (read here).  That is totally plausible.  HTC was originally an ODM (original device manufacturer) for Palm Treo as well as O2 before the advent of Dopod and the HTC brand.  It is entirely possible that HTC is going back to ODM work given SE is a great brand to work with and this gives SE a springboard with a very reliable manufacturer with leadership experience in working with Windows Mobile and Microsoft.

SE cannot have gone directly to start the Microsoft relationship now given their commitment to Symbian OS device development and expect to do a credible 1st Windows Mobile product.  So if SE didn't go to someone like HTC, the X1 may remain a hopeful but not there device or another by the wayside and bites the dust before it becomes real product, the many Windows Mobile bygones and to the WM obituary before its time.

You can read the X1 official specs here but the unofficial specs look more complete here.

Stay tuned for more Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 news for Malaysia right here.  Don't go away!  All I can safely say now is that Sony Ericsson is working hard to get the X1 out the door and I trust right to Malaysia soon!

If you are in doubt check your balance on your pay as you go on *#1345# or call 2345 free from your vodafone mobile

Please do comment if you are in the UK and that was your case.

Compare Mobile Phone Contract

Mit der Einführung neuer Router schafft o2 eine klare Abstufung seines Hardware-Angebots nach den Einsatzwünschen seiner Kunden. Alle Router bieten je zwei Anschlüsse für analoge Telefoniegeräte und vier LAN-Anschlüsse sowie eine integrierte Firewall und einen Contentfilter. Wie bereits der bisherige o2 DSL-Surf&Phone-Router installieren sich auch die neuen Router via Plug & Play fast wie von selbst. So ist das Surfen und Telefonieren bereits wenige Augenblicke nach dem Einschalten möglich. Manuelle Einstellungen sind nicht notwendig.

Der o2 DSL Router Comfort erlaubt kabellose Verbindungen per WLAN, beim o2 DSL Router Premium kann zudem noch ein ISDN-Telefon oder eine ISDN-Telefonanlage angeschlossen werden. Beide Geräte sind auf dem neuesten Stand der Sicherheitstechnik und verschlüsseln ihre Funkverbindungen nach dem WPA2-Standard.

Ist der o2 DSL Router Classic die richtige Wahl für Single-Haushalte, preisbewusste Kunden und Anwender, die kabelgebundenes Surfen bevorzugen, so wendet sich der o2 DSL Router Comfort an Vielsurfer, Wohngemeinschaften und Mehrpersonenhaushalte sowie Kunden, welche die Flexibilität kabellosen Surfens bevorzugen. Dank seiner ISDN-Kompatibilität ist der o2 DSL Router Premium besonders für kleine Büros, Homeoffices und Familien geeignet.

Mit der Einführung neuer Router schafft o2 eine klare Abstufung seines Hardware-Angebots nach den Einsatzwünschen seiner Kunden. Alle Router bieten je zwei Anschlüsse für analoge Telefoniegeräte und vier LAN-Anschlüsse sowie eine integrierte Firewall und einen Contentfilter. Wie bereits der bisherige o2 DSL-Surf&Phone-Router installieren sich auch die neuen Router via Plug & Play fast wie von selbst. So ist das Surfen und Telefonieren bereits wenige Augenblicke nach dem Einschalten möglich. Manuelle Einstellungen sind nicht notwendig.

Der o2 DSL Router Comfort erlaubt kabellose Verbindungen per WLAN, beim o2 DSL Router Premium kann zudem noch ein ISDN-Telefon oder eine ISDN-Telefonanlage angeschlossen werden. Beide Geräte sind auf dem neuesten Stand der Sicherheitstechnik und verschlüsseln ihre Funkverbindungen nach dem WPA2-Standard.

Ist der o2 DSL Router Classic die richtige Wahl für Single-Haushalte, preisbewusste Kunden und Anwender, die kabelgebundenes Surfen bevorzugen, so wendet sich der o2 DSL Router Comfort an Vielsurfer, Wohngemeinschaften und Mehrpersonenhaushalte sowie Kunden, welche die Flexibilität kabellosen Surfens bevorzugen. Dank seiner ISDN-Kompatibilität ist der o2 DSL Router Premium besonders für kleine Büros, Homeoffices und Familien geeignet.

However I do see the sense in what they do which is why I brought an iPod Touch instead, it can do everything the iPhone can except make phone calls and do texts.

The other evening I downloaded the software update onto my iPod Touch so that I could have access to App Store, two hours later and a bit of swearing I was up and running and downloaded my Facebook app, the complete works of Shakespeare and the Wordpress app, which means in future I can post anywhere at any time without the use of a computer. That being said I am posting today on my trusty old desktop.

Some people think the iPod Touch is the senseless bit of kit when you have the iPhone out there, but I would argue it is the iPhone that is the senseless bit of kit when the Touch is on the market.

Lets look at a few points to argue my case. The Touch is a one off cost of between £199 and £329 depending on the Gigabytes required and from then on it's downhill all the way paying for your music as and when you want it and many apps are free with just a few paid for ones available.

Then there is the iPhone 3G. If you want one of these you may well get able to get the handset for free, but then you are looking at a minimum of £45 a month for a contract. If you want a cheaper monthly tariff you will be paying £99 for the handset followed by £30 a month...and this is just for the 8GB version of the phone.

I know we live in a day and age whereby our mobile phones have to do everything including the washing up, but surely in a time of economic uncertainty we should be looking at protecting our wallets a little rather than battering them every month with a luxury item. Yes the Touch is a luxury item, but it's a one off luxury item which then doesn't have the ongoing running costs associated with the iPhone if you don't want it to.

I don't hate the iPhone, I am just trying to see the sense in it when there is a gadget on the market in the form of the Touch which so obviously clashes with it. There is almost a feeling the Touch was seen as a necessary evil but isn't really liked by the people at the top and if it did fail it wouldn't be any great shakes to them.

I like my iPod Touch, I take it everywhere with me for music, e-mail, weather, the works. So faluire of the product isn't a option for me.

But can someone please tell me how these two products can work together when they are so alike?

Here is the quick version (try to keep up!):

3 are owned by Hutchison; before 3 started trading, Hutchison had previously owned and founded Orange. Hutchison sold Orange in 1994 to Mannesmann AG.
Vodafone are part of Vodafone Group, who were founded as part of Racal Telecom in 1983 - becoming Vodafone properly in 1991. They bought Mannesmann in 1994 but had to sell off the Orange part due to the regulation of competition; France Telecom now own Orange and are using its strong brand identity for other parts of its business.
T-Mobile is a mobile network operator that is a subsidiary of the German Deutches Telekom. T-Mobile bought the previous mobile operator, One2One in 2001.
O2 was formed from BT Cellnet (the result of a demerger from UK telecoms operator BT). O2 (then known as mmO2) was purchased in 2006 by Spanish telecoms operator Telefonica, which has since used the O2 brand as a catch-all for other services (much like Orange/FT).

So:

• Orange - France Telecom (France)
• T-Mobile - Deutches Telekom (Germany)
• O2 - Telefonica (Spain)
• Vodafone - Vodafone Group (UK)
• 3 - Hutchison Whampoa (China)

A little more detail to follow.

Google, Onet i Wirtualna Polska to najpopularniejsze witryny w Polsce pod względem liczby użytkowników.

Na pierwszym miejscu zestawienia najpopularniejszych polskich witryn, zarówno jeśli chodzi o liczbę użytkowników jak i zasięg, pozostaje niezmiennie serwis Google.pl. Na drugiej pozycji znalazł się portal Onet.pl, a na trzecim - Wirtualna Polska. Na czwartym - Nasza-Klasa.pl.

Miejsce - Nazwa - Zasięg - Rreal users
1 - Google.pl - 82,80% - 12 256 358
2 - Onet.pl - 65,50% - 9 694 801
3 - WP.pl - 54,83% - 8 116 255
4 - Nasza-Klasa.pl - 50,96% - 7 543 731
5 - Interia.pl - 49,66% - 7 351 224
6 - Allegro.pl - 49,43% - 7 316 254
7 - O2.pl - 47,14% - 6 978 330
8 - Gazeta.pl - 45,08% - 6 673 300
9 - YouTube.com - 42,31% - 6 262 199
10 - Wikipedia.org - 40,59% - 6 008 263

Devido a falta de iPhones 3G suficientes para suprir a demanda atual, vendedores do maior leilão on-line dos Estado Unidos, o e-bay, estão vendendo iPhones desbloqueados com lances que superam mil dólares. Lançado em 11 de julho, o iPhone 3G vendeu mais de um milhão de unidades em todo o mundo no primeiro fim de semana, e outras operadoras fora dos EUA também reportaram falta do aparelho em estoque, como a O2 no Reino Unido.

Analistas acreditam que a Apple não dimensionou devidamente a demanda pelo aparelho, o que tem gerado essa falta de aparelhos para atender o mercado. Atualmente o telefone é vendido em 20 países, mas a Apple espera aumentar o alcance do aparelho para 70 países até o final do ano. Os estoques devem se normalizar no próximo trimestre e, segundo estimativas, a companhia deverá vender mais de 5,1 milhões de iPhones no trimestre.

MailChannels, an anti-spam company, did some research and found out that O2, a UK-based mobile operator, allowed unprotected access to private MMS messages sent on its network via a simple web search. MailChannels made O2 aware of this flaw and O2 has since fixed it.

However, things get uglier. Slashdot did similar research further and found that Sprint and Boost, an MVNO, also has similar flaws. In fact most of the other operators also had such flaw in their systems but a lot of them have been patched recently.

So, next time you send a picture to your friends, will it truly reach the eyes it is meant for or will the whole world get to see it?

Mit der o2 Surf Station, einem Surf Stick oder dem Surf & TV Stick lässt sich schnell und bequem das eigene WLAN Netzwerk aufstellen. Die Surf Station bietet WLAN 802.11b/g und unterstützt alle aktuellen Verschlüsselungsstandards wie WEP, WPA und WPA2. Durch die integrierte Firewall ist die Sicherheit im Netzwerk gewährleistet. Somit lassen sich schnell und ohne großen Aufwand mehrere Rechner im Hochgeschwindigkeitsnetz von o2 mobil vernetzen.

Der o2 Surf & TV Stick mit DVB-T und HSDPA ermöglicht mobiles Fernsehen beispielsweise zu den Olympischen Spielen auch auf dem Laptop. Mit einer Größe von 70,5 x 38 x 10,5 Millimetern und einem Gewicht von 40 Gramm passt er in jede Hosentasche. Dank der einfachen Installation mit der integrierten Software ist er sofort einsatzbereit. Neben dem TV-Empfang über DVB-T ermöglicht der o2 Surf & TV Stick die gewohnt schnelle Datenübertragung mit 3,6 MBit/s über HSDPA. Zusätzlich ist der o2 Surf & TV Stick bereits für die nächste Generation des schnellen Datenversandes über HSUPA vorbereitet.

Ohne Vertrag kosten der o2 Surf & TV Stick 179,99 Euro und die o2 Surf Station 99,99 Euro. Beide Geräte sind ab August 2008 verfügbar. In Verbindung mit dem Tarif o2 Active Data und der Datenflatrate Internet-Pack-L ist der Surf & TV Stick schon für 39,99 Euro zu haben.

HSDPA - Mobiler Datenturbo jetzt in immer mehr Städten verfügbar Dank dem rasanten Ausbau des Highspeed-Datennetzes von o2 sind auch Anwendungen mit größeren Datenmengen problemlos mobil abrufbar. Derzeit werden bereits über 20 Prozent der Bevölkerung mit der schnellen Übertragungstechnik HSDPA erreicht. Wöchentlich kommen weitere Gebiete dazu und bis 2009 ist eine Abdeckung von 60 Prozent geplant. Bis Ende des Jahres soll das gesamte UMTS-Netz von Telefónica o2 Germany HSDPA fähig sein. Damit wird mehr als die Hälfte der Bevölkerung erreicht. Als Ergänzung erfolgt zusätzlich in diesem Jahr die Einführung von EDGE und HSUPA.

We were going to Northumberland for a week with my mother-in-law.  I needed a distraction.  My wife and her mother would do the kind of things that they don't get time to do together during the year, and which they enjoy - spotting birds and trying to identify names, spotting wild flowers and trying to identify names, (and if things get really desperate - and they did) spotting grasses and trying to identify names.  I really did need a distraction - something that would absorb me completely - a new toy.  A reward for my forbearance.  And afterall, I couldn't be expected to go into the middle of nowhere for a week without Net access or being able to read emails.  I knew that before going away, I just wanted to get one of the new iPhones (iPhone 3G).  They were being released on 11 July - so I only had one day.

Enquiries to the two stores in my town that were likely to get the handsets revealed that they were going to be in short supply (one shop admitted they were only getting two handsets - Apple may have sold over ten million between 11-13 July, but NOT in my area).  Shop staff laughed condescendingly if you asked about reserving one.  I would have to queue.

Having decided to begin my holiday a day early, I leapt out of bed at 05:30.  As I drove wearily into town I experienced a mild panic.  There was lots of traffic.  Perhaps thousands of others in the area had had the same idea.  It was a relief, therefore, to find that I was third in the queue.  I would have felt very silly if I had been first, anxious if I had been tenth (would there be enough handsets?) and very sad if I had been forty-first.

Having queued recently for over three hours to get into the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the prospect of just over a two hour queue outside the O2 store in my town didn't seem too bad.  During the next two hours, the queue lengthened steadily and I stopped counting once it got over forty and disappeared round the corner.

To begin with I felt slightly awkward, as if I had joined some disreputable group.  The person who was first was a middle-aged man with a crewcut and T shirt who revealed he had travelled some distance (but didn't say where from).  He spent most of the time composing emails on his existing handset and mentioning Beijing - I think we were meant to be impressed.  The second person was a male in his young twenties who spent most of the time answering my attempts at conversation in mono-syllables and texting on his Blackberry.  I was somewhat relieved as the queue then started to get more 'normal'.

There was a local accountant with his teenage son, a doctor I recognised from the local hospital, young 'totty' that chewed gum and listened to their iPods, mothers with distressed children in very smart uniforms, assistants who worked in nearby shops, white-van men who were reading The Sun as they waited, and power-dressed office workers.

The time seemed to rush by quickly.  We waved at the CCTV cameras that buzzed above our heads, clearly disturbed by the unusual gathering.  We smiled at the joggers and street cleaners who were clearly bemused by our unusual presence.  We discussed the merits and demerits of our existing handsets.  We huddled together rather secretly around one man who exposed his existing iPhone (the now old-version) for our furtive and admiring gazes (though no-one was allowed to touch).  We joked with the enterprising women from the coffee shop opposite who saw our queue, and then came across and offered us their wares.

Apart from all this distraction, there was one topic that hung heavily in the air: "How many handsets do they have?"  And everytime we asked one of the assistants going into the shop, we received the same answer: "I'm sorry, we are not allowed to say!"

The store opened promptly at 08:00.  There were three sales staff and three desks.  I was ushered into place and sat down with the Manager.  What should have been simple, wasn't, and it took over an hour before I left with my iPhone 3G.  There were two problems.  First, the O2 computer and telephone system couldn't cope with the volume of traffic it was receiving.  The details just couldn't be processed on computer or by phone.  They had to be recorded manually.  Secondly, there was a glitch with me over dates and the time when I could start a new contract.  In the previous week I had been assured that Friday 11 would be ok and that a note was put on my file to that effect. ("Don't worry sir. There won't be a problem.")  However, as no-one could access my electronic file, the manager wouldn't believe me and refused to give me a new phone.  After a fair degree of huffing and puffing and pretending that my business would suffer if I had to change my mobile number, I agreed to take out a new contract with a new number rather than transfer my old one.

I left the shop clutching my phone.  Because the shop were not able to process the details electronically, the handset didn't spring into life for over another thirty hours.  I later learned that the shop only had five handsets.  So, there were a total of seven available in my town on 11 July.  Hundreds wanted them, and I managed to get one.

Was it worth it? You bet!!!  I'm a convert.  I knew within minutes that I had made the right decision.  More in future postings. It is just so different from any other phone I have ever had.  And I spent a week in the middle of nowhere accessing the Net and reading and composing emails to my heart's content.  I even answered a technical question for my mother-in-law by searching Google.  She was impressed - and that is saying something!

Sony Ericsson is a very easily available mobile brand in all the leading mobile stores. Sony Ericsson is a perfect example of beauty with brains. Its outstanding applications along with its killer looks make it one of the most wanted phones. Sony Ericsson has actually made the lives of both professionals and non-professionals much smooth and comfortable. Sony Ericsson takes care of every section of society. Be it music freaks, photography lovers or the business class executives, Sony Ericsson caters to every one’s need. The walkman series has been a nig time success. Every one got so much addicted to this walkman phone due to its high end music quality in terms of sound. The cyber shot camera was another attracting feature that grabbed the user’s attention.

Most of the Sony Ericsson handsets are equipped with high end camera, music player, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE technology, Bluetooth, Games, FM radio etc. Sony Ericsson phones usually have a good battery back up and in almost all the handsets there is an option of expanding the memory. The extendable memory slot gives its users the opportunity to save heavy files and data with out any obstruction. These value-added features always enhance the worth of the brand and product. The evolution in the mobile industry continues with Sony Ericsson. This unique merger of two big companies five years ago has given most sophisticated and well-designed handsets to the mobile industry.

Sony Ericsson C902i

SUMMARY: Sony Ericsson is a well established brand in the world of mobiles today. Sony Ericsson is a result of joint venture among two big companies like Sony and Ericsson thereby, making our lives easy and simple. Sony ericsson phones are available with following free gifts which are most popular with phone contracts : PS3 with Mobile Phones, XBox Elite with Mobile Deals, Free Wii-Fit Mobile, Free Laptop with Mobile Deals, ASUS PC with Mobile, 32" HDTV Mobile Phones, 37" HD TV with  Mobiles, 32" Sony TV Mobile Phone, iPod Touch Mobile Deals.

Sony Ericsson has introduced the Cyber-shot technology in photo phones to let you experience high quality mobile imaging. This phone is good for photographers who would not like to miss a shot. Cyber-shot phone is handy for any unexpected moment of opportunity. You need not worry about mistiming a shot with these phones as the Cyber-shot phone captures nine shots when you click on the subject. From these shots you can keep the one you want and trash the others. PhotoFix function in the phone adjusts the light, brightness and contrast etc by a single click operation enabling you to get the perfect picture quality. The auto focus focuses the subject in the center of the picture frame getting you exactly the right picture that you want. The xenon flash emits high-intensity light at the exact moment so that you can capture quality pictures with the right lighting in indoor and low light situations.

Sony Ericsson Cybershot K850i

Mobile phone for business sand pleasure The package includes of stereo portable hands free. The Bluetooth wireless technology frees your hands. You can have an all new experience with the integrated built-in camera with the screen viewfinder and dedicated menus and direct interaction from the phone to printer or other devices facilitating imaging and messaging. Wherever you go, you can stay connected through your email using your mobile phone. You can share your life in pictures with family and friends simply by taking pictures, adding text and publish it. You can enjoy real time streaming video from the Internet. The phone can receive messages instantly through Instant email called Push email. You can use the flight mode for use in airplanes or hospitals. This phone gives you all the functionalities of the Sony Ericsson Cybershot phones and more.

Slim and powerful

Sony Ericsson K850i has a sleek design with a large screen and a tactile keypad. It offers a complete digital imaging facility through the dual front phone. You can take a picture of the exact moment and even print or share it directly from the phone. The phone has high speed data transfer and voice capabilities making it a business tool. It keeps you entertained in addition to being a powerful tool for communication.

This Phone is popular with special deals like : Mobile Phone Free Wii, Mobile Phone Free PS3, Free Xbox Elite, Mobile Phone PSP, Mobile iPod Touch, Mobile Phone Free laptop, Mobile Phone 32" HDTV, Mobile Phone Free Wii Fit, Mobile Phone 37" LCD HDTV, Mobile Phone 32" Sony Bravia TV. These free gifts are available for free on ecnomical linerental as low as 25 ane 30 pound only.

I've been with Orange for over 8 years and it was a kind of a big decision to leave them.  But I love Apple more than I love Orange so had to wrench myself away from their balloon animals and bright future.  I was also interested to see what O2's welcome experience would be like - do real people care about this?  Or do they just want to get their mitts on the shiny new toy?

Leaving Orange was over in exactly 1 minute.  

Orange: Hello.  Welcome to Orange loyalty.

Me: Hello.  I want my PAC code please

Orange: Oh okay.  Why's that?

Me: I want an iPhone

Orange: Oh okay then.  We'll sent it out within 5 days.  Anything else I can help you with?

Me: *Stunned Silence* Um. No thanks 

Orange: Okay. Thanks for calling Orange.  Bye.

Bye then... as I stared at my phone and slumped back into my chair, I felt... gutted.  There was no tears.  No begging. No 'oh please don't... please stay lovely Lydia you loyal friend of 8 years'.   I am dead to them.  Just another traitor tempted by the shiny Apple toy.  I quickly recover from the shock and start getting excited. Tomorrow I will wait in line with the other Applenerds to be the one of the first to enter iPhone paradise.  Or so I thought.

Monday's pre-ordering fiasco didn't fill me with confidence as to whether I actually would get a phone within the time limit of the month I had left until Orange would coldly cut off my contract.  O2's arrogant tone and lack of apology had left me feeling dirty plus there was rumour that most stores would have less than 20 handsets each.  

Before we get into the events of the day I just want us to stop and think about that for a minute.  Less than 20 handsets per store.  Reports of the day said that some stores had only two 16GB handsets.  I'm sorry but what the fuck were O2 thinking?  Was it deliberate?  Some odd marketing hype machine stunt to make grown men cry with anxiety and wonder if they would ever get to see one of these rare objects of lust and desire? What they should have been thinking was: mmm we're a phone shop perhaps we should have enough stock so we can SELL SOME PHONES?

I digress.  On the Friday morning I'm on the train at 7am and still not confident about this mad endeavor.  I've never been the first in line for anything so I console myself with the truth that even if I don't succeed at least I will have experienced nerd/loser line waiting first hand.  I arrive at the Apple store at 8am (the store opens at the arbitrary time of 8.02am).  There's a huge scrum of press surrounding the entrance.  Slightly perturbed as to the whereabouts of the actual customers, I ask where the big queue is.  I'm directed around the corner to a moderate queue of neatly arranged people.  I join the back and get chatting to a few people thinking that I probably won't get in the store for ages so I'll just hang around until I can go to work, right?  WRONG.  Some nice person from Starbucks gives me coffee, I chat to a journalist, and then we're rushed into the store at precisely 8.04am. 

Now, if you're a boxer, or a footballer, or any sort of celebrity, then you will be able to empathise with what it was like to be rushed into the Apple store on that morning and be greeted by paparazzi cameras flashin away and the entire Apple store staff lining the building whooping and cheering like you'd just won a gold medal.  My initial British reaction was to think that it was all a bit embarrassing and bloody stupid.  It's JUST A PHONE.  Total non-news.  But then the fever must have got to me as I found myself clapping and whooping along with them whilst running up the stairs to join the queue of wide-eyed excitables.  Great start right?  Correct.  I'm in the store.  It's 5 past 8.  They're playing celebratory Hollywood blockbuster music of some description and THE QUEUE IS MOVING.  The crowd goes bonkers as the first person chooses his phone.  He raises his iPhone box and runs chariot's of fire-style, kissing it for the cameras. He jogs to one of the computer stations to start the registration process accompanied by various telly people with clipboards and cameras.  More people get their phones and I start getting excited.  More press arrive and more pictures are taken.  I'm 15th from the front! So close to iPhone nirvana! But then it all goes wrong. The queue stops.  No one is moving because no one has left yet.  And why has no one left yet?  Because O2's system has crashed.

A quick search on the interwebs says that there's a combined total of 1,300 Apple, Carphone Warehouse, and O2 stores nationwide.  Let's say that there's a generous average of 5 people per store at this precise moment trying to register their precious iPhone.  That's 6,500 registrations trying to get through the system.  Now, I don't know anything about load testing or network capacity and whatnot but I know someone who does: my Mum and this is her bag.  I ask her whether she thinks that six thousand people trying to simultaneously register their phone would understandably be a strain on any system.   She's looks at me and says 'No, not really.  That's bugger all.'  'Oh really?' I ask.  She then reels off a lot of nerd-speak about DB2 systems, MQ queuing system, buffer pools, and tuned databases.  In real terms what she's saying is someone fucked up big time.  No shit.

It's now 9am and I've been waiting in the same place for about 40 mins.  I ring work.  Nick gets excited and tells me to stay put.  So stay put I do for a further two hours.  In the meantime I make friends with my fellow queueees.  It's an odd mix of people.  There's the usual web developer types who can barely grow facial hair yet own their own company and presumably make millions.  I chat to him for a bit about web stuff.  Another person is a nearly retired police officer and a full time hypnotherapist.  He asks me about how he can make his website better and I tell him.  We then all have a chat about search engine optimisation and everyone is still very jolly.  We make idle chit chat about nearly everything but now it's 10.30am and patience is wearing thin.  More free coffee from Starbucks arrives.  The Apple store staff have nothing to do except stand around and field questions about what the fuck is taking so long.   The entertainment provided in the form of press, telly cameras, and paparazzi has subsided and now I'm no longer at an event, I'm just standing in a stationary queue and getting progressively more hungry (no breakfast) and thirsty (no tea, only coffee). 

At 11am the Apple store bigwigs have decided that people can either stay and wait or leave their details to be called later when the system is working.  I decide on the latter because I'm at this point ready to murder indiscriminately because I have had four coffees and still no tea.  I arrive at the office feeling dejected and exhausted with no iPhone to show off to my questioning colleagues.

I ambitiously pop back at lunchtime and the system still isn't working.  I pop back after work when all the O2 shops are CLOSED and you guessed it, it still isn't working.  Why isn't it working? Because O2 can't run a bath, let alone a phone shop.

Things that made me laugh that day:

1.  Apple had to run XP on their systems to run Internet Explorer - the only browser compatible with O2's registration system.

2. The fact that everyone agreed that O2 were idiots (read cunts) but Apple were still awesome

This is a lolsome picture I found on Macrumours:

I eventually got my iPhone on the Saturday afternoon after being rung up by the Apple store as promised.  I was wizzed to the front of the queue, got the phone, registered it, and paid for it in under 30 minutes.  

Lessons we can learn from this epic failure of a product launch:

1. Do a load test.

2. Do a load test.

3. Do a load test.

4. Oh and do a load test.

5. If you haven't done a load test be nice and say sorry when things go wrong.  

6.  Get the stock sorted out prior to people actually turning up at your store wanting to buy said stock.

7. Just because the brand you are partnering with is awesome and arrogant, doesn't mean you can behave like an awesome arrogant arsehole.  You're the shit second rate provider that is a means to an end.  That end being loving Apple beyond reason.

Other lessons to be learnt from this epic failure of a welcome process:

1. Where's my treat?  To date there has been no shiny welcome pack through my door.  I want a glossy box that cost one pound a pack bursting with information about all the things that make joining O2 the bestest decision I've ever made eva!  What do I get instead?  The cheapest paper leaflet that marketing man has ever conceived.  I've just committed to spending £35 a month with you for the foreseeable future and THIS is all I get as thanks?  A shit leaflet, a few texts, and an email? Thanks O2 you bunch of cheap pricks.

The reasons why O2 don't have a nice shiny welcome box is because there is nothing to be welcomed to.  NOTHING. (Well, not including the reason I joined them in the first place: the iPhone).  They have the O2 Dome, the wireless festival, and rugby.  But I'm interested in none of that mainstream rubbish. Call me a muso snob but I have no desire to see Kylie at the dome or any clamouring for a VIP box at Arsenal thanks all the same.

I'm beginning to miss Orange already.  Only a bit mind.  I have iPhone to mitigate the small sense of lose I may feel.  And what a phone it is.  It's a lightsaber, it's a remote control, it's awesome.  But as the Wired blog says it drains it's battery faster than a toddler in a desert.  That is the only downside.  

Here it is.  Look at it.  So shiny.

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Service Manual and Bongkar Pasang Casing Nokia (Sebagian Data)

]]> http://iriain.wordpress.com/?p=21 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:17:04 +0000 iriain http://iriain.wordpress.com/?p=21 Nearly a week after the launch of the iPhone 3G, it seems that the world is out of iPhones! All gone. Sold out. Bye bye!

Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of a stretch, but I did call over 35 stores yesterday and they were just that — All sold out! There are also still reports of lines with 3-5+ hour waits at the stores.

If you’re still waiting for an iPhone.. here’s the tips from the employees I talked with to hopefully assure you’ll get one in a somewhat timely fashion.. but probably not :D

• Get there early.
• Call ahead of time just to be sure
• Each store updates their availability after 9pm on the store’s retail page.
• If you’re crazy enough to camp out over night, “I won’t kick you out, but you could just call first?”

Pretty straight forward.. but don’t forget, you can also try to pick one up at most O2 stores too.. if they have them. Again, call first to make sure!

Perhaps this was Apple’s brilliant idea of hyping up the iPhone even more by limiting availability, nixing the online purchases and forcing you to activate in store? If you remember last year, there was still very high demand, but everyone who wanted an iPhone — got one. There were even people who were upset because they waited in line for a day and they were still in stock.

Ah, oh well. Can’t please everyone, right?

..and no, I have nothing else to blog about but iPhones. I can’t think of anything else but apps and 3G. Help! Addict!

- Link#1

Leave a comment please!

Diese Sim Karte ist ist in verschiedenen Netzen zu verschiedenen Tarifen vorhanden. Jedoch gibt es Verschienede Auszahlungsprovisionen an Euch von min.210 € von Vodafone, O2 , T-Mobile bietet 340 €, bis 410 €. Je nach Gusto würde ich mal meinen, es lohnt sich reinzuschauen.

SIM-Karte für Ihr vorhandenes Handy. Einfach einlegen und loslegen.

The iPhone Dev Team also claimed to have developed a tool, 'PwnageTool 2.0', that will enable users to 'jailbreak', or run unofficial, third-party apps, on their iPhone 3G. In a blog post, the iPhone Dev Team posted a link to a video which they claim shows PwnageTool 2.0 in action.

"Many, many hours have gone into this and now it should be as easy enough for your grandmother to use," an iPhone Dev Team member wrote in the blog post.

PwnageTool 2.0 has not yet been released due to tests aimed at making sure it is "glitch free", the blog post stated.

A report in tech publication Gizmodo on Thursday claimed that not only had the iPhone 3G been jailbroken but that the iPhone Dev Team had managed to unlock the phone, enabling people to use any carrier. At the moment, people wishing to use the iPhone must use O2 in the UK and AT&T in the U.S.

However, a former member of the iPhone Dev Team, George Hotz, who is also known as 'Geohot', claimed in a blog post that the iPhone Dev Team had not managed to unlock the iPhone 3G.

Hotz argued that the iPhone 3G uses a different bootloader to other versions of the iPhone, and there are no existing exploits for the iPhone 3G bootloader.

Nokia E65 has several other useful features like outstanding messaging facility. This allows the user to send and receive the personal text messages along with the multimedia messages. The phone also has the SMS and MMS distribution list.

In order to make it a executive phone the company has given the addition email protocols like SMTP, POP, IMAP4 and IMAP. These protocols are responsible for the better management of the user’s personal as well as the professional emails. You can even send the attachments with your emails through the Nokia E65. Additionally, to make this phone more suitable for executive class, the company has also equipped a multifaceted organizer for small - small office needs. These needs include calculator, calendar, note pad, along with a phone book. Nokia has also put an alarm clock, timer and money converter to this master piece.

This is not all; Nokia E65 also has an option of conference calls with the hands free speakers. This is very helpful for an executive to talk with different people at the same point of time. This phone also has a powerful two mega pixel camera that gives you a complete freedom to capture the sight’s pictures. The camera also has an option of digital zoom. You can even record the videos. This camera also has an option of multi shot, this helps you recognizing the best captured shot and eliminating the bad ones. You can easily download these pictures to your computer with the help of the USB connectivity.

So, all the above mentioned features of Nokia E65 mobile phone prove that this phone is a complete executive phone.

VS

Apple has said on its web site that it sold one million 3G iPhones over the launch weekend, a feat that took 74 days with the original iPhone. Given the problems people had actually buying and activating the device I can't help wondering how much higher the sales figures would be if all the systems had worked as intended. O2 UK is reporting all iPhones are sold out, more stocks will be arriving weekly but are expected to be in short supply for the next few weeks. Not bad for a computer companies second phone.