iPhone and Vodacom? January 18, 2008
Posted by mikesolomon in Mac.4 comments
Yup its been ages since I did a blog post, but id rather blog when I want to say something rather than just for the hell of it.
Anyway, in keeping with iPhone trend,I first purchased my iPhone when they were released last year. I had to wait about 2-3 months to crack it, and once cracked, the iPhone would not work on Vodacom for love or money. After hours on the phone to support desks and even a trip to Vodaworld, i had no choice but to port to MTN as in the pictures. I wasnt happy about this, but the phone worked fine.
Now some good news – Yesterday I happened to put my Vodacom simcard in the phone on the off chance that it work and guess what? – it worked 100%. Vodacom must have changed a network setting or did an upgrade so the that the iPhone would work.
This leads me to speculate that maybe, just maybe Vodacom are doing prelim tests to see if the iPhone will work before they bring it here? Maybe they are talking to Apple about bringing it here? Just speculation, but would it be nice!!
Iphone – First impressions August 22, 2007
Posted by mikesolomon in Mac, The Web.1 comment so far
Yup thats right- I managed to get my grubby mits on an iPhone from the 5th ave Apple store in NY (i didn’t go unfortunately but a mate got it for me -im in South Africa by the way)
So what can i say about the iPhone? It is nothing short of spectacular beyond belief and truly had taken cell phones to a new level. Its smaller than you think from seeing pics etc. True i cant use all the cellphone features yet, but i did managed to bypass the activation in about 1 minute and get access.
The screen and functionality is superb. The touch screen is nothing short of revolutionary and browsing web sites via wi-fi is a treat! The ipod is mind blowing and sound quality superb. Sure im really talking this device up (im a huge apple fan) but all of that aside – this thing will change the way you look at hand-held devices (cellphones, mp3 players etc) I actually got gasps from people when i showed them the iPhone – when was the last time a device got that reaction? Basically – every positive article you’ve read is true.
A few things minor i can see being an issue are:
1) when you send an sms it doesn’t count the characters you’ve typed (maybe when its activated it does?)
2) Things like stock, weather etc are pretty pointless.
3) the note taking could be a bit more serious – it has a very childish font
4) keyboard takes some getting used to – im sure it just needs practice though.
Thats about all i can comment on at the moment, but im working feverishly to crack the phone functionality (apparently it has been done in Europe) Also as of now there is still no word as to when the iPhone will be in SA and im not holding my breath either.
Ill report my progress going forward!
IPhone Blues July 3, 2007
Posted by mikesolomon in Mac.2 comments
Yup – i got the Iphone blues baaaadd!! Why? – because i cant have one that’s why. I have to settle for looking at pics of smiling Americans getting their grubby paws on it.
You see im an Apple nut and the fact that I have to wait an undetermined amount of time to get my hands on the hottest gadget of the decade just kills me. Maybe its a blessing in disguise because when they (eventually) land here, they will probably have 3G, MMS and be able to record video.
Still that scant consolation to me! Damn you Apple, why couldn’t you just sell and unlocked phone instead of wanting a slice of the call revenue pie. Or is it Steve Jobs cunning plan to extend revenues in a rapidly approaching iPod saturated market.
That begs the question for SA and other countries: Will Apple do the same as the USA and partner with a carrier? or will they settle for selling crap loads and making a fortune on the actual units? I guess time (how much we don’t know) will tell!
Apple – the best marketing company in the world! January 16, 2007
Posted by mikesolomon in Mac, Thoughts.5 comments
Its official – not only do Apple make some the hippest tech products around, but theyre also hands down, the best marketing company in the world.
Just look at the iPhone – its featured on every blog around (not just tech blogs mind you), most major newscasts and even the Sunday papers- and you know what it cost them for this exposure? zero, zilch, nada. It was so widely covered that a girl in my office who can barely turn on her computer, sent me a link to the site and told me to check it out (2 days after I found out about I might add but anyway). Most companies would murder for a fraction of the exposure the iPhone got.
See Apple (or Mr Jobs) has mastered that art of being so hip and progressive and making such cutting edge products, that people spend months speculating about their newest gadget or computer, only to wet themselves when it actually comes out. Apple are also masters at playing up to this and holding the public captive by being incredibly tight lipped over new launches allowing speculation to reach fever pitch.
Apple is so cutting edge (you can tell im a fan) that the iPhone they actually released was 10 times better that any mock up or mash-up I saw floating around the web. The bottom line is that Apple made a better product than the entire web-sphere could!!
It just shows that Seth was right – spend money making your product amazing and the marketing will take care of itself! Apple, it would appear are pastmasters at this.
Now the next step is to wether the iPhone actually lives up to its hype but i have no doubt it will.
Getting Internet in SA December 23, 2006
Posted by mikesolomon in Mac, Thoughts.add a comment
This is an interesting task that im sure others will attest to. It really isnt as easy as it should be.I have a few issues in this regard which forced me to evaluate all my options.
Issue 1: I rent a place so im to going to bother putting in ADSL -which will probably only come in 9 months from ordering = TELKOM YOU SUCK!!
Issue 2: Im on a Mac so this means no 3g card from Vodacom as i have no PCI slot. Iburst is too pricey and Sentech is just plain lousy.
Issue 3: No open wireless connections here so i cant “jump on one” (not that I would cos thats bad – ahem)
Interim Solution: The Huawei E220 data modem – finally released by Vodacom. This USB beauty is HSDPA enabled and f**ing quick.
A few words of wisdom if youre considering one:
1) Buy one if you can. Its costs about R2 800 but if you do can use Virgin (Edge) MTN (3g) or Vodacom (3g/ HSDPA) Data is still waaay overpriced but you can use Virgin and get and edge connection for 50c per mb.
2) If you want to use it on Vodacom – dont bother visiting the Vodacom site unless you have a PPC Mac. Rather visit the Vodafone UK site and get that software for Intel
Guess it will have to do until Wimax gets here “sigh” (if it ever does)
Mac apps for the masses October 16, 2006
Posted by mikesolomon in Mac.add a comment
Ok here the thing – I’m a Mac addict and have been for some time. During the day I’m resigned to using a clunky pc with Weeendowz for work, but at night and on the weekends I transform into a superefficient, ease of use, non crashing Mac supremo!
Anyway, i love seeing other Mac lovers spreading the goodness and telling others about the tasty apps available. That’s why I was really happy when I saw this post about the top 10 Mac apps
Obviously everyone has their own top 10, but its a great post to learn what else is out there.
