Keith Shirley

Image by robad0b via Flickr

Vodafone Saga

Those of you that have had to put up with me going on about how much I love the Nokia N95 will be glad to hear Vodafone finally have a large data package available so that you can access the internet via the phone without being restricted to the Vodafone Live access. As of posting they now charge 29.99 inc VAT for 5GB.

The Problem: Previously you could access the Internet via Vodafone for 99 cent per day. Great I thought and started using e-mail and all sorts of other tools on the phone. Then a 395 Euro extra appeared on my phone for data. It turns out that this 99 cent deal was only for access via Vodafone Live. Most of the useful tools I use needed proper Internet access and not a crippled account. Luckily Vodafone agreed to refund the money but for months I was stuck with only using WLAN access. They had small packages available but I refused on principle. It really annoyed me that you could get a 3G dongle with a large data bundle but that you couldn’t get that package applied to a normal phone. I was really close to switching providers on numerous occasions – luckily for Vodafone I’m lazy.

Anyway – Special thanks to Pat Phelan for bringing it to my attention. I had given up on checking their website. This also lets me pass on a tip for some software for the phone.

Tool Tip

Traditionally when you’re moving from place to place you have to tell the apps on your phone to use the correct WLAN access point or select the correct 3G settings. Over time this can become quite a long list if you’re travelling a lot. The Psiloc Connect software creates a new “Access Point” in your list that removes the need to scroll through all the other predefined access points.

[caption id="attachment_48" align="alignnone" width="321" caption="Psiloc Connect Screenshot"]
[/caption]

You tell all you’re apps to use only that connection and once you’ve entered a few settings you can forget about it. The software will automatically look through all your WAN connections for the correct one and (if you’ve enabled it) will then try and connect via 3G. You can even disable the 3G access automatically when roaming – saving you from potentially massive phone bills.

I like this software as it makes life easier and just disappears into the background. The only issue I have with the software is with hotspots where a web login is needed. In this case the WLAN has more bandwidth but the time to login slows the whole process down. In that case I often just want to dip in and pick up a mail. In those situations I set the access point to “always ask”.

Unfortunately – now I find my battery goes flat too quickly. Maybe the thrill of easy Internet access will wear off soon…..maybe

The Psiloc Connect software was originally brought to my attention in the SymbianInMotion blog.

Image via Wikipedia

I always get asked which broadband connection is the best – and I always answer I don’t know. I don’t use them all. The only thing I can do is offer some advise on what to look out for. I keep meaning to write them down but now Maeve Kneafsey has written a post Don’t get broadsided by broadband – quick guide which means I don’t have to.

A couple of points I would add

- If you are planning to play games online – the time delays when sending & receiving commands via a satellite Internet link could cause you trouble.

- If you are getting ADSL installed there is a limit on how far away from the telephone exchange that you can be. Even if you are within range the line has to pass a quality test. Multiples connections (eg the extra phone in the bedroom) as well as devices such as fax machines or your sky box can disturb the line. Sometimes it’s worth cleaning things up before they run the test.

- The speed that you can send things to the Internet is much slower than the receive (download) speed with ADSL. If you are going to be sending lots of big mails or videos then you may be better off with the wireless options which often have the same speed in both directions. Most “normal” people are perfectly happy with the slower upload speed as normal web surfing involves data coming in the other direction.

- If you are having stability problems with a fast link – try slowing it down. It often ends up consistently faster.

I’m sure I’ll thing of more.