Earlier this week, Cell C switched on it’s HSPA+ network in Gauteng. This means that we now have access to super-fast internet, at really affordable rates. According to Ookla (parent company of Speedtest.net), as of 15 November 2010, Cell C is the fastest network in South Africa.

I was given a USB speedstick (60GB over 12 months / 5GB a month) to test and was very impressed. Set-up was simple on my Mac. I plugged in the dongle and the installation screen popped-up, which took a few minutes and soon thereafter, I was ready to connect!  I picked up the following speed when I tested it at home:

The dongle is capable of up to 21.6Mbps. I guess I have to find the right spot in my house for best coverage / higher speeds but I’m quite happy with the results above. I downloaded a 40min episode of a TV show in less than 15 minutes. I have uncapped Neotel WiMax at home (2Mbps), so it’s pointless me using the dongle when I’m in my house. It goes everywhere with me, in my handbag, so I have access anywhere. You know how important that is

How does this compare to the Vodacom coverage I receive at home? For starters, I cannot make/receive a call – or do anything, let alone get full 3G coverage – from downstairs. Even if I have 2 bars of reception, I will not receive a phone call, but I will get an SMS to say “missed call” or voicemail.

When I go upstairs, into my main bedroom, I have to hop around my bed, trying to get the best signal. The last time I spoke to my mom, I had to dial her 5 times because of poor reception. If I’m lucky, I pick up 3G, or it’s either EDGE or GPRS (!).

Cell C is currently running a promotion on their speedsticks:

1) 2GB x 12 months = R149pm (contract) or R1499 (prepaid) – 7.2Mbps

2) 5GB x 12 months = R299pm (contract) or R2999 (prepaid) – 21Mbps

If you’re thinking of getting a mobile broadband solution, Cell C is your best option – it’s currently the cheapest and fastest available.

When Neotel first approached me about upgrading my connection to a 2Mbps line, for free, I wondered what the catch was. I was offered their WiMAX solution because a) I lived in an area with capability and b) my 24-month contract was up for renewal in a few months.

I was told that I didn’t have to pay for the installation of the new antenna and that the current EVDO device I was using would be of no use anymore. So they came and installed and after a week, my Internet was finally up and running. As soon as I configured my new “internet”, I checked the speed, and low and behold, this was the result:

I know this has been rolled out to a certain amount of users, which will explain the speed I am currently getting. While I am very happy about it [okay, majorly thrilled], time will tell if these speeds will last.

PS if you are regular reader, then you must like my blog, right? Please would you take 2 minutes of your time to nominate me in the SA blog awards. Click the badge you see to the right. Thanks a lot, and appreciate it

A lot of people have been asking me about Neotel in the last fews months. The most important piece of advice I can give on the subject is this: do not sign a 24 month contract if you haven’t tested signal in your house. Or you just might get screwed. When I signed up a year ago, Sunninghill was an area with “excellent” coverage. You will soon learn what that really means. Bottom line, do not trust their website coverage map.

After many ups and downs, I eventually purchased an external antennae from Poynting. It has boosted my signal – which is now permanently on 4 bars. While the download speeds have improved, the upload is still poor. And several times a day, the connection just drops. I’m not sure if Neotel is doing this intentionally because before the antennae, my connection was fine. I suppose you could say it’s a small price to pay for good signal. Not at all impressed with the upload speeds. This is my speed test results after setting up the antennae:

If you’re thinking of signing up wih Neotel, know this:
1. You can’t monitor / check your bandwidth usage.
2. Network isn’t established properly, yet. You will experience down time now and then.
3. You might have to invest in an external antennae for better signal (roughly an additional R 1,500)
4. You might find that when your connection drops, you have to manually reconnect (even though you set the device to redial automatically). I’m bringing this up because when I access the internet from upstairs and it disconnects, I have to trek all the way down to reconnect. It’s annoying.
5. I can’t vouch for the reliability of P2P, I’m not a pirate

When I saw this OS in the flesh, I had to have it. gOS is an Ubuntu-based Linux distro that runs in a Cloud environment. The simplest way to describe a Cloud system is that it’s an operating system that runs like a web browser (Google Chrome OS will be Cloud based). This OS is perfect for netbooks because it’s lightweight and relies on an Internet connection, so if you don’t have one, installing it would be totally useless.

I’m running gOS 3.1 Gadgets – and this is what my desktop looks like:

It comes built-in with Google Gadgets, Picasa, Mail, Calendar, Documents, Open Office etc. Check it out here. Thus far, the only software I had to install was VLC.

The look & feel and Google integration was what sold me. Surfing wirelessly isn’t setup just yet so I’m relying on an Ethernet connection.

You have to admit, its pretty

Want it? Get it here.

I recently came across the Wikipedia entry of Ayrton Senna, the deceased Brazilian F1 driver. While I’m no F1 fan, I found what I read to be very interesting, yet very sad. I’ve never really been “touched” / fascinated by a person who I barely knew existed until recently, to the extent that I started searching for a book on his life story.

This blog post is not about the driver, but a comparison of what I found online. I just thought I’d share this info. The book isn’t available locally – well not physically at CNA or Exclusive Books but I found it on kalahari.net:

as well as Exclusive Books online:

I called Exclusive Books and they told me it will take 6 – 8 weeks, yet their site says 10-15 working days but that’s not the point. Take a look at the pricing! Where is the consistency? Why are we being ripped off? Okay, that’s a stupid question.

I’m glad kalahari.net is having a sale and I hope the book arrives by next week Friday.

Moral of the story, shop around. Don’t let yourself get ripped off.

PS Can you tell that I have too much free time on my hands lately?

If you have a laptop or netbook that is WiFi enabled and you find yourself an in a situation where you need to connect to the internet (eg if you’re on the road – and not the driver) or you are in a coffee shop that doesn’t offer (free) WiFi (then why are you there?), you might want to try this simple solution:

Converting your cellphone into a WLAN.

I came across this particular software called JoikuSpot that does exactly that. Visit www.joiku.com from your phone and follow instructions to download the application. You need to select your phone model and add your cellphone number in international format. An sms will be sent with the download link. Configure settings accordingly.

If you visit the website from a web browser, you will notice that there is a light version (free) and a premium version (€15). I am referring to the free version.

This is just an emergency solution, not a permanent one. Can you imagine what your phone bill would be like? I would suggest that you keep a Virgin mobile SIM card in your wallet for a situation like this as they charge 50c/MB out of bundle – which is 75% cheaper than Vodacom’s (prepaid) offering.