Microsoft is phasing out standalone versions of its Internet Explorer Web browser, according to statements attributed to IE program manager Brian Countryman in an interview posted on the software giant’s web site
The junk email plaguing Europe has something decidedly in common with the American variety. Nearly all the spam messages are in English, originate in the United States and don’t even bother to price their wares in euros
Unable to sue file-sharing networks into submission, the music industry is stepping up its campaign to instil fear and frustration among the people who use them to copy songs free
The Council of Europe has called on countries to refrain from censoring information transmitted via the internet, promote ease of access for all their citizens to the internet, and to ensure that service providers were not systematically held responsible for material transmitted over their servers without their knowledge
Washington is joining 13 other states and the federal government in suing Alyon Technologies who they say fraudulently billed residents for pop-up ads, typically from pornography sites
Digital rights management sounds unobjectionable on paper: Consumers purchase certain rights to use creative works and are prevented from violating those rights. In reality, our legal system usually leaves us wiggle room. What’s fair in one case won’t be in another — and only human judgement can discern the difference
I’ve been harassing mobile phone providers recently.
I was with Optus for years and had the problem that I live in a dead zone and have bugger all mobile service at home. Although access does improve if I grab a metal window frame before answering the call. Which does present the problem of running out of hands if you need to take notes, and I can’t believe that acting as a mobile phone antenna is terribly healthy in the long term. The lack of service allowed me to wangle a really good deal with the only drawback that it lasts nine months and then I have to remind Optus that service in my area still sucks before they reinstate the deal.
I just hit the end of my current deal and I finished the term of my contract a while back. My mobile is mostly used for incoming calls and I don’t make enough outgoing calls to warrant paying even the minimum monthly rate. So I decided to stuff the contract for a joke and go pre-paid.
Phonechoice is a pretty good resource for comparing current rates. So I had a look around their site and narrowed it down to two providers. I then gathered some info to take with me to have a wee chat with the phone shop humans.
I have to admit that Optus Mobile customer service rocks, especially compared to the customer service of the bulk of their divisions. The reason for this is that Optus Mobile is a different entity to the rest of Optus.
As a bit of a background, during the Optus sell off, Cable and Wireless kept the mobile division and run all customer service in house. The rest of Optus is owned by SingTel who, aside from being clueless in general, insist on outsourcing their customer service. They have had a massive increase in customer complaints because the outsource team seems to consist of the neurotic, the insane and a fun combination of both. I’m yet to find anyone who has had any joy dealing with them.
Unfortunately great Optus Mobile customer service has been countered by rude, arrogant and ignorant service from their stores. I have had nothing but trouble when dealing with them in the past. So I was expecting the usual level of ineptitude when I hit an Optus store first.
There were two staff members on duty; one was dealing with a customer and the other one was screwing around on a computer with her back to me. After indicating to computer chick that I was indeed looking for service, she reluctantly pried herself off her machine and came to my assistance.
I wasn’t too happy that the cheapest pre-paid deal is $30 and it only lasts six months — I did know this from my Phonechoice research, but it never hurts to ask. I don’t know how long it will take to use up $30 worth of credit, but I’d like to see first before I decide to get a higher value card later.
On top of the lack of lower end phone cards, sullen computer chick wouldn’t even allow me to buy a pre-paid card. I was told to go home, notify Optus that I wanted to transfer from contract to pre-paid and then to come back to buy a card. I wasn’t even offered the use of a phone, or even the customer service number, to arrange this in store. Needless to say, I left.
Almost directly opposite Optus is the Vodafone store, so they were my next mission. The two laid back staff members couldn’t have been more helpful. It was explained that because I’m swapping providers, I’d need a new SIM card. They have a starter pack for $29.95 including $20 of call credit and it lasts for a year. This is more than enough time to figure out what sort of card I’ll need for future use, plus the call rates are lower than Optus.
Recently my mother enquired with Optus about swapping handsets, was told of the different SIM card sizes between her old phone and the one she was considering and told that she would lose all of her phone data. I don’t know why this concerned her as she gets me to program her mobile anyway, but she wasn’t impressed by the news. Because of my new SIM card, any data on my old SIM would be wiped. I knew this and was quite prepared to reprogram the mobile. Vodafone are either more technically savvy than Optus stores, or at least train their staff, because my old SIM card got plugged into a computer and the data written to the new card. Took a few minutes, no hassle, yay Vodafone.
All I had to do then was give Vodafone a call on their free number and let them know I was good to go. That done, they transferred me through to the portability people who organised for my old mobile number to be transferred to my new Vodafone SIM card. I was informed that there was a backlog and the change would take about 24 hours. Rather than leave me hanging, they suggested I use my old SIM card until the change was finalised. When the provider name vanished from my mobile, I could than swap to my new SIM and be good to go. The change came through in twelve hours.
I then had a chat to Vodafone customer service — who have, so far, proven themselves to be as chirpy and co-operative as Optus Mobile — about setting up the usual security bars and I was done.
So now I’m a happy Vodafone customer who had a pleasant customer experience both in store and on the phone. Optus stores have a lot to learn.
Community Service Announcement: If you’ve got serious issues with your phone service provider that you have been unable to resolve, it would be well worth your while to have a chat to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
Published Epinions — 30.05.2003
The Federal Government will introduce new laws banning the rebirthing of stolen mobile phones
Microsoft is paying $750 million to AOL Time Warner as part of a wide-ranging settlement of disputes between the two companies. As part of the deal, the two companies will drop pending litigation, including an antitrust complaint filed by AOL Time Warner’s Netscape Communications unit in January 2002 against Microsoft. AOL also agreed to a seven-year royalty-free license of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. So much for Netscape 8.0, according to industry analysts who predict that the Netscape browser — currently at version 7.02 — will now move from a neglected orphan of AOL Time Warner to a candidate for euthanasia
Sony has unveiled a crossover
PlayStation 2 console with a built-in DVD recorder and hard drive for storing data, part of a strategy to combine technologies in hopes of boosting the company’s brand and restoring its profitability
Researchers are reporting that first-person-shooter video games — the kind that require players to kill or maim enemies or monsters that pop out of nowhere — sharply improve visual attention skills
Munich decides to switch a significant proportion of its computers from Windows to the open-source Linux operating system, despite an aggressive pitch from Microsoft
Italian police have seized at least two Psion PDAs from members of the Red Brigades terrorist organisation. But the major investigative breakthrough they were hoping for as a result of the information contained on the devices has failed to materialise — thwarted by PGP encryption software used by the left-wing revolutionaries — via PCWorld
Thanks to the availability of low cost high quality inkjet printers, crooks are now able to produce currency indistinguishable from the real banknotes, at least under dim lighting conditions like that in a bar or a nightclub — via Slashdot
SkyLinc are floating balloons connected to a fibre optic pole which, they say, can deliver broadband access at more than double the speed of most broadband services currently available. Apparently only 18 balloons would be necessarily to blow BT out the water
Consumers will be able to buy free-standing 3D televisions in the next five years, according to an Australian company, VR21, bringing out the new product
A wrist computer that tracks and calculates safe diving times and limits for SCUBA divers had a dangerous software bug that may have been covered up by company executives for years
The National Centre for Supercomputing Applications is looking at scientific computing on the Sony PlayStation 2. They’ve set up a cluster with 65 compute nodes. They’re running Linux for PlayStation 2. What will they think of next? — via Slashdot
Kevin Rose was trying to figure out a case mod that would shock the mod community. He finally gave up and resorted to his backup plan: I decided to put an ant farm in his PC case
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