Michael's Blog

Friday, July 25, 2008

SonyEricsson W960i

Firmware CXC 162146 R6F41 CXC 162037 R9J005

In progress...

Dell Studio 17 -- It arrives!

Finally arrived 25/07/2008. Yay!

Looks pretty nice. Vista seems to work reasonably well -- not as bad as all the negative press seems to indicate. Happy wife.

Date Time Location Activity
25/07/08 12:46 MICHAEL DELIVERED
25/07/08 07:59 TNT - PARK ROYAL ORDER ON DELIVERY.
25/07/08 02:25 TNT - PARK ROYAL ORDER COMPLETE IN DEPOT.
25/07/08 01:45 TNT - PARK ROYAL FIRST BOX SCANNED INTO HUB.
24/07/08 19:22 TNT - HUB ORDER COMPLETE IN DEPOT.
24/07/08 19:16 TNT - HUB FIRST BOX SCANNED INTO HUB.
24/07/08 11:32 PLAN COMMITTED NOTE.
23/07/08 17:00 RAHEEN DEPARTED EMF.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Nokia E66

Firmware: 102.07.81 12-07-2008 RM-343 Nokia E66-1 (01)

The build of this phone is fantastic -- the screen is huge and the keypad is the best one I've seen in ages.

Now using the phone's software...

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Dell Studio 17 Problems -- Shipment now arranged for 28/07/2008

Dear Mr.Michael Maguire,

Confirmation of your recent Dell order is attached.

The Estimated Delivery Date for this order is on or before 28/07/2008.

To check on the progress of your order please click on this link: http://support.euro.dell.com/support/order/emea/OrderStatus.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=gen&on=[snipped]

Please regularly check the Email address you supplied for up to date information about your order.

For answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions please go to: http://www.dell.co.uk/help

Thanks,

Abhisek Sinha

View your order with Adobe(R) Acrobat(TM) Reader which can be obtained free from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

Dell Confidential.
Adobe and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Dell Studio 17 Problems -- My company's Dell business sales agent saves the day

Abhisek sorts everything out and to boot even arranges for delivery to my work address (much preferred) instead of my credit card billing address.

Thank you, I'm happy to proceed with the order.

Regards,

Michael Maguire

On 7/8/08, abhisek_sinha@dell.com wrote:
>

- Hide quoted text -
> Dear Mr. Michael Maguire,
>
> Please find attached the requested documentation regarding your Quote request from Dell Computers.
> I trust this is to your satisfaction, please do not hesitate to reply with any queries or questions, or to progress your Quote to an order.
>
> View your quote with Adobe(R) Acrobat(TM) Reader, which can be obtained free, if required, from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
>
> Regards
> ABHISEK SINHA
>
> Quote prepared subject to Dells Terms and Conditions of Sale and Service.
> Adobe and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
>

Dell Studio 17 Problems -- "Step away from the Dell website, sir"

Why do I even bother. After much calling, no luck.

This it not the first time I've had problems with an inability to actually get get Dell to take my money.

Usually when this happens at work, I've just walked away and bought HP.

But my wife really has her heart set on the Studio 17, so time to see if our Dell business sales contact agent can help.

Dell Studio 17 Problems -- Order cancelled a few minutes later because I haven't confirmed the address

Nice. It takes them 5 days to get the bogus "Address confirmation required" email out to me, and then right away (Jul 8, 2008 12:15 PM) they've cancelled the order:

Dear Customer,

We have cancelled your Dell order GB0132-[snipped]

This problem is usually caused by one of the following:

§ Card details are registered to a different name than the billing name given on the order

§ Card details are registered to a different address than the billing address given on the order

§ Incorrect card details given on the order – Card number, Expiry date, CSC code/number etc

Please check these details – and once the issue has been solved - place your order again by going to www.dell.com or talking to your sales agent.

Thanks,

Dell

Please do not reply to this automated email, it will not be delivered.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Dell Studio 17 Problems -- Address confirmation required even though they have my address

This is bizarre. They have my address details (they were in the initial order confirmation email under billing) and the website refused to allow me to enter different delivery details (probably for security reasons).

This email was marked as received in my GMail Jul 8 but the email itself is marked Jul 3, 2008 10:00 AM.

It took 5 days for them to actually send the email.

Dear Customer,

We’re unable to process your Dell Order GB0132-1022-96866 as we cannot deliver to the address you gave us.

Please confirm your delivery address by taking the following steps:

1) Click "Reply" button - (at the top of this email)

2) Put an "X" in the right box (this cannot be done before you've clicked "Reply")

3) Click the "Send" button

Please note, you only have the options below, we won’t be able to see any additional comments you write. Information we need Please enter your details in this column
Contact Name

House Number / Name

Street Name

City

Postal Code

If we do not receive a reply to this email within 3 working days your order will be automatically cancelled.

As soon as we receive your reply we can process your order as a priority.

Thanks,

Dell

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Dell Studio 17 -- Initial order

A birthday present for my wife, who really needed a 17" LCD laptop for her design work to replace the 17" Toshiba on which the screen started to die just after the 1 year warranty was up. Buying a new Toshiba was out of the question, and there aren't a lot of other 17" LCD laptops out there.

HP was considered for a while, but their laptops are unusable for a lefty like my wife because of USB port placement (all along the left-hand side) for a mouse.

reply-to "Dell Inc."
to [snipped]
date 3 Jul 2008 03:54:11 -0500
subject Dell Order Acknowledgement - Internet Receipt Number: GB0132-[snipped]

This e-mail is an acknowledgement of receipt of your Dell Order.

You will receive an order confirmation by e-mail after your payment is authorised, so please check your e-mail regularly.

For your Estimated Delivery Date (or to check on the progress of your order) go to ‘My Order Status’. You will need your Internet Receipt Number GB0132-[snipped] and your e-mail address.

Order Information

Internet Receipt Number: GB0132-[snipped]
Order Date: 3 July 2008

Payment Information

Contact: Michael Maguire

Phone Number:
[my complete work and mobile phone number information, snipped]

Address:
[my complete address with post-code, snipped]

Payment Method:
Credit / Debit Card
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx[snipped]
Your order will be released into production as soon as your Bank has cleared your payment.

Total Price:
£ 882.00

Delivery Information

Contact: [blank -- I wasn't allowed to select anything other than same delivery details as billing details on website]

Phone Number: [blank -- I wasn't allowed to select anything other than same delivery details as billing details on website]

Address: [blank -- I wasn't allowed to select anything other than same delivery details as billing details on website]

Please check your e-mail regularly for up to date information about your order.
For security reasons, we cannot change your delivery address.

Order Details

Product
Unit Price
Quantity
Price

STUDIO 17 (N0773502)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 Cache), Genuine Windows Vista SP1™ Home Premium - English
£ 759.15
1
£ 759.15

Item
Description

Base
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 Cache)

Memory
4096MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]

Keyboard
Internal UK English Qwerty Keyboard

Video Card
256MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3650

Hard Drive
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive

Microsoft Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista SP1™ Home Premium - English

Optical Devices
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software

Wireless Networking
Dell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g)

Cables
1 Meter Power Cord (3 Wire) - UK

Shipping Documents
English - Documentation Studio 1735

Gedis Bundle Reference
N0773502

Standard Warranty
1Yr Limited Warranty - Collect & Return

Enhanced Service Packs
4Yr In-Home Warranty Support, including evenings and Saturdays

Order Information
Studio 1735 Order - UK

Primary Battery
Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery

Carrying Cases
No Carrying Case

Dell System Media Kit
No Resource CD

Camera
2.0 Mega pixel Integrated Web Camera - CCFL

Colour Choice
Lime Green Colour with Microsatin Finish

Accidental Damage Support
No Accidental Damage Support

Labels
Wireless Label (Dell Wireless Cards)- Core 2 Duo

LCD
17 Widescreen WXGA+ CCFL (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™

Microsoft Application Software
Microsoft® Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft® Word)

Protect your new PC
No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English

Power Supply
90W Power Adapter (3 Wire)

Biometric Identification
No Biometric Fingerprint Reader

Total excl. VAT VAT Rate VAT Total incl. VAT
Sub-total(s): £ 733.62 17.50% £ 128.38 £ 862.00
Delivery Charge: £ 17.02 17.50% £ 2.98 £ 20.00
Total Price: £ 750.64 £ 131.36 £ 882.00

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Nokia N78

Firmware 10.136.051.1 08-05-2008 RM-235 but updated immediately using nifty new *#0000# menu to 12.046.051.1 25-06-2008 RM-235

I've only just started using this phone, so can't comment yet, except to say that while the phone is light and small, the screen is beautiful and large and already it looks like there have been many software improvements (nice to see over-the-air flash update finally working) in a typical Nokia fashion they've improved everything and then made some stupid blunder that ruins the whole effort.

In this case, it's the keyboard. It's unredeemably stupid, with really narrow "button bars" instead of actual keys. There's a stupid dedicated "Music" key just to the right of the 5-way directional button where usually you'd expect the 'C' delete key to be. Instead of having actual buttons for the hotkeys or the 'C' key, you press in on the front of the phone in certain positions for those -- it's like the worst of a touchscreen (no tactile positioning feedback) combined with the worst of dedicated keys.

Any yet-to-be-discovered software flaws aside, this phone sucks.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Nokia 5320 XpressMusic

Firmware: 03.08.C04.01 11-Jun2008 RM-409 5320

This phone seems like a really great little small phone. It's nice to see Symbian Series60 power making it into a cheap, Series40 style handset. If this is the death bell for Series40, I welcome it.

However this phone has 2 flaws:

1. There is a red directional button with a black center. They appear to be 2 separate pieces. You'd think that pressing in on the black center is the select button (FIRE), and pressing on each side of the surrounding red directional button gives you UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT. Unfortunately, however, Nokia designers chose to make the center black button also be directional. It's extremely to click in on the black center button and have the cursor go UP, then FIRE. Fatally annoying.

2. Nokia appear to have tried to "fix" the Access Point problem on newer Series60 phones.

On Vodafone UK you're presented with a "Select connection"
dialog with 2 choices:

Internet
"Vodafone live!
WAP services
"Vodafone live!"

You'd think that for e.g. an email application, choosing "Internet" instead of "WAP services" would do the right thing, but alas it doesn't.

Even though the first category is called "Internet" and there is a second category called "WAP Services", both categories are actually set to use the "Vodafone live!" APN and so only work for port 80.

You can see this and fix it so "Internet" uses "Vodafone Internet GPRS" by changing relative priorities under Phone settings/Connection/Destinations/Internet -- select the second one "Vodafone Internet GPRS" and Options/Organize/Change priority).

Sadly this new Access Point category problem appears to afflict the 6220 as well.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Nokia E71

Firmware 100.07.76 08-06-2008 RM-346 Nokia E71-1 (01), unlocked from Nokia store

This phone came so close. I was really cheering for it. It's probably the best looking qwerty keypad phones I've ever seen. Even my wife, who is an Italian designer and thinks all the qwerty dedicated email devices out there look horrible, likes the look of this one.

Unfortunately, I've been extremely disappointed with the software. Yesterday this phone froze with a dialog popped up that said someone was calling. The phone didn't actually ring and I didn't get the call -- I had to take the battery out to fix it.

Any time I use any applications that use data, I keep seeing "Maximum number of connections in use. Close an active connection first." I see this all the time -- sometimes even if only using one application. My coverage indicator says I'm in a 3.5G zone. This seems like a total step backwards in terms of Symbian OS phones -- none of the others I've used have this problem.

Other people seem to be having the same "Maximum number of connections in use" problem.

Verisigned MIDlets run, but don't autostart and constantly ask to select access point.

This phone sucks.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Lenovo ThinkPad R61i

My father-in-law asked me to recommend a new laptop for him. My suggestion based on my own experiences was either an HP Compaq like my nc8430 workhorse, or a ThinkPad based on my experience with the A31p.

In the end he felt better about the price and features of the ThinkPad, so we went for the R61i (apologies for the Italian):

Descrizione Prodotto: Lenovo ThinkPad R61i 8943 - Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66 GHz - 15" TFT
Dimensioni: (LxPxH)33.2 cm x 26.9 cm x 4 cm
Processore: Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 / 1.66 GHz ( Dual-Core )
RAM: 1 GB (installati) / 3 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 ( 1 x 1 GB )
Controller grafico: Intel GMA X3100
Uscita audio: Scheda audio
Garanzia del produttore: 1 anno di garanzia
Peso: 2.9 kg
Localizzazione: Italiano / Italia
Alimentazione: 120/230 V c.a. ( 50/60 Hz )
Batteria: Ioni di litio
Memoria cache: 2 MB - L2
Disco rigido: 120 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
Memorizzazione ottica: Masterizzatore DVD - modulo plug-in rimovibile
Networking: Scheda di rete - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Sistema operativo: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Dispositivo di input: Tastiera, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Schermo: 15" TFT 1024 x 768 ( XGA ) - 24 bit (16,7 milioni di colori)
Telecom: Fax / modem - 56 Kbps
Tipo di sistema: Notebook
Dispositivi incorporati: Altoparlanti stereo, antenna wireless LAN, ThinkLight, antenna Bluetooth
Wireless NIC: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Tecnologia piattaforma: Intel Centrino Duo
Sicurezza incorporata: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Security Chip , lettore di impronte digitali

From http://www.misco.it this was € 619,05 + VAT.

He has been very happy with this laptop (and I have had minimal suppport calls ;-). I've played with it a bit myself and find it to be rock solid with a great keyboard.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Nokia 6650

Firmware 03.09.TMUK.05 16-05-08 6650d-1c RM-400

Very nice looking Symbian s60v3fp2 clamshell. Keyboard and build quality are great.

Software apps up and running for days on end now, with no apparent system memory leaks (e.g. a la E65).

The 3-button "touch screen" on the top, closed surface of the phone is a little annoying -- my wife finds that it's easy to inadvertently end up with the stop watch or timer going.

This is a winner from Nokia.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Nokia N76

Firmware V 31.0.014 07-11-07 RM-135 Nokia N76 (55.01), unlocked from eXpansys

This is one of my favourite phones. The screen is beautiful and it's reasonably compact for a smartphone. Folds away nicely in the pocket.

This phone is rock solid in build quality and looks sexy. The only problem I've had with it is that the memory stick cover is flimsy and one of the swing arms holding it in place has broken off.

Too bad I've heard Nokia decided to can its German offices which created this phone.

Other people seem to have a lot of problems with the case/paint quality but I haven't seen these issues (nor would I care much).

As usual with Nokia Series60, Verisigned MIDlets run, but don't autostart and constantly ask to select access point.

This phone doesn't suck.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Nokia E51

New firmware updated 200.34.36 24-04-2008 RM-244 Nokia E51 (226.03)

I tried out the latest firmware to see if it's any better and although it seemed less of a problem, I still get the "Maximum number of connections in use. Close an active connection first" issue.

My friend and colleague Mark says he never sees this issue on T-Mobile, but I've had my Vodafone contract SIM for ages and used it in numerous Series 60 phones and never seen this error.

This phone still sucks.

Firmware 100.34.20 29-09-2007 RM-244 Nokia E51 (226.02)

Like the E71, I was really hopefully about this phone. However I have run into the same inexplicable "Maximum number of connections in use. Close an active connection first" issue that plagued the E71. Seems clear that Nokia had a regression of some sort in the OS in these phones, as earlier N95, E50, E61 etc. don't suffer from this problem.

Other people seem to be having the same "Maximum number of connections in use" problem.

Unfortunately this means that...

This phone sucks.

(close though)