This week Ewan’s still on his desert island but has managed to send us an update anyway. Ben, James and Dan discuss the launch of Nokia’s E71, Dan’s self-build phone, James’ upcoming Glastonbury trip, Canadian mobile data, proposals for incoming call charges by an EU commissioner, Unlimited Drinks Dublin as well as the usual shouts and ‘things of the week’
Apologies for the occasionally-poor sound quality this week – the SMS Text News outside broadcast unit suffered a technical fault and I’ve done what I can to clean it up… we’ll replace the battery next week. In the meantime, enjoy its ‘authentic’ charm.
Listen now using the player below or see the links below for other options:
Episode link and feeds:
[Link] Direct link to this episode’s MP3 to download
[iTunes] Subscribe or listen in iTunes
[RSS] Subscribe via your feed reader or another podcatcher
Episode ‘warm-up video’:
Ewan – hard at work
Dan – Not enjoying himself quite as much
—-
The contributors:
Dan Lane’s blog is at http://invalid.name. He’s CTO at Howler Tech.
James Whatley’s blog is here. He works for SpinVox doing clever social media stuff and also writes their blog. Sometimes he writes for SMS Text News and you can read all of that stuff right here.
Ben Smith is a management consultant. He has a blog, but anything worth reading is contributed here.
Sites mentioned in the podcast:
Nokia’s E71 is here and E66 is here.
Dan’s self-build phone is here.
Krystal’s Canadian mobile data article is here.
Unlimited Drinks Dublin is here.
Nokia’s SportsTracker is here.
E71blog.com is a blog. About the E71.
Salling Clicker is genius.
We’re really keen to get your feedback on the podcast – please let us know in the comments or tell Ewan – ewan@smstextnews.com.
SMSTextNews.com podcast number 10: The FailCast – http://tinyurl.com/4v36kc
Of course the E71 HAS AUTO-FOCUS! RTFM. It's optional – press 't' to focus down to 4cm if you want to 😎
C'mon guys – Episode 10! (“the difficult tenth episode” ?)
Surely we can get some levels sorted? Overall it was too quiet, and on the walk to work this AM Mr Lane was so quiet I had to pause him every time a car went past (note to self: possible RFID-enabled feature for Dan 2.0? )
You hurt the ones you love, hence my whingeing.
/m
I was about to say 'blame Ben' but I think the blame lies squarely at the foot of Macleod.
(as declared by Mr Lane in the accompanying video)
FACT:
You cannot make a 999 / 112 call in the UK without a SIM. Additionally, you cannot call 999 /112 if you are unable to get a signal on your network – you will not roam from, say, Orange to Vodafone if you've no Orange coverage and need to make an emergency call. Your phone will attempt to make a call – but it will not connect.
There is provision in the GSM spec to do in country roaming for emergency calls but, AIUI, no networks in the UK (and very few worldwide) allow this.
SPECULATION:
It was explained to me that it was requested by the emergency services to prevent hoax calls / pocket dialling. If there's no SIM, there's no way to trace the handset.
On a technical level, there's a problem if you've roamed from, say, O2 to T-Mobile with sending and receiving texts and calls. There's no provision for billing between UK operators in that respect.
(not speaking for my employer)
Worst. Podcast. Ever.
Unfortunately after spending well over an hour trying to get the mixer working (with Whatley's only contribution being criticism and the eating of my crisps) we'd lost what little charisma we had to begin with.
We'll try and do an especially good job next week, or your money back!
Given the levels of inaccuracy in the bile I spewed forth this week it's probably for the best that my levels were lower than everyone else 😛
SMSTextNews.com podcast number 10: The FailCast – http://tinyurl.com/4v36kc
The crisps were those rubbish 'baked' ones from Walkers.
Didn't help.
Thanks for the clarification dude.
I look forward to a blog post from you discussing both the real and theoretical consequences that salt and vinegar baked crisps have on effecting change in social media. 😛
Why not have each one of you Skype / VoIP in and then mix it? Or, set up a conference call and some phone recording software?
I'd like to point out that I enjoyed listening on the veranda of my spa
water villa
We've discussed this. You don't get the same level of interaction as you do
when you're physically there :
Yeah. What Ewan said. In all fairness, we are still learning the ropes…
I'm sure we'll crack it soon enough.
Git.
I for one, loved your musical intro… Heh.
….meaning people can't nick each other's crisps?
…or highlight how pointless waving a phone/camera around is when the audience are time/place-shifted?
We are getting close to being able to play SMSTN Podcast Bingo:
Criticise Nokia
Defend Nokia
Criticise Apple
Defend Apple
Tell James to stop WTFA (waving the phone around )
Bag Orange
Praise 3
Use the term “Nokia are shit”
Move Swiftly Along
Pause for siren
Comment on type of siren
Use the term “Nokia are rubbish”
Mention how the new (insert Korean mfr here) phone is brilliant for Normobs
Praise the Flip
I'll be waiting, card/marker poised, for #11….
{ducks}
{seriously chaps, best listen this side of CRAVE. Note: need girls. Get Helen in.}
Someone Mike's got hold of the agenda for Podcast 11!
Steve: You're right. Not sure who said it didn't, but a punishment beating will be issued forthwith.
Yeah – it's crap, but you should have heard it before the clean-up. We record live 'in person' and this week the mixer decided it wanted to buzz badly – what you heard is the most audible outcome of the 'noise soup' it produced. Other options are being investigated, but I'd love to hear some recommendations.
We have done that – episode 9 was done that way, but we generally prefer to do it in person… It is an appealing prospect from a 'get a clean audio feed' perspective though.
Girls? I met one of those once…
Actually, there are a few pending invites.
Did you show her your QWERTY?
Will be nice to have a feminine touch. Can't wait for Ewan's reaction to the first Cath Kidston-themed mobile review.
Sorry, that was me!, when I pushed the button to take a pic it didn't autofocus… holding the T button is a stupid stupid idea, they should have implemented a two-stage button like EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD does.
You can punish me, but the real blame lies with Nokia 😛
Hahahaha – Love it.
Mike has a point mind, but hey – at least we know he's listening.
…and I always wave my phones around. You know that.
It's like a recurring theme.
Yeah – Shame LJ's just flown off to China for 3wks. She'll be up for it though, deffo.
I should be seeing the lovely Technokitten at Glastonbury at some point, so I'll ask her then…
And Orange ARE rubbish.
Sorting out Glasto stuff this week – decided to try 'Glastonav' from Orange – Surprise Surprise it doesn't work. Brilliant.
http://www.glastonav.co.uk
Don't get me started on Cath …
Hats: $50
photo comparison: priceless
Interestingly in country roaming for emergency calls does work in Oz. My phone would often switch the operator tagline on the screen to 'Emergency Calls Only' when I was out of my operator's coverage area (which in Australia is remarkably easy to acheieve).
But did you ever try to make an emergency call? Maybe it's different in Oz – but even in the UK the phones say “Emergency Calls Only” or “SOS”. The phone will try to make an emergency call, but it won't succeed.
I'm not suggesting that anyone should ring the emergency services on a whim – but if you're relying on that functionality in an emergency you should test it. Worst case scenario, it works and you can tell the operator you miss dialled.
t
I didn't ever try it – the only time I called emergency services by mobile I was in range of my provider. However from the regulator's website:
in any area covered by the GSM network – when you are out of your service provider's coverage area but are in another carrier's mobile phone network coverage area, your call will be carried on the other carrier
Agreed!
I didn't ever try it – the only time I called emergency services by mobile I was in range of my provider. However from the regulator's website:
in any area covered by the GSM network – when you are out of your service provider's coverage area but are in another carrier's mobile phone network coverage area, your call will be carried on the other carrier’s network;
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100575
Given that no carrier could hope to cover the continent and the specialist carriers didn't even start to try and also the the Australian market is very strongly regulated and the biggest carrier was government owned, it seems a no brainer.
It is one of those sorts of things that catches Australians by suprise in the UK. If the government are going to worry about public safety via cameras, why wouldn't you regulate to ensure your most accurate life-threatening reporting method has the most reliable coverage possible (including SMS for the deaf etc)? Everybody in Oz knows that no matter what their commercial relationship with their carrier looks like (including out of date SIM cards or stuck in Pinnaroo pop 550 with one mobile mast), they can report an accident as a public service: it is part of the culture of the country. Why would you start regulating emergency calls on VoIP when mobile which is ubiquitous isn't even sorted out?
Agreed!
Steve: You're right. Not sure who said it didn't, but a punishment beating will be issued forthwith.
Yeah – it's crap, but you should have heard it before the clean-up. We record live 'in person' and this week the mixer decided it wanted to buzz badly – what you heard is the most audible outcome of the 'noise soup' it produced. Other options are being investigated, but I'd love to hear some recommendations.
We have done that – episode 9 was done that way, but we generally prefer to do it in person… It is an appealing prospect from a 'get a clean audio feed' perspective though.
Girls? I met one of those once…
Actually, there are a few pending invites.
Did you show her your QWERTY?
Will be nice to have a feminine touch. Can't wait for Ewan's reaction to the first Cath Kidston-themed mobile review.
Sorry, that was me!, when I pushed the button to take a pic it didn't autofocus… holding the T button is a stupid stupid idea, they should have implemented a two-stage button like EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD does.
You can punish me, but the real blame lies with Nokia 😛
Hahahaha – Love it.
Mike has a point mind, but hey – at least we know he's listening.
…and I always wave my phones around. You know that.
It's like a recurring theme.
Yeah – Shame LJ's just flown off to China for 3wks. She'll be up for it though, deffo.
I should be seeing the lovely Technokitten at Glastonbury at some point, so I'll ask her then…
And Orange ARE rubbish.
Sorting out Glasto stuff this week – decided to try 'Glastonav' from Orange – Surprise Surprise it doesn't work. Brilliant.
http://www.glastonav.co.uk
Don't get me started on Cath …
Hats: $50
photo comparison: priceless
Interestingly in country roaming for emergency calls does work in Oz. My phone would often switch the operator tagline on the screen to 'Emergency Calls Only' when I was out of my operator's coverage area (which in Australia is remarkably easy to acheieve).
But did you ever try to make an emergency call? Maybe it's different in Oz – but even in the UK the phones say “Emergency Calls Only” or “SOS”. The phone will try to make an emergency call, but it won't succeed.
I'm not suggesting that anyone should ring the emergency services on a whim – but if you're relying on that functionality in an emergency you should test it. Worst case scenario, it works and you can tell the operator you miss dialled.
t
I didn't ever try it – the only time I called emergency services by mobile I was in range of my provider. However from the regulator's website:
in any area covered by the GSM network – when you are out of your service provider's coverage area but are in another carrier's mobile phone network coverage area, your call will be carried on the other carrier’s network;
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100575
Given that no carrier could hope to cover the continent and the specialist carriers didn't even start to try and also the the Australian market is very strongly regulated and the biggest carrier was government owned, it seems a no brainer.
It is one of those sorts of things that catches Australians by suprise in the UK. If the government are going to worry about public safety via cameras, why wouldn't you regulate to ensure your most accurate life-threatening reporting method has the most reliable coverage possible (including SMS for the deaf etc)? Everybody in Oz knows that no matter what their commercial relationship with their carrier looks like (including out of date SIM cards or stuck in Pinnaroo pop 550 with one mobile mast), they can report an accident as a public service: it is part of the culture of the country. Why would you start regulating emergency calls on VoIP when mobile which is ubiquitous isn't even sorted out?
Agreed!
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