iPhone repair/replacement in South Africa is shocking (Updated 4 November)
Lets face it - we live in a Beta culture where we are used to things not working, and we have almost become content with it. No matter what advertising tells us, the gadgets we use are designed to have a functional life of only a few years, after which we will inevitably replace it. Sometime however, duds fall into the production line of modern devices, and then we as buyers have to go through the entire process of getting a replacement unit. The fact of the matter is that it should be as much effort as it is.
Recently my iPhone 3GS has started to show some weird symptoms - the phone would suddenly become slow, after which it will become very warm to touch. After becoming unresponsive I had to reboot the phone, only to realise that it only reboots after around ten reboots. Something was clearly wrong. So then I did the recommended full restore of the phone, which made the phone work for another day. However, its music library did not index its files, and again, the phone overheated and froze up.
So Saturday 24 October I took the phone to Vodacare Canal Walk, and they booked the phone in. They checked for marks and damage (there was luckily absolutely none) and gave me my job number. Here is my first problem - I had a Invisible Shield on the phone (which costs around R200 at Vodashops) and obviously I cannot remove the film on the device. They said they will reimburse me for the film - but I have a feeling they wont hold up their end of the deal. Their policy is to return / replace the phone within 7 workdays. They also had no loaner phones.
After a technician looked at the phone, I got an SMS on Monday 26 October to tell me the phone is being sent to Vodacom head office. Since then I have not heard anything. Nothing. I had to phone them to enquire what is going on today, and they had not ETA for when my phone will be back. They could not confirm that the phone is being replaced - in fact they did not know what is going on with my phone, or where it is in their system. If I buy a very expensive phone on which I rely every day, I expect Vodacom to at least communicate to me where the phone is, and know what is happening with the phone.
The reason why I am writing this post is that I believe we deserve better service. In the rest of the world, iPhones get replaced on the spot, no questions asked. No reason to send it away, no possible repair. As someone who spends a lot of money with Vodacom, I believe the way they handle these iPhone repairs are poor. Part of the reason people pay more for Apple products is the improved after sales service. Once again, this is only true outside of South Africa.
Update: I posted this on HelloPeter as well. So far Vodacom has replied with a generic "thanks for your feedback" message. Lets see if they come back to me.
Update 4 Nov: Today I got an SMS from Vodacom telling me the phone has been repaired and is back at Vodacare Canal Walk. I phoned them asking what they repaired - they said they updated the software. Just to clarify - the phone was running the latest software when I sent it in. I also explicitly asked Vodacare to contact me when a technician has the phone - I wanted to explain to him that a firmware restore works, but the phone stops functioning a while later. Needless to say, they did NOT phone me, and simply did a firmware restore (just like I did) and sent it back.
I will now have to pick up the phone again, and if I have the same problem send it again. Then I will have to wait another ten days for another repaired/replacement phone.
Vodacom - you clearly do not have support structures in place for the iPhone. If you have to send a iPhone up to head office, just to do a software update (which I have done already), you might want to look at getting better technicians.
Say goodbye to expensive GPS apps (updated with Garmin and Tomtom's reaction)
Well this is good news. Today Google showed off their new Google Maps Navigation app for the Android 2.0 release. It looks brilliant, and the interface blows other GPS's out of the water. The features read like a wishlist of a brilliant GPS, but typical of Google, they are making it available for free. Here are some of the new features as described on Google's site:
The most recent map and business data
When you use Google Maps Navigation, your phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps — you never need to buy map upgrades or update your device. And this data is continuously improving, thanks to users who report maps issues and businesses who activate their listings with Google Local Business Center.
Search in plain English
Google Maps Navigation brings the speed, power and simplicity of Google search to your car. If you don't know the address you're looking for, don't worry. Simply enter the name of a business, a landmark or just about anything into the search box, and Google will find it for you. Then press "Navigate", and you're on your way.
Search by voice
Typing on a phone can be difficult, especially in the car, so with Google Maps Navigation, you can say your destination instead. Hold down the search button to activate voice search, then tell your phone what you want to do (like "Navigate to Pike Place in Seattle"), and navigation will start automatically.
Traffic view
Google Maps Navigation gets live traffic data over the Internet. A traffic indicator light in the corner of the screen glows green, yellow or red, depending on the current traffic conditions along your route. If there's a jam ahead of you, you'll know. To get more details, tap the light to zoom out to an aerial view showing traffic speeds and incidents ahead. And if the traffic doesn't look good, you can choose an alternate route.
Search along route
For those times when you're already on the road and need to find a business, Google Maps Navigation searches along your route to give you results that won't take you far from your path. You can search for a specific business by name or by type, or you can turn on popular layers, such as gas stations, restaurants or parking.
Satellite view
Google Maps Navigation uses the same satellite imagery as Google Maps on the desktop to help you get to your destination. Turn on the satellite layer for a high-resolution, 3D view of your upcoming route. Besides looking cool, satellite view can help you make sense of complicated maneuvers.
Street View
If you want to know what your next turn looks like, double-tap the map to zoom into Street View, which shows the turn as you'll see it, with your route overlaid. And since locating an address can sometimes be tricky, we'll show you a picture of your destination as you approach the end of your route, so you'll know exactly what to look for.
So far, the only issue I can see with the new Google Navigation app is the apparent data costs - the maps will most probably not be stored on the device, and in countries which do not have uncapped 3G services, this app can cost a lot to run. (Updated: while it does need an internet connection, it does cache the entire route beforehand.) Also, it will only work where there is reception... Please Google, cater for other countries than the US and make maps storable on the device?
Updated: Watch Garmin and Tomtom's stock price drop after the announcement of Google's new navigation features. Well, you guys knew this day was coming. After years of buying map updates from Garmap, I am pretty tired of paying for map updates.... Well Tomtom and Garmin can just drop the prices of their maps and apps to stay relevant.
While I want to disagree with Apple on this ad (Windows 7 is absolutely brilliant), their logic is quite flawless. I would like to think that Microsoft might just prove everyone wrong and this might be a relatively bug free release of Windows though. Apple's Snow Leopard's initial reviews were good, but the bugs are starting to appear, especially one major one that actually erases a user's entire account. Now THAT is a showstopper. Might want to first look at yourself Apple...
Me, Saul Kropman, Gary Meyer and Marc Forrest decided to start up a Apple orientated podcast catering for South Africa. This week we take a look at locally developed iPhone apps, buying a new Mac, the relevancy of the Mac mini and Apple TV in South Africa as well as a few hints and tips for your Mac. We hope you enjoy it, and look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions.
You can listen to it here,or you can subscribe to it in iTunes here.
Some of the tips and tricks we speak about in this episode is RadioPod, Perian, easy removal of icons in menu bar, a great free virtual machine software package called Virtual Box and the best iPhone Apps of the week.
- mac:about Team.
At last Google Maps has gained the ability to provide directions in South Africa! This small but very significant feature was always missing for South African maps. A while back I wrote that hopefully the 2010 World Cup will bring this functionality soon enough, and thankfully here it is now. It is currently available on the Google Maps website, but also on mobile platforms like the iPhone and Android. Here you can see it in action on my iPhone. The interface is simple enough, and the guidelines are clear, turn by turn. No voice navigation though, but its still great. It integrates neatly with your contact's addresses as well.
PS: To my overseas readers, sorry that I get so giddy about something so small. We South Africans are not used to it yet - we had to rely on dedicated GPS devices or expensive add on software to get this functionality.
Every now and then I come across one or other gadget that I cannot help but wonder why they are not more popular. Many people living in SA have developed an almost paranoid like sense of their surroundings which is frankly very stressful. Therefore we invest in expensive home security systems, constantly locking up everything around us which has become entrenched in our lives. In fact, it is kind of difficult to believe the stories like "when I was young we left the key in the car..." etc.
I decided to test out Doberman's computer focused alarms which are very handy for paranoid people like me. The Laptop Defender attaches onto your laptop lid by adhesive, and then you activate them to start sensing sudden movements (like someone snatching your computer). You set up your own security code and simply press ARM and then your alarm is armed. Easy enough. A blinking light warns you that it is armed, and also moving the notebook will cause the alarm to quickly warn you with a loud beep. I think the Laptop defender is ideal for people who often use their computers in public places - for example, if you frequent airport lounges often, it now enables you to leave your laptop at your table to go get a snack. If someone snatches your laptop, a piercing alarm goes off which will of course attract attention. It seems like the Laptop Defender works better on a solid surface like a table. I tried to use it while the laptop was on my lap, but I got a warning after a while. While it is sensitive, it would not go off just by someone typing on the machine for example.
The Laptop Defender charges with USB - I have no idea how long the battery lasts, but I have used it quite often in the last few weeks and so far the battery is still fine.
In the manual they warn you that the alarm can create hearing damage - I would say that is a valid concern. In testing I let it go off in my office - my ears sang (is that the right term?) for the next few minutes. It will definitely attract a lot of attention if someone is running with this alarm going off...
Both of these products seem to be built very sturdily, and the Briefcase Alarm actually looks pretty decent as well with a leather finish loop which attaches to your bag. If you are someone who travels a lot or uses their laptop in public often, it is indeed a very good buy, especially at the price.
The Laptop Defender is currently going for around R350 and the Briefcase alarm for about R250.
Even though I think iPhone has the best user interface of any smartphone out there (although Android comes close), it really needs to rethink its home/idle screens. If there is one thing I dont think is great, is that the iPhone does not use a today screen which can easily show relevant up to the minute info on the homescreen. I do not want to unlock, and then check each app just to see what is up. While I am not fond of the Nokia N97 widget interface, I do like the idea that teehan+lax came up with. Apple please take note:
Recently a Lenovo netbook I use had a sudden hard drive failure, and the drive was not properly backed up. The drive would still spin up, but I could not get it to boot up into Windows. So what to do?
So next I opened up the netbook and removed the SATA hard drive inside. From there I plugged it into a USB to SATA interface (you can use any external SATA enclosure as well). When I connected the hard drive Windows refused to open the filesystem simply telling me that the drive is corrupt. So then I had to somehow get a method of opening the filesystem (the drive was physically damaged after all).
So after looking around for a decent file system recovery application I came to a realisation - most file system repair software on the internet is total and utter crap. All of them basically do the same thing, yet most of them insist on using malware type practices that keep nagging you when you finally install the software.
Luckily I came accross Paragon Rescue Kit Express. It is completely free (no strings attached) and the software simply burns itself onto a bootable CD. You will of course need more than one drive to copy all the recovered data on. Once you boot up the disc, a simple interface just requests which files you wish to recover, and then it effortlessly goes about its business. I recovered the entire hard drive with any issues whatsover.
To all the other companies who use unethical methods to get me to buy your software (for example, fooling me by saying the software is free when it is not, and then badgering me once it is installed), shame on you.
After all of this effort I decided it was time to switch the netbook to Windows 7 - good move. Read further about that here.
PS: No, no one payed me to talk about Paragon - their software solution was simply the only proper application I could find, and thus I recommend it wholeheartedly. Also thanks to Craig Nicholson for the tip.
Yesterday my Lenovo S10e harddrive became corrupted for some strange reason, which gave me a chance to to finally install Windows 7 on it - I am done with Windows XP. Anybody who helps out friends and family with computer issues will tell you these days the computers that seem to get all the virusses, malware, corrupted disks, etc are all on that little OS we call Windows XP. Say what you want about Windows Vista, XP is where the real problem lies.
While its nothing new to install Windows 7 on a netbook, the process of installing Windows without an optical drive is quite a process up to now. Typically a user had to use the command prompt and go through a long process of making the flash disk bootable as a pseudo DVD.
WintoFlash luckily comes to the rescue - and the process could not be easier. Download the app and run it. From there choose the optical disc you want to transfer to the flash disk (You obviously need something roomy, like a 4GB+ size) and WintoFlash does the rest. It formats and makes the flash disk bootable and transfers all the setup files.
WintoFlash is also handy should you need to install Windows on to a lot of machines - installs go much, much quicker than from a DVD. It also works with a variety of Windows versions, not only 7.
So far I am very, very happy with Windows 7 on the Lenovo netbook. It is a standard s10e model but with 2Gig RAM. Performance is snappy enough, and so far I cannot see how people will stick to Windows XP once 7 is out, even if they run netbooks. Only small issue is that the 1024x600 somehow feels more cramped with the wider new taskbar, so I had to set it to autohide.
Highly recommended. (Download WintoFlash here)
Once these roads are built, Waze tracks users of the service in real time, and these users can contribute to the service in the form of reporting cops, speed camera, slow traffic etc. Despite Waze saying that it is a worldwide service, they clearly are US focussed at the moment. Hopefully that will change soon enough. The service is also available on a variety of mobile platforms including Windows Mobile, Symbian and Android as well. The idea is brilliant, lets hope it pays off.
In the past few days the blogosphere has been going on about Google Wave like its the best thing since sliced bread. Google yesterday made 100 000 invites available for people who signed up early (seems I was not early enough) and now a few people can start playing around with this revolutionary concept. If you are still asking what is Google Wave, here is a nice short video to explain it all: (please excuse the dudespeak)
Google Wave is pretty hard to conceptualize if you have not watched the video. I will try to explain it in Google marketing speak:
A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.
A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.
Basically Google Wave in its most simplest form is a combination of email, instant messaging and wikis. You have an inbox which recieves "waves", and you can reply to them in real time. These waves remain private, but you can easily add users from your contacts on the left. Now these new users can try to follow the conversation (which can contain multimedia elements) by reading through it, or they can replay the conversation in the order it was created.
One can only imagine how this would contribute to collaborative software - no more setting up difficult meetings and messing with network settings. Wave will also have an open API which can enable developers to quickly add more functionality to its rich media features.
mpieters blog shared reviews opinion things tech weekend project building windows home server part posted minnaar sep view comments previous post hardware using ram gig drive nice quick one speed people instead desktop components bit cases side front machine look hard installed two good idea system partition whs uses storage however first setting easy install confirm inform lead used days did drivers network device start installing software updates pretty lot worth time run backups connector anything add needs setup user folders account current way far fact same major started connect set easily users free xbox next read know media social online service aardvark asking questions google tag asked answer iphone push great apple today normal picasa mac gmail sync email name tags based functionality web built application better support integrated additional photos important having available mobileme quite lower cost find between last off afrihost hopefully currently price month rather south africa thanks dollar electronics work ipods feedback high really wrong twitter import taxes charged comparisons stock european vat sales tax video ipod nano getting core old uk sa seeing increase decided recommend processor electricity probably redundancy memory
- Computers and Backup - use this to add computers on your network that needs to be backup up.
- User Accounts - setup user profiles who are allowed to access your shared folders, including a Guest user account.
- Shared Folders - So what folders do you want to share on the network? Add them here.
- Server Storage - Give an overview of the current storage on the server.
- Network Health - Will be green unless your computers have not been backed up in a while, or any of your machines have outdated windows patches, antivirus definitions, etc. Very handy.
If anybody still discredits social media, they might want to watch this:
Via Justin Spratt
