At this point you may wish to go online using Digicel’s recently acquired 3G Network, currently a privilege enjoyed primarily by Migrated CLARO Customers who had previously owned Huawei E1556 Modem Dongle or the Nokia Modem Dongle as noted in How to get 2G or 3G Internet on your Mobile Phone in Jamaica.

A clandestine select few chosen to test out Digicel’s soon-to-debut HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) Release 7 Network, which is branded 4G but is just really a faster 3G. Like LIME, who recently launched their 4G Experience Centers as per my ditty LIME’s 4G Experience Centers challenge the Rise of Dekal Wireless Dragon to gauge the receptiveness of Jamaicans to faster Mobile Internet and head off competitive threat of Dekal Wireless and Nubian-1Tech Services Limited , Digicel is prepping their “4G” but in secret. Rest assured, when Digicel decides to officially unveil 3G Internet for your Mobile phone as well as “4G”, Geezam will be all over it.

3G Internet: Technical Stuff in Technician’s English

3G stands for the Third Generation of Wireless Internet as ratified by the ITU (International Telecommunications Union). The 3G Protocol is a standard defined by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and is accepted by Telecom Providers who own and operate GSM (Global Systems Mobile) Networks. This standard dictates both the design of the Network architecture as well as the UE (User Equiptment), which is Telecoms Technician’s English for Mobile phones and Modem Dongles and CPE (Customer Premises Equiptment) which by right should be installed at the customer’s home by a trained Technician.

The technology uses a combination of the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) as well as QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) Modulation Schema to deliver Wireless Broadband Internet.  At the Symbol level when bytes of Data are converted to symbols that represent these bytes of Data, WCDMA uses QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). WCDMA a very close cousin of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) traditionally used for Voice Telecoms Networks such as Verizon and Sprint in the US of A and MiPhone here in Jamaica up to their time of their acquisition in 2008AD by America Movil, which is how CLARO came to Jamaica.

Most Jamaicans remember the phone from MiPhone as requiring no SIM card and always wanting to be recharged. The reason for this is that CDMA uses QAM, which requires very linear amplifiers to maintain the angular and scalar components of the vectors associated with this form of symbol representation for bytes of Data. Near-Linear amplifiers used in CDMA UE (User Equiptment) use more power as they need to maintain signal integrity which is achieved by making signal linear i.e. equal level of amplification over a wide range of frequencies. In addition, CDMA phones also will extend themselves to connect with the Mobile tower, no matter how far away at the expense of the battery life.

Also take note of the QAM level; the higher the QAM level, the more linear the amplifiers and thus the faster the Data Service. The higher the QAM level, the higher the demand for linearity to prevent self interference and problems due to Terrestrial Noise. In Technician’s English, 3G is called HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) and consists of active Logical Channels for Uploading and downloading, commonly referred to as:

• HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) for downloading
• HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) for uploading

I personally prefer using the term HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) as the majority of the time customer spend online is usually downloading. Consequently, Telecom Providers such as LIME and Digicel usually provision the Logical Channels with slower speeds for uplink than for downlink for Wireless service due to this curious statistic. This mimics Wired services like ADSL (Asynchronous Downlink Subscriber Line) offered by LIME and Cable DSL services offered by FLOW which uses DOCSIS 2.0 (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification)capable of speeds of up 10 100MBps best effort.

The 3G Service from either LIME of Digicel uses ABR (Adaptive Bit Rate). This is a technology that allows the Modem Dongle to fall back to a slower speed in case there is excessive Terrestrial Noise or you’re too far from a Cell Tower provisioned with 3G. Thus the speed may fall to 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) which has speeds of 256Kbps best effort and then to 2G EDGE at 128Kbps best effort, a subset of GSM (Global System Mobile). 2G GPRS at speeds of 56 Kbps best effort is the last fallback for 3G. This occurs when the GMSK (Gaussian Mask Shifted Key) Filters in the Cell Site, which have very poor noise tolerance, are overwhelmed with Terrestrial Noise.

The 3G service that were being offered by CLARO Jamaica which Digicel has now inherited as concluded in Digicel Introduces One Rate Calling for $8.99 in Jamaica has speeds ranging from 256KBps to up to 14Mbps best effort when fully provisioned with all T1’s (1.556Mbps Data Channel). In a Telecoms Technician’s English, this is called HSDPA Release 5 protocol, which has the following ranges for provisioning that the Telecom Provider can choose from, depending on their BQ (Bill of Quantities) and Link Budget:

1. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 1.2MBps
2. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 1.2MBps (Telecom Provider CLARO)
3. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 1.8MBps
4. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 1.8MBps
5. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 3.6MBps (Telecom Provider LIME)
6. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 3.6MBps
7. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 7.2MBps
8. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 7.2MBps (Telecom Provider AT&T and T-Mobile)
9. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 10.1MBps
10. HSDPA Release 5 16-QAM 14.4MBps

Point of Reference: Best effort means that the optimum speeds under ideal conditions. These conditions are rarely achieved in the wild, mainly due to:

• The vagaries of congestion and traffic on the telecom Provider’s Network
• Mistakes in assigning T1 capacity to individual cell sites
• Fluctuations in the RSL (Receive Signal Level) between Mobile Tower and UE (User Equipment) and Microwave Radios in the RBS (Radio Base Station) in the RAN (Radio Access Network)

Dear reader, is your head hurting you? Then get some Panadol Extra Strength, as it gets more complicated….

LIME “4G”:  What it is and what it isn’t

LIME’s recent announcement of the launch of “4G” Internet on Monday March 12^th 2012AD as noted in LIME’s 4G Experience Centers challenge the Rise of Dekal Wireless Dragon is really just faster 3G, known commercially as 3G+ and to Telecoms Technicians as HSDPA+ Release 7. This new upcoming service when fully provisioned with all T1’s is capable of speeds of up to 42Mbps best effort, albeit LIME may ratchet the speed down to one of the following speeds:

1. HSDPA+ Release 7 QPSK 1.8MBps
2. HSDPA+ Release 7 64-QAM 17.6MBps
3. HSDPA+ Release 7 64-QAM 21.1MBps
4. HSDPA+ Release 7 16-QAM 23.4MBps
5. HSDPA+ Release 7 16-QAM 28.0MBps
6. HSDPA+ Release 7 64-QAM 35.3MBps
7. HSDPA+ Release 7 64-QAM 42.2MBps

True 4G, which can either be LTE (Long Term Evolution) or WiMaX (Worldwide access for Microwave Interoperability) as defined by the ITU and  is a standard defined by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) has the following criteria:

• Orthogonal signal i.e. use of QAM
• Speeds capable of 100Mbps and higher
• IP RAN (Internet Protocol Radio Access Network)

Thus LTE, when it’s deployed by LIME and Digicel by 2013AD will have a maximum theoretical Speeds of 100MBps best effort, with its as-yet fully defined cousin, LTE Advanced, capable of 1GBps Speeds, best effort. Call your LIME Customer Care Agent at 100 for further details. Also, now would be a good time to take that Panadol Extra Strength.

My head hurts. Just tell me how to get 3G from LIME or Digicel

With all this techo-babble, Digicel 3G Service has a few bugs to iron out, such as:

• The poor speed mainly due to the need to upgrade CLARO’s IP RAN (Internet Protocol Radio Access Network) to Fiber Optic
• The Data bundles which leave much to be desired as pointed out by Horace in his article “Digicel’s Internet Bundle leaves a lot to be desired

LIME is a bit more open, with customers merely having to activate their SIM Card in their Mobile phone to go onto the Internet. Even then, you’ll still need to enter some settings into the Modem to enable access to their Wireless Broadband Network. But if you’re a CLARO Migrated customer or just someone with an interesting in trying out the Digicel’s revamped Data Service offerings on their recently acquired 3G Network using either a Huawei E1556 Modem Dongle, then it’s DIY (Do It Yourself) time folks! In the following segment, I will give instructions on how to enter the settings to access the HSDPA or 3G as it’s more commonly called for both LIME and Digicel’s 3G Network.

You’ll need:

• Huawei E1556 Modem Dongle
• Nokia 3G Modem Dongle
• LIME SIM with 3G Broadband Internet Activated
• Migrated CLARO Customer Digicel SIM with 3G Broadband Internet Activated. For activation procedures for Modem Dongles see my article How to get 2G or 3G Internet on your Mobile Phone in Jamaica

Hint:  To activate the Data Plan for your LIME 3G Internet be it on your Mobile phone or 3G Modem Dongle, use the following USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service) codes:

• *146*1# – One (1) day 3G Prepaid Data Plan
• *146*7 – Seven (7) day 3G Prepaid Data Plan
• *146*14# – Fourteen (14) day 3G Prepaid Data Plan
• *146*30# – Thirty (30) day 3G Prepaid Data Plan

How to get LIME or Digicel 3G: Here’s the 411

Here’s the procedure for entering the settings for the Huawei E1556 Modem Dongle on either Digicel of LIME’s 3G Network:

1. Install the CLARO Modem Dongle software
2. After installation choose Tools in the upper task menu
3. Chooses Options and then chooses Network
4. Under Network chooses Registration Mode
5. Select the “Manual Search and Register” Radio Button. At this point, the Huawei E1556 Modem Dongle begins searching for any available 3G Network
6. Whether it’s LIME or Digicel, the following should appear on your screen
   1. Network Type: GSM Only
   2. Band: GSM 850/GSM 1900/WCDMA 850/WCDMA/1900
   3. Select Profile Management and select New

At this point you have to enter the Settings to access EITHER or BOTH LIME or Digicel’s 3G Network.

For Digicel the settings are as follows:

• Name: Digicel
• APN: webdigiceljamaica.com
• Select the radio button for the setting “Static”
• Access No: *99#
• Username: <blank>
• Password: <blank>

For LIME the settings are as follows:

• Name: LIME
• APN: ppInternet
• Select the radio button for the setting “Static”
• Access No: *99#
• Username: <blank>
• Password: <blank>

At this point the rest is elementary my dear Holmes!

You save the settings and exit these menus. From this point on its routine and you merely go to Profile Drop Down menu and select the new “Digicel” or “LIME” setting indicating the setting. Then click on Connect to connect to LIME or Digicel 3G Network at your leisure. Just remember to provision the 3G Internet Service on the SIM Card each time to access either Telecom Provider’s 3G Network. The Nokia Modem Dongle is a way more straightforward, oweing to the fact that it’s already unlocked in most cases. The instructions are as easy as pie:

1. Install the Nokia Modem Dongle software
2. Click on the Tools icon that looks like a Wrench
3. Select Network Settings
4. Set both Operator and Type of Network to Auto
5. At this point the Nokia Modem Dongle will auto-detect the Settings for either the Digicel of LIME SIM Card and acquire the settings

That’s a wrap folks. Thank you for calling Digicel Customer Care and LIME Customer Care. Do have a pleasant day.

The various speakers and presenters such as the Minister of Youth and Culture – Lisa Hanna, President and COO of Flow –  Michelle English, Senior Development Specialist at the World Bank- Fabio Pittaluga, Director for Sustainable Development at the World Bank - Ede Jorge Vasquez among others highlighted the skill and talent present in Jamaican youth who only needed access to and knowledge about the various ICT tools available in today’s modern world.

Digital JAM 2.0 aims to be more than a one off event an intends to be a vehicle for national development and growth for all social and economic brackets as it was highlighted that 200,000 Jamaicans between the ages f 18 and 35 are not in school or working. This is unacceptable and thus the theme “The Future of Work is Online” is even more relevant in today’s global economy as young people should look to entrepreneurship and combining their individual skills with new media to not only provide employment for themselves but others.

The main Digital JAM 2.0 event will be held  from June 28th-30th at the Jamaican Conference Centre in Kingston and will feature the entries from the ongoing Mobile Apps Competition, Hackathon, various seminars and a job fair. Geezam.com will be providing coverage of Digital JAM 2.0 leading up to and during the conference.

Interestingly the JA$8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan mainly benefits those persons who make frequent Cross Network Calls, with LIME, the sole competitor in the Mobile space, not really benefitting at all. In fact, LIME is yet to respond with a Flat Rate Calling Plan for their very own!

LIME prefers to wait on Minister of Technology and Telecommunications Philip Paulwell to make a declaration as to the timeline for the new Telecoms Regulator which will herald standardized Flat Rate Cross Network Calling and MNP (Mobile Number Portability) as noted in New Telecom Act Coming for Jamaica – Providers surprised with their Own Regulator.

Akin to the JA$8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan, activation for the Anywhere Plan for Postpaid is as simple as dialing the USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) code of *155# on your Postpaid phone. The system then prompts you to choose between the two (2) Anywhere Plans as detailed below:

Once activated, calls to any local number outside of the Digicel Network is billed at a Flat Rate of JA$8.99, with the Minutes being deducted from the Free Anywhere Minutes. With such an attractive pricing point and attractive Anywhere Minutes bundle (finally!!!), no doubt a lot of Digicel Postpaid Customers as well as persons with high volume calling habit may be considering the switch to Postpaid!

Thirty (30) days to try it out before you can deactivate the Service using *155*0#, the Plan basically merges Primary and Secondary minute that are found in traditional Postpaid (DigiSelect) Plans into a bundle of Minutes that can allow you to call anywhere, hence the name. Also, Gimme 5 benefits apply with the exception of the offer of thirty (30) Minutes of free calling after five (5) Minutes on an overseas call to the US, UK and Canada.

To get an idea of what you’re coming from in terms of Postpaid Plans, take a gander at the old DigiSelect Rates:

The statistics from the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation), the current regulators with oversight in the Telecoms Sector recorded a 35% increase in Postpaid Customer in the Fourth Quarter of 2010AD to 133,000 from 98,519 in the Fourth Quarter of 2009AD.

If this trend holds, Digicel may be witnessing a renaissance in Postpaid, which their presence in Jamaica in 2001AD helping to stomp out in competing against C&W (Cable Wireless). C&W was a previous incarnation of LIME and Digicel’s strategy resulted in a mass market bait-and-switch to their Services all based on Prepaid and per-second billing.

Digicel, however, began singing a different tune after the acquisition of CLARO as recorded in CLARO’s Freeness ends 5th January 2012 – Digicel’s Bigger, Better with Data and Cloud, realizing that there was money to be made in Wireless Broadband, especially if they encouraged customers from the start to go Postpaid instead of Prepaid, pointing to the lower pricing point as a benefit to customers

Encouraged by the results of their 4G Broadband experiment using WiMaX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and the fact that the OUR statistics indicate an undercurrent of interest in their long ignored Postpaid, which consists only 5% of the estimated 3.049 million Mobile phone users in Jamaica, the remaining 95% users being Prepaid, the improvement came bang on time!

Throw in the fact that the Remittance Market has been seeing an uptick in recent months, Digicel realizes that Jamaicans may be returning to their free spending ways quite soon due to a rise in consumer confidence.

Postpaid is set for boom time along with Mobile Data as well as Fixed Line Landline and Mobile Services, despite the lack of jobs and a sluggish Jamaican Economy as many try to make themselves comfortable for the long haul. This phenomenon is itself worthy of discussion in another article folks, as it is indeed strange that!

Being that Postpaid Customer are a rare breed, this strategy as it relates to the missing Gimme 5 International Calling is obviously geared at achieving one (1) thing: Wean Postpaid and Prepaid users off Gimme 5 Free International Calling and get them to subscribe to an International Calling Plan, be it the International 1000 or International 1250 Prepaid Calling Plan.

Clearly, the JA$8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan was geared at holding on the CLARO Migrated Customer who were used to Flat Rate Cross Network Calling. Now that Digicel has replicated it with Postpaid, it’s almost a smoking gun for a ramp up by Digicel to increase revenues in Local and International Calling!

Not one to sit on their laurels, LIME is also aggressively getting ready to launch their “4G” Service to head off the coming wave of low-cost Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Services such as Dekal Wireless and Nubian-1 Tech Services Limited as predicted in LIME’s 4G Experience Centers challenge the Rise of Dekal Wireless Dragon.

A further indication that they are not taking the coming challenge of Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Services lightly; LIME has also slashed their 3G Mobile Broadband rates to EXACTLY match those of the stealthy Chinese Dragon that is Dekal Wireless and Nubian-1 Tech Services Limited! Clearly, clearly folks, as I had asserted in LIME’s 4G Experience Centers challenge the Rise of Dekal Wireless Dragon, Digicel is NOT the target.

Digicel’s 8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan now really appears to have been a response to pressure from the GOJ (Government of Jamaica) Minister of Technology and Telecommunications Philip Paulwell as well as the possibility of coming competition after DSO (Digital Switch Over) as ruminated in Digicel Introduces One Rate Calling for $8.99 in Jamaica.

Coupled this with recent moves by Digicel to make one hundred and twenty (120) positions redundant, mainly in Customer Care, which they are currently outsourcing to former CLARO Jamaica Call Center FullGram Solutions Limited, a restriction and rationalization move that clearly has efficiency at its heart!

Like LIME, Digicel is bracing for impact from the worsening Global Economy as evidenced by the decline in On Net and Cross Network Local Calling. But in a spin for the optimistic, the increase in remittance spending means that they are also investing in a future that appears to be in line with a Jamaican Economy bolstered by a surge in foreign exchange inflows.

The local Telecom Providers are also shoring up their defenses against any potential coming competition in the Mobile space …..such as the silently Rising Dragon that is Dekal Wireless and Nubian-1 Tech Services Limited as prognosticated earlier in Crouching LIME Huawei E586 Mi-Fi – Hidden Dekal Wireless Dragon. Thus the launch of the Anywhere Plan for Postpaid, like the JA$8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan for Prepaid aims to:

• Introduce Flat Rate Calling in a pre-emptive strike against LIME before the new Regulator can set rates for Cross Network Calling; a very clever marketing ploy
• Take advantage of the increasing trend towards Postpaid, as Customer favour convenience of thirty (30) day billing over adding Pay-As-You-Go Credit
• Shore up revenues for International Calling by getting more Customers to take up a International Prepaid Calling Plan

So now that the circle is complete, what will be the customer response? Another article, another time…..

Social Networking Sites such as No. 2 Search Engine YouTube would be all the rage – not to mention the positive spinoff of Jamaica having a smarter more college-educated population as opined in StudyBlue reveals Smartphones, Tablets make you smarter – The Big Bang Theory on Google!

A conclusion that is well acknowledge by many based on the research of Dr. Hopeton Dunn-led Survey of the Mona School of Business (MSB) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona that suggests that a lot of people play a lot of Social Games both on their computers as well as on their mobile phones. Also very evident to men among my co-workers when I was working at a Call Center named ACS-Xerox in Greater Portmore on the Amazon Account.

Since leaving them in Friday January 27 2012 I started working at Fullgram Solutions Limited on Friday February 24^th 2012AD for the Digicel Account, I also noticed the same thing with co-workers toting Blackberry’s on the Production floor under the quiet: FB is hot! Hence the rash of article on Amazon and Digicel of late folks: I write about my work a lot!

The most famous of these Social Games among the younger crowd is of course Zynga’s Farmville the very thing that is slowly killing off Console and Handheld Gaming on Mobile Devices based on my analysis in Nintendo and Sony vs Smartphones and Tablets: Post – Portable Gaming Era.

Even after having getting a job at JAMALCO in my home parish of Clarendon and moving on Up, The Jefferson’s style working with a contractor named ACS (Automatic and Computer Supplies) Limited that works on behalf of Honeywell to maintain their TPS (Total Plant Solutions) system, the trend continues.

I would have never though Engineering folk, the majority crowd on JAMALCO, went on Social Networks and played Social Games, let alone toted Blackberry on so harsh an environment! Thus rest assured readers that articles on Process Control and about alumina production and Mining Technology usage at JAMALCO, a GOJ (Government of Jamaica) partnership with ALCOA (Alumina Company of America), are in the pipeline!

So the Bushy Park, St Catherine-based Thetford Great House and Farm an entrepreneur in the nascent field of Social Farming Clubs aptly named FarmVille JamaicaLive is quite a surprise. FarmVille JamaicaLive has taken the ever popular game and made it into a real farming activity that mimics the game in every way.

Aptly named FarmVille JamaicaLive, their website make their mission statement clear, quote: “FarmVille Jamaica Live is a new and innovative social farming club that consists of different activities aimed to get persons living in Jamaica and other countries involved in farming. FarmVille JamaicaLive will teach participants and the public more about agriculture through an interactive farming programme. The objectives are to bring something new and dynamic to the Jamaican market that will benefit the members of the farming club and the agriculture industry, and to strongly endorse the Go Green global campaign.”

In the process, they are getting Jamaicans to do some real farming and be more aware of the importance of farming, which is quite an interesting development, especially among the Upper St. Andrew crowd, who may have never seen some of the animals that they play within the FarmVille Game on FB.

How it breaks down in terms of cost for the casual Social Farming club member is quite interesting:

• To register is a mere JA$500 or US$10 for International members
• Members are leased plots for three (3) six (6) or twelve (12) month periods at a time
• 10% discount for Corporate entities and large leaseholders
• Thence forth it breaks down to $1,000, $1,500, and US$20 per 10′ by 10’ plot, based on the type of services you require and what you’re growing
• Additional charges exist for Seeds, Fertilizers
• Fees are non-refundable

And just like Farmville, people can bring their family or friends to this Social Farming experience and grow their produce and trade them with their neighbours or grow them for their own benefit….just like Zynga’s Farmville! Plot owners are expected to ACTUALLY get their hands dirty, but if you’re the type of person that does not like dirt or traveling to St. Catherine just to tend to a 10’ by 10′ plot, there is always the helpful staff at FarmVille JamaicaLive who can take care of your plot for you for a fee!

With no restriction on what you can grow, be it ground provisions such as cucumber, ginger, carrot, onions, potatoes and okra fruits such as tomatoes and watermelon, the more popular vegetables such as corn, sweet pepper, sweet corn, red peas, callaloo, pumpkin even some  sorrel and peanuts!

I guess the negative sentiments expressed in my article Jamaica’s Low Net Penetration – Broadband Internet A Universal Right are thus somewhat unfounded. Especially as Social Media Marketing as described in my article Social Media Marketing – Advertising and Marketing in Ja on a Shoe-String was an apparent positive development fuelled by Jamaica’s obsession with Facebook, Twitter.

Social Networking and by extension Social Gaming, it seems, is having a positive on Jamaicans, especially the computer bound and Blackberry-crazed, noses wrinkled in consternation, concentrating on their little glowing screens later at night while us mere mortals seek repose in our beds. At least FarmVille JamaicaLive will now turn that love for virtual farming into a lifelong passion for the land.

FarmVille JamaicaLive heralds the rise of the phenomenon of the kibbutz for those Jamaicans who live in the Concrete Jungle and want their children to experience someplace magical, family oriented and to learn about the joys of eating what you grow.

Visit iVutv.com to view the content available on day one including the introductory video entitled “Welcome to the future” featuring eMedia Interactive Limited’s President and CEO Tyrone Wilson as well as their Sales and Marketing Manager Kendra Morales as they explain some of the features of the new service.

Geezam.com will be following the growth and development of iVu TV especially as it related to it’s mobile apps and technology related programming.

For those familiar with Dropbox, Google Drive is basically the same service but with more available free space at signup. For those unfamiliar with Dropbox, Google Drive is a service that will allow users to store files on Google’s web servers (in the cloud) and have access to those files on computer with an internet connection or supported mobile device such as tablets and smartphones. In today’s multi-gadget world it offers lots of benefits to users who work on or use multiple computers and devices and want seemless and automatic transition of files between these multiple devices.

Users will need a Google Account to access the service and will received 5gb of free space with the ability to purchase more if needed. Google Drive currently supports computers running Windows, Linux as well a Mac and Android powered mobile phones – the iOS app will be available shortly. Read more about Google Drive on the official website and take a look at the video below.

• Reviving older Computers and Laptops
• Removing viruses from a hard-drive and removable storage devices
• Safe surfing and shopping online

I actually use Fedora Linux myself! I personally use Fedora Linux for Virus cleaning in my work as noted in my article HP and Web OS – 2011 is the Year of the Linux on PC. It’s actually a recommendation of mine to mount Fedora Linux or boot up from your CD-ROM Drive then surf and shop online securely with your Scotia VISA Debit Card as recommended in How to use Scotia VISA Debit Card Online.

I’m a very big fan of using Linux Distributions or Distros for short, due to their inherent stability and security as maintained by the thriving Software Developers who are members and contributors to Open Source Community. Many flavours of Linux Distros such as Fedora Linux, Ubuntu Linux or Puppy Linux exist. In this article I’ll be using Fedora Linux in a basic tutorial on running or installing a Linux Distro from a Thumb Drive is inevitable.

This as there are benefits to having such a Thumb Drive handy that are very much in tune with having Windows 7 or Windows XP installable via Thumb Drive:

• Like using CD-ROM, it’s a great way to try out a Linux Distro without actually installing the OS
• Faster installation times due to faster read/write times from a USB Drive
• More portable form factor
• Less Susceptible to damage, both physical and software
• Erase-ability of USB Drive means that it can be reused for other purposes
• Cab be used as a diagnostic tool in case Microsoft Windows refuses to boot to check memory

If you were able to install Windows 7 or Windows XP on your Thumb Drive as per my instructions in How to install Microsoft Windows from your USB Drive, then you’re quite overdue for yet another DIY (Do It Yourself) to occupy your weekends! First, you’ll need:

• 4GB USB or Thumb Drive
• Computer or Laptop with a CD-ROM Drive free of malware or viruses
• A fresh downloaded copy of Fedora Linux Desktop
• A fresh downloaded copy Universal USB Installer
• A pen and paper for writing down details
• Tech-savvy friends within arms reach!

To download the above Fedora Linux distribution, it’s best to use the LiveCD List, which lists all currently available Linux Distros in the Open Source community. Google is also good to search for the other software using the search string “Download [name of the software]” in Google. In downloading Fedora Linux, the geeky Software Developers who contribute to the Open Source Community muddle have made the process very user-unfriendly by presenting you with several choices to make as it relates to your Linux Distribution:

• The OS Word size i.e. 32-bit or 64-bit
• The Processor Type, be it AMD64 or i368 (Intel Processors)
• The Type of Desktop, be it GNOME Desktop or KDE Desktop
• Download as a CD ISO or DVD ISO

Choosing the OS Word size depends on if your Computer of Laptop is 32-bit or 64-bit and if your processor is AMD64 or i368 (Intel Processors), all of which you can ascertain using CPU-Z to identify your Processor and Motherboard as per my helpful article How to use CPU-Z to Identify Processors. Good to note at this point that there are two (2) types of Desktop appearance for Linux, which is purely cosmetic and totally up to you:

• GNOME Desktop – looks a lot like an Apple Desktop
• KDE Desktop – looks a lot like a Windows 7 Desktop

As for the download format, again this is dependent on how long you can tolerate waiting for the download as well as the size of your Thumb Drive. ISO is merely a compression format for data akin to *.tar or *.zip for compressed archives. For the purposes of this article and ease of installation and booting from your Thumb Drive, choose the KDE Desktop and CD ISO. Albeit you can boot you computer or PC using any Linux Distribution, I chose 32-bit KDE Desktop Fedora Linux as it’s the Desktop environment with which I am most familiar.

Armed with these choices, an eye for reading websites and a helpful computer-savvy friend nearby while online, you can safely proceed to download the Fedora Linux OS of your choice from their website link chosen from the LiveCD List. After you’ve downloaded everything needed on the list, here are the instructions to follow:

1. Install the Universal USB Installer and accept the license agreement
2. Select Fedora from the drop-down list.
3. Browse and select the Fedora ISO file you just downloaded.
4. Select the drive letter of the USB flash drive you wish to install Fedora
5. Check the Check Box for the option to format the USB flash
6. Ensure that the persistent file size is set to 0MB
7. Click the Create button.
8. Confirm the details of the install then click the Yes button

To run or install Fedora Linux from the USB Thumb Drive, the instructions are simple enough:

1. Set your computer’s BIOS to boot from USB devices. This may take some help from the tech-savvy friend beside you reading this
2. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB 2.0 port
3. Restart the computer and watch it boot to the installer boot menu.
4. At the installer boot menu, select “Run Fedora from this USB” to run
5. At the installer boot menu, select “Install Fedora from this USB” to run
6. When Fedora reaches the desktop, you can use Firefox browser to access the Internet

That’s it!!! Happy DIY on the Weekend folks, as you’ll love this complementary Thumb Drive that goes so well with your Windows 7 or Windows XP Thumb Drive for those days when your computer decides it’s going to give you a hard time. Here’s the link(s):

Sourcforge

http://www.sourceforge.org

The Live CD list

http://www.livecdlist.com/

Universal USB Installer

http://www.pendrivelinux.com

Digicel InTunes is basically a 30-day subscription service that allows the subscriber to replace the standard ringback tone with a song of their choice. At first this may seem to be a pointless, as if you don’t get through to the person, then you’ll get Voicemail, upon which you the subscriber can record a song.

But just as the having a Blackberry puts you into the “IN” crowd; a similar sentiment is expressed with your Digicel InTunes Account, as it personalizes your Mobile Phone. In a Jamaica whose culture is that of sharing, individualism is expressed by personalizing items that you own i.e. cars are painted with ornate designs and stickers, high school students decorate their psychedelic coloured school bags with bedazzlement and slogan pins.

“Why would I want the equivalent of elevator music for people who are calling me?” you ponderously pout while reading? With this article, I will explain how Digicel InTunes works and thus justify the reason why every Jamaican should demand that their Telecom Provider have this service on their Phone, if only to make waiting for someone to pickup enjoy some good elevator music.

Digicel InTunes: Origins

The Origin of Digicel InTunes is itself also very interesting. LIME, Digicel’s competitor in the Telecom Space and back then called C&W Limited, had introduced a similar but little marketed service in 2005AD called BlingBack Tunes. A similar concept, it suffers from a lack of an improved interface for the customer to set up and maintain. Also, LIME does not advertise the service and since 2005AD, has not revamped the service in any significant way. Thus Digicel InTunes rolled out in 2008AD and was really an improvement on the LIME BlingBack Tunes Platform in terms of the ease of setup and maintenance of the Account. Digicel InTunes has not looked back since.

Digicel InTunes: The 411

There are a few things to know once you’ve activated your Digicel InTunes Account:

• The Accounts is set for thirty (30) days
• Digicel InTunes auto-renews every thirty (30) days taking JA$50.00 from the subscribers’ credit balance to renew the subscription
• Each song purchased costs JA$90.00
• The songs last for ninety (90) before they have to be re-purchased again

In order to activate a Digicel InTunes, a little preparation is good:

• Make sure you’ve the name of the song and you know what it sounds like
• Have pen and paper hands
• At least JA$100 credit on your Mobile Phone
• A computer with Internet access

Once you’ve these things in place, it takes a little of the tedium out of the process altogether.

Digicel InTunes: Setting up and Deactivating

There are five (5) ways to activate Digicel InTunes, each with its associated costs:

• Call 132 IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and follow the instructions. Calls cost JA$25 for the first 25 minutes and JA$10 for every minute thereafter
• Text “Intunes” to 132 and follow the instructions. Text cost JA$3.00
• If your Mobile Phone is internet capable, you can open up your browser and visit wap.digiceljamaica.com and activate the Digicel InTunes Account there. Internet rates of JA$40.00 per megabyte of JA$0.40 per kilobyte apply
• Visit Digicel website www.digiceljamaica.com and activate the Digicel InTunes Account there. This is actually free
• Use the USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) code *132# to activate a Digicel InTunes Account to activate. Free but very difficult to navigate

There are four (4) ways to activate Digicel InTunes:

• Call 132 IVR (Interactive Voice Response), select Option 6 and follow the instructions
• Text “deact” to 132 and follow the instructions
• Use the USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) code *132# and select Option 3 to deactivate
• If your Mobile Phone is internet capable, you can open up your browser and visit wap.digiceljamaica.com and click “unsubscribe”

If you really love Digicel InTunes like I do, then you’ll take great care to maintain the Account and not allow it to fall into disrepute with friends, as they may think less of you if you appear to been unable to maintain your Digicel InTunes Account, which is a reflection of your personality.

Here are a few things to keep in mind in order to keep your Digicel InTunes Account properly maintained:

• Always makes sure that your Mobile Phone has at least JA$100 on the Account
• If ninety (90) days passes and you’ve not repurchased your song, the Digicel InTunes Account lapses back to the default Digicel Ringback tune
• If thirty (30) days after the above ninety (90) days has passed and no credit added to the Account to pay the JA$50 subscription fee, the SIM card becomes inactive and the ringback tune returns to its default before the activation of the Digicel InTunes Account

Digicel InTunes: Future Advertising Platform

So with such a wonderful service that also puts you into the “IN” crowd, does it have any potential financial benefits to the subscriber? It may, in the future. This as Digicel InTunes is overdue for an overhaul in a bid to increase the usage of this clever Voice Service that many like but can ill afford to not have.

One of the things in the pipeline is the idea of RingBack Credit. In the future, Digicel InTunes may include Advertising packages that subscriber can add to their Digicel InTunes account. Then, every fifth caller, for example, would hear the ads from the advertising package played back to them.

At the end of each month, the customer would be rewarded with 100 Loyalty Points per advertising account (max. 10) which they can exchange for Prepaid Credit or they can put it toward buying a Mobile Phone.

Another is that customer’s may be able to pay for their Digicel InTunes using your Credit Card or ScotiaVISA Debit Card instead of having the money taken from your account, a concept that may spread to other subscription Services as the economy improves and Remittance inflows begin to increase.

You may soon be able to even purchase songs, albums, ringtones and images online under Digicel InTunes, as more sophisticated Mobile phones on market exist that can play albums and songs. An App for Blackberry as well as for Apple iPhones and Android smartphones may also be in the works, thereby adding to the convenience of provisioning and maintaining this service on your Mobile Phone.

That’s it for the future potential of Digicel InTunes!! Hope you’ve fun maintaining your Digicel InTunes Account.

Windows RT is designed for ARM-designed chips (tablets) while Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro are for Intel based chips. Excerpt of the blogpost on the Windows team blog below. Read the full post as well as the details and differences between the different versions of Windows 8 - Announcing the Windows 8 Editions.

Windows 8 has the flexibility you need – whether you’re on an x86/64 or a WOA PC. You can use a touch screen or a keyboard and mouse – and switch anytime. It’s beautiful, fast, and fluid design is perfect for a wide range of hardware. And you’ll love browsing through the Windows Store and downloading all the apps you want. And those apps can work together too so you can share photos, maps, contacts, links and whatever else you want faster and easier. All editions of Windows 8 offer a no-compromise experience.

Blackberrys are ok……but the Internet on most BB’s isn’t so great, due to the lackluster browser and the very slow processor and the lack of real-time video streaming and Video Calling Capability. These are the main reasons why the Corporate and Enterprise world is flocking smartphones and abandoning the Blackberry as noted in 30% Blackberry Blackout by Corporate and Enterprise – Bring Your Favourite Gear.

So how do you get Internet on your Mobile Phone? Since most people are on Digicel’s Network and are now loving the JA$8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan as explained in my article Digicel Introduces One Rate Calling for $8.99 in Jamaica, my bias towards the Telecom Provider is very much on display in this article. Let’s go!!!

What type of Mobile Internet is available on Digicel? 

First, please be aware that unlike LIME, Digicel doesn’t have a 3G widely available to everyone. Although they had acquired CLARO’s Network infrastructure for the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) 3G Network powered by Chinese Telecom equiptment supplier Huawei, the 3G Internet access is currently available exclusively to former CLARO customers.

These customers, who are referred to as CLARO Migrated customers, upon surrendering their SIM Cards, had their Phone numbers ported across to Digicel’s Network so that they could continue getting Mobile Phone service. In addition to that, a Modem Dongle unlocked by using the steps in my article How to Unlock your Huawei Modem to work on LIME 3G or Digicel can accept the settings from Digicel to go on the Internet using such a Migrated CLARO Phone number, also fodder for a separate article.

As a CLARO Migrated customer, with a little tinkering, you can make your Mobile Phone using your new Digicel SIM with the same number access the 3G Internet as well. In addition to these lucky migrants, Digicel has been testing out the 3G Internet with a select few Guinea pigs, all very hush-hush. Unlike LIME’s very public sandbox testing of HSDPA+ or “4G” which the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) has christened!

They are set to make a public announcement soon as it relates to making the rest of us Jamaican have access to significantly faster 3G, which they may re-launch as HSDPA+ or “4G” as hinted in my article CLARO’s Freeness ends 5th January 2012 – Digicel’s Bigger, Better with Data and Cloud.

This means that by and large, the majority of Digicel’s customers, inclusive of Blackberry customers, are stuck with using the slower 2G Internet Services, namely 64KBps-capable GPRS (Global Packet Radio System) or 128kbps-capable EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) Networks. Despite being Data Services, they are in fact a part of the GSM (Global System Mobile) Voice Service Layer.

For this reason, if you’re in an area that has less than the five bars of GSM Mobile Phone coverage, you will find it very difficult to access the GPRS and EDGE powered Internet.

Thus you have to:

• Be near to a Digicel Mobile Tower (mostly Ericsson Node B) and have five (5) bars of signal on your Phone
• Be able to see a 2G EDGE or GPRS Indication on your Mobile Phones

No such problems with 3G, which is based on WCDMA and uses ABR (Adaptive Bit Rate).

ABR means that if the 3G Modem in your Phone or Modem Dongle cannot get faster HSDPA, based on the Transmission Interference Noise level, it will step down to slower 256Kbps UMTS (Universal Mobile Transmission System), only defaulting to 2G EDGE and then GPRS if it really cannot get access to the 3G Network.

Digicel, please hurry up with Mobile 3G…..EDGE is waaaaay too slow.

What kind of Prices are we looking at here? 

There are two (2) ways you can pay for the 2G GPRS or EDGE or 3G Internet on your Prepaid Mobile Phone:

• Pay –As-You-Go, using Phone credit. The cost is JA$40.00 per megabyte or JA$0.40 per kilobyte for both upload and download
• Purchase a Data Package as shown below

The Cost above represents the amount of credit you have to have on your Mobile Phone to activate the particular Blackberry Prepaid Plan.

Make sure that you have a minimum of JA$10.01 to go on the Internet if you’re planning to use the Pay-As-You-Go Option, albeit it would hurt to at least burn through about JA$1000, as the megabytes do add up real fast. The Prepaid Data Plans themselves are not without their danger. Exceed the allotted Megabyte Bundle and you’ll face being charged JA$15.00 for every megabyte in excess of the Data Bundle Limit.

If you manage to somehow get the 3G Internet settings working on your 3G Mobile Phone using your Migrated CLARO Number, which is now on a Digicel SIM, the Prepaid Data Bundles above are the best way to go. There are currently no Postpaid Plans for 3G Data albeit if you have a Postpaid Mobile Phone, 2G is served up a la carte with your Postpaid Plan, which Digicel calls DigiSelect.

This may soon change, however, so stay tuned to this blog!

Hint: Facebook Zero, a scaled down WAP version of Facebook, can be accessed on your WAP enabled Mobile Phone. However, the full website i.e. http://www.facebook.com  is free on the Blackberry, which a Blackberry Data Plan covers.

Hint: If you exceed the Data Bundle Limit for your 2G EDGE or GPRS Mobile Internet Service, you can send *142# and have the service reactivated.

Can your Mobile Phone go on the Internet? 

This is the first question you’ll need to ask yourself about your Phone. There are three (3) types of Phones that can go on the Internet:

• WAP (Web Application Protocol) Enabled Feature Phones e.g. Motorola Razr (you really STILL got one of those!!?)
• Blackberrys
• Smartphones e.g. Apple iPhones and Google Android Phones

For simplicity‘s sake I will not discuss provisioning Internet access on your Blackberry using Blackberry Prepaid Data Plans or 3G Internet Access on smartphones, leaving those concerns for another article. Instead, I’ll keep it simple and focus on WAP Enabled Feature Phones and EDGE or GPRS on Blackberrys and smartphones.

If your Phone isn’t one of the last two (2) or you’re not sure (really? Check your phones manual or packaging!!), the easiest way to check is to go on GSM Arena or just Google your Phone’s Brand and Model number e.g. LG Neon. If you’re not so proficient with the Internet or you have no Internet access at all, an even simpler way is to call the helpful Customer Care Agents at Digicel by dialing 100 on your Mobile and ask them to provision the Internet on your Mobile Phone for you.

The first thing they’ll do is ask you for your Phone number so that they can check to see if the GPRS Settings have been enabled for the SIM Card that your Phone number is assigned.

Next they’ll ask you to enter the following code:  *#06#. This can be done while you’re on the line and is aimed at getting the fifteen (15) digit IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identification) Number that uniquely identifies your Mobile Phone.

They will then search a database to ascertain your Mobile Phone type and determine whether or not the Phone is Internet-capable. If it is Internet-capable, they will proceed to send the Internet settings to your Mobile Phone or give you information on how to provision the Internet on the Phone yourself. Make sure you have pen and paper to write down the instructions, as they are quite long.

At this point, it then becomes another DIY (Do it Yourself) project from this former Telecoms Technicians for you to do!

DIY Time: Enableing Internet on your Mobile Phone 

So by now we’ve cleared up all the things you’ll need for you to enjoy Mobile Prepaid Internet. You now know whether or not your Mobile Phone can access the Internet and you have called Digicel’s Customer Care at 100.

To enable the Prepaid 2G Internet on your Mobile Phone, you can use one of two (2) methods:

• Send a text with the word “DATA” to 137 and you’ll receive a link to wap.digiceljamaica.com that will allow you to access Prepaid 2G Data Plans as shown above for Mobile Internet. The rest is self-explanatory
• Dial *151# if you want to provision the 2G Prepaid Internet on your Mobile Phone. This sends a series of six (6) text to your Mobile Phone, the first three (3) being Instructions and the last three (3) being Settings.

If you use the self-provisioning code of *151# on your WAP Enabled Mobile Phone or smartphone, the following instructions apply:

• After you’ve saved and installed the settings, you’ll need the password “1234” to activate these settings
• Once installed, it’s advisable that you do a battery pull. This is where you shut down the Phone and then remove the battery, thereby disconnecting the Phone from Digicel’s GSM Network
• Restart the Mobile Phone thereby reconnecting to Digicel’s GSM Networks. Make sure you have an indication on your Phone that you have GPRS or EDGE in capital letters
• At this point, you can start browsing WAP as well as Websites, in the case of smartphones

Hint: Common letter “edge” is an indication that the phone may be in an area with less than five bars of continuous coverage. To fix this problem, do a battery pull by shutting down your Blackberry and then removing the battery to totally shut down the phone. The capital “EDGE” should come back after a full restart of the Blackberry.

For you lucky CLARO Migrated customers, the settings are pretty straight forward to implement, albeit they are not guaranteed to work, as Digicel has made no statement on supporting Mobile 3G Data:

1. Dial *143# and choose one of the Prepaid Data Plans for your smartphone
2. Make sure you have the credit on the Phone to pay for the Prepaid Data Plan
3. Then activate the Prepaid Data Plan on your Migrated Digicel SIM Card on an ordinary Phone using *143#
4. Place the SIM back into the smartphone and restart.
5. At this point you should be able to access the Internet and browse on Digicel’s 3G Network.

If this doesn’t work, enter the following settings in your smartphone’s 3G Settings:

• APN: web.digiceljamaica.com
• Access No: *99#
• Username: <blank>
• Password: <blank> 

Hint: Makes sure when you’re not using your WAP enabled Mobile Phone or smartphone to access the Internet that you close out all applications. Your Internet-enabled Mobile Phone, creepily enough, continues to access the Internet when you’re asleep, using off your credit in the process.

Hint: Blackberrys can access the Internet without you having to have a Blackberry Data Plan. You can use Wi-Fi as is the practice in New Kingston as noted in Crouching LIME Huawei E586 Mi-Fi – Hidden Dekal Wireless Dragon or just simply provision Internet using the steps above.

That’s it!

Enjoy your Mobile Internet until Digicel makes up its mind to launch 3G for Mobile Phones to all Jamaicans. At which point, another more detailed article would be forthcoming for the provisioning Mobile Internet on such Phones. Let me know if the 3G Internet Settings work, folks!!

Here is the links:

GSM Arena

http://www.gsmarena.com

Facebook Zero

http://0.facebook.com

http://zero.facebook.com