Is Cell C LTE any good? Maybe this will help you decide...

I had a rather joyous moment last week when after a very, very long wait, a small "L" suddenly appeared at the top of my Lumia 930 screen, in place of the usual boring "H+"...

Cell C (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For those of you who may not know, that means "LTE" - in short, a much faster mobile internet connection which Vodacom, MTN and 8ta have been offering for a while now.

Cell C is traditionally always the late guy to the party, but I have to say that this wait was indeed worthwhile.
From the moment that I noticed that LTE became active on my phone last week, I have been taking speed tests at random intervals and all around JHB on my daily travels.
From Glenhazel to Edenvale, Bedfordview to Rosebank, Illovo to Orchards - check out the results below to get a summary of the Cell C LTE experience so far...

Downloads peaked at an impressive max. speed of 54.51Mbps, and Uploads peaked at 15.26Mbps, depending on signal strength.
Overall not a bad show I have to say, but certainly a quick way to eat through mobile data!

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How noble of these people to give up their valuable time, to fight the E-Toll battle for the rest of us... Thank you!

At the risk of opening up a can of worms (we all know the general feeling about E-Tolls in Johannesburg), I decided to write this post as a special thank you.

Thank you to those noble souls who are currently partaking in today's protest action on the highways in and around Johannesburg.

Protesters, protesting.

Traffic, jammed.

Camera crew, check.

Of course the objective is to "send a clear message to government", however the side effects of the protest action are pretty big, especially to those of us who are not involved in the protest action, and who are actually doing whatever the hell we can to keep the economy of this country going.

Where were you today? Were you sitting in your car stuck behind one of the protest convoys?
How much of your day was wasted at the hands of the truly heroic souls who were defiantly waving banners and punching the air with their fists in the motorcade up ahead of you?
Just saying...

Don't get me wrong - I feel the same way about E-Tolls as the next guy / girl.
I just find it incredibly interesting that the majority of the protesters probably don't even own a car, nor do they seem to be interested in doing an honest day's work in the name of bettering South Africa.
Better to skive off work for the day and "protest" in the name of anything really.

After E-Tolls are done with (hopefully), what will the next protest be about, I wonder?
Thanks again protesters!

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Telkom have delivered...! Been nice knowing you, 384Kbps...

For years now, I have been plodding along on Telkom's baseline ADSL offering (384Kbps).
At first it was fine, but the internet is now one massive data crunching machine, and this means that 384Kbps just won't do anymore.

Thankfully, Telkom have been promising free speed upgrades of their base offering, from 384Kbps up to 1Mbps (approx. 3 x faster), starting this month (October 2012).

Now we human beings just love to complain.
Here in South Africa, Telkom often bears the brunt of such moaning, as their reputation in recent years has become somewhat less than stellar.

Imagine my disbelief then, when I logged into my ADSL modem tonight and saw this tidbit of info...:

Telkom, I gotta say, I am pretty darn impressed.

It's only the 4th of the month and already you have upgraded my line - good going guys!

In addition, my internet now feels insanely quick when compared to what I had before - I am having flashbacks to when I had a performance pipe installed on my 125cc motorbike back in high school... :)

So from my side, no complaints or digs at Telkom today... just gratitude. Thank you Telkom!

Have you had your ADSL line speed upgraded yet?

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Richarge - an exciting and innovative new concept to keep your cellphone powered up while on the move...

I have written a fair deal on Nybbles & Bytes that relates to keeping mobile devices powered up when on the go.
We depend on cellphones, iPads and other electronic devices so heavily nowadays, that it feels like we have lost a limb when the battery dies...

I recently found out about a local company called Richarge - they have brought a highly innovative product to market, specifically geared towards South African cellphone users who need to top up their batteries when they are out and about, away from a ready power source or a charger.

Now you may be thinking that public cellphone charging stations are nothing new - I recall having seen this concept somewhere myself before.
The cool bit here though, is that Richarge is the first company in South-Africa to design and manufacture Secure, Public, Cell Phone Charging Stations - Proudly South African!
Richarge has therefore developed their charging stations with the South African context firmly in mind.

They sent me through this write up to provide a better idea of what the product can do:

RiCharge machines have been specifically designed with security in mind and offers people the opportunity to securely charge their cell phones in public areas – Proudly South-African!
With their sleek design and option of eco friendly solar powered units, this has to be one of the most innovative ideas to hit SA!

The RiCharge machine works like a normal vending machine:

• You insert money (Normally R10 per 30 min);
• You select your own unique 4-digit code (works like a small hotel safe);
• The machine then selects an available secure charging compartment for you;
• Inside each compartment you will find different charging tips (supports all phone models);
• Select your tip + plug in your phone, then close the door; 

Your phone will now securely charge while you go about doing whatever you want to do.

RiCharge machines work great in any type of venue as there is a need almost everywhere for this type of service. Keep an eye open because RiCharge machines will soon be located at various locations – Malls, Airports, Restaurants, Bars, Outdoor events etc.

Think of us as a gas station for your phone!

So why are venue owners loving the RiCharge concept? By hosting a RiCharge machine at your venue you will instantly increase your foot count - this will automatically lead to an increase in sales and obviously make customers come back for more.

It’s a win win situation. 

...and it gets better – RiCharge machines are available to the public! 

Start your own RiCharge business or become a distributing partner - for more info on this exciting new industry, go visit www.RiCharge.co.za

Even if you are just looking for an additional source of income on the side, and you have some cash to invest - this can be a great way to start a small business.

Sounds like a great concept to me - I hope we start seeing these all over the place!

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I love the Google doodle today - it's a celebration of African unity!

Google doodles are always fun, but today's one holds a special place for me since I live on the African continent :)
Check it out - it celebrates Africa Day (which falls on 25 May, in case you are reading this via the email subscription service :):

Gr8 work as always Google!

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