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CDMA mobile network, Starcomms, sent round an SMS thanking its subscribers for making them “the First CDMA network in Nigeria to cross 2 Million happy subscribers”.

I am very sceptical of the “happy” part though. Personally, Starcomms has left a bad taste in my mouth with their mobile internet service. As a matter of fact, I only recently laid aside my mobile data card and subscription.

But, hey, Congratulations anyway to Starcomms! Hopefully, ZOOMmobile (formerly Reltel) won’t respond with a counter-claim. The two CDMA networks have been of recent involved in a neck-to-neck race of numbers.

This article was informed by the media war between new GSM entrant, Etisalat whose rally cry is, “Now you’re talking”, and MTN who has launched a new media campaign with the rider, “Much more than talk”. Obviously, this is MTN’s response to Etisalat.

And MTN has a point, I must admit. Yes; at present, Etisalat has one of the lowest voice tariffs in the market. I say “one of the lowest”, because in reality Zain has the lowest, offering subscribers 39kobo per second on calls within the western region.

As such, Etisalat’s 40kobo per second Homezone deal comes a close second. Still, its not all about talk. MTN’s media blaze touts the Y’ellow network’s presently unbeatable data services among others.

MTN 3.5G video camera, free mobile internet, 3.5G data card, Free midnight calls (as against Etisalat’s 10k per second during the same hours), are among the cards MTN is placing on the table.

It is a lot of fun to watch, and best of all, the winner is the subscriber. Etisalat will not win. Neither will Zain nor Glo. We, the end-users, will laugh last. Though I am not a prophet, I assure you that you can take that to the bank.

Following in the heels of Sony Ericsson’s recent announcement that they would no longer be developing the UIQ platform, Motorola, the only other handset manufacturer producing UIQ devices, has also announced that it is abandoning the UIQ ship.

As it is, and unless a miracle happens, UIQ is officially dead. Yes; there are several handsets still on the market and a significant number of UIQ phone users, but from here on its a downhill road.

Interestingly, both Sony Ericsson and Motorola are adopting Windows Mobile in their smartphone strategies. Sony Ericsson already has released a top-range Windows Mobile smartphone, the Xperia X1, and it is their first. Motorola has a handful of Windows Mobile devices available already, and have announced that they will continue to produce WM-based devices.

What’s even more interesting is that Motorola has announced plans to have an Android-based device out in the next one year. Android is Google’s open-source platform for smart mobile devices. At the moment, there is only one Android-powered device in the market, the G1 available exclusively on T-mobile, but the platform is one that holds much promise for the future.

Dayo and I have had the opportunity to play with EDGE on the Etisalat network a bit (yes; Etisalat again, but what can we do?). And, oh, I finally did get to pick up my reserved number today.

First off, Dayo has had a good browsing experience with Etisalat’s EDGE network at his location. He reported that pages opened fast generally and satisfactorilly.

However, at the office today, where we both tried out the EDGE service, we ended up disappointed. It just failed to perform. The Etisalat portal homepage (as well as other mobile URLs we tried) just wouldn’t load completely.

I mean, we were looking at the type of performance one would expect from the now extinct CSD (Circuit Switched Data aka dial up).

We concluded that it must be a location problem. Incidentally, the Etisalat official handling SIM/line redemption at the neighbourhood redemption centre found his network’s connection unusable too. Hopefully, it’ll get fixed soon and then I can run some more tests.

This morning, at one end of Lagos, I drove to a Sweet Sensation outlet to pick up my reserved Etisalat SIM. I had the SMS detailing my reservation and passcode with me.

I was kept waiting for about an hour (technical hitches, understandably). Thereafter, I was informed that my number had not been reserved!

How the system could have sent me a reservation notification and passcode without actually reserving the line beats me. But, hey, technology is not such the salvation many suppose it is.

The Etisalat official asked if I could return to follow up on the issue. For what? A free SIM that would cost less than N400 when released on the market?

I tried to be polite. Then he referred me to his supervisor, who began to speak of me going to Isaac John street (or so).

I didn’t let him complete the thought. I told him I’d pass, and said goodbye.

On my way out, the official who had earlier attended to me assured me that they had my contact details (I had completed a form on arrival there) and would call me as soon as my SIM was ready. Then he spoilt it by adding that I should see his supervisor (again) to give him my contact details.

Hello?

I told him not to bother and promptly left.

Many miles all the way across Lagos, however, a different drama took place. Fellow MobiNaija contributor, Dayo, had attempted to reserve an Etisalat number several times but got an error message each time. And he never received any SMS notification from Etisalat.

But the plucky guy decided to try his luck. He got to a Big Treat outlet and told them he got no SMS and had no passcode. The Etisalat guys there punched his GSM number into their system, and yes there was an Etisalat number reserved to that line!

No SMS. No passcode. Yet, he walked out of there with his Etisalat SIM in record time.

Yes; there’s no justice in the world.

Anyway, the good thing is that one MobiNaija member has an Etisalat SIM we can use to run our tests and present our reviews. Good enough.

Specs sheet in brief:
. S60 third edition FP1 user interface
. Full QWERTY keyboard
. Quad-band GSM, 3G with HSDPA
. Bluetooth, infra-red, wi-Fi and USB connectivity all on board.
. 3.2 megapixel camera, with QVGA video recording at 15fps.
. Built in english dictionary
. Office suite, both viewing and editing.
. FM Radio and many more goodies.

The Nokia E71 is an eye catcher any day. Whip it out and watch it draw attention instantly. I’ve had the E71 for close to three months now and it hasn’t stopped having the same effect on people each time I pull it out.

The E71 is a beautifully and well designed handset for a business-minded device. It is a complete departure from the boring and ugly designs we’ve been used to in the name of business focused devices. The stainless steel material that make up the most part of the body of the device gives it a touch of class. The impression people get upon seeing it for the first time is, “This has to be a very expensive phone“.

The Nokia E71 is a bar shaped QWERTY thumboard device, continuing the design tradition of both the E61 and E61i, albeit smaller, sleeker and sexier than its older siblings. The size of the E71 is 114x57x10 mm and weighs 127g.

The E71 is sturdy and very pocket friendly. The front panel houses the 2.35 inch screen, the QWERTY thumboard, and front camera for video calling. The left hand side houses the infra-red port, microSD memory card slot and microUSB connector. On the right hand side you will find a 2.5mm audio jack, the volume rocker key and the voice button. At the bottom of the device is a charger socket and a lanyard eyelet, while the top of the device handles the power button and the speaker grill. Finally at the back is a 3.2 megapixel camera complete with LED flash.

The E71 comes in two colour variants: Grey steel and white steel.

I am very impressed with the build quality and stunning design of the E71. In the second leg of this review, I will look at the software side of this device.

Etisalat’s mobile internet tariff leaves me perplexed. The new entrant has announced a tariff of 35 kobo per kb for subscribers who choose to use its EDGE-based data service. Modern EDGE networks deliver a maximum speed of 384kbps (same as 3G networks).

This is however a far cry from the 3.6mbps to 7.2mbps that 3.5G (HSDPA) networks offer. Both MTN and GloMobile have had 3.5G services running for months now, and their tariffs are much lower.

For example, it is difficult for me (and others on the MobiNaija team) to understand why anyone needing mobile internet would forego, say, MTN’s wider coverage, better speeds, and lower tariffs for what Etisalat has announced.

I recommended the Etisalat package to someone needing EDGE service (he has an EDGE-enabled smart device). But when I mentioned the tariff, he simply dropped the idea. According to him, he is already getting EDGE speeds (though shaky) on his present network and wondered why he should take on more expenses (over 100% extra) by switching to Etisalat’s service.

In his opinion (and mine too), this is a blunder by the guys at Etisalat. Nigeria is fast transiting from a voice-driven economy to a data-driven one. And the new entrant has simply locked itself out of this vast market.

I’ll be picking up my reserved Etisalat SIM in the coming week, but unless Etisalat does a volte face and drops its tariff to something below 15 kobo per kb, I doubt that it will see much action besides being used occassionally for running tests and carrying out reviews of services on the Etisalat network. I’m much more comfortable with the much lower data tariffs and much faster speeds on my present mobile internet service, thank you.

Fifth GSM operator, Etisalat, has finally thrown open its doors. The 0809 network has launched with a number of basic services with a few touches of innovation.

Etisalat currently offers one prepaid package that delivers voice, SMS, MMS, and mobile internet. On the voice front, the network offers the “Homezone” feature, allowing subscribers to call at lower rates when within a preset location. Another first is the “Call Collect” feature, allowing subscribers to place a call and have the recipient foot the bill. Ah!

Here’s a quick breakdown of Etisalat’s offer at the moment:

- Calls to Etisalat and other networks: 50k per sec
- Calls made from Homezone to Etisalat and other networks: 40k per sec
- Night Calls: 10k per sec
- SMS to Etisalat and others: N10
- SMS to international: N15
- MMS: N100 per message
- Mobile internet via EDGE (Enhanced GPRS – speeds “in excess of 180kbps”): 35k per kb
- Browsing on the Etisalat content portal: FREE

Well, that’s it for now. If you reserved your special number, you should receive an SMS soon notifying you of where to pick up your SIM. A few individuals have picked theirs already.

I’ve been using smartphones since 2002. Six (6) years since my first smartphone, and I am amazed at the awesome leaps in the features and capabilities of the devices available then and of those available now.

The Motorola “Accompli” A008 was my second “smartphone”, and I purchased it in April 2003. It was a top-of-the-line device then and was quite classy too.

I currently use the Windows Mobile powered Samsung i780. Here’s a concise comparison of the features of the two devices separated by almost 6 years.

Display
A008: Monochrome 320 x 240 pixels, 8 lines, monochrome touchscreen
i780: 320 x 320 pixels; TFT touchscreen, 65K colors

Processor
A008: 33Mhz [Ahem!]
i780: 624 Mhz Fast Marvell PXA3xx processor

RAM
A008: 8MB [What?]
i780: 128MB

Storage
A008: 2MB internal; no external slot [How did i survive with this limitation then?]
i780: 256MB; External MicroSD slot

Browser
A008: Openwave 1.1 WAP
i780: Opera Mobile 8.65 HTML/WAP 2.0

It is amazing; isn’t it? Just roughly six years, and the Accompli, top of the range in its time, is clearly outdated and outgunned today. Still, here’s a brief review of the Accompli from my archives.

The Accompli sales package came with a TrueSync CD. TrueSync (for PC synchronisation) worked fine for the most part, though synchronisation between the phone and my PC produced a few truncated entries.

The A008 also had the ability to send out documents as fax. It came with “flight mode” functionality, allowing the user to switch off the phone module in restricted areas and still use PDA functions alone.

Because it ran a proprietary OS (Operating System), there’s no support for 3rd party applications except java midlets. The WAP 1.1 browser, naturally, was very limited as to the variety of sites it could load.

Because GPRS was non-existent in Nigeria then, all email handling, WAP browsing and java downloads that I did on the phone were via CSD (Circuit Switched Data) – and the Accompli performed admirably. The built-in email client allows creating and managing multiple POP accounts. large screen and scheduled downloads. An audio alert notified of new mails.

The Accompli also had excellent and fast handwriting recognition. One let-down, though, was the inadequate audio level of the earpiece. I found it more expedient to use the handsfree earphones for calls, as audio was much better on those. It also did not have text copy/paste functionality.

On the fun side, I had java games installed. The device also had a ringtone composer that I played with regularly, and an application that allows the user to create sketches and drawings.

I remember the Accompli with fond memories. Still, I’d rather be using a Samsung i780, Nokia E71 or Sony Ericsson P1i today. Let’s keep history history please.

Update:
Just to further emphasise the progress, here’s a comparison of the results for Java benchmark for MIDP 1.0 Devices for the Motorola A008 and the Sony Ericsson P1i (which I had before the i780):

Score
A008: 135
P1i: 5315

Text
A008: 51
P1i: 1643

2D Shapes
A008: 58
P1i: 1245

3D Shapes
A008: 24
P1i: 504

Fill Rate
A008: 4
P1i: 176

Animation
A008: 0
P1i: 1753

Credit: Java Benchmark results from JBenchmark

E71 Standby screen

The Main Menu in grid format

Shot of the installed apps menu

Browing MobiNaija.com on the E71

Still on MobiNaija.com

Launching the eBuddy java messenger

eBuddy contact list

eBuddy: Chatting with you know who

More screenshots coming up. Full review coming up.

A newly used Samsung i780 smartphone in very good and neat condition for sale.

Key Features:
- Windows Mobile 6.0 Os
- QWERTY keyboard
- 3G/HSDPA
- Touchscreen/Stylus
- 2 MPX camera
- Micro SD card slot

All accessories available in sales package.

The phone has been used with care by our MD for only three (3) months and is almost good as new.

Price: N37,000.00

Serious buyers: Call Alireta on 0803 445 7064

Update: Sold!