Disqus - Latest Comments for ocifant

Re: Nokia & Dopplr, sitting in a tree…

ocifant — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:16:43 -0000

While this all sounds very exciting and futuristic, I just can't get any enthusiasm up for this. Why?

Have you ever tried to use a mobile, any mobile, with GPS switched on for any length of time? Creating the software and expounding the possibilities is all very well, but until there's an energy supply (battery) that allows use of the software and technology, possibilities is all we're left with.

(not to mention people's innate distrust of a system that has the potential to broadcast their real-time location information - which has been discussed elsewhere on the web)

Re: Something new, really soon.

whatleydude — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:27:41 -0000

POW! http://thereallymobileproject.com/

Re: Something new, really soon.

ocifant — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:16:22 -0000

I just hope it's not all a big wind-up, and the site disappears on April Fool's Day!!

I can't wait, the excitement's in tents...

Re: Something new, really soon.

ocifant — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:32:58 -0000

Yay! Go guys (and lady) :-)

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

smstextnews — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:31:07 -0000

You're quite correct Ocifant -- apart from the definition being 'job' -- it's not a full time commitment. I've engaged a team to help me deliver their requirements. I'm looking around for the next thing (or things) I'm going to do.

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

steveprocter — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:10:26 -0000

yeah that seems about right to me too. Trouble is, many of us are in this industry as a business not a hobby; and we came to rely on this hobbyist blog as a proper business tool. I guess that was our mistake and it will teach us a few things about choosing our business/marketing/pr tools in future.

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

Loopy — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:22:43 -0000

Before I start, can I buy Normob from you Ewan? :0)

I have enjoyed reading MIR (and watching some video presentations). What I fail to understand is the sudden dump of news to your viewers/followers that the decision is made - final.

It is extremely difficult to monetise any blog and I do understand with your industry focus it is more difficult to gain advertising revenue when it is a pure B2B community.

If 'ocifant' is correct in his presumption that you are hired with your property (I wish you luck) I can see that you will need to drop your other consulting work and focus on the new company, and if they are feeding you 12K a month -then go ahead - they are paying you to enjoy yourself.

I am sure you will be able to bring in consultants to extend the interview/review aspects on MIR video - and hopefully these will be the same good eggs that have made the previous MIR videos entertaining..

Hope everything goes well with this move.

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

ocifant — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:42:47 -0000

Ok, I've had another thought about this whole thing and maybe can put another angle on it. I'm not in the Mobile industry, but found MIR an entertaining and educational read. So probably not the prime target audience, but from what Ewan has said in these comments, maybe I can rephrase my understanding of what's gone on and Ewan et al can agree or otherwise:

Ewan had a very expensive blogging hobby. He paid for a few friends to enjoy it with him, and to extend the hobby somewhat. Lots of other people were entertained and educated by watching Ewan and Friends while they enjoyed their hobby. No-one wanted to pay for Ewan to enjoy his hobby.
Ewan now has a job, essentially doing what he used to do in his hobby, but his friends can no longer join in as his employers only have the one job vacancy, and don't want him to have any work-related hobbies (I'm sure my contract of Employment has a similar clause in it somewhere!)

So we all lose out.

Ewan, if I'm right, then I apologise for my previous critical comments. I hope you enjoy the benefits of your new job.

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

smstextnews — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:48:03 -0000

Luckily it's a free market, ocifant, but the only company willing to dip it's hands in it's pockets now gets the forthright viewpoints all to themselves!

Alas, no one else valued them enough to pay!

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

ocifant — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:12:52 -0000

Ewan, Accepting your comments about overheads, but given some of the exclusives and the forthright viewpoints expounded on MIR in the past, you can't deny that this deal has a bit of an appearance of industry 'hush-money' about it to those of us on the outside.

They pay, so you can't tell us what you think...

It's a sad, commercial worlds we live in sometimes.

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

ocifant — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:52:25 -0000

Great news for you guys. Crap news for the rest of us. Cheers, it's been fun...

Re: Getting friendly with Google Friend Connect

flvtodvd — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:22:02 -0000

So do I. I like this Google service.

Re: Gmail let’s you put your current location on your email footer

smstextnews — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:40:43 -0000

OH MY GOD how embarrassing

Re: Gmail let’s you put your current location on your email footer

ocifant — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:57:58 -0000

Grocer's apostrophe alert!
:-)

Re: The T-Mobile G1: The Whatley Response

ocifant — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:37:27 -0000

"Geeks/Developers will love it, but your average Normob will not."

Funny you say that. My technically challenged daughter has the G1 and loves it! Mind you, she probably only uses it for calls, texts, games and music... :-)

Re: The T-Mobile G1: The Whatley Response

whatleydude — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:31:04 -0000

Outlook into Google Contacts SUCKS.

To be honest, I just can't see the point of a G1. Geeks/Developers will love it, but your average Normob will not. The *only* people I know who love their G1s are those that make apps for it...

Which is great... but really, not for me.

Re: The T-Mobile G1: The Whatley Response

ocifant — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:19:03 -0000

Thanks James, I've been dithering over getting a G1. I use Gmail - a lot. But all my working, current contacts info is held in Outlook, simply because it's 'nicer'. Not all of my saved contacts have email addresses. Or phone numbers. But I need the contact details with me. My contacts details in Gmail simply aren't used, unless I'm answering an email, in which case I've got the Reply-to address, and don't need a Contact entry.

Getting Outlook Contacts into Gmail is something I've yet to cleanly achieve. So it looks like the G1 may not be for me after all...

Re: T-Mobile’s Harrow store… without any G1s to demo!

Grant — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:26:51 -0000

Thanks ocifant. Trouble is - I really don't fancy travelling all the way to High Barnet, for a couple of minutes (realistically 10-15 at most,) with the phone just to see that it works the way I want.

I want things to happen the way they should, and for Harrow to have G1 demo unit[s] to go with their G1 January sales offer... And for me to be able to go in, check that its as magnificient as it seems and then buy it - (with their January sales offer, of course ;-p) Unfortunately, things aren't quite going like that.

I mean, no disrespect to the staff at my local T-Mobile store. I'm sure Harrow would have one if they could? I just wonder if this is happening in many cases. Even if they don't have them for sale - demo units don't get sold, surely?

On your upgrade subject - thats a whole other story, isn't it! :-) Looks like they've out-generoused themselves for the rest of the year, and didn't have any budget left for the last push. Hope you get something you want in the end...

Re: T-Mobile’s Harrow store… without any G1s to demo!

ocifant — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:48:13 -0000

hey Grant, get yourself across to High Barnet - the T-Mob shop in the Spires had a couple of demo units in. Unfortunately they couldn't offer me an upgrade as it appears their budget has run out until some time next month, but they *did* have a demo unit...

Re: Two Weeks and Nothing?

ocifant — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:51:27 -0000

Far be it for me to scare-monger, but when I was asking about an upgrade in a T-Mobile shop recently, I was told to wait till the new year. When I asked why, expecting an enticing snippet, I was told it was because T-Mob have exceeded their budget for upgrades this year.

That's the second time I've heard that story, so there must be some truth in it, but what a crazy industry if I can walk in and open up a new account and get a free phone, but can't arrange an advantageous upgrade to my existing contract! - In fact when I took out my current contract I took a new phone and number because they wouldn't upgrade my previous account. They then contacted me, advising me to return the new phone and cancel the contract and they'd send out an equivalent upgrade to me!

Total madness, and they deserve all they get, IMO.

Re: Getting friendly with Google Friend Connect

ocifant — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:49:46 -0000

Quick, get some friends! You look like Billy No-Mates :-)

Re: Getting friendly with Google Friend Connect

smstextnews — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:55:13 -0000

Heh, look at that. I have NO friends!

2008/12/12 Disqus <>

Re: “Mobile-Crushes” – They end now!

MaManfie — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:49:58 -0000

You summed it up perfectly there Ocifant!

I don't think "Bigger, better, faster" is necessarily a good thing; because it's only ever improving a product in one direction. Whereas, products (Mobile Phones) should be improved in more than just one sense; and for that to happen we need to allow people to own mobiles long enough, and to extend the time between releases long enough in order to firstly create a better understanding of what a product lacks and needs, and how it can be best implemented.

Food for thought!

Samantha.

Re: “Mobile-Crushes” – They end now!

ocifant — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:47:35 -0000

I think I know how you're feeling Sam. I'm also looking around at the moment, but there isn't a phone there that 'grabs' me big time. they've all got something missing - often unquantifiable.

I don't want to lose facilities I currently have, and don't want to have to change the way e.g. I organise my photos on the PC, just to fit with the latest and greatest idea which will be out of date again next week when some bright spark has a different (not always better) idea of how I should work with my phone.

I guess what I'm after is some stability for a while which incidently would allow for economies of scale to kick in on the price as retooling wouldn't be such a necessity.

Is change (Bigger! Better! faster! more!) always a good thing?

Re: MIR Show - Week 44 - Kerry Ritz of Palringo interviewed

smstextnews — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:16:38 -0000

You know what, I was holding the camera so I didn't manage to follow up. I think James might have ended up stopping at the sign-up page if that's the case, as we haven't seen the Symbian version yet.