The way I use the information is to get an idea of the price range in my area. This gives me an idea of what to look for. For instance, today it showed the price of regular gas between $2.75 and $2.91. So when I saw $2.73 on a Mobile gas station near my work place, I filled the gas tank. The key is not to wait until the last minute. Start looking when you still have 1/4 gas left.

One thing to note about the gas prices is that people typically only update the price of regular gas. Plus, premium and diesel prices are typically not updated.

The application allows to submit the gas price of a station easily. All you have to do is enter the brand name, address, city, state and price.

‘AroundMe’ is the most popular iPhone application among my friends. It is free. I love it. It figures out your location based on the iPhone’s GPS (I have iPhone 3GS). You can then search for points of interest near you by either clicking one of the categories or entering a keyword. I searched for FedEx and found one within walking distance. I tested several categories and found the database to be fairly accurate. However, searching for keyword ‘halal’ did not show the local halal market and resturant. Both have the word ‘halal’ in it. Oh well.

The second iPhone application I installed was ‘iSalat’ which I purchased for $0.99.  As the name suggests, it displays the salat timings based on the location. The timings were fairly close to my local masjid. The application calculates the timing based on location and preference of either Hanafi, Shafi’i, ISNA or Umm Al-Qurra.  The application also features a qibla locator.

I also installed Pandora a couple of days ago. I didn’t get a chance to play with it. Everything I have heard is positive.

The product is bit dated – it was release in February 2006. I got an error message when I tried to install it on a 64-bit Vista machine. I installed it on a Windows 7 RC and was able to convert real media files in mp3 format.

The sotware is very easy to use. Default settings would work for most people. The size of the mp3 file was not an issue for me, so I chose a variable bit rate. I was able to convert a 30MB rm file to a 80MB mp3. My guess is that the size tripled because of the variable bitrate setting and the fact that *. rm files were not optimized to begin with. The software speed was remarkable as it converted 30 mb files on an average of 10 mintues.

PTCL’s service is pathetic. The business unit is better than calling 1236, but the service is still very poor. You need to have time and patience. The service is also not cheap – the 384kbps service costs Rs.15,499/month with a one time installation charge of Rs. 750. There is also a one time fee for router which ranges from Rs.2500 to Rs. 15000 depending on the router type. I have the pricing for different packages in a PDF document that was sent to me by PTCL. Not sure how I can upload it. Leave me a comment if you need it and I will email it.

I got the segment manager’s number by calling 1236 and asking for business DSL. The first person did not understand what I was asking for and kept telling me about 2Mbps DSL service. The second person ave me a wrong number. I finally got to the segment manager who was quick to respond and emailed me the information the same day (which is a miracle in Pakistan). After going back and forth several times and escalating to Mr. Senior Manager, I learned that they were having technical difficulties. Apparently some genius decided to launch the service before the configuration was complete. Long story short, I got business DSL service from Maxcom which I will talk about in my next post. Meanwhile, if you need business DSL, get fresh pricing from PTCL. Make sure that you ask about existing customers. Good Luck,. You will need it.

Mobilink Squid Error

Ok, so Mobilink uses Squid to proxy and cache Internet requests. I guess this is controlled via settings in the Zyxel box, as no  browser configuration is required. Or, perhaps, it is a transparent proxy. I really believe that the use of cache server should be optional. If configured properly, a cache server can reduce the download time significantly. It can also mess things up, as evident in the above image.

To be fair, I have to say that up until today, I was happy with the service. I get good bandwidth most of the time.  While it ranges from 30Kbps to 110Kbps, most of the time I get 70Kbps – 100Kbps (just a reminder – there is a difference between KBps and kbps). Following are screen shots of some of the bandwidth tests:

Mobilink Infinity Bandwidth Test - Ubuntu Download

Mobilink Infinity Bandwidth Test - CNET

Mobilink Infinity Bandwidth Test - Speakeasy

While the bandwidth is good, the connection drops several times a day, sometimes requiring a reboot of the CPE. According to Mobilink’s tech support, the connection drops due to electricity outages at the tower (one of the techs told me “is me sara qusoor WAPDA ka hai). I am sure that their towers are backed up by generators and UPSs. My guess is that there is a delay between power loss and generators kicking in, during which receivers lose connectivity to the tower. In any case, I have to reboot my device at least twice a day.

There are two CPE devices: indoor and outdoor.

ZyXEL Indoor CPE - Top

ZyXEL Indoor CPE - Ports

The two CPE devices are connected via a special 10 wire RJ-45 like connection. This connection provides power to the outdoor unit (so no power is required outside). The cable itself is as thick as a coax cable, but the connector is about three quarters of an inch. I had to drill a hole to connect the two CPE devices. The outdoor CPE (receiver) is typically mounted on the roof in the direction of the tower. Installation may be an issue for those who don’t have access to the roof or live in shared apartments. One of the problems that I see with Mobilink service is that they collect upfront fees first and then send the installation team. If for whatever reason, the installation is not possible or the coverage is poor, they issue a refund. Not a customer friendly practice. They should survey and test for wireless coverage before committing to the service.

I could not find specifications of the CPE which in my case is ZyXEL MAX3×0HW2. The indoor CPE has four LAN ports, two voice ports and built-in wireless. Unfortunately, Mobilink does not share the device password with the customers (I fail to understand the logic). Technical support can “see” the outdoor CPE but don’t have a view of indoor CPE. One of my frustrations is that the technical support sees my CPE connected even when I don’t have Internet connection. I used to call them regularly, but now I just reboot CPE (sometimes 2 or 3 reboots).

About 9 centimeters in length, the modem sticks out a bit when connected to the laptop. It appears that Anydata has discontinued ADU-510A (specs). At least it is not listed as an available product.

Software installation was a breeze. It requires a reboot though.

Now the most important question: bandwidth! The technology (EVDO Rev A) supports data rates of 3.1Mbps downstream and 1.8 Mbps upstream. With 512 Kbps service, I have seen bandwidth ranging from 60Kbps to 270 Kbps. Typically I get 100 Kbps. I have tested  download speeds from two different locations and at different times. So far, I have not been able to figure out the reason for lower bandwidths at times as there is no pattern. Most of the times, service works good. Below are some screen shots of the bandwidth tests that I ran:

Keep in mind that Worldcall’s EVDO is relatively news service. Therefore it does not have many users. What will happen when the number of subscribers will double or triple? Most likely the available bandwidth will decrease. I have not called support and therefore don’t know anything about Worldcalls after sales support.

I think that EVDO is a great solution for those who need mobility. Otherwise, cheaper alternatives are available (at least in Karachi). Worldcall offers a 45 day trail period during which you can cancel the service by returning the equipment. There is a Rs. 1000 cancellation fee. If you ared looking for an alternate to DSL or WiMAX, trying EVDO for Rs. 1000 may not be a bad idea.

Correction: Worldcall charges for usage during evaluation period. So if you return the equipment within 45 days, you will be charged Rs. 1000 plus usage. The device can only be returned at Worldcall’s office located at Fayyaz Center on Shahrah-e-Faisal. They will issue the refund via check after 10 days which you will have to pick up from Fayyaz center.

For those of you who are not familiar with grandcentral, it is a service that gives you a phone number for life. You can then point (forward) the number assigned to you to a real phone (cell, VOIP, PSTN). If you change carriers, you just point the grandcentral number to the new carrier number. No need to port numbers or let friends and family know your new contact number. It is one number for life!!!

Grandcentral was recently acquired by Google. The membership is by invitation only. Each member can invite up to ten people. I have a few invitations left. Leave me a comment with your email address, and I will invite you. In return, I ask you invite three members on my recommendation. You will still have seven invitations left for your friends and family.

I will post more about GC service as I use it. Right now I am in a process of informing everyone of my new number!

I have decided to dump Vonage because of four reasons:

1) The call quality is going from bad to worse. This includes echo, delay, calls not connecting and choppiness.

2) Vonage only allow locked down adapters.

3) Their billing sucks.

4) There are several cheaper, better alternatives.

I was one of the first ones to jump on Vonage bandwagon. I stayed a loyal customer for years but enough is enough. For now, I will be using Skype for international calls, my cell phone and 500 Vonage minutes. I hope to cancel the service in a couple of months.

In any case, software installation was a breeze. The unit comes with a USB cable and a phone cable. I plugged one end of the USB cable to my computer, the other end to the Eforcity box, the phone set to the phone port and the phone line to line port. I dialed via Skype and SkypeOut and received calls via Skype. The voice quality was excellent. I made calls for over 20 minutes without any problem.

This unit is suitable for those who do not care about the gateway features (toll bypass etc.). It lets you use your regular phone set for Skype calls. An added benefit is that you do not have to deal with the issues and bugs of gateway software.