The New Digicel Smartphone

The New Digicel Smartphone

So this phone runs Android 4.1 and has a single core 1 Ghz processor along with 512 mb memory, 3.5 inch screen and a VGA camera. Don't expect great resolution as this phone is as economical as it gets.  For the average user this phone should be fine, and will handle well for "normal" use.

A big plus for this phone is that its 4G, and Digicel could not have done otherwise with this phone being that they are pushing their 4G offerings as best as they can. It is no secret that LIME is slow to market with certain things and once again Digicel has capitalized on LIME's lack of vision and business fortitude.

All in all, this device is ok for your mother or teenage sibling, for you however, I think you should get something that offers a little more.

LIME Jamaica Sweet yah Now

LIME Sweet yah now, this remarkable move to lower rates to 2.99 changes everything. Within minutes Digicel customers began to hurl insults and complaints via the Digicel Fan page, Digicel did not respond for quite a while (well, only to clarify the price of a phone) until they posted that something big is coming, later  at news time I heard that Digicel was seeking to take legal actions as to why the LIME rate could go so low, because of this, the bad publicity increased in fury as customers once again began their typed assaults. In this day and age companies should know that Facebook can make or break you. Anyway, at 12 midnight they posted their new rates 2.89 which of course Digicel marketing took some time to drum up. I bet they sat and thought, "how can we seem competitive but not be?" Hence the new plan they presented. I'm glad that customers are becoming more vocal, I'm glad Jamaican are now thinking.

LIME, A Sinking Ship! Maybe Not...

Jump ship! Ok, maybe not yet but LIME is now operating on fumes as I have been told by an insider close to management. The company is scrambling to find ways to boost its income and to regain a dominant enough foothold to sustain itself, but as you all can see, this isn't working out too well.

The Sour Taste of LIME

It would appear that there is still somewhat of a bitter taste in the minds of most people who find it hard to forget the monopolistic carrier that raped us all financially, you know, similar to what JPS is doing now. In addition, the slow pace at which LIME moves to implement new technologies is another thing that causes it to seem so unappealing. Next is the flawed marketing and business intelligence LIME seems to pull out of the air. LIME, if you are launching a new service do not launch it for the corporate area alone, in this business environment that is simply not good enough, better you wait until you can cover at least 60-70% of the population (which includes all major cities and towns) and then you launch.

LIME's parent company describes Jamaica as a difficult market, but this really isn't true. Anyone old enough can recall the tyranny that was provisioned to us by TOJ / Cable & Wireless (Now LIME) when Digicel came along almost immediately everything as far as telecoms is concerned began getter better. LIME is suffering from consumer negation syndrome. Ok I just made that up, but subconsciously most who consume telecoms services try, sometimes without even knowing it, to avoid LIME.

So what is LIME to do?


This would require a two pronged approach. 

To survive, LIME must eliminate these negative notions from the minds of the Jamaican population, easier said than done but it is possible. Start focusing sensible marketing efforts towards the young teenage crowd, those who weren't born or too young to recall the monopolistic days. Engage them with cheap phones that look great and have features sufficient for that age group, mp3 player etc. Ride the $8.99 wave that Digicel currently offers, same price no matter where you call. Appeal to the parents of these kids, after all a parent will think about the well being of his or her child over company brands. Utilize the same talk packages but put them forward in a different light, as in, "make sure your child gets in safe, want to talk to her the entire trip home?" stuff like that, highlight cell coverage, if possible, a way to track your child via his or her cell phone. Also, encourage education, partner with schools and PTAs, create online work havens for collaboration via desktop or phone specific to our Jamaican education climate. Diversify by selling advertising as well through these newly implemented mediums.

Next, be a step ahead of the competition, research new technologies and implement tactfully and sensibly.  These technologies must support the major target market, as discussed above. 

Ok, that's it, Oh, and stop blaming others for what is happening to the company, man up and learn from your competition.

Open Source for Jamaica

First of all, for the benefit of those who are not familiar with the term Open Source let me explain in the most basic way, Open Source software is software that is FREE, free to use, distribute, or modify as you please. You can do this because the code used to compile the software is public and under a special license which allows this.

So lets take a look at how open source software can help Jamaica, economically, educationally and aid in the security of our government computer systems, those present and those to come. 

• Open source software saves money: Possibly one of the most appealing options to users, presently the Jamaican Government spends millions in fees paid to Microsoft to use propitiatory software (closed source) such as Windows, Microsoft Office etc. this of course could be placed in many other areas which are in need. 

 

• Just as good if not better than closed source: Gone are the days when using certain Linux distros (Operating systems similar to Microsoft Windows, somewhat) would be frustrating and tiresome, installing and using Linux, especially Ubuntu Linux is now and breeze. It is beautifully designed and lacks nothing as far as operating systems go, it comes with thousand of free quality applications and is backed by a strong international community. 

 

• Used by Governments around the world:  The US department of defense uses Linux to run its servers and some desktop computers, the US Navy uses Linux, the local Government for Munich Germany uses Linux on over 14,000 desktops, The French parliament uses Ubuntu Linux, China's state owned bank uses Linux on all its computer, Cuba created its own version of Linux and uses it, the US postal service, the Government of Mexico, Universities etc.. use Linux as often as possible to have greater cost effectiveness and security. 

So why aren't we using it?the fact of the matter is, we are a developing country and wherever we can cut cost we must, there is no question about it. Even now our Government is seeking ways to raise more money to appease this budget where more than half of it will go to debt repayment  Our Government must try to move towards more web based systems, in other words, systems that gets all its information via Internet Protocols and runs from a secure web application server thereby allowing for more flexibility on the client end. There are remarkable things that can be accomplished from your web browser, having this set up and utilizing Ubuntu Linux as an operating system throughout Government will not only save taxpayers millions, but increase security and also if you think about it independence.

Choosing a Digicel 4G Modem

Ok guys, there seems to be a shortage of information on what exactly to get when you go to the Digicel 4G Store. Being the good person I am I can no longer leave this blog dormant, I must inform the people. *done with the self praise*

So if your like me, you're not very satisfied with LIME, you can't get FLOW and you're not really looking in the direction of the small wireless carriers. In addition, you don't want to pay any line rental fees or what ever other fees LIME wishes to force on you, you desire a no hassle internet connection that's on when you want it to and off when you don't, something flexible, like your prepaid phone, the answer lies in the image to the left.

Once you're in the coverage area your good to go, getting speeds *in reality from my experience* up to 4 Mbps rarely more, but that's good enough to watch YouTube, hang out on Facebook and get some work done at the same time. But of the 3 modems currently being offered which is best for you?

USB Stick Modem - If your thing is being on the road all the time with your laptop, maybe for business purposes or otherwise the USB Stick Modem is the thing for you, not for indoor use, perfect for the outdoors. Nothing else to plug in, just put that thing in and you're good to go.

CPE WiFi Modem - This is a pretty one, and works really well if your getting full coverage, otherwise you'll be having a lot of little browsing issues. Its expensive, however for the price you get to connect wirelessly via WiFi *my dogs name* and also get 4 Ethernet ports.

CPE Standard Modem - Now this is my favourite one, this is cheaper, no WiFi built in, but it gets the 4G signals where the beautiful WiFi Modem can't. Its easy to set-up and position and is just all round the best choice for home internet usage. If I were to recommend a Modem from Digicel this would be the one, if you want WiFi the get the Standard Modem and Wireless Router bundle.

So there you have it, information for my people. Talk to you next post.

JBOS... Networking Gold

The Jamaica Business Opportunity Service (JBOS) is a beautiful and unique website that provides much needed interactions with the Jamaican business community. A list of buyers, suppliers, and general opportunities within the Jamaican business landscape are all listed here.

This website follows a trend of emerging Jamaican sites; it is both visually appealing and well laid out exemplifying the soul of our business people and the dept of our talents.

JBOS is a great source for all things business related in Jamaica and boast a list of cluster services along with the ever present business opportunities that aids in the drive of our livelihood, our economy.

LIME Kingston's fastest 3G Network

I'm not one who believes in false advertising or misleading the public in any way. LIME has marketed themselves for some time now as Jamaica's fastest 3G network, while that may seem true to those living in Kingston and St Andrew, the opposite is the reality to the rest of the island.

Truly, LIME is not Jamaica's fastest 3G network as their 3G technology is not throughout Jamaica therefore it is false to state that it is Jamaica's fastest 3G network when it only works in segments of eastern Jamaica.

My take is this, say what it is, not what it isn't.

Tips for LIME

In this post I'll attempt to provide a working guide for the management of LIME.  Now over the years, C&W has been to most an under performer in that they are most times late with new developments and have proven on countless occasions that their marketing team is comprised of individuals obviously out of touch with the realities of today. 

With that said, let me hasten to say that I do believe C&W/LIME can regain their glory as in the times when they had no competition by adhering to the following:

Extensive Research - this is extremely important and saves a lot of money down the road. I think most people can agree that C&W/LIME should have had their own fibre optic network throughout Jamaica before Flow. Back in the day, these guys on a quarterly basis reported mega profits, non of which (in my opinion) was used for research or the introduction of new technologies. They were downright lazy and did not seek to improve anything, why? no competition. After the liberalization of the telecoms sector C&W/LIME still didn't get it and continued to offer mediocre service, today they are still trying to play catch up and losing plenty of cash in the process. Tip Here - Be Proactive. 

Sensible Advertising - mentioning the name of your competition within your ads is to me free advertising for the competition. In addition every couple of months C&W/LIME seems to be conveying a different message, their slogans change so rapidly I sometimes wonder if its the same company. Maintaining one central message that is repeatedly displayed to customers is key to building a strong and profitable brand. Tip Here -  Maintain one Simple Message. 

Wear the customer's shoes - an intimate knowledge is most times needed in order to make more informed decisions. Stand outside the market, look at the picture from the eyes of the consumer. Is my company really better than the competition? if yes, how best can I relate the differences to the people who need to know? What are the strengths and weaknesses between all competing companies? how is all this viewed by the consumer? Tip Here - Be Neutral. 

It is possible for LIME to take the lead within their competing markets, it will take time, it will take work and possibly a new R&D and Marketing team. 

What will I find here?

Ok, let me just take the time to introduce this blog to you my fellow Jamaicans.TechNewsJamaica sets out to inform, educate and relate the Jamaican experience and experiences within our active Telecommunication and Technology Markets. Our wish is not to be the first to provide you with news relating to this sector, but to be the first to make sense of it. In addition, tips along with other helpful information will be posted regularly.

To make this more interresting, please feel free to email me in reagrds to anything under the subject of this blog.