Ok Coke No Problem Hello

Ok Coke No Problem Hello
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Andy of HoboTraveler.com

If I do not chicken out, I will buy a Sanya Motorcycle today in Atakpame, Togo. This may be the most painless purchase on the planet of a vehicle, and I will only know after I am finished. I have to be brave and ignore the Togo peoples advice, or accept may be more correct. Whatever, I do, I should stop thinking, I do not want to understand.

They keep saying to me,
“No Problem!”

“Pas Probleme” in the Togo French Language

Alex Garland in the book “The Beach” astutely does the travelers quandary followed by a proposition when he reflects that OK is the most popular term used on the planet, and then closely followed by Coke, as in Coca-Cola.

I am thinking,

Ok is First
Coke is Second
No Problem is Third
Moreover, strangely Hello is Fourth, or Hallo.

And I say strangely because as Taia, the American Volunteer girl keenly noticed the French Togo answer the telephone with a,
- Allo -

I listened to people in Thailand answer the phone and say something as if a Hallo, and here they do the same, a person would surmise in a consistent world the Togo people would say, Bonjour, and the Thailand people would say, Sawadee Kalp, however, nope, they say,
“Allo. -

There is the new culture of the mobile cell phone that has identified that you need to say hello when answering a mobile phone.

What I learn, when I have no reason to learn…

Ok
Coke
No Problem
Hello

The most common terms on the planet are above,

“No problem.”

This is the problem, there is no way a person can say no problem is third, there is a problem with saying there is no problem, because there really is no way to know, no problem is third, that is the problem.

No problem means, do not think about it, or you will write a sentence like the one above.

Reference “The Beach” by Alex Garland
http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/elt/d_beach.htm

Ok Coke No Problem Hello

The Cell Phone and GPS Marry

The Cell Phone and GPS Marry
Lome, Togo West Africa
Friday, May 25, 2007
by Andy of HoboTraveler.com

My friend Steve, a GSM, Satellite, knows too much about a cell phone, satellites, communications sent me this link:
http://www.mgmaps.com/

Hmm, another way for me to feel old and not trendy….

WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT
They have kissed, soon they will marry and live happily ever after as one. The love of the Cell phone and the of the GPS or Global Positioning System is soon going to be consummated. I think in less than three years, the will have many babies.

What do you call this, a tryst?
Ménage à trios (Menage a trois), note, I am in a French speaking country…

I forgot what about the Palm Computer, it will also in this marriage, and this is polygamy and maybe some trans-gender something.

Definitions:

CELL PHONE - Mobile Phone
The telephone everyone is carrying and walking around with on the planet, in Germany they call it a Handy, in many countries a Mobile, in the French of Africa a Portable. It has no wires and is called a cell, because the antennae around the signal looks like a cell, and you must be in a cell to use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_Phone

GPS: Global Positioning Satellite
--- Oops, I think Global Positioning System is correct, a Wikipedia.org discovery
---- A handheld toy that allows a satellite to tell your Latitude and Longitude or the coordinates on the planet. I am saying toy, because this is not easy to use, takes time to resolve the coordinated, does not work well around tall building or in canyons or caves. Mine eats batteries so fast; I must feed it a set every hour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System

PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT
This is baby computer, a small hand held device, or palm computer that you can store addresses and use like a computer, it often can recognize handwriting. The are quickly becoming as powerful as full-size computers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_digital_assistant

The also couple with the maps of many internet sites.
http://maps.google.com/

All of these toys are marrying, they are having a tryst or love affair. This is not so secret, but maybe I am calling it a Menage a trios, as they are all doing this now for sport or fun, some close to semi-crazy need to be the first, to enjoy the cut of being on the edge. I am sure many are getting a sticker shock burn in the stores as they see the prices of a cell phone with GPS inside.

On the other hand, maybe to just brag, look at my new toy.

I remember paying 1300 US for a PDA or palm computer, a Newton by Apple, then later losing all the addresses in the thing because it was not married correctly with my computer. I used it for business and made money because I had it, a good business tool.

A friend said,
- Thanks for paying for new technology, so I can have it cheap in the future. -

So thanks to anyone today using these new toys, and internet sites, the new Beta tester of hard to use, difficult to learn, incredibly expensive stuff that will be commonplace in a few years.

I am waiting; I know my cell phone is going to call…

- Andy, we have detected a GPS marker here in Togo, you are now within 50 meters of the Bronco Beach Bar, a good place to sit, with a cool breeze and eat Beef brochette for 100 CFA. -

100 CFA is about 20 Cents US.

I just told my friend, I should take the GPS coordinates of this bar, so I can tell others in the future. However, I know in the future, my cell phone will detect the satellite, and it will call me.

Thanks for the future of the future.

I would love to allow readers to know my daily position on a map, however as of today, I cannot be bothered to devote the time needed to play. When it become a common place tool, I will jump in. The learning curve here is still Mount Everest, I am waiting for the Mount Ago or the 900 Meter hill of Togo go arrive.

Steve Wrote:

Many uses.

1) I'm in the souks about 1 km from the hotel. Where are you?
2) In the Everglades, where am I and how do I get back to the sea?
3) Provides exact latitude and longitude to any location within 10 meters.
4) Keeping track of the kids
5) In the car, I just put in the address of the store I am looking for and follow the map on the phone. It uses google maps, yahoo maps, msn maps, ask.com maps and provides both road diagram, Arial photo or combination.

And… also said:

Here is an image of the page you would have seen at http://www.gmap-track.com/public.php

Mobile GMaps is a new free application that can be downloaded to GSM or CDMA cellphones that gives the location of a phone whenever the phone user wishes. See a map with those users who currently permit their location to be shown publicly at
http://www.gmap-track.com/public.php
and zoom to their location within 10 meters. The time of the last reading is also shown. Those readings older that several minutes means the application in the phone has been turned off.

The application can be downloaded by the phone at http://wap.mgmaps.com How-to info can be found at http://www.mgmaps.com/help.php Forums are at http://forum.mgmaps.com/viewforum.php

The Cell Phone and GPS Marry

Togo Cell Phone GPRS Internet

Togo Cell Phone GPRS Internet
Atakpame, Togo West Africa
Friday, May 11, 2007

Rules of connecting in Togo.

6:00 PM Thursday and existing internet connection in Atakpame, stops allowing a connection.

The GPRS connection I have fallen in love with is fickle lover today.

The Togocel.tg pre-paid SIM card connection here in Togo was suddenly working great for about two days, if felt like they did a software upgrade and somehow improved the connecting. Last night around 6:00 PM, the connection breaks and has not returned for 12 hours.

The reasons why this maybe is not working are so numerous; it would be crazy to list them. However, I do know, it is not working. I have developed a very strict protocol on what I have to do connect here in Togo. I have been doing this procedure daily now for about two months and I am good at it.

1. Shut off computer
2. Shut off cell phone
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Insert the Bluetooth chip into USB port.
5. Click on Bluetooth program to activate program.
6. Turn on cell phone.
7. When the Bluetooth connection shows Icon show on the telephone, walk back to computer Bluetooth program.
8. Do the Bluetooth discovery and hope you find the phone.
9. Go back to cell phone and enter PIN or code to connect the cell phone with network.
10. Wait for connection to the Togocel.tg Cell Tower.
11. Check number of Bars, and position phone in a window whereby you have the most amount of bars or best reception.
12. Return to Bluetooth connection program, and click on the proper telephone, maybe other people in the hotel have a cell phone. Mine is Motorola V555
13. This refreshes a connection between the computer and the cell phone. - Note there has to be a pairing existing between the cell phone and the computer, the codes have to match, seem a code should be easy to remember like 99999999999
14. Double Click on small telephone in the Bluetooth program.
15 A internet dialing dialog box should appear.
16. Click on dial
17. It will dial, and hopefully connect,
18. IF it does not connect, shut off both the cell phone and computer, take out the Bluetooth chip and star again to repeat. The connection needs all these procedures, however they may improve and be similar to Thailand in the future. May 2007

I have about 2-3 bars presently and I also think the computer in Lome is not connecting people on GPRS internet. It rained last night, and somehow the rain may have cause many problems. I want to learn how to amplify my cell phone reception and increase the number of bars from 2-3 to 4-5 or how many there are. I believe I can do this with a very simple antenna if I can make one, and learn how. Then I would feel better that the problem is not the reception and is really the connection in Lome, Togo.

It is very frustrating when this happens, I do not know where is the problem, and who do I call? I was in Lome, I went to the office three times and only after the third times of one hour sitting, was there a person who knew some answers. It was this big of problem sitting in the office for one hour, three times at the central headquarters of Togo of Togocel.tg, can you imagine how hard it would be to call and talk in French and wait for an explanation… duh..!

10:11 AM Friday in Atakpame, Togo in the morning, and still no connection, I wrote a text message to the tech in French to Lome and sent about 30 minutes ago, so far, no response.

I think I was connecting under a 4-5 bar situation before, now I am about 1-3 and the 3 is only when perfect. It is possible I take the computer to the roof or somewhere with a better connection and try. It appears the signal from the tower or antennae is weaker than yesterday.

I went onto the roof and it did not work.

1:10 PM, I called the techie in Lome; he gave the number of a person in Atakpame. I had a friend call and talk, which did not work; the Togocel.tg man told her I needed to come the office at 5:30.

I called myself, and spoke in French, then he said the signal had a problem and would be fixed by 5:30, but to try at 6:30 PM, I wonder what time they quit for the day, probably at 7:00 PM. I guess if it does not work tonight, I will leave Atakpame and go to back to Lome.

6:30 PM 24 hour and no connection
9:00 PM and no connection - It is TONIGHT.

4:00 AM, next morning and YES, I now HAVE a connection…
Yippee!

Is it you, or me this is the problem, I can spend endless hours trying to find the problems with me, when it is you. I semi have made a policy, no changes on my side in configurations for 24 hours. This time I even said, no allow them also all night to work on this problem. Then I will try my other Bluetooth chip and maybe that will help.

Optimizing the GPRS signal first is what I need to do, I need to know, I have the highest number of bars and it does not work.

I go around and around with my hosting company of my website, I want them to send me an email notification saying, we are having this problem, then I would know, it is you not me. Searching for the problem with me when there is no problem is dreadful for me. I assume I 100 percent of the time have a problem with me and will continue to first believe the problem is with me, not with you.

I have people believe to use a cell phone and connect, or to use a satellite connection is easy, I would say about the same as learning to talk Chinese.

Togo Cell Phone GPRS Internet

My Love of Traveling with Internet

My Love of Traveling with Internet
Atakpame, Togo West Africa
Monday, May 7, 2007

I want to stay connected.

I have grown to love the GPRS Cell Phone Internet connection offered in Togo and other countries. I see this expanding fast, it will soon cover the planet in less than 2-5 years. The poorer nations need it more, and they often offer at reasonable price before the richer countries.
I am here in Togo, a very slow and primitive culture, however for some quirk of logic and common sense, I have internet in my room, regardless of the hotel, I can choose, where I want to live, and I can communicate with the world. I need a cell phone connection.

My friend Craig now is in the USA, and I have chatted more with him in the last week than in the last year on the internet. I can feel it; he is more connected in the USA and was not connected in the Caribbean, Central, and South America. However, he knows how to stay connected in the USA and it is free or the price of internet is fixed.

Craig has been out for over one year traveling, and has stopped in the USA to visit with friends and family and now leaves for Southeast Asia.
http://www.travelvice.com

He told me on chat, I do not have time for RSS feeds while traveling. Moreover, the truth is he does not have time to chat when traveling. I am in Togo and I have time to Chat, he will leave soon and be disconnected again, I will separate a small distance from my friend, the window will be half-open.

Enlightening to me, how somehow with GPRS, I have opened a window to the world, and I have left the darkness. I have the information of the world at my fingertips. I love to get on wikipedia.org and learn, what is this flower in Togo, what is this food, what ethnic groups live here.

I have traveled in darkness too long, I now can go and visit a culture and not stop learning. Last time I was in Africa, I was introduced to so many cultures it was overwhelming. What do I remember about Africa, from before, I know confusion, I can explain the cultures of Benin, however I know very little of the big picture, I only know the on the ground experience, a person could say the name of the culture I live in for a month of two and I would not know.

For 10 years, I needed to be super-organized, super effective for newsletters, blogging, posting, and learning. I would sit in my room and make a list of what I needed to do, then go to the internet café, and slowly check off the list, this is work, this is not spontaneous fun.

Now, if I wanted to read about Hippos, I just turn on my computer and read.

Thank you GPRS, I have been in the Dark for 10 years, the breeze that is entering my brain is refreshing, I have the world of information, the window is open and it feels great..

What does this mean to me; I do not know if I can give this up. I think my love of GPRS is more than my love of some countries. I think I need to wait for some countries to offer GPRS at REASONABLE and realistic prices, and then I will travel to that country. The great part, I truly believe that 80 percent will offer this in the next year, and the other countries will follow within the next 2-5 years.

Land Travel, there is a fashion, a belief, a travelers creed, keep the feet on the ground. How do I go from one GPRS country to the next GPRS country and keep my feet on the ground?

Which country is next in Africa, which country has GPRS that I have not visited? I have not been to Nigeria, but truth is, I can tell, I do not want to go and listen…blah blah blah.

I need to learn about GPRS, maybe offered in Cameroon, Gabon, Liberia, Senegal, Congo, which country is connected at reasonable prices with GPRS. How much to I have to pay in dollars to keep my window open.

WIFI is annoyingly stupid, good for an offices; true wireless connection is with GPRS or something Cell Phone tower related. Satellite is my dream, just unrealistic on price, size of equipment, and what I need to play.

I like spontaneous living, and less being super organized. I want to keep the window open.

Internet, Satellite Internet, GPRS, Cellphone, Togo Internet,

My Love of Traveling with Internet

Goal Togo 10 Days No Electricity

Goal Togo 10 Days No Electricity
Atakpame, Togo West Africa
April 2007

I am making a goal and care package list to be sent from the USA to me by my friend Chris.

GOAL
Live up to 10 days with no electricity.

I can buy 12 Volt Motocycle Batteries easy here in Togo, made in China for about 6 US dollars.

A. Use my Sony Camera with AA Batteries,
12 Batteries would easily do this.

B Use my HP Laptop computer for 40 hour or about 4 hours per day.
I think the top off 12 Volt solar energy thing would do this.

C. 100 Hours of 12 Volt Fan Power and a 8 - 12 inch 12 Volt fan or something like that.

NEED TO BUY

1. Adapter that will allow 12 Volt power to be used to power my Hewlett Packard Laptop Compter.

2. Dozen AA Rechargable Batteries.

3. Solar Charger to charge 10 AA Batteries that also works on both 220 and 110.

4. Wind up Cell Phone Battery Charger. I need maybe to connect to 12 Volt system.

5. Small trickle Solar flat panel to keep 12 volts of lead-acid battery storage topped off

6. 12 Volt Fans

7. Indigo Windup light that runs on 220-110 also.
NOTE!!!!! This is semi-NOT needed as lights is not a problem.

8. LED Light that runs on 12 Volts, I think it would be more efficient and easier than the motocycle lights

Solar, Togo, West Africa Electricity, 12 Volt, GPRS, Cellphone, Computer,

Goal Togo 10 Days No Electricity

6-12 Volt Fan and Lights

6-12 Volt Fan and Lights
Kpalime, Togo West Africa
Friday, April 20, 2007

I want to buy off the shelf products to carry in my backpack; I want to be capable of buying replacement parts, when one piece is lost or broken. Nothing worst than having a favorite piece of gear lost that cannot be replaced while traveling.

I have found on the shelves here in Togo.

1. Batteries to run lights and fan.
- Six Volt Sealed Motorcycle batteries for 5500 CFA or about 11 U.S. Dollars.

2. Charger I think or hope will work.
- I am 90 percent sure I can buy a 8-12 Volt cell phone charger, that works with both 110 and 220 or in a really drastic move, I can splice into the charger I use for my portable phone.

IF I can find…

- A computer fan, or a some 5-15 Volt fan.
- A light that runs on 6 or 12 volts.

I have a 12 Volt one cup coffee cooker.

There is a converter I can purchase in the USA, which will allow me to plug my computer into a cigarette lighter, which in the USA is 12 Volts. I need to place two six-volt batteries in a row to have 12 volts.

I am excited as this would solve many problems, and make my life more pleasant. I wish I could calculate how long my computer would run on two six volt made into a 12 volt system would last. I can purchase 8 hours batteries for my computer, and one cost 150 US dollars and, this set up would cost around 40-50 US and could be fixed or replaces anywhere, with the hope it works of course.

It is easy enough to find electricity every five days or so, and I do have a 12 Volt Solar Battery charger to try to use

Fans, Batteries, 12 Volt, Lights, Electricity, Togo, Batterie Charger, Cellphone,

6-12 Volt Fan and Lights

Togo Cell Antennas Towers

Togo Cell Antennas Towers
Kpalime, Togo West Africa
Thursday, April 12, 2007

Travel is a map, just when I think I have them all, I find I need another, the maps of life. I want to use my cell phone and connect to the internet. I need to find the big cells of Togocel.tg here in Togo, then try to maneuver my way around the country and jump on tower signals. I think they highly exaggerate the coverage. I have trouble and I am in the center of the city of Kpalime now.

I am thinking, how to find where the tower is, maybe I turn around 360 degrees inside a concrete room here and the number of bars is the direction. It there are a lot of bars, then that is the direction of the cell tower. I will play, I somehow need to deduce, induce, and bribe my way to know when I am going closer or farther away from a tower.

Tomorrow I go towards the Ghana border from Kpalime. The map says I am in like Flin, I suspect I am out of play.



Note, I do not trust the maps and the links to not break from Togocel.tg or Gsmworld.com, then if they do, to then give me a redirect as should happen. This is why… you figure it out.

Région des plâteaux :
Anié, Atakpamé, Zogbégan, Badou, Nangbéto, Langabou, Elavagnon, Kougnohou, Wahala, Tohoun, Kpalimé, Kpele-ele, Glei, Adéta, Danyi, Agou, Pagala-Gare.
http://www.togocel.tg/html/couvert.html
http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?x=4&y=2&z=2&cc=tg&net=to

Now, I need more toys, I need a way to amplify my cell phone signal so I can get the signal and GPRS Internet access in the places where are culturally interesting or communication with the outside world is minimal.

Satellite is interesting option; the only ones I see that have it and use it are the Non Profit companies…. Hehehe, the rest of us still sort of see as too expensive, but this is my money. This is feasible. (I want the military to have.)

I would have satellite now, but I need to buy before I could test, sort of silly way to buy. And perfect for the highly ineffective people of the planet to spend free money. It is feasible maybe, for me, a person with a very large web site who is already ahead and will loose money to militantly look for hotels and have fun playing with expensive toys.

Togo Cell Antennas Towers

Biper Flash Telephone

Biper Flash Telephone
Kpalime, Togo West Africa
Thursday, April 5, 2007

Biper: I suspect I am spelling this West African French word correct, I check with a Friend and he spelled it Beeper... hehehe, it is not important to Biper or Bee Pay me it to:

Calling me on telephone and hanging up after one ring.

I pride myself in telephone management, I can capture a telephone number and track, monitor and call back people excellent. I was very good at sales of Real Estate.

I do not know why I exchange numbers here in Africa though, they never have credit on their phones, then they do not call from the number they give me.

They Bipe Me Beep Peh me.
Or
Flash me.

They call me, then they hang up, this means I am suppose to call the person back, however being I cannot speak French good, I do not call back unless I can read the name and am prepared to think in this persons way of thinking.

The go to a telephone cabine and call me, I do not know the number, and they are thinking, why does he not return the beep?

I do not take a number unless I enter it in my phone, this way I can caller ID and know who, not to monitor, but more to prepared. Talking in French on the phone is ludicrous, come here, or I go, or something simple is maybe possible. I can take a taxi to the persons house after they call easier than talking on a cell phone.

There is some secret here, I am not aware of, and I do not understand the rules. I have been thinking, since about 90 percent are women, maybe I can give type a tex message in the cell phone and send back.

Chambre 2
Room 2 in French - But this is NOT my room… hehehe
(I would do with the beeps coming from un-known numbers, maybe wrong numbers.)
I am in room 4 and probably the best in the Auberge Mandela, but then again, who knows, I do not sleep in all rooms.

- I think this is Mawuli’s room, a worker here, he is young, he needs these girls knocking on his door.

I do not think the girls want to come over, I do not think they want much, they just want to say to their friends,
- Hey, the Yeh Bow is calling me. -
- Hey the White Man is calling me. -

Hard to say or understand, I am not part of the inside secret of all these phone games, and would not have a phone, except I need to access the internet. It give people a kick to exchange numbers. A true friend just called form Lome, and he says,
- I call you every day. -

I said,
- Did you email me? -
He says,
- Today, I will -

(I also now need a cell phone to allow to call, or to call the USA advertisers that cannot empathize with the true fact, I am not in the USA. They will say, call me... duh, ok, they are not the shapest tack on the wall about the world. The on the other hand realize that traveler writers to not travel.)

I do not even carry my phone, just sometimes for fun, makes me feel younger when these girls want to call me. Plus it has a clock in it, and an alarm, I like this function, I do not have a watch and when I feel I need to know the time, I carry my cell phone.

I am going to remember to leave the phone in the room, shut off, and not ready to receive calls. No calls, no bee pehs.

Biper Flash Telephone

Cell Phone Roaming Cost

Cell Phone Roaming Cost
Pokjara, Nepal Asia
February 7, 2007

I have been to Iraq, I have walked down the ghetto streets of the USA, I have met many a big dog, but the cost of Cell Phone Roaming scares me.

It is like throwing money up in the air.

Quote from an explanation about Cell Phone Roaming:
- International roaming is probably the service feature that has the greatest value for international users of mobile telecommunications. -

Translation by me:
- We make more money off this feature than any other service we offer, so buy this idea, hook, line and sinker, and remember, there is no way out of your contract, you will pay! -

I believe a satellite phone is cheaper.

Cell Phone Roaming Cost

Types of Internet Connections

Types of Internet Connections
Pokjara Nepal Asia
February 6, 2007

There are many ways to connect the the Internet and work when in Africa, Nepal, or some country.

EASY

- Walk into Internet cafe, pull the Ethernet wire from the back of the computer and connect it to you computer, maybe it connect automatically or you need to have the Internet cafe worker configure for you. If they do not know how to do, go to another cafe.

EXTREMELY DIFFICULT - Finding a telephone line to use is difficult.

- Find a land line, plug the telephone line into the the back of you computer, then buy a connection from a local Internet provider, then connect.

- Find a land line, then dial a long distance telephone call to an Internet provider in your home country and connect. (I do not know if works, never done this.)

WIFI - DIFFICULT - Because not available - Really just a replacement for the Ethernet wire system that is easy to do in an Internet cafe.

- Mostly just a toy and nice to have sometimes, but to be in the back concrete room of a hotel, it is not going to work.

GPRS CELL PHONE- DIFFICULT
- A truly wireless connection the Internet.

- A connection using a cell phone with a cell phone company that has GPRS.
Computer to Bluetooth to Cell Phone to Cell Phone company.
(The problem is most cell phone countries in Africa do not offer the GPRS connection, although as of February 2007, they are expanding rapidly, I expect within about 5 year most will offer.

Sometime the cost is nuts, a good fee is about 1 dollar per day, only two countries I know so far that work I have confirmed work are Thailand and Nepal.

- A person should take a taxi to the cell phone headquarters in the city and have them connect the computer, the cell phone and the SIM card together and explain the cost. The cost in Indonesia where there are many Internet cafes was 3 dollars per meg, outrageously expensive.

DIAL UP CELL PHONE CONNECTION TO INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER

I thought this would be very easy, I did just this 10 years ago, however I think the whole planet is anal. I try to say, I am going to dial up a telephone number of an Internet service provider, that is NOT my cell phone company, nothing to do with my cell phone company. How doe the cell phone work as a modem?

Blue tooth is just a wireless connection between my cell phone and a computer, it is not an Internet connection. GPRS is part of the cell phone company services. IF they company does not offer GPRS, than it is not going to work on the cell phone.

SATELLITE - Extremely difficult
- Need to pay about 8 dollars USA per meg of transfer.
- Need to have contract for one year
- Need to pay about 2000 US for the device
- I do not know, my GPS hand held reference marker does not work unless I am top of a building, I think I would need to be on top of a building.
- I was ready to purchase this, for true worldwide wireless connection, the company wants me to buy before before they demo.

BOAT RADIO
- I do not know how this works, but seems to be a good option.

I want to use a cell phone connection, that does NOT offer GPRS to connect. I want to use my cell phone and somehow have a modem to connect the computer to the Internet by way of cell phone.

The only website that even comes close to trying to explain these differences is:

About.com

People dial home all the time with their cell phone.

I want my computer to dial home and connect, I am frustrated, I do not see why this is so hard, I am wondering if the problem is I need to always dial an ISP from a local telephone number, somehow the computer knows.

Types of Internet Connections

Cell Phone Battery Problem with GPRS

Cell Phone Battery Problem with GPRS
Kathmandu Nepal
Saturday, January 27, 2007

The drain on the battery is more than the charge.

I have a Motorola V555 quad band cell phone. I plug it into the charger and connect to the internet with Mero Mobile prepaid service here in Katmandu, Nepal. I have noticed over time, and am quite sure when connected it is slowly using more electricity from the phone then what is being charged into the phone. This means that the battery is slowly being drained, and eventually it disconnects from the internet and I must wait for the battery to recharge.

A second battery is needed, yet the problem is I can only charge the battery while in the phone. I personally do not like to remove the battery or the SIM card as the cover seems like it is not going to stay one good.

Cell Phone Battery Problem with GPRS

GPRS Internet Access Needs Price

GPRS Internet Access Needs Price
Katmandu, Nepal Asia
January 14, 20007

I sometimes am just disgusted with the Internet, it is like asking a girl out for a date and she keeps saying call me.

Buried Information

I have found a couple of good pages on the GPRS networks of the planet. This translated means the countries where I can connect my computer to the Internet.

I then find the cell phone company, I search for the price, I was laughing at the TIGO Ghana site as they admit or say,
- NO HIDDEN COST - They know this is what all the companies are doing.

These telephone companies are scammy, the cellphone roaming rates of the planet are to me just a joke, pick up the phone and make a call, go on roaming and pay anything they wish. The next crazy part is people do this, not a person that is going to be able to travel the planet and pay themselves. I sometimes think this is just a corporate trap, as the boss is paying.

There are so many ways they hide the true net cost.
- Impossible to calculate
- Must buy equipment
- Must have contract
- Activation fees

As I say,
- Advice without price, is not advice. -
Not nice.

Ok, here are two websites that sort of explain WHERE it may be possible, yet the cost issues are buried in the actual telephone company sites that offers the cell phone access.
Taniwha.org.uk/gprs.html
Hunterpro.com/legal.html

I so far, need to go into every site and find the extremely buried and deceptive pricing of this service of GPRS offered.

GPRS Internet Access Needs Price

The End of WIFI

The End of WIFI

Wireless connections in hotels, I am predicting will soon be replaced by the truly wireless GPRS or EDGE or some NAME... etc.

I am in Katmandu, Nepal.

When the HDI rated 136th county on the planet, out of a list of 177 can provide me with more or less countrywide access for less than 30 US Dollars per month. I cannot imagine why I would live in a hotel with WIFI, when I can live ANYWHERE I want. The world is implementing this at rocket speeds.

Freedom is the goal, however, freedom with the least amount of compromises. A person can go to the Mero Mobile here in Katmandu, and have their computer set up for true wireless connection and travel the country.
http://www.hobotraveler.com/2007/01/katmandu-nepal-gprs.html

NTC has mobile, but they want me to buy a 200 PCMIA card to use, - NOT -

There is a belief that technology in poorer countries bad, but with cell phone towers, or cells, the poorer countries are better than many modern countries. In a country like Nepal, they do not have to compete with landlines, therefore the poor countries often are installing more cells than modern countries.

Yes, the speed is slower, yet who cares, I can travel...!

The End of WIFI

Katmandu Nepal GPRS

Katmandu Nepal GPRS
Kathmandu Nepal Asia
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

22.65 US Dollars Per Month

I took a taxi for 152 Rupees from Thamel to the BICC or as they say, the big Conference center in Bashawor. The Mero Cell Phone company is here and a man by the name of Raj  has configured my computer for internet connection over my cell phone.

75 Rupees is One US Dollar
500 for Prepaid SIM Card
10 Kilobytes cost 20 Paisa
100 Paisa is one Rupee

When I use 75,000 Kilobytes, above this and the service is free.

More or less this means with VAT or Tax, I pay 1695 Rupees per calender month and I have unlimited GPRS connection.

1695 Rupees is 22.65 US Dollars per month.

The great aspect of this is no contract, no setup, and I only pay for what I use, if I keep the card, and it does not expire, I will be able to have access again with no problem when I return. I would say this is acceptable in the mobile office requirements of mine
http://www.hobotraveler.com/mobileoffice/

The bluetooth connects my computer and phone.

Mero Mobile - Spice Nepal
New Baneshwor,Buddhanagar
Ktm Nepal
478-5078

Katmandu Nepal GPRS

 

Checklist of GPRS Questions

Checklist of GPRS Questions

I am trying to stage a trip across Africa, from Ethiopia to Senegal by land,

The site MobileAfrica.net is very GOOD, yet I am still having questions.

Example: But NOT a complete list of questions
I need answer on the countries?

1. Is GPRS available
2. Is EDGE available
3. Location of office where I can go and set it up, have them test it, and guarantee it works.
4. Cost to set up.
5. Cost to use per Meg, hour, etc
6. Can it be on pre-paid SIM card, that I purchase in the country?

Contracts are of NO value to me, unless they can do many countries.
I go to Africa about February 14, 2007, I think I will purchase a Satellite connection to use, but want a GPRS to be cheaper.

The goal is to blog every day from any where on the planet, the only 100 percent sure signal is maybe a satellite, and I have learn that is not always true.

The time is takes to set up the GPRS sometimes is onerous, it can be days to get a connection to work. I am going to try to perform the same process as I do in Thailand, I go directly to the office of AIS and have them set up the connection.

I need to take this checklist now and answer them for all the countries in my path.

Checklist of GPRS Questions