July 2010 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

What happened to Skunkworks?
by David Mugo 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Guys, About 3 days now I havent received a mail from the list, are we up? David. -- ------------- http://blog.majibu.com

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If we can ignore iPhone on this thread, lets talk about Symbian 3 and Windows Mobile 7 coming soon...
by aki 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Smart phones....... - Nokia is placing a lot of focus on Symbian 3 and N8 is the device coming soon. Question : Have you thought about development on this platform or at least looking at Symbian 3? What is your take on this as application development goes? - Windows is pushing on Windows Mobile 7 and at least 4 handset manufacturers are game. Question : Have you thought about development on this platform or at least looking at Symbian 3? What is your take on this as application development goes? So far Winmo7 apps development is on SilverLight and have been following it keenly. PS : Pls add your favourite Mobile OS and potential for application development. Rgds. :-)

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Windows XP Mode in Windows 7. ( Virtualization is here )
by aki 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

For those running older applications that have compatibilty problems with Windows 7 and hesitating on upgrades due to such reasons, there's XP mode that can be downloaded and installed on genuine win7 pro, ultimate and enterprise systems. I've not installed it nor tested yet, can anyone share their experiences if you are running the XP mode? Cheers.

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Bootable flash
by Ruth Were 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Hey yall Does anyone know how to *Create bootable flashdisk - from windows installation disc?*

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Does anyone who know a PRSP in Southern Sudan
by margaret wanjiru 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Hi skunks, Am looking for a PRSP in Southern Sudan. Or is there anyone with information on how to acquire a short code in Southern Sudan? Any help will be highly appreciated. -- Regards, Margaret.

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Eassy, Orange-TKL, Safaricom, Teams, Seacom. The following took place........
by aki 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

while I was away. I've been catching up on reading various articles. The following is my summary interpretation/direct quotes from the articles. The articles are in the East African ( June, July ): 1) Seacom down again! Comment = Terrible...blames it on some repeater near segment 9 allegedly near Mombasa coast. This company is starting to look like a used market goods operator. The Seacom cable network is shiny brand new, not even algae nor reef plants have made the equipment a home yet, failure rate on the network is unbecoming of international operator standards. 2) Kenyan government had handed over its 20 per cent shareholding in Teams to France Telecom to run as part of their settlement in the dispute over Telkom Kenya's missing assets after privatisation. France Telecom was also granted the monopoly to manage all of Kenya's national fibre-optic network, the government's contract for voice and data. The French firm now controlling Kenya government's portion, it now controls over 40 per cent shareholding. It controls the national landing station for all fibre optic networks and has this huge access to bandwidth capacity and distribution means that it is arguably the most important player in the wholesale market, and potentially in the retail market if it gets its act together. But Communications Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo defended the move saying that despite the landing base and infrastructure being put under France Telkom, it would be operated on an "open access basis". ( article June 21st -- Also under this deal, NOFBI is now no longer under govt control. ) Comment = A serious development. Now those anti-dominant rules surely apply. 3) Meanwhile, the Eassy fibre optic cable that was expected in June is yet to be switched on. The West Indian Ocean Cable Company (Wiocc) that is managing Eassy on behalf of 12 African governments, said the cable, which was partly funded by the World Bank, was developed as a social more than a commercial development enterprise and can only be managed by governments. Chief executive officer Chris Wood said the firm was no longer certain when the cable would go live. He said that at inception, national telcos in the participating countries signed contracts binding them to purchase bandwidth from Eassy, and price it within parameters that will drastically reduce the cost. "Inevitably, some cables will have to die and be purchased cheaply," he said. Sources familiar with the goings on intimated that the Eassy cable could be rerouted from Kenya, dealing a major blow to expectations that the country would get faster Internet. "The country is on its way back to monopoly in the fibre optic infrastructure," an insider who requested anonymity said. Mr Wood revealed that the cable is ready to go live in all other countries except Kenya, which is the headquarters of Wiocc, chosen because of its being a hub, and possession of superior infrastructure. He, however declined to say whether the company planned to leave Kenya. Comment = Did the same gentleman not go public when Seacom launched and say that Eassy will have a cheaper and different model so that ISPs can buy bandwidth on lower commitment basis? The above says a lot of what was planned. Rumor had it that Eassy would go live in Kenya around the 10th of this month? Anyone confirm this? 4) Mr MJ comments. "There is great value in having Eassy completed at the soonest possible opportunity as it will provide much needed restoration capacity for the other two cable systems," and also adds "From our experience the deployment of international fibre systems is a costly and delicate process. In order for the return on investment to be realised it is essential for the capacity on the cable to be taken up," said Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph. Comment = Did Mr MJ know more about the new developments ( Orange/TKl and govt deal ) and could this be the reason Safaricom is/has been looking at lower in the food-chain business revenue rather than higher? 5) Hon Ndemo comments. "Eassy's original plan of governments running the cable was "outdated." Thanks to the East African for carrying these articles. Comments and Corrections welcome. Me thots. :-)

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HTC, RIM and Nokia Challenge Apple's Antenna Claims
by aki 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Apple now has a new word out = AntenneGate ( remember watergate? ) lol! Apple claimed at its press conference Friday that virtually every competing smartphone faces the same antenna challenges as the iPhone 4, but three of its competitors — HTC, RIM and Nokia — have since stood up and challenged that claim. Apple used as an example the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700, saying that holding it a certain way will cause signal degradation just as with the iPhone 4, but RIM’s Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis were quoted by CrackBerry from the following statement: Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple. Nokia jumped into the fray too, bragging that it was the pioneer of internal antenna technology, and claiming that it has this all figured out while Apple is just playing the blame game for its foolish design decisions. Here’s its statement...... http://mashable.com/2010/07/17/htc-rim-nokia-apple-antenna/

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Cant access a website
by Kevin Kimani 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Hi all, Am experiencing a wierd issue. Am trying to access a website from a certain office and am unable yet if i move to a different office or location am able to access this particular website. When i try to ping, can get the IP address but the packets get lost in the process. Am able to access other sites as google and the rest but only a particular site that am experiencing this issue. Would really appreciate the help. Regards

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Flash Designer
by Amarjit Labhuram 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Hi skunks and skunkettes. Looking for a flash designer. Kindly get hold of me offlist and will give you further details on the requirements. Have a great day! Warm regards, Amarjit Singh Labhuram.

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local scene : Orange Kenya streaming BB on " dstv " enabled handsets
by aki 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

If you follow BB, then this is for you. The tech landscape is changing quickly, Orange becomes the 2nd telco to go DVB-H. I'm told they were streaming WorldCup too.

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