Technology: January 2004 Archives
After 7 years of intensive use, time has come to say goodbye to my old PC. It simply has too much technical problems: I assume problems with the power supply, the memory and the CPU! As a result, my screen freezes frequently --- usually when I am using Microsoft software.
So last Saturday I took the step and ordered a new PC. Just like the one I have now it is a low-budget (€500) white label box, which I hope will also last the same number of years. The box I ordered has the following specifications:
- Intel Celeron 2,4 MHz
- 512Mb RAM
- 80Gb Hard disk
- DVD player
- DVD/CD-RW writer
As everybody knows, WAP is not the mobile killer protocol, nor will it ever be. However, it has its uses. I use it for example to consult my bank account when I'm on the road.
For Telefonica --- the Spanish phone monopolist --- WAP also has its uses, since they offer Emoción; WAP-based services of which some bring in some money for every minute it is used. The thing I never understood is that they sell packages with modern phones like my T200 with badly configured WAP access. If it doesn't work directly, many people won't try it again!
The case is that the phone comes preconfigured with WAP over GPRS, but to use GPRS you'll have to buy a separate contract or pre-paid card, which nobody does. But Telefonica finally got smart. Saturday, when I was taking a beer on a sunny terrace I suddenly noticed a new icon on my phone's screen; I had GPRS access!!!
Of course I immediately changed my WAP configuration and tried it out. I surfed around in WAP space a little, until I came to my own WML feed, which failed miserably. One more point on my todo list...
A small experiment to start the year ;-)
I installed SnagIt on my computer, which I configured to upload each 30 minutes a screendump of my desktop. Now everybody can see what I am doing during the day. As soon as I have a more powerful computer at home, I will do the same from there.
