Swiftkey now free

SwiftKey is a fast, intuitive way to input text onto your smartphone and, for me, just pips Swype when learning what I want to say and how I want to say it.
However, the one issue with SwiftKey has always been that while it’s good, it’s also not free. Sure, it’s only $4, but given that there are decent alternatives out there, gratis, it’s some indication of its power and usability that people go out (or stay home – this is online stuff, after all) and choose buy it.

But from now on, SwiftKey is going to be free.
Why? Because (according to its inventors):

We’ve come an incredibly long way these past six years, from two university friends with an ambitious idea, to becoming the global best-selling app on Google Play the past two years running. We founded SwiftKey to make it easier for everyone to create and communicate on their mobile devices, and as a company we’re working hard to reach that goal.

This is why today we are making SwiftKey free. We believe this change is the best way to achieve our global vision for SwiftKey, as we can now reach many more people around the world without price as a barrier.

Alternatively, of course, it could be that:

…in SwiftKey’s case, it [could] help it in going head-to-head with similar, free technology that Apple will soon offer to iPhone users.

But I think it’s more likely that they just want the people of the world to talk to one another, right?

All of us who have previously paid for the app got this email:

To say thanks for your support as a paid SwiftKey user, we’re giving you a ‘Premier Pack’ of 10 new premium themes worth $4.99 for free! 

Yeah, whatevs, themes-schmemes, but it’s a decent gesture, I guess. Note that I was happy to pay $4 just to be able to use the app, so I’m not really put out by this.

SwiftKey is cool, and now it’s free, so go and get it on Play Store.

There and being assessed

Yes, it’s another Vodacom Tablet Repair Update. By SMS.

1315: Job Number XXXXXXX has been received at the Advanced Repair Centre

This is good news. Being Pseudo-Capetonian, I’m always concerned over the safety of loved ones and loved things when they head up onto the hijacker-filled, e-Tolled highways of Gauteng. Thankfully, my broken tablet has made it all the way to the ARC, where presumably it will be joined by another broken tablet, and two of every other sort of defunct device, and be safe from the 40 days of rain which has been widely forecasted by Russell Crowe.

But wait, there’s more:

1345: Job Number XXXXXXX is currently in the assessment process at the Advanced Repair Centre

Game on. They’re having a look at it. This bit shouldn’t take too long, because I have already told them what’s up with it.

In fact, probably my biggest concern here is what my broken tablet was doing for the 30 minutes between SMSs. I can only presume that the ARC is so big that it actually takes 30 minutes to get from the Reception to the Assessment bit. One would think that – for reasons of efficiency – these two hives of activity would obviously be next to one another.

Equally concerning is the lack of any further promise to keep me informed by SMS.
Is this where it all ends, where the trail runs dry, where the toilet door slams?

I anxiously await the next installment, where my broken tablet hopefully heads to the Repair section – or even the Advanced Repair section – of the Advanced Repair Centre.

It’s enthralling, isn’t it?

Testing Vodacom

Everything is going wrong. My car is going wrong (twice, to the tune of about R8,000), my lab equipment is going wrong, and now my tablet has died the death and it’s not good news. All was well yesterday morning as I avoided Grant Nash by playing the BBC Radio 4 News Quiz podcast on the way into work. But then once I was actually at work, I couldn’t switch the damn thing on.

Cue Google, which took me here, where catchily-named forum user 3omda619 was wailing and gnashing his or her teeth:

Dear Sony,
I bought the Xperia Z Tablet LTE 16g about a month ago.
Now the power button and the headphone port are not working anymore and I don’t know why.
Today my battery drained and I can’t turn it on again and I don’t know what to do.
please HELP!!!!!

“Not quite the same as mine though, because my headphone port is working just fine,” I said, plugging in some headphones to demonstrate this fact to myself.

Damn. OK, so yes, actually exactly the same as mine.

And 3omda619 and I aren’t the only ones. Plenty more cases of this and Sony’s only (and rather futile) advice is to try a full system reset. But it’s a hardware thing, not a software thing, as demonstrated by the complete lack of successful outcomes to this suggested repair method. Also on that forum, the usual kneejerk nonsense from upset customers:

I swear for the rest of my life I will never purchase any Sony product ever again and I will persuade anyone I know not to as well.

Of course you will. Because nothing has ever gone wrong with an LG. Ever.

In fact I will sell my TV, Phone, Tablet and any Sony product I own.

Well, that’ll teach them not to make products which may cease to function in the future, won’t it? Boy, I bet everyone at Sony HQ is quaking in their boots at the prospect of you offering a manufacturer-defined selection of your secondhand consumer durables to other individuals (although I guess you won’t get too much for the tablet right now). Look, I’ve got a bit of spare time, so why don’t we all sit back and watch as the near 70 year old, Japanese-based, multinational conglomerate with revenue of around US$72.349 billion last year, crumbles as you advise your three friends and the milkman not to buy a Sony, shall we?

But I digress. Often. My gorgeous, if poorly-functioning tablet is covered by my Vodacom warranty, so yes, it will have to be repaired, but at least it’s not going to cost me anything.
But where do I take it to? Easy: on the MyVodacom app – still accessible thanks to my idea of utilising the ‘double-tap to wake tablet’ option – there’s a handy map of all my local Vodacom outlets:

vcare1

I looked at the map. I looked outside. I looked at the map again. There appeared to be little to no correlation between the blank post-apocalyptic Vodacom version and the blue skies, singing birds and pretty mountain upon which I was gazing.

It wasn’t a great start.

Anyway, long story short, a quick(ish) phone call later and I have been told to take my ailing device to Green Point or Canal Walk to have it booked in. This I will do tomorrow. Apparently-allegedly, I will be without it for 2-3 weeks. Well, I’ll keep you updated on that one. I’ve always said that things go wrong from time to time. That’s just life. It’s how you put them right that matters.

From first thing tomorrow morning, that ball will be firmly in Vodacom’s court.

Getting started on podcasts to avoid Grant Nash

Note: This post is mainly aimed at Android users, but obviously the podcasts suggested are available across all platforms.

With the surprise departure of Gareth Cliff from the 5fm Breakfast Show, you’ll have been hoping to find something nearly as good to occupy your morning drive to work. Sadly, until their “relaunch” at 5am on the fifth of the fifth (read: “We weren’t ready for this. At all.”) you’re certainly not going to get it, as Grant Nash, one eighth of the much-loved Grant and Anele duo* “fills in” for Cliff and the team.

No thanks.

I’ve decided to try podcasts, given that the other radio options are rather limited in desirability. And I should mention that we’re in SA here, where digital and satellite radio are as likely to be seen in the next few years as that hoverboard from Back to the Future. In addition, we’re still battling with the joint foes of Grant and Anele slow internet and high data costs, which means that, for many people, streaming – especially on mobile – is a non-starter.

Podcasts are things that I have previously pretty much ignored, but Gareth’s departure and Grant’s arrival twixt six and nine have pushed me to explore a bit. And it’s not (quite) as daunting as I had imagined.
Basically, all you need is a podcast manager app and a willingness to explore a bit.

For the former, I chose Podcast Addict [QR code], simply because it had the best reviews on the Play Store and I’ve already found that it’s pretty easy and intuitive to use. Also, it’s ad-driven, so it’s free (although if you find that you are going to be using it full-time, you can chuck R30 at the developer to lose the ads).
Next, I had to decide which podcasts to try. This is obviously a very personal thing, but the internet can help with some starting points: here, here and here, for example. I looked at some comedy, some topical stuff and some educayshonel things. It’s worth noting that the BBC has a HUGE repository of podcasts on just about every subject. The only downside is that almost everything involving music can only be downloaded in the UK, because of copyright laws. And yes, I’m well aware that there are ways around this, but that’s your indaba, innit.

Something else I found were video podcasts. Hundreds of them. This might not suit though, because a) bandwidth and b) driving. However, if you have unlimited data and/or cash and you’re brave enough to take public transport, this could be for you. At two hours from Kenilworth to the Waterfront, God knows you’ll have the time to watch them. It’s worth noting that PodcastAddict’s search feature allows you to choose to look for audio, video or both. Typically, you’re looking at about 1MB per minute for most of the audio podcasts I’ve seen, so it’s “doable”.

So, what did I end up starting with? Here’s my list:

Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio
Alex Horne Breaks The News
Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1 (unsigned artists and DIY labels = no copyright issues)
Justin Moorhouse About 30 Minutes, No More Than 45 and
A History of Britain In Numbers

I also tried Stuff You Should Know, but I thought that it was a bit rubbish.

Early days, sure, but I’ve enjoyed my journeys with my podcasts and I really don’t feel that I’m missing out on much given the live alternatives available. I’ll keep you informed and updated on how things are going.

Meanwhile, if you have any thoughts on this subject or have any podcasts that you want to suggest, then please let me know in the comments below.

* approximate calculation based on BMI.

Here’s what you see when you track global shipping by satellite

There’s recently been a bit of interest in the satellite tracking of global transportation.

Remember when we showed you a visualisation of what the flights over Africa and the world looked like? And remember I mentioned that Marine Traffic was a great app for your mobile device? Well, combining those two ideas, gives you this:

satellite_ais_data

Amazing, hey? The southern hemisphere land masses look like they’re being suspended on numerous cotton threads. And you can see why we so regularly observe big ships going around Cape Agulhas.
In addition, you can see the immense importance of the Suez and Panama Canals, and the English Channel, too.

Sadly, if you want to have this global AIS-satellite data added to your current (and free) terrestrial-based Marine Traffic portfolio, it’s going to cost you upwards of €269 (R4,000) per month. Eina!