T4L: Long Time Expected (LTE)

At long last, Jamaica has LTE.  Well, Jamaican cities at least.

Digicel rolled out its LTE (Long Term Evolution) network (June 9, 2016).  Billed as up to 10 times faster than 4G, Digicel customers are now able to access LTE speeds in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporate Area and Montego Bay.

© www.Jamaica-Gleaner.com

LTE is already commonplace in first world countries like the US and the UK.  It is also commonplace in some Digicel markets around the region.  Digicel even sells LTE enabled phones!  But it’s delayed introduction is due to … well, that depends on who you ask.

Digicel’s official response given at the pre-launch event in their super cool video conferencing room (more on that in another piece) was spectrum.  Digicel only recently acquired the 700 MHz spectrum required to provide LTE; by recently I mean April of last year.  They then spent US$50 million dollars to deploy LTE across Jamaica (but only available across the cities for now) as a part of their “Network for the Future” commitment.  In a release, the company noted that “the 700 MHz band - globally recognized as the best spectrum for deploying the technology because of its superior in-building coverage and wider signal reach when compared to similar frequencies”.

The on-site speed tests were truly impressive with up and (wait for it) down speeds exceeding 20 Mbps with up speeds approaching 40 Mbps.  I can’t wait to see how that translates in the real world when 1.4 million smartphone users jump on the network.  Notably, Digicel Jamaica CEO David Butler promised that Digicel will not throttle speeds.

Others speculated (openly) that the timing of the introduction had more to do with competition (read: Caricel).  FLOW has also announced plans to roll out nationwide LTE.  But for now, their LTE offering appears limited to Carlton.

But, back to Digicel.  Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to pin down Butler to a specific timeline for the island-wide coverage, though before the end of the year would be a safe bet.  No news yet on plans for the existing 4G network which powers several Digicel branded modems like the MiFi and CPE models, to the potential new LTE modems.

Anyway, enough about the politics and technicality.  Widely available LTE means that us data hogging, tech savvy Jamaicans can join our first world counterparts in enjoying all the trappings of social media, video streaming, live video casting, real-time ultra-fast gameplay and countless other distractions that our mobile gadgets and gizmos provide.

Apps like Periscope may explode as Jamaicans live cast football matches and dances.  Netflix need not be limited to WiFi making it practical to watch a movie while sitting in traffic on a bus.  What of Digicel Play and 1SpotMedia?  You can now watch the news on our handset without buffering.  In the city at least.

I say you, and not we, because, despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to activate LTE on my business phone.  Sure, Digicel is offering lots of prepaid and postpaid packages to suit various lifestyles, but I’ve got to wait for my rep to complete the activation.

Not to worry. I can’t wait to get on LTE, and as soon as I am live, I’m likely to be buried in my phone.

Tech4Life airs on @RJR94FM every Wednesday morning at 8:15 AM

Tech4Life: Y330 vs DL750

Today, there is go good reason not to have a smartphone.  Users still clinging with nostalgia to a ‘flashlight’ phone, or complaining that technology is too expensive need to wake up to the budget yet powerful Android options available.

Phones, are for more than just making calls.  Phones, smart phones, are communication hubs in our pockets.  They can replace a variety of other electronics including the ‘point and shoot’ camera, GPS navigation system, MP3 player and portable game consoles even as ‘feature’ phones long since replaced the PDA, wrist watch, alarm clock and yes, the flashlight.

Widespread 4G and multiple WiFi hotspots keep smartphones, and their owners, connected to each other via the internet.  Entertainment, business communication, social media and of course, one and one phone calls make smartphones a necessary tool in the modern world.

Huawei Ascend Y330

Fortunately, you no longer need to sacrifice an arm or a leg for functionality.  Both Digicel and LIME offer robust budget handsets with the popular Android OS.  For LIME subscribers, check out the Huawei Ascend Y330 while Digicel subscribed can grab the new DL750.

Both handsets have an impressive list of standard features.  Both have a 4” capacitive touch screen display, both have built in speakers with a convenient headphone jack and both sport FM radio.  The Y330 and the DL750 are running 512 MB of RAM with 4GB of internal memory expandable to 32GB thanks to a micro SD card slot.

4G, WiFi hotspoting, GPS and Bluetooth are all board both units.  And both have VGA cameras of photo and video capture, but it is here the similarities end.

Digicel DL 750

For a slightly higher price, the DL750 offers the most recent Android 4.4 OS - Kitkat (the Y330 comes with Jellybean 4.2 stock), a higher resolution 5 megapixel camera and a flash for anytime, anywhere pictures.

Ultimately, these handsets offer competitive smartphone features for a competitive price.  It makes sense to ditch the dumb phone for a smart Android.

RJR's Tech4Life airs every Wednesday at 8:15 AM.

Top Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurs Globalise Their Pitches

Tech entrepreneurs from Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and St. Kitts and Nevis seeking to ‘go global' assembled on the rooftop of the Digicel Headquarters in Kingston for an intense two day workshop in mid-November.

The group were all finalists in the pitchIT Caribbean business pitch competition for web or mobile businesses held earlier in the year.  The workshop falls under the World Bank’s Entrepreneurship Programme for Innovation in the Caribbean, EPIC, and its Caribbean Mobile Innovation Programme.

Carlette DeLeon participates in a lively discussion with Jennifer Raffoul, tech entrepreneur behind Made In The Caribbean and Patrick King, Distribution Director, Digicel at the recently concluded pitchIT Caribbean Workshop in Kingston, Jamaica. Photo credit: Collin Reid

Entrepreneur-in-Residence, infoDev Group and Workshop Facilitator Angelique Mannella noted that the ‘deep dive’ workshop sought to illustrate, “technical improvements that the entrepreneurs can have in their business and also help them prepare for speaking to investors”.



"Every innovation in the world started with an idea,” noted Marie Legault, Councilor and Head of Cooperation for the High Commission of Canada in Jamaica in her presentation to the startups.  The Canadian Government provides $20 million to support the regional programme to boost economic growth.  She advised the participants to maximize the time they have with the experts making presentations.

Following several hours of immersive training, the entrepreneurs refined the pitches for their business ideas and made presentations to the panel of experts that led the workshop.  The pitches were evaluated based on their likelihood to attract three types of investors: venture capitalists, angel and corporate.

VentureOut Challenge Jamaica winner Grik.ly was determined to be the most likely to receive venture capital funding, Trinidad based Interact XL was determined to be most likely to attract an angel investor while compatriots Made In the Caribbean was assessed most likely to benefit from a corporate investor.

Startup Weekend Jamaica winners Project Agro, Barbados developers SimPlify and CariOLA from St. Kitts and Nevis received honorable mentions in each of the three categories respectively.

Workshop Facilitator Angelique Mannella making a presentation at a two day 'deep dive' workshop for regional tech entrepreneurs from the pitchIT Caribbean competition.  The workshop was hosted by Digicel in Kingston, Jamaica.  Photo credit: Collin Reid

While none of the tech entrepreneurs participating have launched all are in various stages of development in preparation for 2014 rollouts.

Digicel Samsung Galaxy S 4 - First Impressions

Certainly, I've been a Sammy fan for a long time. So, I was thrilled that Digicel would invite me to their Samsung GS4 event. It gave me an opportunity to, at least, touch the phone.

The handset goes on sale, exclusively I am told, tomorrow. And, from my 'touch' demo I can say, it's a great smart phone.

The phone is roughly the same size as the GS3, yet boasts a slightly larger screen. Samsung had to sacrifice the size of the near invisible (or maybe the launch event at CRU was just dark) Menu and Return buttons.

I like the rounded square edges and the sturdier feel of the construction. The SG4 doesn't feel like a piece of cheap plastic, but it doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the iPhone.

As expected, the screen looks great and is ridiculously responsive. Navigation was effortless. With the low light and the high background noise, I was unable to try out features like the air gestures or S Voice.

As for the air gestures, I heard from a couple attendees (in Digicel branded shirts) that they work like a charm. The same folks told me that the previous non-functioning (practically speaking) S Voice was much improved.

The Dual Shot feature on the camera was cool, but, I wonder, would we get bored of it by next week. Hmm. The camera has a lot of new and upgraded features to explore.

I like the slightly enhanced icons, the S Health looks cool, the screen mirror looks useful, the IR remote I hope works and the upgraded All Share looks like fun.

The Samsung Hub left me feeling like it was completely unnecessary. So too did the typing, just like the SG3. I don't find the keyboard easy to use or insightful.

But, the feature that has me thinking 'I like this phone' is the Safety Assistance ... a feature I hope I never need but glad I have.

Beyond that, this new Sammy has so many features crammed into one mobile device, that its hard to want anything else. I'm told the bigger battery and the improved OS make it run faster for longer on one charge. I will try to confirm that if I ever get a road test model.

If money was no object, I would buy this computer masquerading as a phone in half a heart beat. If you have the S2, time to ditch and move up. If you've got an S3 and you're tapping it out, time to upgrade. If you're a poser that is rich and likes to have the latest, time to upgrade.

If you're a student, fixed income professional, unemployed loafer, tech newb or person who actually uses a phone primarily for making calls (amazing), you may want to wait for my final review after the price check.

IP Cameras

The Digital Consumer Electronics Expo at the Hilton Hotel last weekend was fun. Lots of booths made the event a feast on the eyes and ears. Some booths were truly dynamic while others stuck to presenting the bare facts. Information was available everywhere, not just in the booths. There were countless Expo only or “while stocks last” offers. And, there were cars (yes, cars with an s) in the ballroom!

Before we explore all the good in greater detail, two quick bad things I feel compelled to mention. First, they only accepted cash at an electronic expo and second, too many booth holders were lazy, letting interested customers walk by without at pitch.

That said, special shout outs go to these outstanding reps:
· Dave Hardy, Sound City
· Mark Miller, Digi View
· Warren Sherman, King Alarm
· Douglas James, Guardsman

Many booths covered similar technologies including:
· Personal surveillance, vehicle tracking and security
· Personal entertainment (home, car, boat audio and theatre systems)
· Gaming
· Gadgets

Most popular, IP cameras. In simple terms, IP cameras are CCTV cameras that use the internet to transmit the images to you. Significant benefits include:
· Cheaper than traditional CCTV camera overall and much more flexible
· Many have digital zoom and progressive scan capabilities
· Easy to record and transfer recordings
· Some can use “power of Ethernet” so no additional power required
· Some have wireless capabilities
· Motion sensors make camera record only when necessary
· Can transmit signals to you anywhere there is an internet connection; that means computer at the office, in your hotel room on vacation and in some cases to your phone

How would you use your IP camera?

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