Archive for Technology
Wifi Around Town
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you not retired or enjoying a mom & dad funded vacation, I present to you my list of internet cafes that you can work from:
El Portal
The cafe across from the park that never used to have internet. Well, they’ve finally finished remodeling the back and it’s quite cozy – there’s only one plug but you can sit right next to the router. Hell, you could probably plug-in an ethernet cable into the back if you wanted. Here’s a speedtest.net diagnostic on El Portal:
iPhone in Guate
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I left Phoenix and my cushy office job two years ago I didn’t own an iPod, had never really read a blog, let alone authored one, and the whole gadget obsession with Apple products was baffling. But, we bought a few iPods just before leaving the states and I was impressed with how well they worked, their durability and the fact that unlike their cheap MP3 competitors, you don’t have to buy a bunch of batteries.
Once we were settled in Antigua I decided to get my Blackberry unlocked, or ‘cracked’ as some say, so it could work here in Guate. I loved my Blackberry in the US; it enabled me to keep up on my email wherever I was and the functionality was great. Unfortunately, the 300Q I paid for the ‘unlock’ didn’t get the job done, as I soon discovered I couldn’t access the web and even text messaging was unreliable. One of my Chapin friends explained that my phone was designed for the Verizon network in the US and was specifically intended not to work on foreign GSM systems. I struggled with this for a year and finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a new phone, and the iPhone was at the top of the list.
I found a used 2G phone on eBay and shipped it to a mule who was kind enough to bring it with him. I spent a few hours downloading programs to unlock it so it would work on Tigo’s network, and suddenly I was live. I must say I’ve been impressed with the phone, although it pales in comparison to the Blackberry when it comes to text messaging and email. It’s hard to beat an actual keyboard, but the rest of the functionality is great, and the camera is outstanding.
I’m sharing this because some of you email with tech-type questions and this is the closest thing I’ve got to tell. Some of you might be interested in the cartoon that follows.
This holds true for Guate as much as it does the US
GuateCalling
Posted by: | CommentsI mentioned this phenomenon in a previous post and some newbie emailed and asked me to explain.
Here in Guatemala there are more cell phones than there are people. That’s because many people carry more than one phone, to use networks for different carriers. I haven’t figured out whether this is so they can take advantage of different plan promotions, or whether there are different benefits to calling certain users on the same network, or what.
Additionally, there are about 5 times more cell phones than land lines. This is because the cell phone network began to expand in the country before the copper wire network was fully matured, and naturally it’s easier to put up towers than it is to lay cable, so the then-monopoly stopping investing in wire copper. Finally, it’s really easy to get a cell phone whereas a land line requires deposits, contracts, and the available wire in the ground.
Anyway, most cell calls here are expensive, relative to the states, anywhere from 1-2Q per call, depending on the carrier, your plan and other factors. That translates from 12 to 24 cents US per call. When I recharge my phone by buying prepaid minutes, I usually buy 100Q worth of time, enough for about two weeks in my case. However, I’m told by reliable sources that the major carriers sell far more of the 5Q cards than they do any other denomination. That means most people here are buying enough credit to make at most 5 short phone calls. Based on my own usage I would say it is more likely you’ll get only 2 phone calls out of 5Q.
The result of all this is that most people have phones but have no ’saldo’. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked someone why they didn’t call to say they would be late, or why they didn’t tell me they couldn’t make an appointment, or why they didn’t just call instead of getting on a bus and riding across town and the answer is always, “But I don’t have any saldo”.
This lack of saldo is common, and for a long time I thought there was something seriously wrong with my phone because I would get a call but it would only ring once. I wouldn’t even look to see who called, and then a few minutes later it would ring again, just once. It got to the point that I finally asked someone and he explained that the caller isn’t charged for the call until you answer, or when voicemail picks up, and so even someone with no saldo can place a call and then hang up, which gets the attention of the recipient without incurring a cost.
I know some gringos who refuse GuateCalls, on the grounds that a person basically wants you to pay for the opportunity to talk to them. They argue that anyone worth talking to should invest the 1Q in the phone call. Perhaps my situation is different since I’m so much more reliant on others for helping me in all the ways that I still require, what with business ventures, needy children and dysfunctional Spanish, so I usually respond to GuateCalls.
The other day I learned that one or more of the carriers now allow you to send saldo to another user, so perhaps this will cut down on GuateCalling. I suspect the carriers will charge for this service, which is amusing to me since they’ve found a way to make money off of the fact that nobody in this country has any money to make the call in the first place.
Who Wants Free Electricity?
Posted by: | CommentsI’m inching closer to our first ‘Green in Guate’ program. We’re going to manufacture specially designed low wind vertical axis wind turbines. I have the technical specs, the skilled labor and the equipment.
This design is intended to generate electricity at relatively low speeds. It’s not your typical huge propeller-style wind project. These babies will work in a residential setting, and the data I’m getting from outside advisers suggest they could be perfect for Guate.
So…if you’re interested in following the details, please email me with ‘Green in Guate’ in the subject line. I’ll post occasionally here on the project but don’t plan on putting all the details here. And, I’m not sure whether there will be a business opportunity with this or whether it will end up being a non-profit endeavor, but I’ll let you know when I have a better grip on the financials and the market.
If nothing else I plan on getting a check from Electrica Empresa instead of the other way around…
A Pleasant Surprise
Posted by: | CommentsA few days ago I noticed I was running out of minutes on my phone. As I mentioned in a previous article, my phone is now set to send me a reminder after every call of how many minutes I have left on my phone. Occasionally this is an irritation, but it’s better than getting on the highway to Atitlan and discovering you have no minutes.
I had about 20Q left on my phone and that’s always my refill point. I visited the place I always go, a little internet cafe and VOIP shop on the west side of the parque next to Cafe Jardin. I gave the guy 100Q and waited for my confirmation text msg. It never came. The guy said the system was slow today, but that it would come in eventually.
The next morning I realized I never got a msg indicating my minutes had been processed. Fearing I had been cheated out of 100Q and knowing I would have some difficulty explaining with precision my situation, I called up my friend Edwin, who has a company that specializes in helping tourists and expats in Antigua. He agreed to meet me at the shop and work things out.
Of course, they couldn’t verify that I had paid for any minutes. However, they did note that there had been a problem the day before at the time I claimed to have paid. The woman in charge said, “You have been coming in here a lot and you have never had a problem before, so I will credit you for the time.” Just like that, my 100Q was restored.
Just imagine if I had paid Verizon or T-Mobile in the US in cash, didn’t get credited and didn’t have a receipt. Think they would have just said, “No problem, we’ll credit your account”? No way.
Welcome to GuateLiving.
Internet in Guate
Posted by: | CommentsAs with everything here, things are very different from what you’re accustomed to in the states or Europe.
First, it’s been widely reported that Antigua is the first ‘digital city’ in Central America, what with fiber optic cable in the streets (one advantage of cobblestones; easy to dig up and then replace) and citywide wireless. Well, before you get too excited about hanging in the park and surfing the net, let me tell you it’s never once worked for me and I don’t know anyone for whom it has.
So, you’re in Antigua and you need internet service. If you only need an internet cafe, there are many options. If you want a place to eat or drink and surf the web, about 1/3 of the establishments have WIFI. What you will discover very quickly is that even those places who claim to have WIFI have weak or slow connections, sometimes so much so that it is unusable. The staff, if local, likely will not understand what wireless internet is or care if it works for you.
(For the hypertension prone: no, I am not saying that local people are idiots. Well, not all of them. What I am saying is that there is a prevalent attitude of not caring about customer service or satisfaction. They vaguely understand that a box in the back provides wireless internet to all those people carrying laptops and ordering coffee, but they don’t really understand or care. So they advertised free WIFI and the connection is so weak that it’s unusable. So what?).
If you’re here long-term you’ll need a real solution. For some people the best solution will be Telgua, the local cable/phone/internet provider. They have an office right off the park and are generally well respected. (One local said, “They’re a big company, so you know they’ll never go out of business and will provide good customer service.”)
They offer a combination package phone, internet and basic cable, and as of April 2009, they no longer require a contract. However, they can make the process a huge pain, and it can be enough of an obstacle that you’ll want something else.
Turbonett is a company several of my friends use, including Academia Colonial, and have great speed. He gets 1mb down and about 300kb up, and pays about $60/month. However, this requires a two-year contract, they may require a substantial deposit, and as far as I can tell, you can’t even move that contract to another address within the country. Your landlord may have to agree to the contract as well (don’t hold your breath).
I’m using Veridas, a wireless ISP run by a expat from New Zealand (that’s near Australia, isn’t it?). There are no contracts and I pay $50/month for 512k down and about half that up. Depending upon your location you may need an antenna installed and there could be some additional hardware costs (router, etc.).
I chose Veridas because I wasn’t prepared to make a long-term commitment yet and because I liked the idea of having expat/English customer support a phone call away. It is wireless, so when the rainy season arrived and the trees started growing again and leaves sprouted everywhere, Veridas sent a group of guys to make some adjustments to the antenna.
Keep in mind that this is Guatemala and this is not going to be like the connections you’re used to in Europe or the US. When I left AZ, I had a 3mb connection for about $50/month. I hear now that some people are getting 6mb for this price. If you’re working on the web and have other heavy users among your household, you can use and appreciate that kind of speed and it will take some adjusting to live on a 512mb speed.
Expat Wants FoxNews…and Local Cable Co Delivers!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you had asked me what the odds were of getting a local cable company to add a channel at the request of a expat/missionary, I would have given you about 100:1 odds. After all, I can’t even get Telgua to activate cable at my home, which has resulted in no TV since January. The kids protested they would ‘die’ without it; fortunately the mortality rate has, thus far, been zero.
Anyway, go read this extraordinary story of how two missionaries asked for, and got FoxNews added by their local cable company in Coban.
Tu Saldo de Recarga es Inferior a 5 Quetzales
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you who read less Spanish than I do, it translates (roughly), to “Recharge Your Balance, You Have Less than 5 Quetzales”. I have come to loath that phrase, because this is the text message I get from Movistar/Telefonica when my phone is almost out of minutes.
For all of my adult life in the states, I have had a cell phone. I got my first one when I was 18 and working for a cell phone company part time. It was a brick. When I moved here last fall, I had a brand new Blackberry, and loved it. I even kept it on the nightstand at night, much to the dismay of my wife. I’d never had a prepaid phone, which is what almost everyone here uses, so it’s taken some getting used to.
Well, every now and then I get a text from Movistar telling me I’m almost out of minutes, so I watch for the signs around town or the frequent text messages telling me that if I recharge my phone on a particular day, I can get double or triple time. The way this works is you put 100Q on your phone but you actually get double or triple that much time.
Well, as the newness of Guate has worn off over the months, I’m starting to watch prices a little more. I’m no longer doing arithmetic in my head and I’ve developed a sense of the worth of Quetzales instead of merely their floating relationship to the dollar. Anyway, it seemed like I was having to recharge my phone an awful lot, especially since I never buy less than 100Q at a time and I always buy on ’special’ days.
The next time I get a msg telling me I’m out of minutes, I go to the Movistar office on 5th Calle and tell the lady I need to recharge my phone. I give her 100Q and while she’s processing it, I mention that I seem to be running out of minutes fast. I explain that I’m just not making that many phone calls. She giggles and says something about how Movistar just sends out those messages in advance of a promotion, to get people to load up on minutes.
I figured as much. She asks how many minutes I have (silly me for thinking it was actually less than 5Q), and then proceeds to show me how to check. After navigating some menus in Spanish, we learn that I have over 900Q in minutes on my phone. The look on her face reminded me of the lady at the mercado who was eyeing the bulge in my pocket when I was looking at roses.
She told me to always check my minutes before recharging, and to basically ignore the text messages. I left, ambivalent about having caught on to one more GuateScam and at the same time realizing I’ve been loading money onto my phone that could have otherwise been spent on valuable things like beer and cigars milk and diapers. I decided to be smug about it and let everyone know how I had adapted so well and Movistar wasn’t going to screw this Gringo any longer.
Well, a few days ago my phone stopped working. I could receive calls but not make them. I visited the office and a different woman tells me I’m out of minutes. I protest, explaining how just the day before I had something in excess of 600Q on my phone. She then says, “Oh, they must have expired”, and then explains how when you buy minutes they have a expiration date attached to them. This is to prevent someone from, for example, loading up on minutes on a ’special’ day, and then not using them quickly enough.
Thus, all the minutes I had been loading in previous months were now gone. My plan to ride those minutes for a few months had vanished over night. Little did I realize that not only did I just lose something north of 600Q, but I’m still being taken advantage of.
You’ll have to wait for Part 2 for the conclusion (and a tip that every expat MUST know). In the meantime, watch this video.
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