In the February 2010 Update:
S40 support, bug fixes to improve client performance, and minor feature enhancements:
February 07, 2010
Living with a Nokia N95
3UKNYmeetup Humble, Honest And Er, Free Drinks
That above was the invitation to attend the first meetup of the New Year with the people from 3UK, which I must say always seems to be an honest and humble experience. The guys are very friendly, approachable and actually make the effort to try and answer the question rather than the usual dodging and generic answers we find from some others. Head on to Twitter and check out the #3UKNYmeetup tag to see the rest of the reactions from those that attended.
The guys at 3Mobilebuzz are doing a great job in getting these get togethers sorted and I for one as a blogger am glad, as it gives me a chance to find out what my operator of choice is up to and what I can expect from them not only as a customer, but also a blogger.
The night was organised so we could get access to some of the senior guys and people from many different sectors of the company, Customer Service, PR, Engineers the lot. This was pretty much a no holds barred affair. Whilst many of us were eager to get David Kerrigan into a corner and get as much gossip out of him before one of the Sarahs from PR could stop us (he's the guy with all the handsets, we ALL love handset gossip), it would be a shame not to get information regarding the recent network improvements have gone and what we could expect from them. Whilst the customer service guys would be quizzed on how they were dealing with some of the negative feedback being received from customers.
Let's get down to it.
Handsets
I did manage to get some time with David in order to discuss what handsets 3UK would/could be carrying this year, and the information provided was pretty exciting. Not only did I get some hands-on time with some of the devices which will be coming to 3UK shortly but also some of the interesting future releases, most notably from HTC running Android.
Sony Ericsson X10 - I mentioned seeing this on the previous meeting and hinted that it could make it to 3UK, and the conversations and signs show that yet it will be coming to 3UK. Most of the employees were actually carrying it with them.
Sony Ericsson Vivaz - This little beauty I have been keeping an eye out for, it's a very exciting device. I was actually pretty shocked to see it being actively revealed by David. Upon playing around with it, I can say physically it's very impressive. it's easily one of the most ergonomic devices I've held, ever! The device is actually very very light. When playing around with it, I couldn't actually fathom something that light and small could be able to record 720p video. But that's not the only great thing, as it runs on Symbian S60 5th Edition it will have access to all the great apps in the OVI store and an already established platform, but without the ugliness of the S60 UI. Sony Ericsson have built their own custom UI over it to make it a lot more appealing. Although my time was brief with it, it was very nice. I'm glad to say 3UK will be releasing this device, and as early as March possibly.
HTC, Android & More - From what I gathered with my conversation with David, 3UK will be bringing at least quite a few devices from HTC this year. The successor to the hugely popular and successful Hero will be a part of that. I for one cannot wait. As we all know, I loved the HTC Hero. I would also think we may be seeing one more device from INQ this year, whether this will be running Android or BREW is yet to be seen, but fingers cross it will be the former. There will also be a Nokia touch handset, which I would think could be an XpressMusic or similar variant.
Network
It's no secret 3UK have been busy improving and expanding their network an although they now boast the most masts in the UK from any of the networks, coverage isn't perfect and nor is the work going into it. They are still actively upgrading and adding masts. This is a longer term plan to improve 3UK's network more stable, more accessible and faster. Speaking with the network guys, it's evident that although work is going smoothly, there is still a lot of work still being carried out. Some of the planned outages didn't go to plan, but that is to be expected, on the whole the upgrading of the network has been a success and with minimal inconveniences caused.
Customer Service
This is something I haven't experience, mainly due to the fact I usually solve my own issues and perhaps live in an area of service which is both reliable and fast. But I did manage to ask how they were handling some of the negative complaints about their Customer Service Centres. The reply mostly was, it's an issue being worked on, but one that has been acknowledged. The key point here is, how to actually resolve the issue. Will moving the call centres to the UK solve the issue if the system and practices are the same? That would be the most common answer in my opinion, but although I expect the customers would be happier and feel more at ease dealing with UK based call centres, that might not quite be the perfect solution. Getting the service guys trained up to scratch and better troubleshooting equipment, might in the longer term be a better choice. This is something echoed from 3UK itself. In real life, there isn't a quick fix.
Wrap Up
It's always great to have a direct chat with the people that provide the service we use, it helps if that conversation is direct, unfiltered and more than anything intimate and honest. 3UK are still far and away the best at engaging with the community and coupled with the 3mobilebuzz guys are doing a great job in building bridges for the future. More than anything in my eyes, they seem to understand what their customers want, and although might not always be able to provide it as quick as we want, they are trying to achieve that. I think with the influence of the internet ever more present, we expect technical issues to be resolved overnight, but sometimes it's not always as simple as that nor possible. Sometimes we might not see the bigger picture and don't appreciate there might actually be an honest employee somewhere trying their best to provide that service or solution. Trying to engage with their customers and community 3UK are showing signs that at least they are trying, and they are trying now. Head on over to read the view of Justin Bull - Head of Planning & Implementation at 3UK - Check out who got front row?
by noreply@blogger.com (Adonis) at February 07, 2010 11:57 PM
PUSHN900 - Showcasing The Hackers
I was sent out an invite to go and see some pole dancing robots, which I eagerly accepted! How many times does one get an invitation to attend something that sounds crazy as that? What it turns out to be is a night organised to showcase the #PUSHN900 finalists, which gave the chance for the hackers and bloggers to have a chat face to face and demonstrate the hacks that took advantage of the N900's abilities.
I covered the 5 finalists and the video diaries they put up previously, and the guys were in attendance to show off their hacks to many keen bloggers. What ensued on the night was a friendly chat with the hackers, fellow bloggers, Nokia employees and various food and drinks which were greatly appreciated. As a surprise (other than the pole dancing robots) we had another very famous robot getting the evening under way with a formal introduction in the shape of Robert Llewellyn, Red Dwarf fans should recognise him as Kryten, although he wasn't in his usual guise and in more human form.
My highlights from the night have to be the strangely erotic pole dancing robots (see picture above) and the aerial photography hack: Kaping with the N900. Although the Solderin' Skaters did put on a decent show with the skateboards. There was one pole dancing robot which could be sent a text message with some pre-configured commands, which would send it into a frenzy of hip gyrating movements and flashing strobe lights, something worryingly which not just my attention, but many others.
The aerial photography hack was impressive in my eyes, the camera was hung above the venue and could be controlled via the N900 and it's accelerometer to capture a 360 degree view, which I would think could come handy in many situations. I'm not sure if the live feed would/could be shown on the screen of the N900, as it didn't seem to be working at the time, but the ability to control the camera just by moving the N900 around was very impressive.
I didn't quite get around to checking out all the team's hacks as there was a crowd forming around the demo areas, but did have a chance to catch up with a few Nokia people, which is always a nice welcome as well as some of the guys behind Symbian, which itself brought on a few more interesting conversations about the future of Symbian and it's integration with Maemo. The night overall was pretty good, with good food and drinks as can be expected from Nokia. Whilst the debate may be whether Nokia can deliver more great devices, their ability to throw a pretty decent party can't be questioned.
by noreply@blogger.com (Adonis) at February 07, 2010 06:17 PM
