Desert Island Challenge
So you’re headed to a Desert Island in the middle of nowhere and you need to stay connected, right? What gadgets do you take with you? How do you stay in touch? And those solar charger things, are they any good? That’s what we’re aiming to answer with the very first SMS Text News Desert Island Challenge!
Now I’ve got the Private Mobile Network from Teleware in my hands, I’ve been putting it through it’s paces.
Whilst it’s rather complex (bordering on arousing, for a geek like me) technology, it’s actually very simple to operate.
Want a mobile network? Heh! Simple! You just switch it on. Wait a few minutes for [...]
That’s me returned back to Blighty. A buggy whisked me from the SMS Text News villa to the seaplane. The seaplane took me through a timezone (-1) to Male and that’s where I stood sweating and every so slightly panicking about whether or not I’d be able to get this Private Mobile Network [...]
Continue ReadingMundhu, the Spokesperson to the President of the Maldives has sorted it.
I had a continuing nightmare over the last week and a bit with my prized ‘private mobile network’ test unit from Teleware stuck in Customs at Male Airport, here in the Maldives.
The nightmare, it turns out, is all of my very own making.
Yes. [...]
Aye, it’s no good. Despite the initial valiant efforts of Aisha at the Ministry of Information, I’ve heard nothing from the Customs folk, nor Aisha herself. That’s the end of the day here in the Maldives. The end of the day on Thursday heralds the arrival of the Maldives weekend. So [...]
Continue ReadingI called up the Ministry of Information this morning. Somebody answered! I was put through to a lady who then put me through to Aisha, who listened to my issue.
“It really doesn’t take a week!” she replied, after I explained that I was waiting for Customs to contact her Ministry.
“Ah really?” I said, [...]
Cover me in marmalade and call me Susannah!
I was sat in the Dhoni (the boat) the other night with Marcus, the Director of Operations for The Conrad Rangali Island.
“It was you I saw in the bar this morning wasn’t it?” He asked.
“Errr,” was my initial response.
“With the M1330 and the Air?”
Wow. I didn’t think [...]
I have been snorkeling. Probably one of the only times that I don’t take my mobile phone with me when I go out. Sad, but true.
But you’re the same, right?
I did, however, take The Flip. In fact, if I’m totally honest, The Flip is the major reason that I agreed to snorkeling [...]
I called up the Ministry of Information this morning. Somebody answered! I was put through to a lady who then put me through to Aisha, who listened to my issue.
“It really doesn’t take a week!” she replied, after I explained that I was waiting for Customs to contact her Ministry.
“Ah really?” I said, [...]
Last Monday, your intrepid reporter — that’s me — arrived on the ground at Male Airport at just past 9am local time.
By 10am, my Private Mobile Network — 20,000 pounds worth of technology and telecommunications brilliance, loaned to me by the nice people at Teleware — had been impounded by the rather blank-looked but nice [...]
I was out today in the midday sun, taking pictures of the various products we’ve been given to check out in desert island conditions. I wore a hat to keep the sun off and some long shorts, but I negated to think about my arms. They are, as a result of the prolonged [...]
Continue ReadingI’m wondering what the options are. I’ve got some calls I need to make whilst I’m out here in the middle of nowhere in the Maldives. There’s a brilliant mobile network here, Dhi Mobile, I think it is, that covers 100% of all resorts. Nice.
However that’s a good few quid a minute [...]
It’s been two days now and my Apple MacBook Air has been on full fan duty. They don’t teach you these things in geek school, they really don’t.
The machine is massively overheating and it’s not doing very well at all in these conditions, despite brilliant air conditioning, the fan won’t stop whirring away. [...]
Picture the scene, if you will. It’s 29 degrees Celsius. A high proportion of sun-thirsty honeymooners have just disembarked a Thomson Fly flight direct to Male, Maldives, from London’s Gatwick airport. There’s relief to be on the ground and in the hot, hot weather. There’s further relief to be had at the [...]
Continue ReadingWhy hello there!
Ahoy!
Hello from the Conrad Rangali Island!
(Photo via the iPhone)
Just 10 hours separate the United Kingdom — Gatwick Airport, to be precise — and the collection of islands known as the Maldives.
Why am I here?
Well, I do need a break. It’s been a long time since I relaxed. Total relaxation won’t be [...]
Vodafone whacked me over a USB modem stick to use on the way to and from the Desert Island. (I’m given to understand that GRPS doesn’t quite work in the Maldives - so I’ll be using this one on the way to and from the airport in the UK.)
Continue ReadingNext month, starting June 16th, we’ll be bringing you SMS Text News live from a desert island in the middle of nowhere.
I’m going to be exploring the possibility of working remotely. I’ve emailed Iridium to see if they can lend us a satellite data system to enable us to produce the site. The [...]
Norcalbarney on 