Google Talk now available in South Africa

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Posted on 4th August 2011 by Tony in Random

I can’t believe it’s a month since my last blog post – oops! I’ll definitely have to be a little bit more diligent on writing my blog-posts.

I got a tweet this morning that GoogleTalk Voice is now available in SA. Many people may already be familiar with GoogleTalk, which is just another Instant Messenger, like MSN or skype-chat. But I think this is a real game-changer, and let me explain:

I use Skype for more and more calls these days – so many people are connected to skype, and it’s just much easier on my Macbook to call them via skype, than use the Telkom phone. Besides that, I have integrated video, so the people I am calling can actually see me and if they have a web-cam set up (most people do) then I can see them too. Frightfully space-aged, but increasingly “normal” in the circles I spin around in.

Then there is Skype-Out, which basically allows me to make a phone-call to any landline or mobile number in the world at a reduced rate. For example, I can call my friends in the UK and pay only a few pence per minute, far cheaper than via Telkom, and the quality is pretty great.

And that’s where Google Talk with Voice is coming to play … it’s going to offer us some ridiculously good rates. Here’s my quick comparison:

Telkom to Telkom: 50c/minute

Telkom to Mobile: 140c/minute

Vodacom to Telkom: 199/min

Vodacom to Mobile: 199/min (165/min Vodacom -> Vodacom)

Skype to Telkom: 58c/min

Skype to Mobile: 167c/min

Google to Telkom: 35c/min

Google to Mobile: 119c/min

As you can see, Google’s rates are ridiculous! It’s going to be cheaper for me to phone someone in SA on landline via my own Telkom Phone.

 

Popularity: 6% [?]


One cellphone, or two?

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Posted on 29th June 2011 by Tony in Random

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As much as I love my customers, sometimes I just want to be unreachable … like after hours, or weekends away. At the same time, I want to make sure my close friends and family can keep in touch with me.

So the question is: One cellphone, or two?

Option 1: keep my existing phone but ignore the calls I don’t want to take. The downside is that the phone is always ringing, bleeping or blurping with SMS, Whatsapp, emails and calls. Also, some clients don’t like to have their calls constantly diverted to voicemail.

Option 2: Get a second phone, give this number only to close friends and family. It does mean that during a “normal” day I have to carry two phones around with me.

What would you do?

Popularity: 5% [?]


Weekends Away!

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Posted on 23rd June 2011 by Tony in Random

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I have always been a bit of a work-a-holic, even though my dad would certainly have protested such an idea … he always thought I like to find the quickest way to get out of my chores. The thing is, I really enjoy what I do, but I generally get stuck behind my desk and completely forget about the world around me. It also means I end up forgetting about taking holidays. The very idea of a holiday really scares me – what if there is a crisis? What if I am needed? As part of trying to live a balanced life I am now making an effort to get away one weekend in a month.

Last weekend I had the most amazing opportunity to chill out at The Winston in Simonstown, by far one of the nicest Bed&Breakfasts I’ve ever visited. Mike, the owner is an incredibly friendly chap and his staff are amazing. Boston, the resident chef prepared me scrumptious breakfasts each morning.

But the best part is the room and the view. Just a stone’s throw from Boulders, I keep expecting penguins to walk past the room, you are that close to the beach. Because the weather was really crummy, I was “forced” to stay in doors for much of the weekend, but I cannot explain how amazing it is to chill out, reading a book and watching the storm brewing over the ocean. Pure Bliss! I finished two books over the weekend.

Also, Simonstown is an absolutely incredible little town with the SA Navy Museum and the Toy Museum right there … of course there’s heaps of curio shops, Antique stores and a few great boutiques – a shoppers paradise. There are also a few great restaurants around … I loved it…Take a look at their website here: www.thewinston.co.za

OK, so the moral of my blogpost … I love the idea of talking a weekend a month off and doing nothing. And this place was perfect – I’ll definitely be going back. Mike says the whales should be around from August so it sounds good to me!

Popularity: 2% [?]


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