This is a really good bus advert that is both memorable and eye-catching. Would you ride the bus?

Thanks @igsaan for the find!

I have just received my Nokia N900 and I am totally excited. My first impressions are that its bigger, but sturdier than the Nokia N97, the UI is amazing and the touch screen responsiveness has improved drastically from its predecessor as Nokia’s flagship, the Nokia N97.

The Nokia N900 runs on a different operating system to all other Nokia devices and this is the Finnish companies first Maemo powered device. Over the next few days, I will post my opinions on the phone and also do a bit of benchmarking against some other mobile devices.

Here are a few pictures of the unboxing:

The device ships with few accessories:

• Mini-USB charger
• AVI cable
• USB to Mini-USB cable
• Screen cloth
• Headset
• A stylus pen

This accessory list has become the Nokia standard and is expected to ship with all their devices and I feel that perhaps they could have gone the extra mile with the accessory list and included a pouch, as with the Nokia E-Series and a few spare stylus pens. these are items that come to mind immediately, but I am sure that this list will grow as I use the device. You may think that I am being fussy about this, but please keep in mind that this is the flagship device and will ship at a premium price in any case.

Some more first impression pictures:

I have spent a few minutes setting up the phone so far and just getting used to the device and so far I am truly impressed and would go as far as saying that this is the best UI on any Nokia to date. The user experience is well thought out and logical. Transitions are smooth, are not over done and just generally slick to look at.

Watch out for my thought in the coming days…

Being such a huge Nokia N97 fan, I am often asked how to hard reset a Nokia N97 and thought that it would be best to post this on my blog.

Performing a hard reset on your Nokia N97 will essentially wipe all the data on the phone memory  and return all the settings back to default, which is the equivalent of performing a format on your Nokia N97 phone memory. Please also note that the mass memory is left untouched during this process and retain your data (as per my experiments)

It is highly recommended that you backup your data from your Nokia N97 using the backup utility within the Ovi Desktop client before performing a hard reset.

Performing this is at your own risk!

After backing up your phone, switch it off.

Then hold Caps/Shift, Delete and Space Bar. While holding these 3 buttons, press the power key and hold, until you hear the Nokia welcome tone. This process takes a few seconds and you have to hold all four buttons down during this process.

Image original: MyNokiaBlog

Remember that you always have the option of a soft reset, which will in essence reset the phones settings back to default without changing any data. To do this, simply go to Settings > Phone > Phone Management > Factory Settings.

I have been contacted by an agency with reference to a job opportunity in Cape Town and while the position does not suit me, I am sure that one or two of my readers will definitely be interested in the opportunity. I can tell you that it is with a very dynamic company and actively involved in the mobile sector in SA.

I am not affiliated with the agency in any way and neither am I advocating the company to which the position is with. If you are interested, I have included the agents details at the bottom of the post, so feel free to contact them directly.

Good luck and don’t forget to keep us in the loop if you do get it!

Content Manager

A dynamic technology company based in the Western Cape is seeking the expertise of a Content Manager, the purpose of the job is to establish dominance of my client’s international content offering through defining and implementing the mobile content strategy across all defined lifestyle categories.

You will need to have honed these  skills

§  Business analysis skills

§  Good written and verbal communication skills

§  Facilitation skills

§  Relationship skills

§  Customer Centric

§  Proven problem solving skills

§  Time management skills

§  Conflict management

§   Conceptual thinking skills

§  Ability to manage in a diverse environment

§  Strong motivation and influencing skills

§  High Attention to detail

And have these  Attributes

§  Positive, enthusiastic attitude

§  Teamwork

§  Presentable, well spoken and professional

§  Reliable

§  Integrity

§  Flexible -  thrive in a dynamic environment

Minimum Requirements

§  Degree or Business qualification in Commerce, Marketing IT or Information Science

§  At least 5 years experience in product development, product management, content management or marketing

§  At least 2-3 years experience in a similar management position, in dynamic fast moving industries.

§  Sound financial, product management and product improvement knowledge

§  Knowledge of local and international mobile and content trends/markets

§  Knowledge of cellular telecommunications best practices

§  Mobile portal knowledge

§  Knowledge of product management methodologies

§  Business acumen

§  Understanding the regulated environment

§  GSM knowledge

§  Market Research

§  Knowledge of and experience in working in the mobile and/or telecommunication industry

§  Technical System knowledge

§  International exposure to mobile content is advantages

Should you meet the above criteria or have industry experience in the mobile /new media/ social media space

Kindly forward CV’s to jackiej@hboconsulting.com or contact me directly on 072 387 3387

So after a few weeks of anticipation of the latest firmware for the Nokia N97, it is now available as v21.0.045 which includes better call handling, improved scrolling, video and photo stability enhancements and better browsing.

Heres a screenshot of OVI with details on the Nokia N97 firmware v21:

Once that is done, I highly recommend that you update Ovi Maps to 3.0.3 which includes lifetime free access to voice navigation and lifecasting. Details on how to install Ovi Maps can be found on my previous blog post.

This morning, bright and early, I headed down to La Med in Clifton for the first Audi Run gathering for a Sunday morning Breakfast drive to Franschoek.

I started this little idea with the intention of starting up a social club with a group of folk in and around Cape Town who love driving, who love Audi and just want to hook up for a chat every now and again while taking a Sho’t Left to check out some of South Africas sights.

I was joined by

Chris M of iMod and his fiance’ in a 2010 Audi A3 1.8T with the personalised plate “SEO GURU-WP”. (His plate doesn’t lie… he is the guru when it comes to SEO in SA).

The Perel brothers, otherwise known as obox and MarcPerel, the brainchildren behind “From the Couch” the vlog rocked up in a Audi A3 B7 2.0 model. They are more famous for having beaten me in last years Blog Awards in the “Best New Blog” category.

We hit the road around 9am and headed north on an absolutely awesome drive. It was the perfect distance to enjoy the scenery, enjoy the drive and have fun driving without getting bored. It’s also a really great road with some cool swooping turns, a few bumps and crests to keep the drivers entertained and highly recommend that you check it out sometime.

Breakfast was cool. We settled in a quiet but complicated little restaurant and chilled for a few hours. The company was great and it was exactly the kind of vibe that I was hoping for. Just a group of us chilling without worry about work, talking about projects or any of those pretentious things that get brought up at the usual social gatherings in Cape Town.

I had fun and I’m definitely going to be organising a follow up.

Chris – your car is sweet dude. Enjoy it buddy, I know how hard you worked for it and be proud at the fact that its yours and not a gift or something that came easy!

The Perel boys – It was gangsta gents. You guys are real and I love the humility. Your business rocks already, but stay true to yourselves and you guys will be champs one day. #TrueStory

if you are keen to join us on our next trip, be sure to join the Audi Run Facebook group, its open to anyone. We think that once every two months or so would be a nice way to set up the regular gatherings and keep it casual.