Reviewing an Amaysim Phone

January 21, 2015
by Rodney Olsen
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6Plus

I’ve been a fan of mobile phone service provider Amaysim for years but I’ve got even more reason to recommend them now. Last month I won the opportunity to review a Gold iPhone 6 Plus for them with the added bonus that if I liked the phone, I could keep it.

If you’re looking for a cheaper plan for your mobile, head to Amaysim. If you want to know what I thought about the iPhone 6 Plus, keep reading.

iPhone 6 Plus Review

Living in the most isolated capital city in the world, Perth, Western Australia, you need ever advanced ways to stay connected. So what am I doing with a phone that was released in the middle of 2010? The iPhone 4 was a leader in its day but it’s time to move on.

I’m Rodney, and I’m checking out the iPhone 6 Plus. Will it handle constant Facebooking and Instagramming as well as my work needs? My job takes me to countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Indonesia so I need something that’ll manage a variety of conditions.

Hey good lookin’

Apple has moved design forward with new curved edges and smooth surfaces without losing that distinctive iPhone look. The Gold iPhone 6 Plus looks classier than ever. It’s also pretty tough. It’s not the fragile, bendable phone some would have you believe.

I did find it a little hard getting used to the power button being moved to the side of the phone. Grasping the phone to turn it on or off I’d end up adjusting the volume via the switches on the opposite side. It took a little while but I’ve got it sorted now.

Largest and thinnest ever

The iPhone 6 Plus is the iPhone at its largest … and thinnest. How’s that even possible? I’m at my largest and I’m certainly not thin. Thankfully the iPhone 6 Plus with iOS 8 has an app for that. The Health app counts my steps each day and integrates with other health and exercise apps. I’ve linked it with my Strava cycling app. It’s also tracking my weight but it can do so much more. I won’t be getting as thin as the 7.1 mm 6 Plus but I’m hoping the Health app will point me in the right direction.

Speaking of apps, there are well over a million at the Apple Store. Sadly, I won’t have time to review them all here but you can be sure there’s an app for almost everything.

Apps load and respond incredibly quickly with iOS 8. My old 4 struggled at times, especially on apps like Facebook, but that’s all history now. Facebook loads almost instantly and navigating or uploading within the app is smooth and fast.

How large is too large?

The first thing people ask about the iPhone 6 Plus is its size. The way some people carry on you’d be forgiven for thinking the iPhone 6 Plus is the size of a small nation. Of course, it’s not. Maybe the size of a mid-range city.

To be honest, if I had the choice of an iPhone 6 or the 5.5 inch screen of an iPhone 6 Plus, I would have gone for the iPhone 6. I’d heard the hype about the Plus being too big, but within a couple of days I was convinced the naysayers had it wrong. You won’t prize the iPhone 6 Plus out of my man-sized hands anytime soon. Sure, it won’t suit everyone but it’s just right for me.

The bigger Retina HD display is remarkably sharp and perfect for images, but it’s also a great size for reading. Thanks to apps like iBooks and Kindle, my entire library is now in the palm of my hand. No more getting bored in airports or on planes.

I often deliver presentations to a range of audiences so having a device larger than my old iPhone 4 yet not as cumbersome on stage as my iPad for my notes is super helpful. Add to that the fact that our office database is switching to a mobile system and I wouldn’t want anything smaller than the Plus.

iPhone6PlusRodneyiSight Camera

The feature I really wanted to play with, I mean review, was the new camera with its enhanced video function. I wasn’t disappointed.

The iSight Camera has a list of highly advanced features like Optical Image Stabilisation, True Tone flash, Auto HDR and many others. But what do they all mean? Quite simply, better photos. A lot of quality cameras will now find themselves sitting at home with nothing to do.

Whether it’s a quick point and shoot with the improved auto focus or getting a little bit fancier with the myriad of manual adjustments you can now make, you’ll end up with stunning images. Even the front facing camera is improved meaning better FaceTime or (dare I say it?) selfies.

Videoing hasn’t missed out on the make-over either. As well as 1080p HD video recording there’s Slo-Mo video that provides stunning results.

Battery life

Perhaps one of the best new features is the extraordinary battery life of the iPhone 6 Plus. If you’ve ever watched your phone power drain away right when you’ve needed it most, you’ll love the iPhone 6 Plus. I used to run out of power towards the end of a busy day but now I can sometimes go a couple of days without recharging.

I’m keeping the iPhone 6 Plus

As I mentioned, this isn’t a phone for everyone, but it’s definitely the phone for me. As with all things Apple, it just works as it’s meant to work. It has far too many features to highlight in one review.

If you work ‘on the road’ and need something that will keep you connected, I’d certainly recommend the iPhone 6 Plus.

It might be a little pricey if you think of it as only a phone but as a mobile office with lots of features for after work, it’s a worthwhile investment.



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The Mobile Phone Turns 40

April 4, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
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marty_cooper

It’s difficult to go anywhere in the world without seeing people glued to their mobile telephones. Even in the developing countries I’ve visited, mobile devices seem to be in plague proportions. In fact, it’s been estimated that by next year there’ll be more active mobile or cell phones in the world than the earth’s human population.

By 2014 the world will have more cell phone accounts than people on Earth at the current growth rate for that service, concludes a recent study by International Telecommunications Union. The ITU expects the number of cell phone accounts to rise from 6 billion now to 7.3 billion in 2014, compared with a global population of 7 billion.

Over 100 countries have the number of cell phone accounts exceeding their population. – siliconindia

With such massive coverage across the globe it’s interesting to note that the cell or mobile phone has only just reached the age of 40. Admittedly mobile phones were a little less mobile back then but it was the dawning of a new age in technology. I wonder if the pioneers of the mobile revolution could have ever dreamed of the impact that their devices would have on the world.

On April 3rd, 1973, Motorola engineer Marty Cooper placed the first public call from a cellphone. In midtown Manhattan, Cooper called Joel Engel — head of rival research department Bell Labs — saying “Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cell phone, a real handheld portable cell phone.” The call was placed on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, which weighed 2.5 pounds, a far cry from today’s 4-ounce handsets. – The Verge

Of course mobile phones weren’t in common use for quite a few years after their invention. They cost a small fortune and they were mainly used for business purposes.

nokiaOur first mobile phone was a great big Nokia 2010 which I bought for my wife, Pauline, at Easter 1996. Our daughter, Emily, was due in June and I wanted Pauline to be able to contact me at any time. That meant that she would have to track me down at work or wherever there was a landline because I didn’t have a mobile phone at that stage.

The battery life on that phone was so bad that we had to have an extra, charged battery on hand at all times.

It wasn’t until May 1999 that I got my own mobile phone. That was a slightly smaller Nokia and by that stage Pauline had a smaller phone too. Not small compared to today’s phones but leaps ahead of what had come before.

These days I have an iPhone, which is so very different to those earlier models. We’ve come a long way in mobile technology.

Do you remember your first mobile phone?

Did you have something the size of a brick or did you enter the world of mobile phones when they’d slimmed down a little? I’d love to hear about your first experiences with this ‘new technology’.



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For Goodness Sake, Just Hang Up!

June 15, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Have you ever felt like physically removing someone’s mobile phone and then doing the phone or its owner some physical harm? You’re not alone. Our rush to embrace new technology has unfortunately not been matched by a rush to embrace some solid, old-fashioned, good manners.

Australian telecommunications company, Telstra, has just released the finding of their Telstra State of the Nation Research, to reveal that mobile phones are being used inappropriately more often yet the majority of us aren’t prepared to let someone know when they’re out of line with their phone use.

The research uncovered more than just loud talkers. New technology which packs more and more into our hand held devices is opening up a range of new issues that we’re finding it hard to handle.

Telstra Consumer Executive Director, Ms Rebekah O’Flaherty, said the research showed that while traditional gripes such as talking loudly on public transport or using a mobile while driving still topped the list, smartphones were encouraging a new wave of behaviour.

“More than one third of the mobiles we sell are smartphones and Facebook use on mobiles has tripled in the past year, so it’s not surprising some of us aren’t sure if it’s acceptable to check-in friends on Facebook during lunch or show-off their latest apps over the dinner table.

“It’s clear modern technology with instant, one-click access to social networking and email had transformed the way Australians live, which is why we need a new set of etiquette rules to help turn around mobile misbehaviour,” she said.

Have you seen bad behaviour by mobile phone users? What kind of behaviour annoys you the most?

Telstra has classified various kinds of users and their habits.

The Peacock (34%). You’re constantly posting status updates, checking-in your friends and talking loudly on your mobile phone. Your behaviour is designed to make sure everyone around you knows you have a ‘fabulous’ life.

Mover and Shaker (29%). You’re always on the go and your mobile phone is your lifeline, connecting you to work and your social life. You regularly get caught-out answering your mobile phone in meetings or responding to SMS at the dinner table.

Stimulation Seeker (19%). You can’t sit still and need to be in the know, so you pass the time – whether you’re on the bus or while crossing the road – browsing Facebook, downloading the latest apps or checking out your phone’s features.

I see, I Do (18%). You tend to follow the crowd and exhibit poor mobile manners because everyone else does – for instance, you’ll start checking emails during a work meeting because those around you are doing it too.

What are you like at using your mobile phone? Do you still remember how to switch your phone off? Have you noticed that gatherings of family and friends have become cluttered with phones and other mobile gadgets?

I guess the thing that annoys me the most is when someone I’m with is more interested in spending time on the phone to someone who’s made a random catch-up call than the person who has bothered to meet with them face to face.

I’d love to read your comments about gripes you have with mobile phones.



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Time Traveller Caught Out

October 27, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
5 Comments

George Clarke is an independent film maker with a wonderful imagination and a keen eye for a great marketing opportunity.

He’s discovered vision of an old lady using a mobile phone in 1928. Well, that’s what he says he believes the vision to be. You can make up your own mind by watching the video. (I love the way that his introduction begins with a plug for his own movies.)

The vision comes from the extra features of the DVD release of Charlie Chaplin’s 1928 film, The Circus.

“I believe I’m the first person to find something quite unusual from a bit of film footage from 1928,” Mr Clarke says.

The scene can be found in the extras menu in Documents, under The Hollywood Premiere.

It’s not in the movie – it’s real footage and it features real members of the public in 1928.

Or does it, asks Mr Clarke, who spotted a mysteriously dressed stranger walking past the camera talking into what he says can only be a mobile phone.

“The only conclusion I can come to – which sounds absolutely ridiculous I’m sure, to some people – is it’s a time traveller,” he says.

“When you’re looking at a bit of 1928 footage with an old woman … on a mobile phone, it’s kind of strange. You can’t explain it.” – News.com.au

I must say, I don’t quite know what is happening in the footage, but that doesn’t mean that I’m jumping to the conclusion that it’s a mobile phone being used by a time traveller. That’s what it looks like based on our experiences but there’s obviously something else going on here.

I wonder how often we view all kinds of everyday occurrences through our limited understanding and come up with something that’s a million miles away from what’s really happening. How often do we misunderstand an experience simply because we’re only filtering it through what we already understand?



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