February, 2012 | Elyas Thinks...

Archive | February, 2012

Internet Pricing in the GCC

Elyas Kashfi / February 29, 2012 / Bahrain, Internet / Permalink

Every once in a while I hear someone commenting about the Internet in Bahrain: it is too slow, too expensive, not unlimited etc… They tend to compare it to one of our neighbors usually the UAE and/or Saudi Arabia. I would usually leave it at that since I have no first hand experience about the Internet in any other country of the GCC except Bahrain of course (neither do the complainers!).

From the comfort of my chair I can't really judge the quality of the Internet being provided in the countries around me. However, I can definitely compare the price. Here is a compilation of prices of what I believe are the largest (and sometimes the only) networks in each GCC country. The criteria I chose was to find the subscription price of 1Mbps or cheapest package (such as variable speeds of 3G networks). Question marks on data cap mean that the web site did not provide information on data cap or FUP (Fair Usage Policy). Price monthly unless otherwise specified. Exchange rates at the time of publishing provided by Wolfram Alpha

**Bahrain Providers**
Provider	DL Speed	Data Cap	Technology	Price (Local)	Price ($)
Batelco	1Mbps	4GB	DSL	BHD12	31.84
Zain	1Mbps	Unlimited	WiMAX	BHD10	26.53
Viva	Up to 42Mbps	3GB	3G	BHD5	13.26
Lightspeed	1Mbps	4GB	DSL	BHD10	26.53

**Saudi Arabia Providers**
Provider	DL Speed	Data Cap	Technology	Price (Local)	Price ($)
STC	Up to 1Mbps	Unlimited	DSL	SAR199	53.06
Mobily	1Mbps	?	WiMAX	SAR169	45.06
GO Telecom	Up to 1Mbps	Unlimited	WiMAX	SAR175	46.66
Shabakah	1Mbps	Unlimited	DSL	SAR80	21.33

**Qatar Providers**
Provider	DL Speed	Data Cap	Technology	Price (Local)	Price ($)
Qtel	1Mbps	Unlimited	DSL	QAR200	54.95

**UAE Providers**
Provider	DL Speed	Data Cap	Technology	Price (Local)	Price ($)
Etisalat	1Mbps	Unlimited	DSL	AED249	67.82
du	1Mbps	Shaped?	DSL	AED249	67.82

**Kuwait Providers**
Provider	DL Speed	Data Cap	Technology	Price (Local)	Price ($)
KEMS	1Mbps	Unlimited	DSL	KWD10	36.11
Fasttelco	1Mbps	?	DSL	KWD81/year	292.5/year
Qualitynet	1Mbps	?	DSL	KWD26/3 months	93.88/3 months

**Oman Providers**
Provider	DL Speed	Data Cap	Technology	Price (Local)	Price ($)
Omantel	2Mbps	Unlimited	DSL	OMR20	51.96
Nawras	1Mbps	6GB	WiMAX	OMR14	36.38

Conclusion: Bahrain's Internet seems to be the cheapest in the region, unless the numbers are wrong. But, providers in Bahrain usually come with data caps (except Zain). The Internet is "freer" in Bahrain: TONS of sites blocked in Saudi, UAE blocking VoIP, prepayment of months in advance etc… After looking over these prices I am now quite grateful that I can get affordable Internet, but of course the data caps are still an issue ! Plus, a new competitor is entering the Bahraini market .

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When the Moon and Planets Align

Elyas Kashfi / February 28, 2012 / General, Life / Permalink

I took this photo a couple of nights ago of the moon (it was a bit windy and my tripod (aka arms) were a bit wobbly). If you look closely (hint: click for full size) you will notice that it is not just the moon in the frame, but two "stars" above and below it. The stars are the planets Venus and Jupiter aligning in sky along with the Earth's moon. It seems like this beautiful sight will grace our skies for a week, enjoy it while it lasts !

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Bahrain’s New “Green” ISP

Elyas Kashfi / February 27, 2012 / Bahrain, Internet, News / Permalink

Within the coming months Bahrain will have a new ISP joining the market. The company will be called Greenisis and they already have a website up (a teaser for now). They are joining the green technology marketing trend since they will be using low emission equipment (hopefully no compromise on quality). They are backed by a company known as Kleos that "is a Telecommunications Company specialized in designing, building and operating the world's most advanced wireless mobile broadband access networks" (Kleos home page).

"Greenisis" appears to be a trade name for the actual company that is running Greenisis: Bahrain Broadband Co. W.L.L. (according to its TRA licence info). The IP address running the Greenisis website belongs to Nuetel (AS35568), that also provides Internet to Amwaj, not sure how they are related though. Most importantly, if true, this means that Bahrain is one of the first countries running "green broadband" and the first in the region.

Fingers crossed for truly unlimited Internet like our neighboring countries !

GDN article about the launch.
ITP article about Bahrain Broadband's winning bid.

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The Sony PS Vita

Elyas Kashfi / February 26, 2012 / Games, Review, Technology / Permalink

A few days ago, I came across one of those flyers from Sharaf DG lying around at home (promos starting February 23rd). I have no idea where it came from, probably in some newspaper. Anyways, I turned the pages, looking at what they had on offer: laptops, phones, tablets, TVs, an ultrabook, few printers etc… Then I turned to the video games page and something caught my eye…

They were selling the Sony PS (PlayStation) Vita, the latest handheld gaming device out at the moment (specs here)! Given the date they set for the offers, they started selling the Vita just a day after its launch in Europe. Sharaf DG currently have 4 options available:

BD119.900 – The WiFi version of the PS Vita with nothing extra.
BD138 - The WiFi version of the PS Vita with a 4GB memory card plus a game.
BD156.900 – The 3G/WiFi version of the PS Vita with nothing extra.
BD180 – The 3G/WiFi version of the PS Vita with an 8GB memory card plus a game.

They also have some extended warranty programs if you think you might break your Vita on its 2nd year ! They may seem cheaper online, but given these are the first batches of Vitas, you don't want to send your faulty console back to Amazon if it is DOA.

I decided to treat myself, I have been wanting to get a super Android tablet, but they are still not selling it here (the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime). The PS Vita was the opportunity cost at that moment. I opted for option 4. Note that you do not get to choose the game! You get the Vita's box, a game on it and the memory card packaging, all shrink wrapped in plastic. The game that you get is Little Deviants, an AR (Augmented Reality) game with arcade-ish gameplay. Little Deviants interacts through the world around you (AR), the front touch screen AND the back touch pad which gives you a feel of the Vita's full gaming capabilities.

After unpacking the beast (4 cores CPU + 4 cores GPU!!!), I noticed that it seems like the ones they are selling are not just European versions but EU destined for selling in the Middle East since one of the quick start guides is in Arabic. They also include a bunch of weird looking cards that are used to play AR games you can download for free from the PSN (now Sony Entertainment Network: SEN). I followed the quick start guide and within minutes had a Vita that was online both through 3G and WiFi. However, I had to update the firmware before being able to access my PSN account (for some reason I had to log in as a trial PSN user in order to get the update). Most of the interactions you will end up doing will be through the touch screen interface.

Once the Vita was up and running, I decided to get a few demos downloading. The AR games that you can download for free are OK to start with although I can see them getting boring and even tedious to play over time (remember the cards? You have to keep them in range of the camera constantly). Little Deviants looks childish to play if you are used to shooting, slashing and killing in your games, but hey it was included. The best demo I have tried at the moment is Unit 13 (launching in March). I did enjoy remote controlling my PS3 and even managed to stream a movie from my PC to the PS3 onwards to the Vita !

Inevitably, I ended up buying a $50 (which costs more than $50…) PSN card online in order to buy Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Seems like no one is selling the games yet in Bahrain (the guy at Sharaf told me they are coming in a month, that's what they said about the Transformer Prime a few months ago…), but if you have a credit card it will be much cheaper and easier to download them than carry a bunch of memory sticks (unless you are low on memory).

Is the PS Vita worth it? Right now, not really given the limited range of games currently in the Bahraini market (and God knows what price they will charge!!!!). But it is worth it if you enjoy its other features (as a portable media player for example) and prefer getting the games from PSN directly.

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First Android App – Update 3 + App Idea

Elyas Kashfi / February 22, 2012 / Android, Bahrain / Permalink

It has been a while since I've worked on my first Android app. The basic functionalities are working perfectly as expected. However, the provider I was using had some issues with their API, making my app useless for some time.

I hate it when something so tiny outside my control can mess an entire thing. As a result I am thinking of working on another app while my "first" app is on hold until issues are sorted. The app I had in mind is going to be much more complicated and I have set the deadline for the final finished app just before the Formula 1 weekend in Bahrain. I can release it any time, but a huge event that attracts tourists such as the F1 hopefully increase the odds of someone downloading . The couple of apps similar to my idea on the Android store aren't working at all, so I jumping in to see if I can get a proper one out there.

This new app will be more than just programming. If it is how I envision, I will be working with photo/graphics editing software, taking UI design much more seriously and possibly work with API of external services. The challenge awaits, but the laziness awaits too!

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Better Internet is (Hopefully) Coming

Elyas Kashfi / February 21, 2012 / Bahrain, Internet / Permalink

Bahrain, and the rest of the Gulf countries could very soon be experiencing faster and most importantly affordable Internet. A marine cable laid by a company known as Gulf Bridge International (GBI) is finally complete, and is technically live and ready (as of 19th Feb, 2012). It connects the countries in the Gulf region: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar (GBI's HQ), UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Iran and Iraq. Furthermore it then connects to countries outside the Gulf for international connectivity, Italy (Europe, eastern US) and India (Asia, western US). Right now it can carry 5.8 terabits PER SECOND and its design supports 10Tbps!

In Bahrain, GBI has partnered with Batelco to manage the landing station. There should be no worry with Batelco disputing access to the cable (as it once did with FLAG), since many providers are now connecting through Viva's wholesale services (connectivity through STC's vast international providers) that is managing GBI's landing station in Saudi Arabia (as STC).

How soon should we expect to see faster Internet? With LTE (up to 100Mbps) being commercially deployed around April by Viva and probably soon after by Batelco and so on, so hopefully in that time range. Fingers crossed Bahraini providers (Zain an exception) give up transfer caps!

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Games I’m Waiting for in 2012

Elyas Kashfi / February 20, 2012 / Games / Permalink

Here are 5 games I am anxiously waiting to be released this year (2012). Hopefully the publishers stick with their ETAs!

1. Ninja Gaiden 3

I haven't played NG2 yet… I did play the first one on the PS3 and it is one of those games you underestimate looking at its cover. Sure it is just a ninja game, hack and slash, shuriken shooting etc… But, if they maintain the same mechanics as in one, some encounters will frustrate you to shreds (in a good way). Release date: March 2012.

2. Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City

Hopefully another great hit from an amazing franchise. I'm getting sick of the RE movies, but the games continue to be a must have for anyone that likes the post apocalyptic shooting genre. As the name suggests, it takes place in Racoon City, much like RE2 and RE: Nemesis. Release date: March 2012.

3. Resident Evil 6

Yikes another RE game in the same year as the other! Yep, I'll let the trailer below speak itself. Release date: November 2012.

4. Borderlands 2

The original Borderlands offered hours upon hours upon hours upon hours of gameplay. Plus you have downloadable content to keep you entertained for a looooooooooong time. The game continues on the planet of Pandora, and the gameplay is similar to the first. The original was a great success, will Borderlands 2 be one too, given it is quite similar in gameplay and setting? Hell yeah! You just need to be trigger happy! Release date: sometime 2012, at worst 2013…

5. BioShock Infinite

If you are familiar with the BioShock series, the first two were related to each other in terms of settings and that only years separate the two plot wise. BioShock Infinite (code name Icarus) however, does not take place underwater (Rapture), but in the skies (Columbia). The developers have quite a challenge making a world that is more open (underwater, limited space vs. open skies, infinite of space).

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ReactOS: The Open Source “Windows”

Elyas Kashfi / February 19, 2012 / Software, Technology / Permalink

A few days ago, I came across an interesting operating system known as ReactOS. Like many Linux OS it is open source and free to download. The only difference, it is NOT Linux or even a Unix-like OS! The first few lines of the site's home page explains what it is: "ReactOS is a free, modern operating system based on the design of Windows XP/2003". How much is it based on Windows? For one, it was designed to be binary compatible with Windows which basically means that you can install and run Windows applications AND install Windows drivers! They also kept the looks as close as possible to Windows without getting Microsoft pissed (as in icons, start menu design etc…).

Don't get excited yet though. It is still in its alpha stage (that is before beta). Nevertheless, if you are eager at trying out like I was , they have several download options available, from a regular installation CD to a VirtualBox compatible virtual machine. I decided to go for the regular installation (only 65MB for the ISO) and run it in VirtualBox. As you can see it is similar to XP's installation wizard, nice and blue.

The developers cut back on the programs and and applications, so you have none of that bloat Windows sometimes install. It doesn't even come with a properly working browser (there was some version of IE that didn't quite work). However, applications are only a click away since they provide a way to get your favorite software.

I right away tried to get Opera installed (it did not want to download Firefox at the time for some reason), it failed the first time (took over CPU) and I had to kill it through the task manager, which is familiar .

I decided to test out its binary compatibility to Windows (and I didn't want to keep running Opera…) by downloading the Windows version of Firefox and installing it. The installation was successful, from beginning to running the browser. I also decided to try it out in VMware, all good!

ReactOS looks like a very promising operating system. It could truly revolutionize computers, especially in places where migrating to newer Windows is a pain. I could also see this OS running on cheap portable devices, maybe even one of those OLPC laptops. If they plan on releasing it fully and keeping it update, "XP" just might be the longest living OS in existence!

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Topic Specific Search Engines

Elyas Kashfi / February 16, 2012 / Internet, Technology / Permalink

The search engine has been around for more than 20 years. Since then many have come, gone or lost popularity. Today the king of all engines is the big G or Google. It has become so popular that we no longer say "search it" but instead opt for "Google it". There are many people that are no longer entering URLs directly in their browser's address bar, but rather searching for it and hitting the first result!

Google is a very powerful engine, no question about it. You can search for pages, images, news, videos, locations, locations, books, patents, products, applications, discussions, academic journals and more, all from a single page. You can even convert between currencies or use it as a calculator!

Google isn't everything, there are alternative engines (here is one I reviewed called DuckDuckGo) that may not be as big as Google, but rather cover a certain topic or specialty. Here are some I found (and used):

Traditional Search Engines

DuckDuckGo: A competitor to the other popular engines out there such as Google, Bing, Yahoo! etc… The difference is that they do not collect information on your searches like the others. Offers better privacy and no bubbling (basing results on your previous searches).

Metasearch Engines (looks up multiple engines)

Dogpile: I once used this engine many years ago. It searches on Google, Bing and Yahoo! Next to the URL of each result, it mentions from where it pulled the result.

Health and Medical Stuff

WebMD: You can search for the disease you are suffering from, or by symptoms if you don't know what's wrong. It looks more like a portal rather than engine, with links on the home page itself. You can also find doctors (US only), drugs (the medical kind…) and health tools.

Blogs

Technorati: This one is one of the best blog search engines (apart from Google blog search) that has been around for quite some time. You can search or just surf through the links to search for blogs by category or tags and so on.

DIYs / Tutorials

eHow: This one constantly comes up on search results that may be related to a tutorial of some kind. You get an article written by a contributor on how to do something.
wikiHow: Similar to eHow and also one that pops up regularly on results page of engines. Here is a dangerous article!

Computational Knowledge Engines

WolframAlpha: I believe it is the best engine publicly available in this category. Unlike regular engines it will usually come up with a single result for queries. You do not exactly enter a question or a bunch of keywords. Rather ask it what you want to know, try these keywords for example: pi, blue+yellow or any of these hundreds of examples they have.

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Easing the Windows to Linux Transition

Elyas Kashfi / February 15, 2012 / Internet, Software, Technology / Permalink

It's been almost a month since I've made a complete transition from Windows to Linux on my main working computer (my notebook to be exact). The longest I have ever gone with Linux installed was a month, mostly due to needing to use software that works properly only on Windows (also those that are not compatible with Wine). However, this time I have decided to find alternatives, even if it takes a while to get it running properly. I decided to write this post to help people choose a distribution that works well out of the box and Linux alternative to common Windows software.

What is Linux?

Contrary to popular belief, Linux is not exactly an operating system (OS). It is the software component that links applications to hardware (or loosely the software/hardware bridge), commonly known as the "kernel". Yes, Windows has a kernel as well, but it is proprietary! Due to the Linux kernel being released under an open source license, people can make changes to it to suit different hardware and environments. As a result, Linux is found in many devices from phones (Android is a Linux based mobile OS) to set top boxes (such as the Dreambox) and of course computers. Thus, you have many, many, many choices when it comes to finding a Linux distribution to install on your computer.

Why Linux?

Compared to Windows, Linux results in much cheaper licensing costs (possibly zero). Linux is generally more secure, due to the way it is built and ironically its lack of popularity compared to Windows. It is not immune to security threats though, security also depends on the end user's actions! It is also quite lightweight, most distros on a default installation run satisfactorily on less than 1GB of RAM. You also have distros made for low memory computers, there is a distro for just about any device.

Where do I start?

First you need to choose a distribution. DistroWatch offers quite a long list of distributions and their popularity. From experience on trying to make Windows users switch, I usually recommend Ubuntu or one of its derivatives such as Linux Mint (the one I currently use and strongly recommend). Ubuntu is backed by a company (Canonical), is easy to install and use, comes with most of the drivers (even proprietary ones) and most importantly has a large user community where you can get help from.

Installation should be pretty easy, simplest being burning the ISO to a CD/DVD (on Windows I recommend ImgBurn to burn stuff). Pop it in your computer and you can try out Linux without touching your hard drive. If you want to install, there should be a button that launches the installation wizard. Few clicks (and some typing) later, you'll boot into Linux! If your PC does not have a CD drive, try installing from a USB flash disk (pen drive) with the help from UNetbootin.

My wireless and/or graphics are not working (properly)!

Your hardware most likely comes with proprietary drivers that cannot be installed by default during the installation without you agreeing to some license. On Ubuntu (and its derivatives) look for something called "Additional Drivers" in the programs list.

What is X Windows software equivalent in Linux?

Many software developers have Linux versions of their software. Below is a list for common ones that may not have a Linux version yet or anytime soon.

Microsoft Office (Office suite) > OpenOffice, LibreOffice

Photoshop (advanced image editing) > GIMP

Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF reader) > Foxit Reader

uTorrent (Bittorrent client) > Deluge, uTorrent for Linux (browser based GUI, command line)

MSN Messenger (instant messaging) > Pidgin (multi network support: AIM, MSN, Yahoo, IRC and more)

iTunes (audio player and iPod sync) > Banshee, Rhythmbox

Video editing > PiTiVi

Video conversions > WinFF

DVD authoring > DeVeDe

ImgBurn (CD/DVD burning) > k3b, Brasero

This is not a complete list, but includes software used by common users. Refer to your distribution's manual for installing software, on Ubuntu, look for the Synaptic Package Manager or Ubuntu Software Center. If you really need to run something that works only on Windows, you could try emulating it in Wine. However, Wine alone is quite complicated for a normal user, so you could try using a Wine frontend called PlayOnLinux to make the process a bit easier. There is no guarantee that Wine (or PlayOnLinux) will properly run the application, so keep that in mind!

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