Nokia C6-00 On Tour !

 It is with  no doubt that i love Nokia Phones one reason being the quality assurance in most of their phones.To be honest enough i prefer the Nokia C6-00 to most of the high end user phones such as the N8.Why ? first and foremost is the QWERTY keyboard as opposed to the touch screen which makes it easier to use and its stability.

In December 2010 i was asked to review the C6 on behalf of Nokia, being a holiday month i was curious about its multimedia functionalities and honestly i loved some of them.


As usual , i will not regurgitate information that you can readily find at the Nokia C6-00 website but rather i will point you out to salient features that i found "impressive" and "not so impressive" about the phone.


Operating System:
The phone has a descent screen interface with a 640 x 360 (nHD) resolution. As opposed to the N8 Symbian^3 platform the C6 runs on the Symbian 5th edition operating system.While the former is supposed to be an improvement; from use i realised that i could run several web based applications without the C6  crushing or restarting, cannot say the same about the latter.That was a plus sign for this simple phone , it may lack the N8's capacity but its an easier phone to operate(what i call plug and play) and undoubtedly more stable.
 
Price: 
The C6-00 is more or less like an N8 stripped off certain functionalities and for its price range i would view it more economical. The C6 is set to hit the local market this February 2011 or soon thereabout however you can access one at Midcom stores at the price of Kenya Shillings 21, 850/=
 
Battery Consumption: 
The C6-00 is also conservative on battery power consumption, a good charge will last you at least 3 days  despite normal to occasional heavy usage.To this end it performs better than many smart phones of similar caliber.The interface/home screen is also easy to navigate and is heavy with integrated  Social Media applications.


Camera:

 The C6-00 has a perfect 5 Mega Pixel Camera featuring an integrated LED flash.A newer version of the  Nokia C6-01 has an 8 mega pixel Camera with a Dual Led flash.This just goes to indicate that Nokia is strategically positioning  itself in the market as the Camera Phone industry Leader .In comparison with other operating software's Nokia performs dismally however its phone features often are the main selling points.

It is in reviewing the phone i focused  specifically on this aspect and took several amateur photos at the Coast (Mombasa)

BARBS :

• The C6-00 however comes short on disc space with  a paltry 2GB Micro SD card expandable to 16 GB, Internal Memory  200MB
• The Inbuilt radio should have been omitted altogether. First and foremost its auto tuning function leaves much to be desired and hardly tunes in to weak to moderate FM radio signal. The earphones also leave much to be desired.

The C6-00 comes with  the traditional Nokia Goods Ovi Store,downloadable  Ovi Maps ...etc .I am sure it will be favourite with many who desire the N8 but cant quite match up with the price tag.

Nairobi Nights Blog: A Kenyan Prostitutes Building A Brand Online !

The Kenyan blogosphere has just recently been graced by not your usual blogger and not your usual genre: a street prostitute's experience and opinions including how the blogger allegedly escaped arrest by the police. The Blog is Nairobi Nights written by a self confessed Kenyan Prostitute under the pen name "Suzy".

I had the privilege of interviewing her for GlobalVoices online. In this interview she reveals more about her blog, some issues of concern to Kenyan prostitutes including security, legalization and what drives her to blog. here's her takethese issues(this interview was first Published at Global Voices slightly modified)



This is how she describes herself:

My name is Sue. I practice along Koinange Street, Nairobi. These are thoughts, observations and experiences from my prostitution world. Nothing of the soft, sympathy seeking topsy turvy kind. But straight talk, hard facts and real anecdotes. They are worth something.

Koinange Street is a major red-light district in Nairobi, Kenya.



At the time of writing, she had published 12 episodes with titles such as "Of Coming Out Of The Closet", "The Spiritual Role Of A Prostitute", "When Sex Is No Longer Sin" and "Just Call Me Malaya [Malaya means a prostitute in Swahili]".



1. For how long have you been blogging?

For about three weeks now

2. What is it that prompted you to come up with the blog "Nairobi Nights" and to document your experiences online?

I have been writing one or two things, some sort of diary about my work..But a close girlfriend of mine encouraged me to start a blog.



When i started writing my experiences and thoughts just started

flowing. And talking about my experiences and thoughts gives me some sort of relief.

3. I see in the blog you have hardly revealed any information about your identity and prefer going by the pseudo name/title "nairobi nights". What has prompted this? Any particular reasons?

I am not sure how people would react if they knew I am a prostitute. I have family, parents, brothers and sisters. I fear they would get hurt.My parents if they got to know would feel I have let them down. I also don't see any benefit of giving my real identity.

[caption id="attachment_189270" align="alignleft" width="385" caption="A road sign that reads: Attenzione Prostitute. Photo source: Adam Crowe's Photostream on Flickr"][/caption]



4. When i first read you blog, my attention was captured by your use of words, composure and manner of writing. I am sure many readers of your blog and the general audience would like to know what led you specifically to the trade? Correct me if I am wrong, is it a social misconception that the well educated and/or enlightened would get involved with this type of trade?

Sure and I have written about what society expects a prostitute to be. To some extent it is true. But interaction with prostitutes is so business like and at times in not sober circumstances. This does not provide room for men to gauge the prostitute intellectually. Even the 'not read' prostitutes have their experiences and views, but don't necessarily get to talk about to them to clients or friends.

As to why I got into it, I would say its a little complicated but I am planning on writing about it soon. I have started writing about it, but after the first paragraph, I found myself not wishing to write about. My strength and will were gone. But I know very soon I will be over it and write.

5. Often when people leave prostitution they ascribe having been drawn into the trade due to financial difficulties, family problems, rape etc. Is this always the case in your opinion?

Not necessarily, there could be many other reasons. Some with nothing to do with poverty but circumstances which shape a person's character.

6. I have just read your latest post on legalization of prostitution in Kenya. Whats your take on this issue? Do you think that this may be possible in the present "conservative" Kenyan/African environment?

I think there are advantages and disadvantages of legalization. For instance, police and city council harassment would stop if it's legalized, but then there might be so many locational or client restrictions, which may affect things like our income. Same way with the new alcohol laws. Its possible for prostitution to be legalized, but not any time soon. After the passing of the alcohol bill, the country, right or wrong, seems to be moving towards some sort of 'morality'. But it may change in the future.

8. Do you have a lobby group or support group that perhaps is assisting you in pushing forward this agenda?

Lobby group? No and I wouldn't want to be working for such. I speak for myself. If I work for a lobby group I would be speaking for all of us. I have no right to do so.

9. Do you think that prostitution has many inherent dangers as was exhibited in the latest case of the suspected Kenyan serial Killer Mr Philip Onyancha? What are the greatest dangers facing "street" prostitutes at the moment? [Phillip Onyancha is a Kenyan serial killer who is known to have killed people in his pass time]

The constant danger is you can never be sure what will happen when you go out with a man. Rape, death, drugs, non payment, lost of public respect. You can never know.

10. Do you believe that the present Kenyan laws accord prostitutes appropriate human rights, dignity and protection?

I cant exactly blame the law until prostitution is made legal. Maybe we could have some partial legalization. Maybe freedom to operate within certain areas at particular times, or something of the sort.

11. Back to your blog, what normally prompts your post?

I write what is inside me. An experience will come up and I will write about it..Some are more fresh or provoked by 'last night' happenings so I write about it.

12. Where do you see your blog at in the next few years to come?

I started the blog simply, with no really big ambitions. Some readers are encouraging me to be more serious about it but at the moment i have no major plans. I even don't know for how long I will write.

13. I had someone read your blog and they doubted that the blog is being written by a prostitute who plies the streets, if anything perhaps an upmarket call girl in some plush residential place in Nairobi: What is your response about your genuineness?

There is not much difference between the 'upmarket' prostitutes and some of us on the streets. I don't find it necessary or with an obligation to prove my genuineness to anyone at the moment. But time will answer the question about my genuineness, and very soon. When I sort out my conscience I will meet some of the readers who have asked to meet me.

14. I see you have advertisement on your blog, are there problems for you getting advertisers? I am assuming that some might not like to be associated with your content.

The one advertiser I have on the website approached me. I haven't gone out there seeking for ads. I am exactly sure whether I will do it and how advertisers would react. Its not a priority at the moment.



When people pay they will expect something from you, I will be under pressure to satisfy them and my thoughts wont flow as naturally as they do now. They might also be tilted towards making people happy. I did not want that at all. I want to get something out, not necessarily please or answer to someone.

15. You had a subscription model before on your blog, why did you change it?

When my girlfriend who encouraged me to start the blog read some of my pieces, she suggested I should make people subscribe, after a day or two, I felt its not exactly the thing I wanted. I want to write without any pressure.

Thank you Suzy for your opinion and perspectives revealed on this interview

Nokia advocates for robust, industry-wide anti-counterfeit rules

…counterfeit mobile phones draining billions of shillings from Kenya’s economy
 

Nairobi, Kenya, January 18 2010: Kenya’s economy could be losing up to Shs 3.2 billion in taxes through influx of illegally-imported counterfeit mobile phones, denying the country significant economic benefits, a Nokia Anti-Counterfeiting expert has said.

Mr. Abdulla Hasayen, Brand Protection Manager for Middle East & Africa said high penetration of fake devices is negatively impacting on performance of operator networks and customer satisfaction, lowering operator profits and government tax income. He was speaking when he conducted training for officials from the Weights & Measures Department, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Anti-Counterfeit Agency. The training, which was attended by over 25 officials from the government departments, is a part of Nokia’s ongoing anti-counterfeit programme.

Mr. Hasayen said poor protection of intellectual property is making establishment and running of information and communication technology (ICT) companies conducting research and development significantly risky in Kenya.

“Fake devices are imported illegally without import duties or VAT paid. This creates a tax loss of between Shs 2.8 billion and Shs 3.2 billion (US$ 35-40 Million) annually for an average African country. Counterfeits are also undermining attractiveness of local economies because international companies direct their investments elsewhere to countries which can protect their Intellectual Property,” he said.

Counterfeiting is the illegal use of intellectual property rights including trademarks, patents, designs and copyrights. Globally, the spread of counterfeit products has increased in recent years due to the transfer of technology, ease of trade and export transactions through the internet, in addition to the recent economic crises.

“As a global company, Nokia takes a leadership position in offering genuine and quality products and partners with a broad network of organizations including the Coalition of Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR) and International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC). We continue to advocate for legislation, regulation and enforcement of anti-counterfeit policies to protect the broader industry because we believe companies conducting genuine business should be supported in their operations,” said Mr Kenneth Oyolla, General Manager, Nokia, East and Southern Africa.

“Customer care and quality is important to Nokia and our advice is that customers should buy Nokia products from authorized distributors and retailers and ensure they get their 12-month warranty. And if a product is purchased from a location other than an authorized dealer then exercise extreme caution especially when the price is substantially less than being stated by Nokia authorized dealers,” said Mr. Oyolla.

Nokia is recommending a robust enforcement program, essential to protect legitimate businesses from counterfeiting. Mr Hasayen said the program should cover both shipments imported at border level and goods sold in the market.

“Brand owners should provide inspectors with regular product training on how to distinguish between fake and genuine products. This would enable them to flag or suspect a shipment. Different government departments should also collaborate to implement a proper enforcement program. A joint task force to manage the enforcement program would be a good option. This would help protect consumers and legitimate business and will create an attractive environment for foreign investment,” he said.

Mr. Hasayen noted that although Nokia is already co-operating with relevant government departments, an elaborate industry-wide program would help accelerate the elimination of the counterfeits in Kenya. 

Mr. Hasayen said fake devices are not covered by warranty, resulting in poor consumer satisfaction and impacting negatively, particularly to low-income consumers.

Fake mobile phones are manufactured from sub-standard components containing dangerous chemicals including lead and mercury and do not follow safety standards such as radio emissions. They therefore endanger safety of consumers, said Mr. Hasayen.

It is estimated that counterfeiting and piracy cost G20 economies US$ 85 billion a year in lost taxes and higher spending on unemployment benefits. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) has estimated that international counterfeit trade is worth $600 billion a year and makes up 5-7% of world trade.

….Ends…

About Nokia

At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.

For further press information, please contact:

Dorothy Ooko                                                                                                   David Kimondo

Nokia                                                                                                                Hill and Knowlton

+254 720 630 074                                                                                              +254 721 610 103

dorothy.ooko@nokia.com                                                                                  David.Kimondo@hillandknowlton.co.ke