Psystar May Still Be Alive… Damn…

Just when you thought that this Psystar mess was over and done with, comes this. The Dow Jones has a report that says they are shutting down “immediately:”

The Doral, Fla.-based computer maker, which made machines that run Apple’s popular Macintosh operating system, intends to fire its eight employees, company attorney Eugene Action told Dow Jones Newswires on Thursday.

Psystar President Rudy Pedraza will then be “shutting things down immediately, ” Action said. “They will not be in business.”

Okay. But check out this picture from their website:

It looks like they’re still in business selling the Rebel EFI tool that helps you to install OS X on to PCs. It’s currently out of stock, but one has to wonder how long that will last. I was under the impression that they were banned from providing any tools that helped people to install OS X? In any case, the fact that they might still have a pulse seems to be confirmed by Computerworld:

“Regrettably, Mr. Action was misquoted in an early story that seems to have been picked up elsewhere. Psystar does not intend to shut down permanently.”

Oh, there’s more:

Psystar has several legal moves left to make, Camara said today. “Psystar will proceed to litigate the legality of Rebel EFI through the motion process described in Judge Alsup’s order,” [K.A.D.] Camara [of the Houston, Texas law firm Camara & Sibley LLP.] said. “Psystar will also proceed with its antitrust case in Miami.”

Not that I’m shocked by that, but one has to wonder who’s going to pay for that. It’s not as if they’ve got cash lying around.

Why can’t they just die and be done with it?

Blackberry Service Takes A Dive…. Blackberry Addicts Freak

If you didn’t get your e-mail on your Blackberry for a time today or it was really slow, don’t worry, it wasn’t you. Blackbery Internet Services were down for a portion of today, which likely caused people who are addicted to the device to go through some form of withdrawl:

“RIM has isolated and resolved the issue that was impacting some BlackBerry customers earlier this morning,” said RIM spokeswoman Marisa Conway. “Some customers may still experience delays as email queues are processed. RIM is continuing to investigate the cause of the issue and apologizes for any inconvenience.”

If your Crackberry Blackberry is using a Blackberry Enterprise Server, you likely didn’t notice a thing. But for everybody else, their stress levels increased. Now, one has to wonder about the reliability of Blackberry Internet Services as I seem to recall that something like this happened not too long ago. Like almost exactly one month ago perhaps? Perhaps Blackberry devices are not as bulletproof for e-mail as RIM would like us to believe?

Bell Can’t Use “Most Reliable” Slogan Says Judge

Frequent readers will recall that I told you about Rogers attempts to stop Bell from calling their new 3G network the “most reliable” network. According to The Globe And Mail, B.C. judge has ruled that Bell’s claim that it is the “most reliable” network is false and misleading. As a result, Bell has to stop using that slogan immediately. But it wasn’t all good for Rogers as they also argued before the same judge that Bell can’t argue that their network is the largest as they share the network with their buddies Telus, as well as Bell can’t say that it’s the fastest as they made that claim before the network was live. Bell has also claimed to have the “best” and “most powerful” network around which Rogers disputes too. All of those arguments got shot down in court. Bell via a press release turned that into a victory:

“We’ll continue to let clients across Canada know about the new network’s superiority of course,” said Mr. [Wade] Oosterman [President of Bell Mobility]. “‘Most reliable’ can wait for another day, but there’s no doubt that the new network is the largest and fastest, and nothing to stop us from letting Canadians know it’s the country’s best and most powerful wireless network for those very reasons.”

Somehow, I don’t think this is over. I’m calling it now.

I’m in the midst of getting a comment from Rogers. When I hear something from them, I’ll let you know.

UPDATE: Rogers responded to my request for a comment. Here’s what they said:

“The court has recognized that Bell has no basis to claim superior reliability on a network that has virtually no customers and no proven track record. They are falsely misleading customers about the reliability of their network. It’s important to note that the vast majority of their customers are on old CDMA/EVDO network. This means most of their customers will have an experience that is inferior to that experienced by all Rogers customers.”

Like I said before, I don’t think this is over.

FTC Files Suit Against Intel… Sucks To Be Them

So if the EU and the State of New York didn’t cause Intel’s legal department enough grief, the feds are going to. The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against Intel claiming the following:

The FTC’s administrative complaint charges that Intel carried out its anticompetitive campaign using threats and rewards aimed at the world’s largest computer manufacturers, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM, to coerce them not to buy rival computer CPU chips. Intel also used this practice, known as exclusive or restrictive dealing, to prevent computer makers from marketing any machines with non-Intel computer chips.

In addition, allegedly, Intel secretly redesigned key software, known as a compiler, in a way that deliberately stunted the performance of competitors’ CPU chips. Intel told its customers and the public that software performed better on Intel CPUs than on competitors’ CPUs, but the company deceived them by failing to disclose that these differences were due largely or entirely to Intel’s compiler design.

That’s gotta make Intel’s top brass nervous. The FTC wants to fix this by preventing Intel from using threats, bundled pricing, and other tactics to hamper competition or manipulate prices. Intel for its part had this to say:

“Intel has competed fairly and lawfully. Its actions have benefitted consumers. The highly competitive microprocessor industry, of which Intel is a key part, has kept innovation robust and prices declining at a faster rate than any other industry. The FTC’s case is misguided. It is based largely on claims that the FTC added at the last minute and has not investigated. In addition, it is explicitly not based on existing law but is instead intended to make new rules for regulating business conduct. These new rules would harm consumers by reducing innovation and raising prices.”

As usual, the lawyers will fight this out in court and and they’ll collect big cheques. We’ll see what the FTC, Intel, and the consumers get at the end of this.

Psystar Banned From Installing Or Helping Others To Install OSX…. Game Over For Them

Psystar, your 15 minutes of fame infamy are over. The US District Court for the Northern District of California has just permanently forbidden these jokers from selling modified versions of OS X, providing any tools that enable users to bypass the OS X kernel encryption, and aiding anyone else from infringing Apple’s OS X copyrights in any way. From the way I read the injunction [Warning: PDF], this would seem to include their Rebel EFI device as well, but I guess that’s open to interpretation. You can bet that Psystar is going to try to argue that it’s not covered. Oh, the judge behind this isn’t giving these guys any slack by giving them until the end of the year to comply. Check out this quote:

“Defendant must immediately begin this process, and take the quickest path to compliance; thus, if compliance can be achieved within one hour after this order is filed, defendant shall reasonably see it done.”

That basically means that these guys are as done as Tiger Woods chances of picking up women not named Elin Nordegren. Of course Psystar can appeal, but one would think that their chances of succeeding are pretty low. Not to mention that it has to pay fines to Apple and they likely have legal bills to pay.

Oh, I checked their website. There’ s no mention of this anywhere. Read into that what you will.

Wind Mobile Launches…. Perhaps Not The Game Changer We’re Looking For…

For those of you waiting for Wind Mobile to go live, wait no longer. They’re live as of today and if you check out their website, they have all the details online finally. You can check their plan pricing here and it is very compelling. Their cheapest plan is $15 a month. Their most expensive plan is $45 a month and it gives you unlimited talk, text and voice mail according to them. It also gives you caller ID too. There’s some other features such as:

• no contracts on any services

• no system access fees

• no fees for enhanced 911 services

• no charge for incoming long distance

• no penalties for changing or cancelling a plan

• unlimited calling to another Wind Mobile customer across Canada

That will get the attention of Rogers, Bell, and Telus. What got my attention is the network coverage. They’re only live in Calgary and Toronto at the moment and their coverage doesn’t match the big three. I guess that as long as you stay in what they call their “home zone” you’re fine. Which means that Wind is going to be the choice for teenagers, and people who are only going between home and work within one of Wind’s  “home zones.” For someone like me who travels a fair bit all over the place, that’s a negative. Then there’s their phone selection. They have the requisite BlackBerry (a 9700 model), a couple other smart phones (one by HTC), a data stick, and a basic phone from Samsung. Not a huge selection, but I remember that Fido (before they were purchased by Rogers) didn’t have the biggest selection either when they first launched. So that shouldn’t bother you in the least.

Wind plans to be in other cities across Canada in 2010 so perhaps their coverage will expand at that time. When their network footprint does approach the size of the big three, they may pose a serious threat to them. That of course assumes the pricing stays the same. Until then, Wind Mobile’s ability to be a game changer is going to be somewhat limited I would suspect.

Another Reason To Back Up Your Notebook: Israeli Security Pump MacBook Full Of Lead

Right up front, I want to state that any comments that you leave regarding this story should be civil and thoughtful as I do NOT want this to turn into a “Bash Israel” circus. Are we clear on that? Good.

I know Israel is a place that has its challenges, and since I come from a place (England) that has had its brushes with terrorism I get the need for their security forces to be careful. But when I heard this story, I have to wonder if things were taken a bit too far. A woman goes to Israel to meet some friends, see the sights, and do everything a tourist would do. She comes across some security officers who ask her a bunch of questions. They didn’t like some of her answers and here’s what happened next in her own words:

Then they asked me to wait. Since they had asked for friends and families phone numbers I assumed they might be calling to verify my answers to questions or confirm I really had extended family in Tel Aviv.  An announcement played over the sound system, interrupting my break in the sunshine. First in Hebrew, then Arabic, then in English. It was something along the lines of, ” do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passanger luggage.”

I went inside to check on my bag. I had left it unattended, where they instructed. It was still there so I went back outside.

Moments later a man came outside and introduced himself as the manager on duty. And then, “I’m sorry but we had to blow up your laptop. “

Actually, they shot it up. Just take a look at the pictures. This seems a bit extreme to me. But I guess that given the situation that Israeli citizens live in, I guess that’s okay as it is better for security forces to assume the worst to protect citizens of the country. Although like I said, it seems a tad bit extreme to me. After all, wouldn’t a powering up of the laptop be a better option?

So, what are the take home messages:

1. Back up your data. Here’s a couple of articles on how to do so.
2. Always be co-operative with security people. Here’s an article that I wrote on how to deal with US Customs. This may help in other places as well.

Oh in case you’re wondering, the lady who had her laptop shot to pieces is promised compensation. I hope she gets it.

An Update On My Bell Customer Service Experience

Some things have happened in the last 24 hours in regards to this issue with Bell Canada that I’d like to update you on:

• My phone still works and I still have Internet.
• I traded e-mails with Rogers yesterday about a possible trial of their Home Phone service. I also sent them a list of concerns that I have about their product and I look forward to their answers. I’ll keep you posted on that front and I look forward to trying out Rogers Home Phone.
• My wife took the suggestion that was on the Bell Canada work order and went to http://www.bellcustomerservice.ca and wrote about our negative experience. We don’t think anything will come of it because Bell doesn’t strike her as the sort of organization that actually cares about its customers, but it gave her the opportunity to vent and perhaps they’ll surprise us.
• A reader pointed me to this posting on the blog of Toronto Star financial reporter Ellen Roseman who wonders why Bell can’t fix their customer service. This was posted on Oct. 19/09 and references a Toronto Star story on the same topic from two days earlier. The key quote from the article is this one:

“Bell Canada keeps me busy. It’s a rare day when I don’t receive complaints about unexpected charges, recurring billing errors and indifferent service.”

Lovely…..

More updates as they come.

Wind Mobile’s Price Plans Leaked…. Yet Again….

I really wish Wind Mobile would just step up to the table and show us what their price plans are. Because it seems that yet another “leak” has happened on Howardforums.com. I’ll hit the highlights below:

Chat: $15 per month
Unlimited WIND to WIND calling (Canada wide)
Unlimited incoming text
100 province-wide voice minutes
50 text messages

Always Talk: $35 per month
Unlimited WIND to WIND calling (Canada wide)
Unlimited province-wide calling
Unlimited incoming text
50 outgoing text messages

Always Shout: $45 per month
Unlimited Canada-wide calling
Unlimited incoming /outgoing text messages
Voicemail

Data Plans
Infinite Mobile: $35 per month (used with any voice plan)
Unlimited internet for phones (tethering too)

Infinite Laptop: $45 per month
Unlimited internet for USB data sticks

Possibly there will be a web on your phone only type data plan for $10/mn.

BlackBerry data plans
Social BlackBerry: $10 per month
Unlimited instant messaging, Facebook and MySpace.

Infinite BlackBerry: $35 per month (used with any voice plan)
Unlimited internet for BlackBerry

Addons:
Voice: 10c Per Minute with the $15 plan
SMS: 10c each
MMS: 20c each
Voicemail: $5

If these are even remotely accurate, Bell, Telus and Rogers have a lot to fear. Now I’ve said in the past that if Wind launches, I’d switch. But I’m waiting for their pricing plans to become public (rather than constantly being leaked) as well as what their coverage is going to be. That’s an important point as it doesn’t matter how affordable the phone and the plans are if you can’t use it where you need to use it.

So how about it Wind Mobile? Now that you’ve got the green light to go to work, how about coming out with your pricing and coverage? That way we can make a decision to go with you or not.

Bell Canada Customer Service = FAIL

Bell Canada for years has been my choice for home phone service. After all, if you’ve been doing telephone services for a century or so, you should be really good at it. Plus in the major blackouts of 2003 and the more recent blackout that I lived through, my phone service has always worked. So I really saw no reason to switch.

This weekend gave me a reason to switch from Bell Canada. Their customer service…. Or more accurately there total lack of customer service.

I got up on Friday morning and discovered that my DSL connection to the Internet was down. I rebooted my router and DSL modem and it came back. I didn’t really think anything of it and started about my day. About 2PM that day I had the need to get back to my computer from a customer’s location and discovered that the Internet was down again. My wife was home sick so I phoned home. When she picked up the phone it was nothing but static. Clearly the phone line had an issue, so I phoned her on her cell phone and tried to have a conversation with her as the reason why she was home was due to the fact that she lost her voice. We collectively phoned Bell and got their repair call center (that was clearly based in India). While we tried to get the problem resolved, the call Bell Canada call center rep accused us of having a bad phone on our line and our issue wasn’t their problem.

The first rule of customer service: Never accuse the customer of anything as it leaves a very bad taste in the customers mouth and sends the interaction between your customer and yourself downhill. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with that accusation.

The next thing that the Bell Canada call center rep did is try to sell us WireCare which “protects” the wiring inside our residence. Because if they find that the problem is my fault, I’ll be charged $85.

The second rule of customer service: Never try to sell a customer anything until you solve their core issue. That really ticked me off.

Only after I blew him off about buying WireCare did the Bell Canada call center rep book an appointment. Get this, a tech would show up on Saturday between 8AM and 5PM. So I would have to cancel all of my appointments (two of them) with my clients on Saturday so that I could wait all day for a Bell tech to show up. Now to be fair, their main competition Rogers books their appointments within a window. But the window is 4 hours to my recollection which is much fairer to the customer. But I was willing to work with that to get my phone fixed and to get Internet service again. Plus my wife was in no shape to really deal with them.

Too bad Bell didn’t show.

At 2:30 I called Bell to see where they were and I was assured that they would show by 5. So at 5 when they didn’t show I phoned them again to ask WTF? That’s when I was told that someone had shown up on site and there was “major trouble” with the line that fed my residence and they would have to replace it. Since Bell Canada techs don’t work past 5PM, it would be fixed tomorrow. It was also being escalated to different group because of that. That’s when I told the Bell Canada call center rep to type this into his customer relationship management tool. I wanted a working phone by Sunday at 5PM or Rogers was getting a phone call on Monday and I would be moving my telco services to Rogers. This was due to the fact that I had to phone THEM to find out this information rather than they phoning me to tell me the status of my repair request. All the call center rep could do is say “I’m sorry you feel that way.” In fact, every interaction I had with Bell Canada in terms of this issue, the call center rep that I was on the phone with would say some form of “I’m sorry.” Don’t be sorry, FIX MY ISSUE as your scripted apologies really aren’t doing much to make me feel better.

So you can imagine that I am not a happy camper at this point, so lets fast forward to Sunday. The Bell tech shows up at 11AM on Sunday determines that the problem isn’t in my home, which shoots down the bad phone theory that Bell Canada call center rep accused us of. I asked him about the “major trouble” with my line. The tech said he knew nothing about that.

That means that Bell Canada lied to me. You can imagine how I felt at that point.

But the the tech went down to the telephone room in our condo and got to work. It took him almost two hours, but he got everything working. Plus I got a slight increase in speed in terms of Internet access. That was due to the fact that according to the tech “my telco services weren’t hanging on by a thread” as the wiring in the telephone room was really old. So a big thanks to him for getting things working again.

But that doesn’t stop me from being really mad at Bell. My feeling is that Bell Canada failed in terms of customer service in the following areas:

• They accused me of causing the problem: FAIL
• The tried to sell me something without solving my core issue first: FAIL
• They didn’t show up as promised on Saturday after I waited all day and canceled customer appointments to do so. Which means I didn’t make any money on Saturday: FAIL
• Bell lied about why they didn’t show up: FAIL
• Bell wasn’t proactive about keeping me informed about my repair request: FAIL

So as a result of all of that, I am seriously considering moving to Rogers for my home phone service. I must admit that I have some concerns about Rogers Home Phone. The biggest one is that Rogers Home Phone has a battery backup for their services that lasts about 18 hours if power is cut. Seeing as my residence was without power for 36 hours earlier this year, that is a concern for me. There are others, but that is the main one. Perhaps “my best friends at Rogers” can make me feel better about that point and my other concerns which I can communicate to them by e-mail if they’re interested. Even better, perhaps “my best friends at Rogers” would be kind enough to let me test drive their Home Phone service against Bell’s for a month and have me write about it in this blog. How about it Rogers? Sound like a plan?

As for Bell, I really want Bell Canada to explain how this repair could have gone so badly and what you plan to do to make sure this never happens to anybody else. I know that Bell Canada employees read this blog, so I challenge you to contact me via e-mail and tell me what you have to say. But from prior experience, I’m reasonably sure that I’m not going to hear from them. Which won’t exactly help Bell Canada’s cause to retain me as a customer. Which is too bad because it’s not Bell Canada’s infrastructure that failed, it was their customer service.

Without customer service, you will have no customers. Bell should keep that in mind.