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This page is about a LaptopUsersGroup. It covers issues related to using the Laptops in the developing countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc), such as power-management and internet-access. It provides a place for the 'Community of Laptop Users' within Minciu Sodas to keep in touch with each other and share what they have learned.
This page was started by Ricardo June 28, 2008 12:38 CET (see my profile page for links to my other pages)
Please feel free to add or change the content. Please add your name to any contributions, so we can see who it's from and who to ask about it for more information. A simple way to do that is to add 4 tilde characters like this ~ in a row after your text, to add your name and time/date automatically.
Laptop Users 
To set up a laptop that I've sent from the UK, please see the LaptopInitialSetup page. Ricardo
This section is for configuring the laptop settings to extend battery life.
See LaptopInitialSetup page (configuring Windows XP via the Control Panel so it knows it's running on a laptop, not a desktop PC, and changing the minutes before going into standby or hibernation mode).
Laptop Power State Terminology In your laptop manual etc, you may see various terms that refer to the power on/off or power-saving state of your laptop.
Here are some definitions :-
- On = Normal fully switched-on state, like a PC.
- Off = Normal fully switched off state, like a PC.
- Standby = On, but some unused electronics within the laptop has temporarily been turned off, such as unused interfaces, PCMCIA Cards, built-in WiFi Cards, etc. On some laptops, you can set it to go into standby, I think, when you close the lid (see laptop manual).
- Hibernate = A copy of your laptops temporary RAM Memory has been saved to a file, then the laptop completely switch off. For example, if you have 256MB RAM, then it will be saved in a 256MB file on your hard disk. The contents of screen RAM are also saved to a file on disk. When you come out of 'hibernate', the file is quickly restored to RAM, then programs start from where you were in your last session. You don't lose half-edited documents, etc. The aim is to speed up the re-start. On some laptops, you can set it to go into hibernate, I think,when you close the lid (see laptop manual).
I found the information in this very good article...
 http://www.ezlan.net/standby.html
The power features are controlled in 2 ways...
1. Via the Windows XP Control Panel, Power Settings (desktop PC or laptop, timeouts, etc), and
2. Via a program from the laptop manufacturer, to set options (keys and/or closing the lid) and timeouts for standby and hibernate.
Notebook Battery Life and Battery Calibration Procedures
You may find it useful to read this PDF file with Notebook Battery Tips first...
 http://images10.newegg.com/UploadFilesForNewegg/itemintelligence/Catagory Notebook/NIC-Notebook_Battery_tips-v1.0e.pdf
Next, please read your laptop manual and see if it has anything to say about Battery Calibration. Some manuals do, some don't. I sent a CD to some of you with the PDF manual on. You can also find the PDF manuals on the manufacturer's website (HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc), Support and Download section. Note, HP took over Compaq, so the manuals for Compaq laptops are on the HP site.
http://www.hp.com/
http://www.dell.com/
http://www.toshiba.com/
Sometimes, a laptop keeps going into standby mode after using it on battery-power for just a short time. It leads the user to think that the laptop battery is worn-out and they have to buy a new one. Sometimes, a laptop does need a new battery; they only last a few years. However, sometimes you don't need a new battery. The problem is just that you need to perform the 'Battery Calibration' procedure, when you first get the laptop battery and every 90 days.
Some laptop have a 'battery calibration' option in the BIOS setup screens. On power up, look for a message such as 'Press F10 for setup' (perhaps a different key like F3 or Esc). In the BIOS setup screens, there may be a 'battery calibration' option. If so, perform that, then go to File menu, Save Settings and Exit option. If not, use File, Exit without savings changes.
If there wasn't a BIOS Battery Calibration option, then you will need to let the laptop start up Windows XP and then run a battery calibration program. You may find a program for your specific laptop on the manufacturers website, in the Support and Downloads section (or email me about it). Sometimes there is only a program for older versions of Windows. It may work on Windows XP, I'm not sure. Alternatively, use the batcal.exe program mentioned below, for any make and model of laptop.
Please read this excellent article on Notebook Battery Life and Battery Calibration Procedures...
It lists all the main causes for early shutdown :-
- The mains supply has a problem
- The AC adaptor is not the correct type or is faulty
- The battery requires re-calibration
- The battery is past its useful life, possibly because it has been kept at a *high temperature for extended periods
- The battery, system or charging circuit/AC adaptor is faulty
and there's a Batcal.exe program you can download.
http://www.rm.com/Support/TechnicalArticle.asp?cref=TEC49012&nav=0&referrer=MyComputer
Battery Calibration lets the laptop record how much charge represents 100% charge. When the charge declines to say 15%, the laptop goes into standby mode and shuts-down. If the battery hasn't been calibrated, the laptop gets the calculation wrong and shuts down much sooner than it needs to. After recalibration, the laptop should run a bit longer than before. Batteries deteriorate with time, so re-calibration is needed about every 90 days.
Power-saving Measures The Battery Calibration article above covers how to set power management options using the Windows XP Control Panel. It may be a good idea to select the laptop/notebook scheme, use Save As... button and save a scheme with a new name such as "Kens Laptop Scheme", then set the options to save the most power.
See sub-sections below (Hard Drive, Monitor, etc) :-
Stop the hard drive sooner when not in use For example, the hard drive needs to spin up to speed when doing read/writes, but during periods of inactivity, it can be spun down and stopped, to save power. You can reduce the time-period before the hard drive spins down to just 1 minute. It saves power, but there will be a delay when read/writing files again, to spin the hard disk up to speed, after more than 1 minute of inactivity. If it extends the battery run time, it may be worth doing.
Turn off the monitor during periods of inactivity In your power scheme, set the time-out for turning off the monitor to a short period, such as 1 minute. It comes on again when you move the mouse or press a key, just like a software screensaver.
Reduce the screen brightness The LCD screen backlight uses a lot of power. You can save power by reducing the brightness to the minimum level that you find acceptable. It depends on the room brightness at the time, of course.
Articles on Extending Battery Run-Time See this 2 page article called "Battery Life Boot Camp"...
http://www.laptopmag.com/advice/tips/battery-life-boot-camp.aspx
"20 Ways to Increase the Life of your Laptop's Battery" (very good)
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/20-ways-to-increase-the-life-of-your-laptops-battery/
This section is for information on internet access methods and tips, such as how to minimise GPRS data charges.
See money-saving tips in GprsPhoneComputerSystem page.
Also see the sub-sections below...
Saving GPRS charges by Browsing in Text-Only mode For people using GPRS internet access from a laptop + GPRS phone (or modem card)...
GPRS data-charges can be quite high, if you use it for surfing internet pages with lots of pictures. If you turn off pictures in your broswer, and just browse Yahoo Mail etc in Text-Mode, it is much cheaper. A web-page is often 5K Bytes of text and 95K of JPEG pictures, so text-only mode keeps the cost down. Ken Owino is becoming an expert in text-only GPRS browsing. he says it is quite cheap. Its only file downloads and pictures that use a lot of GPRS data charges.
We are all just starting to learn how best to use GPRS without spending too much money. I think most people find it best to use their Laptop + GPRS Phone at home for things like email and Yahoo Groups, where you only need to see text, and carry on using Cyber Cafes for web-surfing. Accessing GPRS email from home saves time and money, because you need to visit Cyber Cafes less often.
To switch to Text-Only mode, in Internet Explorer, go to Tools menu, Internet Options, Advanced tab, Multimedia section. Un-tick the boxes for Display Pictures and Play Animations, Play Sounds, Play Videos, and click OK. You can turn Pictures etc back on again at any time by ticking the boxes again, of course.
If you are accessing the internet on a GPRS Phone (without computer), see your phone manual for how to turn pictures on/off. If you don't have a printed manual, you can usually download the PDF manual from the phone manufacturers website Support section.
Saving money using Safaricom's Post-Paid GPRS Service This is some information that I sent to Ken Owino in an email on 28-Jun-2008. Ken replied with some information of his own in the next section.
Hi Ken
 I've started a new Worknets pages to form a Laptop Users Group, to so people can share useful information on things like 'how to minimise GPRS cost', 'power management', etc.
http://www.worknets.org/wiki.cgi?LaptopUsersGroup
During one of our chats, you mentioned that you're paying 13.50 KES per magebyte for GPRS internet access, on your pre-pay phone.
I noticed today that the Safaricom Bambanet service (using a 3G USB/card modem) has 2 levels of prices...
Pre-pay = 12.60 KES per megabyte (probably a little out of date, and really 13.50 KES)
Postpaid Plan = Kshs 1,999 per month for up to 700 MB and kshs 12.60 per MB thereafter.
For those first 700MB, that works out at only 2.85 KES per megabyte, only 23% of the prepay 12.60 price. If you go over the 700MB, then the charge per megabyte (12.60 at the time, now 13.50) is the same as prepay, so the additional megabytes are no worse than the amount you're paying now for prepay.
http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=490
This may be worth doing, for yourself or for a group of people, if you use about 700MB.
The disadvantages are really just things that you need to be careful of...
1. Keeping track of how much GPRS data you use, so you don't spend too much. You don't have the protection of prepay vouchers running out.
2. The 1,999 KES per month is a fixed lump that you have to use. If you use less than that, you're wasting money.
On the positive side, it's so cheap that there's a 'break-even point'. At 2.85 KES per MB, the 700MB postpaid is as cheap as 158MB of prepay data. So, you save a lot of money, if you use between 158MB and 700MB. That data is only 23% of the prepay rate.
I've CCed this email to the other Kenyan MS members.
All this sounds slightly complex and only suits some people, not everyone, but it may be worth looking into.
Ricardo
I received this email reply with some information from Ken Owino 07-July-2008, which should be of interest to other laptop users in Kenya (for Safaricom) and to users in Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda/etc (Celtel unlimited access).
[Celtel operate in Burkina Faso, Chad, Rep Congo, Dem Rep Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. I don't know whether their data service operates in all these countries.]
[I've added USD prices to Ken's info. At present, 1 USD = 65 KSHS, 1 GBP = 129 KSHS.]
Hi Ricardo and all,
Fantastic, this is a superb platform and forum of getting ourselves more enlightened on I.C.T
Thanks for the information you have provided below [previous section] Ricardo, please share my findings below with the rest at the Laptop users worknet.
Safaricom has launched a new data service, which enables anyone to benefit from a fast, reliable and affordable internet connection.
It is a hot spot meant to counter the challenge they are receiving from Celtel (Which i have also shared about)
The safaricom broadband is powered by 3G. offering faster speeds, and faster downloads.
For Pre Paid the service options include;
300 MB that cost Kshs 999 ($15.29)
700 MB that cost Kshs, 1,999 ($30.60)
1 GB that cost Kshs 2,499 ($38.25)
One must have Safaricom Broadband Modem Equipment that cost Kshs 9,999 ($153.07)
For Post Paid Service options are;
Mobile office-individual up to 700 MB cost Kshs 1,999 ($30.60)
Mobile Office professional up to 2GB cost Ksh 3,999 ($61.22)
Small enterprise up to 5GB cost Kshs 6,999 ($107.14)
Medium enterprisa up to 8GB cost Kshs 10,000 ($153.09)
corporate up to 30 GB costs Kshs 30,000 ($459.27)
Equipment include a safaricom Broadband Modem that costs Kshs 5,999 ($91.83), and A safcom Broadband router that costs Kshs 25,000 ($382.72)
To get the bundle of ones choice, one should send the word 'activate' to the short codes: 300MB to 446, 700MB to 448.
Out of bundle charge at Ksh 8 per MB ($0.12). All prices are inclusive of VAT. connect by USB modem, or ones 3G enabled handset.
Visit any Safcom customer service branch or log onto http://www.safaricom.co.ke/
Some info from Ricardo :-
I found this article from 03-Jul-2008 on the Safaricom website that confirms everything Ken said and gives some more background. It says a Prepaid 3G service at these prices has been rolled out so far to the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa. Data rates are between 3.2 and 7.2 Mbps, using a 3G phone or a 3G/EDGE/GPRS broadband modem retailing at Kshs 9,999/-. In places where 3G is unavailable, the data rate drops down to EDGE speed (230kbps) or GPRS speed (48kbps)...
http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=597
Zain (Celtel) Unlimited Access Data Service Note by Ricardo 28-Nov-2008 - Zain (the new name for Celtel) still offer this service, at the same price, but they don't advertise it. You have to ask them about it. Ken Owino and Samwel Kongere are both using it.
Ken Owino went on to say this about Celtel's new UhuruNet service...
The Celtel Internet service
It is an unlimited internet service not bent on per MBs accessed.
The monthly fees is KShs 2,995 ($45.85) inclusive of all taxes.
The USB Modem cost Kshs 5,995 ($91.77) inclusive of all taxes.
for info call Celtel Customer service on 111 (free of charge for Celtel customers) or 0733100111 or visit any nearest Celtel center.
Celtel Services are spread through East and Central Africa, while Safaricom Services covers East Africa , therefore our comrades from Uganda and Tanzania can as well try it out.
Have an informative day,
Ken Owino
Nafsi Afrika Acrobats
Kenya.
Notes by Ricardo...
The service is called Uhurunet. Try this Google search for articles about it...
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=active&q=celtel+uhurunet&btnG=Search&meta=
Celtel at http://www.celtel.com/en/index.html has no information yet. Their website doesn't do a very good job of promoting their services.
This Blog article has a good comparison of Celtel UhuruNet versus Safaricom Bambanet...
http://startupkenya.blogspot.com/2007/08/safaricoms-throws-down-gauntlet.html
It says there's a prepaid option, so it's not just available to post-paid customers.
Celtel Rates (summary)
- Uhuru-Net (unlimited) - Kshs 2,995/ month
- Uhuru-500 (500MB) - Kshs 1,450/ month upto 500MB,Kshs 10/ MB thereafter
- Uhuru-Klik (Pay As You Go) - Kshs 10/ MB
Samba USB Modems cost Kshs 15,000,Huawei USB Modems Kshs 12,995 and Globetrotter PC Cards Kshs 14,000 if you subscribe to Uhuru-500 or Uhuru-Klik,however if you subscribe to Uhuru-Net Samba USB Modems,Huawei USB Modems & Globetrotter PC Cards each cost Kshs 5,995.
Zain data charges (new name for Celtel) Please see http://www.ke.zain.com/en/phone-services/Zain-access/index.html
Zain (old name was Celtel) still offer their Unlimited Data/Time Internet Access via GPRS/EDGE/3G for 2,999 KES per month. For some reason, they don't advertise it on their website. You have to ask Zain about it. Ken Owino and Samwel Kongere have both subscribed to this service, so you can ask them about it, if they don't mind. Samwel went to their office in Nairobi to sign up for it, I think, taking the neccessary ID.
Wananchi broadband Wananchi (Kenya) will be offering will be offering 512k broadband to the home for 3000 shillings [per month from October 2008]. See rest of article here...
http://whiteafrican.com/?p=1049
http://www.wananchi.com/
Celtel GPRS Modem From Ken Owino 25-Jul-2008:
Hi Ricardo,
I hope you are fantastic, i am positive.
I am taking this moment to quickly send you some updates that you can share with the wider network.
I have tried to insert the Addresses to no success. [I'll find out what this means - Ricardo]
I bought the Celtel HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM E220 USB MODEM.
This mobile connect has a HSDPA packet data service with amaximum transmission rate of 3.6/7 Mbps
It has aUMTS packet data service with a maximum transmission rate of 348kbps, EDGE packet data service with a maximum transmission rate of 236.8kbps, SMS service (which celtel charges above normal monthly rate)
[It will drop down to 48kbps GPRS, in areas without EDGE - Ricardo]
It also has an Auto installation, these are the features.
The system requires a standard USB interface, Windows 2000, XP and Vista operating systems, a 50MB free hard disk space or above and a 128MB RAM or above.
I paid a total of KSH 10,998 (Ksh 5,000 was a refundable joining deposit fees, and ksh 5,998 for the modem/handset price)
At the end of the month i will be provided with a bill of Ksh 2998 or more if i send text messages.
Every end month i will have to pay this amount regardless of wether i use the internet or not.
The service offers unlimited internet access and would be economical for a group of people sharing it.
I however confirmed wether i still have to pay the monthly rates if say i leave the country for many months and not use the service.
The customer care told me that one needs to inform them in advance and provide proof of travellinng inorder to be exempted from Monthly rates.
I paid Ksh 5,000 refundable deposit for a one year contract, one has to provide Identification card/Passport and the PIN certificate (Personal identification Number) and complete a contract form with personal details.
The modem is a pot that has a slot where the Celtel Sim card is inserted, i am wondering wether this pot can work with other Sim cards, i am yet to experiment.
I will also inquire wether it is possible to roam with the modem (use it beyond Kenya borders) and at how much.
Today i Skype Chatted (voice Chat with webcam) and called a number of phones.
I also Downloaded a number of files and tried opening various sites, the service works well and it is fast, i guess it has no congestion.
Lastly, Ricardo, my Laptops New battery malfunctioned again, it is busted.
It can not last more than five minutes if it is disconnected from the mains.
I don't know wether it is a problem with the Laptop itself, i have taken it to a two technicians who can't establish any problem.
I can't walk around with it, because it requires mains to power it.
Could you please research for me where i could find a cheap and original Compaq Evo N400c battery?
I wish you all the best and appreciate the much you have empowered me.
Ken Owino
Nafsi Afrika Acrobats
http://www.nafsiafrica.org/
+254723568251
[Thanks Ken. This will be really useful to the other Laptop Users. It shows how sharing information will help everyone to get a lot more benefit than working alone. Ricardo July 26, 2008 8:50 CET]
Opera Mini browser Many phones have a built-in browser. If you install the free Opera Mini browser on your phone, you can save money on GPRS data charges. Opera Mini downloads web-pages via its own server, and reformats the HTML source file for the web page and strips out unneccessary junk, reducing the quantity of GPRS data downloaded to about 30% of the original size.
Your original browser is still present on the phone, so you can use either browser when you want.
The free Opera Mini browser is for use on standard phones, or Opera Mobile on Smart Phones.
http://www.opera.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_(web_browser)
Most low-cost phones can use the free Opera Mini browser...
http://www.operamini.com/
This page describes the 3 ways you can download it; phone web-base download, PC download (and transfer via USB cable/Bluetooth/Infrared) or SMS download.
http://www.operamini.com/download/
Please add your comments here.
This is great Ricardo.We can now be able to ask a lot of questions in this field and also share our undetstanding.Thanks for creating this space.
I'l start with questions(sorry),since this is a free field and is for learning,
-Could anyone explain in detail how to minimize costs when someone using Phone+Bluetooth+Laptop to get enternet access?
-How to enable power management or battery to work for a long time when is not connected to electrity?
-What to do when your computer/laptop srart to work slowly/not functioning properly?
Those are some questions,and please you may answer according to how you understand the question.Step by step and with details/examples/links.
Is the field for exchanging our understanding,so i'm waiting to hear from you people.Thanks.Prosper Mbwambo.
- PageByRicardo=This page is about a LaptopUsersGroup. It covers issues related to using the Laptops in the developing countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc), such as power-management and internet-access. It provides a place for the 'Community of Laptop Users' within Minciu Sodas to keep in touch with each other and share what they have learned.
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:47:29 UTC WilliamWambura: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:39:01 UTC william: ricardo this is a useful site to learn and share openly on how to work effectively with te resources with have,But i would like to share this with the group of users:How do we share the group inputs?as a team to benefit from one common perfected collaboative resources and passion of opnenss of ownership,this some how creats misunderstanding,where the rosouces possesion is the silent flow of water spring withi group(s),but might turn out to become ar iver of internal crisis.e should also focus on how do we share these resources as a team,so that to avoid misunderstanding from infant groups.
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:47:48 UTC FredKayiwa: Thanks Ricardo for your effort towards our learning and using Computer.
Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:41:44 UTC fred: Eicaedo Celtel has changed to Zain here
Thu, 18 Sep 08 03:33:17 +0000 Andrius Kulikauskas: Thank you Ricardo for this great page!
Tue, 10 Feb 09 13:19:26 +0000 Evelyn: Ricardo, thanks for your support in promoting ICT usage and awareness, especially in Eastern Africa. It is of great use to us and our communities.
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