I’ll always stay connected with Apple. I hope that throughout my life I’ll sort of have the thread of my life and the thread of Apple weave in and out of each other, like a tapestry. There may be a few years when I’m not there, but I’ll always come back

– Steve Jobs, 1985

That’s a quote from a Playboy interview Steve Jobs gave back in 1985. February of 1985, to be specific, right before Steve would be ousted from the company that he co-founded with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976. Apple of course famously grew out of a garage, the brains of Woz, the drive of Jobs building the company over the next nine years into a powerhouse in the burgeoning home computer market.

Join us for a look back at the life of Steve Jobs.

Steve has always had his own way of doing things, a famous temper that left many engineers crying. When things were going well, he was worshipped. But, when things started turning sour, that unique way didn’t earn him so many fans. In May of 1985 Jobs was effectively fired by John Sculley, who’d joined Apple from Pepsi as CEO. Steve Jobs was free to do his own thing.

The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.– Steve Jobs, 2005

Steve went on to found NeXT Computer, a highly advanced (and highly expensive) desktop computer that won favor among developers for its object-oriented foundations. But, it never found financial success. His other main diversion, however, would find plenty.

There are downsides to everything; there are unintended consequences to everything. The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called television – but then, again, television, at its best, is magnificent.

– Steve Jobs, 2003

In 1986 Jobs bought a company called Graphics Group, a small firm that was responsible for visuals like the Genesis effect in Star Trek II. Jobs paid $5 million for the company. In 2006, 20 years after Jobs acquired it, Disney purchased that company (now called Pixar) for $7.4 billion.

A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.

– Steve Jobs, 1998

Apple acquired Steve’s NeXT in 1996, bringing the man back into the fold and, before long, bumping him back up to the CEO position. From here, Steve went on a spree of killing off unsuccessful projects (like Newton) before ushering in many of the changes that would, ultimately, turn Apple into the company we know today.

When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions.

– Steve Jobs, 2006

Steve would come up with many, many elegant solutions to problems that many people didn’t know they had over his next 15 years at Apple. The iMac would be released in 1998 under his watch, a device that he said marries “the excitement of the internet with the simplicity of Macintosh.” But, in 2001, Apple would really hit its stride.

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.

– Steve Jobs

It would be in 2001 that Apple really turned into the company that we know today. It re-invented the Mac operating system with OS X (built from NeXT foundations), launched its own retail chain of Apple stores, and launched both the iPod and the accompanying iTunes. At first, these were curiosities. They’d soon become unshakable industry behemoths.

We’re just enthusiastic about what we do.

– Steve Jobs, 1985

From here Apple would launch the iPhone in 2007, the App Store in 2008, and the iPad in 2010. All three launched as curiosities, all three having their doubters, and all three following the (ever-expanding) iPod line to heights that nobody could have foreseen — surely even Jobs himself. People may have been a little disappointed with the iPhone 4S recently, but that’s only because Apple has impressed everyone so much in the past.

I’m sorry, it’s true. Having children really changes your view on these things. We’re born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time.

– Steve Jobs, 1993

Steve Jobs has had a remarkable effect on the industry as a whole. His impact on the progression of personal electronics cannot be overstated and his swift departure leaves a hole none could fill, but he has built a legacy that few could ever hope rival. Apple computer now stands firmly as a leader in consumer electronics, and for many it will always be known as The House that Steve Built.

The Huawei Ideos does everything right to create a cheap phone with plenty of smarts. It’s not going to take on the big, beautiful Samsung Galaxy S, but it’s got an even newer version of Android and should only cost about UGX 300,000 here in Kampala. We’ll take ten!

The Ideos was first introduced to our local market by Orange Uganda. A few weeks later, all the major networks in the country had also re-branded it and put it in their outlets. It was commonly marketed as the Google Ideos phone with emphasis on the Android OS it uses.

Good about Ideos

• Latest Android 2.2 Froyo
• Responsive capacitive touchscreen
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• HSPA
• Access to the Android app store

Bad about Ideos

• Low-resolution screen
• Weak camera
• Not very attractive

All the Android

Huawei says it worked closely with Google to make the Ideos, which is evident in the Google logo that graces the back of the phone. This phone is pure Android 2.2 Froyo, the latest version of Google’s operating system. That means you have all the latest features, except one — there’s no Flash on the Ideos. It just doesn’t have the processing power to support Flash, sadly. But it does have all the rest of the goodies that come with the latest version of Android.

The Huawei Ideos

That means seamless support for Gmail, Google Maps, email and heaps more built-in features. If that isn’t enough for you, you can download more apps from the Android Market. There can be something of a ‘Wild West’ feel to the Android app store, with amateurs vying with the big brands for the top of the apps charts. But, if you can find the best Android apps, you can make your phone do almost anything you can imagine, from opening Office documents to sending digital postcards. There’s also a great official Facebook app and several excellent Twitter clients, including an official one.

The untouched version of Android and the partnership with Google means we can trust Huawei when it says you will get prompt updates for the phone as soon as new versions of the OS come out.

But don’t think that, just because Huawei has avoided adding its own skin to Android, you won’t be able to customise the Ideos. The Android user interface is so flexible you can personalise the phone every which way. There are lots of wallpapers — including touch-sensitive and animated ones — included, or you can use your own photos. Fill the five scrolling home screens with shortcuts to programs or specific contacts, or with widgets that update with live news and your social network activity. Setting up five home screens may be overkill for some people, but if you like to fiddle with your technology, you’re guaranteed hours of fun tweaking the Ideos.

Cheap and cheerful

Of course, the Ideos does make sacrifices to keep its price down. The case isn’t hideous, but it’s cheap and plasticky. The large, round navigation key — which Google loves to see on its phones — isn’t as sexy as the optical trackpad that you get on the HTC Wildfire. Like the Wildfire, the Ideos suffers from a low-resolution 320×240-pixel screen, which makes things look blurry.

In saying that, the Wildfire costs twice as much as the Ideos, despite its similar budget-Android target. With the Ideos, most of the important features are in place. The screen is responsive when you touch it, and it’s capacitive, so you don’t need to press too hard. The small, 71mm (2.8-inch) screen makes things pretty pokey, especially the on-screen keyboard, but good predictive text means it’s still very usable.

The camera is another place where the Ideos skimps and saves. It’s only 3.2 megapixels, with no LED photo light, but it does shoot stills and video, so you won’t be short of a snapper when you really need one. Android also makes sharing a doddle, with support for uploading video to YouTube and photos to Facebook, among other services. Just be sure to pick up a microSD memory card to store your snaps, because we don’t expect the phone to come with one.

Punching above its weight

The Ideos looks very similar to the HTC Tattoo, a cheap Android phone that we loved when it came out last year. Although they could be twins, the Ideos comes out on top because of its responsive, capacitive touchscreen and its up-to-date version of Android. And did we mention it costs around UGX 300,000? That alone could have us cuddling up to the Ideos, and, among its rivals at that price, it looks even more attractive. Already, its becoming a must-have for the Kampala wannabes.

A very cheap phone with more functionality than its price.

On top of the bountiful Android features and apps, the Ideos doesn’t skimp on connectivity. It has the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi standard and 7.2Mbps HSPA for fast Web surfing over 3G. Bluetooth and a mini-USB port both come in handy for swapping files, while a standard 3.2mm headphone jack means you can use any pair of cans.

Conclusion

The Huawei Ideos may skimp on a low-res screen and camera, but it’s made exactly the right moves in bringing Android to the masses. 802.11n Wi-Fi and HSPA combine with the latest version of the Android OS to give the Ideos the leg-up on most other phones, at any price. Although you’ll miss out on Flash Player, you won’t regret saving some dime  on this responsive, usable phone.

Uganda’s free classified ads platform has been re-designed and improved! Mukatale has been upgraded in various sections that were pointed out to the developers. Such sections and processes include but not limited to the following;

1. User Registration Process
2. Product Upload Process
3. Interactivity with Social Media (Facebook, Twitter..etc)
4. Ease of Use.

I’m glad to announce that the new Mukatale provides a much better experience in regard to the sections mentioned above. I’ll try to explain it better one by one.

The User Registration Process

This has been shortened from the very long form you had to fill in before. Now you will be required to provide just your email address and username. On top of that, another option for you to log in with your facebook account has been added. This means that even if the registration process has been made much shorter and faster, you still don’t have to go through with it! By clicking the “Log in with Facebook” button on the login form, you can start posting ads onto Mukatale immediately!

The Product Upload/Posting/Listing Process

Previously, one had to go through an 8-Step process just to make a post. This was really a straining process! One had to even fill in various fields that they were not sure of! With the new Mukatale, there’s no more hustle! You now have only a 2-Step process for uploading/posting/listing a product or an item. On top of that, Google Maps have been integrated into Mukatale to show the location of the product being listed.

To maximize the viewership of your products, Mukatale has created a facebook group of users where the products are listed every time someone posts an item. Comments from viewers on facebook are also reflected on Mukatale. I may not really be able to explain it to the best of your understanding however, you can try it out to experience it yourself.

Interactivity with Social Media (Facebook, Twitter..etc)

Like I pointed out earlier, your product posts are reflected on Facebook and twitter for a wider audience. You may have to encourage your friends to join the Mukatale Group on Facebook to increase the audience.

Ease of Use

Lastly, Mukatale only has things that you may need. All the clatter has been removed to leave you only with pages that you would require. The processes too have been simplified to improve the service. Now, using Mukatale is a much quicker activity and you are sure to enjoy it.

To experience what I have been explaining in this article and more, just visit www.mukatale.com and enjoy it. After all, its a free service.