Nawras next be Blogger sms?

In year 2012, Nawras the second private Omani telecom introduced Twitter SMS and Facebook SMS services, which encourages users to increase using SMS service before it get completely killed thanks to whatsapp and other similar applications which increased using mobile data more than sms.

I started using sms more often because I am temporary using old Nokia phone.

I am waiting for Nawras to launch Blogger sms service in 2013, or it might not launch it because not many bloggers in they country, as most switched to Twitter after year 2008.

I still feel most people are more active in Twitter then Facebook because of short, interactive and instant responses. Since year 2011, Twitter users globally taken it in a new level, fast spread of words, news, etc. Even celebrities cut off the spokesperson to interact directly with their fans.

Multiple phone numbers

Since Nawras started their service in Oman, allot of people tend to have to mobiles for OmanMobile and Nawras, I thought they are mad, but what will people do now? Have 6 mobiles for 6 sim cards or 3 mobiles with dual sim cards?

While I visited Tanzania ( Tz ), which has 4 mobile operating services, ZanTel ( part of Etisalat ); Zain; Tigo; and Vodacom ( part of Vodafone ); people tend to have 2 phones numbers.

One of my relative has one phone and 3 numbers, I end up trying to call each numbere trile & error until I hear the ring tone.

Will you give teenager a BlackBerry?

An event has came across me, when a woman called and told me that she gave her teenaged niece 200 Omani Rials worth of money to buy BlackBerry under a verbal aproval from the girl that her mother said so.

I was shocked and didn't agree on the consept of the girl in her late teens does not need to own such a device, since she won't use 90% of the features. The argument the girl used is to check her mails, but she can check her mails from any mobile phones such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, etc support it too. I realized she just want to show off and her mother allows her.

My self the most expensive mobile device was not more then 80 Omani Rials, while the other phones I had and still have were gifts, each worth from 150+ Omani Rials.

I won't lie my dream of owning the legend BlackBerry, but reality hit me, I can invest on something else worth more, as I had a good condition Nokia E61i device.

Save our selves! Save earth!

As Oman going green, Oman Economic Review presents OER Green Awards, the first recognition for companies, institutions and individuals in Oman who contributes towards environment. 'Not too late! Save our earth..!' @ OEROnline.com/GreenAwards

COMEX Goes Green is the slogan for Oman’s largest IT, Telecom & Technology Exhibition aka COMEX 2009. The eco-high tech friendly exhibition will May 25 – 29, 2009 at OITE. @ oite.com/comex

Snips from news

friendi Mobile has lunched its services in Oman.
H H Tania Al Said won Personality award at GGC Environment Award.
Oman Mobile Vs Nawras in Mobile Broadband internet.

Lazy to write

I want to share with you'll allot of things, but too lazy to type. I'll push my self to write what been happening arround me since last Feb 2009.

Ok, let me start about one of my weekends dated back to the midnight of 20th Feb, my phone alarm rang, I woke up (jumbed out of my skin) and picked up the phone, a reminder showed up 'Baba's birthday' I vividly smiled and read Surat Alfatihah for his soul and went back to sleep. At the evening, my sister and I were driving down town and we started recalling my late dad's gesture and his unforgettable sentences. God bless his Soul.


On 24th of Feb, the next weekend, I went with my sister, cousin and her niece who is one and half years of age, to one of international Pizza franchise, the girl who was trying to imitate her Aunt my eating with fork but couldn't pick up the salads with it, ends up removing the napkin from arround her nack, stating rebalient against aticate (she is a kid), but she made my day with her smile.


My last weekend was on 5th of March, my cousin got married, as the Aqd or religious marriage ceremony was at the Masjid been held by the men. I cried when I got the message from her brother that its over she became offically 'Mrs' and ended the lifecylce of 'Miss'. I called and wished her then met her at the saloon with the rest of the female members.

Wedding reception took place in the evening and everyone looked outstanding specially my sister and I. The brideamaids looks good too and managed well despite one day rehearsals or in the correct words few hours only.


I was planning to get the BB Bold, but the it was out of stock in all the stores of my mobile operator. I've changed my plans to get one until the 2nd half of the year, as I need to spend my money on something more importent.


One day, I drove to an offsite ATM machine, my sister got down and when she came back, she was laughing, she said "Also the mutawa flirt with Nasheed," it turned out a religious man who had long beard was flirting in a religious way.


Friendi Mobile will soon be on air in Oman, now the booking for numbers for free is available via friendimobile.om and various locations since 09-Mar-09, but the site booking has been a problem for too many visitors. I tried several times since 09-Mar-09 to book for one, but no luck, too many technical problems.

However, the CEO of Friendi Mobile been communicating with people via the local forums, such as English Sabla and Omanforum, I thank Muscati and arun for informing me about it via Twitter.


UAE may follow to ban YouTube after Pakistan in February 2008 and Bangladesh 1st week of March 2009.


The world Celebrating Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (ASW), which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar, and defer from one country to another depending on the visibility of moon and when the new Islamic calander started.


That's all for now.

I'll try to keep updating you'll as soon as I am free to type.

Lost with movies

I have some bits and bytes to share it with you'll thanks to different sources I refer too.

Movies watched in theatres January - February 2009

• Asif Ala Alezaaj (Arabic)
• The Tale of Despereaux (English)
• Seven Pounds (English)
• Slumdog Millionaire (English)
• Billu (Indian)

I lost interest in watching movies as I get board quickly or the events are too slow. It’s not catchy despite the script and performance is good/ outstanding. I feel I could do more things then sitting for 1hr 30mins to 3hrs 30min in front of the screen.

New Drugs
Drug addicts in Iran fiund a new drug, which is less costly comparing to opium, heroin and hashish, the new drug are Toads.

Why Toads are cheep? They say, they can raise them at home and most of the addicts are jobless.


Teddy Stoddard
Today, I found an email been dropped off by my friend titled 'Nice Story', its about Teddy Stoddard who was a troubled boy and the teacher who turned his life around and became DR. Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.

It turned out, Teddy Stoddard or DR. Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D. is fictional character, but the story is wide-spread in different languages thanks to the internet revolution.


Train Ride
Three year old kid dorve the train for half an hour in NewYork and passed 7 stations before he was stopped.


Who's Birthday today?
Times of Oman, an Omani English newspaper celebrates its 34th birthday, the other side, UAE national blogger Osama celebrates his 5th year of bloggering his Osama.ae.


'SmartRoamer'
Qatar Telecom launches 'SmartRoamer' for Nawras customers as well as other Qtel Group customers. The 1st phase within the five AGCC states (excluding Bahrain) single rate to call back home and discounts in other services.


New blogs
I came acroess several Arabic and English blogs, from Oman and arround the world. I will post some of them when I get time.

Finally!!!

My personal journal, irevere.blogspot.com is finally redirected to http://www.shula-b.com, but the url address http://shula-b.com is not redirecting to www.Shula-B.com for unknown reason.

I chose Shula-B.com as it’s my nickname and its symbolic to me, my label.






Bits and Bytes

• A Saudi citizen offers to pay USD 10 millions for Muntadhar al-Zaidi shoe, which was thrown towards the forty-third President of the United States.


• Mazoon Mobile may ink with Oman Mobile as a reseller for mobile services in the Sultanate beside Renna and FRiENDi. Now who will ink with Nawras? Both Injaz International, and Kalam Telecommunications (No sign of their brand yet)? or one of them? or none of them?

• AGCC summit to discuss five-year cap on unskilled expatriate employees in the Gulf.
• Help for overseas Indians just a free phone call away soon via toll free number. (When will Oman or an Arab country do the same?)
• Four emirates commit to 2009 Earth Hour (When will Oman join?)

Are you a fan of Noor?

Seriously, are you Noor and Mohannad’s fan? If so you came at the right place. (Please note, I am not a fan of Noor TV series.)

Prove your self that are a fan of Noor TV series by participating to Noor competition via SMS and win a trip to meet The actor and actress who played Muhannad and Noor, in addition to that you will receive a DVD collection of the whole episodes of Noor TV series with the autograph of the casts.

Who will gain?
MBC, telecoms (STC, Zain, Mobily, Etisalat, Zain, Wataniya, Oman Mobile, Nawras, Qtel, MTN, Sabafon, Mauritel, Mattel, Zain Iraq, Asiacell, Orange, MTN and Syriatel), and ads.

Who will loose?
The disappointed participants who will pay allot of money for over 10 SMS per day until the winner is been announced.

The outcomes:

• Disappointments.
• Strikes in the household.
• Higher number of divorces.

Overcoming unemployment barrier

Young graduate Egyptians started to overcome the unemployment barrier by taking care of elderly people as a new career in Egypt. I found this gesture, is good for them as persons and sociality too. It makes them more aware of human rights and family bonds.

Bits and Bytes

• Sharjah launches project to provide every Emirati family with a library.
• Tunisian Doctor says 'The Eastern Dancing is a meditation for depression for Arab women.'
• Oman Mobile signs pacts with Renna (branding name of Majan Telecom), FRiENDi two mobile resellers in ME.

• Dubai International Film Festival 2008 will be held December 11-18, 2008.
• Techie’s holiday plan.

FaceBook blocked via mobile access

I am trying to access facebook via my mobile but its blocked by Omantel. Its unusual & I'm a Nawras not OmanMobile (Omantel sister) customer.

Does anyone facing the same problem or its just my mobile phone?!

No more half sleeve shirts for Men in Egypt

Mohammed Abu Zaied, a lecturer in Al-Azhar university, had given a lecture to men to stop wearing half sleeve shirts and T-shirts as well as short thawb or thobe/ dishdasha/ kandura/ khameez (an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe), opened buttoned shirts and fitted pants/ trousers; because it attracts and rouses female’s sexual emotions. He also advised people to wear socks when they wear short thawbs. Read more from Arabic newpaper.

Bits and Bytes

• On 26 October 2008, at 5 pm KSA i.e. 1 pm GMT, MBC.net has lunched it’s latest free air channel known as ‘MBC MAX’. I don’t know what’s the difference between this channel and MBC 2.
• Lebanon's First National Bank (FNB) has introduced new product for fertilization to those can’t conceive normally. It’s the first bank in Middle East to launch such humanitarian product.
• PCCW - Awaser Oman Consortium was awarded the second fixed-line license tender by Oman’s Telecoms Regulatory Authority (TRA) and now it's coming to an end of monopoly for the majority state-owned Omantel is the sole fixed line service provider in Oman. Pacific Century Cyber Works (PCCW), an Hong Kong-based telecom company had joined in hand with a Omani partner (a joint venture) and won the tender. It seemed Nawras, the 2nd mobile company had bided for the second fixed-line license tender and lost.

Blogger is blocked by Omantel

For the first time in my life I see the Oman Community Blogger.com are fuming with anger that they are been deprived from their rights of accessing their blogs via Blogger.com. The other blog publishing tools websites are working perfectly.

My fellow bloggers say that there are been blocked from accessing via Omantel ISP to Google child sites beside Blogger.com such as Gmail, they also been suffering from resections from accessing Google it self.

Is Omantel high-tech monitoring application gone crazy and got infected with virus or worms and Trojan horses?

Best wishes with Omantel and TRA.

Read the related posts:
Blogger Blocked,
Suck This Omantel
Blogger.com blocked in Oman?

Taxi of life

Yesterday while my sister and I driving back home, we past an internet café which in the neighbourhood we live, she said:

“Subhana Allah (Praise to Allah or God in Arabic language), we used to come here (the internet café) to use the net and now we have 3G.”

Then she continued saying,

“We must not forget from where we were.”

Her phase simulated my mind and I recalled the times I used several internet cafés for one year and a half because we didn’t have a fixed phone line at our resident (and still don‘t have), after Gonu incident, I subscribed to the 2nd mobile company Nawras in the country for internet facility and after 6 months upgraded to the 3G+ facility with the same company.

I realized that we all ride taxi of life and got through different stops/station of life and see as well as hear too many things, which never keep record to track nor try to remember to learn or to pass the experience to others, as we are too obsessed with materialistic.

The topic name ‘Taxi life’ has been derived from a book in Arabic titled “Taxi, tales of rides” by first-time author Khalid Al Khamissy.

Without a title

Now I've decided to just type my thoughts & not to have a any title for the topic I have, let's see how the whole article will end up. It may not or it won't be organized & the topics won't be inter-linked.


Nawras 3G+
It has been finally launched in Oman & OmanMobile is still behind Nawras in service & technology.


45% increase in Government's salary
A chain of forwaded SMS been send in most of the Oman's cell phones about the Royal Decree of increasing 45% of the salary in the government sector which was after all a prank message, will the ROP able to track down the source?


Late night calls
I have a concept of not calling people after 9pm as it's the time people either go to sleep, watch TV or have quality time with thier family. Despite been oddly awake after 9:30 pm, I picked up the phone call at 11pm, its wasn't an importent phone call & the caller should have waited until the following morning to give me the message. I thought it was an importent phone call life & death kind of call.

Soft launch of 3.5G service from Nawras

Nawras who have recently won Middle East Mobile Operator of the year and prestigious Middle East Business Achievement Award for CSR, have soft launched of 3.5G service in Oman, and its expending the network at the same time to reach.

As per my experiance with the 3.5G service has been great, its prity fast.

Read more articles by my fellow bloggers what they say about the 3.5G:
Sleepless In Muscat
Advisor:Esam Helmy
Kishor Cariappa
TI3GIB