Binary Elysium

I’m writing this post from my G1 (thanks to the PostBot wordpress application) in Cairo, Egypt using Vodafone Egypt’s 3G service.

Before coming over I was told (by T-mobile) that my phone absolutely would not work, because the G1 only works with the “google network” that T-Mobile has exclusive access to. Without this “google network”, I was told, my phone wouldn’t turn on and was essentially a paper weight (exact words). Yeah right.

I convinced the customer service representative to give me my unlock code (which you are entitled to after 90 days of service), and told her I didn’t want the outrageous international plan (15$/megabyte). Note: it takes 1 or 2 days for the unlock code request to be processed and emailed to you.

Getting my G1 working in Egypt was quite simple. I bought a prepaid sim card from one of the Vodafone shops you’ll find on every street (literally) for 45 L.E. (approx. $6) and a 100 L.E. (approx $17) card for 100 minutes.

After putting the simcard in and powering up the phone, I was greeted with an unlock dialog into which I entered the T-Mobile unlock code. Poof! Instant cellular access. 3G service was slightly more complicated. You have to add a new APN in the mobile network settings.

Instructions for adding the Vodafone Egypt APN

1. Open Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names
2. Click Menu > Add APN
3. Enter the following information
   Name: Vodafone Internet
   APN: internet.vodafone.net
   User: internet
   Pass: internet
   APN type: default
4. Leave every other field at the default setting
5. Reboot the phone
6. Enjoy 3G service

My hands are cramping from writing this post on the tiny keyboard. Pardon any spelling/grammar mistakes. My hands are done.

I got a G1 today.

That deserves a post unto itself, but I wanted to share a solution an annoying issue regarding switching from Verizon to T-Mobile. Before I got the G1 I had a LG-VX9800 (yes, ancient, I know) with around 200 contacts. Obviously one of the first things I wanted to do when I got my G1 was transfer all my contacts from the LG to the G1. There are several ways to do this

1. Go to a Verizon store and pay $10 for data backup
2. Buy a USB Cable for the LG-VX9800, and use bitpim
3. Manually copy (type) your contacts into the G1/Gmail
4. Use my method

There was no way I was going to pay $10 for what should be a simple “Export,” so #1 was crossed out. I’m impatient and didn’t want to wait for a cable to be delivered and neither did I want to pay the money for one. There goes #2. I didn’t even consider #3; I just listed it for completeness sake.

That leaves my somewhat difficult and unreliable method. Basically, what I do is use Verizon’s “Backup Assistant” tool to send my contacts to Verizon’s website. Then I save the source of the “Print Contacts” page – because there is no export feature. With a little ruby I parse the file into Gmail’s CSV format and import the file via the Gmail contacts page.

Here’s a quick howto.

• On your Verizon phone go to “Get Going -> Get a New App -> Backup Assistant” and install it for $1.50 a month.
• Follow the prompts and backup your contacts.
• Go to the Verizon backup website and sign in.
• View your contacts and click the “Print Contacts” link. Save the source of this page to a file
• Download this script and run it against the saved html file. Save the output in “contacts.csv”
• Go to the Contacts page in Gmail and select Import, and upload “contacts.csv” Note: I suggest using the “add these imported contacts to” a new group feature. Because you will likely have to merge and cleanup the imported contacts.
• Import and Enjoy

IMPORTANT: My script only grabs the following information from the Verizon contact list: Name, Email, Work Phone, Mobile Phone, and Home Phone.