If you’ve been using 3 Mi-Fi for a little (which I have), you may have come to really like it. It’s generally very fast, and is so convenient for train journeys and travelling. However, there are a few drawbacks such as no web admin and a stupid wi-fi sleep time.

I’ve found a firmware update for the device which is by a Japanese mobile operator. It works on the device perfectly and is in English. It adds a few new features such as:

• Web admin – you can access all the device settings wherever you are by going to http://192.168.1.1 on the device. Very handy! It also has a battery meter and signal strength meter on this.
• Adjustable wi-fi sleep – you no longer have to wake up the wi-fi after 10 minutes idle. With this new firmware, you can lengthen the sleep time or turn it off altogether.
• The (M) light on the device stays on permanently, letting you know whether your data connection is active or not.

It’s a very handy update that is well worth installing. However, please read the following: You do this firmware update at your own risk. GEEK! will not be responsible for any damage to your device or it’s functionality. This is ONLY for the Huawei E5830.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Download this firmware update. It’s 30MB and comes direct from the Japanese operator. Don’t worry, all the files are in English. I seem to find this server is pretty slow, so get a coffee while it’s downloading.
2. When it’s done, power down and disconnect your 3 Mi-Fi device from USB. Hold down the internet access button on the device followed by the power button, together, for at least 5 seconds. You will see the signal light and battery indicator come on and they should stay on. Once you’ve got the lights, remove the battery.
3. Replace the battery, reconnect the device to your system and then run the file you downloaded.
4. The setup file will detect your device. It asks you to remove the SIM from the device, but I didn’t and don’t think you need to. Once you’re happy and the system is ready, start the updating.
5. It will take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to install. During the install process, do not remove your device from the USB connection or turn it off – you will brick the device if you do.
6. Once it’s finished copying, the device will reboot and the setup file will confirm the successful installation. None of your settings should have been lost and you should be able to connect right away.

Now you’re done. The “3 Wifi Manager” will still work with your device but for most settings I would now use the web admin (http://192.168.1.2 – the default user and password is admin – the device will ask you to change this when logged in).

Enjoy the new firmware.

If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ll know that I recently ordered the 3 Mi-Fi Pay as you Go. Well, today it has arrived! And here’s my review…

First of all, it’s very light. No heavier than my mobile phone (Nokia 3120 Classic). It’s a tiny bit longer than a credit card but not as wide. Very small.

On the device, there are 3 switches. The first one powers the device, the second turns wi-fi on/off and the third turns data on/off. I’m not going to go into tonnes of detail – if you aren’t sure how to use on call 3 or browse the web – there are tonnes of guides. GEEK! tells you the thing you won’t see on other sites.

Here are some important things you may want to know:

• The SIM on the £49.99 single PAYG Mi-Fi comes with £1 credit on it. This isn’t much, but it gives you enough to kick you off. I’m not sure how much data that actually is but I’ve browsed quite a few sites on it without topping it up and I still have £1 on it.
• How it charges is a little odd. When you’ve got it plugged into a PC, you can turn it on and it will still charge – even put wi-fi on, but as soon as you switch data on it will stop charging. It continues to power itself by USB but will not charge when data is active.
• You have to use My3 to check your balance online. According to 3, I can still do this from my Mi-Fi connection even when my credit is out but haven’t tested it as yet. I will confirm when I can.
• The microSD slot on the device only shows up on USB. It is not shared over wi-fi.

Those are some facts you may want to know. If there’s anything else you’d live to know, email me.

Overall, I’m really happy. It works very well and is so convenient. It might be quite expensive in terms of bandwidth, but prices will decrease with time.

If you need mobile interet on your devices easily, this is what you need.

Just a quick heads up to everyone who is concerned – the iTunes Store has collapsed and will not load globally as far as I’m aware.

According to forum results, the store has been offline for some time but Apple (as yet) has not issued any statement regarding the issue.

I suspect Mr Jobs is more concerned about the fortune he’s loosing in digital sales!

Update 5.29pm GMT: I can now access the iTunes Store again from here in the UK.

3 to join Vodafone? I hope not…

I am outraged at this news story I’ve just read on the internet. It claims that Vodafone are looking to do a merger with 3 after Orange’s merger with T-Mobile has been approved with the EU.

If that happens, I will be the first person to leave 3! Vodafone suck – full stop.

The whole reason I went to 3 in the first place was because Vodafone and Orange had rubbish network coverage – especially in terms of 3G. 3 has fantastic network coverage across the UK and that’s what makes it great.

If the filth that is Vodafone takes over 3 in the UK, 3 will go downhill horribly quickly. 3 is great as it is – keep it that way! Super cheap calls and texts, fantastic mobile broadband, great coverage – 3 has it all.

Will the senior people at 3 UK please think very carefully if a merger is offered with Vodafone – it could be a big mistake!

Chrome is sailing on merrily, but other browsers are slowly starting to sink.

The normal trend is just about carrying on this month, with a few minor differences. Percentages with thanks to HitsLink.

Internet Explorer and Firefox continue to loose market share this month – IE is now down to 61.58% and Firefox is down to 24.23%.

Chrome continues to grow with it’s market share percentage up to 5.61%. Whereas Safari managed to loose a bit of market share this month (which does happen now and then) – it now stands at 4.45%.

Opera’s users are slowly trickling away, with it’s market share now at 2.35%. However, Opera Mini (the mobile edition) continues to gain market share with it’s market share now up to 0.64%.

That’s your outlook for this month.

Yeah right – as if this is legit!

Nice try, jerk! It goes without saying, don’t open emails with zipped attachments unless you’re absolutely sure what’s in it and who it is from. Opening this one would have got me a trojan.

At the end of November 2009, I wrote a blog post about how public internet hotspots (commonly known as wi-fi hotspots) may be coming to a premature end thanks to the government.

Four months on, and it doesn’t look like circumstances have improved. According to ISPReview, the government is still hinting that hotspot owners will be responsible for what their customers do on the internet. This could be disastrous for many public buildings – such as pubs, restaurants, train stations and shops. It may put them out of business if they are judged as guilty for something unlawful that their customers have done online.

If the new laws do go ahead, you may find that most wi-fi hotspots are shutting down. It is far too much of a risk for hotspot owners – a couple of illegal MP3 downloads and they could be out of business.

So if I were you, I’d look your last at the free wi-fi you have at your local pub. In a matter of months, it could disappear.

Microsoft have posted on their blog some important dates for Windows users. If you are using Windows XP Serivce Pack 2, Windows 2000 (all versions) or Windows Vista RTM (ie with no service packs) – this affects you.

• On April 13th 2010, Windows Vista RTM will loose support. To continue support, you’ll need to (at the very least) download Service Pack 1. You’ll be better off if you download Service Pack 2 as well.
• On July 13th 2010, all versions of Windows 2000 will loose support. You must upgrade to a newer version of Windows (ie Windows 7) to regain support. Windows XP Service Pack 2 will also loose support on this date. You must upgrade to Service Pack 3 to regain support, but bear in mind that support for SP3 will end soon.]

That should tell you all that you need to know. If you need to get your hands on Service Packs, check Windows Update.

Avoid the expensive 0871 number

I love JustHost (it’s a referral link I know – if you join I’ll get a little cash for it. I have to make a bit of money for the site! Thanks very much if you do sign up – it’s no extra cost to you)- it’s perfect. I’ve been hosting GEEK! on it for about 6 months now and it has never let me down – not once.

Anyhow, there is one thing that annoys me. The United States gets free telephone support but us Brits don’t. Seems a little silly to me, but there is a way round it.

Instead of dialing the expensive 0871 number, get Skype and call the freephone American number on +1 888 755 7585. Since it is a freephone number, you don’t need any Skype credit for it. You’ll get through to exactly the same people, but it’ll save you a bit of money (especially as they usually take 10 minutes to answer the phone).

Your days are numbered, Internet Explorer.

I was just checking my Windows Update screen when a certain update appeared as available.

The update cannot be removed once installed.

I installed the update and nothing seemed to change. Tried opening IE, but it just opened as normal. It may be that IE isn’t my default browser (Chrome took that place months back) so it may not affect me anyway.

So if you’re checking out Windows Update, be sure to download that if you’re running IE as you’re default browser.