Today I finally felt ready to develop The Opinionated African blog's cover and add a page on technology. I will try to update the page as often as possible. I hope not to disappoint you my readers by presenting each article from a laymen African perspective.
The page will consist of thenology deemed good/bad for Africans living in Africa. I hope you bear with me and help where possible.
Here's my first techno themed post.
I'm sure many of you are by now aware of the #tag fees must fall movement current going on in my part of the world (South Africa). Unfortunately the is another one geared not towards Deans and universities but to our beloved but most the time frustrating network carriers. We call it #dataMUSTfall.
While many are busy calling for this we have been on the look out for an android phone application that will at least for now help us cope with high data prices by monitoring the Android O.S's data consumption rate.
This article points out two of those applications and aims to explore at least one of them. Namely Data Eye from some world. And the much advertised Opera Max from the very skilled developers of the well received browser called Opera Mini.
As hinted above I will, at least for this article, tell you about Opera max when pitted against Data Eye.
Need:Opera mini browser, latest version. Adds blocked
Opera Max app
Data Eye app
A website of your choosing. I used Fashion Bloggers for this test.
AVG antivirus app with its data counter refreshed.
All apps except Opera Mini must be blocked
Restrict background data usage
Run Opera Max and block all apps but Opera mini browser must remain running and connect. Do the same in Data Eye.
After doing all the above and connecting to Fashion Bloggers for 2minutes on each data monitoring app. This is what I got.
>119kb in one click on data eye an opera mini
>238 in one click on opera mini with opera max
5 adverts each
1 minute time
>Opera max had all apps on mobile saving no app was blocked.
Max seems to have the ability to save data right on running apps
Data eye focuses on blocking apps to save data.
>The problem with Opera Max is that to really see data savings on it you ought to have your YouTube app turned on. Data will indeed go on slow motion. Meaning you will enjoy YouTube longer than when with Opera max.
>Data eye lacks the ability to save data while apps are on the run (unlike Max) but it does put to question the need to have Max turned on when Data eye saves two times the data running just a single internet connected application.
Pointers to be noted when using opera max
1.Opera Max confused me a bit (which is how and how I discovered Data Eye). It is advisable to read the "how to" manual first and go on to use it. Otherwise you hate it for no good reason.
2. The top panel lets you see foreground saving, background saving and last and most important of all total savings. WiFi saving tab is also included but why would you save on WiFi besides your battery.
3.The above 4 named tabs help you navigate your max panel easily but their icon (two top left squares superimposing each other) serves the same purpose.
3.Below these two is the help tap telling how to save data on Opera Max application management tab.
4. Is the management tap itself. It is easy if you read manuals but is a turn off and useless if you do not read manuals.
The management tab has got its left and its right side.
The left side houses apps that are currently running and therefore enjoying data saving on the run.
The right side of the panel houses the apps that will be blocked from using data. Tap the top right little squares to determine whether you want to save back ground data behaviour, foreground data behaviour or total data behaviour.
5. To determine which of your android phone applications you want to block.
6.The reason I used Opera Max was to save data. To see how much data Opera Max managed to save you: reason why I used Opera Max was to save data on my android phone. To see how much data Opera max really saved for you just close the app. When you open it again you will be presented with your Max's data savings statistics.
The statistics presented are for the day, the month and for all time.
The two tabs (green and blue) are for data for the period in question(blue) and that period's saved data (green)
Taping the blue icon will show you both background and foreground data consumption.
In my use of my android phone, I noted that Max showed that much of my data was used on app background operations. These operations took 30 to 50 percent more of my data.
In other words, while I went online to research on thing, my phone used just as much to do things I know not. Are they spying on me?
.Opera Max is Opera browser development team's answer to the Android OS's hunger for data. It offers Android users a way to compress data and offer VPN level connection that protects internet connections. This however, is the app's greatest turn of becausee it can not compress data from twitter mobile app since it is already protected, regardless of how bulky it is.
The upside of Data Eye is that it simple. I hope to write more on it in future. What I find pressing for now however, is that the app has a whole panel dedicated to bombarding you with adverts termed as offers using your very own data. Luckily my network carrier does not take part in this ad space otherwise I'd be in trouble. Also, unlike Opera Max, Data Eye does not save data on YouTube so it sucks on that too.
Overall Data Eye and Opera Max are good. One more point to of note is that Data Eye is frank about its abilities and failures. I expected more abilities from Opera though.
Opera Max is a good app but its main marketing point-saving data-is questionable.
I hope they improve it a little and maybe we will once again be vindicated against network carriers and their milking us off our money using data charges.
#thinkUnchained.
Life is hard but it sure is worth living.
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