FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 080 (28/10/97)

INDIA ON LINE?

Early next year I am due to spend three months in South India. I have a laptop, a fast modem and an MSN connection in UK. I would like to be able to access my e-mail and the web but MSN have no local  dial-up access there. Can you advise me if any UK ISP has local dial-up  facilities in India? I would have to use a mobile phone to do this. That means I would have to buy a model that is useable in both UK and India. Any suggestions?

David May

A

Taking the last point first, you can forget any ideas about using a UK mobile phone for internet access in India during the time you will be there. A number of GSM digital cellphone networks are operating on the sub-continent, but they are confined to the larger cities. The only roaming agreement at present is between Cellnet and Airtel in Delhi, and that’s due to become operational later this year. Vodaphone say they also have plans to sign a roaming agreement with a network in Delhi, but it won’t come on stream until the second quarter of 1998, at the earliest. Both companies say data facilities are unlikely to be available, in the early days at least.

None of the UK internet service providers we’ve spoken to have points of presence (POPs) in India, though BT, in partnership with MCI and Microsoft operate a multinational business  network called Concert. India is connected, and according to the latest information we have, there are POPs in the South of the country. You can find out more from BT customer services by dialling 150, or check the Concert web sites on: http://www.concert.com/english/reach/locate.htm

The main public internet service provider in India is VSNL (Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd), they have points of presence in all major cities. It might be an idea to set up a local account with them for the duration of your visit. You find out more from: http://www.vsnl.net.in/

MAIL BINDING

It may be a simple question, but how long do e-mails take to arrive at their destination?

Peter Duerden

A

Unfortunately there is no simple answer. The vast majority of e-mails arrive at the recipients mailbox within a few minutes of being sent, but it is not unheard of for messages to take hours or even days to get to get to where they are going. Even when it gets there an e-mail will remain unread, until the recipient accesses their mailbox. Hold-ups in transit can and do occur. They’re mostly caused by breakdowns, congestion on the net, and how busy the servers are at each end of the connection.   

THE PHRASE THAT PAYS

Could you please offer me some advice on where I can get a good hand held language translator with a comprehensive dictionary (English - Spanish).

Lynda Mitchell

A

Try your local Argos showroom, they have a small selection of models costing from £20 to £40. The Zeon Berlitz is one of the best-equipped. It has a 7,000 word and 146 phrase Spanish database, and costs £39.50. However, be warned that trying to conduct a sensible conversation, whilst tapping away at a tiny keyboard, can be quite difficult. For once the low-tech solution -- a phrase book --  is much easier and quicker to use. You can hand a book over to whoever you’re talking to, for assistance, without having to teach them which buttons to press. Books are relatively cheap, they don’t go wrong and they don’t need batteries.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

I am new to internet use and wonder if you can recommend a quick method of tracing a business,  when only the company name is known but not the web site address?

R. I. Smith

A

The starting point to finding anything on the net is one of the many ‘search engines’. There’s a well-maintained site with links to all of the main ones, along with a short summary of their strengths and weaknesses at: http://www.agt.net/public/minerdb/search.htm

There’s a bit of knack to finding exactly what you want, without having to wade through hundreds of irrelevant site listings. First choose the most appropriate search engine and if possible narrow the search criteria. If you’re only interested in UK-based companies there’s no point searching the entire world-wide web. Carefully choose and prioritise the keywords, and avoid using vague or general words like ‘computer’, for example, which will elicit a huge response.

PORTABLE PROCESSOR

I am looking for some cheap, lightweight word processing capacity on the move. I don't need any bells and whistles (multimedia, internet, 10 gazillion byte hard disc etc.). All it needs to have is a decent keyboard and be able to read floppy discs containing work in progress from my home or office PC machines using WordPerfect.  Sounds easy... Any ideas?

Harry Shapiro

A

The Sharp FW 560 word processor meets all of your requirements, it has a built-in printer and it currently sells for £248. However, don’t entirely give up on the idea of a laptop PC. You can pick up moderately well-equipped 486 models for less than £500 and you’ll be able to run Word Perfect, rather than having to convert between file formats. You say you do not need internet access but if you are going to be spending time away from your home or the office, a PC and modem will enable you to send and receive e-mail, files and faxes.