peter's blog

When the "new" EQO was launched in May of '07, the only way to purchase more credits for international calling and messaging was via a Verified PayPal account. And, while PayPal is a safe, secure way to make online payments it is not yet available to everyone in every locale on the globe. There are now several ways that you can purchase EQO credits.

We at EQO realized that a long time ago, and we have worked hard to bring in more payment partners. Now, along with PayPal and Moneybookers, payments to EQO can be made with Visa and MasterCard.

Stayed tuned because we are sure to add some more payment options in the near future.

Peter
EQO Customer Support

EQO Traveler is here.

Now when you roam with EQO you can use Travel Mode, so that all of your EQO calls will use your inbound roaming minutes instead of outbound roaming minutes. You can also enter the number of a local prepaid SIM card in Travel Mode so that your calls will be routed and charged to that number. Still confused? Check out this super helpful Travel Mode how-to video—Episode III Revenge of the Chris, the 4^th and final video in our 6 part saga.

Although I know that you don’t need any convincing, there are several reasons to watch this clip. This is the first EQO video to be filmed on Bryan’s fancy new HD video camera (so if you are a friend or family member of Bryan’s or the dude who sold him the camera, you might enjoy this). Also, this is Chris’ final performance for EQO (you’ll either be saying “phew, thank God” or “Why Chris? Why? Say it ain’t so!”). And finally, this is amateur film-making at its worst (which is always good for a few chuckles).

Ever since we launched the "new" EQO, back in May, the purchase of EQO credits has been limited to EQO users with "Verified" PayPal accounts. We have received a few requests for alternative payment options. The EQO community has spoken and we have listened. Today we are pleased to announce that EQO users can now also purchase EQO credits with a Moneybookers' account.

Please let me know what other payment options you would like to see in the future!

Peter
EQO Customer Support

Usually our Beta tester of the month does something spectacular for us. For example, it really helps when our users test out EQO on phones that we don't have access to, or when they test out a new feature before it is released to the public. It also helps us when our users find bugs or suggest product enhancements. Constructive feedback is always welcome because it serves to make our product better--something that everyone here at EQO appreciates.

November's Beta Tester of the Month could be termed spectacular based solely on the sheer volume of email that he sent me. Sutha Kamal inundated two of my email inboxes and our support system with questions, suggestions, and a collection of comments, which could be referred to as "tips". Don't get me wrong now, Sutha wasn't just spamming us, he was asking some really good questions. And for that, Sutha has been awarded EQO’s Beta Tester of the Month award for November.

Sutha's inquisitive and thorough nature makes him an ideal candidate for our QA team...but since all of those positions are already ably filled, I offered Sutha the chance to become our very first official "EQO Champ" (and I wasn't surprised that he accepted the prestigious honour). EQO Champs will get the first crack at new EQO features, they will get their opinions heard directly by our elite Product team (more elite than the Red Berets), and they will even have the opportunity to chat with Bill Tam, our CEO. Anyone who would like to join Sutha as an EQO Champ, please contact Chris, our Customer Evangelist and EQO Champ coordinator, at chris@eqo.com.

Once again, congratulations Sutha!

Peter
EQO Customer Support

A few weeks ago, at the Symbian Smartphone Show in London, our CEO, Bill Tam, spoke with bnet.TV about the upcoming Symbian version of EQO. Check out Bill's interview with Nicole Scott here.

Peter
EQO Customer Support

One of the coolest things about mobile phones these days is their ability to access the Internet from pretty much anywhere in the world (well, not in a submarine or in the Chunnel or even in my basement for that matter--but you get the idea). This means that I have access to all of the super vital information that I need to survive while I am in the mall or stuck in traffic or at the pub--like "What is the LD50 of vitamin C in humans?" or "Did Gilligan ever get off of that island?" or "Is Simon Gagne concussed or not?" or "Is 1/0 really infinity"?

The fact that I can get the answers to all this stuff on my phone blows my mind; however, the fact that most mobile browsers tend to explode in my face or melt in my hands or just plain freeze up whenever I access any of the websites that I normally frequent on my desktop really takes the fun out of mobile research.

That is why I have been so happy ever since I got my hands on a giant list of mobile websites. Mobile websites are basically no frills versions of their flashier desktop cousins. This means that they load really quickly, use very little data, and are altogether totally awesome.

One of our Windows Mobile Beta testers, Don (KE4QPF), has been compiling a list of his favourite sites for his Motorola i930. I am ever so thankful to Don, not only for his testing of EQO, but also for his giant list! You can get a hold of this giant list of mobile internet bookmarks directly from his personal website or, with some added instruction and discussion, from his post on HowardForums. Check it out, put it on your Window Mobile device, and browse the mobile web with impunity!

Peter
EQO Customer Support

I am pleased to announce that Bruce Berger has been awarded the Beta tester of the month award for September!

When Bruce tried to start EQO on his brand new Motorola V3xx phone, he was repeatedly prompted for permission to connect to the Internet. These annoying prompts made EQO unusable on his phone. As it turns out, AT&T has added this “security” feature to the V3xx (similar to how they messed around with the Nokia E62) to prevent “untrusted” software from damaging your phone. The only way around this problem is to modify the registry files in your phone. So, following the instructions listed in a post on Howard forums, Bruce managed to get rid of those irritating “security” prompts and use EQO on his new phone. Congratulations Bruce.

For his courage, diligence, and sense of adventure, Bruce will be the first to receive a brand spanking new EQO toque (just in time for winter in the Northern hemisphere)! Watch out for snowballs Bruce...

Cheers,

Peter
EQO Customer Support

I am excited to announce that EQO has released a Windows Mobile Beta application!

Take EQO for a test drive on your Windows Mobile device today. If you are new to EQO, when you create an account and select a Windows Mobile phone you will receive some additional bonus credits for testing the Beta version. Please use them up and let me know what you think of the product! Your feedback will help us to improve.

All Windows Mobile 2003 OS and above Smartphone/non-touchscreen/Standard and Pocket PC/touchscreen/Professional devices are supported by this new release.

Peter
EQO Customer Support

Everyday I get email from people asking me when EQO is going to work on the iPhone. And, although we don’t have a version of EQO that is iPhone compatible yet, we are not standing idly by. We now have three iPhones here at EQO HQ; One successfully unlocked (props to Mike, EQO’s resident Web Wizard, for doing this a few weeks ago), one unmodified (essentially useless here in Canada), and one bricked (essentially useless everywhere).

Speaking of bricked iPhones (maybe we can get in on the antitrust lawsuit against Apple...), I believe that Apple made a huge mistake by locking down their phone in the first place. If they didn’t have a ridiculously exclusive deal with AT&T, their biggest problem would be figuring out how to manufacture enough phones to meet world demand. Total domination of the wireless market would ensue, followed by the unleashing of Apple’s own wireless network, and then the eventual take over the FCC, the BBC, the WWF, the WWE, and the UN—with Steve Jobs being anointed Secretary General of the known Universe.

Sorry, I got a little carried away. Where was I? Oh yeah, we are not standing idly by...we are thinking about how to implement EQO on the iPhone and I, myself, am confident that we will come up with a pretty good solution for the world's hottest new phone. Watch this space.

Peter
EQO Customer Support

Although it certainly isn't the iPhone, at the very least the Nokia N81 "sort of looks like it" (according to a myopic friend). As it turns out, the phone is actually pretty sweet; You can listen to music on it, you can play cool games on it, and, best of all, now you can use EQO on it!

We have also added a few other phones to our supported phone list: Nokia 5310, 5610, 6555, 7500 Prism, 7900 Prism, E51, and Sony Ericsson K770.

Thanks to our friends at Nokia for loaning us a bunch of these phones. It is much easier to add phones to our supported list if we actually get to test them out ourselves. I wish more phone manufacturers were this helpful!

Peter
EQO Customer Support