Ruslan's Gadget Corner

What the winter taught the shop

The electricity is better since last week, four hours on, two off. I counted what we sold in the dark months. Candles were not on the list, but they sold. Battery packs were sold out three times. Chargers for the car, same. Radios with a handle that you turn, two hundred of them, to a customer who said: "I would like to hear the news without asking the socket."

The thing I did not expect: people came to the shop to stand. The shop had a generator. We let them charge a phone for free for ten minutes, and they stood by the counter, talking about the dam, the prices, the cousins. It was the warmest place on the avenue. The boss said: "You see, a shop is not a counter, it is a room." I wrote it on my hand.

Charging your phone without electricity

Many people come to the shop now asking how to keep the phone alive with the power limits. My advice:

• Turn off Bluetooth. Nobody is sending you anything.


• Bring the charger to work, school, the internet club, anywhere with a generator.


• Car chargers work. If you have a car. If you have petrol.


• We sell battery packs now. Not the cheap Chinese ones, they swell up.

Stay warm everybody.

Your battery dies faster at minus fifteen

Winter is here and the phone dies in the pocket on the bus. It is not broken. The cold slows the chemistry in the battery, and the screen goes dark when you try to call. Then you put it in your hand for a minute and it comes back.

Tips from the counter:

• Keep the phone in the inner pocket, near the body, not in the coat.
• Do not charge it when it is freezing. Bring it inside for twenty minutes first.
• A spare battery is the best present for a husband who works outside.

The shop is cold too. Today the customer and I both wore gloves and he typed his number with a pen.

The ten questions I hear every day

The counter at five p.m. The man in the blue jacket has been standing there for twenty minutes, deciding.

A short list, with answers, so that you can skip the queue:

1. "Which phone is the best?" The one in your pocket.
2. "Is it original?" Yes.
3. "Can you put music on it?" Yes, bring a card.
4. "Can you unlock it?" Not in the shop. Ask a man at the bazaar. Do not ask me which.
5. "My daughter dropped it in tea." Dry it, no rice, take out the battery, bring it Monday.
6. "Do you take old phones in exchange?" Yes, they pay almost nothing and I will not lie to you about it.
7. "How long does the battery last?" Two days, unless there are children.
8. "What is Bluetooth?" A small radio with big plans.
9. "Why can't I call Almaty?" It's the line, not you.
10. "Can you teach me to send an SMS?" Yes. Every day, to every grandmother, with patience.

ADSL at home: one month

I got ADSL at home from Attelkom! One month report:

• Speed: in the morning very fast. In the evening when everybody comes home, like dial-up with ambitions.


• No more modem noise at night, my mother is very happy.


• I can download a 4 MB music clip in two minutes. TWO MINUTES.

Verdict: 9/10. Minus 1 for the evening.