The gaff - 1st February 2019
on: 01/02/2019 | 18:00 - edited: 03/02/2019 | 19:10
The gaff banner by: brulaw
1st February 2019/Issue #303
giffgaff Happenings
by bluemoonbaz
'Product Development' from giffgaff
This is a new approach from giffgaff to product development, we will all have the opportunity to talk about projects directly with the teams who are working on them. Is there something that you would like to contribute to? Then head over here and read more about it from @themiguel.
Upcycle your old items
With the war on waste and the push to start recycling, @cass905 has been running a fantastic thread for giffgaffers. Have any of you ever upcycled your old items into something new? Post your ideas/creations right here and let's get innovative with our old items.
Resurrect the helpers quizzes & integrate them into the new platform
Our member @revjonty would like the approved helpers scheme brought back to life and updated and points out that although it did have its faults, it was a good way to educate prospective helpers. It was a fun way to learn the answers to a lot of the most commonly asked questions, and how to offer the best quality advice. It was far more accessible than simply trying to learn the entire contents of the knowledge base. What are your thoughts? Would you like this to be up and running on our new platform? Read more about it here.
Blog Highlights
by jammydodge
How Roam Like at Home improved our holiday experience
When Roam Like at Home was introduced over a year ago, it brought to an end the headache of switching off roaming and keeping our data settings firmly off. Now, thanks to this new regulation over 47 European countries allow us to use our phones just like we would at home. Why not take the time to learn the top five benefits for most people by checking out this detailed blog by @hellen_b.
How to sell your unwanted Xmas gifts for maximum cash
Do you find every Christmas you receive far too many gifts than you need? If so, then you should consider selling them rather than storing them away in a present drawer. Join @abdulf as he guides you through some nifty online and offline techniques for securing the most money for excess presents. Pop over to the blog now.
How to securely wipe your phone before you sell it
Thinking of selling your phone for some extra cash? For a plethora of reasons, many of us miss out the crucial step before handing over our old phone, wiping them successfully. We don't want strangers getting their hands on all the private data you kept stored on your phone, so @wsjudd has prepared a comprehensive guide for securely resetting both your iOS and Android smartphones. Why not give it a read.
Tech Developments
by revilo10
EU Plans to ban Huawei technology from 5G Infrastructure
Following my recent coverage of Chinese phone companies, how they are coming to dominate our modern tech industry, I saw a few news outlets reporting on some plans that the European Union is drawing up surrounding 5G networks (although we are due to leave the EU, this will likely still have some effect on us, due to the way European networking is set up). So, I thought it best to pass it forwards on to you.
First of all, what is 5G? Well, it is the fifth generation of the world's mobile networks (Used to make calls, send texts and access the internet via your data), which, with each generation (by definition) should be faster, more responsive and have better capabilities generally. Obviously, most modern phones can reach up to 4G, which was launched in around 2012/2013 in the UK. The government plans to introduce 5G across the UK near the end of this year, and possibly into next year (It means updating and upgrading the network up and down the country.
So what's all this about the EU stopping Huawei's technology from being used as part of the EU's future 5G infrastructure? Well, you may have noticed recently, anti-Chinese sentiment, as far as mobile technology is concerned, has been on a high. Since the arrest of Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada, relations between the West and China generally have broken down, especially with the U.S and China's trade war. Chinese brands are seen as somewhat as a threat to western economies, and apparently are using questionable techniques to push themselves forwards (that is not for me to judge, however), and lacking in security measures to protect their users in the West. The European Union has put forward proposals to ban Huawei (and possibly from there other companies) from being a part of the proposed 5G infrastructure within the EU, for security's sake. Whilst this specific case focuses on Huawei, we may soon see other companies being involved - I'll keep you updated on this story.
Photo Of The Week
by brulaw
This week's featured photo is Snowy leaves by @cherryripe247. Some of the comments include: "That's a lovely picture indeed 
. You even caught a melted drop of snow falling on the bottom leaf" (tired16), "That is a beautiful photo there" (bobrobinson), "I really like this photo for it's excellent composition and colour contrast. Well done" (irenahalder), "The snow against that blue looks amazing (sillygilly21).
Click here to see the original post. Thank you all for continuing to share your images, picking just one to feature is always a tough choice, please keep them coming.
A closer look at Amazon Prime
by toxiic
This week I’m delving deep into the subscription service of Amazon’s: Amazon Prime. This week, I’ll cover the delivery side of things and the early access deals to help give you more information and my experience on what Amazon has to offer.
Delivery
Amazon boasts 1-day delivery on many different items, where (assuming you order before the cut off time which is usually around 11pm for most items I’ve seen though can be earlier) you can receive the item you ordered the very next day. The time your item gets delivered the next day is quite subjective, with my items sometimes coming at around 11am to much later. 1-day delivery is very convenient as it is, but for some lucky people, it gets better…
Same-day delivery is also available to some (me included!). This is where your item gets dispatched the very same day, with it arriving from 6-10pm. Though, having an item qualify for same-day delivery is quite tricky – for the items I’ve seen, you need to order the item by around 11/12 in the morning. Same-day delivery is perfect for when you need an item fast without the need to drive/walk to the nearest shop for the item. You can check if your address qualifies for Same-day delivery here.
Comparing 1-day and same-day delivery, what I’ve found is that when you choose an item to be delivered the same day then the driver is often in a car as opposed to the vans the drivers use when you choose 1-day delivery. Just some info you might find interesting!
Prime Early Access
With Prime, you get a 30-minute head start on non-Prime customers on the daily deals that Amazon offers (called “Lightning Deals”). This is often advantageous if you have an item you’ve been wanting to drop in price for a long time, does drop in price through the Lightning Deals. Though I haven’t personally found much use for it, I have taken up on some discounted items that after the 30-minute head start finished were bought quite quickly – so it does give you a chance to buy or have a think about an item before being swamped by other customers who often appear to be the majority.
Brought to you by willp789, mitchell98, bluemoonbaz, jammydodge, revilo10, kathleen414, brulaw and toxiic.
Previous Edition | Next Edition (8th February 2019)
on: 01/02/2019 | 18:02 - edited: 01/02/2019 | 18:05
The gaff ..... By giffgaffers , For giffgaffers
on: 01/02/2019 | 18:04 - edited: 01/02/2019 | 18:41
Hi again gaff
readers it's been another cold one today with the snow falling all over the country so curl up with the gaff and a nice cuppa.
Thanks to you all for your continued patronage , it's much appreciated by all the gaff team . We hope you enjoy this week's edition and if you see or want to bring something to our attention for the gaff , just send us a pm . Have a great weekend everyone 😁
on: 01/02/2019 | 18:41
Another great gaff and full of information👍
A lovely photo from @cherryripe247 for photo of the week
And more people joining Giffgaff 👍
Have a safe weekend
Yvonne
on: 01/02/2019 | 19:46
Good evening every one,
Thank you all so much to everyone involved in bringing us The gaff this week.
Thank you @willp789, @bluemoonbaz, @jammydodge, @revilo10, @kathleen414, and @toxiic
As always you guys smash it and it is always great to know all the news and what is happening in the wonderful world of giffgaff.
A very warm welcome to our new giffgaff members: @maanus, @calsoda and @titan2019, I hope you are enjoying giffgaff and our great community.
@maanus I hope the SIM issue will be sorted out for you soon.
Congratulations to @cherryripe247 for this weeks photo of the week, it is a great photo.
I wish you all a happy and peaceful weekend, please take care if you are out and about in the cold and snowy weather.
Kind Regards
a1antman