In memory of the Queen
Category: News
The ‘Banana Phone’ reloaded …
Communicating, or stuck in The Matrix?
The original Nokia 8110 ‘slide’ mobile phone was immortalised in the film ‘The Matrix’ in 1999.
Back then, people used mobiles for mostly … calling people, and the occasional text message. Ok, and a few plays of the game ‘snake’!
It was affectionately referred to as the ‘banana phone’ due to its unusual curved shape, though the only colour you could get it in was black.
Since then, we have had a revolution in data networking and an explosion of app-based touch-screen smartphone slates. So much so that people are finding themselves addicted to looking at these personal pocket computers ‘all the time’.
Consequently, there is now a growing trend of wanting a ‘digital detox’ and to get back to basics with a simple, cheap device that keeps you in touch without taking over your life.
The updated Nokia 8110 4G ‘Banana’ phone
In 2016, HMD Global Oy took over the licence to produce Nokia branded phones, and have since been revisiting and refreshing classic designs including their take on the ‘slide-phone’ with the 8110 4G.
As well as traditional black it’s available in bright YELLOW, making it this time the true ‘banana phone’.
With a design that harks back to those simpler days, it never-the-less comes with a number of advanced features.
What’s Good: Simple ‘Real’ number and calling keys for phoning and familiar ‘Nokia’ menu structure providing Call log, Contacts, SMS. Twin SIM cards for 4G calling flexibility at home and away. WiFi. Removable micro SD-card for expandable storage. Replaceable battery. Music Player, FM Radio and headphone jack. Camera, gallery and video player. Internet Browser and e-mail. Flashlight, Notes, Recorder, Calculator and Unit Converter. Clock and Calendar. Google Maps and directions.
What’s not-so-great: No touch-screen! Small display. Minimal App support. Fiddly ‘old school’ text-entry. Slow and limited internet capabilities. Low-resolution imaging and video, and no front-facing 2nd camera. Cursor keys surprising small and tight to bottom of display making scrolling more awkward than it ought to be. Having to take the battery out to insert / remove the memory card.
What’s Fun: Answering calls with a slide (and end them again by closing. Freedom from ‘smartphone’ addiction, though if you really must, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube can just about be used. And ‘snake’ (though a strange ‘modern’ version), plus some other games and more can be downloaded.
In summary, this is a feature-packed but ‘basic’ mobile which brings an iconic design up-to-date, is fun to have, does the basics and a bit more.
Keeping connected with a digital detox
This Nokia ‘featurephone’ doesn’t pretend to rival ‘smartphones’ in capabilities. But useful as a supplementary device in case of a flat battery, and good for just keeping connected while getting on with life. Handy too when wanting to avoid carrying a very expensive piece of hardware when active or travelling.
There has been a trend to have just one device with as many functions as possible packaged in, with inevitable strain on battery life. It can however be sometimes preferable to use a Hi-Res player for music, a quality camera for photography, a tablet for internet browsing and a phone for – phoning!
So not a complete digital ‘detox’, rather just providing another alternative option to keep ‘plugged in’ to today’s ‘Matrix’ world of communications.
Your technology experiences
If you have fond memories of past technologies, views on future trends or experiences to share on managing your digital life, please get in touch. We’re keen to discuss how we may be of assistance in developing your business and keeping your new and legacy systems operational.
New and Legacy communication issues
Challenges with maintaining Legacy systems
It can make perfect sense to continue to run existing reliable and proven systems, especially if operational requirements have not changed. Alas, the developing nature of technology means that from time-to-time, issues arise.
Changes to email encyption protocols
Modern computer communication services support the Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption protocol. This aims to protect the information sent and received over a standard Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) connection between two computers while ensuring that they both agree and understand the method of data transfer.
However, the earlier versions of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 have been deemed by the industry to be not secure enough and have been superseded by versions 1.2 and 1.3. You and/or your service provider may have already transitioned to the latest protocols. However, if you have old hardware running legacy software, as support from service providers is withdrawn, you may find your email stops working.
How you can tell if it’s an issue
If you’re using an Apple Mac then the Safari Browser has supported TLS 1.2 for web traffic protection since version 7 in 2013. However, if you’re still running ‘El Capitan’ OSX 10.11 with Apple Mail 9.3, it won’t support TLS 1.2 for email. Other computer hardware and software combinations may also run into problems.
Most browsers including Safari ended support for TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in March 2020, and various service providers have either already dropped or soon will withdraw operation of the older TLS protocols.
For instance, one.com will stop support of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on 17th August 2021. Other service providers may have different end of life dates. If you’re using the one.com service then there’s an easy way to check:
send an email to:
This will provide an automated reply telling you what protocol you’re using (works with iPhones and iPads too), like this:
{
“started”: true,
“protocol”: “TLSv1.2”,
“cipher”: “ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384”,
“keysize”: 256
}
Other service providers may have similar methods of verifying the protocols, so it’s worth checking with them. Failing that, you may be able to examine the headers of your emails, to look for something like this:
version=TLS1_2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 bits=128/128
Solutions if you’re affected
To ensuring your email continues to function, the options include:
- Updating your operating system. In the case of Apple Mail on Mac computers, this means moving to ‘Sierra’ OSX 10.12 as Mail cannot be separately upgraded.
- Using a different email client with TLS 1.2 support, e.g. Mozilla Thunderbird.
- Using a browser based solution for your email
- Changing your settings to send and receive email without encryption (not recommended)
Balancing New Requirements and Legacy Support
If you want to stick with your current hardware and software choices, this does present a problem, particularly if you’re otherwise happy with your setup and are unable to upgrade.
Alas if you want full compatibility (and security) with the latest industry supported functionality, whilst retaining operation of other legacy applications, consideration has to be made to invest in new hardware to run in parallel with older systems, which continue to be maintained to perform dedicated compatibility functions.
YellowsBest: Keeping Customers Operational
If you have similar or other new requirements and legacy maintenance needs, please get in touch to discuss how we may be of assistance to keep you operational.
Challenging times demand time for a change!
New “UK” launch
It’s been a challenging time for businesses generally, and particularly in the United Kingdom, with Brexit in many cases adding cost and time to trading, and Covid-19 restricting travel and networking.
So it seemed an appropriate time to launch a new varient of the Yellows Best Limited website, now additionally utilising “.co.uk” as a signifier of commitment to our home market location.
Keeping Customers Operational
The new YellowsBest.co.uk promotes the same blend of Services and Solutions for “Keeping Customers Operational”, but presented in a different and modern single-page layout, making it particularly mobile device-friendly where ‘vertical scrolling’ is more appealing than using the traditional ‘horizontal tabbed’ layout.
We hope this provides Customers old and new with a welcome alternative, though the original YellowsBest.com will continue to be maintained, along with it’s associated blog for ‘informal’ views and news updates.
Assisting with your requirements
It would be interesting to receive feedback as to how useful you may find this additional site, and whether there is anything else you’d like to see featured.
Of course, @YellowsBestLtd online content ultimately serves the purpose of highlighting the types of services and solutions we can provide. Customers may therefore be prompted to get in touch to discuss their specific requirements, which we can usually assist with.
Rest assured, if you use either contact address:
we’ll receive your message and will be in touch by return. We look forward to hearing from you!
Celebrating our fifth anniversary!
Five years of successful trading! Thanks to all our Customers and Suppliers.
@YellowsBestLtd has been in business for five years.
Our aim continues to be “Keeping Customers Operational”; understanding requirements and fulfilling them by providing a range of management services and solutions, including:
- consultancy, for business development, sales and marketing
- technical support, onsite engineering or 24/7 NOC remote assistance
- systems supply, including legacy IT servers / workstations
- spares for infrastructure, such as telecoms and CCTV cameras
- repairs at module and component level, e.g. LED displayboards, PSUs
- value recovery through reverse logistics, resale and recycling
As we continue to move forward, we’d very much like to understand what other services and solutions we can provide to our existing Customers, as well as what would be of interest to potential clients. We’re always keen to enhance our range of #business services, increase the #enterprise infrastructure we support and expand our mix of #sustainable solutions we offer for supply and maintenance of new and legacy #technologies and products.
Please get in touch to discuss your challenges; whether you’re implementing new systems or maintaining existing infrastructure to serve your operational business needs. We look forward to hearing from you.
Securing Remote Access During COVID-19
Given the current unprecedented situation restricting normal business operations, resulting in revised working arrangements including home working, consideration should be made of the preparations and processes organisations need to take.
Consequently, we recommend joining the following Webinar by Vysiion and Radiflow, Thursday 2nd April 2020:
If you miss this event then please get in touch so we can discuss your interest and requirements.
@yellowsbestltd our mission is to assist with ‘Keeping Customers Operational’. We’re keen to provide #solutions and #services to help your business survive and maintain your systems – let us know if we can help!
RadiFlow – Cybersecurity Solutions for the Industrial IoT
A portfolio of comprehensive yet simple security solutions to protect critical assets is produced by RadiFlow.
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, used for controlling and monitoring remote operations in critical infrastructures such as power utilities, oil & gas, water and more, often extend across multiple remote sites, allowing automation devices to be controlled from the control centre.
Cyber threats to SCADA systems have in recent years been on the rise. Terrorists and criminals have set their sights on critical infrastructures that utilise SCADA systems due to these systems’ inherent vulnerabilities and the huge potential to disrupt civilian life and may cause high financial losses to the utilities.
Radiflow’s security tool-set validates the behaviour of both M2M applications and H2M (Human to Machine) sessions in distributed operational networks.
Radiflow’s security solutions are available both as in-line gateways for remote sites and as a non-intrusive IDS (Intrusion Detection System) that can be deployed per site or centrally.
A Complete Security Solution for SCADA installations
Visibility – Radiflow’s iSID Intrusion Detection System (IDS) automatically learns the network topology (links, protocol and devices) using passive scanning. Any new activity is highlighted on the GUI.
Protection – Radiflow’s IDS and Secure Gateways protect the SCADA networks from a variety of cyber threats such as network scanning, infected RTU and technician activity.
Compliance – Radiflow’s security products help make networks compliant with major security standards: NERC CIP version 5, NIST SP 800- 82 V2, ISA 99 and IEC 62443.
About Radiflow – founded in 2009 as part of the RAD group, a family of ICT vendors with over $1Bn in annual revenues. Radiflow’s security solutions, introduced in late 2011, have been successfully deployed by major utilities world-wide, and validated by leading security research labs. Radiflow’s security solutions are sold both as components within global automation vendors’ integrated end-to-end solutions, and as standalone security solutions by local channel partners.
@YellowsBestLtd seeks Solutions and provides Services to support Customer requirements to maintain and keep operational critical infrastructure networks. Please get in touch to discuss how we can be of assistance.
Cyber Security challenges and solutions for Utilities
Industry Background and Future Trends
For many years Electricity, Water, Oil and Gas Utilities as well as Transport companies have required bespoke, robust, dedicated network critical infrastructure solutions with high availability and reliability. Historically, these tended to use bespoke well-proven technologies aimed at providing key functionality and high availability, with redundancy, protection and long service life favoured over ‘cutting-edge’ performance. These aspects are still important, but the drive towards modern, efficient and interconnected operations, has resulted in the adoption of mainstream Internet functionality and movement from TDM to IP technologies.
In the past, the very nature of the deployed bespoke systems has meant that security issues didn’t arise, since wider threats didn’t apply. A case of being safe by being unknown. But with the adoption of Internet technologies, along with the growth and increasing sophistication of cyber-threats, Utilities and other private network companies are needing to apply Information Technology (IT) security solutions tailored to their Operational Technology (OT) systems.
The issuing of the NIS directive by the European Union Agency for Cyber Security has raised the profile of this topic and generated the needed drive towards the implementation of the required solutions.
October is Cyber Security Month, so it’s an ideal time to find out more …
@YellowsBestLtd seeks Solutions and provides Services to support Customer requirements to maintain and keep operational critical infrastructure networks. Please get in touch to discuss how we can be of assistance.
‘Dynanet’ Telecoms – ‘Rampdown’ notice
Phased Discontinuation of Production – 31st May 2019 – 31st January 2020
The production of the ‘Dynanet’ family of PDH Transmission telecoms products, first introduced by Nokia over 20 years ago, and continued in recent years by DNWP, is finally being ended.
This product range has well served Public Operator and Private Network Customers across the Telecoms, Utilities, Transport and Public Safety markets with high availability mission critical infrastructure, and indeed some networks are continuing to provide good operational service.
Essentially almost all the old equipment items, with a very few exceptions such as the TPS64, are being completely discontinued in a phased way according to these milestones, which have already commended:
31st May 2019 – DM8 Multiplexers, DF2-8 Optical Terminals, RPSA
31st October 2019 – DM2 Multiplexers, Subs/Exch & VF Cards, DN2 IU2, Service Terminals, V.28/V.11 DIU
31st January 2020 – DB2, DN2 CU & BPU, G.703 & V.110, DIU, Ethernet I/F, Ring Gen, NDM 19” Subrack, NDA
@YellowsBestLtd satisfies customer product sourcing requirements for current and ‘legacy’ equipment technologies.
Should you wish to read the full ‘ramp-down’ notice and know more about obtaining equipment before it is no longer available, then please get in touch.
Launch of Telecoms Products
Management Services and Solutions
@YellowsBestLtd provides professional Management Services for Business Development activities and Enterprise Support of Infrastructure. We source Solutions for Sustainable Systems maintenance.
Together with our broad range of new and ‘legacy’ equipment Technologies, we have now launched a portfolio of telecoms Products, enabling Customers to do more whilst reaping cost-benefits.
Below is listed the Market Sectors of our Customers, together with the equipment Technologies and telecoms Products we can supply.
We’re always keen to expand our portfolio, so please let us know anything you require as we can usually provide whatever is needed.
Market Sectors
- Maintenance Companies
- Private Networks & SMEs
- Public Safety (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
- Systems Integrators
- Telecoms (Carriers, Operators)
- Transport (Rail, Metros, Underground, Highways, Aerospace)
- Utilities (Electricity, Gas, Oil, Water)
Equipment Technologies
- Optical Fibre and Copper, PDH Access & SDH Transmission, Telecommunications equipment
- TDMoIP, Pseudo-wire, IP Data and Voice Telephony
- Carrier Ethernet, C / DWDM optical fiber multiplexing technology
- Microwave Radio, wireless coverage solutions
- Private Mobile Radio (PMR), TETRA infrastructure, terminals, accessories
- CCTV Cameras, security systems
- LED displays and information signs
- Antennas and Radio Direction Finding (RDF)
- Solar Energy off-grid installations
- Power supplies and peripheral devices
- IT network, workstation, server, storage products
- Network Management Systems (NMS), OSS software
- Test Equipment
Telecoms Products
- Telephone Lines & Calls
- Connectivity Voice & Data
- Hosted Cloud Telephony
- Telephone Payment Line
- PBX
- Call Centre solutions
- Dialler Service
- Reports & Statistics
- Cost Centre Billing
- Conference Calls
- 03 & 08 Numbers
- Voice and Omni Hub
- Marketing & Inbound numbers
- VOIP & IP PBX / Cloud Telephony
- ADSL & Internet connections
- SMS Text messaging & survey
- Fax and other servcies