August 21st, 2009 | Apple iPhone, Mobile Phone Networks, Mobile Phones, TMobile
A number of sources have reported that the T-Mobile UK network will be concluding an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone 3G into its mobile service. The said agreement would take away the exclusive rights of its rival network, O2, to the sole distribution rights of the iPhone.
It was mentioned in reports from the websites Register Hardware and guardian.co.uk that British T-Mobile will offer the 2008 version of the iPhone 3G in the next few months.
The Register also reported that the exclusive agreement of O2 and Apple remains intact and that they would also carry the iPhone 3G in their line of mobile phones. The website maintains that the current agreement shows that Apple is undergoing a major shift in marketing the iPhone by relying on network exclusive deals to get hold of a stable subsidy. It also shows how the company perceived O2’s latest priced-up offering.
On the other hand, the press are saying that other mobile networks, such as Orange and Vodafone, are also interested in offering the iPhone if Apple changes its policy. This means that all the major mobile phone carriers in the UK would provide some version of the iPhone, if it pushes through.
The new development for T-Mobile UK can aid the network to improve its standing against the country’s other major mobile phone providers, including Vodafone, O2, and Orange, by providing the best handset selections.
T-Mobile is a German-based company that has subsidiaries around the world, including the US and the UK.
August 18th, 2009 | Mobile Broadband, mobile technology
How does mobile broadband work?
Mobile broadband lets you conveniently access the Internet from your laptop when you are on the move. It has a high-speed function, much like the broadband on your PC, and lets you access the web, download films and songs, and read and send e-mails. Mobile broadband works like a mobile phone, because it uses a SIM card, which is either in the laptop or lodged in a dongle. The laptop then establishes a connection to the web through the mobile phone network connected to your provider.
How is mobile broadband different from Wi-Fi?
Mobile broadband and Wi-Fi are two different technologies. Mobile broadband is a broadband Internet service carried over a mobile phone network, either GSM or 3G. Anybody can have access wherever there is mobile phone coverage, with the use of a mobile broadband adapter and a subscription. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is the technology used for local wireless networks, but only covers a distance of one hundred metres or less.
Can mobile broadband be used anywhere?
Yes. It can be used anywhere there is access to mobile phone service, because the connection to the Internet is through the same network. As long as there is a signal, you can go online. However, the speed of the connection may vary, depending on the location.
How is mobile broadband set up?
Mobile broadband has a straightforward and quick set-up process. The mobile broadband SIM card is inserted into the dongle, and is then plugged into a USB port on the laptop. A dongle acts as the external drive, which contains all the set-up files needed.
August 13th, 2009 | Mobile News, Mobile Phone Networks, Virgin Mobile
The UK mobile phone network Virgin Mobile has launched a new TV advertising campaign to promote the 3G Internet capabilities of their handsets.
The 60-second ad campaign, features mobile phone users, seen using a 3G-enabled handset to entertain themselves during their daily commute.
Virgin Mobile’s Executive Director of Brand and Marketing, Ashley Stockwell, mentioned that the network veered away from using celebrities as their endorsers in the ads to acquire a more personal connection with their consumers. Some of the celebrities who appeared in some of the previous Virgin Mobile ad campaigns include the rapper, Busta Rhymes, former Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson and the supermodel Kate Moss.
Stockwell said that the current ad was aimed to appeal directly to its market by engaging them on a more emotional level. He also said that the ad could help make customers realise what mobile Internet can add to their lives. The ad showed that mobile Internet browsing can keep people in touch with social media, and allows them to download and install music, film clips, and games into their phones.
In addition, Virgin Mobile was hailed as the best network for customer service, based on a poll conducted by JD Power on UK mobile phone contract customers.
The company’s new contract deals include new mobile phone handsets to choose from, such as the latest models from Samsung, including the Samsung J700 and Samsung Tocco Lite.
Screen shot of Virgin Mobiles new advert
August 11th, 2009 | Mobile News, Mobile Phone Networks, Vodafone
Vodafone, the biggest mobile network in the world, is experiencing problems with its business in Europe, where hard times are being experienced. Although the company is worth more than $100 billion, its shares have dropped by 2.5%. In addition, several analysts estimate that shares will continue to drop from between 4.7% and 5.5% during the quarter. Compared to other companies, such as France Telecom, Vodafone’s shares have dropped the most, with a 24.2% drop during the year.
With regard to the future of the company, analysts from Morgan Stanley argued that Vodafone can recover over the course of the year and that the coming months will be more forgiving. On the other hand, analysts from UBS commented that Vodafone’s situation will only worsen due to its trading style.
Meanwhile, in Greece, Vodafone is offering mobile broadband with HSPA+ in Athens. Those who have the Vodafone K4505 USB stick can use the service immediately. The service claims to have speeds of 5.7 Mbits/s when uploading and 21.6 Mbits/s when downloading. It is planned that the service will be offered in other areas in the future.
In Egypt, Vodafone is bidding for Orascom Telecom’s LinkDotNet. Other bidders include Mobinil and Telecom Egypt. Orascom Telecom and France Telecom own Mobinil. Orascom Telecom Chairman, Naguib Sawiris, commented that the Internet service provider would be sold to the highest bidder.
He also discussed Mobinil in relation to the dispute between Orascom Telecom and France Telecom over shares of the company. Orascom and France Telecom had different plans for running Mobinil. France Telecom reportedly was against the marketing and budget of Mobinil. An arbitration court has already ruled that Orascom must sell its shares to France Telecom.
August 7th, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Mobile Phones, Nokia, Touchscreen
In keeping with the touchscreen revolution in the mobile phone market today, Nokia has come up with its first handset to catch up with its XpressMusic line-up, the Nokia 5800.
It uses the Symbian 60 platform, which is especially user-friendly. Its high-resolution screen adds to the polished look and sleek design of the 5800. It comes with a dual LED flash that can record up to 640 x 480 pixels of video resolution and a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus Carl Zeiss lens.
As a member of the Xpress Music line-up of Nokia handsets, the 5800 specialises in providing a superior music experience. The music player has easily-operated functions, and there is also an 8-band graphic equaliser feature. The phone includes 3.55 mm earphones and a spacious 8GB memory card to begin with. The memory is upgradeable to 16GB. Nokia also kept its built-in FM radio. Its speakers produce a loud and clear sound, which has the best quality amongst all Nokia handsets so far.
Browsing the web is also great with the 5800. It has Wi-Fi capability that allows users to go online anywhere with available broadband connection. It also uses 3G and HDSPA technologies, providing almost instant connections.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has a width of only 52 mm, which sets it apart from other smart-phones. This makes it easy to operate, even with one hand, but the 3.2 inch screen is still big enough for its touch based function. Also, its 1320 mAh battery is quite impressive, and can keep the handset up and running for long periods of use.
August 6th, 2009 | LG, Mobile Phone Reviews, Mobile Phones
The LG KP235 is a basic mobile phone which users will find easy to navigate around on. This device is designed to function as a flip mobile phone which certainly contributes to its smaller size. There are two displays on the KP235. Both the internal and external displays support 65K colours. The internal display is almost two inches in size while the external display is a bit smaller.
This LG mobile phone is 89 mm long by 46.5 mm wide and it is 17.9 mm thick. The weight of this device is 81 grams. The battery life of this phone is not very long. Users can expect around 3 hours and 30 minutes of talk time or about 16 days on standby.
Entertainment features on the KP235 are a bit sparse. There is a camera integrated into the LG KP235 but it is only VGA quality. Users may be disappointed to find out that the camera is not able to capture video clips.
One of the bigger drawbacks of this particular mobile phone is its lack of memory. This device only has 5 megabytes of built in storage. There is also no expansion slot provided so that users can increase the storage capabilities. For this reason, it does not make a good music phone. Users wanting a device which is great for SMS or MMS messaging will not be disappointed though.
The KP235 from LG is only dual band. Support for GSM 900/1800 MHz frequencies is provided. No support for 3G networks has been included on this device.
August 4th, 2009 | Mobile Broadband, Mobile News, Mobile Phone Networks
When you subscribe to a mobile Internet service your supplier will provide you with the USB dongle, which is the hardware required to get you online. Sometimes, the dongle is thrown in for free, especially for contracts that are for 18 months or more. If not, you will have to pay for the dongle separately, which can cost up to £60.
In choosing a broadband package, you should consider the following criteria: speed, monthly contract or pay as you go, free laptop deals, price versus contract lengths, and usage/download limits. The main additional cost you may incur is penalty charges or ‘overage’ charges for exceeding your usage limit.
Most of the contracts for mobile broadband include a download cap, such as that in home broadband. Unlike home broadband however, the mobile providers impose these limits strictly, and there have been several high-profile stories about consumers who have accidentally gone way over their usage limits.
Making use of a manual ‘limiter’ restricts your computer to a limited daily amount, thus you can protect yourself from these charges. However, there have been complaints that these trackers are unreliable, so you need to be on your guard when using these. There is nothing to worry about as long as you stick to your download limit. Be careful with the deals that claim to be ‘unlimited’, as these will still be subject to a fair usage policy.
Make sure that you know all of the mobile broadband costs involved before you sign up. It is important to remember that your package may not entitle you to a free USB dongle. Some tariffs may apply to purchase of the modem before you can get online, whilst others charge a one-time set-up fee.
July 31st, 2009 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phone Reviews, Mobile Phones, Samsung
The Samsung S7220 Lucido is the latest in Samsung’s super-slim design of mid-range mobile phones. It is thin enough to slip easily into a shirt or trouser pocket. The S7220 has a sleek metal design which is quite elegant. It is well-equipped for a mid-range phone, having a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and power flash. Also, it comes with an MP3 player with FM radio, GPS navigation with Google Maps, Bluetooth, expandable storage with a memory card, 3G and HSDPA for web connectivity, and a long battery life.
It has a 2.2-inch screen with a 262K-colour OLED display that is clear and bright even under a high sun.
Its 5-megapixel camera is an interesting attribute of this device, which is further enhanced with the autofocus and power flash features. It also has a smile detection feature, which automatically takes a photograph when the subject smiles. The camera can also record videos in MPEG4 or 3GPP formats. Making video calls is also possible.
The media player can play music file formats, such as MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, and e-AAC+. Its built-in memory of 110 MB is expandable up to 8GB with the addition of a microSD card. There is also a built-in FM radio with RDS to keep track of radio frequencies or music being played.
In terms of web connectivity, the Samsung S7220 Lucido is enabled with 3G and HSDPA technologies to gain access to the Internet. The downloading and browsing speed can reach up to 7.2 Mbps. It is also packed with a GPS receiver that works with Google Maps, which is most useful for drivers.
Generally, the S7220 is quite impressive with its classy style and fully packed functions. Amongst phones of its price range, the S7220 definitely stands out.
July 30th, 2009 | Mobile News, Orange, iPhone
The Apple iPhone 3G could soon be available on the Orange network. The exclusive iPhone 3G deal between Apple and o2 is due to end in September. This could open the door for iPhone availability across other networks, including Orange. Increased availability could result in increased sales for Apple which have so far failed to meet expectation in the UK market. Perhaps the continuation of an exclusive deal with o2 is no longer in Apple’s best interests. Orange originally won the exclusivity deal when the handset was launched in France. O2 is likely to retain its exclusivity deal for newer handset models in the UK.
Recently, the handset appeared on the Orange intranet site, sparking rumours that Orange would soon be offering the iPhone. They have apparently been pitching for the handset alongside T-mobile. It now seems likely that, along with other service providers, Orange could also import sim-free handsets from abroad to offer to customers on their network. This could potentially mean that all networks could offer non-contract iPhone’s and this move could also potentially undercut o2’s prices for the handset. O2, who have long been criticised over its ‘prohibitive’ pricing of the handset are said to be ‘furious’ over these reports. Many have resorted to purchasing the iPhone from abroad and unlocking the handset for use on other networks. Open competition amongst the network providers could challenge the current o2 handset cost and tariffs.
July 28th, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Nokia, Touchscreen
The new N97 from Nokia is more like a handheld computer than a mobile phone. Not only does it have a QWERTY keyboard that slides out but it also features a touchscreen, which is definitely its highlight. The screen measures 3.5 inches across, the same size as the screen of Apple’s iPhone 3G S. However, the Nokia N97 features a higher resolution than the iPhone with 640 x 360 pixels. This one feature on the N97 gives the feel that it is more of a handheld computer than a mobile phone.
The phone’s customisable home screen can be packed with information. The time and date, weather forecasts, your inbox, Facebook, RSS feeds, and links to web pages can all be viewed on the screen simultaneously. It definitely encourages the use of mobile Internet. Once you have used it you will never want to go back to the way you did things before. This phone also features fast Internet connections. You can choose between a connection through 3G HSDPA or through the faster Wi-Fi.
Nokia has not upgraded the phone’s camera but that doesn’t appear to be a problem as the N97’s camera is a good one anyway.
The Nokia N97 is a phone that is packed with goodies and when you look at its features, it is almost comparable to a laptop. Using it makes you feel that you are firmly in the 21st century, especially if you use its Internet-based features. The N97 also features an impressive 32GB internal memory. What’s more impressive is that you can add another 16GB of memory if you wish.
