NEW XP WEB BOOK
The Orange USB Modem Stick and the Elonex 10.2" webbook allows internet access anywhere, at anytime without the need for a home line and is the smallest USB modem out at the moment. It couldn’t be any easier, simply plug it into your laptop and you’ll have mobile internet access, email and web browsing.
The Elonex 10.2" webbook is ideal for all you busy people always on the move, plus it’s great for kids and homework. The webbook supplies laptop features but with no added complications, it’s laptop simplicity at its best. The Elonex will support you with great software including: Microsoft® Outlook express email, Microsoft® Windows Firewall and Microsoft® Windows Media Player.
Best of all there is no need for mess, no installation CD’s, you plug in and go, it makes surfing the web completely hassle free. And with the low fixed monthly price plan, you’d be crazy to miss out. All for £25 month.
http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phones/orange/usbmod/orange/eoi25jul08
Nokia N95 Black 8gb
NEW IMPROVED OFFER - NOW EVEN BETTER!
400 mins UNLIMITED text @ 9 months half price.
Store all multi-media files and up to 2000 songs or 166 albums with the impressive 8GB of internal memory.
With this much memory you can store all multimedia files until your hearts content. Including amazing pictures you have captured with the built-in 5.0-Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Optical Lens. Also enjoy DVD-like quality videos with the built-in video-play system.
http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phones/nokia/n95blk8gb/orange/d30pejul07
Samsung F480 Tocco
800 mins. UNLIMITED Text. @ 6 months half price.
The Samsung F480 mobile phone will dazzle you with a revolutionary touch-screen design, amazing slim-line shape and high-tec features.
http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phones/samsung/samsghf480/orange/d35pemar08?show_net=best&show_info=#tariffs
Sony Ericsson W350i black = FREE Playstation 3
Pre-loaded Guitar Legend™, a mobile game for all you music crazy people.
600 mins. Unlimited text. @ £35 per month
http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phones/sony%20ericsson/w350ibl/orange/d35pemar08/ofsonyps340gb?show_net=best&show_info=#tariffs
Sony Ericsson C902
800 mins. UNLIMITED text @ 8 months half price.
The Sony Ericsson C902 mobile phone uses the ground breaking Cyber-shot™ technology to allow you to have the very best in quality pictures.
Enjoy top-of-the-range pictures, use the 5.0-megapixel camera with Face Detection
Browse the web with 3G HSDPA for high-speed internet usage
http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phones/sony%20ericsson/c902/orange/d35pemar08?show_net=best&show_info=#tariffs
Phil Rean
Affiliate Marketing Manager
One Stop Phone Shop
Direct Line: 01509 563527
Blog: http://www.ospsaffiliates.co.uk
Website: http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk
Email: phil.rean@e2save.com
Messenger: philrean@hotmail.co.uk
30 July 2008
OneStopPhoneShop top mobile phone deals
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Labels: This Weeks Top Deals
29 July 2008
New C902 banners
New Flash banners have been uploaded to your Buy.at account.
Please login to your Buy.at account to get the latest C902 Banners.
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Labels: Marketing
Journalists and mobile phones
Reporters who carry nothing but a mobile phone -- known as mojos or mobile journalists -- are operating in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, as well as in the United States and even Africa.
In Norway, Frank Barth-Nilsen trains mojos for NRK, the national broadcaster. "A lot of other broadcasters and newspapers are interested in our findings," he said. Barth-Nilsen said NRK's various departments planned to use mojo content for mainstream platforms like television.
"We're building a toolkit for our journalists, focusing on speed and usability. We're also looking into how the new technology will change today's way of storytelling." He has established a blog for sharing ideas, called Mojo Evolution.
In London, the Reuters news agency equipped its journalists with a mobile journalism toolkit about a year ago. Ilicco Elia, product manager of mobile and emerging media at Reuters, said this was the start of a future form of journalism and a new way to tell stories. Darren Waters, technology editor of the BBC, has been filing mojo reports from various parts of Europe since late last year.
"Mobile phones allow journalists to change their heavy camera equipment to a smaller device," Elia said. Reuters' journalists tested the mobile toolkit at the New York fashion week last year and on the US presidential campaign trail. The company plans to give the mobile devices to citizen journalists.
"We're building a toolkit for our journalists, focusing on speed and usability. We're also looking into how the new technology will change today's way of storytelling." He has established a blog for sharing ideas, called Mojo Evolution.
In London, the Reuters news agency equipped its journalists with a mobile journalism toolkit about a year ago. Ilicco Elia, product manager of mobile and emerging media at Reuters, said this was the start of a future form of journalism and a new way to tell stories. Darren Waters, technology editor of the BBC, has been filing mojo reports from various parts of Europe since late last year.
"Mobile phones allow journalists to change their heavy camera equipment to a smaller device," Elia said. Reuters' journalists tested the mobile toolkit at the New York fashion week last year and on the US presidential campaign trail. The company plans to give the mobile devices to citizen journalists.
Over the next few years, Nokia will produce mobile phones capable of taking images of the same quality as HD cameras, said Elia. "This will open huge possibilities for journalists." The Reuters toolkit includes the Nokia N95/N82, a Bluetooth keyboard, a digital microphone and a phone-adapted tripod.
Ruud Elmendorp, a Dutch mojo, operates out of Kenya in Africa. By mid-July his Web site offered 133 news video reports from 22 countries in Africa. Reporters at Inquirer.net, the online site of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Manila, have been filing stories remotely via their Nokia mobiles for more than a year. Reporters at the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle plan to introduce the mojo concept later this year.
Robert Scoble, based in California, has been broadcasting live video from his cell phone using a service provided by Qik since last year. "I'm the top [Qik] user," he wrote on his blog Scobleizer, noting he had produced more than 700 videos as of mid-July.
"Qik has put a TV studio in my pocket. I can get live video onto the Internet faster than I can make a phone call," he said. Audiences send text messages to his phone while he is filming. Scoble described this process as a kind of interactivity that the world had never seen before.
He has an unlimited data package for his mobile phones. Around the Western world, citizen journalists are using their mobile phones on fast 3G networks to surf the Internet and transmit video and images. 3G phone users are charged not for time but for the data transmitted or received. What Scoble and citizen journalists do can only happen in countries that offer unlimited data transfer at monthly rates.
The potential for mobile journalism remains limited in some developed nations because of the high cost of data charges. None of Australia's mobile companies offers an "all-you-can-eat" unlimited data package. People are reluctant to surf the Net with their phone because they fear high costs.
Oscar Westlund, a Ph.D. student at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, researches mobile media adoption in Sweden. Most Swedes own a mobile phone with Internet access but few surf the Web. He said nine in 10 Swedes make mobile phone calls each week but only 6 percent accessed news on the Web via their mobile. "One of the reasons Swedes don't use mobile news is that the price for Internet access on mobiles is high."
In the US, the fee for unlimited data is about $70 a month. It is about the same in Europe and the UK, and cheaper in Africa. Australians pay about $67 a month for 250 megabytes of data a month, or about 8 MB a day.
Web pages eat about 1 MB of data and a five-minute YouTube clip can gobble up about 3 MB. So a combination of Web video and surfing several times a day easily takes Australians over the 8 MB limit. Once individuals exceed the monthly limit, they pay 12 to 35 Australian cents for each extra megabit, depending on their plan. Costs easily escalate.
The growth of the mobile Web has occurred around the world because of rising numbers of user-friendly handsets like the iPhone, high-speed networks and unlimited data packages. Studies have shown that people choose a smartphone because they want mobile Internet. Analysts Nielsen Mobile reported this month that almost 40 million Americans (about 16 percent of mobile users) browsed the Internet while on the move, almost double the number in 2006. The U.K. and Italy came a close second and third in the Nielsen study of smartphone use.
A quarter of 18 to 25 year olds in the U.K. use their mobile to check social networking sites such as Facebook. Two in five U.K. mobile owners surf the Internet on their handsets, mainly via unlimited data plans.
For one in five mobile phone users in Japan, their handset has replaced the PC as the way they go online. Upward of a third of university students access the Internet via their mobile.
Nielsen found that four in five iPhone owners accessed the mobile Internet.
Not only is the iPhone the most popular phone for browsing the Internet, it is also the preferred phone for uploading pictures. Flickr, the world's largest gallery of online pictures, measures the number of pictures uploaded by each type of phone.
Over the past year, the iPhone has steadily pulled ahead of multimedia Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones, despite the fact the iPhone represents a mere 2 percent of smartphones worldwide, according to analysts IDC. Phones powered by the Symbian operating system such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson make up 63 percent of the worldwide smartphone market.
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24 July 2008
10 things to do with your smartphone
You've bought your smartphone, you've added all your personal and business contacts, set up email, added your favourite music and started browsing the web. So you think you are using it to its full potential? Wrong! Here's 10 things you could also be doing:
- Opera Mini - a nice featured web browser, it's free and well worth a look.
- Google Maps - this will help you find resources near to your current location. This sometimes comes pre-loaded but if not it's free and easy to use.
- GPS - this may be built in but if not you can buy a GPS bluetooth unit. Once you have GPS you can get compatible Sat Nav software and your smartphone now becomes a Sat Nav device on foot or in a vehicle.
- World Mate - this is a nice little feature and is free, it will tell you world weather, currency conversions, clothing measurement conversions and global dialling codes.
- Fring - this is free if you have Wi-Fi and allows you to make free voice calls, have instant messenger on Skype, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk and Twitter.
- MobiPockets - this is a free ebook reader!
- Ewallet - this is a safe place to keep all your passwords and personal details you need to remember. There is a charge for this.
- Plan and Record - software to keep lists and records to make sure you are organised. You will receive phone and PC software which will be synchronised no matter which device you are using. There will be a charge for this also.
- Play Games - you should have some games free with the phone but there is a website called www.astraware.co.uk where you can log on and download games for a fee.
- Back up your data - make sure you back up the wealth of personal data on the phone to your PC and maybe even consider a 3rd party option.
Affiliate Manager: Phil Rean
TEL: 01509 563527
Blog: http://www.ospsaffiliates.co.uk
Website: http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk
Email: mailto:phil.rean@e2save.com
MSN: philrean@hotmail.co.uk
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23 July 2008
Affiliate Programme for Mobile Phones and Mobile Broadband
OneStopPhoneShop offers you the chance to sell the latest handsets at unrivalled prices on the major UK networks, (T-Mobile, O2, Orange, Virgin and 3) giving our customers the best value for money along with a positive and professional customer focused experience. As part of the Carphone warehouse you can feel assured that you and your customers will receive the very best deals and first class service.
Why use a third party affiliate network to manage your affiliate programme?
For you if you already have a website and you just need a data feed or banners to place on you website already set up for tracking.
* It's completely FREE to join
* Earn excellent commission on your sales
* An account manager to offer you help and advice
* The best mobile phone deals on the Internet available to you
* A comprehensive management system for reporting
* 'Tracking cookies' set for 30 days
* Monthly commission payments
* Choose from a wide selection of banners, links and graphics to include on your site
___________________________________________________________________________________
Get £25 for each Contract Sale.
The more you sell, the more you earn
The White label programme gives you a brand free selling tool for you to use with your own company image and logo. There are 3 main types that you can swap between as and when you want. All come with a total management system for you to track your traffic and sales.
- Standalone Programme
- i-frame Programme
- Data Feed Programme
* It's completely FREE to join
* Earn excellent commission on your sales
* Monthly commission payments
* The best deals on the web available to you
* Fantastic exclusive handsets
* Real time tracking within your secure login area
* Direct and quality service
* You provide the leads and we'll do the rest
More info / Sign-up
Affiliate Manager: Phil Rean
TEL: 01509 563527
Blog: http://www.ospsaffiliates.co.uk
Website: http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk
Email: mailto:phil.rean@e2save.com
MSN: philrean@hotmail.co.uk
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Labels: Affiliate Programmes
22 July 2008
Transparency in mobile data roaming a must
London eForum discussion group highlights customer confusion when using data services abroad.
Trying to figure out what you will be paying for data roaming, even if you know what you will be charged per megabyte, is like "determining the meat content of British sausages: you just cannot determine it," said Ewan Sutherland, an independent telecoms consultant speaking at a Westminster eForum event in London on Monday.
And transparency, or the lack thereof, was a major concern for many of the speakers at the eForum session on data roaming.
"Users do not understand what it means when downloading data," agreed Fabio Colasanti, director general for information society and media at the European Commission, highlighting so-called "bill shock" as a major area of concern for the EC.
One such a bill totalling £31,500 was delivered to a U.K. consumer after data roaming in Portugal, explained Danielle Mestraud, a solicitor at Farleys Solicitors. This consumer usually has a bill of about £150 per month, she said
Mestraud said eventually the bill was settled for £229, after the operator looked at the cheapest roaming options that were available.
According to Mestraud, the main problem is a lack of transparency in the billing process, coupled with the inability of consumers to monitor their data usage.
She said service providers owe it to their customers to provide transparent bills, and that customers should at any time be able to see how much data they are using.
Robyn Durie, from T-Mobile's regulatory council, claimed that for T-Mobile customers, there is not a significant difference between data roaming prices and data prices in the U.K.
Data roaming is new, and the company first had to "get everything to work in the U.K. and elsewhere," she said. "Now we think we've got to a point of technical stability," which could now lead to reductions in prices, she added.
In mainland Europe, roaming costs take on an even greater significance, due to the proximity of country borders and the fact that people frequently travel over these borders, according to Nick White, executive vice president of the International Telecommunications Users Group (INTUG).
But while operators see data roaming as an attractive area to earn high margins, it becomes increasingly difficult for cross-border businesses to use these services, he said.
Telecommunication companies are effectively adding a tax to companies who operate internationally, he said.
According to White, who is calling for greater regulatory intervention in the data roaming space, the current structure is not leading to effective competition on an international level, and this situation does not look likely to change in the foreseeable future.
But it is not just data roaming that gives consumers a headache.
The biggest problem for consumers is that they do not understand how mobile billing in general works, both at home and abroad, claimed Steve Weller, head of communications services at online price comparison service uSwitch.
He said some travellers prefer to just send text messages, while many elect to keep their mobiles switched off, for fear of unexpectedly high bills.
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Labels: Latest news
Rewrite Film Festival
Young film makers asked to enter mobile phone film competition
Southwark Playhouse and two Street Geniuses has launched the Rewrite Film Festival, a film competition with a twist. All entries must be filmed on a mobile phone, though each entry can be edited on a computer. Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 20 with the winners receiving cash prizes as well as having their films shown at a gala event on 7 September. Submissions must be made between 1 and 31 August, with a cost of £5 per film.
Each applicant must base their film around one of three categories; Remake a film or short scene from a television program, Reprogramme people's perception about something that you are personally concerned with, and Rewind where you take the audience back to a moment in the past and change it in someway.
Entries can be made via post or email. For further information, visit www.rewritefilmfestival.co.uk.
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Bluetooth bracelet released for mobile phone users
New vibrate alert bracelet arrives with built-in light show
A new Bluetooth bracelet has been released which has been designed to alert you about incoming mobile phone calls. The idea is to wear the item on your wrist. If you receive a call it will silently vibrate. This bracelet is ideal for those users who, when carrying a mobile phone on silent mode, find that the vibration isn't strong enough because it's buried in a pocket, possibly surrounded with other items. Also, for ladies who walk around with three ton of possessions in their hand-bag, it can be tough to sometimes even hear a phone ringtone.
Featuring a stand-by time of 60 hours it takes three hours to recharge and comes with a charging LED. It is sized at 7.1 x 1.2 x 0.5cm and weighs 178.2g.
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Labels: Latest news
Find & Go with Vodafone UK
Send Multimap results from your PC to your mobile for free
Vodafone UK has introduced a new mapping service after teaming up with Telmap and online navigation specialists Multimap. Customers can search for a destination on their PC using the Multimap website, before sending the information, for free via an online texting service to their mobile phone. Find & Go then provides maps, local searches and navigational directions free of charge. In addition both drivers and pedestrians have access to 3D maps and directions as well as "turn-by-turn" spoken instructions, though this will cost an additional £5 per month. The service also gives reference to millions of points-of-interest, such as hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Find & Go is currently available on 14 handsets. If the handset doesn't have GPS, a Bluetooth GPS key ring will need to be purchased in order for the service to be used. A three month subscription is included on the Nokia N78, 6120 and N95 8GB, while all other compatible handsets will receive a one month subscription.
The Free & Go service can be purchased from any Vodafone retail store, through telesales or directly from Vodafone live!.
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Labels: Latest news
21 July 2008
OneStopPhoneShop top selling mobiles
Top selling mobile phones at OneStopPhoneShop last week.
HTC Diamond Orange Black |
Clearance Nokia 6300 Black |
Samsung SGH F480 Black |
Nokia N95 Black 8gb |
Sony Ericsson C902 Black |
Sony Ericsson W350I Black |
Samsung SGH F480 Orange Black |
Samsung SGH J700 Pink |
O2 pay monthly SIM only |
Sony Ericsson C902 Orange Black |
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Labels: Top Handsets
18 July 2008
Carphone stores put faith in miniature laptops
THE CARPHONE Warehouse has begun selling the Asus EeePC, the latest in a new line of "netbooks" that are designed for basic tasks such as word processing and web browsing, in a small laptop format.
Aimed at business travellers, students and those who need an ultra-portable notebook without the large price tag, the Asus EeePC is designed to be thrown in a bag and taken on the move.
The device comes with Windows XP, a seven-inch screen, a small keyboard and 4GB flash memory hard drive. Extras such as a CD or DVD drive have been eliminated, but the EeePC includes Wi-Fi and an integrated webcam.
The Asus device is expected to become popular with PC users, here, with the computer maker appointing Sharptext as its official distribution partner in the Irish market.
The new product is part of the Carphone Warehouse's strategy to start selling a range of laptops.
The company is hoping to replicate its success with mobile phones in the laptop market, subsidising the devices and selling them with mobile broadband bundles.
"This is us putting our toe in the water in terms of laptops in general," says Tara Blake, spokeswoman for Carphone Warehouse.
The company will offer a number of laptops in store and expand the range to about 30 on its website, including brands such as Fujitsu Siemens, Toshiba and HP.
The Carphone Warehouse has already sold the majority of the 1,000 EeePC units it initially stocked, offering it with mobile broadband from 3 Ireland. The unit is priced at €329 with a broadband bundle - it is also available without the broadband deal, priced at €349.
The EeePC could have a rival in the coming weeks, with Carphone Warehouse already planning to sell its own WebBook from August 1st.
Made by Elonex specifically for the Carphone Warehouse, the WebBook will come with a 10-inch screen and an 8GB hard drive.
The wider Carphone Warehouse group is moving into laptop sales. "Sweden was the first, then Belgium and France. We're at the later end of it," Blake says.
The UK branches began stocking laptops last month and initial sales have been good.
However, Irish customers won't see any of the "free" laptops as advertised by the company's British business, which are funded by bigger subsidies than are available in the Irish market.
The expansion from selling mobiles may signal bigger things to come for the firm, which recently agreed to form a joint venture with electronics retailer Best Buy to sell consumer electronics in the fast-growing European market in a £1.1 million (€1.4 million) deal.
"We've gone from mobiles to mobile broadband to laptops," Blake adds. "Over the next year or so we'll wait and see what happens with Best Buy.
"We will be opening Best Buy stores here; how that will work in terms of what we sell and what they sell, it still hasn't been defined yet."
The first Best Buy store in the UK is due to open its doors in 2009.
© 2008 The Irish Times
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Labels: Latest news
Half of UK mobile owners surfing Web on handsets
Britain is fast becoming a nation peopled by hunchbacked youths with over-developed thumbs and a penchant for vicarious thrills.
That's the view of a survey, which has found almost half of mobile-owning Brits surf the Web on their handsets everyday, and well over half check email on the move on a daily basis.
Mobile social networking is also popular with many gadget-owning Brits, the survey conducted by ICM Research and the London School of Economics (LSE) for mobile network Vodafone has found.
More than 45 per cent of mobile users access Web sites every day via their mobile device, according to the survey, while a whopping 62 per cent check emails daily and more than a fifth (24 per cent) have subscribed to social networking on their phones.
ICM Research and the LSE said 3G has been oiling the wheels of mobile Internet services as it makes on-the-fly Web access easier.
Other factors helping to drive mobile Internet consumption in Blighty include networks signing contracts with free email providers, such as Google Mail and social networking Web sites like Facebook.
New pricing structures, which include data in the voice and text tariffs, have also helped.
Unsurprisingly, use of mobile social networking is substantially higher in the 18- to 24-year-old age group. But there is also significant interest in accessing the mobile Internet across all age groups, according to the survey findings.
Professor Leslie Haddon of the Media and Communication Department at LSE said the lower figure for mobile social networking use compared to email reflects the latter's longer established presence in the market.
He said in a statement: "This is a strong indicator of how email has been integrated into the lives of those who use it. But despite the lower figure for social networking sites it suggests that a significant minority have already become somewhat dependent on using them as well."
The survey also found the main barrier to mobile email and social networking adoption is the perceived threat of high bills -- with almost half (41 per cent) of respondents saying they would be 'very likely' to use the mobile Internet more often if cost was not a factor.
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Labels: Latest news
17 July 2008
Industry starts finalising its plans for Christmas.
Prepay 3G iPhone and mobile broadband set to star this year...
The prepay 3G iPhone and mobile broadband are set to be the big hitters this Christmas as the industry starts finalising its plans.
The fourth quarter always produces a spike in sales for operators, manufacturers and retailers, with an additional 750,000 prepay, contract and Sim-free devices sold in December 2007 compared with November and January.
The big products lined up for this Christmas include the prepay 3G iPhone, a dongle from Virgin Mobile and new laptops from Phones 4u and Carphone Warehouse.
One senior manufacturer source said: ‘Everyone is making their commitments, finishing their ranges, signing terms and conditions, and trying to agree price points. Most will have their Christmas plans finalised within the next week or so.
‘Typically, Q4 sees products launched with slight variations, such as new colours. Last year a lot of new-borns were launched, in Q4. The same will happen this year.’
The biggest gains are traditionally made in prepay sales; by the end of the fourth quarter of 2007, Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2 and Orange added a total of 715,000 prepay customers to their networks – twice the number of prepay customers they added during the third quarter of 2007.
O2’s proposed Christmas launch for the prepay version of the 3G iPhone will ensure that high-spending prepay customers are catered for.
3 has another Skypephone up its sleeve, and the internet-call handset, which looks similar to the original, with a dedicated Skype button in the centre of the device, is anticipated to be aimed at the sub-£100 prepay market.
3 released its first handset dedicated to Skype in October 2007, and the second version is expected to be on shelves at a similar time this year to give it time to bed in before the Christmas rush.
Mobile broadband is expected to be huge in what will be its first mass-market Christmas, with further price reductions expected from the networks.
Virgin Mobile is looking to capitalise on the booming interest in laptops by releasing its own mobile broadband dongle in time for Christmas.
It will also be the first festive period where laptops will be bundled with dongles, and Carphone Warehouse is expected to attract a young laptop audience with its own-brand Webbook, which combines various colour options and a low price tag.
But Carphone will face competition from operators, as 3 begins bundling dongles and laptops and is certain to be followed by other players.
Phones 4u will also have a strong range after signing an additional four big-name brands to add to its Fujitsu range.
Festive megapixel race
This Christmas will see manufacturers engage in a megapixel race.
Sony Ericsson’s eight-megapixel camera phone, the C905, has been slated for a Q4 release. The device, which will come with a Xenon flash, auto-focus, smart contrast and image stabiliser, and a 2GB memory stick, will be aimed squarely at the mid-to-high-end contract market.
Samsung showcased the first eight-megapixel device in 2005, and is expected to have a handset released in time for Christmas.
Korean rival LG is also rumoured to have an eight-megapixel device in the pipeline, the KC910, but LG refused to confirm the speculation.
And the internet is rife with talk that Motorola will attempt to recapture some of the success it had with the RAZR, with its own eight-megapixel device, which according to reports has been codenamed ‘Alexander’.
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Labels: Latest news
Symbian says could expand ties with Google. OneStopPhoneShop.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Smartphone software maker Symbian said on Wednesday it could expand its collaboration with Google Inc to the operating system level as it moves to grant free and open access to its software platform.
"We already work together and so whatever collaboration, if there is an opportunity, we will be happy to collaborate with them," Symbian chief executive Nigel Clifford told reporters in Tokyo.
"And that could be on the application level or that could be on the more fundamental operating system level."
Symbian currently uses Google applications such as maps and search engines on its platforms.
Symbian software is used in some 60 percent of smartphones -- mobile handsets with computer-like capabilities -- but Apple Inc's iPhone or new categories of phones based on Google's Android software could challenge that dominance.
Symbian's closest rivals are Linux-based phones and Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, but they occupy only 12 percent and 11 percent of the market, respectively, according to data provided by Symbian.
Nokia, which holds 47.9 percent of Symbian, said last month it would buy out other shareholders of Symbian for $410 million (204 million pounds) and make its software available to other phone makers without charging royalties, in response to new rivals such as Google.
Nokia will contribute Symbian's assets to a new not-for-profit organisation, Symbian Foundation, in which it will unite with leading handset makers, network operators and communications chipmakers to create an open-source platform.
Members of the Symbian Foundation include Sony Ericsson, Motorola Inc, NTT DoCoMo, AT&T Inc, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
Nokia will give Symbian and its S60 software assets to the foundation, while other members said they will lend their UIQ and MOAP software to create a joint Symbian platform in 2009.
Symbian was formed a decade ago in London by a consortium of top mobile handset makers looking for a standardized way of building software to run new phones.
It was the descendant of software used to run Psion electronic organizers popular with business professionals in the 1990s.
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Labels: Latest news
Watchdog clamps down on mobile service vendors
LONDON (Reuters) - Vendors offering mobile services such as ringtones and SMS news alerts could have such services temporarily suspended if they fail to allow users to easily stop subscriptions, regulator PhonepayPlus said on Thursday.
The watchdog for premium phone-paid services said it would clamp down immediately on vendors who did not offer easy get-outs as it launches an eight-week consultation on measures to improve business practices and boost customer trust.
"Any failure will mean we will use our emergency powers," PhonepayPlus Chairman Alistair Graham told a news conference. "We've got an immediate problem in the mobile sector and we want to get to grips with it."
Faster, third-generation telecoms networks and new devices such as Apple's iPhone are making premium-rate mobile services more available and attractive while increasing the need to improve business practices, PhonepayPlus said.
Sales of mobile premium-rate services rose 20 percent to 464 million pounds.
Yet the watchdog said a lack of trust meant most consumers never used such services and noted overall sales including landline and mobile services fell 10 percent to 1.07 billion pounds in the year to end-March.
Britain was hit by a series of scandals last year surrounding TV shows and quizzes that encouraged viewers to call in using premium-rate numbers but then misled them about the results, for example by keeping the competition open after they had chosen the winner.
Customer complaints in the past year more than doubled to over 8,000.
PhonepayPlus said consumers were too often signed up for subscriptions without realising it -- and found it hard to unsubscribe.
They also received unwanted and sometimes expensive marketing messages, while pricing was unclear.
The watchdog said its concerns were shared by other European regulators, and said it had participated in a European Union-wide investigation into mobile premium services, whose results are due to be released later on Thursday.
"It's essential that we address this. Only by working together to build trust among consumers will we see a growing, sustainable, vibrant market for phone-paid services," said PhonepayPlus Chief Executive George Kidd.
The watchdog pledged to come up with measures to make costs and conditions clearer and to provide for easy ways of opting out of receiving promotional messages after consulting with operators and so-called aggregators.
Aggregators such as MX Telecom, mBlox and WIN link telecoms carriers and content providers such as music labels and video producers.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Jason Neely)
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Tougher rules against phone 'spam'
Tougher rules to protect consumers from unsolicited mobile phone services and intrusive text messages could be in place by the winter under new proposals.
Operators will be forced to introduce clearer pricing for premium rate mobile phone content and will not be allowed to sign consumers up to subscription services without their express approval, regulator PhonePayPlus said.
Under a separate rule, any subscription service that prevents customers from stopping it easily and quickly will be immediately shut down.
Other proposals will ensure consumers receive fewer and more targeted promotional text messages and are able to make more informed decisions about the services they buy.
The mobile premium content market grew to more than £460 million in 2007/08, with 38% of UK consumers buying ringtones, pictures and games or participating in television programmes and competitions, the regulator said.
PhonePayPlus said it received more than 8,000 complaints over the last year, a 108% increase on the year before.
There was anecdotal evidence of consumers, including young people, being charged several thousand pounds as a result of bad practice by content and service providers.
In 2007 the regulator found 33 mobile services had breached regulations and fined them more than £360,000. It had already imposed fines of more than £390,000 in the first six months of this year.
PhonePayPlus chief executive George Kidd said: "There is a clear lack of trust among many consumers about mobile premium services and this is small wonder when you consider the kind of harm that is being done to them by some providers.
"It's essential that we address this. Only by working together to build trust among consumers will we see a growing, sustainable, vibrant market for phone-paid services."
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16 July 2008
For teens, the future is mobile. Onestopphoneshop.
SAN FRANCISCO--Marketers convened this week to figure out how best to reach teens on the Internet. The answer: It's all about the mobile phone.
Advertisers are clamoring to reach teens in digital environments because that's where they're spending much of their time--either online, with cell phones or playing video games. What's more, teens wield an estimated $200 billion annually in discretionary spending.
Fuse, a marketing agency based in Vermont, talked in recent weeks to senior technology executives from companies such as Sony, MTV Networks, Yahoo, and Nokia to find out what the future of technology will look like for the teen market.
Among the predictions: Mobile phones in the United States will surpass the popularity of desktops for teens. Only an estimated 20 percent of teens currently own a smartphone such as the iPhone, but mobile phone and content companies are counting on the idea that smartphone adoption will spread fast among teens in middle America and other areas.
"The iPhone is just the beginning of the all-in-one device. Uses of mobile devices will expand to include all kinds of bar code applications and prepaid debit card payment methods," said Bill Carter, a partner at Fuse, who presented the findings here at the YPulse 2008 National Mashup, a two-day conference on teens and technology.
That's likely why geographic ad targeting to teens via the phone is expected to explode in the coming years. Right now, mobile phone providers analyze an estimated 4 billion Internet Protocol addresses to provide street-level targeting to consumers. Companies like U.K.-based Blyk, for example, are reaching teens through the phone with ads and information on nearby nightspots. Teens sign up for the service.
"When you combine this new technology with teens giving their permission to market to them, the growth could be exponential," Carter said.
But, he said, mobile phone providers likely won't succeed as the entertainment leaders for the phone, despite their efforts to sell ringtones, games, and music. Other companies like Apple, Google, and Yahoo will be more effective at "side-loading" the cell phone with services.
Case in point: Most teens download music to their iPod that's been ripped from a friend's collection as opposed to bought from the iTunes music store. "There's a natural gravitation to get content on a device that's different than the one the manufacturer intended," he said.
As a corollary, he said that most teens will eventually buy subscription-based music services, much like the cable TV model. He predicted that Apple's iTunes will offer an unlimited monthly download service for music. Mobile phone companies, too, will launch music subscriptions on the smartphone.
Another prognostication: Other technology platforms will save, not kill TV networks, Carter said. The analog-to-digital conversion will make it possible for teens to watch live TV on portable devices. The technology will help the television networks target programming to specific audiences, and that will buoy the cost of advertising, he said.
"The device is inconsequential compared to the content," he said.
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iphone or not iphone that is the question?
The HTC Touch Diamond mobile phone has arrived and boy it re-defines the view of the next generation mobile phone. With a sharp 2.8-inch touch screen which is set in stunning brushed steel and has flawless faceted edges.
With HTC vibrant touch-responsive user interface, TouchFLO 3D, and ultra-fast HSDPA internet connectivity, means you’ll get a high-class mobile experience. Plus use the 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus and store all you multimedia files with the 4GB internal memory. Plus HTC Weather – provides a constant view of the weather at home and abroad.
Finally find your destination quickly and efficiently with the built-in GPS facility.
- Use the 2.8-inch touch screen display with four times the pixels of most phones
- Admire the impressive Vibrant TouchFLO™ 3D user interface
- Capture all your pictures with the 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus
- Surf and download at fast broadband speeds via HSDPA internet connectivity
- Store all your multimedia files with the 4GB of internal memory
- Always know your destination with built-in GPS facility
all comments welcome
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15 July 2008
13% of UK users access internet via their mobile
The UK has the second-highest number of mobile internet users compared to the rest of the world, research by Neilson Mobile has shown.
Around 12.9 per cent of mobile phone subscribers use the internet, bettered only in the US where 15.6 per cent of users access the internet via their mobiles. UK mobile internet users are also 60 per cent more likely to interact with on-line marketing than the average user.
Neilsen Mobile notes that on-line marketing should be an "important part" of any companies' marketing mix. However, the firm warned that "publishers, marketers, connection speeds must continue to improve" their services in order to meet consumer internet expectations.
UK mobile users visit an average of 5.5 domains per month, with men accounting for two thirds of those users that interact with advertising.
Italy and Spain have the highest mobile internet use in Europe after the UK, with 11.9 per cent and 10.8 per cent of subscribers accessing the internet respectively.
Can mobile marketing match internet advertising?
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14 July 2008
Mobile Broadband 1624% increase
With 90% of the UK population now having access to 3G coverage, it seems the Mobile Modems’ finest hour has finally arrived as volume sales grew by a staggering 1624% in May 2008 vs. 2007. This booming product group is available in two main formats; the PCMCIA 3G Card Modem and the modem that connects to a laptop through a USB port, also better known as the Mobile Dongle.The shape of the market took a significant turn in January 2008. Sales started to rocket combined with a shift of the products' form factor. While sales of PCMCIA 3G Card Modems led the market for most of 2007 and still accounted for nearly half of the Christmas sales, Mobile Modems with USB have been heavily dominating sales, with a share over 95% YTD May 2008 since the beginning of the year.
In spite of the strong year on year value growth (766%) for total mobile modem sales this May, average prices dropped considerably over the last 12 months by £20 to £20 in May 2008. This price decline is mainly driven by the fact that the majority of Mobile Dongles are purchased with a mobile data contract, in which case the modem is often given to the end-consumer for free. However, when a Mobile Modem with a USB is purchased as part of a pre-paid scheme, the end-consumer has to pay a one-off fee for the device.
Chantal Brel, Senior Account Manager at GfK, comments: "Two important barriers that have been holding back the mobile broadband market from growth are now removed: complexity and cost. Operators' mobile broadband offers have become a lot more comprehensive and affordable for the general public. And while sales of laptops with integrated 3G are still insignificant with less than 1% share in May, there is still enormous growth potential for the Mobile Modem market for the future.”
The increasing demand and usage of digital content by consumers along with the time and money spent on this sector is an important driver of the mobile broadband market. The dongles are acting as a 'personal key' to the digital world. To be able to access the Internet wherever you are and whenever you want is becoming more and more important in this technological age. Sleek design and funky colours are also key as the mobile modem must reflect consumers' digital lifestyles and values. Extremely portable, personal and plug-and-play, the market is ready to be dongled.
Dongles and Laptopsoriginal post
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9 July 2008
Touch Diamond extended battery
Touch Diamond users who are deperately asking for an extended battery option will be able to buy the battery soon. Expansys in UK has just put up a pre-order page of the Diamond Extended Battery, comes with a back cover to fit the bigger battery.
This should be the official extended battery offer from HTC, according to the retail packaging and it has a model number BP E270 on it. The original battery is BP S270, which is a 900 mAh battery. With the new battery, you will be getting a total of 1340 mAh. The thickness of the HTC Touch Diamond body should be increase a little with the new back cover replaced.
Expansys has put it up for pre-order at 80 USD a piece at the moment.
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8 July 2008
2 July 2008
Nokia signs Warner Music Group
Warner Music available through Nokia Music Store and Comes With Music
Users of the Nokia Music Store will now have even more choice with the announcement that Warner Music Group will also be providing music content to the service. Warner Music Group has joined Universal and Sony BMG and will be seen as a major coup by the manufacturer. Accessible via a PC or compatible Nokia device, the Nokia Music Store allows consumers to browse for new music, search for favourite tracks, artists or albums, as well as finding recommendations from other users. Purchased songs can be downloaded directly to your Nokia or PC and can be transferred between the two.
Warner Music will also be available on Nokia's impending Comes With Music service. Scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2008, once a "Comes With Music" device has been purchased, the consumer will have unlimited access to Nokia's music content for an entire year. At the end of the end twelve months, though your subscription will need renewing, all the music downloaded will be able to be kept in your permanent library.
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1 July 2008
Ofcom's top ten roaming tips
Ofcom sets out ten tips for keeping down the cost of using mobile phones and downloading data whilst travelling abroad.
1. Enable your mobile phone: Check with your mobile provider that your phone has been enabled to use abroad. Operators are obliged to provide this information to customers.
2. Check your handset: Check with your mobile provider that your handset will work in the country you are travelling to
3. Check the prices before you leave: Contact your mobile provider to check your tariff before you travel to help avoid unexpectedly high bills.
4. Ensure you are getting the best deal: Check international packages offered by operators before you travel to ensure you are getting the best deal
5. The pan European tariff only applies to voice calls: Remember that the pan European tariff (Eurotariff) which has helped to reduce the cost of calls, only applies to voice calls, not to texting and data downloads. It is available from all operators, across most European countries but is not available in Switzerland, Turkey or Croatia.
6. Check your bundles: Don't assume that the price of calls made abroad are included in your bundled package.
7. Don't forget voicemail: Remember that calling your voicemail from abroad can cost the same as making a call to the UK - check with your provider if in doubt. Unlike at home, you may be charged every time someone leaves a message on your voicemail. If you want to avoid these charges, you can switch off your voicemail before you leave the UK.
8. Using mobile internet abroad: Be aware that when connecting to the internet via a mobile handset, dongle or data card (a portable modem which provides internet access via the 3G network) whilst abroad could cost significantly more than when using them at home.
9. The local SIM option: If you are out of the country for a long period time, it could be cheaper to buy a local SIM card that can be used in your handset or a local dongle.
10. Alert your operator immediately if your phone is lost or stolen: If your phone is lost or stolen when you are abroad remember that you could be liable for the cost of the calls made in that country. Make a note of the contact details of your operator before you travel to ensure that you can get in touch with them as soon as possible to report the loss.
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Cycle to charge your Mobile
You can recharge your mobile phone while you peddle your push-bike. According to the Smart Planet website, O2 has revealed a new mobile phone battery charger. In fact, they will be showing the device at the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London from 3rd to 6th July. The company will be displaying an array of the new chargers attached to bikes for you to try - although the cycles will be fixed to the ground but you'll be able to get the general idea. You can plug in your own phone and peddle away to recharge your mobile, if you wish.
However, don't get too carried away with the idea. The bike-based charger is not, yet, due for general release. The device is only being shown at the show to bolster O2's green credentials. They've obviously seen Oranges' wind/solar powered tent at Glastonbury, then.
However, once the bike-based charger is in the wild, surely it can only be a matter of time before O2 does the decent thing and release the thing for general sale?
SmartplanetPosted by Unknown 0 ADD A COMMENT
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