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UK Palm Pre Being Announced on 7th July?    [ 01-07-2009 18:51 ]

Author: Ivanov Konstantin    Source: Mobiwoo     Translation by: Administrator     

Palm are set to hold a press event in the UK on 7th July. There is no official word on what exactly it's for, but speculation is invariably drawn toward the prospect of it being the announcement of a GSM Pre for the UK market. The Pre recently went on sale in the U.S. as a CDMA handset with the Sprint network. Perhaps the biggest area of speculation isn't whether the handset will be announced on the 7th, but which British network(s) will be offering it. The current favourite is O2 with many believing that they have managed to sign a deal giving them exclusive rights to the handset in the UK much like their exclusive deal with the iPhone. Again this isn't official and it's still possible that anothe rnetwork might have gotten an exclusive or perhaps any exclusive deal will be on the order of months rather than years.

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Vodafone to Return to Carphone Warehouse    [ 01-07-2009 12:42 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com     Translation by: Administrator     

Who says happy endings only exist in the movies? This week sees Vodafone return to Carphone Warehouse after a three year absence. The two companies parted ways almost three years ago in a rather dramatic manner and ever since Carphone Warehouse, the UK's largest mobile retailer, hasn't sold any contract or mobile broadband options on behalf of Vodafone. However, after high level negotiations between the heads of the two companies Vodafone will make a return to Carphone Warehouse a few months ahead of schedule. The original date for Vodafone's return was to be nearer the October mark, but it seems that both companies were eager to get things moving and thus the date has been pusged forward.

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Firefox Coming to Android?    [ 29-06-2009 20:08 ]

Author: Ivanov Konstantin    Source: Pocket-lint     Translation by: Administrator     

Mozilla has been making some noises about porting its Firefox web browser to Android. Until fairly recently this wasn;t do-able given that Android applications ran on Google's Java virtual machine, but with the release of the NDK 1.0 (Native Development Kit) apps can run on Android itself. Mozilla had previously commented that because of the Java restriction it wasn't paying serious attention to Android, but the path is very much clear now. Given Android's popularity on the desktop and the still relatively open space that is the mobile browser market Firefox could establish itself as a major force on mobile phones. Indeed Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Vice-President of Mobile, said "Developers are taking a look at the NDK to see if it provides the capabilities we need to bring Fennec to Android. If it's possible, I think our community would be interested in doing it, because Android will be appearing on moresmartphones with the capabilities to provide a good browsing experience."

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Micro-USB Charger Standard Gains 90% Manufacturer Support    [ 29-06-2009 19:35 ]

Author: Ivanov Konstantin    Source: Engadget     Translation by: Administrator     

As anyone who has owned more than one brand of mobile knows all too well the chargers that come with them are as resplendent in their diversity as they are annoying in said diversity. With various manufacturers using different styles of chargers, and even different styles of chargers used by phones from the same manufacturer, it is no wonder that people get frustrated, especially given the high cost to replace chargers. However, the EU Commission wants to change that and has received backing from some of the biggest players in the market. The proposal is basically to use a single standard of charger for handsets sold within the EU, the standard being micro-USB. So far the proposal has secured backing from the likes of Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, Smsung, etc. The companies backing the standard account for around 90% of the EU market so it is almost certainly going to be a success and hopefully mean lower costs for consumers and less frustration too.

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Apple Pulls Nudie App - No More Boobies for $1.99    [ 25-06-2009 19:28 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: Engadget     Translation by: Administrator     

As you can see from the article below we reported just a few hours ago that Apple's App Store had passed the first adult themed app, the unambiguously titled 'Hottest Girls'. Well it seems to all have been a little too much for Apple as Engadget are now reporting that the app has been pulled. Of course there are other ways to get this sort of material on an iPhone e.g. Safari so it is a bit perplexing as to why Apple should pull an app that is restricted to adults only scant hours after having approved it. Another mystery of the app store ...

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First Adult App in the App Store: $1.99 to See Boobies    [ 25-06-2009 17:06 ]

Author: Ivanov Konstantin     Translation by: Administrator     

The iTunes store has approved its first adult application; 'Hottest Girls'. You won't be surprised, after reading that title, to learns that it features pictures of naked women. The app, priced at $1.99 for anyone who doesn't know that porn can be found free on the internet, is trailblazing as we are some to see a deluge of adult apps and content hit the app stor ein the months ahead. With the 3.0 update the App Store gained the ability to rate apps and offer them to only certain age groups. Hottest Girls may be the first app to get naked boobies into the App STore, but it will amopst certainly not be the last.

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Vodafone to Offer Femtocells    [ 23-06-2009 21:01 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: Mobile Today     Translation by: Administrator     

Vodafone has long held a reputation for having Britain's best mobile network and it's looking to add to that reputation by becoming the first British network to offer femtocells to customers. Aimed at giving 3G coverage a boost inside buildings the femtocells will be provided free to contract customers. The actual device itself is around the same size as a router and plugs into the telephone line. Those not on a Vodafone contract can still get a femtocell by either making a one off payment of £160 or by paying £5 per month. Whilst outdoor coverage is usually fine for most networks indoors can be another matter entirely and Vodafone are obviously keen to ensure that customers have full access to Vodafone's range of services at all times. The devices will be available to customers from 1st July.

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Nokia-Siemens Sold Monitoring Equipment to Iranian Regime    [ 22-06-2009 15:05 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: Mobile Today     Translation by: Administrator     

Nokia-Siemens is reported to have sold monitoring equipment to the Iranian regime. The join venture between the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia, and Germany's Siemens sold a 'monitor centre' to Irantelecom, the state telecommunications provider. The technology allows Irantelecom to tap phone lines, read emails and track other electronic communications. A spokeperson for Nokia-Siemens defended the sale by saying it was 'lawful'. However, given the recent protests in Iran where many people have been killed and where protestors have been relying on electronic communications to organise their protests Nokia-Siemens defence may not wash with customers or investors.

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Orange and Vodafone to Allow Mobile Calls On Planes    [ 18-06-2009 16:43 ]

Author: Serge Novikov    Source: Mobile Today     Translation by: Administrator     

Good news for those who simply must be able to use their mobiles on a plan ... Orange and Vodafone have agreed to allow it. Previously only O2 and T-Mobile had allowed their networks to be used by customers on planes with Orange and Vodafone having been worried over 'bill shock'. With costs as high as £2.50/min the two networks had feared that customers may not realise what they were spending and end up angry when large bills came in. Presumably these fears have been allayed as both networks are now onboard (pardon the pun) for allowing mid-air mobile calls.

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O2 Threaten to Disconnect Customers Who By-Pass Tethering Charges    [ 18-06-2009 16:23 ]

Author: Serge Novikov    Source: Pocket-lint     Translation by: Administrator     

British network O2 have announced that any customer who seeks to by-pass their iPhone tethering bolt-ons will be liable to pay a fee or be disconnected. O2 have come in for intense criticism over their tethering tariffs with many people complaining that they are too expensive, especially since they are more expensive than some of O2's mobile broadband options. The criticism has been heightened by what many see as being excessive charges for upgrading to the new iPhone 3G S. Commenting on the prospect of customers tethering without buying one of their tethering bolt-ons O2 said:

"Internet rumours suggest that some customers have modified their iPhone to enable Internet Tethering without the purchase of the Internet Tethering Bolt On. Any use of this particular feature without the purchase of the Bolt on is specifically prohibited under our terms of service."

Ofcom have now waded into the matter after having told one disgruntled O2 customer that should they receive further complaints they will investigate the issue of O2's tethering charges. The whole iPhone situation has lurched from one PR disaster to another for O2 and the prospect of Ofcom becoming involved surely won't be something that they will relish.

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Speculation Mounts Over 17th June SE Event    [ 16-06-2009 19:41 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: Mobiwoo     Translation by: Administrator     

Hot on the heels of two recent press events speculation is mounting that Sony Ericsson are set to announce yet more handsets tomorrow. However, this isn't the case; Sony Ericsson are saying that tomorrow's event, being held in Singapore, will be a local introduction to the previously announced Yari and Satio handsets as well as the Greenhearthandsets Sony Ericsson announced a few weeks ago. There had been talk of a possible X2 announcement tomorrow, but this now looks set for the ed of summer although with the number of leaks recently Sony Ericsson might be as well introducing it tomorrow.

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Dell Android Smartphone Pic Surfaces    [ 15-06-2009 18:22 ]

Author: Serge Novikov    Source: Phone Arena     Translation by: Administrator     

Those who have been following the long running speculation over Dell's plans to release a smartphone will know that so far there hasn't been much in the way of concrete details. Previous rumours have suggested that prototypes of a Dellsmartphone shown to mobile networks were rejected because they apparently lacked creativity and originality. Well today we can see a picture of an alleged Dell smartphone released on a Chinese PDA forum. The handset looks to be running Android and given Dell's experimentation with Android and its notebooks it's not a huge leap to imagine the company is looking at using it is any smartphone it might release.

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X2 Makes Another Cameo ... This Time In White    [ 11-06-2009 22:34 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: Mobiwoo     Translation by: Administrator     

Another day ... another X2 leak. This time the handset, previously seen on two sepaate occassions, has turne dup in white. With two colour variants apparently in the works (although no news whether oth will make the final cut) Xperia fans will have something else to choose from than Model T black. The X2 looks to be offering a 8.1 MP camera, 2.2" or maybe 3.5" touchscreen as well as that rather interesting full QWERTY keyboard. Worth mentioning is the fact that the menu system on display smacks of WinMo 6.5 rather than the 6.1 the current X1 sports. Obviously there's no word on when this handset will be announced (if at all), but given the leaks one wonders if there is any point ...

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Another Bad Day For O2 - #O2Fail Keeps On Going    [ 11-06-2009 22:13 ]

Author: Irina Turina     Translation by: Administrator     

It's been another bad day on the internet for Brtiish network O2. The network, Britain's only official iPhone network, has come in for severe criticism from angry customers over the past four days due to the pricing structur eof the new iPhone 3G S. Whilst some had thought that the protest would have calmed by now it is still going at a steady pace. Twitter has been on fire throughout the week with people using the hashtag #o2fail to vent their anger and an online petition against the pricing plans is now closing in on 5,000 signatures. Playboy UK even waded in, on the side of the customers, by endorsing the petition and calling on O2 to provide a fair upgrade price. The team running O2's Twitter account have announced that a Q&A sheet will shortly be made available to address the more common questions; an understandable move given the volume of complaints they have had to deal with over the past four days. The customers have been releasing their own information too, with http://o2fail.wordpress.com appearing as a centralising location for information on the #o2fail protest. Today they published a detailed breakdown of the iPhone 3G S cost. We'll keep you updated as this one looks to run and run ...

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iPhone 3G S Advert Debuts    [ 10-06-2009 21:37 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: Phone Arena     Translation by: Administrator     

Ahead of the imminent 19th launch Apple have begun their media campaign to promote their new iPhone 3G S. The advert feels like an action-film with the director and cinematographer both having worked on Fight Club. The advert, titled 'Break In' and focuses (pardon the pun) on the video recording feature present in the new handset. Apple gets in a sly joke at its own expense by referencing the same basic design as the iPhone 3G. Enough words though, take a look for yourselves:

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#O2Fail    [ 09-06-2009 22:03 ]

Author: Irina Turina     Translation by: Administrator     

Anger amongst O2 customers has been steadily building today over the news that the British network will not repeat last year's offer of allowing iPhone customers to break their contracts early without a fee so as to upgrade to the latest model, announced yesterday. As we reported yesterday the anger has been playing out on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, with the Twitter hashtag #o2fail seeing massive usage throughout the day. Various petitions have sprung up, with one now having almost 2,500 signatures. The mainstream media have also picked up on the furore with articles appearing on the websites of the Telegraph, the Guardian, and the Daily Mail. The BBC and Sky News have also picke dup the story. Speaking to Sky News a spokeswoman for O2 commented that O2 were "... deeply upset" and "... quite shocked by the reaction", and going on to say "We heavily subsidise the iPhones, we can't afford to just cut these [contracts] off." That isn't likely to hold much water with angry O2 customers though given the level of anger displayed today and the mounting calls for a new upgrade policy to be implemented.

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N97 On Sale in America Today    [ 09-06-2009 21:26 ]

Author: Irina Turina    Source: N97Geeks     Translation by: Administrator     

It looks like our American cousins are to receive the N97 before us on this side of the Pond. N97Geeks are reporting that one of their American members has informed them that the N97 will go on sale in the U.S. as from today, 9th June. Nokia USA customer care confirmed this with the member in question. This means that the U.S. will see the N97 available for purchase a full 10 days before the UK and the rest of Europe. Of course we're talking about SIM free purchases from Nokia themselves here, not network subsidised handsets. The date for that is still the 26th in the UK.

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O2 iPhone Upgrade Policy Sparks Customer Anger    [ 09-06-2009 00:16 ]

Author: Serge Novikov     Translation by: Administrator     

O2 UK have confirmed that they will not repeat last year's offer of allowing iPhone customers to break their contracts for free to upgrade to the new iPhone 3G S. The move seems to have instantly caused a great deal of anger and disappointment amongst O2 customers with O2's official forum seeing many O2 customers venting their anger. Twitter has also become a hotbed of disgruntled O2 customers with the hashtag #o2fail quickly gaining ground as people express their ire at O2's decision. Whether O2 decide to reverse the policy or not is yet to be seen, but their customers will certainly hope so.

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