Google’s Nexus One at Phones 4U today
Independent mobile phone retailer Phones 4U is selling the Google Nexus One in its stores and online from today (May 7, 2010) following in the footsteps of Vodafone who already stocks the smartphone device in the UK.
The Nexus One from Google features Google Maps, Google Mail, turn by turn SatNav style instructions, YouTube and Android Market. Furthermore, the hardware includes a five megapixel camera with autofocus and a 512MB internal memory which is expandable to 32GB via an SD Card.
Phones 4U spokesperson, Russell Braterman, commented:
“We’re really proud to be one of the first mobile retailers to stock Google’s Nexus One and we anticipate a rush of customers to be the first to get their hands on the phone”
The Nexus One is available from Phones 4U for free when taking out a 24-month contract, from £35 per month – this deal offers 600 minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB of data and unlimited Wi-Fi.
Source: Mobile News
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Three is the magic number
Mobile network operator 3 has this week launched its refreshed brand in an attempt to attract new customers as it strives to become the premier network for data services – and in doing so, the company has also simplified its brand logo into a single monochrome design that will literally be displayed as the word ‘Three’ instead of in the previous numeric format.
According to reports, the operator has decided to switch its business strategy from being price-led to focus on the quality and service of its data propositions instead. Furthermore, the company is aiming to re-educate the public by removing any previous “stigma” which may have existed in the past.
In addition, 3 is planning to update its tariff structure to include free data as part of the package for the first time – instead of it being an add-on product.
This brand new look incorporates a complete point of sale refresh within all the company’s channels including retail and online.
A spokesperson for 3 said:
“We think the refresh, which includes changing the way we write our name from ’3′ to ‘Three’, results in a simpler, warmer and clearly internet-focused brand…
… It’s designed to be a more approachable look and the incorporation of Three.co.uk into the logo reflects our drive to be the home of the mobile internet”
Source: Mobile News
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Skype Now Available Via Subscription To 170 Countries
Skype, the internet phone service used by thousands to make free phone calls and video calls has introduced a variety of new monthly subscription services, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The new subscriptions offer the cheapest calls yet to 170 countries and also a new video functionality. Its subscription packages have been increased from 40 countries to 170. The monthly packages include calls to both mobile phones and landlines. At the moment many people use the service on a pay as you go basis and the new rates offer savings of as much as 60% compared to the pay as you go rates.
A package which lets a user call from their laptop or Skype mobile application to anywhere in the world can cost from 69p a month costing as little as £0.01 a minute.
The subscriptions were announced at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco and the general manager of Skype’s Consumer Business Unit told The Daily Telegraph, “This is groundbreaking in terms of prices. We have moved from covering 40 countries in our subscription packages to more than 170 – all while offering up to 60 per cent savings on our pay as you go rate per minute. Previously you couldn’t use our paid subscription service to call mobile phones, the prices were higher and it only covered 40 countries – with prices differing between each country”.
Many people use the free Skype-to-Skype video and phone web service while those who want to call mobiles and landlines around the world without a subscription can still do so by buying Skype Credit or by using the Pay As You Go option.
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Source: The Daily Telegraph

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Microsoft Communicator Mobile Set To Challenge BlackBerry
Microsoft and Nokia have launched their first product which comes after an alliance between the two companies. The product is called Microsoft Communicator Mobile software which lets business mobile users see the availability of their colleagues and enables them to message them via email, text, phone or IM, reports BBC News Online.
Nokia and Microsoft decided to work together in order to challenge the dominance of companies such as BlackBerry. Later in the year they plan to offer customers phones which run Microsoft Office.
The new software will run on Nokia E52 and E72 phones which run using the Symbian operating system and other handsets will be developed later.
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Source: BBC News Online

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Orange Seeks Business Mobile Users
Orange is trying to appeal to small and medium sized businesses by offering them flexible mobile plans, reports v3.co.uk. The business mobile tariffs are designed to allow business users to change their plans on a month by month basis.
The new tariffs offer businesses the ability to switch between services which include unlimited texts, free calls from aboard and data roaming. It means businesses can work out which services they need the most or prove most useful before going into a long term contract. It also means that if necessary small businesses can change their services as their needs change over time.
The new tariffs are available now for new and existing customers who are renewing their contract and come as part of the Orange Business Solo, Business SIM and Business Sense packages.
Business mobile customers can also include specific add-ons including unlimited texts, Orange to Orange calls and landline calls.
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Source: v3.co.uk

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High Street wars – Tesco to take on Carphone Warehouse
According to mobile today, supermarket giant Tesco is preparing for battle with plans to take its mobile phone shops to the streets and take on network operator Carphone Warehouse by opening Tesco Phone Shops on every high street.
Tesco wants to open three new mobile phone shops each week in order to command a minimum of one hundred Tesco Phone Shops by the end of the year in an attempt to reach a target of five hundred shops by the end of 2013 – with 107 already open.
Over this three year period, Tesco estimates it will create 3,000 jobs with the first two hundred Tesco Phone Shops scheduled for Tesco Extra stores, followed by a further 300 expected to open in Tesco Superstores and high street Metro stores.
Lance Batchelor, the chief of telecoms for Tesco, commented:
“We are working out how to put a full service Phone Shop in our Metro stores and we are trialling different ways of doing this. This will give us the ability to be on every high street in the country. With prepay, we were only playing in half the market. Now, with our Phone Shops and the addition of 28 new handsets in our contracts range, we have moved into the whole of the consumer market”
Source: Phones Review
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O2 and Carphone Warehouse Cancel Palm Pre orders
Last year the Palm Pre Smartphone was launched exclusively by network operator O2 in the UK with the Carphone Warehouse purchasing directly from O2. However, according to mobile today, it transpires that O2 and Carphone Warehouse have now stopped ordering the Palm Pre handset.
Confirming the news, O2 is rumoured to have said that the reason is because they have “enough to meet the demands” of O2 customers. Carphone Warehouse is also said to have confirmed the same.
According to O2’s website blog, Steve Alder, the general manager of devices for O2 said:
“When we first announced our exclusive relationship to sell the Palm Pre we talked about how exciting the webOS platform was and how it was a breakthrough in bringing information from lots of different places together”
However, reports suggest that the Palm Pre has actually struggled to have any real impact in the UK market, and O2’s retail staff have complained of poor sales.
Source: Phones Review
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HP Buys Smart Phone Maker Palm For $1bn
Hewlett-Packard (HP) is buying the smart phone manufacturer, Palm, for $1bn, reports BBC News Online. The smart phone market is growing fast and HP said they hoped Palm’s webOS operating system would help the firm to expand into the smart phone market. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of July.
Palm released its touch screen smart phone the Pre last year but it hasn’t proved a match for the Apple iPhone and it didn’t meet its sales target. This is an example of how Palm has struggled to compete with smart phones such as the BlackBerry and the iPhone.
It remains to be seen if this buy out will improve Palm’s fortunes over the forthcoming years and give it the impetus to compete with Apple and Research in motion for a share of the lucrative smart phone market.
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Source: BBC News online

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Nokia Announces N8 Symbian Phone
Nokia has announced a new handset which is the first to use the Symbian operating system since it became open source, reports BBC News online.
The phone, called the N8, gives users the ability to record and edit High Definition video clips, has a 12 megapixel camera and users can also watch TV via the internet.
The phone is an important step for Nokia as it tries to improve its high end phones and as analysts say “to make them credible again”.
The phone will also provide a direct comparison between Google’s Android operating system and the Apple iPhone.
The Symbian Foundation made the software open source in February and this is the first phone using the software since it became open source. It means anybody can use and modify the software.
The N8 supports multi tasking so more than one application can be open at a time. It means the N8 will become Nokia’s primary smartphone which will also be able to be plugged into home theatres and even supports surround sound.
The phone will be shipped to stores in the third quarter of the year when I’m sure we’ll learn how much this new smartphone will cost.
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Source: BBC News Online

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Cloud hopping Twitter
Social-networking site Twitter has announced that it has bought start-up company Cloudhopper acquiring their SMS infrastructure and specialists – a move that will significantly boost Twitter’s text messaging service.
Twitter being a social networking and microblogging service enables users to send and read messages known as tweets within a 140 character limit and hopes to fully integrate Cloudhopper’s expertise of providing mobile messaging technology and expertise to businesses in the wireless sector.
Posting the news on Twitter’s blog, Kevin Thau, mobile products and partnerships for Twitter, said:
“Over the last eight months we have been working with a startup called Cloudhopper to become one of the highest volume SMS programs in the world – Twitter processes close to a billion SMS tweets per month and that number is growing around the world from Indonesia to Australia, the UK, the US, and beyond…
… To help us further grow and scale our SMS service, we are happy to announce the acquisition of Cloudhopper, a messaging infrastructure company that enables Twitter to connect directly to mobile carrier networks in countries all over the planet”
Source: Tech Digest
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