Fresh Picks: Nokia’s C6 is Now in the UK
Our recommended quick-pick handset is now available in the UK. The Nokia C6 may not be as impressive as an Android smart phone, but there are still times when having even the basic Symbian S60 OS is pretty much enough for the average user. Besides, access to the Nokia Ovi store still means that the handset gets a large library of apps and media to download, and users will have plenty of things to do with the device.
Local network operators, O2 and Vodafone UK have announced that the device is available for free on their tariff plans. At the lowest, the handset can be obtained for free under a 25 Pound monthly contract from either operator. We can probably expect to see this phone on other networks in the next few days.
The only complaint that we can give about this phone is that for its retail price (about 289 Pounds on the official Nokia online store for the UK), the phone only packs a resistive touch screen. Capacitive touch screen technology always provides users with a better control experience. Hopefully, the next C-series handset would have a better screen. Still, at 3.2 inches, the TFT display provides ample room for viewing photos and watching videos.
Overall, the handset is a practical device that still manages to bring in some useful extras. The 5 mega pixel camera is a perfect built in snapper for those who love to take excellent quality images. Considering that 5MP is the current average for high end devices, the C6 is already loaded. The phone’s 434 MHz, ARM 11 CPU performs up to the device’s needs. But users should not expect super fast loading especially when handling resource heavy apps or features. As one might expect, this smart phone supports both 3G and 2G networks. The device also supports GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi.
Vodafone UK Now Offering the Android Wildfire
It looks like we will not be running out of Android options for the coming months. Considering the current lineup of smart phones for manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and others, there are going to be plenty of Android devices coming out in the next few months and the HTC Wildfire is one such device.
Fortunately for this HTC made Android smart phone, it brings together a good mix of features and provides an excellent degree of social network integration that makes it stand out among the many other Android smart phones available on the market.
Outright, this smart phone was made for user who access social networking sites very often. The Wildfire was designed for major Twitter and Facebook users, which means that if you love checking the latest status updates and would punctuate every major decision with a Tweet, then this smart phone is a match for you.
The device not only makes accessing social network accounts easy, it also brings in Flicker, YouTube, Picasa and more. These web media sharing services are quite important since that allow users to easily upload and share media with friends a family –an important consideration for anyone who uses social networking heavily.
Aside from that, the device also comes with multimedia playback capabilities as well. The Wildfire’s media player can handle a wide range of music and video formats, and the built in camera can take high resolution images and video.
The device itself comes with a nice 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touch screen display, a 5 mega pixel camera, a 528 MHz CPU and of course, Android 2.1 Éclair. So far, no word has been given as to when an update to version 2.2 Froyo will be available but with the HTC Desire getting a patch in the next few days; it would not be long before the Wildfire also gets an update as well.
How Much Data Do You Use?
O2 and Vodafone have both announced that they will be changing their data plans for consumers. While existing data plans will still retained, new subscribers will no longer have access to unlimited data bandwidths. According to the mobile networks, the reason for this is to help make the network more stable –and also to provide people with cheaper rates that are closer to their data usage patterns.
It is a pretty smart move, in terms of providing people with a cheaper alternative. After all, why would someone pay 30 Pounds each month when they can switch to a cheap 15 Pound data allowance rate that still fits to their usage patterns? At the same time, this new move will also be costly for users that choose to use their connection for heavy downloads.
O2’s own market reportedly shows that about 97% of their users only use less than 200MB of data each month –that is about 800MB of bandwidth paid but unused for anyone on a 1GB data allowance. Looking at it this way, it makes sense. For people who simply check the news, download the occasional streaming video, and most send Tweets or post on Facebook, this amount of data transfer is not so bad. But for those who consume more than 500MB of data per month, the new rates are going to give rise to killer bills.
Oddly enough, the main reason for this change in policy is due to the fact that some existing subscribers are making full use of their ‘unlimited data allowance’ by connecting their 3G SIM to a dongle for the computer and downloading to their hearts content.
In many ways, mobile internet is not taking the same patch that conventional broadband connections evolved. From dial up modems to high speed T1 connections, the growth of the 3G and other wireless networks is shaped by tariffs, data allowances, usage patterns and the fact that current networks are not capable of handling the current load.
Vodafone Launches 4 Androids This April
Android fans will certainly be rejoicing next month as they have plenty of new devices to choose from. Vodafone has already confirmed 4 smart phones that will be using Google’s mobile platform.
First up is the HTC Desire. This smart phone was first seen as the HTC Bravo. It comes with a Snapdragon CPU clocked at 1GHz which is the highest speed available on the market (though we have heard rumors that a new Atom CPU and a dual core version of the Snapdragon are due to appear later this year). Expect to be able to load hardware intensive apps on this phone without any problems. The device was renamed as the Desire when it was shown off at the Mobile World Congress last February.
The HTC Legend is technically the Hero 2. This device will come equipped with a 5 mega pixel camera, a 3.2 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen and a 600MHz Qualcomm processor. Not quite as fast as a Snapdragon, but the CPU still delivers a pretty decent performance to you can still expect to get insignificant load times on this device. HTC also added in a nice aesthetic touch with the aluminum casing on the phone as well.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is the joint venture’s first Android device. It combines the Android operating system with Sony’s new Timescape and Mediascape user interfaces. The device comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, an 8 mega pixel camera and a 4 inch capacitive touch screen.
Lastly, Vodafone will also be offering the Google Nexus One to their customers though it has been confirmed that device will not be stocked in stores but will still need to be shipped –Vodafone will only provide the SIM.
Get to know more about Vodafone’s Android smart phone offerings this coming April at Know Your Mobile.
Twitter: Not the Best Way to Communicate
Well, at least not for major companies. The recent incident with Vodafone UK is but one of many other similar incidents where social networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook were used by disgruntled, demented or otherwise childish, unsupervised employees who got a hold of the account.
A remark from an employee posted on the official Vodafone Twitter page raised alarm and suspicion that the company’s account may have been hacked –but not before the initial reactions at the statement. The original Tweet was a directed verbal insult to the gay community and to women. While the post was quickly deleted, many have already received the message.
Vodafone’s employees have been quick to assess the situation and deliver some timely responses that easily remedied the situation. The lack of media fallout regarding the event is a testament to the customer relations skills of the men and women behind Vodafone.
One major concern raised by the event was that Vodafone had been hacked. Vodafone’s representative quickly assured clients and the public that the company account has not been compromised in any way and they have the situation under control.
In the meanwhile, the culprit has been identified and the mobile network operator has suspended the said employee indefinitely. Investigations regarding the event are being held internally and it is unlikely that we will ever hear the final outcome of this event.
Vodafone users on the other hand have nothing to worry about. Aside from that little incident, the UK mobile operator is stronger than ever. The launch of the iPhone this January met with resounding success as the number if iPhone subscribers for the network are growing –thanks mostly to the quality of the 3G network service provided by Vodafone.
Read more about this topic at the Guardian UK.
Vodafone 360 debuts with the Samsung-Built Vodafone 360 H1
Just when we thought the LiMo (short for Linux Mobile) platform that enjoyed open source community support over the years is taking the dinosaur path with the emerging adoption of the similarly Linux-based Android, here comes the Vodafone 360 H1 running the Release 2.0 LiMo that just might herald the resurgence of the stable OS. It was used by Motorola in its RAZR and ROKR handsets though it too has been caught up in the Android bandwagon. Now it comes out to deliver the Vodafone 360 experience alongside Nokia’s Symbian-based smartphones.
Vodafone Exclusivity
Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has made a smartphone exclusive to Vodafone which recently launched its Vodafone 360 service to replace a seven-year old Vodafone Live. The service takes a crack from US carriers offering end-to-end internet-based data service that Vodafone claims is the apex of social networking – a People-centric service that merges your phonebook contacts with Google talk, Live Messenger and Facebook for starters with more coming soon.
This integration will also enable subscribers to share their multimedia files across the Vodafone network. The only issue to overcome is making sure your network of friends and colleagues are on the Vodafone network as well. All these can be done, of course, if your handset is up to the task. Vodafone has launched its 360 with 4 Nokia smartphones and a couple of Samsung handsets exclusively made for the purpose, like the Vodafone 360 H1.
Upscale Features
Samsung made sure Vodafone’s 360 service can be maximized with its H1 smartphone. For starters, it’s a quad band GSM and dual band UMTS on 3G so you can have broadband internet speeds from its HSDPA/HSUPA data connectivity – one of the main things you need to get into the 360 service. From there, the H1 is upscale all the way. It has a gorgeous 3.5” AMOLED touchscreen with Wide-VGA resolution, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, WiFi, Bluetooth and a generous 16 GB internal memory that’s expandable from its microSD slot.
Availability
The Vodafone 360 H1 is available now in 8 European countries including the UK. The rest of Europe follows early next year. Vodafone hopes to lure subscribers into its service with an appealing ₤35 24-month contract. Maybe it’s worth giving them a try this Christmas if only to get hold of the wonderful H1 handset.
Vodafone in the Spotlight with the Announcement of the Vodafone 360 M1
Vodafone is really attracting the attention of mobile phone users with its latest Vodafone 360 campaign. And ever since the announcement of two Samsung phones has been broadcasted, the interest has only grown deeper. Many users are finding the Vodafone 360 M1 as a very convenient alternative to the H1. The set has a fabulous design and is much lighter than its sister. But most of all, it will be featuring the highly anticipated 3D interface that will be delivering the Vodafone 360 experience through a 3.2” TFT touch screen with a 800 x 480 pixels resolution display with 16 million colors.
The Vodafone 360 interface will place all the internet and other phone applications with in your easy and convenient access, and it will make life much easier for you as far as managing your accounts on the different websites on the internet is concerned. First of all, it saves you the hassle to access your contacts on different website accounts by logging into them separately, as it brings them together in a single display in your phone address book. And further more, it can be accessed very easily with a couple of touches on the screen. The set has a very simple design as far as the physical navigation of the user interface is concerned, and it adds to the convenience of the Vodafone 360 experience. You can also stay constantly informed about your friends’ Facebook status and can access your messaging and email services just as easily. You can chat live with your friends and can access any information or multimedia that they share you without any problems. You can maintain your photo albums with far greater ease of use than you would have experienced before, and the attractive display will enhance your viewing pleasure considerably as you share your memorable moments with your friends and family. Watch this space for Vodafone 360 M1 deals.