Mobile Venue - Phone News and Reviews

Problems at the UK iPhone Launch

Matthew — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:46:09 +0000

The iPhone launched this morning in the UK at 8am, but unfortunately a snag was to be found. In London a queue of over 150 people was formed (with some queuing over a day) which when the doors opened the on-line registration system refused to accept details or payments for the new phone. Oops. It is estimated that just a few dozen iPhones will be made available at launch today with others wanting to buy having to wait a few more weeks or months until the end of summer.

O2 were limiting the iPhone to just one per customer although if you are a business user then you are allowed two of the phones, assuming you were in the queue from early on today. A significant change over the first iPhone is that the UK will be offering the phone for free on some of it’s plans (those for £45 and above) which is a smart move and very welcomed move.

Source – Sky News

VoIP on the iPhone 3G?

Matthew — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:13:50 +0000

VoIP Weblog raised an interesting question today about the iPhone 3G and VoIP. They are wanting to know “Who will have the first VoIP over Wifi application on iPhone 3G?” What they are referring to is actual applications being built rather then Jajah and RingFree which are web based services.

I for one am a HUGE van of VoIP and the possibilities it brings. It’s just fascinating that calls can be made to anywhere from anywhere and yet, you pay a fraction of the cost. The reason VoIP Weblog bring up this question is due to the expensive costs of roaming with a mobile phone. Take it to another country and you could be paying a lot more for your calls to receive and make them. But if you can find yourself a Wifi hotspot then you are laughing as a VoIP app on the iPhone would freely connect you with your home but cost next to nothing.

Not only do roaming costs drop, but so do international call costs. Unless you are on a special plan with your mobile phone provider, then you normally end up paying a lot of money to make international calls. A VoIP app would be a nice addition to the iPhone 3G.

So back to the question… Who will be first? Check out VoIP Weblog and let them know!

T-Mobile to Release 3G Android Phone

Matthew — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:14:23 +0000

A rumour has been floating around about T-Mobile preparing for a Google Android based mobile phone which will run on a 3G network. 3G for T-Mobile is beginning to roll out around the US, and it is intended that later this year the Android based phone will be part of the roll out.

The HTC Dream is more then likely going to be the new Android based phone which will hit the shelves the 4th quarter 2008. Three other phones will be launched along side which are the Sony Ericsson Z780, Samsung and the Motorola ZINE ZN5. Of course, these are all rumours and there is no official statement yet on this.

Via: CNet

Contact Coverflow?

Matthew — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:59:07 +0000

Coverflow was “kind of cool” when it came out, but at the same time it isn’t really something we enjoy using day to day as other methods of scrolling around your music tend to be quicker. An idea has now been put forwards that suggests Coverflow should be used for contacts on the iPhone. A picture of each contact with information on their current status could be flicked through like an address book.

The benefits of a Contact Coverflow or Contactflow could be to find those people you forget the names of but remember their faces. A quick scroll through your contacts would quickly find them… although if you don’t remember their names then why would you be asking them for a picture anyway?

Although on the surface it looks like a great idea, I could soon see it becoming a bit boring like coverflow. I still think contactflow should be included in the standard software though!

Via: TechAU

07700900461 – Did you call Dr Who?

Matthew — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:13:06 +0000

This past weekend saw the penultimate episode of the Dr Who series which drew in an audience of about 9.8 million viewers in the UK (how do they know I was one of those viewers???). On the show a mobile phone number was displayed several time as 07700900461 which was the Dr’s number through out the episode. I can’t say that when viewing a show and seeing a number that I have ever been inclined to call it. The same went with this Dr Who show too… It just didn’t cross my mind to call that number, but yet around 2500 people tried calling the fake number to see if they could find out information on the future of Dr Who.

“They showed that number so many times, as if they were asking for it to be called.”

“Grrr – I phoned the Doctor’s phone number but there was just an annoying network message.”

“What’s the point in showing a phone number if you’re not gonna use it?!”

Ofcom who regulate phones say that the number is one of many supplied to program creators for use in shows. The numbers are not real and never will be real. People calling will not get charged for calling these numbers.

It makes you wonder why people would seriously think that the number would have anybody on the end. Did they really expect to speak to the Dr (David Tennant)?

Via: Telegraph

Toshiba Portege G810 Review

Matthew — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:48:43 +0000

Pocket Now did a great review of the Toshiba Portege G810 which runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The Portege G810 is built from a collaboration between Toshiba and Spb software and they attempt to deliver “the ultimate mobile experience”. The phone comes with some fairly cool specs such as a 400MHz processor, 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM with a microSD/HC expansion slot which allows you to seriously bump up that standard RAM amount.

The screen on the device is a fairly decent 2.8″ in size running at a QVGA resolution. The connectivity side covers all bases it seems allowing for quad band GSM and triband UMTS. Assisted GPS, Wifi b & g as well as Bluetooth and an FM radio can also be found crammed in to the small phone.

I recommend checking out the full review over at Pocket Now to see what this phone is all about. Will it fulfil that promise to deliver “the ultimate mobile experience”? Hit the link above to find out!

Control Powerpoint with Windows Mobile

Matthew — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:10:40 +0000

PowerPoint presentations have become more popular with companies around the country. The two common methods I have seen for controlling these presentations is either using an infrared remote control to flick through the slides, which works well, or by having a monkey sit next to the laptop and hit the next key at your request.

The latest method built by Microsoft is to use their SlideShow software. It works by using your Windows Mobile phone with the SlideShow software installed. Once downloaded and installed you then need to pair your mobile phone to your laptop or computer with Bluetooth (a common feature on phones and laptops these days). Once that is accomplished you then finally need to install the Office PowerPoint Remote gadget. With the gadget installed and ready you now have the ability to take control of your presentations through your mobile phone.

The software allows you to flick between slides on your mobile phone by either viewing them on screen first, or by using hardware buttons configured. It’s an excellent looking (early in development) app which seems to put a lot of control at your fingertips.

Source – Windows Now and cjcraft

iPhone 3G to Boost Apple Revenues

Matthew — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:42:13 +0000

It’s not breaking news that Apple is slashing the cost of it’s iPhone by an average of $200 when it is launched next week. But did you realise that Apple is not loosing out by doing this? Apple has managed to make deals with AT&T so that they will be paid more money for each iPhone sold. No official comment has been made about the financials, but observers believe that Apple are making an extra $100 on each iPhone sold.

Another way Apple is not loosing out is by requiring people to buy a contract when they buy the phone. The original iPhone was purchased with out a contract and when switched on it required you sign up for a plan to activate it. This is where the Jail Break software was used in that it could bypass the activation process basically cutting out the revenue for Apple and AT&T. With having to buy a contract when purchasing the iPhone 2, Apple and AT&T will not be converting everyone to their plans.

An estimated 35 – 45 million iPhones will be sold before 2010 ends which could see Apple realise revenues of $4 Billion.

It appears on the surface that this change benefits Apple, AT&T and the end user, and yet, Apple still walks away smiling.

Via: CNN

Roaming Costs – How much should we Pay?

Matthew — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:15:34 +0000

If you have ever taken your mobile phone out of your country then network roaming begins. Should you use your phone while abroad then you will be sometimes in for a nasty shock when the bill arrives back at home. Most contract phones are locked to a single network such as Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2 and when manually trying to hop on to another network you get a message saying that the network cannot be accessed. Take your phone abroad to France for example, you then have a plethora of networks you can connect to. Great… you can use your mobile in most places around the world because of this.

However, ridiculous prices are charged to make and receive calls as well as sending texts. So how much is reasonable? What would you want to pay? Considering I have run up £180 phone bills in a 2 day stop in France, I for one obviously want to see prices cut. It makes you wonder how much of that £180 is taken as profit for both the UK and French mobile networks that were utilised through my calls.

Have you ever been surprised by your phone bill after arriving home from that sunny break?

In the UK right now the phone regulators are trying to restrict the charges made. T-Mobile has has slashed prices by 80% (source – Guardian) while others have tried to follow.

Obviously things are not going to change overnight, but at least steps in the right direction are being made.

There are ways to avoid paying such high costs such as VoIP, foreign SIM cards, SIM cards from other countries that do not charge for incoming calls etc… by doing your research you will find these gems that can save you a fortune. Hopefully in the next year or so we wont have to go through all this hassle as network providers will be reasonably priced (one day).