Press Releases

ARCHOS Unveils TV connect–Future Ready your Existing TV – First and Only Multi-Touch for Android on TV

ARCHOS, a pioneer in multimedia portable devices, is pleased to announce the ARCHOS TV connect, the “only Multi-Touch TV for Android” for your apps and games. The ARCHOS TV connect turns any HDTV into an Android powered smart TV providing the full Android ecosystem with a specially designed TVTouch remote.

The TV connect allows you to control your TV just like a tablet – tap, swipe, zoom in, zoom out, select or type. With the TV connectusers will be able to play games, stream videos, video chat in HD, email friends or surf the web all from their big screen TV. The ARCHOS TV connectruns Android 4.1^TM ‘Jelly Bean’ and will be available starting in February, 2013 for £99.

“As a pioneer in multimedia Android devices, we wanted to create a bigger, better way to enjoy Android,” says Henri Crohas, Founder and CEO of ARCHOS.”The ARCHOS TV connect provides users with a multi-touch, multi-media Smart TV experience powered by Android.”

Vodafone introduce ‘Nearly New’ – offering better deals for customers

Vodafone has launched ‘Nearly New’, offering pre-owned smartphones at a discount for pay as you go (PAYG) and pay monthly (PAYM) customers. It makes it more affordable for customers to get their hands on a smartphone, helping to increase take-up of the mobile internet among the mass-market (rather than being aimed at early adopters or people who already have a smartphone). We’re particularly targeting pay as you go users who have yet to make the leap to a smartphone (smartphone take-up among new pay monthly customers is over 90% already).

Crucially, all pay as you go ‘Nearly New’ handsets come with a 12 month warranty and all pay monthly ‘Nearly New’ handsets have a 24 month warranty. It’s worth noting that currently the majority of pre-owned smartphones that are used in the UK have been bought from eBay.

For PAYG customers it means they can get a smartphone at a reduced up-front cost (saving up to £155) and for pay monthly customers it means they can get a smartphone on a cheaper monthly price plan.

Nearly New is available for PAYG across all our stores now and will be launched online next week. It’s available in selected stores for pay monthly customers and also online.

Belfast to get 4G for Christmas Day

EE, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company, today announced that major mobile network upgrade plans have commenced in Northern Ireland. EE is investing more than £25 million in the region to deliver a faster mobile network to 94% of the population.

As well as undertaking the important upgrade works on the existing 2G and 3G network in Northern Ireland, EE is also launching superfast 4G mobile services on Christmas Day. When the network upgrade programme completes in April 2013, consumers and businesses across Northern Ireland will benefit from having access to one of the fastest, most advanced and best performing mobile networks in Europe.

Enterprise Minister for Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster commented:

"The launch of 4G services in Belfast is positive news for Northern Ireland, and I am pleased to see that we are one of the first communities in the UK to benefit from this exciting technology. My department recognises the importance of digital infrastructure in the development of the economy in Northern Ireland. Consumers and businesses will also benefit from EE’s major 2G and 3G network investment and upgrade plans that will deliver a faster, more reliable network for much of Northern Ireland by spring 2013."

This 2G and 3G network upgrade programme, vastly improving the reach and performance of the network in Northern Ireland, is likely to result in occasional and sporadic network outages for a small amount of customers. As mobile masts are upgraded, some customers near to that mast may experience a loss of mobile service for 12 to 48 hours. All works will be put on hold over Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to ensure customers have access to mobile services on these important days. EE aims to minimise disruption as much as possible for both businesses and consumers. The network upgrade programme is scheduled to be complete by April 2013.

David Salam, Director of Network Strategy and Design at EE, said:

"This network upgrade programme is essential for customers across Northern Ireland, and will enable one of the fastest, most efficient mobile networks in Europe. We’re delighted to be able to deliver this network, and apologise for any inconvenience caused by any temporary losses of service during this exciting network upgrade programme."

For more information, please visit www.ee.co.uk.

Posted by: James

Carphone Warehouse warn of high data usage for new smartphone users this Christmas

The UK’s largest mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, has warned that smartphones given as gifts this Christmas could lead to unexpectedly large bills come January.

Smartphone adoption has jumped by 5.7 million in the past 3 months alone, the fastest growth in over 3 years, and December looks set to continue the charge as millions of handsets are purchased for loved ones during the Christmas period.

Graham Stapleton, Chief Commercial Officer at Carphone Warehouse, says, “This Christmas will be the biggest ever for smartphones; it’s the first year that customers are able to get their hands on devices for under £100. For many, this will be their first experience of using data, which could lead to confusion and expensive bills come January. We recently launched a free guide –Understanding Mobile Data for Dummies – to inform and educate, helping people to avoid any unexpected charges. January is always a tight month; we’re urging new smartphone users to double check their tariff limits and understanding of data usage to help save money on their bills.

“Phone bills associated with the festive season are typically larger than usual as people tend to make more long distance calls reaching out to friends and family all over the world. This year, more Brits than ever will use their smartphones to video chat, particularly via Skype or Facetime, with relatives they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. If not hooked up to a Wi-Fi network these data heavy ‘calls’ could potentially lead to substantial charges for unwitting users.”

Consumer appetite for data has been steadily growing and is expected to hit an average of 1GB per user by 2014. Rises can be traced back to increasing smartphone functionality, particularly the growth in streaming, gaming and browsing on the move. iPhone owners are particular heavy data users, typically consuming more than users of any other handset brand or operating system.

The free Understanding Mobile Data For Dummies  guide from Carphone Warehouse is intended to combat the consumer confusion surrounding mobile data and data charges. For more information visit www.carphonewarehouse.com/dummies

Posted by: James

Introducing the White Motorola RAZR i

Motorola and Phones 4u bring you a special treat to either spend your Christmas money on or treat yourself to as we enter a new year, with the exciting arrival of the stunning and stylish new white addition to the iconic RAZR i family.

Giving you everything you’ll need to kick off the New Year, the white RAZR i combines a beautifully designed phone with everything that the Android Universe can offer you in the way of apps, gaming, connectivity and socialising!

With a beautiful 4.3inch edge-to-edge screen that’s perfect for playing games, viewing video or just chatting to friends the white RAZR i is the perfect companion to see your social life into the New Year in festive spirit.

Want some reasons to spend your Christmas money on a white RAZR i? Well, here are just a few:

· It has a large super AMOLED advanced 4.3-inch display and the compact design fits perfectly in the palm of your hand

· The edge-to-edge big screen display provides a beautiful viewing experience

· Synonymous with the Motorola RAZR family, the screen is protected from scratches thanks to the strong Corning® Gorilla® Glass display

· Brings the best of Google experiences to life

· A long-lasting 2000mAh battery allows users to talk, text, tweet and browse for longer

The Motorola RAZR i be available free from £20.50 on pay monthly contracts from 22^nd December. 

Posted by: James

CoPilot sat nav apps integrates Yelp content

ALK Technologies is pleased to announce version 9.4 of its award-winning CoPilot sat nav apps for iOS and Android. The new version, available as a free update for existing users, adds Yelp data pulled from its API (application programming interface), improved ActiveTraffic service and a variety of app-wide refinements to provide the best possible in-car navigation experience on mobile devices.

Via Yelp content, the Co-Pilot users are able to easily find interesting local businesses that have been reviewed and rated by the Yelp community. Once a location is chosen, CoPilot provides detailed voice instructions and clear 3D mapping straight to the door.

David Quin, Head of Consumer Applications at ALK Technologies said “CoPilot navigation has always combined access to great real-time local information with dependable on-board mapping for offline navigation. Yelp is a fantastic enhancement to CoPilot that makes it easy for customers to find the best places on-route or around them.”

Lookout Predicts Toll Fraud To Become the Fastest Path to Monetization; Mobile Still Plagued with Privacy Issues

Lookout Inc., the global leader in mobile security, has unveiled Lookout’s 2013 Mobile Threat Predictions, a forecast that identifies mobile threats people and businesses may face in the coming year. The predictions are based on Lookout’s Mobile Threat Network, which includes threat data collected from more than one million apps and millions of devices worldwide. Lookout expects toll fraud to continue to be the fastest path to monetization, spam to harvest personal data and businesses to struggle with the right level of control over BYOD devices.

The Mobile Threat Predictions reveal that globally, at least 18 million Android users will encounter mobile malware from the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2013. In addition, the global likelihood of a new Lookout user encountering a mobile threat, such as malware or spyware, is .84% on average from June to October 2013. The UK likelihood remained low at 1.29% in October 2012.

Web-based mobile threats like phishing links or malicious websites, continue to be the most prevalent and relevant threat to smartphone users. Nearly four in ten people encountered a web threat over the course of 2012 and we expect this trend to continue.

EE launches two 4G LTE tablets

EE, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company, today announced the expansion of its 4G product range with two Android tablets offering customers new ways to enjoy superfast 4G on the move. This weekend, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE and a Google Nexus 7 bundle (paired with Huawei’s E589 Mobile Wi-Fi) will be available to consumers and business customers through select EE retail stores, online and via EE telesales.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE

The Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE merges the latest hardware technology with a range of truly innovative features that make it ideal for web, email, multiplayer games and live TV. The innovative S-Pen and optimised apps allow users to express their creative side like never before. Multi -tasking is made easy with the split screen feature on the large 10.1″ display and the quad core processor provides fast, seamless performance so users can enjoy the benefits of superfast 4GEE.

A range of superfast 4GEE plans make it easy for Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE users to pair their tablet with a data package that suits them:

HTC become the exclusive phone partner for the UEFA champions league and UEFA Europa League

HTC are stepping up their marketing in a big way starting next year. They today announced a three-year agreement that will see it become the Official Global Phone Supplier partner of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Kicking off in January 2013, the partnership places HTC at the centre of two of the world’s most elite football competitions and will enable it to deliver new and innovative ways for fans around the world to get closer to the action. Whether in the stadium watching the game, or viewing content on a HTC device, fans will be there to share every moment.

“Football elicits so much passion around the world and we are excited to partner with one of the leading sporting brands in the world,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We’ll be working closely with UEFA to offer football experiences to all fans in addition to providing a richer overall mobile experience.”

Gianni Infantino, UEFA General Secretary said: “I am pleased to welcome HTC to the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League family. Through this partnership UEFA and HTC will promote European club football to a worldwide audience and bring new opportunities for our fans to engage with the competitions. We value the support and commitment of HTC and anticipate their involvement with these competitions will increase the profile of their brand on a global scale”

This partnership combines HTC’s tradition of working with global leaders in the world of music, imaging, design and sport with the interests and cultural passion points of consumers around the world.

As part of the partnership with the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, HTC will also be the Official Global Smartphone Supplier Partner of the UEFA Super Cup Final in 2013 and 2014, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Posted by: James

Windows Phone 8S by HTC – available now on Three

The HTC 8S can now be purchased from Three both online and in store.

Packed with great features that make everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable, the 8S comes with a 5 megapixel camera which means you’re always ready to capture special moments, a 1 GHz dual-core processor making browsing and switching between apps a breeze and built in Beats AudioT technology so you can enjoy the most authentic sound no matter if you’re listening to music, playing a game or watching a video.
The stylish, compact 8S runs on the Windows Phone 8 operating system and includes the very latest features such as personalised Live Tiles on the vibrant 4″ screen plus access to over 100,000 apps through the Windows Phone Store.

Sylvia Chind, Head of Devices at Three said, “The 8S offers great all-round performance and coupled with our straightforward and affordable plans with no surprise-out of-bundle data charges, you’ll be able to enjoy the best experience on Three”.

The Windows Phone 8S by HTC is available for £19 a month with no upfront cost on the Ultimate Internet 100 plan and for £17 a month with no upfront cost on the Essential Internet 100 plan – both with a guarantee of no surprise out-of-bundle data charges.
The device is also available on Pay As You Go for £219.99 plus a top up. All in One 15 costs £15 and gives 30-day access to all-you-can-eat data along with 300 any-network minutes and 3,000 texts. Or All in One 25 costs £25 and offers 500 minutes, 3,000 texts and all-you-can-eat data for a 30-day period.

Key features

• Beats Audio technology
• Amazing 5 megapixel camera
• Windows Phone 8 software
• Up to 4GB internal memory
• 1 GHz dual-core processor

Posted by: James