News

BlackBerry PlayBook sales appear promising

Many have heavily criticized RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook since its launch but according to Mike Abramsky, General Manager at RBC Capital Markets RIM have sold 250,000 PlayBooks since launch and as the tablet is currently only on sale in North America this isn’t a bad start if you ask me.

If these figures are correct this means that the PlayBook has had a better start than Motorola XOOM tablet which we reviewed recently.

This is also encouraging for the whole 7 inch market. Sure RIM has a long way to go and they wont be catching up with the Apples iPad anytime soon but with the PlayBook rolling out to other countries next month it is looking like the device could have a pretty good first year. The better the sales, the more developers will support the PlayBook so we should see a much broader range of great apps in time.

Our own BlackBerry PlayBook review is very near completion so keep an eye out for what we think of it in the near future.

Posted by: James

HTC Flyer on Three

If you fancy picking up the HTC Flyer you can now order one from Three. As far as I can see there is only one plan available right now but you do get a whopping 15GB of data for your money.

The plan is a 24 month contract and will cost £30 a month with a fee of £169 up front for the device. Now if you do the maths this is going to cost you £889 in total over the next two years. If you don’t mind that commitment then go for it. Personally, I would wait a while. That is a lot of money.

If you did not see our unboxing video you can do so here.

Posted by: James

HTC Flyer sales are positive

For an Android 2.3 tablet and a pretty heavy price tag it seems that HTC’s little 7 incher is being pocketed by a brave few customers. I would be bold to say that many a blogger, tech journalist and enthusiast speculated the device would not only be a hard sell but have a limited uptake. However, if HTC’s sales outline is honest then they are quite pleased with the Flyer’s debut.

Recently, Android tablets have been outlined as a bit of a flop for many reasons, but perhaps people have been holding back, waiting for the device that suits them. The Flyer is in a limited market with only the aging Galaxy Tab as a competitor. The 10″ market seems to be the target of most retailers but the 7″ seems to be were the action is taking place when it comes to Android Tablets.

Posted by Gareth

T-Mobile Sale

If you fancy picking up a new PAYG handset then until 11PM tonight T-Mobile have a sale on and all phones are reduced by 20%.

Many of the PAYG phones come with 6 months free internet so that in itself is another saving.

Click here to visit the shop but remember you only have until 11 tonight.

Posted by: James

O2 network problems caused by vandalism

Customers in parts of London, Kent and Sussex left with limited access to their mobile services

O2 customers in parts of East London, North London, Kent and East Sussex are experiencing problems making or receiving calls, texts or data after theft and vandalism at one of its operations sites in East London damaged the network.

O2 said it discovered the problem in the early hours of this morning and that and had made the site secure and informed the police.

Its engineers are on site now working to replace the stolen equipment and repair the vandalism, and said it expected its network to be fully operational by some point today.

The operator said it was a well organised theft which targeted the operations site and added it has extensive continuity plans which it is bringing into effect now but that the nature of this theft has prevented it from restoring service immediately.

Posted by: James

HTC Desire HD and Incredible S getting Gingerbread now

We mentioned earlier about the Samsung Galaxy S getting a Gingerbread update later this month. Good news also for HTC owners. If you are lucky enough to own an unbranded HTC Desire HD or Incredible S you will be pleased to know that the 2.3 Gingerbread update is happening now in the UK.

If you have not yet had a notification then jump into your settings and go to System Software Updates to manually check for the update.

My HTC Incredible S is updating as I write this.

Posted by: James

Nokia ditch the Ovi brand

Yep, it looks like big change is happening in the Nokia camp. The Finnish company have decided to replace the brand Ovi with Nokia Services instead.

Nokia’s EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Jerri DeVard explains the shift:
“We have made the decision to change our service branding from Ovi to Nokia. By centralizing our services identity under one brand, not two, we will reinforce the powerful master brand of Nokia and unify our brand architecture – while continuing to deliver compelling opportunities and experiences for partners and consumers alike.”

“The reasons for this decision includes the fact that Nokia is a well-known and highly-loved brand the world over. Our mobile experiences are tightly integrated with our devices – there is no longer a differentiation. For example, if consumers want the best mobile navigation experience, they know it’s a Nokia that they can rely on. These last few years, and moving forward, our mission remains unchanged: we will continue our work to deliver compelling, unified mobile service offerings and next-generation, disruptive technologies.”

Nokia plan to start the transition in July this year with a view to re branding to be complete by the end of 2012.

Posted by: James

Consumers ‘held hostage’ by SIM-locked phones

Mobile users are being “held hostage” by their provider because of the cost of unlocking their phones to switch to other providers, a recent report claims.

The report shows that the majority of people using unlocked phones is due to “consumer confusion” surrounding the issue, with almost a third not sure if it is legal to change to a different provider.

The survey, which was carried out by YouGov amongst 2019 adults on behalf of MVNO GiffGaff, showed that consumers are missing out on the “best deals” and that they wanted more information on how to “unlock” their mobile when they bought them.

Our old friend Mike Fairman, chief executive of giffgaff, said: “Consumers risk being held hostage by their mobile network to the tune of £400 million simply to switch networks with their existing phone. The practice of selling mobile phones locked to one network, or Sim-locking as it is known in the industry, is having a big impact on consumers’ ability to get the best deal on the market.”

The report also claimed that consumers were currently charged around £17 to switch networks meaning this service alone could be worth millions to the mobile phone industry.

Posted by: Tracy

Sony Ericsson launches search for Football FANatics to win once-in-a-lifetime trip to the UEFA Champions League Final Wembley 2011

As part of Sony Corporation’s existing agreement 2009-2012 with the UEFA Champions League, Sony Ericsson, official mobile handset of the UEFA Champions League, today kicked off a search for Football FANatics keen on making the once-in-a lifetime trip to the UEFA Champions League Final Wembley 2011.
With the Final returning to Wembley Stadium for the first time in 20 years, Sony Ericsson wants to build support for both the Finalist teams across the UK.
The Football FANatic campaign will bring a Manchester United FC fan and an FC Barcelona fan to London to drum up support for their respective sides amongst Londoners, using their Sony Ericsson XperiaÔ smartphones. They will be paired with two London based Football FANatics who will use their local knowledge to help them reach as many fans as possible in London and beyond.
Football FANatics from Manchester and London interested in the role should visitwww.facebook.com/sonyericssonfootballfanatic to enter. They must explain why they are the biggest Football FANatic and why they should be chosen for this fantastic opportunity to go to this year’s spectacular UEFA Champions League Final Wembley 2011 in London.

Gingerbread to roll out May 16th for HTC Desire HD and Incredible S

It has not been perfectly clear exactly when HTC’s Desire HD and Incredible S were due to get the update to Gingerbread but thanks to a statement on the HTC UK Facebook page we only only have a few days left to wait.

This is what they said:

Hey guys, firstly we want to thank you all for being so patient about the Gingerbread update. We’ve been pushing this really hard and are pleased to announce that we are aiming to have the HTC Gingerbread update for unlocked HTC Desire HD and HTC Incredible S models available on 16th May 2011. For those waiting for their specific operator update, rest assured that we’re working very closely with each operator to get this just right and will update you as soon as we possibly can. Once again, we really appreciate your support and patience on this.

As an Incredible S owner myself I shall be eagerly awaiting the update. Roll on Monday.

Posted by: James