Press Releases

ZTE launches Firefox phone

There have been plenty of rumours about this over the past few weeks but yesterday ZTE finally announced the ZTE Open, the world’s first Firefox OS Smartphone.

Initially the ZTE Open will go in sale in Spain, Venezuela and Colombia by the middle of the year and in other countries later this year.

Looking at the specification it’s clear that ZTE are aiming this at the entry level with HVGA screen and low amounts of RAM the likes of which we have not seen in the mainstream for some time.

Full press release below.

Sony Announces the World’s Slimmest Tablet

Today at MWC in Barcelona, Sony has announced that it is to release the Xperia Tablet Z, it will be the world’s thinnest tablet computer.

Not only will the Tablet Z be thin but will also have the highest level of water resistance. Great for those using it on the go.

The full press release can be found below.

HTC One Pre-order from Clove Technology

Convinced by the new HTC One already? The chaps over at Clove Technology have just confirmed that they have the HTC One up for pre-order on their website.

The price is £425+VAT and the device is available in Silver or Black colours with 32GB of internal memory.

First stock is expected to begin shipping on the 15^th March.

For more information please visit: http://www.clove.co.uk/htc-one

Nokia announce the Asha 310 sporting dual SIM

While Nokia’s Symbian OS may be losing subscribers worldwide, the Finnish company are still releaseing new hardware as this week sees the annoucement of the Asha 310. With Dual SIM and WiFi support the well priced device may well appeal to many smartphone users who currently have to carry two phones due to single SIM’s.

With Nokia’s built-in Easy Swap Dual SIM technology, consumers can use the external slot on the Nokia Asha 310 to insert a secondary SIM card, while keeping their principal SIM card in place behind the battery. The Nokia Asha 310 puts the user in control, with the ability to shift between SIM cards for personal or work use without turning off the phone. They can also swap SIM cards while on-the-go, to get the best available tariffs when commuting. Nokia Easy Swap Dual SIM makes it possible to assign and store unique profiles for up to five SIM cards. Users can designate SIM cards for text, voice and data and switch between them at their convenience.

The addition of Wi-Fi in the Nokia Asha 310 gives users a fast and easy way to enjoy more online, including streaming videos from YouTube or downloading the 40 free EA Games from Nokia Store. The ability to connect to free Wi-Fi hotspots whether at home or on the go means users aren’t constrained by their data plan.

Samsung Galaxy S III Ultrafast – available now on Three

Enjoy the ultimate mobile internet experience with the Samsung Galaxy S III Ultrafast on our Ultrafast network. Now available online at www.three.co.uk and in all Three stores from the 12th February.

Inspired by nature and designed for humans, this beautifully crafted phone has a large 4.8-inch, HD Super AMOLED display which fits more of the content people love on one screen.
It comes in Marble White and Pebble Blue, is loaded with smart features and even knows when you’re looking at it so the screen doesn’t turn off. By vibrating, the Galaxy S III Ultrafast lets you know when you have missed a message or call, and you can call your friends by simply moving the phone towards your ear. A simple voice command is enough to wake the phone from the lock screen.
Boasting a quad-core processor, it comes with a large battery capacity to match so there’s less worry about the device unexpectedly powering down while enjoying HD clips on your commute home. The intuitive smartphone also includes an 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash as well as a 1.9 megapixel front camera for video calls with friends and family.
Sylvia Chind, Head of Devices at Three said, “Following the phenomenal success of the Samsung Galaxy S III last year, we’re pleased to now offer the Ultrafast ready Galaxy S III. Built with the technology to work on our advanced network* you’ll be able to enjoy the ultimate mobile internet experience on Three.
The Samsung Galaxy S III Ultrafast is available for £34 a month with an upfront cost of £29 on the Ultimate Internet 500 plan and for £36 a month with an upfront cost of £29 on The One Plan – both with a guarantee of no surprise out-of-bundle data charges and All-You-Can-Eat data – giving you the latest technology with no price premium.
The device is also available on Pay As You Go for £449.99 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.

mophie Announces first battery case for iPhone 5

Yesterday I mentioned about an iPhone 4/4s battery case but today Mophie got in touch with me to tell us about their new Helium battery case for the iPhone 5, the first certified case to hit the market for the new iPhone.

Looking at the specs this is way more than your average extended battery pack. It’s got a gorgeous, slim design with microUSB charging connector and LED’s on the rear to indicate the charge level.

Ultra-thin, 1500mAh protective battery case made for iPhone 5. 13% thinner than any of our previous iPhone juice packs. You may not feel the difference between this and regular cases, but your battery will.

Sky+ Android app brings remote control

The Sky+ app has been available for Android and iOS devices for some time but one feature has been missing from the Android version; remote control.

For those of you that haven’t seen it, the Sky+ app allows you to manage you planner, set up recordings and review the Sky guide. Now, with the update coming today for Android OS devices, you’ll be able to use your mobile device as a full blown remote control for your Sky+ box.

This could be fun for changing the channel when you aren’t even at home! 🙂

Press release below.

4G from Three with NO premium

Thinking of getting a 4G LTE phone or do you have a phone and want to get a 4G SIM? At the moment your only option is to get one from Everything Everywhere, but a 4G SIM and contract from EE carries a premium (we call it the 4G tax).

So if you are thinking of taking the plunge you may want to hold fire for a while before you sign up to that 18 or 24 month contract. The folks over at Three have just announced that they will have 4G LTE capability later this year and that they will be offering the service with NO PREMIUM.

You can see the full press release below.

Samsung expands its e-book service with Readers Hub 2.0

Samsung Electronics today announced it has expanded its e-book service and will now offer even more customers the chance to transform their digital reading experience with Readers Hub 2.0.  The service brings thousands of bestsellers and e-books from around the world, including illustrated cooking books and interactive reading materials for kids, to owners of Samsung’s smartphones and tablets.

Searching and navigating the extensive catalogue available with Readers Hub 2.0 is now quicker and simpler than before. Its enhanced content recommendation service makes it easy to find the titles that are right for each customer. Once they have made their choice, all they need to do is open the title and the intuitive interface allows them to customise the viewing experience:  change the text size, background colour or screen brightness so that it is just right for each individual, no matter when and where they are reading.

Simply touching the screen brings up a menu that allows readers to highlight key passages and annotate their reading. The notes are stored separately for easy reference, and can be easily shared. Readers Hub 2.0 also allows excerpts to be posted and shared from eBooks on individuals’ social networks, at any time.

O2 offering up personalised voicemail – by Brian Blessed

O2 has recruited acting heavyweight, Brian Blessed – he of the sonorous voice and even mightier volume – to record a series of bespoke voicemail messages exclusively for them on the new Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S by HTC.

Well known for his Kingly portrayals, Brian Blessed is perhaps best loved for his roles as Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon – for which he is frequently remembered for the famous line “Gordon’s Alive?” – and as King Richard IV in the first series of The Black Adder.

Blessed is now lending his thundering voice to O2 to mark the launch of two new Windows Phone 8 handsets by HTC which, with their customisable interfaces and personalised “live tiles”, allow people to truly tailor their mobile phones.

The first 100 customers who buy either a new Windows Phone 8S by HTC or Windows Phone 8X by HTC between Monday 28^th January and Monday 4^th February and tweet @O2 using hashtag #brianmail will get a personalised voicemail recorded by Prince Vultan himself.   Brian, who’s taking time out from DIVE-ing and discovering Gordon isn’t dead, will be creating completely individual messages based on the person’s name and their interests, meaning no two messages will be alike.