Press Releases

Telefónica Digital and RIM announce NFC payments with BlackBerry smartphones

We all know that more and more smartphones are shipping with NFC capabilities, however the use of NFC is somewhat limiting. RIM in Spain are now testing NFC wireless payments and I would imagine this will roll out to other countries in due course.

You can see the the full press release below.

Telefónica Digital and Research In Motion have announced a pilot program of the Telefónica Wallet for BlackBerry smartphones.

In collaboration with local banks and retailers, Telefónica will roll out the Telefónica Wallet for BlackBerry to 350 employees at its headquarters in Distrito Telefónica, Spain. Those taking part in the trial will be able to make payments in a simple, easy, safe and convenient way by simply tapping their NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone against a reader. Employees that are part of the NFC pilot project will also be able use their BlackBerry smartphone (in lieu of a security card) to gain physical access to the Telefónica headquarters office.

The Telefónica Wallet for BlackBerry currently supports the following NFC-enabled smartphones: BlackBerry Bold 9900,  BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380, all of which run the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system.

MOTOROLA RAZR LANDS IN THE UK

Motorola Mobility announces the availability of the new iconic Motorola RAZR in the UK on contract from £31 per month at Phones4U, in selected Carphone Warehouse stores and at www.carphonewarehouse.com, and Amazon (SIM-free) amongst others. The impossibly thin and lightweight smartphone is loaded with sexy curves and is the most captivating Android-powered smartphone on the scene – get the perfect Christmas gift now!

Motorola RAZR highlights include:

Jaw-dropping design:

• Ultra thin: 7.1 mm thin, with a design that encompasses sculpted glass and diamond spun cut aluminum accents
• Sports KEVLAR fiber and Corning Gorilla Glass to help the screen stand up to scratches and scrapes
• Splash-guard coating nano-coating: every part of the Motorola RAZR is protected which protects the smartphone against spills

Close to home, wherever you go:

• Rock your playlists while you check your email, breeze through photos-all at the same time, without delay. Comes preloaded with the Motorola MotoCast app which provides the power to stream or download content from a home or work computer straight to the device.

RIM announce the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphones

Research In Motion today announced two new smartphones based on the BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS) – the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380. 
Both smartphones offer enhanced communications, multimedia, productivity and social connectivity features together with slim and stylish designs. The BlackBerry Bold 9790 features an iconic design that seamlessly integrates a highly tactile keyboard, optical trackpad and high resolution touch display. The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first-ever BlackBerry Curve smartphone with an all-touch display.

"We are very excited to expand the BlackBerry 7 portfolio with the new BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380,” said Carlo Chiarello, Senior Vice President, Handheld Product Management at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry smartphones offer a uniquely refined mobile communications experience that people love and we think many customers will be thrilled by the faster performance, beautiful touch displays and sleek designs available with these new BlackBerry 7 based models.”

ZTE announce the Racer II for Ireland

ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”)  today announced the availability of its latest Android Smartphone, the Racer II (two), on Irish mobile network operators Meteor and eMobile.
The Racer II will come with the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and be available in over 200 stores across Ireland. In addition to its availability direct from mobile operators Meteor and eMobile, the Racer II will also be available in selected Meteor affiliated stores as well as Carphone Warehouse and Xtravision stores. The capacitive touch screen device will come with all the latest Smartphone features that tech-savvy mobile device users have come to expect including A-GPS, an accelerometer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 2G/3G connectivity. In addition, it has a 3.2 MP camera, a 2 GB micro SD memory card and a stereo FM radio. The unit weighs just 100g. The handset will be available at extremely competitive entry-level prepay and post pay prices this Christmas.

White BlackBerry Bold 9900 now available at Vodafone

The all new white version joins its black counterpart, a firm favourite amongst Vodafone customers. Featuring a fantastic full QWERTY keypad and crystal clear touchscreen, the white BlackBerry Bold 9900 is powered by a fast 1.2GHZ processor, which makes browsing the web a breeze.

Full access to BlackBerry App World gives you plenty of opportunities to work, rest and play, and it also packs a 5 megapixel camera so you can record those special moments in pin-sharp high definition video.

Available now free, on £39, 24 month price plans, including 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB of mobile data. New and upgrading pay monthly customers will benefit from Vodafone Data Test Drive which lets them use as much data as they like, for whatever they like, for three months so they can fully explore what their brand new white BlackBerry Bold 9900 has to offer. They can also get up to £270 for their old phone with Vodafone Buyback.
Our customers lead busy lives and may not wish to wait for their phone to arrive at their home. They can choose to collect their new white BlackBerry Bold 9900 in a store convenient to them – we’ll let them know when it’s there. When they come to collect it, customers can have all the contents of their old mobile transferred to their new white BlackBerry Bold 9900 using Vodafone’s innovative RED Box.

For more information please visit the Vodafone online shop.

Posted by: James

Packard Bell unveils slimmest ever all-in-one PC

Packard Bell today announced the arrival of the revamped PB oneTwo, all-in-one PC. Available from November, the new PB oneTwo retains the features that made it such a success, with a stunning new streamlined design that will look great in any home.

Now 65% slimmer, the PB oneTwo‘s cool design looks great wherever you place it. Light enough to carry from room to room, you can adjust the tilt – so you get perfect viewing whether it’s mounted on the wall or placed on a desk.

The new PB oneTwo is a cinema, digital TV, sound system, photo gallery, meeting point, monitor, DVD player/recorder (including Blu-Ray playback) and more, in just one, super-sleek design.

The PB oneTwo is the new interactive hub for the home and the window to your digital world – a place to have fun, play games, listen to music, watch TV, share experiences, video chat and so much more. 2^nd Generation Intel® Core processor supplies all the power you need for fast, seamless performance. Stunning graphics from nVIDIA, AMD or Intel® support the amazing Full HD 16:9 display (1920×1080 resolution); vivid 5.1 Creative® THX® TruStudio PC with two 2.5 W speakers immerse you in the surround sound experience.

Vodafone UK Opens Pre-Order for the Black Nokia Lumia 800

Vodafone UK has opened pre-orders for the black Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia’s first handset to feature the Windows Phone operating system, ahead of the device’s launch on 16 November (to watch the video please click here).

The first 10,000 people to buy the Nokia Lumia 800 from Vodafone will receive £60 worth of vouchers to use over the first six months, including a case for their new phone, coffee at Starbucks, music from Zune or to put towards any purchase from Amazon.co.uk.

The black Nokia Lumia 800 is available free on £36, 24 month price plans, including 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of mobile data, as well as 1GB of BT Openzone Wi-Fi access.

New and upgrading customers will benefit from Vodafone Data Test Drive so they can use as much data as they like, for whatever they like, for three months to fully explore what their brand new Nokia Lumia 800 has to offer. They can also get up to £270 for their old phone with Vodafone Buyback.

Vodafone customers lead busy lives and may not wish to wait for their phone to arrive at their home. They can choose to collect their new Nokia Lumia 800 in a store convenient to them – we’ll let them know when it’s there. When they come to collect it, customers can have all the contents of their old mobile transferred to their new Nokia Lumia 800 using Vodafone’s innovative RED Box.

art of its beautiful design, the Nokia Lumia 800 brings the iconic Carl Zeiss lens to the Windows Phone experience for the first time, enabling users to capture stunning photos and shoot HD video with ease. Nokia has also added some unique services to further enhance the Windows Phone experience, including Nokia Drive and Nokia Music.

because Nokia Lumia 800 runs on Windows Phone, it gives users access to some amazing services, including Zune for music, Xbox LIVE for gaming and SkyDrive for online storage, with 25GB of capacity available as standard.

For more information on the Nokia Lumia, visit: http://www.vodafone.co.uk/brands/nokia/nokia-lumia-800/index.htm

Posted by: James

Samsung confirms Galaxy Nexus UK release date

Samsung today announced the first smartphone to feature Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a 4.65″ HD Super AMOLED display, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, will be available in the UK from Thursday 17^th November.

The Galaxy Nexus is the first smartphone to feature a 4.65” HD Super AMOLED display with a market-leading resolution of 720p (1280×720), ensuring vivid colours and excellent picture clarity. The Galaxy Nexus also comes with a 5 megapixel camera and new rounded design that measures just 8.94mm thick and features a minimal 4.29mm screen bezel.

The Galaxy Nexus features the latest version of the Android platform, 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. It has a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and a full web browsing experience, while introducing new innovations such as ‘Face Unlock’, which uses facial recognition to unlock your phone. It also comes with integrated Google+, allowing you to ‘hang out’ with friends and talk over Google+ Messenger. Google’s services are connected to the cloud, keeping your email, contacts, and other data synced across your devices.

The latest handset from Samsung and Google is designed to provide a “pure Google” experience and users will be the first to receive software upgrades as they become available. It also features a number of Google Mobile services, including: Android Market, Gmail, Google Maps 5.11 with 3D maps and turn-by-turn navigation, Google Earth, Movie Studio, YouTube, syncing with Google Calendar and a redesigned Google+ app.

Motorola Mobility Launches Two New Tablets in the UK and Ireland

Building on the success of Motorola XOOM, Motorola Mobility is rocking the tablet world yet again with two additions that bring enhanced experiences to the European market. Wi-Fi variants of the Motorola XOOM 2 and Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition — boasting powerful productivity, rich entertainment and customizable experiences — are now available: the answer to consumers looking for a tablet that can keep up with their lifestyle.  Both tablets will be available at Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Ireland, as well as Best Buy, Dixons, PC World and Currys in the UK.

“Tablets are quickly becoming a must-have tool for staying connected, getting work done and having fun at home and on the road,” said Victoria McManus, marketing director UK & Ireland, Motorola Mobility.  “We are very excited about these two new additions to our tablet portfolio that build on the success of the original Motorola XOOM to now deliver more powerful tablet experiences to the European market.”

Samsung’s London bada development day

Samsung Electronics today announced that it will be hosting its second bada Developer Day in the UK which will take place in London on Thursday 3rd November. The event follows the launch of bada 2.0 in August and aims to encourage more developers and brands to incorporate bada 2.0 into their application strategy.
The event will include a mixture of sessions hosted by Samsung, a look at how apps are changing consumer behaviour and future trends that will change the mobile market, as well as demonstrations of the updated bada platform and latest bada 2.0 devices, including the Wave III.
Attendees will receive an introduction to bada 2.0 and a demonstration of the key differences and enhanced features of the updated platform, such as multi-tasking, Wi-Fi Direct, Near Field Communication (NFC) and voice recognition. They will hear about the future of the bada platform and its USPs in comparison to other operating systems and the commercial opportunity for bada 2.0 and Samsung’s Wave III.
The event is also a chance for attendees to hear more about the bada 2.0 Power App Race, a global competition celebrating the launch of bada 2.0, and to expand the bada ecosystem. The first 10 bada 2.0 applications to achieve 100,000 downloads at Samsung Apps will be rewarded with a $3,000,000 prize package, including $1,000,000 in cash. The registration period for the bada 2.0 Power App Race ends on 31st December 2011.