Press Releases

BlackBerry is the number one Smartphone brand in the UK!

According to market research experts GfK, BlackBerry was the UK’s number one Smartphone Brand in 2010. To be honest I am not really surprised. Although Android and iOS are still growing I see more and more youngsters carrying a BlackBerry these days. And you cant really blame them. With a BlackBerry data plan only costing £5 per month and devices coming in at under £150 it is perfect for them as well as us older business users.

Here are the facts provided to us direct from RIM:

• BlackBerry had the top-selling smartphone handset in the market in December 2010. GfK estimate half a million Blackberry devices were sold during the busy Christmas month
• BlackBerry was the UK’s #1 smartphone brand in 2010
• BlackBerry captured a record high of 36% share of the smartphone market in December 2010
• BlackBerry was the #1 pre-pay smartphone brand in December 2010 with 51.1% market share
• BlackBerry was the #1 brand for contract/sim free in December 2010 with 23.3% market share
• BlackBerry accounted for over 14.9% of the total mobile handset market in December 2010

More details after the break:

Panasonic changes the Digital Photo market forever

Following a year of great success in 2010, Panasonic is ready to kick start 2011 with a bang as tomorrow marks the launch of the next great Lumix G camera, Lumix GF2, in a store near you.  Already awarded 5 magazine awards since announced in November, the GF2 is the smallest and lightest system camera from Panasonic, boosting DSLR like photo performance and Full HD movies with stereo sound.
At the end of last year we saw that the total changeable lens (DSLR + CSC) market was up 22.8% in December 2010 vs. December 2009. Panasonic believe that this growth has come from a dramatic increase in consumer demand for creative and high quality photos.
1 in 4 changeable lens cameras sold in December came from the new breed of Compact System Cameras (CSC), as product and lens ranges in this developing format grew. CSC actually grew an impressive 194% vs. the previous year (1).  This significant shift can be put down to the smaller size and easier to use attributes of a CSC compared to a DSLR camera – Anyone who enjoys photography can now take professional looking photos without hassle.
The good news for Panasonic is that in December 2010 over 1 in 10 of all changeable lens cameras sold were from the Panasonic Lumix G system camera range, making it the best selling CSC range in Christmas 2010 (2). Panasonic is very proud to hold 11.3% market share with the DMC-G2 as its best selling model.
To prove that anyone can take creative shots look out for the new GF2 which launches on 28^th January and is a must have camera of 2011.

Posted by: James

Everything Everywhere contactless phone payments

Fancy using your mobile to pay for goods on the High Street? Well, you will be able to later this year as Everything Everywhere have teamed up with Barclaycard to allow contactless payments with a new free online credit card processing software.

• The UK’s first commercial contactless mobile payments service, to be rolled out by Everything Everywhere and Barclaycard by early summer (second quarter of 2011)
• The new service will offer consumers greater convenience and control on the high street with over 40,000 stores ready to accept contactless payments
• Industry backed secure SIM-based payments approach, ensures excellent purchase protection for consumers
• Latest move builds on Everything Everywhere and Barclaycard’s ongoing partnership, which has already produced a co-branded contactless credit card and the forthcoming Orange Cash pre-paid contactless card

Samsung expands its Galaxy family

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the expansion of its Galaxy Family with the introduction of four new smartphones to the range; the Samsung Galaxy Ace, the Samsung Galaxy Fit, the Samsung Galaxy Gio and the Samsung Galaxy mini. Following the global success of the Samsung Galaxy S, which has sold 10 million devices in just seven months, each of the new handsets offers something different so there is a Galaxy smartphone for everyone.

All the devices offer limitless entertainment possibilities via more than 100,000 applications from Android MarketT and Samsung Apps. Each device also features Samsung SWYPE for quick and easy text input, and benefits from Wi-Fi connectivity and Social Hub allowing people to view their contacts, social networks, IM and email together in an integrated one-page layout, keeping them constantly connected.

Samsung Galaxy Ace coming soon to Three

Three has announced that it will be ranging the Samsung Galaxy Ace in February. The successor to the popular Samsung Galaxy Portal, this smart black device boasts Android Froyo+ 2.2.1, a 5MP camera and offers customers access to the Android Market’s 160,000 apps.

Just like Three’s MiFi, the Samsung Galaxy Ace creates a personal Wi-Fi hot spot for other devices, such as iPads, laptops or handheld games consoles, giving you the flexibility of getting more than one device online when on the go.

Sylvia Chind, Head of Branded Devices, commented: “We’re delighted to be bolstering our handset portfolio with this new device. Doubling up as a personal Wi-Fi hot spot, the Samsung Galaxy Ace offers unique smartphone functionality and our customers can use Three’s high speed 3G network to enjoy Google Maps, social networks, downloading apps, shopping online and much more.”

Key features include:

• 800MHz Application Processor
• Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot, so you can use the Galaxy Ace just like a Three MiFi
• Android Froyo+ version 2.21
• 3.5″Capacitive touch screen
• 5MP Mega Pixel Auto Focus Camera and LED flash
• GPS
• Wi-Fi
• Live Wallpapers

See a video from Three after the break:

HTC 7 PRO and HTC Gratia to come to the UK in February

HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announces the launch of HTC 7 Pro and HTC Gratia in the UK from February 2011.

"We are proud to be able to add two new phones to our already diverse UK product portfolio," said Jon French, executive director, HTC UK, Ireland and South Africa. "Both phones offer the stand-out design and innovation for which HTC has become renowned. With the fresh and exciting mobile experience of the Windows Phone 7 platform, HTC 7 Pro is for users who want to combine the ultimate in business efficiency with the ability to take full advantage of their leisure time. The elegant HTC Gratia is designed for those people looking for a compact yet powerful Android smartphone."

See the full press release and specifications for both devices after the break:

Top up your Orange phone by as little as 10p!

As Brits feel the pinch after the indulgences of Christmas, 94% of people plan to tighten their purse strings this year according to a poll by Orange* – the first UK communications company to offer Tiny Top Ups**, a new service that lets Pay As You Go customers top up using their loose change from as little as 10p.
With one in four (25.7%) 18-24 year olds carrying less than £1 in loose change in their pocket, Tiny Top Ups puts the power back in the pennies making it easier than ever to stay in touch – welcome news for almost one in four (23%) Brits who normally wait for pay day before they top up their phone.
The research also reveals that running out of phone credit has caused more than one in ten (13%) 18-24 year olds to miss out on a new job opportunity, 15% to lose a love interest and one in six (16.6%) to miss meeting up with a friend; however with Tiny Top Ups these missed opportunities could be a thing of the past.
Further findings revealed by the research include:

Samsung showcase the Samsung TX100

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today raises the bar for mobile PCs with the showcase of an entirely new and advanced mobile PC. Equipped with Microsoft Windows® 7 operating system (OS) and powered by the upcoming Intel® AtomT processor platform, the Samsung TX100 maximises the benefits of a tablet PC with its compact, light, and easy to go design, as well as features that provide easy typing and enhanced productivity and performance. The display elegantly slides up and out to reveal a physical keyboard much like that of a typical notebook. However, it has the ability to use the intuitive touch display, keyboard and mouse interface as well.

Skype to acquire Qik

Skype today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture, instantly share and preserve great moments on video from anywhere.  Qik has 60 employees, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California and has an office in Moscow, Russia.  The transaction is expected to close in January 2011.  Terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.

Motorola Mobility and Orange UK Announce Motorola ATRIX, the Future of Mobile Computing

Motorola Mobility and Orange UK today announced Motorola ATRIXT, which unleashes the power of the smartphone like never before.  Motorola’s revolutionary webtop application makes Motorola ATRIX the only smartphone to carry the power of mobile computing inside your pocket. Designed to bring unprecedented computing capabilities to your smartphone, Motorola’s webtop application runs a full Mozilla Firefox 3.6 browser and supports Adobe® Flash® Player to open up all the rich graphics, animations and video on the web. Motorola ATRIX includes a dual core processor with each core running at 1 GHz, delivering up to two GHz of processing power, and 1 GB of RAM. Put simply, Motorola ATRIX is the world’s most powerful smartphone.