Industry News

Nokia 6500 Classic & 6500 Slide

In our opinion, one of the best phones to date. Only 9mm thick, this phone is perfect for those who simply want a phone that makes calls. Of course it does a lot more than just that, and includes WAP, a 2 mega-pixel camera, mp3 player, email, and voice commands, but what makes this phone so fantastic is that it does not try to over complicate things. It simply is, and for that reason, as well as being stunningly designed, the 6500c gets my vote every time.

Mobile tariffs are growing more expensive

Over the last five years the telecoms industry had seen rapid and extremes of change in price. Only last year, operators were dishing out discounts all over the place in the hope of retaining customers who were drawn in by the 3 network. Today, operators such as O2, Vodafone and Orange refuse to maintain such low prices simply arguing, 'If you want a superior service, you have to pay for it'. Not an overwhelming response to customer loyalty, especially a movement towards 18 month contracts means mobile phones are less frequently updated.

The iPhone is Launched

The UK welcomes the iPhone with open arms at last, and despite the outrageous price, it appears many are prepared to pay for the extortionate phone and meager benefits of the various 02 contracts it comes on. Admittedly, the iPhone looks fantastic, and is a pleasure to use. Apple have done once more what they seem to do best, make things work nicely and look pretty. Having said that, there are better phones out there, but the reality is if you are sitting in a pub with an iPhone on the table, it will certainly be noticed.

Video Streaming

AdMob reported recently that 51.7% of UK mobile phones can now support video streaming. The added benefits for not only mobile sites but the development of mobile TV is dramatic and somewhat necessary if consumers are going to buy into mobile television subscriptions. The report also highlighted an increase in mobile wireless rates to 72.8% of UK mobiles. These developments have been eagerly awaited by the mobile advertising industry and consumers alike.

1,000,000th iPhone

Ok, so in only 74 days, the iPhone has been sold 1 million times, more than the original iPod by the way, but is it really that good? Perhaps, and we have yet to see here in the UK after the announcement that O2 have secured the iPhone deal. Vodafone users will no doubt be disappointed, although in my experience, phones rarely live up to their hype, and I expect that whatever phone Apple brings out as a sequel will be far better. We will have to wait until Christmas to see just how good it really is.

The Palm Treo 500v

While the new Palm Treo looks suspiciously like a Blackberry, it does look like Palm could be onto a good thing. Having moved away from the Palm OS, the Treo uses Windows. Email and web along with the usual modern phone functionality make this a good choice for the workaholic. Beware Palm fans, this newest version has for the first time moved away from touch screen to a purely QWERTY keypad.

Government Extend The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR)

After 28 separate studies, the government has decided to give another £8.8 million into the health studies on mobile phones. Most previous studies have been somewhat inconclusive, but the majority suggest that mobile phones do not pose any health risk to users. Although health and safety should always be the forefront of any new technology, it begs the question whether people would stop using mobile phones even if they did find a link to them with cancer.

Motorola RAZR2 V9

The disappointing newest edition to the RAZR range, the V9, while a little thicker than the V8, is only fractionally better, and Motorola have insisted on keeping the 2 mega pixel camera rather that upgrading. The design still looks great, but then it hasn't changed, maybe it's about time the RAZR series faded away into nothingness.

Nokia Launch NetActTM Configurator

Nokia have launched a family of network management solutions to help integrate and develop the current disparities within the various networks. The hope is that next generation platforms and services will integrate more easily with the software. We are more than excited to see how this may affect compatibility within the market.

Sony Ericsson K770i

As with previous Cyber-shot phones, the K770i has more than simply an impressive 3.2 mega pixel camera, but a decent flash and auto focus. The inbuilt photo applications make this a happy snappers dream. The usual benefits are included and although the design has not been improved in any major way, the phone comes in a fetching brown. The K770i is also a very lightweight phone at just 95 grams.

BlackBerry Curve 8310

The design team at BlackBerry are much like those at Porsche, make a good thing and stick to it. Not unsurprisingly then, the new 8310 is much the same as the older 8300, but it has some subtle differences. The 8310 has developed into an awesome piece of hardware for anyone looking to work on the go, and now includes GPS. However, as with more and more mobile devices these days, you can only get it from one provider, Vodafone, and that does not appear to be changing any time soon.

LG Shine KE970 Titanium Black

LG have increasingly begun to impress with their sleek designs and very smart phones. Although it remains pretty standard as far as functionality goes, the KE970's titanium black colour is very attractive, and builds on the original silver design, and the beginnings of the SV420. While LG should never attempt to work with Prada again, if they continue their impressive design run, especially with the soon to launch KS20, then they could begin seeing a larger share of the market.