UK Mobile Review » Three

O2 Begins Fast 3G Access in the UK

Dani — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:05:45 +0000

The 4G spectrum is still some way in the distance for the UK with the new 4G spectrum not due until 2012.

However, O2 is not to be held back and has begun the roll out of DC_HSPA. DC_HSPA (dal-cell high-speed packet access) is not 4G but appears to be an improvement over the present 3G connectivity. The new service may see download speeds double in some areas.

O2 spokeman had this to say: ‘major UK cities’ will be the first to benefit from the roll out, with London, Manchester and Birmingham being the likely candidates.

To-date the new iPad and Nokia European Lumia 900 supports DC-HSPA.

Three, and the Everything Everywhere collaboration between Orange and T-Mobile aims to join the DC_HSPA roll our later this year. Vodafone as yet have no plans for the service.

Source

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O2 Begins Fast 3G Access in the UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 17, 2012.

HTC Desire C sneak peak video from Three

Nirave — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:29:09 +0000

Three have uploaded a video showing off the HTC Desire C, which was announced earlier today.

The Desire C brings Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC’s Sense UI alongside Beats Audio technology and free Dropbox space to an affordable Android handset which is expected to land early next month.

Check out Brandon from Three’s take on the Desire C in the video below.

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HTC Desire C sneak peak video from Three originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 15, 2012.

Race to unlimited continues

Nirave — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:01:00 +0000

It looks like the unlimited battle is set to continue as O2′s On and On tariff and T-Mobile Full Monty go head to head with reported plans from Orange as well as Tesco Mobile.

Both the Full Monty and On and On feature unlimited calling and texting while the former also offers unlimited data and Three’s One Plan offers almost unlimited (2000) but the reported plan will offer truly unlimited.

There’s no news about potential release dates but should the plans become reality, unlimited usage will be the next “thing” that companies use to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

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Race to unlimited continues originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 11, 2012.

Mobile Phone Roaming Charges to Drop

Dani — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:03:52 +0000

The cost of making and receiving calls overseas are set to drop from July 2012.

The European Union have set a cap on prices for roaming in the EU. This will be a welcome to those mobile phone users who have been ripped-off by the atrocious network charges that exist for roaming overseas.

Charged from July are: 24p minute to mae a call, 7p minute to receive a call and 8p to send a SMS message and 58p for data usage. The networks will certainly not like this when some charge up to and over a £1 for incoming calls and a text message can cost up to 36p or more depending on where you are in the world.

Unfortunately there is no such cap for world-wide roaming.

It is now left down to the networks to see how they will attempt to recoup the costs and of course, attempts will be made, do not be left in doubt about that.

T-Mobile and Orange have already increased charges at the beginning of 2012. It remains to be seen whether other networks will increase charges following this news.

“EU rapporteur and MEP Angelika Niebler said: “Parliament has succeeded in its call for cheaper roaming prices for consumers, and in particular for data roaming.

“In addition, from July 2014, consumers will be able to choose an operator other than their national operator for roaming services. The new rules will also help to open up the market to new entrants and so increase competition.”

Source

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Mobile Phone Roaming Charges to Drop originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 11, 2012.

EU Mobile Roaming cap coming in July

Nirave — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:05:24 +0000

Today the European Union announced plans by the European parliament to cap the cost of mobile roaming. The cap will come into effect from July. The new rate sees the cost of calls limited to just 24p per minute whilst texts will cost 7p and data roaming will cost 58p per megabyte. At present, the cost of data roaming can be up to £1 per MB, but some networks have data bundles available, such as Vodafone Data Traveller.

The EU has introduced the new rates as part of a long term plan to bring the cost of EU roaming to similar levels as “home” network costs and the latest reduction in rate will actually benefit customers who roam around Europe.

However, networks rely on roaming revenue and as the cost of EU roaming decreases, we’re likely to see the cost of non-EU roaming rise drastically to offset the lost revenue. Other possibilities include networks increasing the cost of UK usage to offset the lost revenue.

It’s unclear whether any of the networks have launched appeals or referendums to oppose the cap, but either way, it’s become EU law so should be in place from July.

Via

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EU Mobile Roaming cap coming in July originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 10, 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S3 network info round-up

Nirave — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:38:07 +0000

Officially unveiled yesterday evening by Samsung in London, the Galaxy S3 is this year’s hottest smartphone and looks set to go head to head with the Apple iPhone 5. We’ve already heard that O2 and Vodafone are getting the device, and now the three remaining major UK networks have all indicated they are getting the device.

Samsung Galaxy S3 hands on

Featuring a 4.8 inch 720p Super AMOLED HD display and a quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos CPU, the Galaxy S3 comes equipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and several exclusive features such as S-Voice (Samsung’s answer to Siri), S-Beam (file transfer through NFC) and a display that sleeps when you do and wakes when you’re using it. (See all the specs here.)

Orange UK, T-Mobile UK and Three UK are all expected to get release the device on or around May 30th, and Three have unveiled a very competitive contract plan for the Galaxy S3. The smartphone will be available free on a £34 per month two-year contract on Three’s “The One Plan” which gives you 2000 UK minutes, 5000 texts, 5000 ’3-to-3′ minutes and All You Can Eat data every month.

Three’s Galaxy S3 offer is available to pre-order is available here, whilst Orange and T-Mobile have not put up info on their website as yet. Customers wanting the Galaxy S3 on O2 can be kept up to date by texting Samsung to 2020 whilst Vodafone customers need to register their interest here.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 network info round-up originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 4, 2012.

Announcing the Samsung Galaxy S III – Designed for Humans Commercial

Dani — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:29:48 +0000

Samsung announced their newest and long awaited device the Samsung Galaxy S III today. The 4.8 in display features a super AMOLED display and will be available in the Olympic colours of blue and white.

To open up the first views to their new device, Samsung has created the following commercial. I love these sorts of advertisements that draw you into what the device is trying to achieve. Pre-orders opens on Carphone Warehouse today with other networks following soon.

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Announcing the Samsung Galaxy S III – Designed for Humans Commercial originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 3, 2012.

ThreeUK Sony Xperia arc S: 1st to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Dani — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:24:48 +0000

Sony Xperia arc S owners on the Three network, rejoice. The lucky Three customers are the first owners o the Sony Xperia arc S to get the Andriod 4.0 update to Ice Cream Sandwich.

As an owner of the arc S this can only mean good news for me, because where Three goes, other networks should follows – therefore, I am hoping to see updates to my SIM Free very soon.

Head on over to the Three portal to grab your update. I believe this one has to be done via PC and is not available OTA.

Source

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ThreeUK Sony Xperia arc S: 1st to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 30, 2012.

HTC One X vs One S; heavy use battery life comparison

Nirave — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:14:57 +0000

So on Sunday, I went to Old Trafford to see Manchester United take on Everton. For the whole day, the only devices I was using (aside from an iPad to stream/playback videos and content) was HTC’s new One Series; I had both the One X and the One S with me.

Up until that day, the One X had really struggled with battery life whilst the One S was the surefire winner and so I was glad I had both with me. To begin with, the day kicked off at 6:30am and both devices left the house on 100%. Things were okay on both devices up until around 8:10am when my train from Euston left the station and started throughout the countryside towards Manchester.

Now during the journey, reception constantly cut out and then came back only to disappear again. Instead of switching to 2G-only mode, I left both devices on with 2G/3G network to see whether they could cut it. Unfortunately, neither did in the end with both dying out 12-14 hours after being taken off charge.

I noticed pretty quickly that the battery was not holding at all; by the time I got up to Manchester, the One X was sitting on 61% (having taken some photos) whilst the One S was sitting at 59%. That’s something to be aware of; it seems the One X handles fluctuating network coverage much better than the One S.

From Manchester Piccadilly train station, it was onto the Manchester MetroLink tram to Old Trafford. During the journey again, I was using the One X to shoot some photos and really test out its ability to shoot pictures whilst moving. I’ll be bringing you those photos later today in a separate article.

At Old Trafford itself, network coverage changed. Gone was the lack of reception, instead being replaced by reception yet the inability to make a phone call or send a tweet (which I’m sure was down to the 75,000 odd people being in that location at the same time). My theory regarding there being too many people connected to a cell site simultaneously is also backed up by other people I was with; between us, all 5 major networks were being used and all of them had a problem being able to connect in any way.

During the match itself, out came both the One X and the One S to shoot some photos and some videos. Whilst those will feature later today, I can safely say I am seriously unimpressed with the One Series’ zoom capabilities; HTC might as well not have bothered including zoom of any sort as it leaves all the photos and videos really pixelated even if using just a tiny amount of zoom.

After the match, it was more photos and then back on the train for a similar journey home to London; network coverage was incredibly patchy throughout the countryside and for quite a long period there was no coverage at all.

HTC One S battery life at 7:14pm

By the time I got back to UKMR HQ, it was gone 7pm and here’s how both devices ended up. HTC’s One X ended up on 6% whilst the One S ended up on just 2% battery life. By way of comparison, yesterday the One S ended the day on around 45% having been in one location for about 16 hours.

HTC One X battery life at 7:14pm

So the moral of this very long article is this; if you live in a patchy reception area, you could face issues with either device’s battery life. They are both good for day to day (the One S is definitely better) but if network coverage is flittering in and out then you might have a problem.

Remember we have a lot of One Series content today and our reviews of both devices will be up within the next few days so be sure to check back soon, subscribe to our feed, follow us on Twitter or connect on Facebook for all the latest.

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HTC One X vs One S; heavy use battery life comparison originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 24, 2012.

European networks lose faith with Nokia

Nirave — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:08:37 +0000

Networks are key to every manufacturer and Nokia is no different; with their latest Lumia range of Windows Phone smartphones, Nokia is reliant on operators to ensure their devices get the maximum coverage.

Reuters report that European networks are losing faith with Nokia’s Windows Phone smartphones, saying:

“If the Lumia with the same hardware came with Android in it and not Windows, it would be much easier to sell”

It’s worth noting that so far, Nokia has had very little influence on the Windows Phone OS, and the first Nokia devices where the Finnish company has had an influence are expected to come later this year featuring the Windows Phone Apollo platform.

We’d definitely recommend you check out the article at the link below.

Read

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European networks lose faith with Nokia originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 17, 2012.

HTC One X, HTC One S launched in the UK

Nirave — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:41:59 +0000

It’s pretty much been expected since most networks confirmed they would have it today, but HTC’s latest One Series has launched in the UK with the One X and One S available to purchase today.

We’ve already covered all the deals in our pre-order round-up post, but some other ones to watch out for is O2′s launch offer on the One S and super pricing on the One X.

The HTC One X features a 1.5GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 “4-PLUS-1″ CPU which powers the 4.7 inch SLCD2 720p HD display. The HTC One S on the other hand sacrifices the quad-core processor for a 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU which powers the 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display (540 x 960 pixels).

Both devices feature 1GB RAM under the hood, an 8MP rear camera with HTC’s Sense imaging chip and the ability to snap picture in just 0.2 seconds from the lock screen. Both devices also have the capability to snap hi-res photos and record 1080p HD video simultaneously. Both devices run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC’s Sense UI v4 on top.

We’ve spent time with both devices and you can see our thoughts in our One X gallery and hands on video and One S gallery and hands on video.

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HTC One X, HTC One S launched in the UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 5, 2012.

HTC One X and One S now available to buy on Three

Nirave — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:20:37 +0000

Pretty much expected but HTC’s latest One Series devices, the One X and One S have got an early release in the UK. Originally expected to be released tomorrow, 5th April, our friends at Three have made the device available to purchase today only via their online store.

As we reported, the quad-core One X will cost you between £27 and £38 per month on a 24 month contract with Three, with several plans offering Three’s All You Can Eat unlimited data package. In comparison, the dual-core One S is cheaper, with contracts ranging from £24 to £35 per month.

Three are promising delivery tomorrow, meaning that those who order are likely to be one of the first to get the device in the UK. The HTC One X is one of the most eagerly anticipated devices in the UK and is widely tipped to be an early contender for the prestigious “Smartphone Of The Year” award, despite being released in April.

Head over to Three now to order either device.

Whilst you’re waiting for your device to arrive, why not check out our One X hands on gallery and video and our One S hands on gallery and video?

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HTC One X and One S now available to buy on Three originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 4, 2012.

HTC One S Contract Pre Order round up

Nirave — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:00:42 +0000

HTC’s lastest dual-core smartphone, the One S is headed to the UK, with some pre-order deliveries beginning next week.

Announced at Mobile World Congress last month, the One S features a 4.3 inch Super LCD display, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and features 1GB RAM alongside an 8 megapixel camera with HTC’s Sense Imaging chip and 1080p Full HD video capture. The device also features the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system alongside HTC’s own Sense UI 4.

We went hands on with the One S at Mobile World Congress 2012; why not check out our hands on gallery and video?

Here, we round up the pick of the HTC One S pre-order deals including expected dates if available.

Vodafone

Monthly Price: Free from £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600 + Vodafone Passport
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited (3000)
Inclusive Data: 1GB (tethering inclusive) + 2GB BTOpenZone WiFi
Device Cost: Free
Extras: Vodafone Data Test Drive
Other Extras: First 10,000 pre orders get urBeats Beats Audio headphones by Dr Dre + 10 Free music tracks every month for three months.
Expected Date: Early April

Link: Pre-order the One X here

O2:

O2′s pricing has not been revealed but here’s what a call with their retentions department revealed.

Monthly Price: £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: Unlimited minutes
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited
Inclusive Data: 1GB
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: 5th April 2012

Link: No link available.

T-Mobile:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Orange:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Three:

Available on Three’s The One Plan:

Monthly Price: £35 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 2,000 + 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes
Inclusive Texts: 5,000
Inclusive Data: All You Can Eat unlimited data
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: Available online from 4th April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

Phones4u:

Network: Vodafone
Monthly Price: £31 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 900
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 500MB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: Free MediaLink HD with pre-order, £50 Auto cashback
Expected Date: Delivery on 7th April 2012

Link: Pre-order here

Carphone Warehouse:

Network: Orange
Monthly Price: £31 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 400
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 750MB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: None
Expected Date: Delivery week commencing 2nd April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

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HTC One S Contract Pre Order round up originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 31, 2012.

Three release Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for HTC Sensation XE

Nirave — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:14:37 +0000

As the title says lol Three kicked off their tweets this morning by announcing they’d begun rolling out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the HTC Sensation XE.

The update brings the latest Android operating system alongside an updated HTC Sense UI 3.6.

Head over to Settings > About Phone > Software Updates > Check Now and see if it’s available for your device yet.

Why not also check out our HTC Sensation Android 4.0 ICS Gallery?

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Three release Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for HTC Sensation XE originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 30, 2012.

HTC One X, One S and One V to launch next week

Nirave — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:14:01 +0000

HTC have announced that all three One Series devices, the One X, One S and One V are to launch in Central Europe next week.

The One X will cost €599, whilst the One S comes in at €499 and the One V will come in at €299.

We went hands on with the One X and One S at Mobile World Congress last month, where the devices were announced. Featuring Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense UI 4.0 as standard across the range, the One Series is definitely impressive.

All three devices will launch in Europe on April 2nd; we already know of pre-orders for the One X and the One S in the UK, with most retailers getting the devices next week.

Why not check out our pre-order roundup for the One X as well as our Hands on Video and Gallery for the One X and video and gallery for the One S?

Via

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HTC One X, One S and One V to launch next week originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 29, 2012.

Ofcom delays Everything Everywhere 4G LTE proposals decision

Nirave — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:39:05 +0000

Everything Everywhere’s plans for a quick rollout of 4G LTE took a setback yesterday when Ofcom pushed back the date on its final decision.

Originally scheduled for April 17th, Ofcom have pushed the date back to May 8th, to allow other companies further time to respond. So far, the other main players, O2, Vodafone and Three have all voiced objections to the deal, with the main point of concern being that Everything Everywhere would have the majority of 1800MHz spectrum and own a monopoly of sorts on 4G LTE services in the UK for at least a year.

No guessing what’ll happen now other than more objections and possibly more delays.

Source: Ofcom

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Ofcom delays Everything Everywhere 4G LTE proposals decision originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 29, 2012.

UK telco retail stores to extend Sunday hours during the Olympics

Nirave — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:57:59 +0000

UK telecommunications retailers and network stores could extend Sunday opening hours during the Olympics after Chancellor George Osborne announced a nationwide suspension to Sunday trading laws during the Games.

Retail store working in London and near to the Olympics site have backed proposals for longer working hours, as it would inevitably lead to overtime pay and increased commissions.

Mobile News Online report speaking with several retail staff whom are happy to work extended hours on a Sunday during the Olympics.

It is bound to be a good move for all retailers as thousands of people will be in and around London on those days and business will most definitely be booming.

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UK telco retail stores to extend Sunday hours during the Olympics originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 29, 2012.

Lower-cost roaming set to hit the EU

Nirave — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:04:59 +0000

In the ongoing negotiations between operators over the cost of calls and texts via roaming, the European Parliamenet and the European Union have struck a deal over the cost of international roaming.

Under the new rules, which replace the current ones which are set to expire on July 1st, the cost of an international call in a foreign EU country would cost no more than 0.38 EUR per minute and received calls would cost no more than 0.08 EUR.

In 2014, that will drop to 0.19 EUR to call and 0.05 to receive. The price of sending a text will be capped at 0.09 EUR now and will reduce to 0.06 EUR in 2014.

Data Roaming ccosts will also reduce with the cost dropping to a max cap of 0.70 EUR per megabyte and further dropping to a maximum 0.2 EUR per MB in 2014.

The rules are not set in stone as they will still require a final vote, but the rules should come into effect on July 1st. Via

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Lower-cost roaming set to hit the EU originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 28, 2012.

Three CEO urges Ofcom to reissue 4G spectrum guarantee

Nirave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:00:04 +0000

Three’s CEO, David Dyson, has waded into the debate over UK 4G LTE services by issuing a call to regulator Ofcom to resurrect their sub-1GHz spectrum guarantee.

Dyson called the regulator’s decision to remove guarantees surrounding access to the sub-1GHz spectrum, currently used for analogue TV signals, as “irrational” and “questionable”.

Ofcom recently dropped the guarantee, which was first provided in March 2011, and said they felt the sub-1GHz spectrum was no longer necessary for a mobile operator to remain viable in the 4G competition.

Dyson, who was speaking at the Future of Mobile 2012 Westminster eForum today (March 27th) in London, said:

“As a consumer, and not the CEO of a mobile operator, my clear request to Ofcom is to reconsider their technical analysis and position on low frequency spectrum, and reconclude on a solution that more closely follows every other regulators in Europe.”
“As a CEO of a mobile operator, the conclusion to the contrary would be irrational, questionable and unnecessarily risks future competition in the UK mobile market.”

For the rest of our 4G coverage, click over to our dedicated LTE portal.

Read

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Three CEO urges Ofcom to reissue 4G spectrum guarantee originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 27, 2012.

HTC One X pre-order round up

Nirave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:00:52 +0000

HTC’s first quad-core smartphone, the One X is headed to the UK, with some pre-order deliveries beginning next week.

Announced at Mobile World Congress last month, the One X features a 4.7 inch SLCD2 720p HD display, is powered by a 1.5GHz NVIDIA “4-PLUS-1″ processor and features 1GB RAM alongside an 8 megapixel camera with HTC’s Sense Imaging chip and 1080p Full HD video capture. The device also features the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system alongside HTC’s own Sense UI 4.

We went hands on with the One X at Mobile World Congress 2012; why not check out our hands on gallery and video?

Here, we round up the pick of the HTC One X pre-order deals including expected dates if available.

Vodafone

Monthly Price: Free from £41 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 900 + Vodafone Passport
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited (3000)
Inclusive Data: 1GB (tethering inclusive) + 2GB BTOpenZone WiFi
Device Cost: Free
Extras: 25MB data per day in selected European countries – Vodafone Data Test Drive
Other Extras: First 10,000 pre orders get urBeats Beats Audio headphones by Dr Dre + 10 Free music tracks every month for three months.
Expected Date: Early April

Link: Pre-order the One X here

O2:

O2′s pricing has not been revealed but here’s what a call with their retentions department revealed.

Monthly Price: £37 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600 minutes
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited
Inclusive Data: 1GB
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: April 2012

Link: No link available.

T-Mobile:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Orange:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Three:

Available on Three’s The One Plan:

Monthly Price: £38 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 2,000 + 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes
Inclusive Texts: 5,000
Inclusive Data: All You Can Eat unlimited data
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: Available online from 4th April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

Phones4u:

Network: Vodafone
Monthly Price: £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 500MB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: Free MediaLink HD with pre-order
Expected Date: Delivery on 7th April 2012

Link: Pre-order here

Carphone Warehouse:

Network: Vodafone
Monthly Price: £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 1GB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: None
Expected Date: Delivery week commencing 2nd April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

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HTC One X pre-order round up originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 27, 2012.

Three Expands UK Network

Dani — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:17:46 +0000

Three network have been in the process of upgrading their network in preparation for tomorrow as they bring 42.Mbps HSPA network to the UK.

Three says the new network will ease congestion with the network being able to handle twice the amount of traffic.

Three is hoping that the new 4G LTE network will help the coverage of data of which it says it carries 40% but the auction is not planned until next year and three worries that they will be outbid by the larger networks.

“Vodafone, one of the larger carriers in the UK, has spoken out against special treatment for Three, saying that “Ofcom should stop trying to over-engineer the release of new spectrum to run the next generation of mobile internet services and simply run a fair and open auction as soon as possible.” [via The Verge]

source mobileburn.com

Posted from WordPress for BlackBerry.

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Three Expands UK Network originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 26, 2012.

Orange promises super fast 4G LTE

Nirave — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:00:37 +0000

Orange has joined the debate over super fast 4G LTE services by promising to deliver the next gen high speed wireless network to the UK and nine other European countries by the end of 2015.

Orange, whose UK arm is owned by Everything Everywhere, made its pledge at a meeting at the European Commission in Brussels amidst ten commitments designed to help the EU achieve its digital goals.

In line with other UK networks, Orange has also said that the regulators will play a big part in helping the EU achieve its 4G LTE goals.

“[Orange will] roll out 4G/LTE networks in all Orange European Union markets by 2015. We welcome the EU decision to make more spectrum available, in a timely and harmonised manner, to wireless services in the EU, and look forward to further, similar initiatives to help us cope with the massive growth in public data use,” the company said in its announcement.

In the UK, the rollout of 4G LTE services has been affected by ongoing disputes between networks as well as the need to refarm digital spectrum currently used in analogue TV for the use of next gen wireless networks. Everything Everywhere, who also own T-Mobile UK, are currently leading the race for 4G having gained provisional approval from regulator Ofcom to use existing 1800MHz spectrum for 4G Services.

Despite getting approval from Ofcom however, EE’s 4G rollout could be delayed if rival networks take objection to the use of existing spectrum, which some of them have done. The national rollout of 4G LTE is dependent on the spectrum auction currenset set for the end of this year. 4G services are expected to be rolled out nationally between 2014 and 2015, with some areas of the UK gaining 4G LTE capabilities as early as the end of 2012/next year.

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Orange promises super fast 4G LTE originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 22, 2012.

Three reveal pay monthly options for New iPad

Nirave — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:14:04 +0000

Three have revealed their pay monthly option for Apple’s New iPad which will be launching tomorrow (March 16th). Three plans to have the iPad in stock and all pay monthly contracts will come bundled with 15GB data.

Thomas Malleschitz, Three Marketing Director said:

‘Teaming up our leading-edge HSPA+ network with the innovative new iPad is great news for our customers. Our customers already enjoy superfast internet on the move, and with an excellent range of great value price plans and our leadership in fast UK mobile broadband, we look forward to being the network of choice for new iPad customers.’

Here’s Three’s New iPad pricing (all contracts 24 month minimum commitment):

16GB – £25 per month, £159 upfront

16GB – £29 per month, £99 upfront

32GB – £25 per month, £229 upfront

32GB – £29 per month, £169 upfront

64GB – £25 per month, £299 upfront

64GB – £29 per month, £249 upfront

For those wanting the device outright, Three are selling the iPad without contract for £479 (16GB), £549 (32GB), £629 (64GB).

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Three reveal pay monthly options for New iPad originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 15, 2012.

Vodafone has ‘serious doubts’ over Ofcom’s EE UK 4G LTE decision

Nirave — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:43 +0000

Vodafone has come out and said that it seriously doubts that Everything Everywhere’s 4G proposals for 2012 will serve consumer interests.

Telecommunications regulator Ofcom announced yesterday that EE’s proposals to refarm spectrum for 4G use in the UK by the end of this year would not substantially harm competition or consumer interests but Vodafone disagree.

As I reported yesterday, Ofcom had given all the other 4G contenders in the UK four weeks to respond to its potential approval of Everything Everywhere’s plans and whilst O2 and Three are yet to comment, its clear that Vodafone do not agree with the plans..

A Vodafone spokesman said:

‘It comes as a surprise that the regulator is now considering giving the largest player in the market permission to use its existing spectrum for 4G services before the rules for the auction have even been concluded or it has divested spectrum as required by the European Commission.

‘We share the regulator’s desire to see the next generation of mobile internet services rolled out quickly and placed within the reach of many more people in rural areas. But we seriously doubt that consumers’ best interests will be served by giving one company a significant head start before any of its competitors have a clear path to 4G. We will need to review Ofcom’s reasons for pressing ahead with liberalisation of Everything Everywhere’s existing spectrum before making our submission as part of the current consultation.’

In response, an Everything Everywhere spokesperson said :

‘It’s very important that the UK does not get left behind in the building of a new infrastructure for the digital economy. We welcome notice of 1800MHz licence variation from Ofcom, as it suggests Ofcom’s willingness to encourage the early deployment of 4G LTE.’

Vodafone claim that whilst the move to bring 4G LTE services to the UK as soon as possible would bring “substantial benefits to British consumers, businesses and the wider economy”, the benefits could only be realised if at least another network offered 4G services to aid competition.

Under the proposals, Everything Everywhere could refarm a portion of its 1800MHz spectrum and use it to provide next-generation mobile services, significantly before other networks can provide the services.

Under current plans, Ofcom is planning to hold its 4G spectrum auction at the end of this year and once that is completed, networks can begin rolling out their 4G networks. At the moment, EE, O2 and Vodafone are all holding their own small-scale LTE tests and if an agreement can be reached between the networks, 4G services could roll out later this year under the Everything Everywhere umbrella.

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Vodafone has ‘serious doubts’ over Ofcom’s EE UK 4G LTE decision originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 14, 2012.

Ofcom: UK 4G could come in 2012

Nirave — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:30:52 +0000

Ofcom has given UK users a ray of hope by announcing that plans for 4G this year could become a reality.

Everything Everywhere recently submitted proposals to allow the parent company of Orange and T-Mobile to use its existing spectrum to deliver 4G services later this year.

Ofcom stated:

“Given the benefits this would bring to consumers, Ofcom is minded to allow this change of use.”

Everything Everywhere proposed that it repurposed its existing 1800 MHz spectrum, currently used for 3G services, for “LTE and WiMAX use.”

Ofcom does concede that the proposals would give Everything Everywhere a lead to market on UK 4G services, as the operator would “be the only entity capable of providing LTE/WiMAX services on a national basis for a period of time.” Ofcom states that it does “not consider that any material risk of distortion to competition will arise if we vary EE’s license as requested.”

However, before everyone switches over to Everything Everywhere in preparation for 4G, Ofcom is giving all the other networks to submit their views on the proposal and given the constant disputes over 4G between the networks, this could be a potential stumbling block.

In the meantime, why not check out our LTE Test and our LTE Speed Test Videos for a chance to see what speeds can be achieved using 4G LTE.

Via

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Ofcom: UK 4G could come in 2012 originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 13, 2012.

Nokia Asha 302 available from Three

Nirave — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:45:07 +0000

Following on from Vodafone, Three are the second network to announce availability for the Nokia Asha 302, which is available from Three stores and Three.co.uk today.

We went hands on with the Nokia Asha 302 at Mobile World Congress last week and we’ll be bringing you our demo videos, hands on gallery and some thoughts in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, you can head over to Three to pick up the Asha 302 for £89.99 on Pay as you Go or from £15 per month on pay monthly contracts.

Full press release below. Link – Three.co.uk

Nokia Asha 302 – available now on Three.

The Nokia Asha 302 is now available to buy from Three stores and on Three.co.uk.

Texting and updating your social networks is easy with the affordable Nokia Asha 302 as it comes with a full QWERTY keypad and dedicated shortcut keys for SMS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Plus, this great smartphone also features push messaging so e-mails and social media updates get delivered straight to the Nokia Asha 302’s homescreen, so no more missing out on important messages.

Styled with a slick metallic design, the Nokia Asha 302 comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera for taking pictures and video and 14,000 photos or 7,000 songs can be stored on the smartphone’s expandable 32GB SD card slot.

Sylvia Chind, head of handsets at Three said, “With a full QWERTY keypad for fast text entry, the Nokia Asha 302 lets people stay in touch with friends and family via e-mails, social media and instant messenger. Plus, with all–you-can-eat data on Three they can surf the web and download content as much as they like without ever having to worry about going over their data allowance.”

The Nokia Asha 302 is available on pay monthly for £15 on Essential Internet 300 or £30 on The One Plan with all-you-can-eat-data.

Pay as you go customers can get the Nokia Asha 302 for £89.99. 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.

Key features:

Full QWERTY keypad for easy messaging.
Dedicated shortcut keys for SMS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Pushe-mail alerts and social networking updates.
3.2 megapixel camera.

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Nokia Asha 302 available from Three originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 8, 2012.

#ThreeMWC event roundup

Nirave — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:51:06 +0000

Last night, Three held their very own post-MWC event in London. Bloggers, journalists, tech enthusiasts and the lovely guys and gals from Three all headed down to the Roxy Bar and Screen in Borough High Street.

The night consisted of food, drinks a plenty and a quiz that was narrowly won by the team #Winners (pronounced hashtag winners), whilst in second place came my team, the Eggheads!

One of my highlights of the night was getting more time to play with the HTC One X, HTC One S and Samsung Galaxy Note, all devices which are headed to Three soon.

I’d like to thank Three for putting on an excellent night which turned out to be a great celebration of both Mobile World Congress and the network’s 9th birthday which was last Saturday!

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#ThreeMWC event roundup originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 8, 2012.

New iPad not compatible with UK 4G

Nirave — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:08:03 +0000

Last night, Apple announced the New iPad and with 4G LTE support, some clever readers might have considered importing one from the US to use with UK 4G trials.

However, Pocket-Lint have established that the US 4G iPad will not work with O2′s or Everything Everywhere’s 4G trials in the UK, as the LTE bands being used are different in the US than those being used in Europe. They’ve also discovered that the UK 4G iPad will be set to a maximum of DC-HSDPA meaning it will never work with 4G in the UK.

“The iPad 4G works on the US LTE bands, these are different to the European LTE bands,” O2 said when questioned.

Due to the difference of LTE bands – the US uses LTE at 700 – 2100 MHz, whilst the UK’s trials and subsequent rollout will be 800 – 2600 MHz – US travellers would also not be able to use their 4G iPad in the UK when we finally get our own 4G network.

All this leads to Apple either being forced to announce a new iPad which supports the European LTE standard or forego European customers wanting to use 4G. I’m putting my money on a new iPad; Apple will look at it as a new source of revenue and one that they surely can’t turn down.

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New iPad not compatible with UK 4G originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 8, 2012.

Xperia S available from Three

Nirave — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:21:34 +0000

Three have announced that the Sony Xperia S is now available from their network on Pay as you Go and Pay Monthly plans.

We went hands-on with the Xperia S in Barcelona last week and we’ve been posting Xperia S camera and video samples all week. We also posted our preview, whilst our review will be up by the end of the weekend. Why not check out all our Xperia S coverage through our Xperia S portal?

Full Press Release below. Via

The powerful Sony Xperia™ S is available from Three on Pay as you go and Pay monthly now.

Built for high-definition content, the stylish Sony Xperia™ S displays images and video in vivid detail on its 4.3” HD Reality Display. The smartphone’s premium features extend to the styling, with the handset boasting a unique illuminating transparent strip at its base for quick access to updates and features.

With a 12 megapixel camera and Exmor™ R sensor, users can also shoot impressive photos and full HD video even in low light conditions. Plus, pictures and footage can be shared on TVs and laptops in HD using the Sony Xperia™ S’ supplied HDMI cable.

Sylvia Chind, head of handsets at Three said, “With a striking display, this is an ideal smartphone for those looking for high-definition entertainment. Plus, as the only network to offer all-you-can-eat data on both Pay as you go and Pay monthly, Three customers can enjoy all of the rich content that YouTube, BBC iPlayer and Spotify have to offer without ever having to worry about data limits.”

The Sony Xperia™ S is available on PAYG for £369.99. All in One 15 costs £15 and gives 30-days 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.

Pay monthly customers can get the Sony Xperia S from £30 a month or £36 a month on The One Plan with all-you-can-eat data, 2,000 minutes and 5,000 texts.

Key features:

· Unique design.
· 4.3” HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA© Engine.
· 12MP camera with Exmor™ R sensor + HD video.
· HD sharing with HDMI (cable in-box).
· Super-fast1.5GHz dual core processor.
· 32GB internal memory.
· NFC compatible.

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Xperia S available from Three originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 8, 2012.

Three MWC Event Tonight

Nirave — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:36:56 +0000

We will be at Three’s own MWC event this evening and you can follow our coverage via the homepage where we will be posting everything they announce!

If you have any questions, get in touch via the comments below, through the Contact us form or via our Twitter channel @ukmobilereview

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the nation’s fastest growing mobile network!

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Three MWC Event Tonight originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 7, 2012.

Three MWC event – what will we see?

Nirave — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:35:14 +0000

So this Wednesday, Three UK are holding their very own press conference for Mobile World Congress 2012.

Three have not made it clear what will be announced or revealed but rumours suggest it could be their answer to the Vodafone Sure Signal which offers you guaranteed reception in your home through your WiFi connection.

However, Three could easily unveil something else completely, and it could be linked to their 9th birthday which happened on 3 March.

All will be revealed on Wednesday evening at 7pm and as always, we’ll be there to bring you the action as soon as it drops!

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Three MWC event – what will we see? originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 5, 2012.

Happy Birthday to Three UK

Nirave — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:37:45 +0000

9 years ago, Hutchinson Three, known as Three UK, were formed (3/3/2003). We’ve known the Three team for quite some time and we’d like to wish them an oh so very Happy Birthday and congratulations for the achievements in the last 9 years.

So from all the team at UK Mobile Review, we wish you a Happy Birthday Three and look forward to working together further going forward!

Thanks,

Nirave (Editor In Chief)

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Happy Birthday to Three UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 3, 2012.

Three UK birthday giveaway!

Nirave — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:33:14 +0000

Three is 9 years old tomorrow. Yep that’s 9 whole years since the loveable network launched amidst a blaze of 3G glory!

Although their birthday isnt until tomorrow, Three are holding an awesome giveaway using a massive parcel wrapped in 333 layers of paper! They’re asking a series of questions and unwrapping a layer for every right answer. From all the right answer, they select a winner for the prize if there is one unveiled beneath the paper!

Head over to Three’s twitter page now to see the action live!!

Remember to tweet your answer using the following format:

@ThreeUK Your Answer #ThreePassTheParcel

Full conditions and rules are available on Three’s blog post.

Head over to @ThreeUK on Twitter now!

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Three UK birthday giveaway! originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 2, 2012.

MWC 12: Jaw dropping LTE in action!

Nirave — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:29:48 +0000

This year’s Mobile World Congress has definitely focused on LTE, the next generation of mobile networks. Some networks in the US have LTE already and it’s rolling out across the world as we speak. Special mention has to go to Dan Carter, @mobilemandan who writes over at CoolSmartPhone. He was the one who originally showed this to me and he contributed to the running of the tests.

Unfortunately, we’re not likely to see LTE make its way to the UK anytime soon so in the meantime, feast your eyes on the jaw-dropping LTE speeds we achieved in our tests. Check out the pics and the video of LTE in action below!

The tests were conducted on the LG stand running LTE provided by Telefonica in Spain. This test was conducted whilst the stand was full of devices running on the same LTE network!

So what do you think? The max UK 3G speeds seem to be around 21Mbps… This is around 3 – 4 times faster than that. In practice, in the UK we get around 8-10Mbps on mobile devices and this is around 10 times that. Imagine what you could do with a faster data connection like so….

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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MWC 12: Jaw dropping LTE in action! originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 1, 2012.

HTC One X headed to Three UK

Nirave — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:32:16 +0000

Three have announced they’ll be stocking the HTC One X, which announced just now at HTC’s Mobile World Congress press conference.

Three have been really busy lately and have uploaded yet another video, this one showing a sneak peek at HTC’s latest flagship monster.

HTC may well have just stolen the show at Mobile World Congress. The company has just announced its flagship smartphone for 2012, the third in its One series of phones. It’s called the HTC One ^X and, you guessed it, it’ll be available on Three in the very near future.

This is the ultimate lifestyle phone. It supports a whole host of new features which are designed to help you make the most out of every moment. In fact it’s so jammed packed full of good stuff I literally don’t know where to start, but I’ll give it a go.

First things first, the design – arguably one of the greatest things about a HTC device. The One ^X is super slim measuring in at just under 9mm. It also comes with ‘bleeding edge’ hardware. This has nothing to do with the red stuff (thankfully), but it does mean that the screen takes up as much of the front of the phone as possible, allowing you to make the most out of the stunning 4.7 inch HD display.

If you enjoy taking and sharing your own photographs then you’ll find the One ^Xhard to beat. It has an enhanced 8MP camera that’s seriously best in class. Its cutting-edge Pureview™ technology means it takes razor-sharp images, but the thing I love the most about it is its incredible shutter speed.

The One ^X takes pictures in under half a second from the lock screen – something pretty unique to this phone. No more blurry images, and no more missed moments. You can even shoot your very own HD creations, as well as set the camera to take burst mode shots. In layman’s terms this means you can snap up to five shots a second so you can choose the very best picture before you share it with the world. Last but by no means least you can also take stills from video mode. Seriously impressive. We’ve had a good play around with it out here in Barcelona and it really is something else.

The One ^X naturally runs on Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android. It comes with the new and improved version of HTC Sense which is not only faster but more customisable too.

Beats Audio™ is present in the phone’s list of features, and Beats now also supports a great range of apps such as Spotify and Tune In radio.

On to performance, and the One ^Xis fitted with a NVIDIA 1.5GHz quadcore processor. Any tech aficionado will tell you that in this day and age, power is everything. You want a phone that delivers you pages and loads screens in a fraction of a second, and the speed at which you can whip through the navigation of this device is almost unparalleled.

As you can tell, we’re pretty excited about this one, and we’ll share more details as soon as we can. Check out or sneak peek video for our quick hands on. Who’ll be first in the queue?

Source – Three Blog

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HTC One X headed to Three UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on February 26, 2012.

Sony Xperia U headed to Three UK

Nirave — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:07:04 +0000

Three have announced they will be selling the Sony Xperia U, which will be announced shortly at Sony’s Press Event at MWC.

Check out Three’s sneak peak video below.

Three say:

The exchangeable coloured caps give you the ability to personalise your smartphone. Add this to the colour matching illumination bar at the bottom of the phone and yours will really stand out in the crowd. It also has a 3.5 inch reality display with Mobile BRAVIA engine which helps keep all of your photos and videos looking really sharp.

We’ll bring you more on the Xperia U shortly…

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Sony Xperia U headed to Three UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on February 26, 2012.

4G LTE to affect Digital TV signals

Nirave — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:52:48 +0000

Approximately 900 households could see 4G LTE services affect their TV reception following the next-gen mobile network’s rollout next year.

Later this year, regulator Ofcom is planning to hold a 4G spectrum auction where Everything Everywhere, O2, Three and Vodafone are expected to bid for next-generation spectrum allowing them to launch their own 4G LTE networks.

The problem surround TV reception lies in the 800MHz spectrum currently used for national terrestrial television. As part of the UK’s Digital Switchover, which should complete this year and see the whole of the UK switch to digital TV channels through paid subscriptions and Freeview, the 800MHz spectrum will be converted for use in the next-gen network.

Digital Terrestrial TV channel stations sit close to where 4G transmitters broadcast and as such, living very close to a 4G transmitter will mean that whilst your mobile network speeds will be very good, your TV quality will suffer.

However, for once, the UK government is prepared for the loss in TV quality with a new scheme whereby affected households will be given a filter for their set-top box to fix the problem. Approximately 10,000 households won’t be able to use the filter fix and as such, the government will sponsor the switchover to a cable/satellite solution. For around 500 households, cable or satellite won’t be a solution and these households will be given up to £10,000 per household to find a solution. For the lucky network operators who pick up 4G spectrum, there will be the added cost of the estimated £180m bill for fixing the TV signal issues.

Source ~ Via

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4G LTE to affect Digital TV signals originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on February 23, 2012.

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 headed to Three

Nirave — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:00:22 +0000

Three have announced that the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 Android smartphone is headed to their network.

Three will be announcing the pricing and availability of the device shortly. Full press release below.

The Samsung Galaxy mini 2 coming soon to Three.

London-Feb 21st 2012: Three has announced that it will be ranging the new Samsung Galaxy mini 2. The handset will be available on contract or Pay As You Go from Three stores or online at www.three.co.uk.

Designed to impress, the Samsung Galaxy mini 2 has a compact, urban style that stands out in the vast smartphone crowd. It has a 3.3 inch HVGA screen that brings everything to life with vivid colours and its vast 3GB of usable memory gives users the freedom to download their favourite apps from the Android market, take photos and store music without having to worry about running out of memory. The phone’s super-fast 800MHz processor allows users to quickly switch between apps and explore the mobile internet.

Sylvia Chind, head of handsets at Three said: “The Samsung Galaxy mini 2 is a fantastic handset for those who want a compact, stylish smartphone that offers quality as well as great value. The Samsung Galaxy mini 2 is all about speed and it comes with a 800MHz processor that’s great for people who want to enjoy Three’s award winning 3G network quickly and effortlessly”.

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Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 headed to Three originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on February 21, 2012.

Cheapest iPhone 4S contract drops to £30 per month

Nirave — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:00:39 +0000

As a sign of ever changing market conditions amid increased competition, the cheapest Apple iPhone 4S contract has dropped to just £30 per month.

The deal is available through Carphone Warehouse subsidiary mobiles.co.uk, who offer the smartphone free on the Three network for £30 per month, which gives you 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB mobile data. If Three doesn’t take your fancy, they are also offering a comparable tariff on Vodafone for £1 extra per month.

The total cost of the contract comes to £720, and as the 16 4S costs £499 sim free, the overall cost of ownership averages out to just £9.21 per month, which is cheaper than Three’s comparable Sim Only tariff.

Head over to mobiles.co.uk to pick up yours now.

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Cheapest iPhone 4S contract drops to £30 per month originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on February 20, 2012.

BlackBerry Bold 9790: Slim, Sleek and Sophisticated

Dani — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:55 +0000

Research in Motion have announced the BlackBerry Bold 9790. The BlackBerry Bold 9790 is available in stores from this week with Vodafone UK and Three Network leading the way. The Bold 9790 can be picked up on a selection of plans from £30 tariff (with the device being free) from Vodafone. Other lower prices tariffs are available from £20.50 but this would mean you paying a price for the device.

Three, have the BlackBerry Bold 9790 available on pay as you go for £319.99 or available on a pay monthly tariff from £28 (with the device being free).

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 is powered by a Marvell Tavor MG1 1GHz processor with 768MB RAM and 8GB of eMMC expandable via an uSD card up to 32GB. The 9790 arrives with a 5 megapixel camera with digital zoom and geo-tagging. The Bold 9790 features the newest operating system BlackBerry 7 with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to link up with other NFC devices or accessories.

The new BlackBerry Bold is basically the BlackBerry Bold 9900 inside a different shell, The sleek slim design of the 9790 are its main assets and additionally, it has individually buttons for the home, blackberry key, back key and end key.

The Blackberry UK site brings you further detailed information on the BlackBerry Bold 9790.

Our Nirave will be picking up the slim, sleek and sophisticated BlackBerry Bold 9790 in a day or two and with it you will get a full review. So do check back here on a regular basis. This will be one review you will not want to miss.

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BlackBerry Bold 9790: Slim, Sleek and Sophisticated originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on February 8, 2012.