Flip Phones to Return to the UK?

This last week has seen not one, but two new flip phones announced.

These flip phones (or clamshells) have been popular for a long time, and most manufacturers have produced some flip models at some point.
They were most popular around 2004-2009, when there were some quite stylish designs around, making them a popular fashion accessory.

Three very stylish clamshell phones from circa 2008:

From left to right: Sony Ericsson Jalou, Sony Ericsson T707 and the Samsung Diva Folder S5150, with an AA battery for size comparison.

These clamshell designs were great, and some were even quite masculine, but as smartphones and touchscreens became the norm, these designs have become obsolete, save for a few bargain basement phones available on PAYG for as little as 99p from some retailers (with a £10 top up).

So what's with these two new phones?
The LG Gentle was the first to be announced, and it's an Android handset running 5.1 Lollipop.

The LG Gentle - A New Android clamshell for 2015

The second flip phone to be announced is the Samsung Galaxy Folder, which also runs Android 5.1

The Samsung Galaxy Folder

Out of the two, the Samsung Galaxy Folder has twice the RAM (2GB) of the LG Gentle, as well as a much crisper screen. The camera is also better at 8MP, rather than the 3MP camera on the LG - Yes, that's right - the three megapixel camera on the LG!

I'd hope and expect that LG are pricing their phone at an accordingly low price, as these specs aren't great.

Between these two phones, they both have that certain level of style that flip phones have always had, but the Samsung is the better looking of the two.

Given that both companies have put some thought into the production of a new flip phone, I might have expected a little "extra" in these designs - Almost all of the clamshells back in the mid to late noughties carried external displays and notification LEDs. Samsung and LG appear to have forgotten about the exterior of these handset designs, and as a result, they are very dull, which defeats the object completely.

But, clamshell designs have proven to be incredibly popular, and I would really like one of these handsets.

For various reasons, I've always preferred a physical keyboard as they are easier to use than touchscreens, but these phones will be limited to T9 text input, which I'm sure will feel incredibly slow compared to the various swipe-style text entry systems.

Maybe the BlackBerry "Venice" will be the Droid that keypad fans have been waiting for?

Is this the BlackBerry Venice?

Still, any design makes a change from black slabs. I don't care what the manufacturers think - Colour options such as white, pink and blue cannot be called designs. I could change my living room from "magnolia" to "Butterscotch Tempest" but this doesn't make me an interior designer.

The problem with these two flip phones is most likely to be availability. Both handsets are destined for South Korea and other Far Eastern areas, with no likelihood of a European release.

However, these aren't the first clamshell Android handsets - Similar phones have been on sale in the Far East for a couple of years already. Samsung know this market well and have sold a lot of these units, hence this new model.

If you want one of these older handsets, just take a look on eBay - They can be bought for around £100. Search for "Android flip phone" if you can't wait for either of these two new models.

OFCOM To Consumers: Tell us about your mobile number porting process

UK Regulatory body OFCOM has announced plans to make porting your mobile between networks easier, but to do this they need to know what makes the Porting Authorisation Code (PAC code) request process difficult, and how simple it is to "port" your existing mobile number in to a new network provider.

To gain an understanding of the issues (good and bad), OFCOM have opened up a public consultation, which is available here: http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/news/ofcom-outines-mobile-switching-plans/

I would seriously encourage everyone to complete the survey. You will need to do a bit of typing, as there are no multiple choice questions, but your responses will help to make moving your number from network to network much easier in the future.

OFCOM already achieved this with broadband providers: Remember when you had to call them to try to obtain a MAC [code]? Well, that is no more - as I discovered recently when I decided to ditch my lengthy and massively overpriced Plusnet contract.

All I did was call Plusnet and ask them to cancel my contract, then choose a new phone line/broadband supplier and left the rest of it up to them.

Everything was automated and all should be up and running soon. I hope.

The last time that I tried to obtain a PAC, was with Mobile by Sainsbury's and it was a horrible process: I was asked for the last date that I topped up my PAYG account and by how much. For some people, this would be easy to answer, but I'd last topped up this number several months ago.

I was then asked to provide three numbers which I'd called most recently, but not within the last 24 hours, as it doesn't show up on their system.

As I failed to provide this, they said that the only way that they would give me a PAC code was if I removed the SIM from my phone and wrote down the number printed in teeny tiny text on the SIM. They would then phone me back and take this number down to verify ownership of the SIM (which isn't secure at all - If I'd stolen the phone/SIM, I'd be able to port to another network, if I wanted to).

Mobile by Sainsbury's also cocked up when I ported a number in to them - They "lost" all of my existing credit and left me without a signal for over two days whilst they sorted things out, and getting an apology out of them was impossible.

But, the number porting process isn't all bad.

Giffgaff have an online PAC request process that works very efficiently, with no questions asked.

Three are notorious for keeping you on the line for ages, but I have haggled some really good deals from them, and it doesn't cost anything to call them from your Three number, so I don't know why people complain so much about them.

This brings me on to a very important point: If the PAC request process is made quick, simple and easy, where is the opportunity to go through a networks' retentions team?

Most people don't want the Spanish Inquisition to ask why they want to switch networks, but the opportunity to barter, bargain and haggle is an important part of the switching process too.

OFCOM should be made aware of this, as there is a fine balance between good customer service and faceless greed.

If networks didn't have to try to retain customers, an escalating price war could ensue, with ever increasing mobile contract prices. But, we the customers don't want to have to put up with a barrage of poor customer service and aggressive sales pitches if we simply want to leave our current network.

Personally, I think that Three have got the right idea: It's a simple enough phone call that can last 30 minutes, but you'll either hang up having obtained your PAC, or you'll have haggled a decent contract for yourself.

The networks aren't obliged to give you what you want, of course. I have requested PAC codes from Three several times and they have just "let me go" - It all depends upon how many retentions they are allowed to lose in any particular month.

OFCOM's investigation into this process will lead to some interesting conclusions and solutions.

I wouldn't like to see the retentions process terminated altogether, but it should be a hell of a lot easier and consistent across all of the networks.

Blogging. The Learning Curve.

Well, it's been a few weeks now and I haven't upset anyone yet.

My Twitter account is ticking away nicely, but Twitter's growth is slowing. Facebook looks like it's the social network darling of the moment, and my page there is not doing well.
This is mainly due to the problems associated with maintaining and promoting a blog, maintaining the microblogging platform that is Twitter, and trying to attract "Likes" on Facebook.

My personal preference has always been for Facebook until recently (too many baby photos and generally uninteresting news posts).
Twitter, on the other hand, I have largely ignored as it's not for me personally. However, as a platform to promote my website and blog, it's perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I still like Facebook, it's just that maybe I'm of a certain age where I don't need to see my friends' posts or organise my social life through it any more.

Facebook is still king of the social networks, and I can't see that crown falling any time soon.

So, how to post to Facebook without having to write on this blog and rewrite the same article for Facebook?
For this very post, I am typing away in Blogger, and have (hopefully) created a "recipe" using If This, Then That (IFTTT.com), which should post a link to my Facebook page Mobile Networks UK.

I hope this works, as I do need to have an active presence on Facebook!

Vodafone BOMBSHELL: NO MORE MVNOs

I have always had a soft spot for Vodafone.

They provided my first mobile on a contract, and had (for me) the best range of phones back in 2003 and for the next few years.
I thought that their customer service was first class - They sent me out replacement batteries and chargers when my phone's originals got tired.
They were friendly, supportive and helpful.

I was a loyal customer.

Their pay monthly tariffs were ok (but offered abysmal allowances by today's standards), and their contracts were 12 months, but gradually increased to 18 months back then.

Then they let me down.

I shall reserve the rest of this story for a later date, but the fact remains that the Vodafone network is the only network in the UK that I have been able to use to make calls and send texts almost everywhere that I've been in the South of England and all of Wales.
There will always be people who have less than positive things to say about Vodafone's coverage, but the 2G frequencies that they use are the best for penetrating walls of houses, which still leaves Vodafone as the network of choice if you actually want to use your phone indoors.

When Vodafone disappointed me, I couldn't break away from the network: I worked at Winfrith Technology Centre in Dorset and Vodafone was the only network that had reliable coverage (at least indoors).
For this reason, I chose to save money and use a Vodafone MVNO, in this case Asda Mobile, as they were incredibly good value.
When I decided to move away from my Nokia Symbian smartphones and upgrade to a new-fangled Android smartphone, I had to stay with the Vodafone network, so I chose Talkmobile.

Vodafone has never had that many MVNOs piggybacking on its network.
Asda Mobile moved to the Orange (EE) network a few years ago, and struck a deal with broadband provider TalkTalk to offer SIM only and contract handset services.
Apart from a handful of ethnic MVNOs, Mobile by Sainsbury's is the biggest and most recent Vodafone MVNO.

I currently use Mobile by Sainsbury's for one of my phones, so the news that I read this evening on MVNODynamics shocked me: Vodafone potentially intends to cut ties with MVNOs!
In many ways, I'm hardly surprised. Vodafone has never really got on with them: Talkmobile was originally run through Carphone Warehouse, but was later sold on and now operates as an independent MVNO.
Mobile by Sainsbury's was always a late starter (Tesco and Asda had networks well before Sainsbury's), and one of the most successful Vodafone MVNOs - Ovivo - bit the dust without announcement, taking everyone's money and plenty of debt with them.

Vodafone is hotly contesting the rumours, even though TalkTalk's mobile customers were notified that they would be moving to the O2 network this year.

The full article is available HERE.

I will be very sorry to see Vodafone shut down MVNO ties - Vodafone has never been the cheapest network, but it is (for me, wherever I've gone) the most reliable for calls and texts.
It's also the first network to provide 4G anywhere that I've lived.
Vodafone has a good network, and I can't see myself getting a SIM only or contract deal with them in the near future as they are just too expensive.
My other mobiles are currently on giffgaff, which runs on O2, simply because it's a lot cheaper.

Ok, there's no actual guarantee that Vodafone will axe ties with MVNOs, but it's not a surprise if they did.
They have done so in the past, and these statements from TalkTalk do sound convincing enough for me to believe that Vodafone will be looking to cut back even more on its MVNO outlay.

EE Power Bar EXPLODES!

In a rather poor and hastily written article by Mobile Choice, news has come to light that a medical student narrowly escaped serious harm and suffered only minor burns when their EE Power Bar exploded.


In my blog a few weeks ago I explored the safety implications of renting (you don't actually own EE Power Bars) portable lithium battery packs - You have no idea how the potentially explosive lithium battery has been stored and handled.


I'd say that this was bound to happen. Lithium battery packs do need care and correct storage. I wouldn't want a battery pack that someone's left in their baking hot car interior during the summer months, and don't know if I'd trust some plonker not to tamper with one before returning it to an EE store.


We don't know who manufactures and supplies Power Bars to EE, but once again, a non branded battery pack "given" away for free can't be built to the highest specifications.


If you need a portable battery charger, I'd repeat that I'd buy your own, rather than succumb to EE's rental agreement.


Mobile Choice article: http://www.mobilechoiceuk.com/News/36596/medical-student-suffer-burns-after-her-ee-power-bar-bursts.aspx#.VbkQ28NwbIZ

Microsoft Destined to Annoy for Free with Windows 10

July the 29^th.

Today is the day when Microsoft release Windows 10 as a free upgrade for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users.

 

Those people who have already signed up to the Windows Insider programme will have been playing around with Windows 10 for some months now, and helped to pave the way for a bug-free launch – Or have they?

Only 2-3 days ago, Microsoft was feverishly trying to plug holes in Windows 10 prior to its release, so there is a high probability that today is the day when many hundreds of thousands of Windows 10 upgraders will start screaming at their PCs, laptops and tablets.

Historically, OS bugs only tend to get ironed out with Service Pack 1, when the OS becomes much more stable and reliable.

 

Given that Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 as a free upgrade, the percentage of early adopters could well be the highest in history.

 

Windows 10 shows promise and has addressed many of the issues that customers had with Windows 8/8.1 but worldwide uptake is likely to be high and rapid: Too many bugs and issues will likely lead to much wringing of hands and general despair – So I really hope that Microsoft have got things right.

 

Will you be upgrading? Don’t forget to leave comments and share this article.

 

I have four Windows 7 laptops and a new Windows 8 tablet. Yes, I will upgrade all of these at some point. (Early indications are that Windows 10 doesn’t like tablets at all, so this device will have to wait.)

Like many people, I have been waiting for this day, but now it’s here I’m not so sure that I’ll be clicking “update” within the next few days or weeks.

I’d like to hear what the world has to say about the new upgrade (and its inevitable problems) prior to borking any of my laptops, and I would encourage others to do the same.

 

My wife is likely to divorce me if I “helpfully” upgrade her laptop and turn it into a clunky, non-responsive paperweight that doesn’t make her life easier.

There’s a good chance that she will also hate the new interface, which I will get blamed for.

 

 

All is not lost, however!

Microsoft is allowing anyone that upgrades to Windows 10 to roll back to their original operating system within one month of upgrading if they don’t like Windows 10.

If you wait longer than one month, you can still use your original Windows recovery disks to restore your system to how it originally was – If you don’t have these disks, don’t forget to create backup and restore media using either a DVD or USB stick prior to upgrading to Windows 10!

 

The safest option is to wait.

You have a full year from today to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, so there’s no rush and you might as well let the early adopter guinea pigs suffer the inevitable glitches, patches and headaches until a tried, tested and stable version of Windows 10 is available.

Microsoft is rolling out Windows 10 today – but this rollout is staggered to avoid overwhelming their servers, so you may not be able to simply click “upgrade” this morning.

 

Why is Windows 10 important?

Well, for those (such as myself) using Windows 7 (which is a good OS), we have been left behind with the inability to sync bookmarks and settings, amongst other key features. However, Windows 8 has not been without its own issues, so this upgrade should be a useful one.

Windows 7 has also been around for about five years now, and to get a free upgrade is a no-brainer.

 

For Windows Phone users, the upgrade is not happening for a few months due to problems that were highlighted by Microsoft a few weeks ago.

I wouldn’t expect to see Windows 10 arrive on any of my phones until at least five months from now.

Given the rollout of 8.1, this took a fair few months longer than expected, so whilst it won’t be happening any time soon, it will happen.

As a Windows Phone 8.1 user, just the upgrade from Windows 7 on my laptops is enough to help bring my devices in parallel with each other, so the fact that my phones aren’t yet upgraded to Windows 10 isn’t an issue. The cross-device syncing is enough to keep me happy and satisfied that I don’t need to return to the Android OS.

 

Upgrading is inevitable, as unless you are tied in to a corporate IT system, then you would be mad to ignore upgrading your OS to something that will keep your device relatively current for the next few years, the question that you need to ask yourself is when.

The Peoples Operator to Hit the US

British MVNO The Peoples Operator is, according to MVNODynamics headed for a US launch.


This EE MVNO is relatively popular with Poundland shoppers in the UK, mainly because you can activate a new sim and get three months of plentiful data and loads of minutes for about a fiver a month - after which the price shoots up to about £15 a month.
When this happens, customers have typically ditched the sim and got a brand new one so that they can rinse the data out of it for another three months.


The Peoples Operator (TPO) prides itself on donating 10% of your top ups to charity, though it's a good idea to pick a charity from their list, otherwise it'll go to their default charity, which may not be to your particular taste.
- TPO uses the term charity rather loosely: The Labour Party and trade unions are amongst their "charity" options.


As you can tell, this is a very left wing network, and the first I've come across with a political bias.


It is unclear as yet how TPO is going to operate in the USA, but say what you like about their political leanings, they do have some good offers (though there are many people who consider these offers to be short lived and their customer service to be very poor).


It is odd that a still-to-grow UK MVNO feels that a move stateside is a good one, and there are rumours that the CEO is not to be trusted, but that's never stopped people from picking a great deal when they see one!


The US mobile industry is somewhat different from the UK's, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.


To compare TPO bundles (not contracts), take a look at how they match up against the competition on my website here: http://mobile-networks-uk.weebly.com/bundles.html

Network Problems - Again

This past weekend saw yet another network outage. This time data across the O2 network was affected, with O2, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff and other MVNO customers widely reporting that they were unable to connect to data services on their phones from Saturday morning.

The full extent of this outage isn’t known, but it appears that connection wasn’t restored until mid afternoon.

 

Two weeks ago, Vectone and Delight Mobile customers suffered from a total inability to connect to voice, text and data services for several days, prompting Vectone to offer their customers a free 2GB of data.

 

I use giffgaff, but their data is limited to 2G where I live, so I’ve grown used to reliance upon my home Wi-Fi connection and was unaware of this latest outage.

However, there must be many customers now questioning their network choice due to these frequent outages.

 

What is unacceptable for one person may be wildly different for another, and I’m sure that all O2/giffgaff/Vectone customers aren’t going to port their numbers out due to these reasons. But how much disruption are you willing to put up with from your network?

 

I’ve thankfully only endured one major outage on giffgaff, which was annoying, but it wasn’t my main network back then.

This most recent problem was an O2 issue, and I’m not currently fancying a return to the Vodafone network yet.

First Microsoft, Now BlackBerry Begin Further Reductions and Consolidations

I wrote only the other day how Microsoft is winding down its handset business. Will the upcoming Lumia 950 and 950XL be the final flagship phones from Microsoft before they begin selling “Windows connected devices” in the future?

 

Maybe it’s far too early to close the curtains on Microsoft’s phone business, but it does look like their numerous, great value budget handset range is going to get slimmed down from now on, and the 950/950XL might be left at the top of the range for a very long time when they are released later this year.

 

Now, BlackBerry is following suit: In an article on The Register, it is stated that “BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen today indicated that the Canadian enterprise vendor would cut its device portfolio from the four devices previously promised for 2015 to “two or one” a year”.

We all know that BlackBerry has long been in a nosedive into obscurity, but for the few of us who do want a different operating system – or a physical keyboard – BlackBerry and Windows Phone have offered viable alternatives.

 

The portfolio of both companies is getting rather thin now, and without the emphasis on enterprise, both businesses look a little jaded in comparison with the mainstream.

There are still plenty of businesses who rely on BlackBerry for various reasons, and Microsoft is attempting to tap into this with its Windows devices. But what about BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)?

Given the choice, most people are already happy with their iOS and Android devices and don’t want to carry around a different OS for the sake of business – It puts people off using them, and businesses would do well to remember this… An employee who uses their personal phone for business is likely to carry it around out of work hours and use it at the weekend. This is how many businesses have unwittingly (but successfully) extended working hours for their employees. For many businesses and employees, this has become the norm.

 

But what about BlackBerry’s low end business? Five years ago the kids were loving BBM and the various BlackBerry Curve handsets were very popular. If you want a cheap physical keyboard phone, these are the only available option.

It was hoped that BlackBerry would continue with this line, but instead it looks like they are aiming what’s left of their enterprise at the business market, with a much-reduced line-up.

 

Don’t BlackBerry and Microsoft realise that there are still elements out there who want a different OS? Reducing their ranges bolsters customer opinion that these two brands really are starting to wipe out what could have been great alternatives to overpriced Apples and fragmented green robots.

Vectone Offer 1GB for £5!

Love 'em or hate 'em, Vectone have done something incredible: They have a PAYG bundle for only £5 a month which gives you a whole 1GB of data.
At this price, if you can stomach their customer "service" this is absolutely the best value low price bundle for data at the moment.

There would usually be a catch here, though; typically the minutes allocated would be pretty abysmal.
However, this is thankfully not the case: £5 a month gets you 250 UK/overseas minutes which you can mix and match between UK calls and your preferred country. You also get 250 texts, which is probably 250 texts too many for WhatsApp users, but not enough for more casual finger fiends.
There is no mention of free Vectone to Vectone calls, though.

For a fiver a month, this is a great bundle!
Ten years ago, I would have loved a contract with these allowances at twice this price, so to get such great value for £5 is remarkable.

Vectone piggybacks on the EE network (yes, yet another EE MVNO...), and it amazes me how EE have any bandwidth left after selling out their excess capacity to so many MVNOs, many of whom offer some great value, generous bundles.

Vectone and Post Office Mobile (also on the EE network) are currently the best value cheap (£5/month) bundles available on PAYG. You can see how they compare to the other best value PAYG bundles on my website HERE.

Microsoft: Caveat Emptor

Yet another quarterly loss for Microsoft was reported on Tuesday – which of course Microsoft blames on their acquisition of Nokia.

 

I’m not looking at this the wrong way, am I? Surely Microsoft knew that it was buying Nokia and had plans to use this asset in some way?

 

Microsoft, you bought what was the biggest handset manufacturer and undoubtedly the best loved mobile phone brand. You had ample opportunity to use the workforce and brand to further develop Windows Phone, so what was the point in losing this asset and stuffing your phone business into the ground?
If Nokia had been a direct competitor or held numerous, useful patents this type of move would be understandable.

 

Microsoft, you did have the foresight to prevent Nokia from manufacturing a handset themselves for until October 2016, but if in the unlikely event that they do decide to make another Nokia handset it still will not be a direct competitor to your business model.

 

I believe that Microsoft know this, hence the downgrading of Windows Phone to “small portable devices that run Windows 10”.

Windows 10 is going to be a big hit, mainly because for many people it will be a free upgrade. If it wasn’t free, I think that Microsoft might find consumer confidence slightly dented.

This isn’t a good enough reason for Microsoft to start turning off the lights on Windows Phone, though.

 

Windows 10 promises to deliver services that connect enterprise – and Windows Phone really does do this. However, after Windows 10 where does this leave the future of Microsoft’s portable devices? Will they have limited lifespans, or can they be upgraded (at a price) a year or two down the line?

I’m positive that Microsoft won’t retread the ground that they stepped on in the mid 1990s, where upgrades were required and expensive – But then again, who keeps a smartphone for longer than two years these days? We have Google and Apple to thank for that one.

 

Windows Phone isn’t doing very well, but this is more likely down to poor marketing. Microsoft have cut the cost of their recent handsets dramatically; you can pick up a Lumia phone for well under £50 (£14 on some occasions at Carphone Warehouse) which will be far, far more capable than any Android phone at this price – So what’s putting people off?

Image, as they say, is everything.

People will listen to their kids when it comes to technology. They also follow each other like sheep. The result is that everyone wants an iPhone, or they head down the path of Android because it’s a less-expensive (depending on what you want) alternative. Apps are a big selling point, but if you want a capable smartphone these shouldn’t be your reason for choosing an operating system.

 

I like Windows Phone. The cheapest handsets run perfectly well and if Nokia had produced them years ago, then many more people would have been tied into the ecosystem. Instead, Microsoft is not even bothering to fight a losing battle and it’s only a matter of time before Windows 10 devices (which happen to make calls) will be dull, boring enterprise systems which general consumers shy away from.

The BlackBerry Passport is a good device, if you like working on spreadsheets. Windows devices are slowly edging towards this territory.

Google+ Photo Service to Shut Down

Some very welcome news: Google announced today that it will close down its Google+ Photo Service, meaning that users will be moved onto the new Google Photos service.

 

This is great news, as I’m one of the many thousands of people forced to use Google+ and I found that the automated, unlimited backup of my photos to the Google+ service was its only real feature of merit.

 

The current Google+ photo service will end on the 1^st of August.

 

The newer Google Photos service has been running for a couple of months or so and offers unlimited backup for up to 16MP photos and 1080p videos – which is very good indeed.

 

I’m sure that many people will welcome this move, and for me it’s one more reason to totally ignore Google+

E-SIM: Will they be a benefit for customers?

This week the concept of the E-SIM was announced.


An E-SIM will be a built in piece of hardware in each phone that will act in the same way as a subscriber identity module. It remains part of the phone, rather than the SIMs of today which you swap between handsets to change networks.


OFCOM said that this idea would be beneficial for customers as there would be no need for customers to wait for a new SIM to arrive - Networks could just "hand over" details from network to network, meaning that porting your number (whilst not quicker) would be easier as there are no SIM cards to post to customers.




Companies such as Apple have already stated that they are keen to implement this technology as soon as it is properly developed.
Naturally, Apple would love a phone without a SIM: Their built in network locks are hardly liked by customers, and this is yet another way that Apple can tie customers into a network and provide network exclusive handset opportunities - Remember when you had to join O2 if you wanted an iPhone?


Having a built in SIM facility might seem fine, but it's only a matter of time before "own network" handsets will only work with their parent network.
How is that beneficial to customers?


This is another reason that this will be adopted by the top end handsets, leaving the budget models stuck with SIMs.


Unless clear cut rules are defined by OFCOM, this new system seems open to abuse by the networks and won't provide an immediate, transparent benefit to customers.

Would YOU Buy a Cheap Far Eastern Branded Smartphone?

With manufacturers such as Oppo and OnePlus making big waves in the handset industry, along with gaining some pretty good reviews, is it time to rethink our love of the more widely recognised "branded" smartphones that we are more used to seeing in The West?

Xiaomi used to be unheard of, yet even they are becoming recognised in Western regions now.

Micromax and Karbonn, anyone? Yes, some people do recognise their names too, but you're starting to push the boundaries with these names.

How about Smartfren? Thought not.
This article makes an interesting read for the uninitiated.

As for some of the "cheaper" Far Eastern "brands" there's always Doogee and the rest.

The Xiaomi Mi4

So would you part with your Samsung, HTC or Sony for one of these Far Eastern devices?

Certainly at the top end of the scale, these handsets can cost several hundred pounds. Would you fork out cash for something relatively unknown from one of these manufacturers?

It would be a bold and unwise gamble to pay for one of these phones and expect it to be as good as most branded flagships, even if the specs promised were comparable.

What difference does it make? All phones are made in the Far East from the same components.

- Whilst this statement holds some truth, it doesn't always figure that the end product will possess all of the key hardware. The many Samsung-alike phones certainly look the part, but to keep the cost low (or profits up), compromises will have been made and at least some part of the fake phone will be a big let down.

The OnePlus One was a good phone for the price, but some aspects meant that whilst it was pretty good, it wasn't great.

The other problem with Far Eastern imports is actually getting them here. It can be a bit of a long process and you can't be certain that what you get will be what you ordered. Worst of all, if the thing goes wrong you don't stand much chance of ever getting it fixed - and from what I can gather these phones tend to go wrong after about 6-12 months.

Until these manufacturers really break into the Western markets and become established with a European presence, most people will dabble with buying one before switching back to a trusted brand with UK customer support.

eBay is filled with cheap, non-branded Android smartphones, most of which turn out to be rubbish and suffer from badly partitioned memory, dire screens and cameras, poor performance or are just plain impossible to use due to the manufacturer's operating system.

Blimey, Huawei is a known brand now, but their awful operating system skin is not for everyone - but they do make it simple (and it works).

Given the UK's change of heart towards lengthy, costly mobile handset contracts, the networks have realised that SIM only and PAYG bundles are the way to hold onto customers. Many of these customers are looking for a cheaper way into flagship handset territory, so they are turning towards these lesser-known manufacturers.

However, I am seeing more and more threads in forums where people state that they tried a Far Eastern import phone for a while, until it either went wrong or simply didn't do what they want, so maybe the "unbranded"smartphone craze will be short lived - Or at least only a handful of manufacturers will gain significant customer numbers in the UK and Europe.

This brings me to our shores, here in Blighty.

Kazam are a spin off formed by ex-executives from HTC UK and Ireland, and whilst you might not have heard about them, they have the potential to develop well in the UK.

Their phones are "no frills" at best, with fairly sub-par screens, cameras and hardware, but they do offer Kazam Rescue (based in the UK) to attempt to remotely fix any handset issues.

Kazam also offer a free screen replacement service, which is particularly good since many of their handsets are tough phones.

Sound good, don't they?

Unfortunately Kazam's biggest problem is that they are trading directly from their website, with many of their products being listed as out of stock. Add to this their preferred retailer Argos, and you can start to wonder whether this company is another Bush.

Kazam also seem unable to provide any products running anything higher than Android 4.2, which is already obsolete. Given that many of their handsets are dual SIM is great, but such an outdated version of Android isn't just going to put customers off, but the fact is that many apps won't work on it.

Before you ask, Kazam aren't stating that any of their products will receive updates.

So, even with a homegrown manufacturer, the "unbranded" phones available don't offer good value, and I would recommend staying with known brands for now.

I wish that Kazam would sort out their problems, as I'd love to be able to say "Yes, these great devices are stamped with a great big Union Jack", but until another manufacturer comes along and produces handsets which have all the features and reliability that we expect, we are stuck with the likes of Samsung, Apple, HTC and Sony for now.

Save your pennies for known brands for the time being.

Mobile Phone Contract Fraud on the Increase - Andover Police Appeal for Witnesses

Today has kicked off with a mobile phone story close to home: In Andover, Hampshire, police are trying to track down a young woman (pictured below) who has taken out seven mobile phone contracts in other people's names in mobile phone stores in the town.
These crimes have occurred over the past month.

Have you seen this woman in any phone retailers recently?

Anyone with information can contact Andover Police Station on 101, quoting ref 44150236040. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

According to an article written in The Guardian in 2012, this type of ID theft and fraud was up 40% and is still increasing. The article states how it is very easy to obtain fake ID from overseas, including very cheap (but high quality) fake bills and bank statements. These are then used to take out mobile phone contracts in other people's names - Leaving the victims to foot the bill and leaving a nasty scar on their credit ratings.

Should the phone retailers be more thorough when carrying out background checks? They ought to be.

The last mobile phone contract that I took out was in a relatively quiet Three store in Andover. I recall that they did the credit checks and some basic background checks, which took them a little while, but I can see how some customer service representatives would rush through to get the contract signed and move on to the next customer - Let's face it, these guys all run on commission and time is money to them.

- Have you been fraudulently lumbered with a phone contract? Comment or get in touch with me.

The Guardian's article says that these criminals are taking out multiple contracts, so I would guess that it would be easy to use false ID and other personal information to do this, especially on the same day before anything is flagged up on an account.
Interestingly, some examples in The Guardian's article state that some of the victim's bank accounts were savings accounts and would not even accept a Direct Debit being set up, yet the mobile phone store still let the fraudsters walk out of the store with a top end handset worth several hundred pounds.

There are two victims of these crimes: The phone retailer themselves (but I suspect that they don't care too much about the aftermath), but worse of all are the innocent victims who suddenly find that they have been fraudulently signed up for mobile phone contracts that they struggle to cancel - The stores must do more to be more helpful towards victims, and this includes not sending debt collectors out to recover the "debts".
Even when the matter is eventually sorted out (which must be incredibly stressful), the victim's credit rating will have been adversely affected and this black mark (or marks, in many cases) will impact the individual's credit rating for several years.


Links to the original news item below:

http://www.andoverandvillages.co.uk/home/andover-local-news-headlines/2643-police-appeal-for-andover-fraudster

http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/13420983.WARNING__Young_brunette_wanted_in_connection_with_Andover_phone_scam/

LG G4: Form over Substance?

I read with interest on Android Central yesterday about how the LG G4's leather posterior is holding up against everyday use.

To be honest, I wasn't surprised to hear that its durability is already coming into question.

Russell Holly writes that his brown leather version has scuffed badly due to an encounter with a concrete patio (full article HERE).

Of course it's no wonder that the LG G4's leather back is subject to wear and tear: Most of us with leather goods such as wallets, shoes, bags and jackets know just how prone these items are to damage. But on something as regularly used and handled as a smartphone, everyday wear is going to become apparent much more quickly.

Mr Holly makes a very good point in his article that investing in some leather care products will be a must if you are the proud owner of a leather G4. Some users are using a protective case, but I suspect that with something as lovely to look at as a genuine leather-backed smartphone, a case detracts from the effect far too much.

I love the LG G4 for two reasons:

1) The fact that this is a very capable, top of the range smartphone which hasn't been tagged with an over the top price tag, unlike Samsung, HTC and Apple phones.

2) This is the first smartphone for years where someone has really thought about the design aesthetics for a change, rather than just attempting to make the front look a bit prettier and slapping a glass or metal body onto it. The LG G4 is unique, and I like that a lot.

This isn't the first time a phone manufacturer has chosen to use alternative materials in their designs. Motorola did well to incorporate wood and bamboo backs in their Moto Maker designs for the Moto X. This move was emulated by some other manufacturers, but invariably failed due to issues with wood and bamboo not really making the most climate-adaptive materials (Motorola also discovered this at a later date).

The first and only non-conventional backed mobile I've owned was the Nokia 7200. This was Nokia's first clamshell design and featured upholstered front and rear covers.

The Nokia 7200: This wasn't the greatest mobile I've owned, but it was the most unique.

Early reviews stated that the fabric covers began to wear thin and become grubby quite quickly, even from being carried around in people's pockets. Nokia must have predicted this, as this phone was sold with a matching soft carry pouch.

I didn't have any problems with the covers getting worn or dirty, mainly because the covers were swappable and I bought a range of plastic front and rear covers from eBay. I kept the fabric covers for "best" as it was a fashion phone, after all!

So are less durable materials a problem for customers? Not if you buy your phone from Vertu: Their customers aren't as likely to use their phones to open a bottle of beer or hammer a nail in, and can probably afford to buy a new handset every time their crocodile or ostrich-skinned phone takes a beating.

But, for many people, durability is something that they expect from their phones, and it's a big ask to expect a lovely looking leather backed phone to look great for the duration of a two year phone contract.

Given that most phones these days look rather dull, I opt for a protective case that has some sort of personality - Anything for some sort of design, colour or individuality.

My advice is, if you want to stand out from the crowd and get a leather backed LG G4, be prepared to mollycoddle it.

Microsoft Lumia 940 Price?

According to GSMArena, the soon to be announced Lumia 940 and 940 XL will cost more (to consumers) than the iPhone 6.


This isn't the greatest rumour that could have gotten out about the upcoming Lumia flagship handsets.
We've waited a long time for a new Lumia flagship, so this news immediately rallies the iPhone and Android opposition, not to mention make carriers wonder if there's any point in stocking the new flagships.


Does the as yet unknown-but-high price matter? Probably not. Most flagship handsets sell really well, no matter what outlandish price they initially carry. Don't forget that prices tumble rapidly after the first month or two as well...


For those customers in the market for a new high end Lumia, this likely-to-be-high price, won't matter.
Where Microsoft might see the biggest problem with uptake is going to be down to the harsh fact that all Lumia phones work pretty well, and all you're paying for is a fantastic camera and a good processor, which makes the idea of paying top dollar for a phone seem a little less than great value.


Will the UK carriers stock the Lumia 940, or shy away due to the perceived lack of interest in Windows Phone?
I'll say yes, they will stock it but demand is likely to be much less than other eagerly anticipated handsets, and the Lumia 940 and 940 XL won't be stealing any thunder from the other handset manufacturers.

Microsoft to Kill Off Apps

My blog post yesterday commented on how I feel that Microsoft is not doing a great job to encourage smartphone users to adopt Windows Phone.


This morning I heard that Microsoft is now going to kill off it's Photosynth 3D panorama app, leaving Windows Phone users with one less photography app, and leaving the Windows Phone app store a little less competitive than IOS and Android.


I also discovered that three more Microsoft apps are also to be discontinued due to lack of uptake, namely Travel, Food and Drink, and Health and Fitness.


Most platforms kill off underused apps from time to time.
Google is notorious for creating services that actually run as an experiment, before killing them off and upsetting many users (their RSS reader was a good example of this).


I'm starting to wonder if Microsoft is really going to continue in the mobile handset business, and as much as I like Windows Phone, I'm beginning to wonder if I've made a mistake by being tied in to the ecosystem.


However, I've just tried to install an app on my Jellybean tablet, only to find that it's not supported by this version of Android, so I'm left with an obsolete and useless Android tablet.


Why can't things just work like you expect them to?

What is Microsoft Playing At?

Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella is aggressively reshaping Microsoft. They have sold off Bing Maps to Uber, and once they bought Nokia, they rapidly shut down the design side and have been producing good quality and thankfully very cheap handsets ever since.
But now, 7800 jobs from the phone side of the business are to go.

What is the strategy? It appears that they bought a great way in to the mobile phone handset business and are now trashing it.
Ok, the Nokia name had to go, but apart from the colourful polycarbonate casings and some ClearBlack screen technology, surely Microsoft could have hung on and produced a range of handsets by now?
The wait for a new Lumia flagship has grown tiresome. People are moving on, as they have grown accustomed to year on year flagship handset announcements.
Carriers in the UK list maybe two Lumia handsets, as a token gesture.
Windows Phone isn't taking off like it should be.

What is Microsoft's plan for the platform? Well, it's clear that they want everything to be connected to cloud services (that was the idea behind Chromebooks!), but for that customers need devices.
Windows laptops have increased unfathomably in price in recent years, and whilst the Microsoft Surface(s) are great devices, they are way too expensive.
The best value Windows tablets are made by Linx, but these are not big sellers, even though you can effectively pick one up as a Windows PC for around £100.
Maybe the cheap Lumia phones (which all run pretty much as fast as any flagship phone) have devalued the brand.

For me, Lumia phones are good. They work like you would expect a Nokia phone to work, but without the hit and miss problem that their old Symbian phones had.
Microsoft can sell them as cheaply as they like (Lumia handsets have been on offer for as little as £20!), and they connect well with all Windows 8 devices, but why aren't people discovering them and helping the Windows Phone market share to grow?
I think that the rolling thunder of Android has become a household name, along with the iPhone in the UK, and it would take guts to announce that "I use Windows Phone".

If the handset sales market was left to trundle on, maybe Microsoft stands a chance of cornering the market of people who, like myself, have grown sick of Android's constant updates and ever-increasing hardware requirements.
But Nadella seems hell bent on dissolving the phone side of the business. Does he think that the uptake of Windows Phone is too slow and they will head the same way that BlackBerry did?

In a rather naive move, one of Nokia's last handsets (the Nokia X and XL) ran on a stripped down (but unrecognisable) version of Android. They did look more like Windows Phone than anything else, and they weren't great (many people would have been very disappointed) - but look at how excited people were when they were announced.
Nadella promptly started to kill off the Nokia name and phone business shortly after the Nokia X handsets were released - And support for them was axed within weeks.
Given the recent talk about the BlackBerry "Venice", it looks like we will see a BlackBerry running Android at some point later this year. Microsoft would have done well to hold on to those Android aspirations, rather than saying that there are too many Android manufacturers and that the marketplace was full.
A half decent Nokia branded handset running Android would have sold bucketloads. Instead, the market is being flooded with substandard Far Eastern handsets, which are acceptable, but most of the time you wouldn't bother buying one, except on price.

Will Nokia ever get back into the handset manufacturing/design business? Maybe, but it'll be a couple of years away if they do.
Of course, they may never make another phone again. Nokia has been bought out, beaten up, disbanded, patented to death and banned from making phones, so maybe a recovery from all of this will never happen.
Microsoft have stripped out all of the best bits from Nokia, and are now casting them aside. It is a sad fact that the last chance of having a decent rival contender in the smartphone operating system battle is ebbing away.

I doubt that these moves by Microsoft will bolster the Windows Phone movement.
Maybe Microsoft will simply keep putting out the very occasional Lumia handset, and these will happily integrate with customer's home PCs and laptops.

It worries me that Microsoft may be just about to become another BlackBerry - But at least BlackBerry might finally accept that their OS is about as dead as it can get and they will embrace Android.
I've got mixed feelings about this: BlackBerry produce some great keyboards (I love a physical keyboard), but their OS sucks. I'd love to see a BlackBerry/Android phone, but once again, it would be yet another Android phone!

I hope that Microsoft don't exit the mobile phone business. Windows Phone is a good alternative to the other operating systems, and it would be a damn shame for Microsoft to kill it off before people realise that it works perfectly well and provides a much more viable alternative to the awful "landfill" Android phones that are available.

#OfficialCharts in the UK are Changed Forever

The official UK music chart shall, for the first time in its history, be broadcast on a Friday.

I am of a generation who remembers taping our favourite songs from the radio on a Sunday, eagerly waiting to see what chart position it had reached, then quickly hitting record on my tape recorder.

Over the years I amassed dozens of incredibly badly created mix tapes, all with the characteristic “clunk” at the start and end of every recording – sometimes with a bit of the next or previous track included.

 

The music industry has changed a lot since then.

Woolworths became the main seller of CD singles and albums on the high street, but when they folded this revenue stream dried up.

Legal downloads now outnumber sales of CDs, and streaming music is slowly taking over – And with many streaming sites providing free streaming, we are spending less and less on music.

The artists know this, hence the promotion of Tidal. It was only a couple of years ago that they were complaining that people were ripping them off by illegally downloading music; now they are complaining that they don’t get paid enough by the streaming sites.

What about the money that they get from Performing Rights Certificates issued charged to businesses that play music which people can hear? Many hairdressers (and countless other businesses) in the UK play music or have the radio on in the background: They all have to pay for this privilege!

 

Maybe I’m old fashioned, or just plain old, but moving the official chart from a Sunday to a Friday might fit in with the music industry, but it’s taking away a Sunday tradition that I’m sure many thousands of people have grown up with.

Maybe I’m wrong, and today’s teenagers are perfectly happy with downloading/streaming and never listen to the official UK charts.

There is also the possibility that many people will see what’s trending on their streaming app of choice, and this acts as their personal version of the charts.

 

Today is a landmark in the UK music industry, but I wonder if it’s one that people will notice?

No doubt previous generations will have nostalgic memories of how Sunday afternoons used to be.

 

The official UK chart will be broadcast for the first time ever on a Friday today at 4pm on BBC Radio 1.