New Nokia 3310: Pre-release thoughts

We are just weeks away (days, if you are really counting) from the UK release of the new Nokia 3310.
I'm currently reading an article in the UK publication Mobile News about how the release of this phone is being hotly anticipated.

My thoughts are that it will sell well to the festival-goers, the super-clumsy and the hipsters. Some people might even buy one as a backup phone.
In the article that I'm reading it states that the new Nokia 3310 will have 32GB of internal storage - That's pretty useful, if this phone is any good as a music player.

One other thing is that this phone only has 2G connectivity; yes, it will connect to the internet, but the speeds will feel very slow compared to 3G/4G and WiFi - Plus there's also the built in web browser to contend with... Something makes me think that the heavyweight websites these days simply won't load properly on the Nokia 3310, and viewing them on the tiny screen (which requires navigation by button) will make this phone painful to use.

Still, I like that Nokia (HMD Global) are resurrecting an iconic phone, I just wish that they had decided to revamp something a little better, such as the Nokia 6700.

Most mobile phone review websites ignore feature phones such as the new Nokia 3310, but because of the Nokia name and the interest that this phone is generating, it's going to appear on at least some of those websites.
Once a decent review website actually reviews the Nokia 3310, we'll be able to see whether it's capable of being used to access normal websites.

I'm interested in the new Nokia 3310, but I'm far from preordering one.

Why I've ditched my mobile contract and returned to PAYG

Since December 2016 I've been using Plusnet Mobile as my main network, but this week I've returned to PAYG network giffgaff.

Normally, I go with the best value option for my mobile needs, but Plusnet Mobile isn't it any longer - I have a dual sim phone and it's madness to ignore this fact.
So, I've ordered a good value data sim which I'll use to cover my main mobile needs, therefore virtually eliminating the need to buy a regular monthly plan just to get a monthly data allowance.

If you would like a free giffgaff sim with £5 of free credit, head on over to this link:
https://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/terran_federation?ggSMS=app

Windows Phone: I'm not an "anti-fan"

For the last year I've had a love/hate affair with Windows Phone.
Those of you who have read my blog will know that I used to despise Android because of its laggy interface and requirement to constantly upgrade to the newer handsets regularly. You will also be aware that I felt that Windows Phone was a work in progress and that it's never worked particularly well.

I've had some heated arguments with Windows fanboys who still feel that it's the best phone operating system, and if it works for you in this day and age, then that's ok. I just wish that Microsoft actually cared about their mobile end of their business.
As things stand right now, Windows Phone is already pretty dead. Obtaining a Windows Phone in the UK is becoming increasingly difficult.
Only one year ago, you could pick up a perfectly decent Windows Phone for less than £60 that would run more smoothly than any Android handset costing less than £150, but the love for these phones seems to have vanished.

O2 are currently selling used Lumia 550s for £40 - which is a bargain in my opinion, yet a deal was posted on HotUKDeals for this phone and all it received was negative comments.

It's a shame, because Windows Phone had so much potential, but the support has dried up.
This leaves us with Android and iOS, which isn't much of a choice.

Windows Phone in a nosedive

Don't get me wrong, I like Windows Phone a lot.
I've been using a Moto G4 over six months now after ditching Windows mobile and I was pretty certain that I'd go back to Windows during this time, but I haven't...
Normally, after several months of enjoying and then hating Android, I eventually go back to the smooth, uncluttered and simple interface which Windows Phone is renowned for, but not this time. My Moto G4 is still lag free, which I'm guessing is due to the operating system finally being optimised (Android is much, much better than it was several years ago).

My time with Windows Phone ended last year when I realised that nothing synced properly and the navigation app was massively unreliable
Since then, the platform has lost most of its already insignificant market share and apps are becoming less supported than they were before.
Worse still, many  long term Windows fanboy websites are now saying how they have been let down by Microsoft's lack of support and hardware (and yes, the Surface Phone is still a pipedream).

As much as I'd love to return to Windows Phone, there are just too many things wrong with it to merit making the switch these days.

The smartphone choice these days is now a two horse race, and neither option is perfect.

The New Nokia 3310 - What's the point?

The new Nokia 3310 is a niche product which has generated a lot of interest, but what is the point of it exactly?

Many of the tech websites have stated reasons for or against buying one.
As a long term Nokia fan, I'm interested - but I cant see myself buying one.

For a start, Nokia churned out some really great phones ten years ago which were much, much better than the new Nokia 3310. These older Nokia phones were better specced and certainly looked a great deal better than the garish, blocky and generally ugly New Nokia 3310.

I could moan about the inability to do pretty much everything other than make calls and (slowly) send texts using the new Nokia 3310, but we all know that's not the point of this phone.
For me, the lack of any real web browser, no satellite navigation and token 2mp camera are the deal breakers. Nokia had these in their feature phones ten years ago, so why bother with the borderline cute monstrosity which is the new 3310?

It's not even as of feature phones ever went away: Alcatel and Doro have basic handsets available from virtually every mobile retailer in the UK, and some of these handsets are far better specced than the new 3310, so apart from a bit of a nostalgic talking point (for the hipsters), the new Nokia 3310 is pretty pointless.

One of the main reasons that I ditched my Nokia  Symbian series 60 phone in 2011 was that I'd had enough of trying to sync and maintain my contacts and calendar - losing this feature by switching to a basic feature phone just seems like a waste of the last six years.
I'm still not 100% happy with Android, but Windows Phone is dead (and increasingly horrible to use), so there aren't really any other viable options.

Sorry Nokia. This isn't the comeback that I've been waiting for.

Giffgaff - Changes for the better?

Giffgaff, the O2 MVNO has recently revamped their PAYG monthly bundles, aka "Goodybags".

Overall, I am pleased with their new offerings, because most of the Goodybags now contain more data and minutes, which makes them much better value than they were.
No price increases this time (thankfully!), so giffgaff's Goodybags are now much more in line with many of the other networks.

For me, the £10 Goodybag is now pretty great value for PAYG, though 2GB of data is still a bit tight - SIM only deals offer more at this price.

1p Mobile Mobile Network: PAYG Contract that takes the Pee

1p Mobile (www.1pmobile.com) has finally launched.
1p Mobile hasn't done very much marketing as of yet, possibly because of several months of delays in launching.

They are a new UK MVNO with the cheapest PAYG rates of any network.

1p Mobile's PAYG rates are a flat 1p per minute, 1p per text and 1p per MB of data.
This beats Three's 321 PAYG rates, but there is a big catch.

The 1p Mobile website is almost mis-selling their services:
They state that there's no contract, but by signing up to this service you're bound by an agreement that to cancel the service you'll give them 30 days notice. This includes obtaining your PAC code if you want to transfer your number to a different mobile network - That's a contract in my eyes, and it's blurring the lines between PAYG and contracts.

Secondly, you don't get these great PAYG rates on a PAYG service - you must top up your account by £5 every 30 days - This is completely contradictory to what 1p Mobile states on their website: They say that there are "no bundles to buy", yet every 30 stays your credit expires.
That's purchasing a bundle to me and you.

So, altogether this service is a bit of a con.
You have to spend £5 every 30 days to get the 1p per unit rates, so casual PAYG users will find that their credit has disappeared after the first month.
No credit? No service.

Admittedly, this mix and match approach could work for some people who regularly spend £5 a month buying a PAYG bundle from another mobile network, only to find that they don't have enough minutes or megabytes.
- There aren't many PAYG networks who offer 500 minutes for £5, so for some people this tariff could be great.

What irks me is the fact that 1p Mobile forces customers into buying a £5 bundle every month in order to use their mobile. There's no ability to have credit in reserve, so you are effectively tied in to a £5 a month contract.

For anyone wanting to sign up to 1p Mobile, they use the EE network and are hoping to provide 4G from mid October 2016, though with a maximum of 500MB (assuming you won't make a single call or send a text in this time), that 500MB won't get you very far.

Customer service is UK based (Alton, Hampshire), and I'll expect that they'll get a lot of calls from people who find that their credit has been taken after the first 30 days.

It's a novel idea which T-Mobile ran with a number of years ago.
Kontakt Mobile have offered a similar (but much better value) service for a few years now on the Vodafone network, and at least you don't lose all of your credit with them every month.

I test a lot of PAYG networks and I'm glad to see another UK MVNO, even if it is yet another one that uses the EE network.
However, 1p Mobile is taking the pee: It's a rolling, compulsory £5 a month bundle/contract which actually doesn't offer good value, unless your mobile use very closely matches this 1p per unit pricing structure.

I shan't be testing 1p Mobile.

Mobile Network Coverage in the South of England - Back to giffgaff

Where I live, all four UK mobile network operators have "good" coverage.
In reality they can all be a bit flaky.

Earlier this year EE vastly improved their coverage in my area, and after doing a few speed tests I decided to give them a go.
I have been using EE MVNO Life Mobile for several months because they are cheap and provide a good allocation of minutes, texts and data on a 30 day rolling contract.
However, I have had a few issues with a weak signal on this network over the past week or so, despite a day where there was no signal whatsoever due to a "mast upgrade" - If anything, the signal is now much worse.

So I have been looking at the various SIM only and PAYG options (even referring to my own PAYG bundles website) to see if I can find a better deal which works.

The best network for coverage is Vodafone, but they are too expensive and their customer service puts me off (I had a terrible experience with them a few years ago, and by the sounds of it they have become progressively worse). Vodafone's main UK MVNO Talkmobile was the best option, but their customer service is even worse (see my previous blog post)!

After a bit more research I've discovered that O2 has the best coverage for my area. Three's is pretty terrible and EE isn't good enough.

I don't want to pay O2's prices, though, so the best value (once again) becomes their own MVNO giffgaff.

Giffgaff do have some pretty reasonable PAYG monthly bundles, and you can easily change your bundle each month - or even buy a new one if you run out of minutes/data.
However, data speeds (and even reliability) on giffgaff have been pretty abysmal over the years, so I needed to do some of my own speed tests.
None of my speed tests would set the world alight: 0.55-1.6mbps download speeds were typical, but for my needs this should be acceptable, and I'm hoping that I'll get much better voice coverage than with EE, so I am considering moving back to giffgaff in September.

What annoys me is that all four UK network operates claim 99% of UK population coverage, yet they tend to ignore that fact that their geographical coverage is pretty rubbish.
The only network I've ever used with good voice/text coverage is Vodafone, yet EE and Three bang on about how great their coverage is at every given opportunity - It's a hard fact that they need to learn that their coverage really is not all that great.

New MVNO "1p Mobile" is supposed to launch in September. If/when this new network does get off the ground I'll consider trying them out, but this depends very much on what network they'll be piggybacking on.
I suspect that it'll be EE, because so many MVNOs use EE's network, so this might be a non-starter.

It's been a year since I last used giffgaff as my main network, so I hope that I'm not disappointed this time around.

Talkmobile Customer Service Experience

I've had a dual SIM phone for a few weeks and I'm really beginning to see the advantages of having one.
However, I have a main mobile number and don't want an alternative number, if I can help it. So, to keep things simple I've been toying with the idea of getting either a PAYG SIM for emergency use, or a data SIM card to go into my phone's second SIM slot.

For an emergency SIM, I can't fault Vodafone's network: I have never lived anywhere in the south of England where there isn't a good Vodafone signal for calls and texts. Looking at Ofcom's coverage maps, it's clear that Vodafone does have the best coverage for many miles around north Hampshire.
But Vodafone PAYG is stupidly expensive! They have hidden their new (July 2016) PAY pricing away on the Vodafone website so that you can't discover that it'll cost you 55p per minute!
Anyhoo, Vodafone are just too expensive and my thoughts were to try one of the few Vodafone MVNOs as an alternative - Talkmobile.

Talkmobile have come under a lot of fire over the past two years for really bad customer service (unexpected billing charges, crippling people's credit ratings through putting defaults on their credit files, etc.), so I am a bit wary of them.

Seeing how I won't be using this spare SIM very much I wanted to know how long my PAYG credit would last if I used Talkmobile, so I went onto their webchat.

I never got an answer to my question: All that the CS adviser wanted me to do was take out a SIM only contract with them. She refused to answer my question about PAYG and kept badgering me with their SIM only "deals".
I soon gave up and closed the chat window, as it was clear that if this is what Talkmobile's customer service is like, I (and you) would be better off giving them a very wide berth.

Talkmobile, you can't expect customers to put any faith in you if your customer service is this bad.

Is a 5 inch screen on a phone the #newnormal ?

Four years ago I got my first top of the range handset - It was the Samsung Galaxy S3 (I9300).
Prior to this I was using a curvy little Samsung Galaxy Fit (S5670), which had a diddy 3.3 inch screen.

 

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Samsung Galaxy Fit

- Two Samsung phones that were a galaxy apart in terms of size

First impressions were astounding: My new Galaxy S3 was massive compared to my little Galaxy Fit!
The Samsung Galaxy S3 was a top of the range handset back in 2012, and could easily be considered to be the most cutting edge handset of the time. However, on looking back now, its 4.8 inch screen is actually a bit on the small size, its 1GB of RAM is actually laughable and that great 8MP camera really isn't that great anymore.

But, back in 2012, the Galaxy S3 really impressed people. I remember pulling out my new phone in the pub and people couldn't help notice how big the phone was. Certainly my jean pockets noticed the extra large phone after many years of carrying phones which were small enough to easily fit into your hand.

It's hard to think that a screen size of 4.8 inches is now pretty much the minimum I'd expect a smartphone screen to be. My current phone (Homtom HT3 Pro) has a 5 inch screen, and I wouldn't think of going any smaller than this.
I've just checked the comparative dimensions of my Homtom and the Galaxy S3, and my Homtom is around 1cm taller, yet it doesn't look or feel that big.

I have become used to smartphones which are this size, but four years ago I did think that maybe I'd made a mistake getting the Galaxy S3 - it felt too big for a very long time. I even switched to a tiny Nokia Lumia 620 halfway through my contract just so that I could put a mobile into my pocket easily!

Is 5.5 inches going to be too big for a smartphone screen? It's definitely "phablet" size, but I would certainly consider 5.5 inches to be perfectly ok: I got used to using mobiles with 5 inch screens easily enough, so and extra half a inch isn't going to make that much difference.

O2 Telephone Sales: LISTEN to your Customers!

Recently I requested a free SIM from O2 to test their services.

Shortly after I placed the order, one of their salesman called me on my phone to try to sell me something. I still can't figure out what he was trying to sell me, as the SIM I ordered was PAYG and yet he was trying to get me to take a contract with O2.

Admittedly, his sales pitch was bouncy and he was quite cheery, but he really needed to reign in his sales pitch: He was so fast paced I didn't have a clue what he was trying to sell - Was it a SIM only contract or one with a phone? (He neglected to say until right at the end of the call.)
Worse still he didn't listen to anything that I said: You've got to listen to your customers' needs before you can decide what to sell them, but this guy didn't want to know.
When I eventually managed to get a word in, my current contract stopped him dead in his tracks - there was no way that O2 could match what I am getting from Life Mobile (who he hadn't heard of).
- Note to O2 Sales Trainers; ensure that your salespeople know your competitors!

The salesman then carried on to offer me a "deal" which was roughly half of my current minutes, the same data allocation and more than double the price. Obviously, this was a pointless pitch, but he did say that O2's customer service was great and "came with love".
I'm not sure if I want "love" from O2...

His next pitch was for half of what I am getting from Life Mobile, but for £2 extra per month.
Did he seriously think that I'd take that offer?

Still, he got points for trying, and it was clear that he was enjoying trying to get customers to take up their offers.

Definitive Android vs Windows Phone Roundup

Android vs Windows Phone - A Definitive List of Pros and Cons

For two and a half years I have been testing mobile phone operating systems (Android and Windows Phone), mainly because these two mobile platforms are (generally) affordable and are ubiquitous on lower end/budget phones.

I have never bothered with iOS as it's too expensive and I have never understood why a basic mobile operating system should be so restrictive and expensive - My first encounter with iOS didn't even match my Nokia (Symbian) smartphone of the time, and iOS simply hasn't evolved enough to convince me that it's simplistic but clunky interface is worth tying myself in to the iOS ecosystem.

First things first - I loved Android when it first came out, but I have never liked the poor battery life and requirement for ever increasing amounts of memory needed to run the OS.

Back in 2012 I got a Samsung Galaxy S3, which was the best smartphone of its day. One year later, the battery life was struggling to last more than eight hours and there was some lag evident.

I tried a Windows Phone (Nokia Lumia 610) which was slow, but reliable.

Since then, I have been continually swapping between Windows Phones (8, 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile) and Android phones running 4.4, 5 and 5.1

Throughout this time I have learned a lot about the pros and cons of both Windows Phone and Android.

I have written this list of pros and cons for both operating systems because every "Windows Phone vs Android" review simply breaks things down into what each OS looks like, with a brief mention of how Windows Phone and Android perform.

My lists break down the benefits and disadvantages of Windows Phones and Android phones. It doesn't matter which version of each OS you are running, as the list applies to all versions.

Windows Phone - Advantages:
Windows Phone works well as a "phone" - Calls and texts are simple. It's easy to block contacts and the native SMS app works well.

Live Tiles - Each one is basically a widget which gives you updates such as calendar events, email details, etc.

WiFi - You can leave WiFi on all of the time without reducing battery life too much, and it's very easy to connect to public WiFi networks.

NO LAG - Windows Phones don't lag, even the cheapest phones are very nippy.

Battery life is excellent.

The cameras are usually pretty good.

You can customise the colours and Live Tile colours quickly and easily.

Windows Phone - Disadvantages:

Outlook email and calendar apps are pretty poor.

Windows Maps is very inaccurate, missing location information and freezes when navigating.

Apps are generally very poor, and there are very few alternatives to the stock apps.

Cortana doesn't notify you of anything, so not much use as a personal assistant. And the Live Tile doesn't display any information.

The keyboard is really poor. Autocorrect is horrifically random.

Voice recognition is really, really bad!

Cortana search is awful, and search results are filled with sponsored adverts.

Bing is nowhere near as good as Google Search.

The Edge browser struggles to display websites correctly and often crashes.

You're stuck with Groove Music for syncing your music, which is expensive and poor.

Photo syncing? You're stuck with OneDrive. Other apps are passable, though there is Dropbox.

Microsoft apps ask for ratings continuously.

Apps force close regularly.

Quiet Hours often doesn't turn on or off.

The Action Centre notifications are unactionable.

Microsoft app support is nil.

Word/Excel, etc. are slow to open.

You currently can't buy Windows Phones any more now that Microsoft have stopped production and no other manufacturer wants to risk losing money on a dying OS.

Android - Advantages:

Everything syncs, even if you use alternative platforms, there are apps available.

The apps are good quality.

Google Maps is brilliant and navigation is excellent.

Voice search is fantastic.

Alarms and Silent Hours work really well.

Google Keyboard is brilliant.

Loads of phones available at all different price brackets.

Android - Disadvantages:

Lag is a problem, even on high-spec phones.

Apps are quite large, needing more storage space.

I've yet to find a SMS app which works really well.

The dialler (phone) app isn't intuitive, but it's good.

Want on the spot calendar visibility? You need a big calendar widget.

Want to see what the weather forecast is at a glance? You also need a widget for this.

Android phones can be much more expensive.

Notifications are key to functionality as there are no icon notifications.

Battery life is usually pretty awful.

WiFi and Bluetooth need turning on/off to conserve battery life.

You currently need at least 2GB of ROM and 16GB of RAM to have a half decent Android experience.

Android Flip/Clamshell Smartphones in the UK

Exactly one year ago LG released the LG Wine Smart flip phone in Europe. One year on and this design still hasn't managed to make a comeback to Europe and the UK.

The LG Wine Smart - Do people even want flip phones these days?

There are still plenty of people who clamour after a clamshell phone, but if you want one you are stuck with a proprietary operating system which - if you're lucky - might feature limited web browsing and email access.

So what happened to the LG Wine Smart?

• Firstly, no resellers took stock for ages, and if you wanted one of these phones you would have to track one down online. They still cost around £100.
• LG made a massive mistake by sticking Android onto a phone with a 3.2" display - It's not really big enough to be that much use. Given that this phone was (supposedly) aimed at the senior market, there's no point having big buttons and a tiny screen.
• It isn't stylish! Clamshell phones have typically been aimed at the fashion-conscious. This phone looked like it was made to match a glasses case from the 1980s. Why didn't LG put some thought into the design, rather than bunging Android into a basic "senior phone" design?
• On top of all of this, there is absolutely no external notification LED or screen: Ten years ago, most clamshell designs incorporated some form of external notification feature, and these were often quite stylish.

The Nokia 7020 was a fashionable clamshell phone from 2009 - It was relatively cheap (£80-90) and had an animated secondary display. Most importantly, Nokia had actually put some thought into the aesthetics of this phone.

Will we see any other clamshell smartphones in the UK? Probably not. It's not a big enough market and given that most of the main (and upcoming) manufacturers are almost exclusively using Android, to keep up with the competition there is little option other than to design a phone which has at least a 5" display, and nobody really wants physical phone buttons anymore.
Flip phones are huge in Japan, but maybe it needs a fashion movement to get them going elsewhere in the world.
It would be nice to see some more innovative designs in the world of phones: Rectangular slabs all look identical these days and there is nothing to make this design any more appealing without some radical design changes.

New Mobile Network Coming Soon: "1p Mobile"

I spend a lot of time assessing mobile networks and trying to find the best/cheapest PAYG tariffs, so when I discovered a new company called "1p Mobile" a few months ago I realised that the UK could soon be seeing a brand new and (potentially) very cheap MVNO.

1p Mobile was apparently going to launch in July 2016, but it looks like this has been delayed.

The 1p Mobile website - www.1pmobile.com - is now live, but only has a countdown clock to (presumably) 1p Mobile's official launch date in early September 2016.

The 1p Mobile Twitter account is live, but not at all active yet.

I am looking forward to seeing a new MVNO in the UK.
We have lost quite a few in the last twelve months: GT Mobile, Mobile by Sainsbury's and As You Go Mobile have all folded - and Post Office Mobile is going to close in August 2016.

I have approached 1p Mobile to try to find out what network they will be using, but I haven't received any communication from them.
I will hazard a guess that 1p Mobile will be using the EE network, as this seems to be the most popular choice for MVNOs, especially as The People's Operator have just switched from EE to Three, which has left a sizeable gap in the market.

I hope that 1p Mobile manage to launch on time and establish themselves quickly: As You Go Mobile launched and then shut down their website after only a few weeks, before sinking without trace in June this year.

I will certainly be interested to see how 1p Mobile handle their launch, as so far they have done zero marketing.
For a new operator to not even have begun marketing at this late stage, I can't see how they are going to gain a foothold in what is already a crowded and volatile market.
Given that their launch is much later than first anticipated, it echoes As You Go Mobile's rapid decline.
Most potential customers don't really understand MVNOs, and they certainly couldn't name that many of them apart from the major players such as Tesco Mobile, so 1p Mobile will have to work damned hard to market themselves - Or they simply may not bother and vanish without anyone realising that they existed!

When 1p Mobile does go live, I'll check the full details and report back here, as well as updating my PAYG tariffs website.

Amazon App for Windows Phone Discontinued

The other day I had an email from Amazon:

Hello,

Our records indicate that you have previously installed the Amazon App for Windows Phone from the Microsoft App Store.

We will be retiring the app you currently have on your device, meaning its contents will no longer be updated. You will still have access to the app until 15 August, 2016.

We encourage you to visit Amazon.co.uk on your mobile browser where you will have access to our newest shopping features and customer experience.

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Regards,

Customer Service Department

What does this mean? Is Amazon going to focus on delivering a dynamic, adaptive website which works well on all mobile web browsers - or is this the beginning of the end of app development for Windows Phones?

I'm not surprised at Amazon's decision. They have never really supported Windows devices, but it could be the first in a long line of developers deciding to kill off their work for Windows.
Even Microsoft-owned Skype will no longer work on Windows 8.1 devices from autumn 2016!

Microsoft keep on shooting themselves in the foot: They create a version of Windows which becomes unsupported after a couple of years. App developers are then forced to start from scratch each time.
Windows 10 is supposed to resolve this problem, yet things still seem to be following the same trend.

I have heard (anecdotally) that some web developers will be ceasing app development (for all platforms) due to the expense required - This money could be better spent on writing adaptive websites, which does make sense.
But, some people still insist on having apps (even if they barely use them), and whilst there are smartphones, people will want apps. I just hope that Microsoft realise that Windows apps are also supposed to work on all of their Windows devices - not just phones.

PAYG Mobile Network Changes

One year ago I set  up my long awaited website mobile-networks-uk.weebly.com
The mobile industry is highly volatile, and for years there have been positive and negative changes to tariffs and allocations which have benefited or adversely affected consumers.

In the year since I created my website, there have been some massive changes to tariffs.
Mobile contracts have become far more expensive (>£40/month) and allocations of data have been reduced.
4G is becoming more widely sold as the norm, though there are still many MVNOs which still don't provide 4G services.
PAYG monthly bundles have become worse value than they were in mid 2015.

I've often chosen MVNOs and monthly bundles due to the great value that they have offered. A year ago, even many SIM only contracts were only slightly better than PAYG bundles, and of course most of these contracts were based on 12 month contracts.
In July 2016, there are very few MVNOs that offer great value, so my website is struggling to really "sell" consumers PAYG bundles as a viable alternative to monthly contracts.

This change has been brought about due to MNOs clawing in more revenue.

• Vodafone, for example have killed off one of their few MVNOs (Mobile by Sainsbury's), leaving a real gap in the market.
• Since O2 MVNO giffgaff provided 4G "at no extra cost" in September 2015, their data speeds have been getting progressively worse, yet their prices have increased.
• Post Office Mobile launched in July 2015 with some brilliant value PAYG bundles, but soon reduced allowances to sustain their business. They are to close down this network in August 2016.
• GT Mobile similarly had some good value PAYG bundles, then later increased their prices. GT Mobile has just closed and become part of Lycamobile.
• As You Go Mobile launched in April 2016. By June 2016 the website had been offline for a few months with an announcement that there would be more news in late June. There was a delay of several days, and now their website simply doesn't work and this MVNO has folded.

These examples demonstrate just how tough the mobile industry is. Most MVNOs fold within a few years, and the fact that some of these haven't lasted anywhere near that long shows that no one network is safe.

Scratching around for a good value mobile deal has - once again - become much harder.

I'm currently still using Life Mobile as my main network. For £6 a month on a rolling contract I get all the minutes, texts and data that I need for my everyday use. I can't find anything else that comes close enough to this deal apart from Talkmobile.
I'd like to switch to Talkmobile, but all I ever read about them puts me off: Their contract customers (like parent MNO Vodafone) are complaining of being overcharged for mobile use, which then leads to a default on their credit file - Something that I'm not willing to risk!

Who currently offers the best PAYG bundle value?
I hate to say it, but giffgaff does.
There is currently so little good choice, that giffgaff's 30 day bundles are actually the best value for general mobile use.
Personally, I feel that giffgaff's bundles are really poor value from £10-15, and their PAYG prices are now the highest amongst MVNOs, which really ought to put a lot of customers off. Plus, there is also the major issue of giffgaff's data service which simply doesn't work for thousands of customers.

The mobile industry is in a bit of a mess. Many have threatened to increase prices due to brexit, as well as increase prices to cover the lost revenue from changes to European roaming charges.
All of this is squeezing the price of using your mobile in the UK, and right now PAYG monthly bundles and contracts are all pretty poor value.

Android vs. Windows 10 Mobile. Again.

A few weeks ago I was waiting for an important phone call on my Microsoft Lumia 640. The phone started to ring but the touchscreen absolutely refused to unlock, despite increasingly frantic upwards swipes.
Eventually, I managed to unlock the phone before I missed the call.
- This shouldn't happen to any phone, but the one reason that I've stuck with Windows Phones has been the solid call and text handling. Now that this is a bit dodgy, I've decided to go back to Android for the second time this year.

Now that I'm back to using Android, I miss the simplicity of Windows Phone, but everything seems to work a lot better. This is a pity, because Windows Phone has always been a lag-free, easy to use affair, but Android appears to have caught up.
Ok, without Windows Phone I miss the Live Tiles, the dark interface, the easy call and text handling, but everything on Android seems more "fluid". Oh, and of course the apps are far better quality - including (crucially!) the browser.
And Google Maps is of course much better at finding directions and re-routing you than Microsoft Maps.

But, Android lags badly. I've gone into the developer options and limited the maximum number of running services to four, which makes the phone usable.
I've also installed Greenify, which helps to boost battery life by about a third!

I miss my Lumia phones, but each time I consider going back to them I remember how many more things now "just work" with Android - whereas a year ago Windows had the edge overall for day to day ease of use.

The other main reason that I'm not returning to Windows 10 Mobile is that Microsoft will not be manufacturing any more handsets.
OEMs are now left to carry the torch for Windows Phone, which let's face it is heading in the same direction that BlackBerry did a few years ago. I can't see many manufacturers building Windows Phones at any point in the next few years, by which time anyone who may be considering moving to this OS will have surely sided with Android or iOS.
Here in the UK, unless you buy one of the current handful of Microsoft Lumia phones available, your choice is limited to a couple of mediocre (but good value) handsets from BLU, as well as another cheap (but good value) Windows 10 Mobile from Bush (which is currently available SIM free from Argos for about £50).
Once these handsets have sold, even though there will be a gap in the market, I can't see any company filling this Windows Phone shaped gap at any point.

If my handset breaks, or I want a different handset, I want to be able to buy one: Android gives you a choice of handsets at different price points, Windows Phones are becoming rarer by the day.

Back to Windows Phone after TWO MONTHS on Android

There are times when I firmly believe that not one of the major smartphone operating systems is actually any good.

This isn't an iOS vs Android vs Windows 10 Mobile showdown, merely my thoughts on what is a journey in the world of mobile phones.

When I used feature phones back in the day (2001-2010), all I wanted was a way of syncing my important data (contacts and calendar).
To be honest, I'm beginning to feel that I want to go back to this basic concept after just two months of Android use!

Two months ago I became frustrated with Windows Phone (8.1) and most notably the HERE Maps app that crashed continually on me on every journey that I made. This frustration made me move all of my contacts, calendar and email back from Windows Phone to Google/Android.
So what went wrong? Well, not one but two Android phones later, I don't think that it's possible to use any Android phone for longer than one month without the damned thing lagging like half a rabbit.
I've tried hard resetting both phones, but still they lag.
When an app took over a minute to open, that was the final straw and I have promptly moved all of my services back from Google into the clutches of Microsoft.
I'm past caring if the apps are rubbish. I just want a smartphone that syncs my contacts, email and calendars and makes calls/sends texts - Windows Phone does that, whereas Android has required tinkering, menu after menu of settings - and the OS still lags.

Windows 10 Mobile is good, and not dissimilar to Android 5.1+ but it still has problems, but at least it works as a phone.

Giffgaff Outage 2016

Last week O2 MVNO giffgaff experienced the first major outage of 2016.

As usual, customers took to the online-only Help and Support section, but were fobbed off with the usual  "It's not our fault, we can't do anything about it" excuses that were relayed from giffgaff themselves via the online community of customers.

I do use giffgaff, but never as my main network as the service is far too unreliable day to day - as well as experiencing more outages every year than any other network that I've used.
On average, giffgaff has around four outages nationally/regionally every year, which can't always be attributed to O2 or parent company Telefonica.
O2 manages to hold onto a much more acceptable network failure rate than giffgaff, which does make you wonder if "cheap and cheerful" is maybe not the best policy if you want a reliable mobile service.

I hope that giffgaff eventually manage to sort out these regular outages, as it would be a shame to see this network operator fail after five years. As Britain's third largest MVNO, giffgaff should have big enough balls to fix these problems quickly, if not prevent them from occurring as often.
The least that giffgaff should do is hold their hands up and tell customers that it is their fault for not investing in more robust systems, rather than hiding behind the online community of customers and saying that there isn't anything that they can do.

As You Go Mobile Network Collapses?

Only a few months ago, a new O2 MVNO entered the UK market.
As You Go Mobile offered 6p/minute, 5p/text and 3p/MB PAYG rates (no monthly bundles) on the O2 network.

Proving that the MVNO market is a dynamic - and very tough - place, the company appears to have gone bust.

Around the 7th of April 2016, the As You Go Mobile website appeared to have been taken offline, with Google reporting issues with the website's security certificate.
I went to the company's Twitter account to see what was going on. They currently have four followers (including myself) and are following one other Twitter account, so it's safe to say that they aren't using this as their primary means of contact!
I tried to contact them, but they have not responded to either of my requests for information, so all I can do is assume that the company has sunk without trace.
The As You Go Mobile website is no longer visible, though there is a holding page that says asyougomobile.com is currently unavailable.

If As You Go Mobile has folded already, this wouldn't be a surprise, as MVNOs go under regularly, though this is the first time I've seen an active MVNO fold within such a short space of time.
It's a pity if As You Go Mobile has folded already, as they were offering some very good value, basic PAYG rates on the O2 network.
Given that O2 MVNO giffgaff has recently increased their standard PAYG rates to a rather outlandish 15p/minute, As You Go Mobile were really good value for low users, and certainly much better value than the other new O2 MVNO GT Mobile, whose national rates are bizarrely poor value (19p/text, 19p/minute to a mobile!?)

My own best value PAYG bundles website has been updated today to reflect the possibility that As You Go Mobile has ceased trading.

If As You Go Mobile respond to me, I'll update my website and this blog accordingly.