Categories
Close
Menu
Menu
Close
Search
Search

Featured Articles

Opinion

Last week at The Fonecast: 28th October 2013

Mark

A lighter iPad for light-fingered Apple thieves?

Share:

Print

Rate article:

No rating
Rate this article:
No rating

Mark Bridge writes:

No prizes for guessing which two mobile tech stories grabbed most of the headlines last week. Tuesday morning saw Nokia’s much-rumoured tablet and phablet launches, with a Windows RT device and two 6-inch smartphones joining the company’s product portfolio.

This was followed on Tuesday evening with Apple’s big news, which centred on its Mac computers and its iPad tablets. There’s a new iPad Air, which runs on the Apple A7 chip and is thinner than ever – and there’s a version of the iPad Mini with a ‘retina’ display.

However, music retailer HMV wasn’t feeling any warmth towards Apple, having discovered the HMV iOS app had been suspended from the Apple App Store. Apparently it was the non-iTunes shopping wot dun it.

Talking of complaints, there’s something of a major spat going on between security company NQ Mobile and by investment research business Muddy Waters. Muddy Waters described NQ as “a massive fraud”, leading to NQ calling the allegations “false and inaccurate”. Somehow I don’t think that’s the last we’ll hear of this.

Being trapped in a contract when the prices go up is one complaint UK regulator Ofcom is determined to end. It’s clarified the rules allowing customers to withdraw from a fixed-term contract if there is any change likely to be of ‘material detriment’, telling phone and broadband service providers any increase to the subscription cost is likely to be regarded as such a change.

It’s also published a report on telecoms infrastructure that shows public WiFi use growing at a faster rate than mobile data – and has revealed details of “significant gaps” in mobile coverage on UK roads.

Finally, the Metropolitan Police has pointed out that Apple devices aren’t just popular with customers. They’re also a target for criminals; around 10,000 mobile phones are stolen in London every month and around half of these thefts are iPhones. Let’s be careful out there.

On Monday mornings we summarise the past week’s mobile industry headlines in a newsletter that’s very much like this article. To receive it, simply register your email address at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page.

Comments

Collapse Expand Comments (0)
You don't have permission to post comments.

Opinion Articles

ExclusiveDiscover the secrets of mobile innovation at The Mobile Academy in London

Mark Bridge writes:

Developing a successful mobile product or service isn’t just a question of having a great idea. There are all sorts of challenges, from the technical aspects of application development to the wider issues of branding and funding.

That’s where The Mobile Academy steps in. It’s a London-based mobile masterclass designed to give you a helping hand with innovation, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business owner, a developer or a designer.

ExclusiveRIM boss ignores the questions when asked about BlackBerry difficulties and competitors

Mark Bridge writes:

Live TV and radio interviews. They can be worrying things, even when you’re not expecting to be challenged too much. I know this from experience. So when your company is launching a much-delayed operating system, you’d expect a few difficult questions… and you’d be ready with a response.

The official response of RIM is apparently to ignore the questions.

ExclusiveMobile phones transform lives in Africa

Jennifer Lazuta of voanews.com writes:

Rene Mendy, a street vendor in Dakar, has never had enough money to open a bank account. But now, thanks to an emerging mobile phone banking service, he has access to many financial services.

ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 28th January 2013

Mark Bridge writes:

I didn’t study economics at college, which is probably one of the reasons I have a very simple perspective on quarterly results. As far as I’m concerned, they fall into one of three categories: much as expected, better than expected or worse than expected. Anyway, it’s the time of year when some of the biggest names in the mobile telecoms industry publish their financial results – so here we go.

ExclusiveBringing personalised radio to your smartphone

Mark Bridge writes:

Targeted advertising on mobile devices is something we’re all getting increasingly familiar with. Visit a web site and there’s a good chance you’ll see an advertisement that’s aimed directly at you, perhaps using information about the sites you’ve previously visited, the type of smartphone you’re using or even your location.

Yet listen to the radio or stream music on your smartphone and that same level of personalisation hasn’t been aavailable. That’s all changing now, with help from a new service called UTuneMe.

RSS
First2324252628303132Last

Recent Podcasts

ExclusivePodcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

ExclusiveLooking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

ExclusiveA month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Archive Calendar

«June 2026»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
25262728293031
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293012345

Archive