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Last week at The Fonecast: 28th October 2013

Mark

A lighter iPad for light-fingered Apple thieves?

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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.

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Opinion Articles

ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 26th November 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

It’s time to ‘ketchup’ with last week’s biggest mobile industry news stories - and where better to start than with HP’s claims of ‘saucy’ behaviour?  It’s launched an investigation into last year’s acquisition of UK company Autonomy, claiming the software company had ‘spiced up’ its valuation. Condiment-based puns aside, it’s a serious matter that could see key players from the deal charged with cooking the books.

ExclusiveOperation Mobile as military prepares to synchronise with smartphones

Kevin Deal, Vice President of Aerospace & Defence at IFS North America, writes:

It is difficult to believe that the idea of a hand-held mobile phone was an alien concept only a few short decades ago. From brick-sized analogue devices to wafer thin smartphones with processing capabilities comparable to those of laptops, new technology is constantly pushing the boundaries of what we can expect from our phones. And, in a reverse of the normal pattern of technology innovation, a development driven by consumers is set to have an important impact on aerospace and defence (A&D).

ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 19th November 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

The last few days have been particularly busy for UK telecoms regulator Ofcom. It started the week by announcing its rules for next year’s UK 4G mobile spectrum auction – expect services to go live in around six months – and it ended the week with plans to avoid a 5G capacity crunch.

ExclusiveConsumer privacy, opt-in marketing and the future of mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

Today’s consumers receive a seemingly never-ending stream of online information from their social networks, from websites, in their email and on their mobile devices. But is there a way to let individuals stay in control whilst also helping companies advertise their products?  According to nFluence Media, there definitely is.

To find out more, I spoke to Henry Lawson, co-founder and CEO of nFluence, and started by asking him to explain exactly what nFluence did.

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Mark Bridge writes:

Here’s a statement that’ll come as no surprise to anyone who works in the UK mobile industry.

For many people, their mobile phone isn’t just a communication device. It’s a personal statement.

Of course it is. Why else can you buy a gold-plated iPhone, a diamante-encrusted Blackberry or a Samsung Galaxy SIII in colours “inspired by the Earth’s richest materials”?

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