UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has proposed new rules that would ensure UK customers are told about any roaming charges when using their mobile phones abroad. Its consultation will close on 28th September 2023.

A new report from Counterpoint Research's Market Monitor service shows European smartphone shipments dropping by 12% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022. That's the lowest Q1 total since 2013.

Mobile phone customers from the UK have been warned about the increasing cost of making calls in Europe.

The UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU opened the door for mobile operators to reintroduce 'roaming' charges when customers travel abroad.

New figures from market research company Strategy Analytics show that Xiaomi shipped more smartphones into Europe in the second quarter of 2021 than any other manufacturer. It achieved a 25.3% European market share, up 67% from the same quarter in 2020.

The UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee has published a report on Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy. It says the UK is "lagging behind other nations in embedding a circular economy of use, reuse and recycle for small electronics".

By incorporating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI can help to optimize a smartphone's performance, providing users with a faster, more efficient and user-friendly experience.

Mark Bridge writes:

I've been taking a look back at the devices I've written about during the past few years. Some are still faithful companions, others... well, let's just say my faith was misplaced.

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

This week the team review a new phone from Sagem, a bluetooth headset that cancels out background noise from Qstik, the introduction of .mobi domains and the latest games to keep you entertained.

This week the team explore the real cost of Mobile Internet, review the latest Blackberry with a camera, the O2 Ice, and Lego meets Star Wars in the latest mobile game.

This week the team discuss mobile pricing, review the LG KG810 and MDA Vario 2 from T-Mobile along with Rogue Trader the latest game from RockPool as well as a joke management system called Pass-It-On-Jokes.

This week we review the Sony Mylo, a phone that may rival the Blackberry in the form of the E61 from Nokia, Insaniquarium the latest game to make the leap from web to mobile and the LG U400 phone for DJs.

After the summer break the Fonecast team is back with a review of 2 new mobiles from Motorola, a stylish new phone from BenQ-Siemens, advice on protecting your voice mail plus all the mobile news from the last month.