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Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
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Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
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Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
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UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
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Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
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Opinion Articles

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hotel doors open with mobile phones... but it's not like WarGames

Mark Bridge writes:

I loved the film WarGames. I saw it in the cinema when it came out… and developed a minor crush on Ally Sheedy as a result. If you don’t remember the film – or haven’t seen it – the plot centres on a young computer hacker who almost starts World War III while playing an illicit online game of Global Thermonuclear War with a military computer. (Plot spoiler: the only winning move is not to play).

There’s a scene in the film where the hacker – played by Matthew Broderick – is arrested by the FBI and locked in a medical room that has a keypad entry lock. Our hero uses a microcassette recorder to escape by apparently recording and playing back the tones.

Fast-forward to 2010 and fictional hacker David Lightman would be in his element if he visited the Holiday Inn. They’ve just introduced OpenWays Crypto Accoustic Credentials access system in a number of their hotels. Guests can choose to receive an audio code on their mobile phone. To unlock their hotel room, they simply play the tune from their phone.

Now, this clearly isn’t as low-tech as it sounds. (Pun noted but unintended). Guests need to download an application to their phone and the tune changes each time it’s used. Also, much like an electronic ‘card key’, any lost phone can be blocked instantly by the reception desk.

So it’s clever… but will guests realise how clever it is?  Or will the corridors of Holiday Inn Chicago be full of people whistling hopefully at the doors?

 

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Recent Podcasts

From the archive: some of our favourite mobile industry interviews from 2007, 2008 and 2009

Podcast - 5th June 2013

We're celebrating the seventh anniversary of The Fonecast this month with a handful of our favourite interviews from the early years.

You'll hear Ben Whitaker from Masabi, Truphone co-founder James Tagg, former Olympic athlete Steve Backley OBE and online banking pioneer Steve Townend.

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The latest mobile industry news: from the delayed 'Facebook phone' to life-saving QR codes

Podcast - 29th May 2013

This week's podcast begins with a report about a delay - or perhaps even cancellation - for the UK launch of HTC's Facebook phone, the HTC First.

We then move on to Vodafone's results, an Android app scare for Sky, Samsung's successes, contactless payments, potentially life-saving QR codes and an uncomfortable story about a smuggled mobile phone.

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New devices from BlackBerry, HP and Jolla... plus a new purchase for Yahoo

Podcast - 22nd May 2013

We start this week's podcast by talking about Yahoo and Tumblr before moving on to discuss Google's recent developer conference.

There are product announcements from BlackBerry, HP and the former MeeGo developers at Jolla... and there's some interesting mobile app news as well.

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Good news from Nokia, unwelcome headlines for EE and a profitable year at Sony

Podcast - 15th May 2013

Three new smartphones launched at three separate events. Yes, Nokia has definitely been busy in the past few days.

As well as talking about Finland's finest phones, we also discuss recent claims made about EE, annual results from Sony, smart metering, 5G technology, virus protection, Vodafone and the worldwide growth of mobile phones.

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From airports to airtime... and from mobile ads to mobile apps

Podcast - 8th May 2013

We start today's programme with the promise of a faster roll-out for the UK's mobile broadband services.

Next on the agenda is tablet sales... followed by mobile security, mobile boarding passes, quarterly results, acquisitions, advertising and management succession.

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