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Monday, June 25, 2012

Last week at The Fonecast: 25th June 2012

Microsoft cooks up two new tablets while LG turns down the heat

Mark Bridge writes:

Time once again for our look at all the biggest mobile industry stories from the past seven days.

Microsoft kicked the week off with news of an own-brand rival to the Apple iPad. The new Windows-based Microsoft Surface tablets will start to appear later this year, although full details of the specifications – including whether or not there’ll be cellular connectivity – remain unconfirmed.

Windows Phone 8 start screen

But that wasn’t the only hot news from Richmond. We also saw a preview of Windows Phone 8, the obviously-named successor to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. It’ll be pre-installed on new phones from later this year but won’t be available as an upgrade for older phones.

That’s not necessarily good news for anyone who’s just bought a Nokia Lumia... but at least those customers will know how to get the best from their handsets. Nokia has just launched a service called Smart Setup, which offers a free telephone helpline to UK customers who buy a Lumia smartphone.

Sticking with the UK, we heard that Amazon’s own Android application store is heading our way this summer. It’s already a popular destination in the USA – and it could well be a precursor to the Kindle Fire tablet turning up.

Talking of international travel, T-Mobile UK launched new tariff options that give its customers an unambiguous data allowance when they’re using a smartphone or mobile broadband device abroad.

However, it wasn’t a week of entirely upbeat news. Samsung had a challenging time, dealing with a Galaxy SIII that appeared to have suffered some heat-related damage. Twitter experienced problems too, seeing the ‘fail whale’ surfacing for over an hour on Thursday.

And – in a week when one of the world’s big technology companies moved into tablet manufacturing – LG was reported to be putting tablet development “on the back burner” in order to focus on mobile devices. Quite a contrast with tablet-lovin’ Microsoft, which killed off its Kin smartphones a couple of years ago.

Start your week with a reminder of the latest mobile headlines. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page and we’ll send you this weekly news summary by email.

The Fonecast is sponsored by 51Degrees.mobi. More details about advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available on the About Us section of our website.
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Opinion Articles

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

From improved performance to personalized recommendations, AI is enhancing the functionality and usability of smartphones for users

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.
Author: The Fonecast
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Whatever happened to all my tech?

Whatever happened to all my tech?

Mark Bridge revisits his mobile technology reviews

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.
Author: The Fonecast
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Predictions for 2016: Network Function Virtualisation, 4G throttling and video calling

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.

Author: The Fonecast
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Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

A 'recording watch' that links to your smartphone

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.

Author: The Fonecast
4 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
Making mobile websites work better

Making mobile websites work better

Device detection and responsive design explained

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?

Author: The Fonecast
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Article rating: 4.0
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