Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Monday, October 28, 2013

Last week at The Fonecast: 28th October 2013

A lighter iPad for light-fingered Apple thieves?

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.
Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

The week's biggest mobile industry news stories, from flying smartphones to falling profits

Podcast - 9th July 2014

We have a varied collection of mobile industry news stories in this week's podcast, including new rules affecting airline passengers with smartphones.

We also talk about BlackBerry giving up its European research centre, Vodafone installing fibre-optic broadband, Samsung's profits, spending on mobile advertising, M2M adoption and WiFi on trains.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Talking about smartwatches, smartphones, roaming charges and customer complaints

Podcast - 2nd July 2014

In this week's podcast we talk about two of the big announcements from Google I/O: a new version of Android and the retail launch of smartwatches powered by 'Android Wear'.

We also talk about Android-based smartphones from Nokia and Blackphone, network complaints in the UK, a reduction in European roaming charges and mobile ticketing.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A week of mobile news, including a US launch for the Amazon Fire smartphone and a UK launch for Google Glass

Podcast - 25th June 2014

This week's podcast covers the launch of the first Amazon smartphone and the introduction of Google Glass to the UK.

We also talk about new WiFi-powered voice services from EE and Three, plans to reduce mobile 'black spots', BlackBerry's app partnership, smartphone theft, 4G innovation... and rechargeable trousers.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A week of mobile news: 5G technology, takeovers, tablets, tax and trackers

Podcast - 18th June 2014

We open this week's podcast with news about the European Commission and South Korea working together on 5G mobile technology.

There's a quick look at Samsung's new tablet, some acquisition deals to talk about, a tax investigation, research into wearable devices and plenty of other mobile industry news as well.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Mobile industry news... including new smartphones, new tablets and a new satellite broadband service

Podcast - 11th June 2014

This week's podcast begins with Ofcom's plans to cut the wholesale cost of inter-network mobile phone calls. But what benefit will consumers see?

Iain, James and Mark then move on to discuss luxury smartphones, a new handset on the high street, mobile broadband for aircraft passengers, government monitoring, the growth of smartphones - and 4G-equipped donkeys.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
123468910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«December 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
2526272829301
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
303112345

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement