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Monday, September 23, 2013

Last week at The Fonecast: 23rd September 2013

Black days for BlackBerry

Mark Bridge writes:

There are bad weeks... and there are BAD weeks. Blackberry had one of the latter. It all started so well. The company announced a new flagship phablet – the Z30 – and said it would be launching its BBM instant messaging service for iOS and Android handsets at the weekend.

Then came the quarterly results, with an admission that poor Z10 smartphone sales had contributed to a loss of almost $1 billion. Around 40% of jobs worldwide would be cut and the product range was also going to be reduced.

If all that wasn’t enough, an ‘unreleased’ version of the BBM Android app found its way online, causing BlackBerry to temporarily remove the official apps from the Apple and Google app stores. All very messy.

However, even with the delay to BBM, consumers are expected to download over 100 billion mobile apps this year. Figures from technology research company Gartner expect 102 billion applications to be downloaded from mobile app stores this year, up from 64 billion in 2012. App revenue will rise as well, despite less than one in ten of those apps being chargeable.

Also increasing is the number of 4G networks in the UK. Well, kind of. Virgin Media Business has launched a 4G virtual mobile service that’s based on EE’s network. It’s called Business Mobile, which seems pretty straightforward.

And finally, to news of some old technology that just keeps going. No, not your BlackBerry 7230. I’m talking about SMS and cell broadcast. Both are being tested by the UK government as potential methods to deliver emergency messages to mobile phones. People in North Yorkshire, Glasgow and Suffolk have been invited to opt-in for the test. They’ve also been reassured that their local areas haven’t been chosen because of any specific threats. Recommendations are expected to be published next year. Regardless of any technical considerations, I reckon it’s the Orwellian implications that’ll worry most people. After all, what could possibly go wrong when the government starts sending messages directly to your mobile phone?

On Monday mornings we summarise the past week’s mobile industry headlines in a newsletter that’s a lot 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

Last week at The Fonecast: 12th August 2013

Welcome to the not-so-silly season

Mark Bridge writes:

August is traditionally known as the ‘silly season’… but last week’s mobile industry news was all very serious. Apple started with a move designed to reassure customers about unsafe iPhone chargers by arranging a discounted exchange scheme – and it ended the week with a patent victory in the USA.

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Dual Core Smartphones only £7.70pm... whatever that means

Mark Bridge writes:

Don't sell the steak – sell the sizzle!  That's the mantra of many salespeople. It's all about emphasising the benefits of a product rather than its features. You don't tell people about the 13 megapixel camera when they ask about the new LG smartphone, you tell them it'll capture the first steps of their precious young nephew in pin-sharp accuracy. Or something like that.

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Mobile retailers waste over £21.6 million a year on unnecessarily sending mobile phones for repair

David Heled of Cellebrite writes:

Smartphones are now by far and away the communication, payment and information device of choice for consumers and enterprises. Sales are set to overtake those of traditional feature phones this year for the first time. However, the increasing complexity of the devices’ technology means that there’s a lot more that can go wrong, and make it harder for mobile retailers to identify potential problems – and it’s costing them millions per every year.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 29th July 2013

Surprises and statistics

Mark Bridge writes:

Google’s big announcement last week involved the company introducing Android v4.3 (as expected), launching a new Nexus 7 tablet (as expected) and also revealing a ‘Chromecast’ HDMI adaptor that’ll stream from most portable devices. That was more of a surprise.

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Top Ofcom tips when taking your smartphone or tablet abroad

Mark Bridge writes:

With the school term over and August just a few days away, UK telecom regulator Ofcom has published a new guide to help travellers avoid ‘bill shock’ after using their mobile phones, tablets and laptops abroad.

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Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

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Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

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A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

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