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Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to ban inflation-related rises in phone and broadband contracts. Instead, it says any potential mid-contract price rises should be set out in pounds and pence.
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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

Why all the fuss about cross-network roaming for UK mobile coverage?

Why all the fuss about cross-network roaming for UK mobile coverage?

Mark Bridge writes:

A suggestion that UK mobile phone networks might be forced to improve black-spot coverage by allowing interconnection with their rivals is back in the news. It made the headlines in June and has returned again this week, which is why I could be heard offering my opinion on BBC local radio yesterday morning.

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Philips Voice Tracer DVT6000 review

Philips Voice Tracer DVT6000 review

Is a dedicated voice recorder better than a smartphone app?

Mark Bridge writes:

If I'm interviewing someone for a podcast, I'll generally use my Zoom H4N recorder and a separate microphone or two. But I don't need the same level of high-quality kit if I'm interviewing someone for a written interview. Why carry an expensive recording device when your mobile phone can do the same job?

Author: The Fonecast
2 Comments
Article rating: 3.8
Barclaycard bPay: wearable payment technology

Barclaycard bPay: wearable payment technology

Mark Bridge pays with a flick of the wrist

Mark Bridge writes:

Contactless payments. They're catching on, aren't they?

But mobile contactless payments haven't proved so popular.

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iPhone 6 journal

iPhone 6 journal

Spending a few days with the newest Apple handset

Mark Bridge writes:

I open the iPhone 6 box and discover a phone that feels substantial. Well engineered. Practical. Despite being just 6.9mm deep, it doesn't seem unreasonably delicate.

Author: The Fonecast
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Article rating: 2.0
The HTC One pink/purple camera saga: part 2

The HTC One pink/purple camera saga: part 2

Mark Bridge feels marooned by a high-street mobile phone retailer

Mark Bridge writes:

Following my online rant about the customer service I'd received when I suffered a problem with my HTC One, I wrote to Carphone Warehouse.

Author: The Fonecast
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Article rating: 3.6
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Recent Podcasts

Friday, November 6, 2009

Probably the best Bluetooth headset brand in the world

Mark Bridge writes:

I really don’t want to make a habit of pointing at surveys and laughing – or even scratching my head in the kind of theatrical gesture used by Stan Laurel – but I should imagine there was some wry amusement at Strategy Analytics this week.

They’d been talking to car owners in Europe and the USA about their preferred brand for Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones. In the United States, 45% of respondents said Bose was their preferred brand. Excellent news for Bose. Excellent news for Bose stockists. Except – oh, hang on a moment – Bose doesn’t make Bluetooth headsets or handsfree loudspeakers. Now, I realise this doesn’t invalidate the survey in any way. And it’s worth pointing out I’ve only read the press release, not the $2999 report. But it shows that the results of surveys can be misinterpreted. If respondents had been asked to pick their preferred Bluetooth headset brand from a list including Rolls-Royce, Carlsberg and Google, perhaps we’d have had a different winner.

Are the management of Bose crying into their tweeters?  Possibly not. They may be upset that they’ve missed an opportunity. But, then again, they may have investigated the mobile accessory market and deemed it unprofitable. Are bona fide Bluetooth headset manufacturers upset that they’re runners-up to an imaginary product?  Not necessarily. Consumers may even be less inclined to complain (and therefore more tolerant of problems) if they’ve not bought their preferred brand.

Incidentally, when it comes to the figures, Strategy Analytics contacted 625 car owners. Bose was the most preferred brand in the US, followed by Motorola and Sony. Sony was favourite in Western Europe; it was also rated as ‘unacceptable’ the least of all brands evaluated. In addition, Nokia and Motorola came out relatively well - unlike Plantronics, Jawbone, BlueAnt and Parrot, which hadn’t been heard of by over half the respondents in the USA. Mind you, as long as people are buying their products when they go shopping, none of these brands are likely to be complaining too much.

Carlsberg: a popular Bluetooth headset brand?

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