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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Mini 'key fob' mobile phones could be banned in the UK

It’s reported that the UK government is considering a sales ban on small mobile phones designed to look like remote-access car keys.

Although many of the phones resemble keys used by major vehicle brands, which would infringe the manufacturers’ copyright, there are also concerns that the phones are small enough to be smuggled into prisons.

The National Trading Standards Board (NTSB), which represents trading standards services across England and Wales, has confirmed that its eCrime Centre is working with the Serious Organised Crime Agency because some of the phones may be dangerous.

Lord Toby Harris, chairman of the National Trading Standards Board, said  “Trading Standards takes a very serious view of products being sold that might pose a danger to members of the public.  We are particularly concerned that these phone are being sold online and retailers may not be aware of who they are selling them to.  We would urge online retailers not to sell these phones, or members of the public to buy them.”

Recent figures have shown that around 7,000 mobile phones and SIM cards are currently confiscated in prisons across England and Wales every year.

[More details: BBC News; The Times]

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Categories: Handsets and manufacturers, Retailing, NewsNumber of views: 5038

Tags: uk security legal

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Opinion Articles

This week at The Fonecast: 25th June 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

There's been a bit of a location-based theme in the mobile industry this week.

Hardly surprising, with a new report from Pyramid Research saying location-based advertising is becoming increasingly popular – and NAVTEQ revealing that most consumers are happy receiving promotional offers in exchange for free location-related content.

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New mobile payment mechanism launches... and I don't get it

Mark Bridge writes:

Let's talk mobile payments for a moment. Not using your 'mobile wallet' in shops but simply purchasing something online. Opening your phone's web browser and placing an order. Opening an app and buying an upgraded zombie-killing mega-gun. That kind of thing.

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Nokia and Sony Ericsson named as the next mobile brands to disappear

Mark Bridge writes:

Online financial news and commentary site 24/7 Wall St has published a list of ten brands it thinks will disappear next year. Among those named on the list of doom are Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

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Has Apple just patented the touchscreen?

Mark Bridge writes:

Imagine a mobile phone that can’t be built without the permission of Apple. Impossible?  Unrealistic?  Not necessarily.

This week, Apple was awarded US patent 7,966,578. It's an application that was originally filed at the end of 2007, almost a year after the iPhone was first revealed.

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NFC... but not as you know it

Mark Bridge writes:

There's more to NFC than mobile payments... and there's more to mobile payments than NFC.

The latest audio accessories from Nokia use 'contactless' NFC technology to speed up Bluetooth connections. Simply touch a compatible Nokia phone against the Play 360° loudspeaker and your music will play through the speaker. There's no need to bother with conventional Bluetooth pairing.

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Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

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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We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

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Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

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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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