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Friday, February 11, 2011

Vodafone brings the internet to your TV

Not content with its efforts to put television on mobile phones, Vodafone has now launched a plug-in keyboard that turns your TV into a mobile phone.

The ‘Webbox’ is aimed at emerging markets rather than the UK, with Vodacom in South Africa preparing to start selling the Webbox next week. It’s a 14cm x 25cm QWERTY keyboard with standard RCA connectors to plug into almost any television. No set-up is required; the Webbox has its own mobile internet connection (GPRS & EDGE) offering SMS, email and the Opera Mini 5.1 web browser along with FM radio, a music player and a photo gallery.

Patrick Chomet, Vodafone’s Group Director of Terminals, said “The Webbox is a simple yet very innovative product. It has the potential to make a powerful difference in the lives of people in emerging markets who have limited access to the internet, but where TV penetration is typically very high. The simplicity of the product is striking – it brings the internet to the TV, be that at home for the family, in schools for education or in small businesses to assist local economic growth.”

Vodacom will sell the Webbox for R749 (around £64) including a free 2GB SD card and a prepaid SIM with R12 of data credit.

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Opinion Articles

Hotel phone charges demonstrate the value of packing your mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

I like hotels. Free biscuits in your room and all the portions of UHT milk you can drink. But the phone calls... that's a different story.

Dearie me, you're paying for that hospitality tray when you pick up the phone.

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Charlie Chaplin, a mobile phone and a time-travel mystery

Mark Bridge writes:

A Charlie Chaplin DVD includes an image of a woman using a mobile phone in 1928.

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Author: The Fonecast
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Why the Sat-Nav Application Model is Broken

James Rosewell writes:

Most Sat-Nav applications are now obtained via the Application Store used on the mobile phone. Navigon have gone so far as to remove access to their application via any other route. Application Stores are now the only choice. This move to a platform-specific sales model is a massive mistake.

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Come on, Steve Jobs – why don't you attack a few more mobile companies?

Mark Bridge writes:

Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend breaks up with him acrimoniously. So off he goes and creates Facebook. Yes, there's nothing like an insult to fire up the creativity. Well, that's certainly what the plot of The Social Network would like you to think.

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The positive cult of giffgaff

Mark Bridge writes:

Wouldn't it be great if mobile customers loved their networks so much that they'd fight for them?  Ofcom would be inundated with complaints from O2 users about its decision not to allow GSM frequencies to be used for 3G services. Vodafone customers would demand that Nokia pre-loaded the N8 with a Vodafone 360 application. Orange users would be sending petitions to radio stations, asking them to implement HD Voice on phone-ins. And giffgaff users would take to online forums to defend the service they receive.

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