Opinion Articles

Monday, May 12, 2014

Last week at The Fonecast: 12th May 2014

Feelin’ groufie

Mark Bridge writes:

Last week a major retailer with a significant online presence announced plans to release its own-brand smartphone by the end of the year. No, not Amazon. This news came from Tesco.

The supermarket said it’ll apply its Hudl brand – which was seen on many Android tablets at Christmas – to a new handset by the end of 2014. In addition, an updated Hudl 2 tablet is also expected this year.

Huawei had a new phone announcement of its own. The flagship Ascend P6 is being replaced by the Ascend P7, which will be equipped with an 8 megapixel front-facing camera. Apparently this is perfect for what Huawei describes as ‘groufies’: panoramic group selfies. You can tune into Wednesday’s podcast to hear how Iain Graham reacts to this word… although you’ll probably hear his cries of despair if you merely open your window.

Vodafone has been talking about two very different stories in the past few days. It’s added a loyalty card feature to its mobile wallet in Europe – although there’s still no sign of a UK release date – and it’s also committed to fixing its monthly subscription charges in line with Ofcom’s new guidance.

Sticking with money matters, BlackBerry has now agreed to sell much of its Canadian property portfolio, mobile payment provider iZettle has picked up £33 million in new funding and Nokia has announced a £59 million investment in connected cars.

Finally for now, we’re sending best wishes to Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee. Mr Lee is currently recovering after undergoing emergency heart surgery at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul.

On Monday mornings we summarise the past week’s mobile industry headlines in an email 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. Alternatively, stay in touch by listening to our free podcasts via our website, by subscribing on iTunes, by using our RSS feed or by downloading the Stitcher.com mobile app.
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

Follow thefonecast.com

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

Archive Calendar

«March 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
26272829123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement