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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

Friday, July 16, 2010

Review: BeeWi BBS020 solar-powered hands-free Bluetooth car kit

Mark Bridge writes:

Persuading mobile phone users not to hold their phone when they’re driving should be a simple task. It’s dangerous, it’s against the law and the penalties include a fine plus points on your licence.

But even then, there’s often an excuse about convenience and usability. Some people don’t like wearing headsets, some don’t like wires and some simply forget to charge the batteries.

That’s why a new hands-free Bluetooth loudspeaker from French company BeeWi caught my eye. It’s called the BBS020, it’s solar-powered and it can fit to the inside of your car windscreen, which means no wires and no forgetting to recharge it.

BeeWi solar-powered car kitThere’s a microUSB socket to charge the battery when you first use it – or if your car spends most of its time in underground car parks – but I didn’t bother. I simply stuck the loudspeaker to my windscreen and started using it the next day.

Now, when I say I stuck it to the windscreen, it’s small enough to tuck away in the corner. Think of a tiny mobile phone – 10 centimetres by 5 by just over 1 centimetre deep – and that’s what it’s like. One button on the front for answering and calling, with a volume control on the edge – and the solar panel on the back. The whole thing clips inside a clear plastic holder with suction feet to attach it to the glass.

Pairing it with your phone is as easy as most modern headsets – just hold down the button, ask your phone to look for new Bluetooth devices and then enter the not-very-secret security code of 0000.

BeeWi Bluetooth handsfree car kitThe battery life promises up to five hours of continuous talk time or 40 days of standby time – but that’s assuming it doesn’t get recharged by the sun. I don’t have a garage so, as far as I can see, there’s every chance I’ll never need to charge this. Ever.

Which is good for the environment and for my electricity bill – but how well does it actually work?

The iPadio player below includes a couple of examples (about two minutes in). After a few seconds of set-up, I was happy with the quality at both ends of the call.

There’s a one watt speaker with digital sound processing for echo cancellation and noise reduction – and, rather cleverly, there’s multipoint functionality which means two mobile phones can be paired with it at the same time. You and your passenger can both link your phones to it – and it’ll work hands-free when either one of you receives a call.

BeeWi products are distributed in the UK through an exclusive deal with Avenir Telecom. If you want to buy one, have a word with your local mobile phone retailer – and if you're a mobile phone retailer, have a word with Avenir Telecom.

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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

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

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Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

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.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

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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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