Independent mobile handset comparison site Mobile Phones are giving away a 16GB version of the new Nokia N96 FREE to all entrants who submit a review of their current handset.
The N96 is a powerful smartphone which features a powerful 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus and a dual LED flash, capable of taking stunning pictures and recording near-DVD like quality footage, as well as a music player complete with customisable equaliser options, a video player and mobile internet options.
To enter, all you need to do is submit a review to the Mobile Phones site; click here for more information on how to win the Nokia N96, and to review the official terms and conditions.
The competition begins today, and will be active until midnight of Monday the 15th of December 2008.
Posted by Tom on December 1st 2008 in Competitions
An open-access fibre network designed to improve high speed internet connections to homes and businesses in North Wales has been launched officially.
200 miles of fibre optic cable has been laid between Holyhead on Anglesey and Manchester as part of the scheme, which will enable broadband services with speeds of up to 1Gbps for business parks and industrial estates in the region.
The £30m FibreSpeed initiative has received financial backing from both public and private sectors including the Welsh Assembly Government, European Regional Development Fund, and fibre-network company Geo Networks. The assembly estimates that the investment will add £29m GVA (gross value added) to the Welsh economy year on year.
Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones said it would “substantially enhance” Wales’ internet infrastructure. “This exciting advance helps arm Welsh businesses with a powerful competitive advantage in resisting the global financial crisis and preparing for the economic upturn that will follow,” he said.
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Posted by Ellie on December 1st 2008 in Broadband, Next Gen Broadband
Today, December 1st, is predicted to be the busiest internet shopping day of the year, as families come home to look for online bargains after a weekend at the shops, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
In recent years the second weekend of December has been the time when internet shoppers have been most willing to part with their cash, but consultancy firm Deloitte has predicted that today will be the busiest day for online shopping, following the 2.5% cut in VAT announced last week, which has prompted many shops to slash their prices by up to 20% is a bid for more customers. The company estimates that online sales will increase this year by 10 per cent to £4.7 billion.
Ian Geddes, a spokesman for Deloitte, said, “Customers are looking for deals earlier and earlier and they have become more promiscuous, looking around for the best deals. The internet has once again established itself as the home of low prices.”
The DVD of Mamma Mia!, the film version of the West End Abba musical, is predicted to become the bestselling present this Christmas, according to Amazon. Already the film has become the most sold DVD of all time, ahead of even the Star Wars Trilogy. Mobile phones and computer games such as the Nintendo Wii Fit are also expected to be fast sellers in the run-up to Christmas.
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Posted by Ellie on December 1st 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband
Following Chancellor Alistair Darling’s announcement to reduce VAT down from 17.5% to 15%, BT have adjusted the prices of their Broadband packages across the board.
The introductory rate for Option 1 now falls down from its original £7.95 a month to £7.78. The equivalent rates for Option 2 and Option 3 fall accordingly, down to £13.69 and £18.59.
Whilst these price drops aren’t exactly massive, the savings will add up in the long term, plus its good to know that BT aren’t planning to make any extra moolah off of their consumer base as a result of the Chancellor’s VAT cut. We wonder if BT’s rivals plan on following suit…
Posted by Tom on December 1st 2008 in BT Broadband, Broadband
Combined mobile and fixed-line broadband packages are becoming increasingly popular with consumers who want broadband access both at home and on the move.
Orange has now thrown down the gauntlet with the new combination Orange Home and Mobile Broadband package. Going for £20 a month, the bundle provides customers with up to 8Mbps ASDL broadband, a free wireless router and free evening and weekend calls via a landline, along with mobile broadband at up to 3.6Mbps with a 3GB monthly bandwidth allowance and a free USB dongle.
Unfortunately the offer isn’t open to everyone. You have to be living in one of Orange’s Local Loop Unbundled (LLU) areas to benefit from the deal, which is available on an 18 month contract. The deal is likely to persuade Orange’s rivals to reduce their prices. Currently Vodafone and O2, for example, charge £15 a month for mobile broadband alone.
Asif Aziz, Director of Broadband and Home for Orange said “We believe these new offers not only complement our existing fixed and mobile broadband service range, but also provide flexible alternatives to meet the needs of today’s 21st century customer - who quite rightly demands a premium service at the same time as best value for money.”
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Posted by Ellie on November 27th 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, O2 Broadband, Orange Broadband, Vodafone
High-speed broadband will be a key factor in the growth of public service broadcasting, according to a think tank. In a report published today, the Social Market Foundation suggested that funding earmarked for public service broadcasting should be diverted to ensure comprehensive broadband coverage across the UK. The economic and social policy think tank said that investing in high-speed broadband would improve Britain’s broadband infrastructure and help lessen the digital divide.
The report, which examined the relationship between technology and broadcasting, was funded by the BBC and Five. It argued that broadcasting policy needs to reflect a wider audience and focus more on the wider communications sector, including broadband, rather than exclusively on the television sector. Investing in broadband technologies would bring faster internet connections to more people, thus encouraging generation of more diverse content.
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Posted by Ellie on November 27th 2008 in Broadband, IPTV, Next Gen Broadband
Almost 19 out of 20 internet connections in Britain are now made via broadband, reflecting its continuing popularity, widespread availability and increasingly competitive connection packages.
The figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show 94.1% of overall internet connections in the UK between June-September 2008 were made via broadband, up from 92.8 percent in June 2008. Meanwhile dial-up connections fell by 18.6% during the same period, which resulted in a 0.4% drop in the index of all connections during the period.
There is also increasing demand for higher speed broadband. By September 57.7% of all broadband connections had a speed of 2Mbps or more, a 2% increase since June. The figures were based on the speeds advertised by ISPs, but actual broadband speeds are usually lower, depending on factors such as distance from the local exchange and line quality.
Posted by Ellie on November 26th 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Next Gen Broadband
T-Mobile has launched a docking station that will allow users to share their mobile broadband connection with anyone nearby.
The Mobile Broadband Share Dock, which was originally unveiled in October, is now available in the shops. The Share Dock enables several users at once to share a mobile broadband connection. The device is exclusive to T-Mobile and is available free to customers who sign up to a £20 a month 18 month mobile broadband contract.
The Share Dock could make an ideal back-up system for small businesses which rely on an unstable consumer level broadband connection. Much like an ordinary Wi-Fi router, the dock allows users to plug in a normal mobile broadband USB dongle, and uses password protection to prevent unauthorised access to the mobile broadband network from others who are in range.
Richard Warmsley, head of internet and entertainment at T-Mobile UK said, “Mobile broadband has experienced huge growth across the market.
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Posted by Ellie on November 26th 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, T-Mobile
The total number of broadband subscribers worldwide has reached 400 million, according to research by broadband analyst firm Point Topic. This compares with 57,200 users in 1998 and 280,890 subscribers in 1999 – an increase of almost six-fold.
“When Point Topic started researching broadband in 1998 it was still mostly in the technical trial stage. Getting to 400 million subscribers in the 10 years since then has been one of the fastest rollouts of a major new technology the world has ever seen,” said Oliver Johnson, senior analyst at Point Topic.
“Now we are in the early days of a new era, which is going to be much more about quality than quantity. The emphasis is going to shift to providing high-bandwidth, high-quality broadband that can deliver multiple, steady, pin-sharp images for applications.”
DSL is still the dominant form of broadband, but fibre optic broadband subscriptions are on the increase, from 18,000 in 2002 to four million today. The research was commissioned for the Broadband Forum.
Posted by Ellie on November 24th 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Next Gen Broadband
Broadband? Afford-band, more like. People in Britain are embracing digital technology faster than any other nation, according to a new report by communications regulator Ofcom.
Of the twelve industrialised nations studied for the report, Britain offers the cheapest broadband, mobile and pay-TV rates, and is also ahead of most when it comes to broadband take-up at 60%.
Social networking is also on the up, with half the UK using websites such as Facebook, Bebo and Myspace, and 43% of the population regularly uploading photos of friends and family to the internet. The keenest social networkers were Canadians, at 55% of the population. In the USA, the birthplace of Facebook, 40% of internet users were signed up to social networking site, whilst in France the figure was as low as 27%.
Eight percent of total music sales in Britain are now made online, the highest figure of any European country with the exception of Spain. Given the healthy state of the music industry in this country, this ought to come as no surprise, although Britain lags behind the US, where almost a quarter of music sales are made digitally. Nearly a fifth of advertising revenue in Britain is generated online.
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Posted by Ellie on November 21st 2008 in Broadband, Free Broadband, Mobile Broadband
