Mobile Phone News:

(Note: all views expressed are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Mobileshop.com)

There’s been a bit of a furore brewing over the weekend, after the publishing of a report by Ofcom, the big body who oversee the mobile phones and general communications industries. And it’s been a big shouting match, because many people have jumped on the idea that Ofcom are saying people should pay to receive calls on their mobile phones.

Yes, you heard that right.

However, the big question is, is that actually what the report says, or are people jumping to conclusions? Are Ofcom genuinely suggesting that you should pay to be phoned by someone else?

We need to have our rational heads on, to see what the report actually says.

Ok, that’s a very long report. One-hundred and sixty-six pages of it, in fact, so I won’t subject you to it, here (lest this become the longest blog post in history), but I will give you the link to the report (be aware, it’s a pdf file), so you can check it out for yourselves (hint: read section 8). But, I’ll summarise the main points for you:

1. The current regulations for the way mobile call charges are handled is due to end in 2011.
2. The world of mobile phones is changing, and new thinking is needed.
3. It’s getting harder to guarantee where calls will be originating from, or going to. (I dispute that; how many times do you ring someone other than family, to your mates down the pub?)
4. The EU reckon the model that will give customers the most benefit is sharing the costs between the caller and the person receiving the call, just like in America.

And that last one is what people are picking up on, and saying that Ofcom are suggesting people should pay to receive calls. If that is true, is the model the EU are mulling over the best way for mobile phones to go? Will customers get more benefit from having to pay to receive calls they never wanted in the first place (and if you haven’t guessed my feelings on it, from that question, you’re not paying attention)? Ok, I may not be able to comment about the European model, as I don’t use mobile phones over there, but the American one I can discuss.

You see, in the good ol’ US of A, there’s a reason why the person being called has to pay. Mobile phones in America don’t have a specific mobile-only format of number, like we do, with the 07 at the start. American mobile numbers are made of an area code, and the number. Or, in other words, they look just like American landline numbers. So, if you make a phone call in the USA, you have no real way of knowing whether it’s a mobile phone or a landline, and thus, you should only pay a fixed rate, based on whether it’s a local or national call.

The other person, the one you’re ringing, pays to receive your call, then. Let’s just say, I’ve spoken to many good friends in America, and the words most associated with that system are “stupid” and “retarded” (their words, not mine).

So, anyway, paying to receive calls in the UK. Is it being pushed as the way forward? Well, Ofcom don’t explicitly say that, but they make it pretty plain they’re thinking about it. It would be a shame if it happened, because I can’t think of a better way to cripple and kill the mobile industry in this country.

And what about people who use a pay as you go mobile phone? What if you only keep your phone for emergencies, and you run out of credit? Well, best hope no-one wants to ring you, because, if we do move to similar model to America, you won’t be able to receive any calls if you don’t have credit, making your mobile phone useful only as doorstop and/or cudgel.

Put it this way… I love mobile phones. Not as much as Technical Markus, as he will tell you, but I can’t do without mine. But if I had to pay to receive calls, mine would get binned…

So, what do you do? Well, make your voice heard! Get onto the Ofcom site, since they’ve invited consultation, and make absolutely sure you say no to paying to receive calls. Make it abundantly clear how many people will bin their mobile if they do start doing it. Use your voice to show Ofcom how you feel.

And you’d best get yourself a new mobile phone deal, before these changes even get pushed!

Well, we’ve been working on it in secret for a while, and now it’s ready for everyone to get involved. That’s right, we have now gone live with the first ever Mobileshop Facebook Application!

Now, you can shout out to the world which mobile phones you love, hate, want, think are brilliant, or whatever, with MyMobilePhones.

It’s dead simple, as well. You get it, the same as you do any Facebook app, add it onto your account (more on that in a minute, because new Facebook ain’t the same as old Facebook…), pick from a drop-down list whether you want, have, hate, love or are obsessed by a particular mobile phone. Then you pick the manufacturer, choose from the list of mobile phones that comes up, and after that, you come to the crucial bit. YOU tell the world exactly why you feel like you do.

So, if you love the iPhone because it’s pretty, say so. Or if you want the Sony Ericsson C905, because its camera kicks every other mobile phone into touch, then shout about it! Make some noise about your mobile phone and give it the attention it deserves (whether that’s good attention, or bad attention is up to you!)

Oh, and one other thing about installing. New Facebook isn’t quite the same as old Facebook, when it comes to showing apps on your profile. Add it, and then you’ve got to go to edit apps, then click all applications on the left, click on the little pencil next to the MyMobilePhones app (or whichever app), click edit settings and then go to the profile tab and click add.

And then, you can let the world know how you feel about your mobile phone!

Get the Mobileshop Facebook Application, today!

Eight megapixel mobile phones have started to hit the news left, right and centre, recently. We’ve had the Sony Ericsson C905… We’ve seen Korean manufacturer Samsung’s contender, the i8510 INNOV8…

And now it’s the turn of the other Korean giant, as we say hello to the LG KC910, or as some sites (especially Russian ones, for some reason) are calling it, the LG KC910 Renoir.

Now, that’s a pretty mobile phone! As you can see, you’re going to be looking at a sleek, touchscreen affair in the LG KC910, not a million miles away from the design of the LG Viewty. Sensible choice, that, since the combination of awesome looks, that touchscreen, and that brilliant camera made the LG Viewty one of the best selling mobile phones of late-2007/early-2008. As for the KC910’s chances of being as successful as its older brother… well come on, just look at it! If it doesn’t sell by the bucketload, and become one of the best-selling mobile phones in the tail end of the year, I will personally eat my own kneecaps…

You may have guessed that I rather like how the LG KC910 looks…

Mind you, the specs are damnably impressive, too. Basically, imagine the 5 megapixel camera from the LG Viewty, if you took it out, glued an extra 3 megapixels on it (to take it to the full 8), and sellotaped some extra features on. So, with the LG KC910, you get manual focus, face, smile and blink detection, loads of ISO night mode settings, xenon flash, slo-mo video (just like the Viewty), and… well… it’ll be stunning. Just like an increasing number of mobile phones, the LG KC910 will also have HSDPA, so you’ll be able to access the internet on it at speeds of up to 7.2Mbps. Oh, and GPS, too.

And then, of course, there’s the touchscreen… You all know that I’m a sucker for touchscreens, and the LG Viewty had a particularly nice one, so it’s fair to assume the one in the KC910 will be sweet, too.

All in all, then, it’s going to rock. Will it beat the Sony Ericsson C905 or the Samsung i8510 INNOV8? Only time will tell, but given how soundly the LG Viewty thrashed every other mobile phone at the end of 2007, I reckon it’s a pretty safe bet…

Visit our coming soon page, and let us email you when LG KC910 Renoir is released!

I’ve been waiting for this mobile phone to get released for a while, since it falls under the heading of ‘handsets I really want to have a muck about with’. It’s the newest, sleekest and sexiest Blackberry to hit the shelves.

Yep, it’s the Blackberry Bold 9000. And I’ll say right now, that it’s a stunner.

Let me think, what’s the best way to describe it…? Well, imagine a Blackberry 8310 Curve (the one with the QWERTY keyboard) got genetically modified and merged with an iPhone, and then had leather glued on the back. What you get in the Blackberry Bold 9000 is a mobile phone that looks as good as the iPhone (that metal edging round the front always does it for me), but that comes with the newest version of the Blackberry operating system, so that in terms of power, the Blackberry Bold 9000 easily gives other mobile phones a good kicking.

So, you get HSDPA (a first in the Blackberry range), you get WiFi, you get GPS, and you get a 2 megapixel camera. Ok, granted, the camera’s not the best, but let’s be honest, if you’re getting a Blackberry Bold 9000, you’re getting it for one main reason.

It’s the same reason most people get a Blackberry.

Email.

In terms of mobile, go anywhere email, nothing can touch Blackberry mobile phones, and with that full QWERTY keyboard, that little mini-trackball under the screen to navigate your way round, and with ‘push emails’ (the famous Blackberry email access), the Blackberry Bold 9000 sets the new standard.

Let’s face it, it rocks. I refuse to use marketing speak. It rocks. It’s as simple as that!

Don’t miss out! Grab yourself a Blackberry Bold 9000, today!

You may remember, ages and ages ago, I did a story about phones in Spooks, the BBC’s rather awesome drama about MI5. And they didn’t come out well, because they all had rather old, rubbish mobile phones.

But now, there’s a new spin-off show, oh yes there is. And it has a whole new, younger cast. And so, logically, they have new, younger mobile phones!

Before I get onto what mobile phones they actually are, I feel duty bound to give my views on the new spin-off, Spooks Code 9. Well, it’s not bad. It’s not Spooks. But it’s not bad. Truth be told, I miss Adam, Harry and Malcolm (or, as we’ve taken to calling them, Bond, M and Q…), and it’s just not the same without them. However, I do want to set one rumour to bed right now. I’m not watching it just because it has Georgia Moffett in it.

I’m watching it because it has intrigue and action.

Oh ok, and Georgia Moffett.

But only because her dad used to be Doctor Who.

Anyway, mobile phones…

Well, all the new, young, exciting MI5 agents (who, unfortunately make it feel a bit like 1984 meets This Life) seem to have the HTC Touch. Except when they don’t, and then they have the LG Viewty. The silver one. All very nice, both really good mobile phones (I’ve always preferred the Viewty, if I’m honest), but there’s a problem. Y’see, Spooks Code 9 is set in 2013, after a fictional nuclear attack on London. The HTC Touch and the LG Viewty are available, now.

So, this new, exciting, young MI5 actually use mobile phones (not to mention cars) that are 5 years old.

So, what are we to learn from this? Well…

1. BBC3 picked up-to-date mobile phones when they filmed Spooks Code 9, but technology develops so quickly, they’re now being superseded.

2. BBC3 thought no-one would notice.

3. No-one did notice except me.

4. I have way too much time on my hands.

It’s these important life lessons you just don’t get from other blogs!

It won’t make you into a spy, but it is a gorgeous mobile phone… be cool and grab yourself an LG Viewty!

If you’re a fan of Nokia, Monday’s going to be a rather good day for you, because news has come down the wire from the Boy Genius Report that Nokia are going to be privately unveiling two brand new mobile phones, to select people, a week before their official unveiling.

Which means you can guarantee someone will leak it out onto the net before the official unveiling, in which case, I’ll be there, waiting, with a gleam in my eye, and notebook in hand!

There’s no official word yet on what mobile phones Nokia will be shouting (well, whispering, really) about on Monday, but the Boy Genius Report is saying they reckon it’ll be the N79 and the N85, which look to be designed to fill in the gap between the already available Nokia N78 and the upcoming Nokia N96, which, let’s face it, will be a vastly more powerful phone. It even has a kick-stand for when you’re watching mobile TV.

And it’s sleek. Come to think of it, the Nokia N96 is probably one of the few Nokias I actually like.

But I digress…

Needless to say, since they’ve not actually been announced yet, specs and features are a bit thin on the ground, but both mobile phones are expected to pack a 5 megapixel camera, with the higher-end Nokia N85 packing in GPS and a dual slide in the N95-style.

And before anyone asks, I’m willing to say categorically that the Monday announcement almost definitely won’t include the Nokia 5800 aka the ‘Tube’ aka Nokia’s first S60 Touch touchscreen mobile phone. Because it’s not an Nseries phone. And the announcement has Nseries at the top. So it’s relatively safe to assume it’ll be an Nseries announcement…

Logical, that.

So, those of us waiting to see official info and pics about Nokia’s iPhone-Killer, better known as Batman’s phone since it appeared in The Dark Knight, will have to wait a bit longer…

Don’t want to wait for the N85? Let us email you when the awesome Nokia N96 is released!

Ah, another day, another prospective iPhone-Killer. This time, it’s Samsung’s turn (again), with a mobile phone that looks the business and is probably more powerful than Mexico: the Samsung i900 Omnia.

It looks like the iPhone has some real competition here!

Let’s start with the obvious thing, the design, since the Samsung i900 Omnia is about as sleek as they come. Design’s becoming a big thing for a lot of mobile phones, nowadays (some might say not a minute too soon), and this one’s clearly no exception. I mean look at it. Just look at it. It’s gorgeous.

It’s like someone took Cameron Diaz and made her into a mobile phone…

The obvious comparison with the design is going to be the iPhone, though, which seems fair enough, since it does look very iPhone-inspired. Still, is that a bad thing? The important thing is that with the Samsung i900 Omnia, you’re getting the supermodel of mobile phones.

I’ll just say it looks mouth-watering and leave it at that.

Right, onto performance and features; some of the best mobile phones today are selling themselves based on both looks and spec. Hardly surprising, then, that the Samsung i900 Omnia’s doing the same. First up is the software base that everything else comes from, and you’re in safe hands, because the Omnia’s a Windows Mobile phone.

Ah, but, it’s Windows Mobile with a difference, as it uses a new software interface on top of the standard Windows gubbins.

Which is a good thing.

Because it looks brilliant, meaning you get the raw power of Windows Mobile, but it feels like you’re not using Windows Mobile, but this sleek, bespoke thing that wiggles and jiggles under your fingertips. Chuck in a 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA, and the big killer app, built-in GPS, and the Samsung i900 Omnia’s a winner.

Order the amazing Samsung i900 Omnia, today!

More exciting news from HTC, now, as it appears the HTC Touch Pro is due to be released before the end of August.

Hopefully, anyway.

According to the official Vodafone website, the HTC Touch Pro is due to land this month, or as they put it, ‘launch expected in August’. This is rather exciting news, as the Touch Pro is all set to become the newest and most awesome of HTC’s range of mobile phones. Now, you might ask why, but if you cast your mind back to Jillian’s reaction when she saw the HTC Diamond, you’ll understand why.

The HTC Touch Pro is essentially the same mobile phone, but with a QWERTY keyboard and a couple of extra bits grafted on.

This is a good thing, because the Diamond is stunning, but to jog your memories, it’s HTC’s first counter-strike against the iPhone 3G. Running Windows Mobile 6.1, it’s ludicrously high-powered, and on top of that solid foundation, you’ve got the TouchFLO 3D interface. Which is beautiful. It’s easily one of the best interfaces I’ve seen on any mobile phones, and… well, I’ll say this, you probably won’t even notice you’re using a Windows Mobile phone.

Since the HTC Touch Pro takes that, and the 3 megapixel camera, and the GPS, and the super-fast web access, and the Opera web browser, but then adds even more in the shape of a wonderfully responsive QWERTY keyboard, and a memory card slot (which the Diamond doesn’t have), it’s fair to say this is going to be HTC’s most powerful mobile phone yet.

Put it this way, if you’re even thinking of buying a Windows Mobile phone, it comes down to a choice of two, I reckon. This one, or the Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia… and the Touch Pro’s going to be out first, if everything pans out as Vodafone say it will.

Want more info? Let us notify you when the HTC Touch Pro is released!

Over the past few weeks, rumours have abounded about the HTC Dream, rumoured to be the first phone to use the Google Android operating system, the open source system designed to take mobile phones to the next level.

The Google-phone, in other words…

Well, now, a rumour’s popped up that says we might be seeing it sooner than we think. According to Tmonews, T-Mobile USA will be taking pre-orders for the HTC Dream (or the G1, and since it may end up being called the G1, this is what I’m calling it from now on. Plus, ‘Dream’ sounds a bit soppy…), from existing American customers in September. That does tend to imply we’re going to see the finished HTC G1 by the end of the year. In fact, according to the same site, the HTC G1 should be officially announced some time in October.

Hmm, how very intriguing.

The rumoured specs of it sound a bit unbelievable, as well, specifically when we’re talking about the screen, since it’s rumoured the HTC G1 will have a wide-aspect touchscreen that measures 3 inches by 5 inches. That makes the screen just under 6 inches {5.83 inches to be exact) from corner to corner, or to put it another way, bigger than any other mobile phones in the world. Yep, that’s right, no other mobile phones whatsoever come close to the size of the rumoured screen on the HTC G1.

Not even the iPhone. That comes in at 3.5 inches. Put it this way, if it’s true, not only is it bigger than most other mobile phones’ screens, the screen will be bigger than most other mobile phones!

I’m stunned. Honestly, I was so excited, I made a mock-up (that picture just up there, look…), to get my head round how awesome it’ll look…

Other specs include a 3 megapixel camera, as in the HTC Diamond, and, of course, the Google Android operating system. It also seems like you’ll have to have a Gmail account to activate the phone, in much the same way that you have to have iTunes to activate the iPhone.

Either way, purely on the size of that screen, this is a mobile phone to watch very, very, very, very closely. And of course, since it’s HTC, it’ll be ludicrously powerful.

Oh, and if it does get announced in October, that’s going to be around the same time as my birthday and when my contract’s due up. And we have another Sony Ericsson announcement to come in September, were they’re supposed to be unveiling some really top end mobile phones (which’d better be the Hecaro/Hikaro/Hikaru/whatever-it’s-called, or there’ll be trouble…)

Looks my choice over what my next phone will be just got more complicated…

Check out the competition the Google-phone will be up against!

Back in 2003, Sony Ericsson shocked everyone. Mobile phones back then weren’t the sleek, svelte things they are nowadays, which is why EVERYONE found the Sony Ericsson T610 to be something new, exciting and very sexy.

Yes, I do still get misty-eyed when I think back to them days…

So, you can guarantee anyone who remembers the T610 with fond memories (such as my best mate, who I immediately texted when I saw pics of it, saying “Gemsie, Gemsie, look, new T610!”) is going to absolutely adore the Sony Ericsson T700. Mind you, let’s face it, even people who don’t remember that mobile phone should love the T700, since it’s frankly stunning. Partly, that’s due to the sheer fact it measures only 10mm thick, but mainly it’s due to the premium metal body. I’ve always been a sucker for mobile phones with a metal shell (instant way of making the phone you’ve designed look cooler), and the Sony Ericsson T700 does not disappoint.

Now, I could go on about the features, about the 3 megapixel camera, the awesome media player or the HSDPA that’ll let you get online at up to 3.6Mbps, but let’s be honest; yes, the Sony Ericsson T700 is really powerful, and yes, it’ll do loads, but the reason I want one is because it looks like a T610, only sexier.

I mean come on, it’s all metal, and everything. It’s one of those mobile phones that’s just designed to make you want to hold it and purr contentedly.

If you haven’t worked it out yet, I’ll say it categorically: I. Want. A. Sony Ericsson T700. Now. There’s no word on release dates yet, but you can keep an eye on our coming soon page, or sign up to our newsletter (where I can guarantee Melanie, the editor, WILL swoon over it) for more info.

Leave us a comment and have your say!