Hey, I'm Nirave - based out of London, I'm the European Editor for FoneArena. I love travelling and can usually be found reading, playing with the latest tech or writing about travel and tech. EE may have just launched their own fixed broadband and TV service in the UK but chief rival Vodafone is close behind. Whilst talking about the Group’s fixed service income, Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao noted that the company was set to launch its own residential broadband and TV service in the UK in Spring 2015.
Continue reading “Vodafone to launch UK broadband and TV services next Spring”
Last week Huawei unveiled their latest attempt to crack the European market; dubbed the Honor 6, it’s something different from Huawei’s usual handsets and unlike the Ascend range, the Honor 6 (and presumably future devices in the range) do not come with Huawei branding. The Chinese manufacturer has previously suffered bad publicity in the UK and Europe – over allegations that it sends user data back to servers in China that the Chinese government can access – and the Honor 6 is designed to offer the complete Huawei package without any negative stigma attached.
Continue reading “Huawei Honor 6 Unboxing and First Impressions”
Waiting to get your hands on the Nexus 6 in the UK? The wait appeared to be nearing an end after we saw an online retailer put the handset up for contract pre-orders earlier this week. Now Google has released the UK pricing for the Nexus 6 on Google Play and it’s certainly much dearer than past Nexus handsets. Continue reading “Nexus 6 Google Play UK pricing revealed”
EE’s new television service, EE TV, is now available to buy from EE Stores in the UK the network has announced. Unveiled last month, EE TV allows customers to view live and recorded programmes on their TV, smartphones and tablets whenever they are at home. Rather than fight over who gets to watch their favourite program, EE TV allows you to view four different programs on four different devices in four different rooms all at the same time. Continue reading “EE TV now available from EE Stores”
When it first came out, WhatsApp was being dubbed as the cross-platform sibling of BlackBerry Messenger but unlike the latter, WhatsApp didn’t show you when your message had been read. However that has all changed with WhatsApp now displaying 2 blue ticks when your message has been read. Continue reading “WhatsApp blue check marks mean your message has been read”
Vodafone UK have added Sky’s NOW TV service to the list of content that Vodafone 4G customers can opt for as part of their contract. NOW TV will join Spotify, Sky Sports Mobile TV and Netflix as options available to customers in the UK.
Continue reading “Vodafone UK bundles NOW TV with 4G contracts”
Tired of having your smartwatch linked to your phone and waiting for the Samsung Gear S to land in the UK? The wait is almost over as Samsung have announced that the Gear S will be launching in the UK this Friday. Samsung Experience Stores and network partner O2 will both be offering the smartwatch which runs on Samsung’s own proprietary platform and is only compatible with Samsung Galaxy handsets.
Continue reading “Samsung Gear S launches in the UK on November 7”
Since the launch of Three UK over 11 years ago, the network has been known for disrupting the status quo of the UK mobile market. Fast forward to the present day and whilst other networks offer capped data and 4G at a premium, Three UK offers unlimited 4G data and even allows you to use your UK allowances for free when roaming in selected countries around the world. Continue reading “Three UK One Plan customers to lose unlimited tethering?”
Earlier this week we heard that the UK government was considering introducing legislation to allow customers to roam across any mobile network when they had no coverage. The move was expected to be unpopular with the networks and an EE spokesperson has told Mobile the network believes ‘national roaming’ is a ‘flawed concept’ which would ‘deteriorate network reliability for tens of millions across the UK’. Continue reading “EE says UK national roaming is a ‘flawed concept’”
For fans awaiting the launch of the Google Nexus 6 in the UK, the wait is almost over as UK-based online retailer Mobiles.co.uk has announced the handset will launch in the UK on 1 December. As reported by Pocket-Lint, the Nexus 6 will be available to pre-order from 18 November and the retailer says that the handset “should be” from £28 per month. Unfortunately it doesn’t reveal the SIM free price of the handset, rather focusing on the details of the plan which uses the O2 network and offers unlimited minutes, texts and 1GB data each month. Continue reading “Nexus 6 UK launch on December 1, pre-orders from 18 November”
A leading American law firm has been asked to look into claims that Phones4u’s directors and mobile network partners were responsible for the company’s collapse into administration. Sky News has learnt that Quinn Emanual Urquhart and Sullivan has been appointed by the chain’s administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to look into the action of the directors before the demise. This could lead to legal action should the directors be judged to have breached their fiduciary duties as company directors.
Continue reading “Former Phones 4U Directors face legal action over collapse”
It was only a couple of years ago that we had no way of staying in contact when travelling beneath the streets of London but one lasting legacy of the 2012 Olympics Games has been Tube WiFi. Provided by Virgin Media, the service began shortly before the launch of the 2012 Games with a handful of stations but is now available in 150 in total.
To mark the occasion, the folks over at Virgin Media have created a rather stylish infographic showing some pretty impressive statistics for WiFi-usage on the Underground. One such stat is that there are now 2.5 million devices registered and there is more than 3 terabytes (1,000 GB) worth of data consumed on the network each day.
The top 10 busiest stations are: Euston, Warren Street, Oxford Circus, Green Park, Bank, Victoria, London Bridge, Waterloo, Canada Water and King’s Cross St. Pancras (which is the busiest station with an average of 50GB data downloaded per day). Unsurprisingly these are all underground where there is no cellular signal.
The six recently added stations include Wimbledon, Morden, Richmond, Barking, Upminster and East Ham. London Underground Wi-Fi is available without charge to Virgin Media broadband and mobile subscribers and EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three customers. Joe Lathan, Director of Broadband at Virgin Media, said:
This is a milestone moment for Virgin Media with 150 Tube stations and more than two and a half million devices now connected to WiFi on London Underground. Tube passengers have loved the WiFi service ever since we launched in time for London 2012. Now they can benefit from live travel information, news and social media in Tube stations across the capital.
Gareth Powell, London Underground’s Director of Strategy and Service Development, said:
WiFi on the Tube is one of many ways we’re improving our customers’ journeys and the service has moved from strength to strength since it launched in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games. We’re delighted that 150 stations on the Tube now have WiFi which will help our customers benefit from live travel information, news and social media while they are on the move across the capital.
Check out the full infographic below.
One benefit to having previously worked in the retail industry is that I often receive tips from people who work for major networks in the UK. As I can attest to, some of these tips can be absolute gems as people in retail often overhear things and the latest reveals tip some interesting information about iPhone 6 sales in the UK.
You know the feeling – where you’re in an unfamiliar area with nothing but your mobile device for guidance and you’re in a mobile ‘black spot’. The term refers to an area where there is absolutely zero coverage on a particular mobile network and this long-standing problem (especially in rural areas of the UK) could soon be a thing of the past.
Continue reading “UK government could introduce law to fix mobile ‘black spots’”
Let the rumour mill begin yet again as Sky is reportedly nearing a trial launch of its own mobile network in partnership with UK operator Vodafone.
Continue reading “Sky could launch mobile network in partnership with Vodafone in the UK”
