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Archive for the ‘Spotify’ Category

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12 July, 2010.Handsets Spotify

@GadgetVenue and @UKGadgeteer were discussing last week, Three’s launch of two new Android devices, the HTC Wildfire and the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro.

Matthew from @GadgetVenue recommends people who are in need of a new contract to consider these handsets on The One Plan, especially due to the six months free Spotify they come with:

“Three has a decent deal going on with “The One Plan” and is well worth checking out if you are in need of a new contract.”

@UKGadgeteer gives an in-depth overview of both the phones and points out that it is nice to see Three offering more exclusives in the market:

“[Three] are now sufficiently recognised by the manufacturers to at least able to negotiate colour exclusives, and you never know, maybe this time next year, we’ll see a worthy smartphone launch exclusively on 3UK…”

If you’re thinking of getting one of these phones on Three let us know – we’d love to hear what you think!

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11 May, 2010.HTC Hero Skype Spotify


Mat from matgreenfield.com has been testing out the HTC hero on Three for the past couple of weeks.



He’s posted a pretty opinionated piece on the phone giving it an overall score of 8/10 – not bad as he’s a pretty strict marker!



He’s not a fan of the ‘chin’ on the Hero and feels that the speakers let the music quality on Spotify down slightly, but is overall impressed with the Spotify app and the speed at which it buffers and plays in his area.



He also talks about his experiences with the Skype, Twitter and WLM apps on the Hero, all of which are free on Three.



Go and see what he thinks of these apps and their use in today’s world by jumping over to his blog.


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3 March, 2010.HTC Hero Handsets Spotify


We’ve had some lovely ladies testing the HTC Hero over the past couple of weeks.



Vikki (@vikkichowney) of The Really Mobile Project, Natasha (@natashabailie), Carrie (@wishwishwish), Amy (@wolfwhistle) and Frankie (@swellvintage) have all tried out the phone on 3.



The general consensus so far has been very positive, although the Hero did take some getting used to by all, mainly due to the touch screen and its being constantly online.



The camera on it seemed to go down well, with Frankie using it to post pictures from the day at London Fashion Weekend. But will it help make up Vikki’s mind as to whether she needs a Hero? Or will the Spotify subscription included help seal the deal?



Check out all their posts to see their thoughts on the phone and ask them any questions about their time with the Hero.


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15 February, 2010.HTC Hero Spotify

Mark (@markb44z) of The Boulton Bugle has been reviewing the HTC Hero on 3 and has posted his thoughts on his blog.



He was using the trial as a testing period for his approaching upgrade on 3 and seems to have rather liked it:



“I absolutely LOVE this phone, it is quite simply incredible!…It’s definitely top of my list now to upgrade to in June”



Mark especially liked all the apps that come with the Hero, especially the Spotify app.:



“…I have to say I was very impressed indeed, it looks fantastic, is very easy to navigate your way around and search for tracks”



It looks like Mark may very well be choosing to upgrade to an HTC Hero on 3. If anyone has any other suggestions for his upgrade, pop over and let him know.


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10 February, 2010.Mobile Broadband Spotify


So Monday saw the #3UKBigGiveAway which generated a lot of interest on Twitter and elsewhere.



Today people were getting their emails from 3 telling them whether they had won or not and we have seen a lot of updates on Twitter, both happy and sad!



Members of MoneySavingExpert seem to have had a lot of luck, with one thread being choca with winners.



Congratulations to all the winners and our condolences to all the losers – keep a look out for anymore promotions from 3UK and let us know if you were one of the lucky ones!


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22 December, 2009.Spotify


Over the last few months we’ve been heavily involved in a number of things Spotify related, from the announcement of the very own party. Now we have more, 3 have announced that their Spotify app is now available on Symbian phones as well as Android. If you have an E63, N97, Satio or similar then head on over to Planet 3 to download the app and open yourself up to 6 million tracks on the go.



As before all you need a Spotify Premium account which will cost you £9.99 a month. For more information head over to here.

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24 November, 2009.HTC Hero Handsets Spotify

Liam Green-Hughes has brought together his thoughts on the Hero:

In his words, “Smartphones are computers that happen to be able to make phone calls, and that leads to some interesting possibilities”

That’s a good point actually – and if you look at Liam’s piece you’d be forgiven for thinking at times that you were reading a computer review, not a phone one. Take this example:

“The “home” screen is in fact one of six virtual desktops, you can screen between them using the trackball and there is an indication on the screen of what desktop you are on”

And again:

“A big win for the Android platform is that it is multitasking. You can keep…applets running, listen to music, “scrobble” it to last.fm and interact with Twitter all at once for example”

The Hero, after all, is a phone very much focused on providing a lot of the functionality of a computer whilst you’re on the move.  Google’s Android OS has opened up myriad opportunities to beef up your phone and turn it into a portable PC…or near enough.



Overall Liam came out of his trial with a lot of positive stuff to say about the Hero:

“The Android operating system and the software supplied are very good, full of nice touches that make it a pleasure to use”

“I am convinced now that my next phone must be an Android phone, it is quite clearly the future” (more…)

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19 November, 2009.HTC Hero Handsets Spotify

The HTC Hero is a big talking point right now.



As 3’s first foray into the world of Android it’s been welcomed with enthusiasm, but also with acutely honed critical eyes. As an up-and-coming handset manufacturer pitched in direct competition with other high-end devices on the market it seems that everyone’s keen to see whether or not the Hero lives up to it’s name.



We’ve been lucky enough to be able to offer out the handset on trials to those interested in checking it out in more depth. The first set of trials are just coming to a close and the results have been interesting thus far.



Abul (@adonisdemon) has posted his initial thoughts on his mobile site.



“What has been a surprise is the battery performance of the device. I’d say it’s been pretty heavy usage on it throughout the day, it always is when friends all around want to play with it. But approximately 2.5 hours of constant Youtube streaming via 3G, GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi on all the time and it’s lasted around 8 hours.”



“The camera I have to say has been the biggest disappointment, I expect a much better result from something boasting 5 Mega Pixels with autofocus and such. Having no flash doesn’t help it’s cause but even in daylight it’s slow and pretty awkward to use”



I spoke to Abul a bit more about the camera last night at a 3mobilebuzz meetup and he tested it “live” against a couple of other phones that we had with us. The consensus amongst those present was that it’s an area for improvement.



Elsewhere, Mauricio (@reyes) posted on reyespowered.com about his first 24 hrs with the Hero.



“I have mentioned before that my weapon of choice is an iPhone. Naturally one of the first things I would to try out would be the Android marketplace, it did not disappoint. I found it is packed full of choices. There is a plethora of widgets to look through which was fun.”



Round 2 of the trials is upon us and 4 more lucky readers will get their hands on the HTC Hero for a week, so expect further updates on their thoughts.



Do you have one yet? If so, what do you think of it so far?


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5 November, 2009.HTC Hero Spotify

Last night we gathered to celebrate Spotify on HTC Hero coming to 3, and the event was a great success.

But don’t just take my word for it – here’s a selection of the Twitter highlights:

James (@Jamesbody) got into rock character with a classic “John Lennon meets Elton John” wig – “Just tested my new party hair for #3UKSpotifyParty out in the office – it is so good to make people smile!”

As we soaked up the culture at Proud Galleries the HTC Hero was demonstrated for us by Emma Wells, 3’s Product Manager for HTC Hero. Naturally, the opportunity to play with a neat new handset was greeted with much enthusiasm, as Liam (@liamgh) testified: “At the 3uk spotify event! Just seen the HTC hero, nice. #3ukspotifyparty”

Cally and Liam have a wig-off

Cally and Liam have a "wig-off"

(more…)

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30 October, 2009.Spotify

Our Spotify Party Playlist currently stands at an impressive 152 songs – over 9 solid hours of musical joy.

Party details are Located Here, and you can add to the party playlist to your heart’s content. Let us know what you’ve added and why!

I’m listening to it right now, and thought I’d pull out a few highlights so far:

“I Want You Back” by the Jackson Five – This is probably the greatest Jackson Five song ever recorded, and is a perennial party classic. I’ve never seen anyone dance to this song and look bad.

“YMCA” by The Village People – Laugh all you like at their outlandish outfits, you can’t argue with that funky bass line.

And let’s not forget “Dance the Night Away” by The Mavericks – Country music doesn’t often make it onto a party playlist, but this song literally states the intent of every party goer – “I just want to dance the night away”. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

(more…)

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28 October, 2009.HTC Hero Spotify

As we recently mentioned, 3 have announced a partnership with Spotify and HTC Hero bringing together the two award-winning pieces of technology in one package.

To celebrate this we’re throwing a party!

We’ve set up a Page With all the Details for your convenience.

Dressing up is encouraged – the theme being “Rock Stars Through the Ages”. Here at 3mobilebuzz we’re already thinking hard about what to wear. Rumours of Cher wigs, plastic guitars and spandex are in abundance.

We’re also going to be playing (Possibly) The Greatest Spotify Playlist in the World throughout the night. You can contribute by following the link on the event page. Whether it’s a favourite dance track, an air-guitar smasher, or a tune that brings back memories of a great night out, we want to listen to your songs and know your reasons for choosing them!

If you’d like to come along then please let us know – either by signing up on the event page, or by emailing phil@3mobilebuzz.com or cally@3mobilebuzz.com

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19 October, 2009.HTC Hero Spotify

As expected, this morning’s announcement (3 Announce Partnership with HTC Hero and Spotify) has generated a good deal of discussion already.

Mike Butcher at TechCrunch posts that this “is a pretty good deal”, and goes on to ask:

“How long before we start seeing handsets with “Comes with Spotify” stickers?”

That post has generated 13 comments so far, including scpanza’s neat summary – “great phone + great app + great tariff…glad to see 3…+ Spotify bringing services with users in mind”.

Elsewhere, at Social Media Mashup the news is greeted with mixed feelings:

“Mobile operator 3 UK has announced plans to include Spotify Premium for mobile on their first Android handset, the HTC Hero. Thats the good news, the bad news is you have to have a 24 month contract to secure it.”

Meanwhile, Ewan at Mobile Industry Review has only positive things to say:

“…a flippin’ wicked deal. A really, really good deal…Compelling, relevant and very fair. This is the kind of deal that is likely to get a lot of people wondering why they’re sticking with their existing operator.”

(more…)

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19 October, 2009.HTC Hero Handsets Spotify

Exciting news comes hot off the press this morning as 3 have announced a new partnership with Spotify and the HTC Hero.

By doing this, 3 have become the first UK operator to bundle Spotify premium into a compelling tariff and handset offer.

It’s an award winning combination. We were lucky enough to witness first hand as Spotify won Innovation of the Year at last week’s T3 Gadget Awards. On the very same evening HTC Hero picked up Gadget of the Year and Phone of the Year.

Bringing the two technologies together on 3’s network is a tasty prospect.

Ben Smith from The Really Mobile Project, who was with us at the T3 awards last week, says: “they’ve chosen to launch it [Spotify] on their first Android handset, the HTC Hero (fantastic news…)”

Faisal Galaria, Global Head of Business Development at Spotify says: “We’re intent on offering people a high quality, simple yet powerful portable music experience at a fair price and we’re thrilled to be working with 3 to bring Spotify to UK music fans.”

We’ll be posting further reaction and comment as the news spreads so watch this space.

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