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Posts Tagged ‘3G’

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1 July, 2010.MiFi iPad

Zoe Corkill has been trying out the Three MiFi v1 unit with her iPad.

Needless to say Zoe (@zoecorkhill) has been putting the MiFi through its paces and is finding it most agreeable:

“Since using the MiFi I’ve been feeling a bit spoiled, however. The ability to just be able to connect up to the net (almost) anywhere I go is great, and I think I’m going to end up buying the v2 model when it comes out in a few weeks time.”

When purchasing the iPad there was of course the 3G option, however Zoe details why initially she didn’t go for this and why now, despite enjoying being able to ‘get online out and about’ with her iPad and the MiFi, she’s still pleased with her choice:

“The MiFi unit & iPad setup has a couple of advantages over the 3G model iPad on its lonesome. To me, a couple of these advantages are high priority […]”

These are that she feels the MiFi is faster, you can connect up to 5 devices to the MiFi, it is available on PAYG and the up front price is more competitive. She details why these features are important to her and fully intends to update again on the iPad and MiFi combo after a little more road testing.

Have you been using your iPad with the MiFi? Let us know your thoughts.

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21 April, 2010.INQ Mini 3G

For roughly a week Matthew Hoare of Matthew Hoare’s Journal has been in possession of an INQ Mini and he has posted a review on the handset.

Overall he takes the rough with the smooth, noting good integration of apps, but finding them too basic. He made use of the Twitter and Facebook apps most seeing as these are services he uses on his regular device. An example of what he saw as short-comings would be the display of status updates from Facebook on the INQ Mini,


“Peoples names are in the same font style as the statuses. Therefore it’s hard to distinguish between the names and the actual statuses. Perhaps having names in bold would improve it. Maybe this is just me being picky.”



He was however more impressed with the navigation through the user interface of the phone,


“On the side of the phone there is a scroll function where you can scroll through your apps, which works well. You can use the scroll whilst in the apps to change between the tools and apps you looking for, which I thought was quite useful.”



This also tied in with the overall aesthetics of the device, the bright and vibrant styling of the menus and especially the red back.



So what did a week with the INQ Mini teach Matthew?


“I think this phone is aimed at the younger teenage market, which I think this phone would be perfect for as its compact and lightweight, therefore perfect for teenagers to catch up on with their friends when they are out and about.”



Do you agree? Leave Matthew a comment on his site.


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20 April, 2010.3 Skypephone

UK Gadgeteer has covered the news that 3UK have launched a £10 per month tariff.


Although he suggests it is ‘more limited’ than he had hoped the deal works out as such,


“The Nokia 5230 on the £15 per month Texter Plan (18-month contract, 75 minutes, “unlimited” 3000 texts, and no Internet), but with the price plan reduced to £10 per month”




The offer is due to run until the 3rd of May, so you’ve got a few weeks to decided whether this is a deal you’d like to take advantage of. UK Gadgeteer sees it being of most benefit to those currently topping-up monthly around the £10 mark that are willing to switch to a contract because,


“[It is] a nice way to get a free phone upgrade, especially as buying the phone on PAYG would normally cost £130.”



If you’d like to read more head to the UK Gadgeteer post.


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23 October, 2009.INQ

UKGadgeteer is currently testing out the INQ Mini and is impressed with the openness of the company surrounding their products. He is especially impressed with the technical support option Get Satisfaction,

“Not just does this help the end user in getting answers to their questions, it can also offer useful information over and above what the mobile network operator may tell you.”

When it comes to UKGadgeteer’s first tip however, it is all about hooking your browser up to m.inq.getjar.com and having a delve through the many applications, a lot of which are free, meaning,

“It offers easy access to Java / Brew specific applications which are pretty much guaranteed to run fine on the phone. So, there’s the tip; if you are looking for additional applications for your INQ Mini, head to m.inq.getjar.com and see what’s available.”

Let us know if you discover a gem…

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12 October, 2009.Mobile Broadband

It seems a fairly bold statement to say the least from Carphone Warehouse’s chief executive Charles Dunstone,

“We get a sense that the mobile broadband thing has peaked. We are seeing some of those people begin to realise that the bandwidth you get on mobile is so much less than you get on a fixed line.”

The company’s direction has clearly moved toward fixed broadband, so such statements are in line with the direction that they’re taking, but peaked? Maybe it’s a reaction to the news that Talk Talk, Carphone’s fixed-line business, has seen further growth for the second quarter running. Even so, the point on which this story gets into trouble is highlighted by Broadband Genie,

“[…] few would argue that mobile broadband was ever really mooted as a replacement for fixed-line alternatives – yet, anyway.”

As the mobile industry progresses though this possibility is certainly beginning to increase in size on the mobile data horizon. In opposition of Dunstone’s comments is Andrew Cowie’s post at the Guardian, contemplating an entirely different perspective,

“Is it time to lose the landline and just have a mobile phone for calls and a 3G broadband dongle for the internet?”

The argument for one or the other is currently settled on issues of coverage and what it is you do online… but will one eventually marginalise the other?

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24 September, 2009.Handsets INQ INQ1

Amongst the current INQ Mini reviews and previews, the Mobile Deals Compared (MDC) blog has decided to focus on the INQ Chat, referring to it as an affordable alternative to the more well know smartphone brands.

Making a focus of the integrated features and of course that Qwerty keyboard, MDC is holding on to high hopes for the Chat, especially as they were so impressed with the INQ1,

“[…] the INQ Chat 3G truly has the potential to be a more affordable version of the Blackberry for those who have an eye for the famed smartphone, but not the wallet.”

Are you looking forward to the arrival of the INQ Chat?

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12 August, 2009.Mobile Broadband

Charles Arthur at The Guardian may have given up on femtocells (mini mobile masts for home use that use your broadband connection to plug your phone into the wider network), but the news that manufacturer Ubiquisys has just raised $11 million suggests he may have spoken too soon.

TechCrunch quotes Ubiquisys CEO Chris Gilbert, “The femtocell industry is about to enter a phase of aggressive growth”. This is quite the opposite of the opinion expressed by Charles, who has long hoped for this ‘aggressive growth’ so as to solve his problem of living in a rural area where there is “great broadband but terrible mobile reception.”

As Charles continues he turns his attention to mobile wi-fi and the rise of the dongle, something 3 has staked an interest in and, if you were in any doubt, have a look at what Ewan from Mobile Industry Review has been up to…

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29 July, 2009.Mobile Broadband

ISPreview have covered the news that the European Commission’s Council of Ministers have followed the lead of the European Parliament in approving a proposal that will allow 3G mobile broadband services to use the 900MHz frequency band, currently reserved for 2G activity.

“The move could result in industry savings of up to €1.6 billion because operators will not need to invest as much cash into new Mobile Broadband infrastructure (fewer base stations). The 900MHz band also has a greater range and exists in areas where other bands have yet to be established. For example, just think of all the areas where your phone can get a 2G but not 3G signal…”

Food for thought indeed, especially when it comes to how this will affect the UK operators, something ISPreview discusses…

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18 June, 2009.Tariffs

3, as part of their Free Calls Forever campaign, are offering free SIMs – one for you and one for a friend.

All you need to do is get your free SIM, pop it in a unlocked 3G phone and you’ll be able to Skype your day away, all day, every day for nothing. All you need to do is head here and enter your details and 3 will aim to deliver your pair of SIMs within five working days.

“We’ll send you a free SIM, plus an extra one to give to a mate – so you can both benefit from free calls to each other. The more people you tell about this great offer, the more people you can talk to for free…”

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

*update* Apologies on our behalf for suggesting you can Skype away all day… this isn’t as yet the case. Although you’ll be able to make regular calls, Skype won’t be available until later in the year via the free SIMs – likely early Q4.

*Further update* As there was some confusion around this we sought some clarification from 3 – Skype will work on almost all 3 branded 3G handsets, but at the moment not on 3G handsets that hadn’t originally come from 3. 3 have told us they’re working on a solution over the summer that might solve this problem for some of the most popular 3G handsets that hadn’t originally been bought from 3. In the meantime, the good news is you can use 3’s SIMs in non 3 3G handsets to make calls, send texts, and access the internet. And if you’re using one of the free PAYG SIMs currently being given away, you can get free texts and internet everytime you top up – no matter where your 3G phone came from.

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At Top 10 Broadband, Jonathan Leggett has written on a Financial Times story that suggests 3 are set to acquire the UK division of T-Mobile.

It appears that T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telecom is looking to sell the UK division and with the networks currently positioned as they are, speculation suggests 3 are likely to take the reins, “The two firms currently already share their mobile broadband and mobile phone network. Furthermore, 3 does not have a 2G mobile network of its own.”

Jonathan suggests that if the merger were to go ahead “it would create one of the mobile broadband sector’s largest players and would dramatically boost 3’s already-growing customer base.” Interesting stuff, but with 3 and T-Mobile declining to comment we can only wait.

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News of Skype on the iPhone has prompted a response from 3, as reported by Pocket-Lint’s Amy-Mae Elliot.

The operator has pointed out not only have they been offering the service since 2006, but also that Skype on the iPhone functions differently. Whereas the iPhone relies on Wi-Fi, 3 use the 3G network meaning customers can make a Skype call whenever they have a signal.

Available on contracts from £9 a month and for regularly topping up PAYG customers it is no surprise that the network sees “over 1 million minutes of Skype to Skype calls [being] made on 3 every month.”

For Pocket-Lint’s full article click through…

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23 February, 2009.Mobile Broadband

3 have secured Target Components for distributing their 3G starter kits across the UK.

Sam Trendall of CRN has the details on Target being given the charge of supplying the pre-loaded dongles. The starter kits are valid for 12 months and can be subsequently topped up, and in the case of Target will be bundled with laptops. Target’s purchasing manager Kelly Burnley stated “We have seen a massive growth in laptop and netbook sales […] Customers have been asking us for mobile broadband products.”

To read more on this, click through.

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27 November, 2008.Handsets

The 3G Forum has been directed to a Washington Post article by e1000er discussing the possibility of 3 UK picking up the iPhone.

It comes from comments made by CEO Kevin Russell suggesting it is something the provider would look at. The news is met with differing opinions, both freddyg and Dave_Keys are optimistic, speculating regarding the iPhone and 3’s extensive 3G network. Wenklaw, however is far more dismissive, believing the device is over-hyped.

For the rhyme and reasons and to give your own views join in here.

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13 August, 2008.Mobile Broadband

Outside of the box is a good place to be when it comes to doing something a little different. In light of this I give you one of Stephen Waddington’s projects, the wireless webcam.

Sure, when he received his 3 mobile broadband dongle he put it to use checking email while on the move, web browsing, uploading images to Flickr, posting blog entries and demo web applications in meetings. But that’s not all! He also hooked up a webcam with TinCam and a dongle to upload images to his piece of the web.

“The data throughput isn’t gutsy enough to act as a live connection and would quickly max out your data plan but uploading a captured image (about 30 to 40kB depending to quality) webcam image to a web server every few minutes is entirely viable.”

Stephen finishes by asking whether 3G could see the rise of temporary, mobile webcams. What do you think? Also he asks if might just be an excitable geek in a manner that suggests something is wrong with such a status?

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30 May, 2008.Mobile Broadband

There’s been a couple of interesting threads regarding 3 mobile broadband recently: one on Urban75 forum the other on boards.ie. In the Urban75 thread, ‘miss direct’ writes that she’s thinking of signing up to 3 mobile broadband using the half price deal as she’s an existing customer. She asks if 3GB a month will be enough, and also how fast the service is. ‘ChrisFilter’ reckons 3GB is “enough for browsing” but maybe not for downloading music or streaming TV programmes, while ‘Tricky Skills’ of London tells of his 1GB a month deal, claiming “It’s great for me… Connection is good and the speeds are fine for browsing”. If you’ve got any experiences to add, head on over to Urban75.

Meanwhile on boards.ie, ‘Glenman’ reports that he’s getting a great 3G signal despite living “in the middle of the hills near the Bluestack mountains on the back road between Glenties and Ballybofey”. Sounds charmingly rural! He asks whether 3G is transmitted by most of the masts in Ireland, to which ‘sesswhat’ links to a map on the 3 website which can be used to check coverage anywhere in the country. When conversation turns to Vodafone’s coverage ‘Jimmycrackcorm’ follows this up by writing “3 have the best 3G coverage in the country” Have you any experience of using 3 mobile broadband in Ireland? Let the members of boards.ie know what you think.

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