t-mobile | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 27 Apr 2022 08:13:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png t-mobile | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Group behind recent Nvidia and Microsoft attacks also breached T-Mobile https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/group-behind-recent-nvidia-and-microsoft-attacks-also-breached-t-mobile/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/group-behind-recent-nvidia-and-microsoft-attacks-also-breached-t-mobile/#respond Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:32:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=558219 The LAPSUS$ group made headlines this year after a string of high profile attacks on Nvidia, Microsoft and Samsung. Seven members of the group have since been arrested, but it seems that a few other attacks took place prior to this. The latest victim to come forward is T-Mobile, which has now confirmed that a …

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The LAPSUS$ group made headlines this year after a string of high profile attacks on Nvidia, Microsoft and Samsung. Seven members of the group have since been arrested, but it seems that a few other attacks took place prior to this. The latest victim to come forward is T-Mobile, which has now confirmed that a breach took place back in March. 

As reported by Krebs on Security, the group began talking about targeting T-Mobile roughly a week before arrests were made. The group purchased T-Mobile employee credentials and then went on to use that to obtain source code for the network's tools. One such tool is known as Atlas, and allows T-Mobile employees to perform SIM swaps. In the wrong hands, an attacker could use this to forward someone's texts and calls to a different phone, paving the way for spying, identity theft and other issues.

In a statement given to The Verge, T-Mobile confirmed the attack took place back in March, but maintains that the systems accessed “contained no customer or government information”. The group did attempt to crack into law enforcement accounts at T-Mobile, but were unable to do so due to additional verification requirements.

Since members of the group were arrested, it is unclear if the stolen code made its way into anyone else's hands.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: T-Mobile has faced a bunch of cyber attacks over the years, including a number of data breaches. A previous leak was likely responsible for $LAPSUS' ability to obtain employee credentials. 

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OnePlus 6T is now available to purchase https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/android/damien-cox/oneplus-6t-is-now-available-to-purchase/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/android/damien-cox/oneplus-6t-is-now-available-to-purchase/#respond Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:01:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=393388 October has proved to be one of the most jam-packed months for smartphones, with a variety of options coming from Google’s new Pixel 3 line, Huawei’s Mate 20 range and the Razer Phone 2. This was capped off with the launch of the latest “flagship killing” OnePlus 6T, which US carriers have now begun listing …

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October has proved to be one of the most jam-packed months for smartphones, with a variety of options coming from Google’s new Pixel 3 line, Huawei’s Mate 20 range and the Razer Phone 2. This was capped off with the launch of the latest “flagship killing” OnePlus 6T, which US carriers have now begun listing for sale.

As the leaks suggested, the OnePlus 6T features a frameless 6.41-inch AMOLED display at 1080 x 2340 resolution. Its large 85.6 percent screen-to-body ratio is largely thanks to the 16MP teardrop front-facing camera, while its rear dual lens setup supports optical stabilisation across its 16MP + 20MP cameras.

Under the glass hood sits Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor and an Adreno 630 GPU powered by a sizeable 3,700mAh battery. Consumers have the choice between 6GB and 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. Also underneath is the fingerprint sensor, which now sits beneath the display.

OnePlus has made a range of new improvements to its software, packing in the latest Android 9 Pie and its proprietary Oxygen OS. Big advancements can be seen in the camera software in particular, packing in new de-noise algorithms and a night mode for better low-light photography.

Although the price has seen a small bump when compared with its predecessors, the OnePlus 6T still remains competitively priced. For $549, consumers can grab the OnePlus 6T with 128GB of storage and 6GB RAM, while $579 amps up the RAM to 8GB. The full whack of 256GB of storage and 8GB RAM will set users back $629, directly from the official website.

US buyers can now jump in with T-Mobile, the first carrier in the States to include OnePlus within its 24.17-per-month plan for two years. Verizon has also confirmed that the network is entirely compatible despite not officially debuting as a retail partner for the new device.

UK residents can buy the device starting from £499, with a number of carriers housing a variety of plans to choose from. Devices are expected to ship by the 5th, however this varies per carrier and per country.

KitGuru Says: There will be some compromises to note on the OnePlus 6T, but it seems to be impressing reviewers as usual. Without any controversies in sight this time around, it looks as though the firm is onto a winner.

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Data-free music streaming breaches law, rules Dutch regulator https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/data-free-music-streaming-breaches-law-rules-dutch-regulator/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/data-free-music-streaming-breaches-law-rules-dutch-regulator/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2016 10:10:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=315478 Offering a music streaming service to consumers which doesn't use up their data package, has been ruled as a violation of net-neutrality laws, by a Dutch regulatory body. It claims that the service offered by T-Mobile in The Netherlands, is anti-competitive and must be stopped immediately. The Dutch Consumer and Markets regulator (AFM) highlighted that …

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Offering a music streaming service to consumers which doesn't use up their data package, has been ruled as a violation of net-neutrality laws, by a Dutch regulatory body. It claims that the service offered by T-Mobile in The Netherlands, is anti-competitive and must be stopped immediately.

The Dutch Consumer and Markets regulator (AFM) highlighted that by not using customer data through the T-Mobile streaming service, unsupported music streaming services, were at a competitive disadvantage. It has now leveraged a deterrent for T-Mobile, which will see it fined 50,000 euros a day that it keeps the service active.

tmobilestore

Source: Mtaylor848

The reason this is such a stickler for the Netherlands, is because of its strict net-neutrality laws. Much like anti-competitive legislation, net-neutrality guarantees that no web service can be prioritised or incentivised over another. In this case, by making it so that one streaming service would be essentially ‘free' by not requiring data usage, it meant that others were comparably more expensive.

Because T-Mobile is in an advantageous position to make such changes to its policies, it has fallen foul of the Dutch regulator and now will be likely to change its policies, if it does not halt the service entirely.

Reuters reports that T-Mobile has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Which music streaming services do you guys make the most use of? 

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T-Mobile is going after excessive mobile tethering users https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-is-going-after-excessive-mobile-tethering-users/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-is-going-after-excessive-mobile-tethering-users/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2015 20:03:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265584 T-Mobile has revealed its plans to go after excessive users of its ‘unlimited data' plan. Now we have known for some time that when a network offers unlimited data, there is always some kind of caveat attached and it turns out that some T-Mobile users have been using as much as 2TB of data per month …

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T-Mobile has revealed its plans to go after excessive users of its ‘unlimited data' plan. Now we have known for some time that when a network offers unlimited data, there is always some kind of caveat attached and it turns out that some T-Mobile users have been using as much as 2TB of data per month on their phone plans via tethering.

The customers using this much data are often using their phones as a tether for another device, like a computer, rather than just using the phone itself. On the $80 per month unlimited data plan, T-Mobile offers a 7GB limit for tethered use, the problem is that there are smartphone apps out there that can conceal tethered usage, making it harder for networks to tell what your data is being used on or used for.

TMobileLogo_5

By using masking apps, some T-Mobile users have been able to tether at full speed well past their 7GB limits, with some customers using as much as 2TB per month. Writing over on the T-Mobile blog, John Legere said:

“I am taking aim at a select group of individuals who have actually been stealing data from T-Mobile. If their activities are left unchecked their actions could eventually have a negative effect on the experience of honest T-Mobile customers. Not on my watch. We are going after a small group of users who are stealing data so blatantly and extremely that it is ridiculous.”

Now T-Mobile will be using new technology to spot when a person is tethering or attempting to mask their data usage. From there, it will crack down on those excessively relying on their phone plan for more than just smartphone use and racking up hundreds of gigabytes of data usage. Those caught will first be sent a warning and should they not comply, they could be banned from the unlimited data plan.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Normally I would see this as the network's fault for offering unlimited data usage in the first place. However, if users are masking their usage to go well beyond their 7GB tethering limit, then it is hard to fault T-Mobile for its approach. From the sounds of it, the company isn't going after those that use their unlimited data plans on their smartphones, but rather those that try and share that data with other devices as an alternative to a home internet connection.

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T-Mobile Austria refuses request to block Pirate Bay https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/t-mobile-austria-refuses-request-to-block-pirate-bay/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/t-mobile-austria-refuses-request-to-block-pirate-bay/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2015 11:07:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265101 In a continuing trend that shows ISPs on the continent have more backbone than all of the big ones in the UK, T-Mobile Austria has refused a request from a copyright lobby group to voluntarily block The Pirate Bay and a number of other sites, after a rival ISP was forced to do so by …

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In a continuing trend that shows ISPs on the continent have more backbone than all of the big ones in the UK, T-Mobile Austria has refused a request from a copyright lobby group to voluntarily block The Pirate Bay and a number of other sites, after a rival ISP was forced to do so by a court. It did so in writing and in public, stating to local press that it would not consider any block orders not mandated by a court.

“We will not to comply with this request and access to The Pirate Bay will not be blocked,” said spokesperson for T-Mobile, Helmut Spudich in a chat with Futurezone (via TorrentFreak).

tmobile

This may in turn mean that the local lobby groups push for a court ordered block for T-Mobile too, but that will at least mean that it has to go through that rigmarole. Clearly it would rather avoid the process, hence the request, but T-Mobile wasn't going to stand for it.

It will be interesting to see how other ISPs behave, as they too have received letters asking for a voluntary blocking of the site. While that route may be less time consuming and cheaper for the lobby groups though, the ISPs are consistently forced to foot the bill for any infrastructure changes required to implement the blocks, so few are likely to be excited by the prospect of doing so without a court order.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While there are no major ISPs in the UK that will take such a tack it seems, there are smaller ones that will. Look out for our upcoming coverage of the most privacy championing ISPs in the UK which you can switch to.

Image source: Wikimedia

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T-Mobile files lawsuit against Huawei over stolen robot tech https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-files-lawsuit-against-huawei-over-stolen-robot-tech/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-files-lawsuit-against-huawei-over-stolen-robot-tech/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2014 14:25:17 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=210690 T-Mobile has filed a lawsuit against Chinese firm, Huawei, after its staff attempted to sneak in to T-Mobile offices and steal software and technology behind the carrier's phone testing robot, which is nicknamed ‘Tappy'. Huawei employees allegedly stole the software and specifications for the robot, they also took secret photos of the machine at work- …

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T-Mobile has filed a lawsuit against Chinese firm, Huawei, after its staff attempted to sneak in to T-Mobile offices and steal software and technology behind the carrier's phone testing robot, which is nicknamed ‘Tappy'.

Huawei employees allegedly stole the software and specifications for the robot, they also took secret photos of the machine at work- corporate espionage at its finest. These employees were then supposed to bring all of this information back to Huawei in order to help the firm build its own phone testing robot. T-Mobile is officially suing the Chinese firm for theft of its trade secrets, violating NDA and supposedly profiting from this stolen info.

tmobile-tappy
Image source: UberGizmo

The Huawei employees were previously authorized to use Tappy the robot, however, some reports have suggested that these employees were later banned before this incident took place.

T-Mobile’s robot, its component parts, its functionality, and its software were protected by these nondisclosure and confidentiality contracts. Huawei employees were only authorized to use the robot to test their T-Mobile handsets in T-Mobile’s labs, and were prohibited from disclosing or using information regarding the robot for any other purpose.”

In the filing, T-Mobile states that employees were caught on camera stealing parts of its robot:

“On information and belief, Huawei is already using T-Mobile’s stolen robot technology to test non-T-Mobile handsets and improve return rates for handsets developed and sold to other carriers.”

The filing also states that T-Mobile beleives that Huawei went on to use this stolen technology to make hundreds of millions of dollars. It is currently unknown how much money the US carrier is seeking to gain from this lawsuit but its fair to assume that it will want a sizable payout.

While this isn't necessarily linked to the above story I think it's important to point out that Huawei is the very company that David Cameron wanted to put in charge of censoring the Internet here in the UK. The company has previously been accused of spying for the Chinese government and is set to open a £125 million research facility in the UK.  The actions taken in this case certainly cast doubt on Huawei as a company and will likely cause a rift of distrust between the firm, its customers and future/present business partners.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's not often that we get to report on corporate espionage, these employees worked in the building for some time, surely they knew that there were security cameras watching them steal trade secrets? Hopefully more details surrounding this case will be released soon as it is certainly an interesting one.

Source: The Register

You can follow the author of this article on Twitter. 

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T-Mobile announces new ‘Test Drive’ scheme https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-announces-new-test-drive-scheme/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-announces-new-test-drive-scheme/#respond Thu, 19 Jun 2014 11:33:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=198996 T-Mobile has just revealed its new scheme to allow potential customers to check out its network. Starting from the 23rd of June, T-Mobile will give you an iPhone 5s for one week, which will let you see if the network's services and availability work for your needs. The network reckons that one million people will …

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T-Mobile has just revealed its new scheme to allow potential customers to check out its network. Starting from the 23rd of June, T-Mobile will give you an iPhone 5s for one week, which will let you see if the network's services and availability work for your needs.

The network reckons that one million people will use the test drive service within its first year. In the US, T-Mobile is still a pretty small network and doesn't have as much coverage as AT&T or Verizon, but this new scheme should help get some new customers on board.

T-Mobile

The feature will remain exclusive to the US, much like the network's new upgrade every year scheme. Apple are giving the test drive iPhone 5s handsets to T-Mobile for free. It's a win-win for the network and Apple as many still don't know that the carrier offers the device.

There are some caveats to the deal though, if the iPhone is returned with any damage or with the find my iPhone feature turned on, then T-Mobile will automatically charge you $100. If you keep the phone for longer than seven days, then you will be billed $699.99, which is the full, off contract price of the phone.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This sounds like a good idea in principle. Some people switch to a new network only to realize that they get bad signal in their house so at least people can avoid that. However, it would be a shame to see the program exploited, I can imagine a few of those iPhones will go missing. 

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94% of T-mobile up-graders dump Blackberry https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/94-of-t-mobile-up-graders-dump-blackberry/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/94-of-t-mobile-up-graders-dump-blackberry/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:33:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=180722 Blackberry is struggling at the moment, it went from being one of the most popular phone brands, thanks to its BBM service, to being on the verge of collapse- so you can imagine how company CEO, John Chen, reacted when T-Mobile started offering its US customers $200 off any other phone if they ditched their Blackberry …

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Blackberry is struggling at the moment, it went from being one of the most popular phone brands, thanks to its BBM service, to being on the verge of collapse- so you can imagine how company CEO, John Chen, reacted when T-Mobile started offering its US customers $200 off any other phone if they ditched their Blackberry device.

Upon hearing about the “anti-Blackberry” promotion, Chen posted a lengthy blog post expressing his feelings towards the situation: “I can assure you that we are outraged too. What puzzles me more is that T-Mobile did not speak with us before or after they launched this clearly inappropriate and ill-conceived marketing promotion.”

However,  it looks like the CEO's response did more harm than good as TmoNews has reported that an internal memo at T-Mobile shows that the carrier saw 15 times the amount of regular Blackberry trade-ins during the promotion, with a massive 94 per cent of users ditching their device in favour of another brand.

TMobileLogo_5

Oddly enough though, the six per cent of customers who chose to stick to Blackberry voiced their opinions very loudly, which forced a response from T-Mobile, reminding Blackberry loyalists that they can still buy the Q10 and Z10 handsets as well as offering them free expedited shipping. The carrier finished off its statement by reminding customers that the company is “happy to be a BlackBerry partner and apologize for any confusion.”

KitGuru Says: I don't get why people pick sides so often when it comes to tech products, surely it should just come down to whatever works best for you personally? If I was offered that much money to upgrade to a new phone, I'd take it. 

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T-Mobile glitch steals credit from pay as you go customers https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-glitch-steals-credit-from-pay-as-you-go-customers/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/t-mobile-glitch-steals-credit-from-pay-as-you-go-customers/#respond Fri, 17 Jan 2014 18:46:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=172775 T-Mobile is in a bit of trouble with its UK customers today after a glitch wiped the credit off of many pay as you go customer accounts. Upon finding out that their credit had disappeared, an army of angry customers made their way to the EE customer support forums to find out what was going …

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T-Mobile is in a bit of trouble with its UK customers today after a glitch wiped the credit off of many pay as you go customer accounts. Upon finding out that their credit had disappeared, an army of angry customers made their way to the EE customer support forums to find out what was going on, as well as have a little go at the company:

“I changed over from Vodafone to T-mobile exactly a week ago as I was topping up and buying their Freedom Freebee but it wasn't being activated. £100 of credit over the space of 6 weeks later and awful customer service with no answers, just an address to send my complaint to. So I went and brought a T-mobile SIM. Wake up this morning and try and send a text, failed. Tried calling but obviously they don't open till 8am so sat patiently and called again at 8. Have been calling since but as is the case with everyone else on here, I can't get through. What is going on? I need my phone for work purposes and am having to use my house phone instead which costs a fortune.”

The problem seems to be related to ‘Smart Packs': ” I am facing the same problem as yours. I bought a £10 SMART pack on Monday. Since Monday, I have only sent 2 text messages, made a short phone call (2 minutes) and used 25 MB, and this morning my SMART pack has gone and I cannot you my phone anymore.”

t-mobile-logo-huge

Eventually T-Mobile did acknowledge the problem and has confirmed that it will be restoring credit to those affected: “T-Mobile Pay As You Go customers have reported issues with adding and using their boosters.” A T-Mobile spokesperson said, ” We are in the process of deploying a fix which we expect to be implemented within the next two hours and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

KitGuru Says: It would have been nice if the company explained exactly what went wrong, phone credit shouldn't just be disappearing like that.

Source: The Inquirer, EE Forum

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T-Mobile confesses they cannot match Tesco https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/t-mobile-confesses-they-cannot-match-tesco/ Sun, 15 Dec 2013 11:32:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=167486 We all spend a small fortune on mobile devices. Alongside transport and staple foods, it's one of those omnipresent bills that need to be paid. The only question that remains is ‘How much should we pay?'.  The traditionally strong players here are the providers themselves with their ‘store on every high street approach', but is …

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We all spend a small fortune on mobile devices. Alongside transport and staple foods, it's one of those omnipresent bills that need to be paid. The only question that remains is ‘How much should we pay?'.  The traditionally strong players here are the providers themselves with their ‘store on every high street approach', but is that under threat? KitGuru goes Xmas shopping.

As we head into the Christmas period, sales overall will rise. Add in other factors, like the positive results announced by George Osborne last week in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement to Parliament, and the world seems like a (financially) positive place.

So with a booming economy being promised, Christmas around the corner and mobile communications being something that few of us can live without – what better time to check out deals on new handsets.

That's where we started, but – to be honest – we didn't get past the first comparison online.

Blackberry phone, pay as you go, online, for less than £100. Simple enough option and one that a lot of people who simply want a present/handset refresh (and who are working to a budget) will look at in December.

So how can there be a price discrepancy of more than 10% between Tesco and T-Mobile deals.

Rather than ask in store, we decided to take advantage of T-Mobile's interactive chat option.

We set up the situation and made sure than T-Mobile had links to the appropriate offers.

This is what we were found out.

We've blanked the name to protect the T-Mobile expert's name, but the issue is clear.
We've blanked the name to protect the T-Mobile expert's name, but the issue is clear.

.
KitGuru says: As T-Mobile put it, nice and clear in writing, there are NO deals where T-Mobile (annual revenues around £7 Billion) can beat Tesco (annual revenues £70 Billion). If you have a deal in mind, it's got to be worth checking with Tesco etc before you head to operators like T-Mobile, EE or Orange themselves.

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join 150,000 of your fellow tech lovers over on Facebook.

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Samsung investigates battery exploding in man’s pants https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/harrison/samsung-investigates-battery-exploding-in-mans-pants/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/harrison/samsung-investigates-battery-exploding-in-mans-pants/#respond Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:14:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=124418 A man in South Korea has been taken to hospital with second degree burns, after his Samsung Note battery exploded. KitGuru fires up a Napster playlist that includes Donna Summer's ‘Hot Stuff' and takes a closer look at the phenomenon of overheating and exploding items in the trouser region. Anyone that's used a cell phone, …

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A man in South Korea has been taken to hospital with second degree burns, after his Samsung Note battery exploded. KitGuru fires up a Napster playlist that includes Donna Summer's ‘Hot Stuff' and takes a closer look at the phenomenon of overheating and exploding items in the trouser region.

Anyone that's used a cell phone, has probably heard of overheating batteries. It's a known thing with the Lithium Ion batteries that are so popular with modern mobiles.

We know several people who have had to get replacement Blackberrys because of this issue. The user suddenly becomes aware that the phone is really hot – and in no time at all the battery has been completely discharged.

Funny, we can't remember seeing this marked as a ‘keeps you warm in winter' feature on any of the phone maker's adverts.

If anything, it's a bit of a surprise that serious injury doesn't happen more often – given how many millions of smartphones there are now in the world.

You may have heard of Boeing's Dreamliner being grounded in Japan due to on board fires etc. Apparently, these have also been traced to exploding batteries.

So how bad can these explosions get?

Well, if you roll the clock back to February 2009, CNET reported an incident from China where an unfortunate chap had his Nokia explode and sever an artery in his neck. He bled out before doctors could save him.

Zardon was so upset with his lithium ion battery overheating that he demanded justice

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KitGuru says: With something like 1 billion of these phone batteries in circulation, it's hard to take a few dozen injuries seriously. While we sympathise with those that have been injured – the ratio shows that you have a similar chance of harm from your phone as, say, a meteor – but no one around here is planning to sell anti-meteor umbrellas or special ‘anti-space-nugget' insurance. If your phone begins to overheat, we recommend that you ask your service provider to replace the battery immediately.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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UK mobile networks stretched by Happy New Year https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/harrison/uk-mobile-networks-stretched-by-happy-new-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/harrison/uk-mobile-networks-stretched-by-happy-new-year/#respond Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:06:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=120798 As Big Ben struck midnight and 2013 began, a huge wave of personal messages swept through the UK's mobile networks. And yet, the networks survived. That's some serious infrastructure. KitGuru pulls out the TallyMan Pro and does some counting. We've all had issues with mobile networks. The most common happens around sporting events – for …

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As Big Ben struck midnight and 2013 began, a huge wave of personal messages swept through the UK's mobile networks. And yet, the networks survived. That's some serious infrastructure. KitGuru pulls out the TallyMan Pro and does some counting.

We've all had issues with mobile networks. The most common happens around sporting events – for example at top Premiership matches – where up to 100,000 people might all want to communicate with the world. For the mobile providers, that's a huge issue – because ALL of that traffic will be queuing up to hit the same access points.

New Year's Eve has a much bigger flow of traffic, but it's spread across the UK.

Sure, the side of the River Thames might have been a blackspot as the fireworks prepared to usher in the new day, but overall it was more evenly distributed.

So, the question remains, just how many messages are we talking about?

Vodafone has issued a statement to say that it's peak transfer was 12,000 text messages a second. If that was sustained, it would mean 1 message for every man, woman and child in the UK inside 90 minutes. Impressive.

Globally, the newly combined T-Mobile/Orange network (called EverythingEverywhere or EE for short), said it would be dealing with more than 300 million ‘Happy New Year' calls and more than 230 million texts with the same message.

You need to bear in mind that other messages (Twitter etc) sent will probably be cached up on the network's servers for a while (anti-terrorism etc), so how much data did EE carry?

According to its spokesman, the New Year's photos etc sent across EE will be enough to fill 230 1TB hard drives. Anyway you look at it, that's a lot of shots of drunk people falling down in pubs and toilets.

One thing that all of the networks were agreed on, was that data usage is up around 100% compared to 2 years ago. Given that mobile phone penetration hasn't increased by 100% in that time period – and the UK's population is about the same – then the blame for this increase mist be shared between (a) lower priced data plans from the networks and (b) better phone cameras encouraging us to shoot and send.

Happy New Year text messages peaked at 12,000 a second on Vodafone alone. That's a lot of auto-correct errors.

KitGuru says: As a side thought, given that New Year happens at night, we wonder if the increase in data usage might be linked to the number of phones that have a built in flash these days. Either way, it's a lot of data. In case we haven't said it already: HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE AT KITGURU!

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Orange charges man 20x more than T-Mobile https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/orange-charges-man-20x-more-than-t-mobile/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/orange-charges-man-20x-more-than-t-mobile/#comments Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:00:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=117643 While the vast majority of the phones being connected in the future will be on ‘Full Monty – totally unlimited' contracts, we're still living at the end of the dark ages when it comes to mobile charges. Every now and then a bill doesn't make sense – and the rare few are extremely disturbing. KitGuru …

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While the vast majority of the phones being connected in the future will be on ‘Full Monty – totally unlimited' contracts, we're still living at the end of the dark ages when it comes to mobile charges. Every now and then a bill doesn't make sense – and the rare few are extremely disturbing. KitGuru casts an eye over an Orange bill that's threatening to put a builder out of business.

Chris Wilson from Pembrokeshire, signed up for a phone plan that included 750MB of data.

Instead of warning him when he passed that limit, or cutting his service off until they spoke with him, Orange sat back and got phat off a bill that is close to £7,000 – which amounts to almost 20x what T-Mobile would have charged him on its Full Monty plan.

This horrendous approach to stiffing people on data charges can't help Orange build its business, so we – as a mobile phone addicted nation – should pray that T-Mobile can teach Orange a thing or two about competitive pricing structures that warm the customer's heart – rather than putting it into cardiac arrest mode.

We can be terrible at maths over here on the KitGuru abacus, so if anyone wants to correct us by confirming exactly how much more expensive Orange is than T-Mobile for this bill, we'd love to know

KitGuru says: What irks us most about Orange is the total inequality in its billing practice. Why should  one customer be charged £46 for unlimited data, while another gets a bill of almost £7,000. It's mean and uneven. Blood, orange?

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Everything Everywhere unveils first 4G data pricing https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/everything-everywhere-unveils-first-4g-data-pricing/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/everything-everywhere-unveils-first-4g-data-pricing/#respond Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:59:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=113145 The pricing plans for Everything Everywhere's 4G offers have been unveiled for the first time ahead of its launch on 30th October. While they will all offer much faster wireless data transfer, there won't be any unlimited packages made available initially. For a basic package that includes 500MB of data along with unlimited texts and …

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The pricing plans for Everything Everywhere's 4G offers have been unveiled for the first time ahead of its launch on 30th October. While they will all offer much faster wireless data transfer, there won't be any unlimited packages made available initially.

For a basic package that includes 500MB of data along with unlimited texts and phone calls, customers will need to shell out £36 a month – quite expensive compared to other network offerings with 3G speeds. Bump that up to 8GB of data and you'll be looking to pay a premium £56 per month instead, according to Wired.

Everything Everywhere
It might have 4G services, but EE is a horrible name

It's quite clear when viewing the cost disparity between networks – for the basic data package, around £20 – that 4G speeds come at a price. If you want speed, you'll have to pay for it. However if you find yourself in an area that is only 3G connected, the data transfer itself will cost you just the same.

Other incentives EE are using to attract new sign ups include free access to BT WiFi hotspots, which means data transfer in those places won't cut in to your expensive limits.

While you won't find a 4G network to connect to at the moment, by the end of the year 16 major UK cities will have access, including: London, Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow.

KitGuru Says: Considering the costs involved with being connected to one of these packages, it seems likely that the uptake of 4G could take a little time – since huge downloads aren't a common thing for mobiles. However, there is probably a small professional sector that could make use of it in certain circumstances. As the price comes down however, uptake will no doubt increase dramatically. That will likely happen when the other providers bring their own 4G offerings next year.

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4G is improving life for 3G users claims T-Mobile https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/4g-is-improving-life-for-3g-users-claims-t-mobile/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/4g-is-improving-life-for-3g-users-claims-t-mobile/#comments Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:52:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=111125 There's a buzz of excitement around the KitGuru offices. While everyone seemed to agree that ‘WAP is crap' when the mobile web first bumbled into life, and we all seem OK with the world of 3G – the promise of a ‘4G tomorrow' has us positively grinning with anticipation. But, after hearing an exciting rumour, …

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There's a buzz of excitement around the KitGuru offices. While everyone seemed to agree that ‘WAP is crap' when the mobile web first bumbled into life, and we all seem OK with the world of 3G – the promise of a ‘4G tomorrow' has us positively grinning with anticipation. But, after hearing an exciting rumour, KitGuru was forced to use a good old fashioned landline to speak with a T-Mobile expert about what to expect next. We like what we heard.

There was a mini-buzz on Facebook last night as people began to notice that their phones and other mobile devices were working smoothly when online. Data just seemed to be flowing better.

Before you knew it, experts were joining in – offering their opinions as to what might be happening – including a BBC presenter (who shall remain nameless and shameless).

While everyone, everywhere seemed to think that 4G was involved – the specifics of how a technology that had not officially launched would be improving life for those who do not have a 4G device was not clear. First, let's do a quick spec-check on where 3G and 4G would/could/should be.

It seems that in order to advertise your network as ‘3G', you need to be able to provide that service with a minimum of 200kb/sec. That's low enough that most current systems in the UK seem to sail past by around 10x the bandwidth. If you check around the web, you will find forum posts from 2-3 years ago, where excited 3G users started to notice that they were passing 2mb/sec at times and even touching 3 or 4mb/sec recently. In the Far East, telecoms companies market the hell out of these improvements with offers for 3.5G and 3.75G etc. Here in the UK, it seems that the networks have been getting better, but we're sticking with the black and white naming strategy of 3G and then 4G (with a little LTE thrown in for good measure, but only because Apple use the term).

So what speeds are people now enjoying?

Well, iPad 3 users on T-Mobile contracts in the London area seem to have been registering speeds in the 15-17Mb/sec range.

Some lucky users already seem to be using tomorrow's iPad today

.
While it IS possible to explain that kind of improvement within the theoretical framework of 3G, KitGuru suspected that more was going on that met the eye. So we pinged one of our contacts inside T-Mobile – and what we heard was very interesting indeed. To preserve anonymity and make a relatively normal 3 minute phone call seem far more exciting, we will refer to our source as ‘Agent G'. We started with the observed speed bump.

“We're hearing this from a lot of people right now”, Agent G told us with a smiling voice. “There are a few reasons for the improvement and one of them is the fast that EE [T-Mobile plus Orange operating as ‘EverythingEverywhere' – Ed] will be switching on the first 4G network at the end of this month”.

“We have been piloting the switch over for some time and a number of people are already on the 4G network”, explained Agent G. “If you can imagine, part of our testing was to increase the load on the 4G network, so many of the people who were moved across were high bandwidth users”.

Basically, not only has a new network been initialised – creating more capacity anyway – but a significant number of the people who were clogging up the 3G system with high-usage, were moved across earlier to provide ‘load' to help test the EE 4G systems. Bandwidth porkies are already eating from a different bandwidth trough. Interesting.

This brought up a question of billing. If you use today's data plan numbers and then move people across to a network with 10x the capacity of 3G – what will happen with people's bills?

“We were the first to introduce a plan that covers nearly everything, when we launched ‘The Full Monty'”, said Agent G. “The idea was that you could have a single, fixed price tariff that includes all of the stuff that you will normally need”.

“That will be the basis of our 4G contracts”, she said. “With 4G, there is so much bandwidth that we can't use the classic billing method. It needs to be a fixed price if you want to encourage people to use it”.

KitGuru is left a little confused on one thing. We've been beavering away on the basis that our connection to the mobile web was around the 1-2Mb/sec mark, while keenly anticipating a 4G experience that will deliver 10x the performance. Now we're faced with modern devices that can achieve more than 15Mb/sec on the old network. A free upgrade for everyone, everywhere, simply because (a) there's new bandwidth in town and (b) the phattest users have moved across early to the all you can eat ‘download buffet'.

Click the image above and head off to Broadband Speed Checker yourself for a quick test. If you register your details, then you're able to maintain a history of what speeds you've achieved. Useful for support arguments or to help you feel smug.

KitGuru says: If the new 4G networks can offer anything like 20-40Mb/sec on the move, with unlimited data plans for less than £50 a month, then the world as we know it will change overnight. Given the ‘tethering' options present on modern devices, the landline broadband operators will come under pressure if every house in the 4G country can flip a switch and suddenly have ‘Mother of all broadband' speeds – without a BT/Sky/TalkTalk contract. Interesting times ahead. We hope that ‘throttling' won't happen on the existing 3G networks (armed with their new speed bump) just as a cheap marketing ploy to get us to move to 4G – but we suspect it will happen.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Samsung Galaxy S III coming to five US carriers this month https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/blair-mcclelland/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-coming-to-five-us-carriers-this-month/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/blair-mcclelland/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-coming-to-five-us-carriers-this-month/#comments Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:32:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=93399 Last year there was a lengthy wait between the international launch of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the American launch. Most of this was attributed to the carriers wanting to differentiate their devices so dramatically it delayed the actual launch of them by months. However, with the Galaxy S III, Samsung has appeared to …

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Last year there was a lengthy wait between the international launch of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the American launch. Most of this was attributed to the carriers wanting to differentiate their devices so dramatically it delayed the actual launch of them by months. However, with the Galaxy S III, Samsung has appeared to push the same design to each carrier – so much so, each carrier has identical internal specifications and the basic shell design to work with.

The US variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III will launch across five carriers this month

Starting later this month, the Galaxy S III will be available for as little as $199 on contract from Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon Wireless and US Cellular. Further pricing details from individual carriers will become known in the coming weeks.

Specifications include:

  • 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor
  • 2 GB of RAM
  • 4.8 inch Super AMOLED HD display
  • 8 MP rear facing camera
  • 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage, plus MicroSD slot
  • LTE and HSPA+ connectivity
  • 2100 mAh battery
  • Android 4.0 with TouchWiz Nature UX
  • Available in Marble White or Pebble Blue

You may have noticed that these specifications are similar to those in the Canadian variants last week and you'd be right. It is not yet known how the individual carriers will market their own Galaxy S III model but expect bloatware and SIM locking to be widely prominent.

KitGuru says: It's good to see Samsung putting their foot down and demand that they design the phones and let the carriers market them.

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Does O2 plan to charge £900 an hour for 4G? https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/does-o2-plan-to-charge-900-an-hour-for-4g/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/does-o2-plan-to-charge-900-an-hour-for-4g/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=73141 In response to an earlier story about Nokia's decision to ship its coolest new phone technologies to the USA only, we've been contacted by a couple of readers to ask about UK data charges. We're not Watchdog, but the point raised is valid. KitGuru breaks out the Pedigree Chum and chows down. At the time …

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In response to an earlier story about Nokia's decision to ship its coolest new phone technologies to the USA only, we've been contacted by a couple of readers to ask about UK data charges. We're not Watchdog, but the point raised is valid. KitGuru breaks out the Pedigree Chum and chows down.

At the time of writing, one of O2's data plans offers customers the chance to ‘Bolt on 100MB of downloads for £3'.

If you're working with a phone in the same was as you did LAST CENTURY, then this could be plenty. In fact, go careful with emails and attachments – and this 100MB of bandwidth could well last you a month or more.

Roll of the drums, dramatically building low bass hum and hit the spot light. Enter 4G.

Right now, O2 is playing with full-blown 4G speeds to a small group of people in Slough, west of London (outer marker for da Ali G West Staines Massive posse).

If all goes well, there will be a second stage test for 1,000 people across an area of 40 square kilometres in London and the surrounding bits. After that, we'll all start to reap the benefits – with the clever money saying ‘Summer 2013'.

So, with the 4G planning/roll-out well and truly under way, let's return to the initial calculation.

Sources close to O2 are saying that, if done well, the new network would bring down a 500MB file in 1 minute. The same sources also say that this is 5x faster than would ever be possible with 3G. So, according to these numbers, O2's present 100MB for £3 bolt-on service would price the 500MB file download at £15 and that takes 1 minute.

After several hours programming our Terascale Super Computer, we reckon that this puts O2's data service at £900 an hour – if you download a solid file at maximum speed on 4G. If any of you boffins think we have the number wrong, please let us know.

While the UK prepares for some 4G action in 2013, people in the frozen wonderland of Lithuania have enjoyed these speeds for years.

KitGuru says: With O2, Vodafone and the Orange-Flavoured T-Mobile goodness of EverythingEverywhere bidding like there's no tomorrow for licences, just how much of a burn will the telco companies results take from moving to 4G?  They can't ignore it, because consumers will be drawn to it. Likewise, even if it costs £ Billions to buy licences, the charge for data use must PLUMMET from its present levels – or no one will use it. So that's a year of increased costs with reduced charges. Thinking of buying telco shares anyone?

Comments below or in the KitGuru forums.

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HTC Desire: Android unloads in KitGuru’s face https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/iphone/faith/htc-desire-android-unloads-in-kitgurus-face/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/iphone/faith/htc-desire-android-unloads-in-kitgurus-face/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 07:11:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=2010 KitGuru loves HTC and has done for a long time, in spite of the absolutely rubbish ability of Windows Mobile to actually do email. With so many great multi-function phone on the market, we wanted to see which we’d buy if pushed. The box is attractive, neat and simple. One word of warning though, once …

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KitGuru loves HTC and has done for a long time, in spite of the absolutely rubbish ability of Windows Mobile to actually do email. With so many great multi-function phone on the market, we wanted to see which we’d buy if pushed.

The box is attractive, neat and simple. One word of warning though, once you slice the security plastic – the phone box will happily slide straight through (luckily we were on the sofa at the time – no harm done!).

Straight away you are hit with the feeling that this is a mature product. A pro-class piece of hardware that can hold its own in the look & feel department. This is important, because any perception that a product is a ‘toy’, can rapidly affect its desirability in the corporate space.

It boasts simple controls, quick set up and ease of use. Just like the Blackberry 9700, you are highly unlikely to ever look at a manual – it is a really usable device.

Size-wise, if you remember the old HTC with the fantastic pull-out keyboard – then the new HTC Desire is about the size of the screen section. Side by side, it's about the same as an iPhone and a little longer than the  Blackberry 9700.

In use, the HTC does exactly what you’d expect of it. It scores and misses exactly where the iPhone does against RIMs market-leading business tool. Head to head with the Blackberry 9700, it comes out on top for media, but loses out against Blackberry’s superior communications infrastructure. In the same way that MSN messenger has become the de facto software for business users on the desktop, all of the serious players we know in the IT industry use Blackberry messenger for business chat on the move.

But that’s not what the HTC Desire is about. It’s about having the coolest piece of kit on the block. Something that can kick the iPhone off the park with room to spare. It’s also the prodigal son that die-hard HTC fans have been waiting for. So the question is, does it achieve its intentions or fall short of the mark ?  In this table you can see the ‘obvious wins' in bold red and the glaring omissions in bold black.

Screen Res Battery Cam Res CPU Speed RAM Storage MP3/WMA Flash YouTube Weight
HTC Desire 800 x 480 1.5 days 5 1GHz 576MB 512MB Yes/Yes Yes Yes 135
Blackberry 9700 480 x 360 2 days 3.2 624Mhz 256MB 2.2GB Yes/Yes No Yes 122
iPhone 480 x 320 1 day 3 600MHz 256MB 16GB Yes/No No Yes 135

We love it. It’s feature set matches/exceeds Apple’s in every respect – and the battery lasts a significant amount longer. It is fast and responsive, happy to work with a broad range of media while also giving you a wonderfully sharp  9.4cm  AMOLED screen. On a 24 month contract with T-Mobile, it’s around £29 a month for 2 wonderfully media-rich years (or you can just buy one for £400 and stick it on whichever network you prefer).

That said, it doesn't have Apple's illogical appeal or iTunes or the app store. It does have a widget store, plays standard windows media files and holds its own in the looks department.

KitGuru says: If you need a hardcore business tool, then you can’t easily go outside Blackberry. For everyone else?   Gone on, buy yourself some bragging rights – just don’t forget to get a whopping great microSD at the same time.  The only thing you will miss from the old HTC phones is the integrated ear-wax removal tool (I believe the manual called it a stylus).

Discuss in our forum or just leave a quick comment below.

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Mobile Phone Buying Guide https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/faith/mobile-phone-buying-guide/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/faith/mobile-phone-buying-guide/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 09:50:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=107 Blackberry, iPhone or Smartphone – which is best?  With the most attractive contracts running around 2 years, your next choice could be with you for a very long time. KitGuru opens the lid on mobiles to help you decide, which one’s best for me? Technologies If you type a lot, then having a proper keyboard …

The post Mobile Phone Buying Guide first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Blackberry, iPhone or Smartphone – which is best?  With the most attractive contracts running around 2 years, your next choice could be with you for a very long time. KitGuru opens the lid on mobiles to help you decide, which one’s best for me?

Technologies
If you type a lot, then having a proper keyboard will be the most important thing – typing all day on a screen can be very irritating – whereas Smartphones and Blackberrys have great keyboards.
Accessing email can be hit and miss. Most modern phones have decent mail connection technology, but Blackberry stand head and shoulders above the rest – especially if you (a) travel internationally or (b) have lots of friends with Blackberrys.
Media organisation and playback is key for many people, and here it’s the usability of the software – alongside the screen quality that will be important. iPhone and Smartphones with touch screens are much easier to use. Smartphone often plug into your PC and act like a hard drive – making music/video transfer very easy. iPhones normally want to connect to iTunes before you can move media.
Are you happy with the applications that come on the phone? If not, then remember that many apps are available for purchase for iPhones and Blackberrys, but are often free for Windows Smartphones.
When it comes to camera quality, audio quality and the ability to use the device as a phone – then almost all products are fine.

Service provider
While Vodafone presents itself as great for business, O2 as the main supplier for iPhones, Orange as your communications buddy and T-Mobile as affordable for the masses.  Go back 10 years and there were differences. Now, each of these networks provides a very similar service. Only Vodafone guarantees a signal in your house – with 100% UK coverage – but even the later providers like ‘3’ offer more than 98%. Mobile broadband speeds can vary and remember that communication on trains can often be grim.

Contract
Here you are balancing lower prices against choice. Handsets are expensive and they need to be paid for – initially by the service provider, but ultimately by you, the customer. T-Mobile will give you almost any phone on a 2 year contract for less than £40 with a complete package, with Smartphones starting around £20. Given that it costs up to £100 to fill your car with petrol, mobile phones are now one of the smallest monthly ‘optional’ costs we have and it is hard to go wrong.

At KitGuru we like Blackberry 9700/8520 models for business, the latest iPhones and LG HD devices for media as well as the HTC Touch Pro2 for Windows. KitGuru has been around the world, from Hong Kong to Las Vegas, with T-Mobile and never had an issue. All phones/providers can go wrong, so remember to get insurance. £5 a month might seem a lot at the start, but if you need to buy a £400 replacement phone, then it will seem like money well spent.

Buy links…
T-Mobile
O2
Vodafone
Orange
3
Virgin

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