The news seems to be constantly scattered with updates from the world of mobile phones. I thought I would share some of the interesting stories doing the rounds from the last few weeks.
4GBritain Campaign
With each new mobile or tablet release we are seeing 4G support as one of the new enticing features aimed at getting us to part with our cash. The latest iPad is an example of this. However UK users are currently paying money for a redundant feature. Currently there are over 60 commercial networks in over 30 countries around the world but not one here in the UK.
Everything Everywhere (the company that runs Orange and T-Mobile) wants to change this sooner rather than later so that consumers can reap the benefits of a fast reliable Internet connection on the move. Everything Everywhere have created a campaign named 4G Britain to raise awareness of the potential benefits by adopting this already available technology. The campaign is already gaining support so why not take a look and spread the word. http://www.4gbritain.org/
Samsung Overtakes Nokia
Last week it was announced that Samsung had overtaken Nokia in mobile phone shipments. The fact that Samsung has been shipping so many handsets is no real surprise. However what I found to be most surprising was how strong Nokia remains to be in terms of shipments. Reported on the BBC site it can be seen that Nokia shipped 82.7 million units in Quarter 1 of this year. This is 22.5% of the market share. Samsung are reported to have shipped 93.5 million units (25.4%) whilst Apple shipped 35.1 million units (9.5%). With the imminent release of the Galaxy S3 I expect Samsung's position to strengthen however it will be put to the test when Apple release the iPhone 5.
Samsung Galaxy S3
It is being reported that the new Samsung Galaxy S3 will be released on the 3rd May. A new website called http://www.tgeltaayehxnx.com/ (anagram of 'The Next Galaxy') cropped up with teaser videos and a potential release date for the new device. The new handset is rumoured to be sporting a 12MP camera, 1080p HD display, quad-core processor, 4G LTE all crammed into a shell that is thinner than the Samsung Galaxy S2.
iPhone 5
Apple recently announced its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) which will take place from 11th - 15th June in San Francisco. Tickets for the event sold out within a couple of hours which is pretty impressive considering the US$1,599.00 price tag. Apple has previously used the event to launch new hardware including many iterations of the iPhone. Rumours as to whether the new iPhone 5 will make an appearance have already been circulating although many believe the new iPhone to take on an October release for the foreseeable future.
O2 Wallet App
O2 have become the latest firm in a line of organisations to offer mobile payments with O2 Wallet. Barclays recently released an app named Pingit which allows users to send money and receive money via a mobile number. It is expected that we will see more of these payment methods available to users via their phone. I also believe this will be the first step in mobile payments which will lead to, and perhaps combine with with NFC technologies to allow users to make payments to organisations and not just other users.
