Features - 13 - Mobile News

Huawei Ascend P7

This device from the manufacturer of five per cent of smartphones sold worldwide, is very impressive. But it won’t have you rushing to trade in your Samsung Galaxy S5

Mystery Caller: Replacing an iPhone 4

A feature phone has been in the hands of Mystery Caller since last year after he lost his iPhone 4. Can the networks suggest the right smartphone for him and bring him back to the future?

Ingram Micro promises to bring the noise to B2B

Firm vows to educate the market on its breadth of services as part of brand refresh; Admits UK perception needed improving following the purchase of BrightPoint in 2012

Michael Garwood

Mystery Shopper: Chelsea

Mystery Shopper wants a smartphone but has no idea which one. He has a Â£30 budget â€“ but can our retailers convince him to take a more expensive device, and are retail outlets still driven by sales?

The Z2 marks the third iteration of Sonyâ€™s flagship Z range, but does it offer enough to make anyone who bought the original Xperia Z and Z1 envious?

Mystery Caller: Roaming in Brazil

With the World Cup in Brazil, Mystery Caller is off to see if England can end 48 years of hurt and bring the trophy home. However, heâ€™s worried about the cost of using his mobile there. Can the networks advise?

Mystery Shopper: Wimbledon

Mystery Shopper is in the home of tennis to find a roaming bundle for a big trip to the World Cup. Can our retailers serve up the cheapest way to keep in touch during the month-long trip to Brazil?

Windows Phone primed to exploit iOS and Android shortcomings

Expensive iOS run handsets and ‘inconsistent’ Android gives Windows Phone enterprise edge

With few improvements on the original Galaxy Gear, this smartwatch could have been slicker

Doomed by Dixons – Carphone defects

£3.8 billion merger would create the UK’s largest electronics retailer with turnover of almost £11 billion

Mystery Caller: Samsung Galaxy S5 with roaming

Keen to stick with Samsung, Mystery Caller wants to upgrade his Galaxy S3 to an S5. The stumbling block is heâ€™s travelling to the US and requires a data bundle. Could the networks cope?

Ingram Micro wants bigger slice of £317m MDM market

About 40 per cent of global businesses have deployed mobile device management in some form

Michael Garwood

Mystery Shopper: Hammersmith

International jetsetter Mystery Shopper wants the new Samsung Galaxy S5 with roaming minutes. Can our retailers find the correct deal for our price-conscious traveller?

‘We are not going to accept staying third’

Chinese manufacturer intends to rise above Apple and even Samsung in the market; Flagship Ascend P7 to spearhead growth strategy as brand awareness soars in four years

Michael Garwood

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

While many people drool over the iPadâ€™s sleek looks, Sonyâ€™s latest tablet arguably sets the design bar even higher. Itâ€™s not simply skin deep either â€“ the Z2 also packs a punch

Samsung Galaxy S5

A new Galaxy S smartphone is always a big event. Does the S5 measure up to its predecessors?

The fourth protocol: Does 4G live up to the hype?

4G mobile arrived with a fanfare but what practical use is it and does it warrant paying extra for? Saqib Shah investigates

Apple would rather get it right than be first

The California firm will soon launch new products but Tim Cook points out they didn’t ship the first smartphone tablet or MP3 because they aim to get a product correct rather than be first to market

What can Lenovo do with Motorola?

Korean company is number one in the PC market and wants to be number one in the mobile sector. Analysts say the aim is achievable only if operator, retailer and distribution partnerships are leveraged

British company has the Powa to change the world

The mobile payments market has been set for take-off without anyone releasing the killer piece of software or app – but British company Powa Technologies believes it has finally cracked it

Brightstar 20:20 has a five-star Savoy launch

Late bids failed to scupper deal, thanks to 20:20 Mobile’s staff, says Brightstar’s Michel; Official ‘party’ draws 200, including Samsung, Apple, HTC, EE, O2, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u

Michael Garwood

Mystery Shopper: Croydon

Mystery Shopper is getting bored with his iOS and Android devices and fancies a change but is not too sure about Windows Phone. Can the retailers help with our Window shopping and find a deal to match?

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Samsung€™s latest tablet is certainly the biggest we€™ve ever seen, but is it the best?

Mystery Caller: HTC One (M8)

HTC€™s latest offering, the One (M8), has understandably caught Mystery Caller€™s eye. However, she€™s a bargain hunter and wants to know if it is worth paying more for an improved One

All at the show: hearing aids to gadgets for pets

A ‘dog activity monitor’ that combines wireless technology and a mobile phone app, allowing animal lovers to keep tabs on their pet’s movements, was one of the more unusual devices on display

Samantha Tomaszczyk

Curran’s weapon of mass disruption

Industry veteran Keith Curran and private equity’s Dan Craddock join forces to create a new-style B2B format

Michael Garwood

My, how you’ve grown: Vodafone reaches 30

Moving with the times – from the first UK mobile call to aiming to be a quad-play provider

Samantha Tomaszczyk

Battle of the brands

We visit some of London’s top music venues to assess Vodafone, O2 and EE’s data data speeds

Wearable tech starting to connect with the market

Wearable technology is on the rise. Be it smarwatches, glasses, fitness trackers or health monitors – the market is fast filling with new and exciting products, which 10 years ago we’d never have thought possible

Samantha Tomaszczyk

Not even Iron Man is able to save HTC

Manufacturer’s ambitious growth plans for 2014 fail to convince resellers and analysts

Samantha Tomaszczyk

UK mobile firms ready to take on the world

UK Trade and Investment’s annual Dragon’s Den-style event to help put home-grown firms on the map

Samantha Tomaszczyk

Goodbye Moto Hello Lenovo

Google sells Motorola for £1.8 million – £6 million less than it paid for it in 2012

Samantha Tomaszczyk

February 11, 2014

Nokia bloodbath could turn into a watershed

Manufacturer ends 30-year history on a low as profits and sales plummet in the fourth quarter; ‘New chapter begins with focus on NSN division and HERE mapping operation

Samantha Tomaszczyk

February 11, 2014

Mobile Fun not playing games with top 50 bid

Founded 14 years ago, the mobile phone accessory etailer achieved record turnover and profits in its latest financial year and has set its sights on having a presence in the world’s dominant e-commerce markets

January 29, 2014

2014 predictions: Dealers

Seven B2B dealers give their thoughts on what might happen this year, including the growth of cloud-based solutions, how Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia will pan out, the greater emphasis placed on Microsoft Office 365 and the acceleration of 4G

January 27, 2014

2014 predictions: Airtime distributors

Carphone Warehouse Business head of B2B Bob Sweetlove, Daisy Distribution MD Dave McGinn and Mainline Digital Communications MD Andrew Boden look ahead to the next 12 months

January 16, 2014

2014 predictions: Hardware distributors

Brightstar CEO Marcelo Claure, DCC SerCom UK MD Gerry O’Keeffe, Tech Data Mobile UK MD Stephen Nolan, Elite Mobile MD Ketan Gokani and Frequency Telecom MD Gareth Limpenny give their thoughts on how the next 12 months might pan out

January 16, 2014

2014 predictions: Retailers

Phones 4U COO says consumers will consider more what a handset does rather than its design, eXpansys CEO Anthony Catterson is expecting a year of mergers and consolidation and Mobile Fun MD Mohammed Hussain sees wearable technology making big inroads

January 15, 2014

2014 predictions: Manufacturers

Samsung UK and Ireland VP of IT and Mobile Simon Stanford, Nokia UK general manager Conor Pieerce, BlackBerry UK and Ireland MD Alexandra Zagury, Motorola VP and general manager Andrew Morley and MOJO Maker sales and marketing director Caroline Preston provide their thoughts on the year ahead

January 15, 2014

2014 predictions: Operators

EE CEO Olaf Swantee says it will be the year of wearable technology, O2 business director Ben Dowd sees the future of IT being ‘BYOE’, Vodafone CEO Jeroen Hoencamp forecasts growth in mobile payments and Three CEO Dave Dyson thinks data will be important as 4G grows

January 14, 2014

The city with 20,000 smart servants

Telefonica is taking mobile connectivity to a new level by automating the streets of Santander. Samantha Tomaszczyk reports on a new connectivity technology

Samantha Tomaszczyk

January 2, 2014

Claure and Brightstar back with a 20:20 bang

Founder and CEO grasps distributor more than a year after revealing he was in talks

Michael Garwood

December 19, 2013

Have yourself a merry little read of our 4G test

We’ve read the claims and seen the advertisements. So how do real-life 4G speeds match up to the reality of getting a useful connection?

December 6, 2013

‘Stop the phone calls that kill’

Road safety charity Brake wants ALL in-car mobile use banned. What does the channel think?

December 2, 2013

Jolyon’s Juice gets going with Gusto

After he left Shebang Logistics Solutions, Jolyon Bennett decided the accessories business needed some magic juice

November 18, 2013

Apple expands its iPad range with new models

However, analysts warn company’s stranglehold on tablet market will continue to loosen

November 5, 2013

Nokia joins tablet party with Lumia 2520 launch

£309 device has 10.1-inch HD display, 6.7MP front camera and 32GB of internal memory

November 4, 2013

GSMA criticises Vodafone and Nokia for weakening EU market

Operators say burden of network investment should be spread to online companies

October 21, 2013