Samsung S3 finally catches up with the Palm Pre - if modified
Hackthusiast brings plugless juicing to the pottery 'bone
Posted in Mobile, 19th June 2012 08:56 GMT
Free whitepaper – Enabling Datacenter and Cloud Service Management for Mid-Tier Enterprises
Wireless charging was a key feature of Samsung's flagship Android blower when it was announced, but the replacement back plate it needs isn't on the shelves yet, so one brave soul has hacked a Palm Touchstone charger into the S3 case.
Not that the hack uses the Samsung/Qualcomm-backed "Alliance for Wireless Power" standard, that's not even been published yet, but it does enable a Samsung S3 to be placed on the magnetically aligned Touchstone wireless charger to pick up some power:
The Touchstone was designed for use with the Palm Pre, and hacking it onto a S3 requires dismantling the receiving coil from the back of a 'Pre and jamming it into the S3 case, so not making use of the S3's capabilities beyond the two connectors which stand ready for the official wireless charging kit.
That kit won't use magnets to align the coils, as the standard being pushed by the Alliance for Wireless Power doesn't require devices to be aligned. It also allows devices to be charged from several centimetres away, allowing a new charging paradigm of "power sipping" where the phone picks up energy from the car door, or the office chair, without the user ever proactively "charging" their phone.
When we covered the launch of the 'Alliance we suggested it was just Qualcomm's WiPower standard with broader backing, but that resulted in hurt messages from Samsung saying it had had wireless power for at least five years (in 3D specs as well as elsewhere) and that the new standard would incorporate aspects of WiPower and its proprietary technology.
We asked about Samsung's membership of the rival Wireless Power Consortium, and were told it was "under review", but more than a month later Samsung is still listed as a member of both consortia and the S3 still doesn’t have wireless charging of any kind, other than after being bodged together with the Touchstone as above. ®
Free whitepaper – Enabling Datacenter and Cloud Service Management for Mid-Tier Enterprises
T-Mobile UK Reveal Cheaper EU Mobile Broadband Roaming Prices - ISPReview UK
Mobile operator T-Mobile UK (Everything Everywhere) has today introduced its new internet and broadband Travel Boosters, which are designed to make it cheaper to use your Mobile Broadband connection while roaming around within Europe and other countries outside of the EU.
The new upgrades, which reflect Europe’s strict new roaming regulation (details), are split into Internet Travel Boosters (for Smartphones) and Broadband Travel Boosters (for all Mobile Broadband [USB Dongle etc.] devices).
Prices start from £1, which would give you 3MB (MegaBytes) of data usage for both boosters when roaming within Europe. But the cost for 3MB of usage goes up to £5 if you’re in the USA, Turkey or India / £10 for Canada, Jamaica / £20 for Chile, Hong Kong and £25 for Qatar, Cuba, Brazil. Bigger bundles are available at a lower cost per MB (e.g. £10 gets you 50MB when within the EU).
Ben Fritsch, Head of Propositions at TMobile UK, said:
“This year, 90% of all our new3 pay monthly customers have opted for a smartphone, which proves the ever increasing demand from consumers to be connected while on the go. We are really proud to be the first UK operator to ensure our customers can continue to be connected, anywhere in the world – and have the peace of mind they’ll never come back to an unexpected bill.”
The data allowance itself will last for 30 days or until the data has been used, while the cost of the bundle will either be added to the customer’s monthly bill or deducted from their pay as you go credit.
By comparison Vodafone’s EuroTraveller service gives Pay Monthly customers, including business travellers on standard price plans, visiting their Europe Zone the ability to spend more time talking, texting and surfing the web for £3 Per Day.
Elsewhere O2′s new O2Travel package offers £1.99 for 25MB Per Day, while Three UK charges £5 Per Day (or £1.28 per MB if you’re a pay-as-you-go customer) for largely unrestricted Mobile Broadband roaming.
Motorola XOOM 2 joins Alitalia to enhance travel experience - Silicon Republic
The Motorola XOOM 2 tablets will include passengers’ profiles, travel histories, seating and on-board menu preferences, and any inconveniences they had on previous trips.
Alitalia will be among the first airlines in the world to provide their crew with a tablet, Motorola Mobility said, and the tablet will also enable the flight attendants to access the aircraft’s internal manuals.
Motorola XOOM 2 tablets will also be introduced as Alitalia’s in-flight entertainment services (IFE) for Business and Magnifica Class passengers on mid- as well as long-distance flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Beyruth, Riyadh and Teheran that are now without an IFE service.
Preloaded content on the tablets will provide passengers with free access to movies, music, video games, and online magazines.
In addition, passengers will also be able to use the Motorola XOOM 2 before they even step on an Alitalia flight, when the tablet will be placed in 10 Alitalia lounges, Freccia Alata.
“Today we have made another further step ahead in our customer relationship management strategy” says Marco Sansavini, director of sales, Distribution and Customer Care in Alitalia. “It is a priority project for the new Alitalia, which involves the training of 9,000 people.
“Alitalia wants to make the onboard flight an extraordinary experience and the tablets will enable the crew to always stay online and in touch with the needs and preferences of its passengers.”
Maurizio Angelone, vice president and general manager, Mobile Devices, EMEA, Motorola Mobility, said tablets have increasingly become a must-have device for staying connected, whether at home or on the go.
“We anticipate the transportation industry will make tablets an integral part of their consumer offering in the years to come,” Angelone added.
An example of Alitalia passenger information for a flight attendant on the Motorola XOOM 2 tablet computer
Tina Costanza
| 
|
T-Mobile slashes data roaming prices for EU - The Guardian
T-Mobile has unveiled details of a market-leading tariff for consumers who want access to the internet through mobile phones while overseas, and announced plans that will prevent customers experiencing "bill shock" when they return from travelling.
The cost of using your mobile phone to access the internet is set to fall dramatically across Europe from 1 July following implementation of rules to stop UK mobile providers setting excessive charges.
It means holidaymakers may finally be able to chat to friends on Facebook or watch YouTube on the beach without breaking the bank.
Some consumers have suffered bill shock after unwittingly running-up charges amounting to thousands of pounds while on holiday, after leaving data-hungry smartphone apps running in the background.
Source: consumerchoices.co.uk However, mobile providers are introducing lower roaming charges and deals on data allowances in anticipation of tighter pricing controls.
T-Mobile will allow customers to buy "booster" deals, based on how much data they wish to use, and will completely block overseas internet usage until customers purchase one of the new packages (available from 19 June).
Comparison site Broadband Choices said T-Mobile was the best option for consumers wishing to use the internet briefly, buying 3MB worth of data for just £1 or 33p per MB.
However heavy internet users might find other tariffs cheaper than T-mobile's larger bundles, which are priced at £5 for 20MB and £10 for 50MB (both have time limits).
Three is offering an "all-you-can-eat" tariff, the Euro Internet Pass, for £5, while Vodafone will allow customers to use their existing UK plan overseas for an extra £3 a day.
However Three's Euro Internet Pass will not allow streaming or tethering – where a mobile is linked to a laptop to enable internet access.
For frequent travellers Virgin Mobile's new data passes, available from 25 June2012, are valid for three months or until the data is used up, so there is no need to use all the data allowance within 24 hours. This makes the £3 charge for 5MB or £5 for 10MB reasonably cost effective.
A megabyte of data is equivalent to accessing eight normal web pages or 200 emails without attachments, according to Which?. You would need 10MB to download one music track.
The Guardian has reported on several cases of mobile bill shock in recent weeks, including that of Alexandra Xanthaki, who faced a £2,600 bill after using an iPhone app to find restaurants on a short trip abroad.
Consumers can also end up considerably out of pocket if their phone is stolen. Johan Potgieter, was landed with a £9,000 bill from Orange after thieves stole his phone while he was on holiday in South Africa.
The EU ruling caps charges imposed by UK network providers for overseas roaming.
From 1 July, the cost of data can be no more than €0.70 per MB, plus VAT, which is around 69p. This will then fall to 45 cents plus VAT, around 36p, in July 2013 and 20 cents plus VAT (around 16p) in July 2014 – vastly cheaper than some UK providers' current European rates.
Orange, for example, charges £3.07 per MB if you want to surf the net in Europe, while Three's pre-EU ruling fee is £1.28 per MB.
But some of the new pricing plans are not straightforward , with some only available to contract customers, leaving pay-as-you-go users facing higher costs, while others penalise light internet users.
Dominic Baliszewski from Broadband Choices said: "Even with these new lower costs, charges can quickly rack up. A £3 charge is still a lot if you're only using 1MB to quickly check your emails. A £3 data charge per day will cost £42 if used daily over a two week trip."
The EU rule does not affect the prices providers can charge for data roaming outside the European Union but from 1 July, people travelling further afield will at least get a warning text message, email or pop-up window from their mobile provider when they are nearing €50 of data downloads, or their pre-agreed level. Consumers will then have to confirm they are happy to go over this level in order to continue their data roaming.
T-Mobile cuts roaming rates for Europe - zdnet.co.uk
The new bolt-ons, called 'Internet Travel Boosters' and 'Broadband Travel Boosters' will allow a customer to add them to their package on arrival at their destination. The user is simply redirected to a page where they can buy the add-ons when they first connect to a mobile network, T-Mobile said.
"Once the purchase is complete, they can immediately continue to browse the internet, update Facebook, email or download apps and documents without the worry of paying more than they expect when they return from their travels," T-Mobile said in a statement.
The internet booster allows smartphone-only usage while the Broadband booster can be used with "all mobile broadband devices", such as dongles and tablets.
Pricing for the boosters starts from £1, T-Mobile said. The amount of data allocated for each booster depends on the country being visited. For example, within Europe a £1 internet or booster plan would provide 3MB of data usage. To get the same amount of data use while on holiday in the US would require a £5 booster.
However, visiting places further afield, such as Hong Kong, still attracts significant commitments, with 3MB of data costing £20. Currently, and without the bolt-on, T-Mobile customers visiting Hong Kong are charged £7.50 per MB for data. Increasing the amount of the bolt-on does provide some economy of scale, but 20MB of data, even with the bolt-on, will still cost £75.
The decision to reduce costs, albeit primarily within Europe, makes T-Mobile the fourth of the five major UK operators to announce reduced roaming rates before the new EU roaming regulations come into effect on 1 July. Only Orange is yet to announce new rates.– Ernest Doku, uSwitch.com
It's still down to consumers to protect themselves and make bill shock a thing of the past.
Earlier in June, Vodafone also announced it was cutting its prices for roaming within the EU. The EuroTraveller add-on costs £3 per day and allows contract customers to use their normal monthly call time and data allowance. Out of bundle charges are then charged at UK rates.
Despite the clampdown from regulators on roaming rates within the EU, Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at price-comparison site uSwitch.com, doesn't think some of the new measures go far enough.
"We have now seen four of the five major providers take steps to protect their customers. However, with Orange still to show its cards and some of the packages not going quite far enough, it's still down to consumers to protect themselves and make bill shock a thing of the past," Doku said in a statement.
No comments:
Post a Comment