Don't you just hate those holiday texts that arrive the minute you set foot off the plane? Usually the're along the lines of: "Welcome to Spain, internet use will cost £7.08/Mb - Get ready to be rinsed," and are followed by a swift shut down of mobile data connectivity.
Now T-Mobile wants to make Facebook updates and email replies a reality without the assistance of Wi-Fi by launching affordable internet bolt-ons for PAYG and contracted customers.
The new rates will give users 3Mb of data (enough to post a couple of pics online or download a few apps or emails) for just £1 in Europe or £5 in the USA.
The bolt-ons can be used with smartphones, tablets or dongles and will last until the 3Mb runs out. Alternatively, 20Mb can be purchased for a fiver or 50Mb for £10, but those have to be used within a pre-defined timeframe.
Networks positioning chips
"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.
UK networks are currently positioning their pieces before new EU roaming regulations come into effect on July 1.
Vodafone offers the opportunity for customers to stay on their regular voice and data plans for £3 a day in Europe, while Three UK offers all-you-can-eat daily data for £5.
O2 still looks the best bet with 25MB of data for £1.99 a day, while Orange users can get 30Mb for £3 per 24 hour period
However, at just a quid, T-Mobile offers the cheapest, if not the best value, means of getting online on your jollies.
Via: Guardian
Samsung unveils new enterprise-safe Android brand, Galaxy S III first to sport it - Beta News
In the world of Android-powered smartphones, Samsung is the reigning king. It sells approximately 40 percent of all the Android smartphones going to consumers today, and Forrester Research predicts proprietary Android builds (such as Samsung's TouchWiz) will actually surpass Google's Android ecosystem within three years. Of course, this fragments the market and causes trouble for developers and enterprises looking to create and deploy software for Android.
Monday, Samsung unveiled a new brand that will be applied only to Android devices that have been approved for enterprise use: SAFE, or "Samsung Approved for Enterprise." It's similar to Motorola's line of Enterprise Android devices called Motorola Business Ready, which debuted earlier this year.
Samsung says it created SAFE as "a way to defragment the Android OS across multiple versions from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich at U.S. carriers."
The Samsung SAFE brand can only be applied to a single device right now, the Galaxy S III, because of its support for several hundred common IT policies, including on-device AES-256 bit encryption, enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and support for the most widely-used Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions such as Cisco AnyConnect, Juniper Junos Pulse, SAP Afaria, and MobileIron MyPhone@Work, among others.
Like Motorola, Samsung has also rolled out a trade-in program to encourage businesses to pick up the Galaxy S III, or other future SAFE Android devices by offering up to $300 cash for each device traded in.
Samsung Targets Enterprise With 'SAFE'-Branded Galaxy S III - PC Magazine
With more and more consumers picking up iPhones and Android-based devices, it's no surprise that employees want to use their gadgets to access work-related emails and files.
In an effort to help IT teams find safe-for-work smartphones, Samsung today launched its Samsung Approved for Enterprise (SAFE) program, with the upcoming Galaxy S III as the first SAFE-approved device.
Having conquered the consumer space, Samsung - which recently topped Nokia for the first time in 14 years - is now eyeing the enterprise market.
"It's now safe to say that the 'Next Big Thing in Enterprise' is here with the near-term availability of SAFE-branded Galaxy S III devices at five U.S. carriers," said Tim Wagner, vice president and general manager of enterprise sales at Samsung Mobile, in a statement. "The highly desirable, SAFE-branded and QA-tested Galaxy S III smartphone systematically defragments Android to provide a consistent level of IT compliance for individuals who demand the very best in both their personal and professional lives."
As of June 1, 7.1 percent of Android devices were running the most recent version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, but the majority - 65 percent- are still on Gingerbread, according to Google stats.
The SAFE program works with mobile device management (MDM) and VPN providers, who utilize Samsung's SDK to integrate their products into Samsung devices. Samsung then tests those solutions to make sure they comply with rules set out for regulated industries such as healthcare, financial services, and government, Samsung said.
Samsung is also launching SAFE2SWITCH, which will offer cash to those trading in their own phones for a SAFE-branded Samsung device.
The news is likely not welcome for the struggling Research in Motion, which has long dominated the enterprise space thanks to its secure BlackBerry devices. But Android and iOS have slowly been eating in to RIM's enterprise market share as IT managers figure out ways to safely adopt the newer mobile platforms in the office.
The Samsung Galaxy S III is making its debut this month on all four major wireless carriers in the U.S., plus U.S. Cellular and C Spire. For more, see PCMag's Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy S III and the slideshow below.
For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.
iPhone 5 Release Rumor: Auto Layout For Easy Transition - gamenguide.com
iPhone 5 transparent concept looks stunning in mock advert - Crave
I'm looking through you -- you're not the same, as birthday boy Paul McCartney memorably put it. This cool advert for a possible future iPhone 5 definitely isn't the same -- and you can look through it.
The first glimpses of the next iPhone have started to emerge, revealing that the phone is set to have a new widescreen design. Those glimpses, such as the video comparing the prospective iPhone 5 with the current iPhone 4S, may or may not be genuine -- but we know this one's from the realm of pure fantasy.
Click play on the video to see the advert for the gorgeous see-through iPhone concept.
Designed by Apple fan Dakota Adney, this speculative iPhone concept design sports an 'iClear retina display' -- in other words, it's transparent, layering text, apps and games on the clear display.
The see-through screen is handy for taking photos, as well as offering augmented reality, layering information on the screen over whatever's in front of you.
Set the phone down on a flat surface and twin projectors beam a virtual keyboard in front of you, with sensors spotting where you tap and turning that into typing.
If you like the idea of a transparent phone, the designer of this concept has also put together a promo video for a transparent iPad.
For more mind-blowing concept phones, check out our favourite made-up iPhone 5 designs, our favourite made-up iPad designs, a Nokia phone that's a touchscreen all over, and a bendy PaperPhone flexible phone.
We're expecting to see the next iPhone this autumn. Whether it's called the iPhone 5 or the new iPhone, Apple's next blower will be the first to show off iOS 6, the latest version of i-flavoured software, complete with improved Siri, a new Apple maps app and assorted other improvements.
Would you use a see-through phone? What would you like to see in the iPhone 5? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Samsung's Pincer Movement Android Strategy to Winning the Mobile Enterprise - ZDNet
While iPhones dominate the post-BlackBerry era of enterprise smartphones, analysts such as IDC expect Android to catch up by next year.
If that comes to pass, I am guessing that Samsung will be both on top in Android, but also challenging Apple overall.
I spoke late last week with Tim Wagner, the Dallas-based vice-president and general manager of enterprise sales for Samsung Mobile. I came away very impressed by Samsung’s pincer movement strategy in the enterprise, which both tackles the concerns of CIOs around Android - security, fragmentation, usability - as well as wooing the corporate workers that are Bringing Their Own Devices into the office.
(Full disclosure: SAP is a close partner of Samsung on mobile device management technology which I’ll discuss later.)
Let’s start with the consumer/worker side. Besides being the top smartphone vendor (by shipments) and the only other vendor besides Apple to reap substantial profits, Samsung has been successful with high-end, professional devices. Its Galaxy family of Android smartphones and tablets has been a huge hit, with more than 50 million sold, including 7 million Galaxy Note “phablets” and 28 million of its flagship Galaxy S II smartphone.
(Read more about the 260 enterprises that are doing large-scale deployments of Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets and smartphones.)
Its successor, the Galaxy S III, looks set to top the S II. The newer model already has 10 million pre-orders in advance of its U.S. availability in July.
Consumers and reviewers are drawn to the Galaxy S III’s specs: 4.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 8 megapixel, 1080p camera, and more.
Credit: Samsung
Cash for Clunkers
But Samsung isn’t resting on those laurels. Its trade-in program, called SAFE2SWITCH, lets people exchange their current smartphones for an S III at very competitive prices.
The prices are as good or better than the ones offered by popular used electronics sites like Gazelle.com, and includes devices with little or no resale value.
For instance, a good condition 16 GB iPhone 4 with AT&T that fetches $160 from Gazelle will get $165 from Samsung.
While Gazelle won’t buy a Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T, Samsung will pay $225.
Even the discontinued Dell Streak tablet on AT&T, Samsung will buy for $55 (Gazelle won’t buy).
You can scan the QR code below and get an immediate quote for your smartphone:
This trade-in program applies to both consumers and enterprises with thousands of devices.
A trade-in program is only good if it’s convenient for users. Samsung has that covered. The Galaxy S III will be available on five U.S. carriers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and US Cellular - who collectively have 95% of the market (see slide 14).
Samsung also seems to have learned that pricing as aggressively as Apple and betting on volume is key. The 16 GB model that costs $199 will match the iPhone 4S, while the $249 32 GB model beats its iPhone counterpart.
All of these moves are smart because BYOD and CoIT means that enterprises are lifting device restrictions and giving workers choice over their mobile gear.
The other part of Samsung’s strategy is to woo CIOs. To start with, the S III features a major upgrade in Samsung’s SAFE (Samsung Approved For the Enterprise) program.
Launched last year, SAFE is Samsung’s attempt to create an enterprise-class offshoot of Android that addresses the very legitimate fears that IT has about Android today.
This is less about directly hardening Android, though there is some of that, such as AES-256 bit encryption. But it’s more about giving IT administrators using Mobile Device Management (MDM) software the ability to mange and secure the devices themselves.
Using MDM software from one of five vendors - MobileIron, Juniper, SOTI, AirWatch and SAP (Afaria) - IT administrators already could control the Galaxy S II using 95 policies. That’s far more policies and features than are available on other Android devices.
Quadrupling its Manageability
With the S III, IT administrators now have access to 338 IT policies, said Wagner, or nearly four times the Galaxy S II.
338 policies doesn’t match the number of policies offered on BlackBerry devices (reportedly 500+ on the latest version of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server). But it appears to top the number of policies available to iPhone and iPad administrators by a healthy margin.
Another new feature of SAFE: Samsung is now testing all third-party software as working properly and bug-free at the launch of major Samsung Android upgrades such as the version of ICS running on the Galaxy S III.
Before, Samsung would only require partners like VPN providers Cisco and Citrix test the software themselves. That didn’t reassure the CIOs that Samsung heard from, Wagner said.
The Galaxy S III also has some content sharing features tailored to on-the-go businessfolks. AllShare Group Cast lets co-workers share and collaborate on documents, presentations and more.
Finally, the 338 policies and Samsung certification will be available on older Galaxy devices like the S II that are upgraded to Samsung’s newest version of of Android.
Not Perfect
As impressive as SAFE is, it’s not perfect.
Samsung has been criticized for the slowness of its Android updates to make their way down to older devices. It’s unclear whether that’s improving or not.
Wagner also admits that Samsung won’t be testing third-party apps every time they release an update - something CIOs won’t be overjoyed to hear.
Still, apart from the incumbent RIM, Samsung has made the strongest reply to What a CIO Wants.
Also, if IDC is right that Android smartphones in the enterprise are set to explode, than Samsung’s moves are well-timed. SAFE’s technical merits combined with the sexiness of the Galaxy line could help it become the de facto standard for Android in business, and the only credible rival to the iPhone.
Samsung already has 44 large-scale enterprise pre-orders for the S III in the U.S., according to Wagner.
“The only real way to bring Android to the enterprise is to bring the entire platform to a high level of IT compliance,” he said. In this regard, “we have a 6-12 month headstart over other Android OEMs.”
Samsung loses power at TV plant for 10 minutes ... and it costs them more than £30,000 a second - Daily Mail
By Eddie Wrenn
|
Samsung suffered just a ten minute power cut last week - but each second cost the company more than 30,000.
The tech giant,which builds everything from high-end televisions to the best-selling Galaxy series of Android smartphones, suffered a the short power outage at its plant in Seoul, Korea, on Thursday.
The Samsung Display arm of the company said four flat-screen production lines stopped briefly - but even such a short stop can render some panels unusable.
One worker said the cost of the black-out could reach several tens of billions of won, or several tens of millions of dollars.
The showroom of Samsung Electronics at the company's headquarters in Seoul: A nearby factory lost power fur just 10 minutes - but the cost to the company is astronomical
If the total cost of the damage amounts to 20million, that means the company lost more than 32,000 for every second that production was shut down.
An analyst who declined to be identified said: 'Samsung may have to report some costs, because around 70 percent of panels which were in the process of production during the blackout become useless.'
For a few hours after the power cut, the plant operated at just over 50 per cent capacity, but Samsung, which competes with local rival LG Display and Japan's Sharp Corp, returned to full output later on Friday.
The lost output, mainly large-sized panels for TVs and computer monitors, is unlikely to have major impact on sales or global LCD market, where supplies are plentiful due to weak consumer demand.
The plant in Tangjeong, southwest of Seoul, houses Samsung's most advanced LCD production lines. The four lines have a combined monthly output capacity of 320,000 panels.
The outage was blamed on a worker's mistake at an electricity substation.
According to The Register, a Samsung official said that a back-up generator immediately kicked in, but that it took 'considerable time' to normalise the entire LCD production line.
He said: 'We are currently restoring other facilities and estimating the size of the damage.'
Shares in Samsung Electronics tumbled three percent in morning trade, underperforming a 0.7 percent decline in the broader market.
Its parent Samsung Electronics separated out its loss-making flat-screen business in April to combine it with a more promising AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diodes) flat-screen operation, currently used mainly in high-end smartphones.
T-Mobile Reveals New Roaming Internet Boosters - techweekeurope.co.uk
T-Mobile has become the latest mobile operator to reveal roaming plans ahead of the EU price caps coming into place on 1 July.
The operator promised customers are ‘guaranteed’ never to run up an unexpected data roaming bill and, unlike its competitors, the Internet and Broadband Travel Boosters can be used outside Europe.
The boosters will come into effect on 19 June, across all consumer and businesses plans and can be used on smartphones and mobile broadband devices.
The end of bill shock?
“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,” commented Ben Fritsch, head of propositions at T-Mobile.
Once a customer has landed in another country, they will be directed to a page where they can purchase one of the boosters in order to continue using the Internet. A number of bundle sizes are available, and all last for 30 days or until the data has been used up.
The cost of the booster is dependent on the size and the category of country visited.
Varying costs
The cheapest booster costs £1 for 3MB of data in Europe, which increases to £25 in Group D countries, which includes the likes of Brazil and Japan. The cost will either be added to the customer’s monthly bill or deducted from their Pay As You Go credit.
Last week, Three launched its Euro Internet Pass to allow customers to use as much data as they went while abroad for £5 a day, although there were a number of restrictions, such as a lack of tethering. Vodafone has launched a similar Eurotraveller service, which lets customers use their UK price plan abroad, and includes calls and texts.
However they do not make provisions for outside Europe (with the exception of some overseas territories and departments), and the services are opt-in, rather than automatic.
“Where the other networks put the onus on customers to be savvy and sign up to the plans, T-Mobile customers will automatically be alerted to its Boosters every time they try to go online abroad – and it applies outside of the EU,” said Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch. “With the new EU regulations coming into force at the start of July, it is encouraging to see that providers are taking the lead and are already responding to the obvious demand for affordable data by offering customers the chance to curb their mobile spending while in the EU.”
What do you know about smartphones? Find out with our quiz!
Microsoft Surface Goes After Motorola, HTC And Samsung - Forbes
The keypad looks slick and thin – and the stylus could work for many consumers. Microsoft‘s brand new Surface tablet clearly tries to create some genuine contrast to the iPad design philosophy. Last winter, many scoffed when Samsung launched the giant smartphone with a stylus – but the Samsung Note racked up 5 M units in sales by March. So while most consumers may have moved beyond the stylus, there could still be sizable demand for a stylus tablet done right. Since the Surface is going to incorporate Excel, Word and Powerpoint, it only makes sense to equip it with a razor thin keypad. Many tablet owners would like one.
Of course, the biggest question of the evening was about the price – and Microsoft’s decision not to answer it spoke volumes. With two cameras, the keypad and the sub-10 mm build, the Surface is highly likely to launch above $400. The comment about “pricing being comparable with Intel Ultrabook PC” clearly indicates a hefty sticker number.
What this all means is that Microsoft has decided to compete on features – not price. Not a big surprise considering the Xbox strategy. This could be very painful for HTC and the Google-owned Motorola brand. Asus and Acer may be able to move downmarket so rapidly that they can avoid direct competition with iPad and Surface. Amazon’s Kindle Fire has already dived to sub-$200 category where it has a chance to survive.
But there is a cluster of relatively expensive tablets that have struggled hard to gain any traction – devices by HTC and Motorola in particular. These tablets have tried to compete against the original iPad with more powerful processors – in vain. The iPad 2 arrival pretty much wiped them out.
Now Microsoft is debuting a tablet that has undeniably cool features like the slim keypad and strong Office integration. How are the non-bargain bin vendors going to compete? HTC and Google may have to decide whether they want to double down and ramp up tablet R&D in a big way – or pull out of the market completely. HTC does not have the resources to compete. Google does – but it may turn out to be an expensive race to enter.
Samsung is probably in the tablet market for the long haul – its spectacularly successful smartphone range lends it shelf space, profitability and branding power to stick with deep-pocketed tablet competitors like Apple and Microsoft.
There are many tablet market share guesstimates out there. One that fits well the shipment numbers of Motorola and Apple is the Chitika survey. It is a grim spectacle for non-Apple brands, though it tracks the usage of the tablets rather than their volume sales. Even before the Surface debuts, all of the non-iPad tablets create less than 2% of the ad impressions generated by the iPad. It w0uld not be surprising to see most of the smaller brands pull out of the tablet market by the end of 2013.
The sad thing is that Eddie Wrenn didn't write the homepage headline (obsolete) but now everybody thinks he is illiterate.
- Andr, Peckham, 18/6/2012 17:46
Report abuse