UK MOBILE NETWORK Vodafone has announced its budget Android powered Smart II handset, which is available now for just £70.
Aimed at those after a taste of Android without breaking the bank, the cheap and cheerful Vodafone Smart II comes running Google's now dated Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and has a mediocre 800MHz single-core processor with 150MB of RAM. This means that the Smart II won't support high end apps, but Vodafone is talking up the fact that Gmail, Facebook and Youtube apps are onboard.
Available in white and dark grey models, the compact 12.35mm thick smartphone also features a 3.15MP rear camera with LED flash and VGA video recording capability, an FM radio, HSDPA and WiFi connectivity and a 2GB microSD storage card included in the box.
The Vodafone Smart II is available to buy now from the mobile network's online store, costing £70 on pay as you go. Punters need to top up at least a fiver, which will also get them a voucher code to use at Blockbuster and Thorntons. ยต
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs LG Viper 4G LTE: War of LTE Smartphones - ibtimes.co.uk
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Check out how the smartphones stack up:
Display
Samsung's Galaxy S3 features a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels at 306 pixel per inch (ppi). Its 4.8in screen will be covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 - the second generation protective layer that is up to 20 percent thinner enabling better touch responsiveness. It runs the TouchWiz 4.0 UI which offers visual improvements and gesture-based functionality like panning, turn-over, tilt and double tap.
The LG's Viper 4G LTE comes with a 4.0in capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels at 233 ppi.
Both smartphones support multi-touch functionality.
Processor
The Galaxy S3 is powered by the quad-core Exynos 4212 processor, which was clocked at 1.4GHz.
In contrast, the Viper 4G LTE is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.
Both the Galaxy S3 and Viper 4G LTE ship 1GB of RAM.
Camera
The Galaxy S3 features an eight megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and LED flash. It sports geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization and simultaneous HD video and image recording. It offers video recording of 1080p and a front-facing camera of 1.9 megapixels.
The Viper 4G LTE boasts of a rear-facing camera of five megapixels with auto-focus and geo-tagging. It features a secondary VGA camera.
Operating System
The Samsung smartphone runs on Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) while the LG smartphone runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
Storage
The Galaxy S3 comes in three internal storage variants - 16/32/64GB (the 64GB is expected to be available at a later date), whereas the Viper 4G LTE has only 4GB.
The Galaxy S3 has a microSD card slot with additional memory space of 64GB, whereas the Viper 4G LTE contains a microSD card with additional memory of 32GB.
Connectivity
The Galaxy S3 features Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot and Wi-Fi Direct that allows W-Fi enabled devices to connect to each other without a wireless access point. It offers support to Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR wireless technology. The Viper 4G LTE, on the other hand, comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Wi-Fi hotspot. It provides Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP.
Both the Galaxy S3 and Viper 4G LTE feature Near Field Communication.
Battery
The Galaxy S3 packs a Li-Ion 2100mAh standard battery that allows for talk time of up to 21 hours 40 minutes on 2G and 11 hours 40 minutes on 3G networks.
In comparison, the Viper 4G LTE comes with a Li-Ion 1700mAh standard battery that provides for talk time of up to seven hours.
Samsung Galaxy S3 hits store shelves in India - MoneyControl.com
Samsung Electronics launched its flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone in India on Thursday, making an aggressive push to counter Apple's popular iPhones in a competitive market.
The 16 GB smartphone, priced at Rs 43,180 in India, runs on the Android 4.0 platform and features a 4.8 inch screen.
The Galaxy S3, powered by Samsung's quad-core microprocessor, also tracks the user's eye movements to keep the screen from dimming or turning off while in use.
Samsung packs new features such as the S Voice, its equivalent of Apple's Siri, and launched its own music service on the device. The S3 also boasts of an 8 megapixel rear camera.
"India is one of the top three strategic markets in the world for Samsung," a company release quoted H.C. Ryu, Samsung's vice president of sales and marketing, as saying at the phone's launch in India.
The company is aiming to outsell its previous model S2 that helped the South Korean firm topple Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker.
Google, Samsung Introduce New Chromebook, Chromebox Desktop - CRN
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Samsung and Google jointly unveiled this week a second-generation Chromebook laptop and the market’s first Chromebox desktop, both of which are cloud-based and run on Google’s homegrown Chrome OS.
Like the software giant’s debut line of Chromebooks that are sold today from PC makers including Acer and Samsung, the new Series 5 Chromebook and Series 3 Chromebox -- also designed by Samsung -- come with built-in cloud storage capabilities, allowing users to access files, bookmarks or apps through a Google Chrome browser on any other device.
This cloud-based model also yields an overall faster user experience, Samsung and Google said. The new Chromebook and Chromebox, both of which run Intel Celeron Core processors and Google’s homegrown Chrome OS, perform nearly three times as quickly compared to first-generation Chromebooks. A multi-touch trackpad, along with an open-source firmware stack, are also said to contribute to the new devices’ amped-up speed.
[Related: Google Closes Motorola Mobility Deal, Names CEO For The Business]
"This is the next step in our journey toward an always-new computing experience focused on speed, simplicity and security," said Caesar Sengupta, director of product management at Google, in a statement.
Apart from its integration with the cloud, Google differentiates its Chromebook line-up by its automatic software updates. Through Chrome, these updates are intended -- at least in Google’s words -- to keep things "always new," meaning users don’t have to manually install anti-virus protection or other security software because they will be pushed out automatically.
Both the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and Series 3 Chromebox come with 16 GB SSD and 4 GB of RAM. The latter requires users to provide their own keyboard and monitor, 30 inches or below.
Google first introduced Chromebooks last spring, which were initially met with skepticism by security experts who feared a cloud-based OS could leave user data vulnerable to attacks. They also, however, appeared to be a natural choice for enterprises already enrooted in the cloud.
Neither Google nor Samsung immediately responded when asked how many Chromebooks they have sold to date. Acer declined to comment, saying it doesn’t break out sales by product category.
NEXT: Resellers See Chromebook Demand In Schools, Government
Vodafone Introduces Breakthrough Smartphone For Mass Market - Quick Facts - RTT News
5/31/2012 6:29 AM ET
(RTTNews) - Vodafone Group Plc (VOD: News ,VOD.L: News ) announced the launch of the Smart II, a breakthrough smartphone for the mass market, which offers an unprecedented combination of high performance and low cost in a package attractive to the large majority of consumers currently missing out on the smartphone revolution.
According to the company, Vodafone Smart II has twice the processing power of the most expensive and sought-after smartphones available just three years ago, but at a fraction of the price. It offers new smartphone users a high-end mobile internet experience and an uncompromised level of functionality, Vodafone said.
In addition, the Smart II is highly customisable, with interchangeable back plates and rims in 16 colour variations.
The Smart II will be available across Vodafone markets and partner markets this summer and will be priced under 99 euros, launching first in the UK priced at 70 pounds.
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by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
Telecom policy sets bar higher - Daily News and Analysis
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It’s finally out. The National Telecom Policy – 2012 (NTP-12) was cleared by the government on Thursday, paving the way for free roaming, country-wide mobile number portability (MNP), liberalised spectrum, pan-India operator licences, technology ...Telecom has breakup buzz in Reynolds' wake - Stuff
Paul Reynolds has clocked off as chief executive of Telecom as speculation resurfaces over his payout and the possible breakup of the company.
Shareholders Association chairman John Hawkins said he had asked Telecom's board for clarification about Reynolds' exit terms.
Telecom spokesman Ian Bonnar confirmed last month that there would be "some form" of payout but indicated the company would not reveal details until it published its annual report towards the end of the year.
Employment lawyers told The Dominion Post in December that Reynolds could be in a strong position to claim at least a year's extra salary, $1.75million, because of the way his departure had been handled. Telecom began recruiting a successor before Reynolds resigned or had his contract terminated.
Any payout would come on top of about $25m that Reynolds is believed to have earned from his five-year stint at the firm.
Hawkins said the association's policy was that all arrangements should be "transparent to shareholders in any situation". But shareholders would be more interested in the performance of the company "going forward" than "dwelling too much on any perceived past failings", he said.
Telecom's Gen-i boss, Chris Quin, is acting chief executive until Auckland airport chief executive Simon Moutter arrives as a permanent replacement in September. Reynolds will stay until the end of the month to assist the transition.
A senior analyst at research firm Ovum, Brisbane-based Nicole McCormick, said Telecom could be in a "prime position for acquisition" now it had shed fixed-network business Chorus.
In a column entitled Could Telstra save Kiwi telcos?, published in Australia's IT News, McCormick speculated that Telstra could acquire either Telecom or Vodafone New Zealand and "use its significant cash flow and experience to take the leading position in the New Zealand mobile market". Both Telecom and Vodafone declined to comment.
Another Australian analyst, Paul Budde, has been suggesting for at least six years that the "end game" for the New Zealand telco market might be the acquisition of Telecom by Telstra. It was primarily "egos" that were holding up such a deal.
There were rumours that Britain's Vodafone group hoped to sell its New Zealand subsidiary in 2006, but it took it off the market the following year.
Telstra expected to have excess cash flow of A$2billion-to-$3b over the next three years, McCormick said. "Having ruled out share buybacks, this money is partly earmarked for acquisitions."
- © Fairfax NZ News
Vodafone Smart 2 out today, cheap Android for just £70 - Crave
Vodafone's new own-brand blower, the Smart 2, is out today, costing just £70 on pay as you go.
Those looking for a high-falutin' quad-core smart phone should move swiftly along, as the wallet-friendly Smart 2 caters for those looking for more affordable Android kicks.
Powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Smart 2 has a snug 3.2-inch display, and is 12.35mm thick, meaning it's rather chunky. This pebble-shaped smart phone comes in grey or white options, and has a modest 150MB of internal memory, so you'll need to use a microSD card to bump up the capacity. The good news is there's one included in the box.
Around the back of the Smart 2 there's a 3.2-megapixel camera, which is unlikely to capture award-winning snaps, but should prove capable when it comes to snapping your buddies' boozy antics.
If anything's likely to betray the Smart 2's budget chops it's the low resolution 320x480-pixel display, which means web browsing will feel a bit cramped. The 800MHz processor probably won't be up to powering brand-new apps, either.
The Smart 2 follows on (as you may have guessed) from last year's Vodafone Smart, which had a less powerful processor, 2.8-inch screen and ran an older version of Android.
Thanks to the merry march of progress, the Smart 2 is shaping up to be much more capable. If you've got a little extra moolah (and don't mind your networks citrus-hued instead of scarlet), you might want to examine the recently renamed Orange San Diego, which will be going on sale on 6 June for £200 on pay as you go.
Stay tuned for our Smart 2 review, in the meantime let me know whether you'll be picking one up in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Vodafone Iceland Implements FTS' Comprehensive Billing and Customer Care Solution - TMCnet
Vodafone Iceland (News - Alert) recently announced that it has selected the new version of Leap Billing, a comprehensive end-to-end billing and customer care solution from FTS (News - Alert), to ensure a more flexible charging and billing structure for its mobile, fixed, and broadband service offerings. FTS provides communications and content service providers with an advanced range of billing, customer care and policy control solutions.
As a convergent communication service provider, Vodafone Iceland’s suite of services include mobile, fixed, broadband internet and data services. By deploying the FTS Leap Billing software, the company is expecting to enhance and strengthen its charging, billing and customer management system. The latest version of Leap Billing seamlessly integrates with Vodafone Iceland's Microsoft (News 
In a release, Ardis Bjork Jonsdottir, Billing Manager Vodafone Iceland, said that, "We found Leap Billing to be one of the most flexible, robust and cost-effective solutions available on the market. Thanks to FTS' Leap Billing we have increased the flexibility of our billing and have also increased our ability to create new and innovative services."
Leap Billing has been designed to substantially bring down the time and cost of any change requests which will make it easy to customize billing for newly introduced services. The back office at Vodafone Iceland has seen faster speed of marketing at a lower cost of ownership since the adoption of FTS' billing and customer care solutions.
Yitzchak Feldman, FTS' vice president of Sales and Marketing, said,"This latest implementation at Vodafone Iceland is a further vote of confidence in FTS' telecom billing solutions. Leap Billing addresses the needs of convergent service providers such as Vodafone Iceland, and supports them as they continue to offer innovative, cross-network services."
FTS’ Leap Billing has been designed as a flexible and convergent billing, customer care, and online charging solution, which can bring about significant reduction in OPEX (News - Alert) and CAPEX, while securing the operators customer base with enhanced level of service quality. The solution, which has been based on the business-control technology (DoTree) from FTS, can capture events which are delivered via single or multiple network technologies all in real-time, while also responding to them in accordance to pre-configured business policies and actions.
Edited by Brooke Neuman
Sound Telecom Uses Call Monitoring Metrics to Honor Super Agent - TMCnet
This month, as Marvel’s Avengers have ruled the box office, superheroes are on the minds of many Americans. But sometimes people can be super without the ability to summon lightning or the benefit of a super soldier serum. In fact, by using techniques like 3rd party remote call monitoring, companies like Sound Telecom can recognize Super Agents – even when they don’t work for SHIELD.
Each month, Sound Telecom gives out the Super-Agent Award to the call center employee that has the highest quality score. This month, the race was ultra competitive, as the company had four agents with scores that topped 97 percent for the entire month. The winner of the award for April, however, was Phil Visnaw, whose score was a staggering 98.65 percent, though this is not a personal high for Vinsaw, as he has received scores of 100 percent more than once in his eleven years with the company.
Sound Telecom implemented the award several years ago in an effort to improve agent quality scores. Through a combination of monitoring metrics, including 3rd party remote call monitoring, customer feedback surveys and more, the company identifies agents with exemplary customer service skills and recognizes them with this award. In this way Sound has sought to ensure that every call is answered by a professional, friendly and courteous agent.
In 2008, Sound Telecom reorganized its call monitoring department. The purpose of the reorganization was to create a way to monitor calls in a more proactive fashion, keeping track of customer interactions in real time, getting quality ratings and feedback to agents as quickly as possible. The Super-Agent award was a large part of this initiative, which is focused on the three pillars of courtesy, professionalism and friendliness.
Edited by Amanda Ciccatelli
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