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Oct 28

Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Google, LG

Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 23

O2 preempts Square with mPOS UK mobile payments system

Posted in: Today's Chili

UK carrier O2 has taken on Square, VeriPhone, and others in the mobile payments space with a new smartphone-enabled system targeted at small businesses and independent vendors. O2 mPOS (Mobile Point of Sale) is a compact chip & PIN terminal that hooks up via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet running the companion processing app, and allows for card payments no matter if the vendor isn’t even an O2 customer.

Transaction rates depend on whether the customer is paying by credit or debut card: credit cards are charged 2.95-percent of the total amount, while debit cards incur a set fee of £0.75 each time. The mPOS PINpad itself costs £150 ($240) or, alternatively, O2 will give it to you cellphone-subsidy-style for £15 per month over 12 months.

After you’ve paid for it, there are no ongoing hardware costs, just the transaction fees whenever you use it. Both payments and refunds are possible via the app, which works with Android 2.1+ or BlackBerry 4.1+ devices; an iOS version is in the pipeline.

As with Square, the app allows customers to put in their email address and have a receipt sent directly to their inbox; alternatively, it can be done via SMS. The app itself keeps track of all recent payments, and O2 says its payment partner Global Payments will clear funds into users’ accounts within three days.

Mobile payments systems have grown in popularity in North America, with Square recently inking a considerable deal with Starbucks to handle its US store transactions. However, the use of chip & PIN cards in Europe, rather than the older signature system, has delayed introduction of US hardware to the market, something O2 appears to be keen to take advantage of.

O2 preempts Square with mPOS UK mobile payments system is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Oct 18

UK carriers form alliance to speed up 800MHz LTE rollout, let us enjoy our Freeview TV

Posted in: Today's Chili

Isn’t it better when we work together? British carriers think so. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have officially created a non-exclusive joint venture, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, that should speed up the deployment of 800MHz LTE by keeping Freeview over-the-air TV signals clear of interference while the partners bring their low-frequency 4G online. Previously, the networks were bound to form an equivalent company called MitCo that wouldn’t have been active until after the 800MHz auction, preventing companies from getting their wireless houses in order until they’d already made a commitment. There’s also a competitive angle involved to go with the cooperative work, as you might imagine: with EE’s 1,800MHz LTE poised to go live on October 30th, choosing infighting over assistance would only help widen the frontrunner’s lead. Whether DMSL represents altruism or pragmatism, we’ll appreciate knowing that the hurdles to a catch-up in UK 4G will be more those of the technical reality than the usual political maneuvering.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

UK carriers form alliance to speed up 800MHz LTE rollout, let us enjoy our Freeview TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 02

EE: Our LTE-complaining rivals made the wrong decisions

Posted in: Today's Chili

Under fire from rivals unhappy at it taking the lead, UK 4G network EE has shot back with suggestions that Vodafone and O2 could have been LTE competitive had they planned ahead properly. Speaking at a pre-launch benchmarking session, EE director of network services and device development Tom Bennett dismissed complaints by the carrier’s competitors as being selective with the facts, arguing instead that lack of investment is to blame for their being behind.

Vodafone and O2 have been vocal in their fury over EE – a combo carrier of Orange and T-Mobile UK – being allowed to launch an LTE network so soon, while they wait out for the Ofcom spectrum sale. “The regulator has shown a careless disregard for the best interests of consumers, businesses and the wider economy” Vodafone said in a statement back in August, “through its refusal to properly regard the competitive distortion created by allowing one operator to run services before the ground has been laid for a fully competitive 4G market.”

However, Bennett has little time for Vodafone and O2′s arguments that they are dependent on acquiring new spectrum rights in the 2013 auction. Instead, the 4G expert suggests, the other carriers are merely reaping the rewards of poor forward planning, having used their 900MHz spectrum holdings to bolster 3G coverage, for instance.

Orange and T-Mobile UK, in contrast, have been building out EE’s LTE infrastructure since the beginning of the year, Bennett pointed out, and have been planning the roll-out for some time ahead of that. Competitor fury, he counters, involves being selective with what facts and details are emphasized.

As for compatibility issues, which for instance sees the iPhone 5 only supporting the LTE bands EE will use in the UK, and not those Vodafone or O2 intend to use, Bennett believes the headache will be short-lived. Within a year, he suggests, chipsets which support all the bands in use will be prevalent – at least in the UK market – and consumers will be back to a situation where they can swap SIMs between phones without worrying about whether they’ll be limited to 3G.

EE: Our LTE-complaining rivals made the wrong decisions is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Oct 01

UK regulators approve Vodafone and O2’s network merger

Posted in: Today's Chili

Observing the mantra that the enemy of its enemy is its friend, Vodafone and O2 have gained regulatory approval to begin merging their cellular networks to better compete with Everything Everywhere. As such, they can begin spinning off infrastructure and towers to a new company called CTI, which will manage both company’s hardware as a single network. It’s hoped the new tie-up will cover 98 percent of the country and enable LTE services to roll out two years ahead of Ofcom’s 2017 deadline. Worried about another awkward T-Mobile and Orange-style merger? Don’t be, since in every other respect, the pair have pledged to operate as competing entities in a quest for your custom.

Continue reading UK regulators approve Vodafone and O2’s network merger

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

UK regulators approve Vodafone and O2’s network merger originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 01

Galaxy Note II available in the UK today!

Posted in: Today's Chili

Well, Korea might have beaten the UK to the punch, but England’s carriers are getting Samsung’s latest super-sized phone ahead of the US. As promised, the Galaxy Note II is hitting shelves today at Three UK, O2 and Vodafone. So far, only Three has made the launch official with a press release, but we’re sure O2 and Vodafone will follow in short order. The privilege of running the 5.5-inch monstrosity on Three will cost you €69 up front with either a €34 or €36 a month contract, while pay-as-you-go customers will have to fork over €499. If PR is your thing, it’s awaiting you after the break.

Continue reading Galaxy Note II available in the UK today!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Galaxy Note II available in the UK today! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 28

HTC One X+ specs leaked in O2 brochure

Posted in: Today's Chili

Earlier this month we reported that according to a leak, the HTC One X+ had its specs leaked. If you’re not a fan of leaks and approach them with a healthy dose of skepticism, we don’t blame you, but if the One X+ is a phone that you wouldn’t mind getting your hands on, UK carrier O2 seems to have leaked the specs of the device in a brochure, giving some credence to the earlier leaks as well as giving some additional details that weren’t known before.

For starters it has been revealed that the One X+ will feature a 1.7GHz quad-core processor (earlier leak suggested 1.6GHz quad-core, and 1.7GHz single-core). It will also come with 64GB of internal storage (leak suggested 32GB) although we’re not sure if it’s up to 64GB, or if 64GB will be the only option. It also revealed that it will come with an 8MP camera, 25GB of free Dropbox storage, Beats Audio integration and will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board. O2 UK has priced it at £479.99 on a pay as you go plan, but no word on how much that might translate to when (and if) it arrives on T-Mobile’s network stateside.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC One X+ with T-Mobile’s branding spotted in leaked photo, Another alleged HTC One X+/Endeavor C2 photo surfaces,

Sep 27

Sony’s Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included

Posted in: Today's Chili

O2 and ThreeUK have announced that they’ll be carrying Sony’s Xperia T, the phone James Bond totes ’round in Skyfall. He’s got a tough decision on his hands depending on which network he chooses, however, with O2 offering an exclusive tie-in edition of the handset with custom ringtones and pre-release images. On the other hand, he probably gets through plenty of data reading classified files and flicking through the Tom Ford catalogue, so perhaps he’d prefer Three’s unlimited data. Either way, you can follow in the footsteps of your hero right now, with price plans starting from £30 per month.

Continue reading Sony’s Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included

Filed under: Mobile

Sony’s Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 27

O2′s next HTC phone will not be shipped with wall chargers as a means to go green

Posted in: Today's Chili

A lot of companies are focusing on going green these days, some of this is accomplished by using materials which aren’t harmful to the environment, or by packaging their products in boxes that are made from sustainable materials. Now it looks like HTC is interested in doing their part for the environment and together with UK carrier O2, it looks like if you were to buy a HTC phone from O2 in the future, you can expect it to not come with a wall plug that you can use to charge your phone with. (more…)