Hasta La Gadget!

Some of our UK readers have woken up to the less than awesome discovery this morning that their phones have lost all connectivity to the outside world. 3G, 2G, SMS, and BlackBerry services on the Vodafone UK network are all down for what seems like a significant proportion of its user base — an issue the carrier has since identified as being caused by a break-in at its Basingstoke exchange center. No further details have been provided, though work is naturally underway to repair the damage done and we’re assured customers’ private data has remained so. We can’t imagine quite such a service disruption being caused by a random act of vandalism or burglary, perhaps a disgruntled employee felt the need to vent his or her frustrations in grand style? Or has O2 gone gangster on the competition?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Vodafone got in touch to say that 2G and 3G voice connectivity has been restored as of lunchtime in the UK and text and data services should be up within “the next couple of hours.” The company estimates the issue has affected “a couple of hundred thousand users”, though it expects that number to drop to zero before the day is through.

Vodafone’s UK network taken down by a break-in (update: some services restored) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While many of us are focused on the latest and greatest consumer tech, there are many parts of the globe still waiting for utilities we take for granted — like electricity, running water, and access to the internet. Developing nations do have access to cellphones, however. Vodafone is keenly aware of this fact, and its latest product, the Webbox, will bring the internet to anyone with a TV and access to 2.5G or EDGE networks. The Webbox is essentially a QWERTY keyboard — with the data hardware from a phone stuffed inside — that connects to a TV through basic RCA cables and allows for a relatively speedy internet experience by compressing data by around 90 percent. It’s dead simple to set up, as you simply plug in the RCA’s and switch on the device — an Opera Mini browser pops up on screen and allows users to start surfing the world wide web immediately. An app store, some games, and a text editor are baked into the portal, and the ability to send email and SMS messages is included is well. Vodafone is selling the device — which comes with a 2GB SD card and 100MB of data — in South Africa for 749 Rand ($102), with other markets and a two year contract plan to be added later this year. Check out the Webbox, and all its elegant simplicity, in the video after the break.

Continue reading Vodafone announces Webbox, gives internet access to the developing world

Vodafone announces Webbox, gives internet access to the developing world originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White Nexus S confirmed to be ‘coming soon’ to Vodafone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are leaks, and then there are leaks. As you can probably glean from the headline, this is most certainly a case of the latter. FoneArena has received shots of what appears to be a Vodafone Germany inventory system, and it’s a system currently overflowing with both rumored and heretofore unheard of product names. HTC’s Flyer and Pyramid are all but confirmed for a MWC unveiling, while the Desire 2 is popping up on our radar for the first time. We’ve also been told that LG’s Optimus 3D will be fully revealed next week in Barcelona, but the Star Tab? Now that’s a new one. Of course, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to see a swath of new names pop up just days before the year’s most gargantuan mobile show, but it definitely brings about a metric ton of questions. Is the Star Tab a phone? A slate? A unicorn-based gaming console? Will the Desire 2 simply be more desirable than the original, or will it utilize one of those new screen technologies HTC is feverishly working on? Hard to say from a simple list of names, but you can bet we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more as Mobile World Congress approaches.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC Desire 2, Flyer, Pyramid and LG Optimus 3D, Star Tab surface in Vodafone Germany inventory system originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Staying true to its Galaxy S forefather, the Nexus S has shown up with a new white shell, which, just as with the Galaxy S, only extends to its rear portions, leaving the front end a familiar shade of noir. Just what’s keeping manufacturers from blanching their phones’ visage, we don’t know, but at least it’s looking like there’ll be some variation in the Nexus S’ palette. We did notice a “Silver Black” Nexus S sprouting up in European retailers’ listings a couple of weeks ago, which this could well be — it all depends on how loosely these companies define the word “silver.” There’s no knowledge on when or where this chromatically altered S will be on sale, but you’ll know more as soon as we do.

Update: First picture from the wilderness of the white back is now embedded after the break. The Next Web suggests Vodafone may be the European carrier for this particular version of the handset.

Continue reading Nexus S emerges in white attire, but it only covers its rear

Nexus S emerges in white attire, but it only covers its rear originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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