Buzzin Mobiles

Orange Venture offer for Small Businesses

Terry Lane — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:14:38 +0000

Orange Venture for Small Businesses

A new offer from Orange Business Services focusses on the fact that running a small business is not a nine-to-five job, and that small business owners tend to continue making business calls well into the evening and most weekends.

So they are offering a new service called Orange Venture. The benefits of this service include a choice of two of the following four unlimited benefits: UK landline calls, calls to other Orange mobiles, UK weekend or evening calls; and also inclusive minutes for international calls from the UK to 28 countries on selected plans.

The service also includes Orange Cover to insure you against lost, stolen or damaged mobile handsets and business customer services team available from 8AM to 8PM Monday to Saturday (obviously forgetting that many small business owners also work on Sundays!)

Visit the Orange Business Services website to find out more.

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Vtap Launches UK Music Festival Mobile Video Channels

Terry Lane — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:57:37 +0000

vtap, the mobile video search service, has launched two new mobile video channels for free mobile access to all the latest web video content from 2008’s music festivals.

By simply pointing their web browser at www.vtap.com/feeds/uk_festivals or m.vtap.com/feeds/uk_festivals music lovers will see a continually updated feed of the latest web video content relating to festivals including O2 Wireless, T in the Park and Reading/Leeds, as well as videos of the headlining acts at this year’s festivals.

About vtap
vtap, is a unique mobile web video search service that allows consumers to quickly and easily search, view and save relevant web videos from any source on the Internet on any imaginable topic, tailored to their individual preferences on their preferred device(s).

By registering with vtap, users can receive a feed of personalised up-to-date content from thousands of video sites directly to their mobile device or PC.

Features include:

Search – easily find any video with vtap’s proprietary “incremental” search where results are returned continually as characters are input, with further results displayed and ordered by relevance

Discovery – Advanced algorithms organise videos and present related topics such as movies, TV, songs, artists, etc., in a way that’s easy to browse and discover

Feed – vtap makes it easy to set up a personalised feed. Any music artist, team, celebrity, TV show or topic can be added to the feed and vtap will find the latest related videos across thousands of sites and push them to any profile or device

Keep – save videos for viewing later or sharing with your friends on the go. Users can save online at vtap.com and then watch later on their mobile (and vice-versa)
Share – users can share any video with any of their friends using SMS, email or vtap feed links.

About Veveo
U.S. company Veveo’s mission is to become a driving force in creating a consumer mobile video habit. The company’s flagship product, vtap, makes discovering, viewing and sharing mobile videos easy through its proprietary incremental search technology and by delivering a personalized feed of content directly to any screen, anytime. The service is free to consumers and features more than 170 million videos from more than 50,000 sites across the Web.

For more information about vtap, please visit www.vtap.com or for mobile vtap visit m.vtap.com.

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EU fighting for cheaper mobile phone charges

Terry Lane — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:27:52 +0000

Have you been on a business trip within the European Union lately and been shocked by the cost of using your business mobile phone abroad?

Last month, the EU’s telecoms watchdog published a set of guidelines for laws to balance call termination fees across the EU memeber states by 2011.

The European Commission plans to lower the cost of mobile phone calls by reducing the fees operators charge each other for using their networks across state borders.

The EU also wanted mobile phone companies to cut prices for sending data from a mobile phone, such as text and email messages and using mobile internet, from one EU member state to another.

The European Union has stated that failure to reach an agreement to reduce costs may result in legislation to force them to change the way they charge their customers.

There are currently 27 national authorities regulating fees charged by an operator for handling calls from one company to another. It is because of the cross-border fees that the EU are concerned that EU customers are paying too much for their mobile phone services while abroad.

As the EU promotes business within and between EU members, I believe it is only right that they are fighting for lower costs.

Operators have until 2011 to abide by the new regulations, which the commission estimated would make calls 70% cheaper.

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The new Apple iPhone with 3G

Terry Lane — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:30:59 +0000

The new Apple iPhone with 3G is set to become this summer’s most fashionable useful accessory for every businessman on the move.

The new iPhone 3G is to be launched in the UK on the 11th July. It comes with fast 3G technology, built-in GPS and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.

Watch the Apple iPhone Guided Tour.

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Airlines to use mobile phones to track passengers

Terry Lane — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:49:55 +0000

As all businesses from sole traders and SME’s to transnational corporations are relying on the advances in mobile technology ever more, a report today suggests that airlines are to use mobile phones to cut flight delays in the next five years.

A study by Cambridge University and SITA, an IT provider to the airline industry, suggest airlines could save up to £306 million and reduce flight delays by tracking passengers and getting them to the departure gates in better time.

According to CBR Online, mobile phones already have the potential to include boarding passes, baggage tracking and payment data.

Jim Peters, Chief Technology Officer at SITA said,

“Digital travellers will have on-demand access to a range of mobile-enabled services such as real time flight updates, self-service booking, check-in and boarding, and mobile payments.”

Not surprisingly, the report also found that mobile phone technology could be affectively used by airlines to promote other services. A trial of this service at Manchester Airport resulted in 45% increase in sales via redemption vouchers.

Once again it looks like advances in mobile technology to give more power to the individual is a weigh off against mobile intrusion. With these kind of services over the next few years will undoubtedly come an massive increase in mobile advertising and mobile spam.

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3 Targets SME’s With New Mix & Match Plans

Terry Lane — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:37:59 +0000

New offering allows UK SME’s and small businesses value and flexibility as well as free mobile Skype for business for first time.

3 Business, the new small business division of mobile operator 3, has launched a comprehensive range of new deals for small UK businesses with the introduction of Business Mix and Match plans.

3 Business’ pricing structure offers customers a new level of value and customisation in their company’s mobile plans, as well as making advanced Internet services like mobile Skype accessible on a business plan for the first time.

3 Business customers can choose from a range of options for voice minutes, texts, mobile broadband data and handsets.

In addition, for the first time on any network, 3’s Business Mix & Match plans offer free Skype calls from mobiles, which enable businesses to stay in touch for free via Internet calling.

Every Business Mix and Match customer will receive 300 free 3-to-3 minutes, free Skype-to-Skype calls, free voicemail and free Instant Messenger.

Business Mix and Match also offers customers significant flexibility when choosing handsets. Customers will be able to select new handsets such as Nokia’s N95 or the HTC TyTN II, alongside established handsets such as Nokia’s E61 and 6500 slider.

3 Business has also boosted the value of its Business 600, Business 900 and Flat Rate tariffs, giving customers on these price plans 2000 free 3-to-3 minutes. In addition new customers signing up for 18-months will also receive a 10% discount and those on 24-month contracts will get 25% off their recurring charge (discount applies to sharer member not access fee).

Renato Bottini, 3 Business Division Manager, said: “We’re bringing the same value and innovation that we’ve introduced into the UK consumer market to small businesses. We want to be the best value, to offer the most exciting new services and to give our customers the service levels they expect.”

“The launch of mobile Skype for business is a real first in the market. Consumers have been taking advantage of free Internet calling on mobile for some time and we’re now enabling small businesses to benefit from this. Whether you’re calling your office in the UK or your customer in Australia, Skype offers free mobile calling and you can’t beat that sort of value.”

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Mobile Internet GPS Advertising - the next big thing

Terry Lane — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:13:23 +0000

As I wrote about for www.GenerateSuccss.co.uk mobile online marketing is becoming big news, and every UK business should be considering whether to use this new media to market their products & services.

But with the merging of mobile internet marketing and customer tracking via GPS comes the latest incentive for UK businesses who wish to push local advertising.

There is a whiff of ‘big brother’ when you consider you will be targetted by businesses advertising on the internet because technology knows exactly where you are, when using your mobile phone or PDA to browse the internet or send emails

This technology is already available, and Microsoft are stepping up their mobile services in an attempt to claw back some of the market that has been lost to Google.

Microsoft have suggested that e-mail and instant messaging applications for mobile phones will now display advertisements for the first time. Windows Live will also show advertising.

According to The Times Online, mobile advertising spending in Western Europe is expected to rise from $1 billion in 2007 to $1.5 billion this year, according to eMarketer, the research firm.

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Apple negotiating mobile delivery licensing deals

Terry Lane — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:30:59 +0000

Following on from my recent post regarding the probability that Apple are about to launch the new iPhone with 3G capabilities in June, it is reported that Apple are in negotiations with the main record labels. Apple has had problems convincing record labels to agree to a flat rate pricing system in past negotiations.

All individual tracks listed on iTunes sell for 79p with a reduced cost for a complete album and the occassional free track. This ‘one size fits all’ approach is both simple and very successful. But record labels have always wanted to sell current commercial hit singles for more and their back catalogue for less. Hitherto, Apple have won the day and record labels have had to play by the Apple rules.

But if, as expected, the new Apple iPhone comes with 3G capabilities, that opens up another can of worms that has had Apple CEO Steve Jobs and record label bosses around the negotiating table again, this time to agree on mobile delivery licensing deals; and this time according to The Guardian, it looks like Apple are prepared to listen.

Reports that the record labels may have the upperhand and Apple are prepared to negotiate on their terms, follows the announcement of a two-tier pricing plan to download HBO TV shows, earlier this year.

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Vodafone UK include free mobile internet bundle

Terry Lane — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:37:00 +0000

Vodafone UK has realised the importance its customers are now placing on mobile internet use and has restructured its price plans to include access to the internet and email on their mobile as an integral part of the monthly price plan.

Currently Pay Monthly customers pay for additional internet bundle for £7.50 per month. But Vodafone UK will now include mobile internet access.

Vodafone Price plans start at £25 and customers who select a £40 or higher price plan will also for the first time have the choice of unlimited texts, unlimited landline calls or unlimited Vodafone to Vodafone calls.

Ian Shepherd, director of consumer for Vodafone UK said,

“Our customers want simplicity and services that are easy to select, buy and use. Today with our new price plans Vodafone customers have the confidence to browse for as long as they need with no extra costs when checking their e-mail, visiting their favourite social networking sites or making a final bid on eBay.”

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Apple iPhone firmware suggests 3G support

Terry Lane — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:20:22 +0000

Rumour has it that Apple are ready to launch a 3G iPhone this year.

Software developers are currently working on the Beta 5 version of the iPhone 2.0 firmware.

The screenshot (left) is taken from its Network Settings screen and clearly shows the ‘Enable 3G’ option.

Existing 8Gb and 16Gb Apple iPhone models are listed as “Currently unavailable” both here in the UK & in the United States; and stock is almost depleted in UK O2 stores due to the 8GB special offer price.

There is speculation that the new 3G iPhone could be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC08 - Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 9-13 June in San Francisco.