3G SINGH's Phone Blog

3 Launches the D100 Router for mobile broadband

2008-10-17T18:28:00.002+01:00

3 UK has launched a new little gadget which essentially allows you to share your mobile broadband connection with the rest of your household. Using the the same principle as the existing wireless routers available on the market it sends a wireless signal around the local vacinity so the broadband connection can be shared. All you really do is plug the usb dongle into the d100 and you away to go! One potential problem is that the more users you have on the connection at the same time could be detrimental to your download/upload speeds. The D100 is currently available through 3 direct on the website and through the retail outlets priced at £69.99 which isnt that bad if you compare it with normal adsl/dsl routers.

3 Halve Price of Mobile Broadband Modems

2008-05-01T22:59:00.003+01:00

3 have shaken up the mobile broadband pricing structure again by further lowering the cost of their PAYG modems. The ZTE and Huawei E220 models will be reduced to a bargain £49.99 which is halve their original price. This is the second drop in price of the data modems with some retailers selling the modems for £69.99 however the latest drop will no doubt encourage even more of the population to sign up to the service; im currently testing the mobile broadband offering from 3 and will report back within this month with the lowdown on 3's offerings.

On another note 3 have also lowered the price of the Skype phone from £49.99 to £39.99, this should take them into competition with the low end pre pay market and with features such as bluetooth, mp3 and a 2MP camera it seems to be the best thing in the market at that price range.

3 set to release HTC TyTN 2

2008-04-14T21:38:00.002+01:00

Three is set to release its second Windows Mobile device the HTC TyTN 2, finally giving its customers a PDA/smartphone choice which hasn't been seen properly since the days of the Motorola A1000(Qtek 9000 not counted as it wasnt a proper launch). When the Qtek was annouced on 3 it was heavily delayed and only a limited amount of handsets were made available. As well as that the 3 portal was not compatible and users only had a limited amount of services to choose from. Hopefully this time around it wont be as bad. The TyTN 2 release appears to tie in with the launch of mobile broadband and 3 would probably look to combine the two together as they are the perfect package.

Source- www.coolsmartphone.com

3's New USB Modem

2008-04-07T22:49:00.003+01:00

Thanks to the guys at 3mobilebuzz i have been given the new USB modem set for release on 3. It is made by Huawei, the same people who made the popular E220. The model number of the new modem is E169G. The first thing that struck me was the size of the device; it is much smaller than the E220 and is the same size and shape of a usb flash drive. There is a lanyard hook at the back so you can carry it around easily and a cap at the front which houses the USB connector as well as the sim card slot which is cleverly placed above the connector. The other difference is there is no cable needed to connect to the computer; you just simply slot it in to the usb port as you would any other device. The installation is quick and easy, and it uses the same software as the E220. I've taken some comparison photos so you can get a good idea on the size of the device. As far as i know it should be available from 3's website and stores in the very near future. I will be reviewing the mobile broadband service in a later post when i have played about with it more extensively.

Nokia launches new N-GAGE gaming service

2008-04-07T22:34:00.002+01:00

Nokia has announced that its new gaming service is now available to those who have the right piece of kit (inc. N81, N82, N95). The new service will allow users to download 3D games on to their mobile phone at a cost per game- kind of like the music downloading service offered by most operators. The first games that are being offered are Fifa 08, Brain Challenge and World Series Poker. The games are set to cost between £4.50 and £8 depending on title.

T Mobile launches new PAYG offer

2008-04-02T23:55:00.002+01:00

Top up and Stretch is the name for the new PAYG offer being brought in from T Mobile. It will essentially run beside the Top Up Friday Offer which gives unlimited weekend texts to users who top up £10 or more on a Friday. The stretch option will give customers an extra £10 credit to use on the weekend effectively stretching their credit to give them more.

New Data Modem for 3

2008-04-02T20:05:00.004+01:00

Word on the grape-vine is that 3 are releasing a new data modem to go with their already expanding range of devices including one made by ZTE and and another by Huawei. Im not sure who this new modem is made by but it looks very well designed and will be sure to be snapped up with ridiculously priced deals from 3; with some retailers selling it at under £70 on PAYG and others giving free laptops away with the monthly deals!

Back in Business

2008-04-02T19:56:00.002+01:00

Wow, almost four months since i last posted on here! What has been going on you ask well a number of different things happened-moving house, changing jobs, my degree and pc breakdowns were just a starter. Anyway im glad to say im back to posting and catching up on whats been going on in the mobile world. Where to start? What a busy four-ish months its been with the launch of several new handsets and loads more in the wings as well as mobile broadband taking off with all sorts of mad giveaways and deals as well as 3's new mix and match price plans its a hell of alot to take in and im still catching up to be honest but rest assured the latest news will be found here.
Thanks

3G Singh

N95-8 Launches on 3 website & Silver Viewty coming soon to CPW

2007-12-29T00:19:00.000Z

Two bits of phone news today, the N95-8 is now on the three.co.uk shop available on the mix and match plans. Its £15 per month on top of the the price plan making it the most expensive phone 3 have at this moment in time. By the looks of things it is available to buy right now and you get free speakers if you are one of the 1st 500 to buy the handset.

Secondly, a silver LG Viewty handset has been seen on the Carphone Warehouse coming soon page. No details on any network as yet but it is said to be expected in Feb 08. Expect this to sell as well as the black version.

3 & T Mobile decide to share networks

2007-12-20T19:18:00.000Z

3UK & T Mobile UK have decided to share their 3G networks in order to create the world's largest known 3G network sharing agreement. This will effectively mean most of the UK will have 3G coverage when fully complete and makes the idea of network sharing in the UK a reality. Work will start in 2008 and finish in early 2009.

Source: http://www.three.co.uk/news/h3gnews/pressnewsview.omp?collcid=1019745742912&cid=1197535991381

Sticking with 3UK for a bit, they are expected to have the N95-8 in stock for early January!

3UK launches new fashionable USB modems

2007-12-17T22:37:00.000Z

3UK has launched its USB modem in two new colours- "rose" for her and "noir" for him. The modems are on sale now and are part of a bid to get more of the general public into the idea of surfing on the go using 3's high speed network. The original white version is still available to purchase as well as a new ZTE modem. All modems can be purchased on Pay Monthly and PAYG price plans.

Ultra Low Price for Nokia N73!

2007-12-01T19:40:00.000Z

Another deal for Xmas- the Nokia N73 on TMobile PAYG is being sold at £99.99 including a £10 top up at your local Currys store. Effectively you are getting the phone for £89.99. These are being snapped up very quickly so grab one while you can.

Sony Ericsson Announces the W890i

2007-11-30T00:00:00.000Z

Sony Ericsson has announced the successor to the ever popular W880 walkman handset. The W890i has the same ultra thin look of its younger brother as well as fitting in HSDPA, a 3.2mp camera and a normal keypad. As well as that Sony have decided to bundle a 2GB M2 card with the handset giving you loads of space to store your songs. It also has what Sony are calling SensME technology which basically senses the mood and beat of the songs and creates playlists of slow, sad songs and happy upbeat songs for example. The w890 is pencilled in for a Q1 2008 release.

3G iPhone to be a Voda exclusive?

2007-11-29T23:48:00.000Z

Certain reports are stating that the yet to be announced 3G iPhone has been given exclusive rights on Vodafone in any territory that they have a network present (alot of the world). Although it is not confirmed Voda are believed to have a large interest in selling such a device and if true it may not come as much of a shock. Having said that o2 have exclusive rights in the Uk at leasts to selling the iphone device for two years. Time will only tell whether ther new device- scheduled for release in Spring 08 (as im told) will be on Voda or not.

Sticking with Voda news for abit, the Nokia N70 is available for the cheap price of £69.99 on Voda PAYG for Xmas. This is quite a decent offer and i would buy one to use as a backup but ive seen the Voda branding of the handset at work and lets just say it isnt too my taste!

Samsung G800 set to launch

2007-11-27T21:16:00.000Z

Samsung are set to launch their flagship device for the xmas period the G800. The handset boasts a 5mp camera as well as 3x Optical Zoom- a first in a mobile. As well as that it is 3G & HSDPA enabled. To launch the handset, Samsung are reported to have a £5million advertising campaign aimed at tech lovers.

iPhone Launch tomorrow

2007-11-08T21:28:00.000Z

Apple's iphone is launched tomorrow in o2 and Carphone Warehouse stores around the country at 18:02. O2 believe that the launch will be such a success that they have hired 1,400 more staff to cope with the demand of eager customers wanting to get their hands on the much hyped device. I personally dont think that it will be that much of a sucess, but lets see how it goes.

Source: http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/content/17212.asp

Vodafone now signed up to use Nokia's Ovi Platform

2007-11-08T21:17:00.000Z

Vodafone has signed up to use Nokia's Ovi platform of internet services (including the Music store) today, surprising many people. Vodafone has "effectively admitted defeat in the brand battle" said one industry analyst.

Vodafone customers will now have the ability to use Nokia's Music store as well as Vodafone's own offering of music downloads. This will mean a number of exclusive handsets on Vodafone in the near future. Currently the Nokia music store will only be able to be accessed via the Nokia N81 and N95-8 whereas Vodafone's option is available on many more handsets such as the LG Viewty.

W910i Out now on most networks

2007-11-05T19:32:00.000Z

The new Sony Ericsson W910i Walkman Phone has been released on UK networks- 3, o2, T Mobile, Vodafone and Orange all have it on their books in one colour or another. I particularly like the new Havana Gold colour that SE have released - the W880 looks particularly good.

3's Skypephone hits the shops...although its meant to have anyway!

2007-11-04T01:08:00.000Z

Friday 2nd November was when the new Skype-phone from 3 was meant to hit 3 stores across the country however many punters, eager to get their hands on the new technology have been left disappointed with most 3 stores not having any stock of the new device until next week at the earliest. The new Skype-phone is priced at £49.99 on PAYG and free on all contracts.

Vodafone UK Launch Musicstation

2007-11-04T01:00:00.000Z

Vodafone have launched Musicstation in the UK which they hope will be rivals to Nokia's new music store and 3's dual download music offering. It is currently available on 13 handsets including the Sony Ericsson W910i and the new Nokia N95-8. Currently there are 1.25million songs on the database with many more set to be released.

A few more pictures of the Skype Phone

2007-10-31T21:13:00.001Z

Some pictures of the Skype Phone

2007-10-31T20:59:00.000Z

The new Skype phone from 3

2007-10-30T23:38:00.000Z

I was lucky enough to be picked as a tester for 3's new groundbreaking device- the Skype phone. Here are my experiences so far:

Got my two phones -both in black nice one 3!. Anyway im pretty impressed with the phone so far, its alot of phone for your £50 and is probably gonna be a good seller come xmas time. I would like to thank 3mobilebuzz for the invite and the phones...nice job! Anyway first thing first, the phone is called the AMOI WP-S1 or Skype phone to you and me. AMOI are a chinese manufacturer who have previously made the Ministry of Sound handset also on the 3 network. It seems 3 are bringing the far eastern phone giants to europe- ZTE being the other.

The phone is much smaller than i expected...maybe that comes from using an E61 too much but i had it in my mind that it would be the size of my BT Homehub phone (not that it ever would be). The camera is pretty decent as is the MP3 playback. The speaker on the phone is quite loud although this is usually a good thing rather than a negative. I also like the way that when you press the internet feature on the menu it gives you the option of a google/yahoo search instead of taking you straight to the 3 portal as all other 3 phones do. Signal wise the handset picks up pretty much full signal everywhere...except at work where only o2 works out of all 5 networks.

After one days use of the phone im still pretty impressed by what it can do. Have browsed the net which is very enjoyable as well as taking a few pics, downloaded a game off the 3 portal and streamed a video or two. Overall it works as well as any other phone in these areas although the 3 portal hasnt properly been provisioned for the handset with MSN messenger and a number of other apps not yet supported as well as only 3 games available to download. In time though this will improve...it is early days.

In the physical design i must say the phone feels very good, they got the rubbery touch just right. The phone feels well made and solid with no loose bits. I dont however like the design of the keys, maybe its just me and that im used to a qwerty keyboard but i cannot for the life of me text on this thing. There is an raised part in the keys about 3/4 of the way down and it makes it much harder to type with. Maybe if this was 1/2 way up the keys it would be easier or maybe its just me. Anothing thing which well lets say hasnt performed as well is the speaker, yes its loud but quality output is really not all that great, as in my e61 does better than that. However you can't really have everything. The screen is clear and easy to see even with glare from the sun. The camera on the phone is a 2mp unit and performs quite well in good light. There is no flash on the phone however there is a mirror on the back for self pictures. Surprisingly there is no front camera for video calling; however i guess the main function of the handset is to use VOIP rather than video call.

Software (firmware) wise it looks like its based on the firmware that was put on the LG U880/890 phones with the font and layout being quite similar. The menus are simple and un cluttered, they are 3 branded as you would expect from a network exclusive but i feel its not too bad and over the top like some networks do. The firmware itself is very stable and and it hasn't crashed or locked up once which is good. Mp3 and video playback is good although i havent had the chance to use the headphones yet. The bluetooth function works well and supports all the normal profiles such as File transfer and modem use. It is surprising that a phone which will retail at £49.99 includes features such as bluetooth and expandible memory. Speaking of the memory option, it takes micro sd or transflash cards although there is no hot swapping on this phone with the memory card slot being placed underneath the battery next to the usim card.

With regards to battery life i think the phone could probably keep a low to medium user satisfied for at least two days if not more. I gave the phone a full charge yesterday and after todays usage of texting, internet browsing, game playing and skype usage it shows roughly 3/4 remaining which is not bad at all.

I will try to upload some pictures and phone comparisons later on in the week but for now im impressed with what 3 have done here.

3G SINGH

Here we go

2007-10-30T23:26:00.000Z

Ok guys n gals my first post, well i would just like to thank all of you for reading this and just let you know what this blog is going to be all about. In a nutshell i will be reviewing phones and giving the latest updates in the mobile industry, whether that be the pending release of the iphone or the new football serivce from Sky. I will mainly concentrate on 3G phones as thats where my main interest lies although GSM handsets/news wont be missed out all together, i will try and give an in depth view into all the goings on in the industry.

I would also like to apologise for the bareness of the blog at first....ill will do my best to get it looking half decent as soon as possible.

3G SINGH