Orange San Francisco II to be available for 99 GBP with 10 GBP credit

Yeah we knew Orange is preparing to launch the San Francisco II, a successor to the entry-level ZTE-made Android smartphone. The France Telecom-owned carrier isn’t that quiet about the device launch any more, having released a promotional video on YouTube. That, however, doesn’t mean the phone got its page on Orange’s website – or at least I couldn’t find it at the moment of this writing. I’m not sure what’s the idea here.

Anyway, the new San Francisco phone will come with the same (as its predecessor) 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen, faster processor clocking at 800MHz, 5-megapixel camera on the back, Orange HD Voice capability (this is new, too), while Android 2.3 Gingerbread will run the show out of box. Orange will sell it on both PAYG and pay monthly plans. The former option will cost you 99 GBP and you’ll also have to buy a compulsory 10 GBP top-up.

Finally the release date is said to be November 21st, though again we don’t have that officially confirmed by Orange…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znFwo8FDgPY

Article: RSS via IntoMobile

Tags: Android, Budget Phones, Orange, Pay As You Go, PAYG, San Francisco II, Smartphones, Video

Posted in Android, Orange, Smartphones, Videos | No Comments »

Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman; On sale for £80 at Vodafone

PAYG music player

Looks like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray isn’t the only Sony Ericsson phone coming to Vodafone this month. The operator has just announced that the Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman has just gone on sale in the UK.

First announced in June, the new smartphone will be available for £90 as a Pay As You Go handset, including £10 top up.

Specs wise it has a 3-inch 400 x 240 screen and supports SD cards for memory.

It also has the power tell you what song is coming next with a dedicated key. When pressed, the Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman’s Zappin key previews the chorus of the next song. So if you don’t recall a song by its name, you can quickly find out how it goes.

Unlikely to light the fire of those holding out for the top of the range Sony Ericsson models, the Mix Walkman should appeal to those looking for a feature phone with a bit of fun.

That fun, for example, is provided by the in built karaoke function that means you can lower the vocal tracks from songs and sing along.

The phone comes in black with green or pink coloured bands.

Article: RSS via Pocket-lint

Tags: Mp3 Player, Music, Pay As You Go, PAYG, PMP, Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman, Vodafone, Walkman

Posted in Music, Portable Media Players, Sony Ericsson, Vodafone | No Comments »

O2 UK now offers Alcatel OT-990 for 99.99 GBP on PAYG

If you’re living or working in the UK, and are looking for a cheap ticket to the Android smartphone world, perhaps O2 has the right product for ya’. The Telefónica-owned operator is offering the Alcatel OT-990 for 99.99 GBP on PAYG. That’s an awesome deal for a device that comes with a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen, 600MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, 200MB of internal memory, memory card slot, while Android 2.2 Froyo is running the show.

It’s not a high-end device by any means, but it’s good enough for those buying their first Android device. You’ll get access to tons of apps, pretty fast Internet connection, solid camera, ability to turn your mobile connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot and so on.

Interested? Hit this link to get all the details from O2 from where you can also secure your Alcatel OT-990 for 100 pounds.

Article: RSS via IntoMobile

Tags: Alcatel OT-990, Android, Budget Phones, O2, Pay & Go, Pay As You Go, PAYG, Smartphones, UK

Posted in Android, O2, Smartphones | No Comments »

Vodafone 555 budget Facebook Phone on sale now

Vodafone’s super-cheap interpretation of the Facebook Phone, the Vodafone 555, has gone on sale, offering straightforward access to the social network for just £62.50 ($102) SIM-free. Announced back in July, the 555 offers a full QWERTY keyboard and 2.4-inch non-touch display, synchronizing your Facebook news, photos, chat, messages and contacts over EDGE.

Like the HTC ChaCha there’s a dedicated Facebook button, which can be preset to automatically share photos snapped with the 555′s 2-megapixel camera, though since this is a featurephone rather than a smartphone, don’t expect the full app experience. Vodafone does preload Opera Mini, however, for browsing, though again you’re stuck with EDGE data speeds since there’s neither 3G nor WiFi.

You do at least get an FM radio and expandable memory, handy if you want to make the 555 your media player too, and there’s Bluetooth and a speakerphone as well. The Vodafone 555 is available now.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73NAhjHWqAM

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Phone, Mobile Phones, Pay As You Go, Video, Vodafone, Vodafone 555 Blue

Posted in Facebook, Mobile Phones, Videos, Vodafone | No Comments »

iPhone £200 Pay As You Go model incoming?

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Pay As You Go, PAYG, Smartphones

Posted in Apple, iOS, iPhone, Smartphones | No Comments »

Vodafone hikes PAYG call costs

Inflation nation

Vodafone has left its Pay As You Go customers with a sour taste in their mouths after increasing the cost of calls by up to £1.50 a minute.

From the middle of next month, Vodafone punters on the Simply price plan will be stung with a hike. Calls to any network, standard landline, or voicemail, will jump four pence to 25p per minute. Texts are set to rise to 12p each, with picture and video messages up to 36p and 60p, respectively.

The big stinger is premium rate numbers, which at the moment cost 50p per minute. Vodafone now insists customers pay £2 instead – a whopping 300 per cent increase.

You shouldn’t worry too much as that only applies to digits starting in 09. However, numbers such as ‘freephone’ and 08-ers, will set users back 25p per minute.

The inflation doesn’t stop there, though.

Those on other price plans, such as Smart Step, Smart Plus, Anytime, Anynet, All Calls and Original will also see calling costs rise from 15p to 25p per minute. Mobile Internet users will be hit for £1 per 25MB too, although the maximum data charge each day is £5.

The changes in Vodafone price plans will take effect on 14 July.

Fortunately, not all costs are on an upwards path. From 1 July, Vodafone is lowering the cost of making and receiving calls while abroad. In Europe, customers making calls will now pay 36p instead of 39p each minute, while forking out 11p instead of 15p to receive them.

Article: RSS via The Register

Tags: Pay As You Go, PAYG, Vodafone

Posted in Other News, Vodafone | No Comments »

HTC Sensation is available on Three.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE4DuTocKw8

Fancy the HTC Sensation with All-You-Can-Eat Data? Well look no further as Three have today announced it’s available to purchase from the 3Store on The One Plan for £37 per month or on Text 500 for just £30 per month. If you would rather not commit to a 24 month contract, you can also pick up the Sensation for £449.99 on 3 Pay As You Go.

The HTC Sensation has something for everyone, with its 4.3 inch high resolution touchscreen, Dual-core processor and 8MP camera. It also runs on Android Gingerbread, which is also known as 2.3, this makes browsing and using your favourite Apps on the Sensation super fast.

Article: Web via 3Store

Tags: 3, 3G, 3G Networks, Android, Dual-Core, HTC, HTC Sensation, Pay As You Go, Smartphones, The One Plan, Three

Posted in 3 / Three, 3G, Android, HTC, Smartphones | No Comments »

Photos: LG Optimus One Black on Three

I’ve just received the LG Optimus One Black from our friends at Three. It’s a budget Android handset but with plenty of features you’d find on a more expensive handset including Android 2.2. You can pick one up from Three for just £13 per month on a 24 month contract or £129.99 on Pay As You Go, and with Three’s new plans, you can include All-You-Can-Eat data from just £15 per top-up.

We’ll hopefully get more pics and video over the coming days but for now, here are some shots for you to enjoy.

Article: Local via Go Gadget News

Tags: 3, 3G, Android, Android 2.2, LG, LG Optimus Black, Pay As You Go, Smartphones, Three

Posted in 3 / Three, 3G, Adobe, LG, Smartphones | No Comments »

O2 – We’ll sell you the Samsung Galaxy S II

Just don’t ask us to deliver it!

Last week O2 started selling the eagerly awaited Samsung Galaxy S II. They had both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go deals listed on their website. But, the PAYG version has sparked quite a bit of interest on the internet as O2 were offering the handset at the more than reasonable price of £399 which is up to £200 cheaper than other online retailers.

Having seen this fantastic deal, I decided to take the plunge myself as I was originally going to folk out £579 for the handset and this deal was just to good to turn down. Well my friends, as a wise old man once said, if a deal looks to good to be true, then it usually is!

I placed my order on the evening of 5th May and paid an extra £10 for Saturday morning delivery. As you can imagine, I was like a kid in a candy store Saturday morning, waiting for the gleaming new handset to arrive. The handset was due to be delivered before 12 noon, so I decided to wait in until the delivery had arrived. Well 12 noon came and went, and no sign of said delivery. I left it a few hours and decided to contact O2 to find out where my phone was.

I managed to get through to an advisor who keyed in my order number, only to tell me that this item was out of stock! Baffled, I asked him what he was talking about, as it actually said ‘In Stock’ when I ordered and they even let me pay extra for Saturday morning delivery. He offered no apology and basically kept repeating that it was out of stock and ‘may’ come in the following Monday.

As you can imagine, I was fuming! Not even a courtesy call to say the item would not be arriving.

Anyway, I contacted them again this morning to ask if the stock had arrived and if it would be coming out ASAP. Oh, no! Now they ‘think’ the stock will arrive on Monday 16th May…. but are not really sure!

Balls to this, I thought! I asked the lady for a full refund, stating that I would rather take my money and pay extra to actually get the handset as promised.

Now get this…not only did they take my money for a handset they don’t actually have, nor cannot supply; but now have the audacity to tell me I will have to wait a further 14 days to get my money back!

Can you believe this? After everything they put you through, you would think they would get someone from their accounts department to refund the money same day as most payments now come under the faster payments scheme. Not O2! Oh no! They will actually keep hold of your money for as long as humanely possible, just to further screw you over (and no doubt benefit from the interest they will make, while MY money is in their bank account)!

Well that’s my rant done on this matter, and if you think I’m the only one suffering on this issue, then think again.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1060356

Article: Local via Go Gadget News

Tags: Android, Galaxy S II, O2, Pay As You Go, Samsung, Smartphones, xda-developers

Posted in Android, O2, Samsung, Smartphones | 4 Comments »

iPhone 4 now available on Three PAYG

Fancy an iPhone 4 without the contract and without the £680 SIM Free price tag? Well Three have added the iPhone 4 in both 16GB and 32GB versions for £499.99 and £599.99 respectively.

Although the handset is £499.99, you must purchase a £15 top-up with the phone but this does put you on Three’s new PAYG tariff which gives you 300 minutes, 3000 texts and truly all-you-can-eat data for 30 days.

Just don’t ask if it’s available in white!

Tags: Apple, iOS, iPhone, iPhone 4, Pay As You Go, PAYG, Smartphones, Three

Posted in 3 / Three, Apple, iOS, iPhone, Smartphones | No Comments »