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Review Manufactured from a new ultra high-clarity plastic, we’ve been able to increase the thickness without impairing screen colour or clarity. Each kit contains a screen cleaning cloth and an application card to make perfect-fitting quick and easy. Perfect protection for the screen of your device. Pack contains 2 screen protectors. Enhance your device with this high quality Terrapin accessory. SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS SCREEN PROTECTOR CASE / GUARD / FILM / COVER, 2-… More >>
SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS SCREEN PROTECTOR CASE / GUARD / FILM / COVER, 2-IN-1 PACK BY TERRAPIN
Whether you’re looking to buy the new iPhone 4S or an older Apple handset, the huge array of tariffs on contract, pay monthly and pay as you go (PAYG) can be bewildering.
But help is at hand; we’ll help you decide which handset is right for you, and take you through the best tariffs for your needs. Whether you mostly make calls, send texts or use the internet, there’s something for you.
It’s always tempting to go for the very latest handset, of course, and the iPhone 4S is very desirable indeed. However, you will pay dearly for the privilege of owning one of these state-of-the-art phones. So it’s worth asking yourself whether you actually need one over the now-cheaper iPhone 4 or 3GS.
Indeed, the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS are extremely popular mobiles, and if image is important to you, it’s worth remembering that the iPhone 4 does actually look almost exactly the same as the iPhone 4S!
Apple has now released an 8GB version of the iPhone 4 to provide a lower-priced alternative to the iPhone 4S, and it has stopped producing the older 16GB and 32GB versions (though you might still be able to get a phone with one of those capacities if you’re lucky).
It did the same with the 3GS last year, though it was something of a surprise that the 3GS was kept on this time into a third year of production. It does, though, now provide a much cheaper option, and it’s available for free on a great deal of contract tariffs.
All three of the currently available iPhones can run iOS 5, so it’s only the older 3G and original iPhone models that are excluded from this update. It’s sadly the case that since the release of the iPhone 4, the networks have continued a trend they started previously, cutting down on the amount of included data and call minutes within monthly tariff allowances for new iPhone contracts.
With Vodafone, for example, 1GB of data allowance on last year’s iPhone 4 £35 tariff has now become 500MB on the iPhone 4S £36 tariff. However, that’s not to say there aren’t contracts around that can provide all you need – and we’ll help you shop around to find the right one for you.
If you have older iPhone accessories, support can be patchy for newly bought iPhones unless they have the Made for iPhone logo. This even goes for older Apple docks, although the dock connectors on all iPhones are the same (Apple USB to dock connector cables, for example, are no problem).
Some iPhone 3G and 3GS accessories are suitable for use with the iPhone 4 and 4S – ones that have dock connectors but aren’t flush to the phone’s casing – but cases and the like certainly aren’t; the newer iPhones are a completely different size. Nearly all accessories designed for the iPhone 4 are compatible with the iPhone 4S – though be careful with very fitted cases.
Now we’ve whetted your appetite, let’s get on with finding the right iPhone and deal for you.
You’ll need to think about the length of contract you take out. Shorter contracts usually carry a higher cost for the phone. 24 months is the norm, but then you might want to consider…
When will the next iPhone be out? We’d expect the next iPhone to be announced in late autumn 2012, and if that turns out to be right, you won’t be able to get it straight away if you take out a long contract on a new phone now.
If you can afford it, buying a handset outright to start with and then getting a cheaper monthly tariff can save you money in the long term. These iPhones are also unlocked if you buy them from Apple, meaning that you can use them on any of the UK networks.
Pay as you go is a good way of keeping track of your call and text costs, and can cost less than taking out a contract if you’re a very light user, but this isn’t always a good way of buying an iPhone – you’ll pay a lot for data add-ons, and you’ll also need to pay a large amount for the handset up front.
Not all the networks offer exactly the same as each other. Some offer enhanced features on the iPhone, such as O2 with its Visual Voicemail support and tethering included in the data tariffs, which Three can also offer.
If you make a lot of calls, you’ll obviously be more interested in call quality rather than data coverage, so that’s worth considering. And then there’s cost – some of the bigger networks charge more for their monthly tariffs. Choosing an iPhone: Which is the one for you?
How many minutes and texts do I need?
Many contracts now come with unlimited texts, so that’s often not an issue. However, it’s worth looking at your bills to see how many minutes you use and texts you send over a peak period – say Christmas – and making sure you choose a deal that suits. Don’t forget about iMessages, though.
How long a contract should I take out?
Most smartphone contracts are now 24 months, so be prepared to keep the same handset for that time. Consider insurance as well to guard against losing your handset. 18-month and 12-month contracts are available with iPhones, though they’re pricey up-front.
How much data do I need?
Providing you connect to Wi-Fi at the places you go to most (probably home and work), your data usage will be surprisingly low. You always feel that you need more data than you actually do. For most people, 250MB is more than enough. If you regularly visit websites and use web-intensive apps when out and about, at least 500GB is a safer amount.
Is it better to pay more upfront or more monthly?
Here’s where you need to do some sums. If you pay £200 for the phone and then pay a monthly fee of £25, you will have paid £800 over 24 months. You could get the phone for free and pay £35 a month. But then you’d pay £840 over the term. Of course, the question is whether you can afford to pay out all that money up front.
What if I want tethering?
If you want to tether other devices to your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot feature, you will need to pay close attention to the contract you take out. Some providers include tethering in their tariffs – such as Three’s The One Plan – while others such as Vodafone will charge you extra when you first turn on tethering. O2 doesn’t include data in its basic prices, but the Bolt Ons start from £3 per month and include tethering.
Can I keep my number?
Yes – see more on migrating to another network below.
Best for talk
Three The One Plan: £99 upfront, £35 a month, 2,000 any-network minutes (plus 5,000 Three to Three minutes), 5,000 texts, all-you-can-eat data including tethering
Best for texts
Vodafone: £169 upfront, £31 a month, 300 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB data
Best for data
Orange 41 Extra: £30 upfront, £41 a month, 600 any-network minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB data
Best for tethering
Three The One Plan: £99 upfront, £35 a month, 2,000 any network minutes, 5,000 texts, all-you-can-eat data including tethering
Best for talk
Three The One Plan SIM-only: £25 a month, 2,000 any-network minutes (plus 5,000 Three to Three minutes), 5,000 texts, all-you-can-eat data including tethering
Best for texts
Vodafone Freebie SIM: Top up with £30 and get £30 credit plus 3,000 UK texts and 500MB of data
Best for data
Giffgaff £10 Goodybag: £10 per month, 250 any-network minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data
Best for tethering
O2 Simplicity: 100 minutes £10.50 a month plus £10 for 1GB including tethering, 100 minutes (plus 100 O2 to O2 minutes), unlimited texts
SIM-free
It’s possible to buy an iPhone outright without a contract and then get a cheap monthly or PAYG deal for it. Apple sells the iPhone 4S at £499 for 16GB, £599 for 32GB and £699 for 64GB. These are unlocked handsets.
You can also buy an iPhone from other sources such as eBay, of course, but make sure it’s unlocked or that you’ll be using it on the same network it’s locked to – each network has its own way to get your handset unlocked after a contract ends, but they all have help pages.
Buying a SIM-free handset can be a surprisingly reasonable way of doing things. If you pay for a phone SIM-free from Apple (£499 for the 16GB iPhone 4S) and then £10 a month PAYG, over two years that costs a total of £739. If you get a free handset but it costs £36 a month, though, you’ll pay £864 over the two years.
For SIM-only deals, you can try the major providers, but there are some great deals available from relative unknowns Three, Tesco Mobile as well as a network you might never have heard of; Giffgaff. It actually uses O2′s network, but offers some great data and talk bundles, including unlimited data on some tariffs – something that the major networks have turned their back on.
If you’re getting a SIM card for the iPhone 4 or 4S, make sure you tell your network, so they send you the smaller microSIM card.
Selling your old handset
Whatever phone you had before your new iPhone, it’s worth checking its trade-in price – you never know how much you might get, and most sites will even provide a padded envelope to send your phone to them in. You won’t need to send in your box, charger, headset or manuals – just your handset itself.
We have a mobile phone recycling comparison engine, while there are other sites such as sellmymobile.com and fonebank.com. The great thing about iPhones is that they keep their value extremely well – an iPhone 3G 8GB could be traded in for £72 at the time of writing; an 8GB 3GS fetched £100.
If you do trade in your old phone, make sure you erase it first. With an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset.
Migrating to other networks
Whether you take up a new contract or buy a phone to use on pay monthly or PAYG, you can always keep your number. Of course, you must make sure your current contract has run its course before you can cancel it and take out a new one.
To cancel it after this and keep your number, call your network and ask for your PAC – your Porting Authorisation Code. This essentially means that your new network can access your number. Most networks will text or email this to you, though some still send it by letter to delay your decision!
When you take out your new contract or order your new SIM, enter your PAC on the website or tell the assistant you want to transfer your number. When your number is transferred to your new provider, your old contract will cease to exist and you’ll receive a final bill.
Keeping track of your data usage
It’s important to keep an eye on how much mobile data you’re using – especially if you have a contract with limited data included. You can check how much data you’re using within iOS – go to Settings > General > Usage > Mobile Usage and there you can see how much data you’ve sent and received, as well as how much data you’ve used over tethering. You can reset these stats whenever you want.
Many mobile networks including O2 and Vodafone also have their own apps that help you see how much data you’ve used since your last bill.
Warranty
Your iPhone comes with a one year warranty. If you get a problem with it during this time, the best thing to do is take it to the Genius Bar in your nearest Apple Store. Make sure you back it up in iTunes or on iCloud first – if the assistant performs an exchange, he or she will wipe your handset in front of your face!
If you’re out of warranty, it’s worth taking it in anyway. We’ve heard of manufacturing defects resulting in a replaced handset, even if it’s old. Your network may not be so accommodating, but it’s worth looking at the Sale of Goods Act, which enables you to complain if you’re still in contract but the phone is not ‘fit for purpose’.
For complete peace of mind, it’s worth checking out the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone. It costs £61, extends the warranty to two years and gives you full phone support.
Insurance
If you’re buying a device as expensive as an iPhone 4S, you’ll want to insure it. Many bank accounts and insurance policies offer included or cheap mobile phone insurance these days, so that may be one way of doing it, but you can get a decent separate deal for only a few pounds per month – as ever, use an online comparison site to get the best deal.
Be very wary of buying it at the point of purchase – many deals you buy at the same time as your contract are expensive, and you end up paying more than you need to. Be aware that some insurance companies charge a higher excess fee for iPhones – a consequence of the their huge popularity.
View more at TechRadar: All latest Mobile phones news feeds
Product Description
Specifications:
Google Android 2.3 Operating System
10.2″ Full colour resistive touch screen (1024 x 600)
1GHZ Infortmic X220 High Speed CPU
512MB DDRII RAM
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1.3MP Camera
1 x Micro SD/TF card slot Maximum Capacity 32GB
4 Way Rotating G-sensor
Ultra Slim & Stylish Design
4000mAh Long Life battery
GPS external antenna included
Built In S… More >>
The heavily-rumoured AT&T branded Nokia Ace handset has been revealed in a Christmas card sent out by one of Microsoft’s partners.
The device should be the first Nokia Windows Phone device to boast 4G LTE internet speeds if the leaked image proves to be accurate.
The picture, uncovered by PocketNow, shows an on-screen 4G icon, as well as the AT&T branding and also a front facing camera.
The presence of the front-on camera would suggest this device is more than just a LTE-enabled version of the Lumia 800, which is thought to be in testing.
So far the only Nokia Windows Phone device to have been officially announced is the mid-range Lumia 710, which will launch on the T-Mobile network in early 2012.
New Stateside devices have been strongly linked with an appearance at CES, which kicks off on January 9th.
View more at TechRadar: All latest Mobile phones news feeds
Product Description
This desktop sync station allows you to synchronize and charge your handset with any USB-enabled computer. Simply connect the USB cradle to any PC, you are ready to sync and charge your device. This cradle combines convenience with a sleek and stylish design.The USB docking cradle holds your smartphone at a comfortable reading angle and provides convenient access on your desk. Perfect for those who use their handset for work and personal use…. More >>
FLASH SUPERSTORE SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS I9250 COMPATIBLE DESKTOP DOCKING STATION CRADLE CHARGER
Product Description
Screen protectors are compatible with Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus. Package include 6x screen protectors for Galaxy Nexus and application kits, including squeegee for pushing out any remaining bubbles, dust removal film and microfiber cleaning cloth. Screen protectors are protected by another 2 layers of plastic sheet on the top & bottom of the screen protector to prevent scratching before installation…. More >>
It was clear back in January that 2011 was going to be the year of the tablet.
Indeed, if 2011 had a shape it was definitely rectangular with rounded corners, but of course there was much more to 2011′s tech than that. In 2011 we saw some extraordinary things, said hello to some extraordinary kit and waved goodbye to an extraordinary man.
Microsoft didn’t unveil Windows 8 as rumoured in January, but it spent most of the year bigging up its forthcoming operating system. A developer preview was made available in September, and by the end of the year we knew pretty much everything about Windows 8 on tablets and Windows 8 in general.
When it wasn’t banging on about Windows 8, Microsoft spent most of 2011 jumping out from behind things and shouting "boo!". The first shock was a multi-billion dollar deal with Nokia to make Windows Phone the new OS for Nokia’s high-end kit, and the second was when Microsoft plonked down a staggering $8.5 billion for Skype for no other reason than to annoy Google.
It was an odd and arguably overpriced move: as we said at the time, Microsoft "started with an opening bid of ‘all the money in the world’."
The big news in 2011 was the rise of the robots: Android smartphones. By November, Android accounted for a massive 52% of the smartphone market.
However, while the newly unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich – which unifies the Android codebase so there aren’t separate versions for smartphones and apps – is really rather lovely, Android tablet sales have been relatively titchy. ICS promises to change all that, but it’ll be a while before it’s widespread.
Android also powered success of another kind: Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble’s Nook Tablet both have Android underpinnings, albeit heavily customised ones that don’t include the standard Google Apps or the main Android Market. Launched amid much hype towards the end of the year, the two non-techy tablets are expected to become big sellers.
When Apple unveiled the iPad in 2010, rivals hooted with derision – but by 2011 they were desperately churning out tablets to try and get a bite of the enormous tablet money pie. Many of them failed, and failed spectacularly: by the Autumn, Apple’s rivals were hiding behind shipment numbers to disguise the fact that once their devices had reached shop shelves, they stayed there.
As the year progressed and the mountains of unsold tablets reached terrifyingly large proportions, some firms cracked. HP was first, canning its TouchPad and promising to quit the PC business before changing its mind, selling TouchPads for a packet of sweets and a few shiny beads and promising to stay in the PC business forever and ever and ever.
A question mark now hangs over WebOS, the rather excellent mobile OS HP was/wasn’t/was/wasn’t going to can. The latest: it’s going to be open sourced.
Meanwhile over at RIM, top execs did their best impressions of the Titanic’s captain. "The PlayBook is a huge success!" they yelled over the sound of dump trucks unloading thousands of unsold tablets. "We’re cutting its price by nearly half because it’s so awesome!" they added as RIM shareholders hurled themselves from high buildings.
Even when RIM got lots of free publicity it was the wrong sort: RIM’s BlackBerry messaging service, BBM, was widely blamed for being the tool of choice of UK rioters.
In September, we predicted that the combination of the iPad 2 and Kindle Fire meant that "as far as the oh-so-lucrative Christmas shopping period in America is concerned Motorola, RIM, HP and the rest might as well pack up and go home."
We didn’t expect any of them to take our advice so quickly.
March’s iPad 2 launch illustrated three of the key trends of 2011: Apple making really nice kit, Apple kit flying off the shelves, and people being disappointed that Apple didn’t make products to meet the specifications invented by a bored man on the internet.
On the eve of the launch we predicted that "all over the internet, people will write about how much of a disappointment it is, how Steve Jobs has lost his touch and how the Motorola Xoom / BlackBerry PlayBook / a piece of wood with a face drawn on it in biro is the new tablet king."
We were right, and the reaction was even more pronounced when the rumoured iPhone 5 turned out to be the iPhone 4S. The only difference between the rumoured device and the real one was the name, so of course half the internet piled on. "Rather than unveil an iPhone 5, Apple merely made the world’s most popular smartphone much better," we said. There’s no pleasing some people.
It was a busy year for Apple. In addition to a new iPad and new iPhone there was a new version of iOS, iOS 5; a new version of MobileMe, iCloud; a new MacBook Air, and a new OS X, Lion.
The last few years have seen Apple do extraordinary things: in 2011 it was the most valuable technology company on the face of the planet, worth almost as much as Google and Microsoft combined.
In many ways 2011 resembled a tag-team wrestling match, with Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon taking it in turns to put their tanks on one another’s lawns. We’ve already mentioned Amazon versus Android, but the bookseller also launched a cloud-based music service – as did Google, Apple and (via Spotify integration) Facebook.
Google has a social network and now owns a phone and tablet manufacturer, Motorola Mobility; Facebook’s encouraging us to forget about Google and live inside its walled garden; Google’s making YouTube more like a broadcaster while Apple and Amazon stream TV shows… if there’s a market and there’s money in it, the big four are fighting it out.
What we’ve seen this year is a distinct change of emphasis among the world’s most valuable tech firms: they’re no longer content to stay in one sector, such as making nice bits of kit or running a social network.
If there’s a pie, they want a finger in it, whether the filling’s music, movies, social networking, books, newspapers, magazines or anything else that can possibly turn a profit.
We like tradition here in Britain, and we appear to have a new tradition of idiotic attempts to regulate the internet.
In the aftermath of the London riots the Prime Minister seriously considered shutting down social networks in any future unrest, because clearly "the trouble wasn’t spreading because of the close-ups of burning buildings shown continuously on the news channels. No. It was spreading because of tech."
Sadly such idiocy was rather common. A great deal of time, effort and money was wasted drawing up plans for widespread web censorship that were subsequently abandoned on the grounds that they were completely sinister. As we explained at the time, "The process, it seems, goes something like this:
BIG COMPANY: Oi! Judge! This website’s made of villains and evil!
JUDGE: Blimey, what a well-researched and argued case, with lots of supporting evidence! Let’s block it forever!"
While the government changed its mind, organisations such as the BPI are now using the courts to make ISPs block individual sites. The first successful such action ordered BT to block Newzbin2, and it took, oooh, about ten seconds for the site’s users to find a way around the block.
There was some good news – in November the EU Court of Justice ruled that ISPs couldn’t be forced to install expensive, indiscriminate monitoring and/or filtering systems on the grounds that such systems broke more laws than a London rioter looting JD Sports – but calls for censorship do have worryingly widespread public support. We aren’t saying goodbye to this issue as we say goodbye to 2011.
We lost a giant in 2011: Steve Jobs, who died in October. As we wrote following Jobs’ resignation from Apple in August, "If you were to pitch his story as a script, it’d be rejected for being too far-fetched: a man starts a firm in his garage, changes the world, gets kicked out of his own company, gets into the film business, becomes a billionaire, comes back, changes the world a few more times and ends up in charge of the most valuable company on the face of the planet."
Bill Gates was one of the first world figures to mourn Jobs’ passing: "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely." So will we.
View more at TechRadar: All latest Mobile phones news feeds
Product Description
Highlights:
Quad Band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 2100MHz
Dual SIM Card Dual Standby
Android 2.3 system
4.0 Inch Multi-touch Capacitive Screen
WIFI, TV, GPS
Support extended TF Card
FM/MP3/MP4/Bluetooth function supported
Phone Model:X18i
Weight with a battery:0.149kg
Network:GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 2100MHz
Operate System: Android 2.3.4
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Quad Band 4.0 Inch Multi-touch Capacitive Screen Android 2.3 3G WCDMA Smart Phone with WIFI TV GPS
