It seems Sony Ericsson's new high-end Satio handset is suffering from "issues" as the UK's biggest mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, as well as Phones 4U, have withdrawn the device from sale.

As the Satio is "temporarily" withdrawn from Carphone shop shelves, the chain is also offering to replace handsets for any customer who has experienced problems.

"From time to time we experience issues with new handsets, and their software, which may result in a customer experience that is below our usually high standards. We want customers to have complete confidence and satisfaction in the handsets they buy from us, which is why we have temporarily withdrawn the Sony Ericsson Satio from sale", The Carphone Warehouse says in a statement.

"We are working closely with Sony Ericsson to restock the Satio phone as soon as possible and will offer any customer who returns a faulty Satio an exchange of phone".

Problems reported with the Satio include freezing, crashing, battery problems and issues with the phone's interface.

"Sony Ericsson confirms that it has been made aware that a small number of consumers have experienced software issues with its Satio handset when using certain applications", Sony Ericsson says in a statement. ?

"Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U have temporarily removed the handset from sale to ensure that future customers do not have an adverse experience. Sony Ericsson is giving this matter its utmost priority and is working toward solving it as soon as possible".

A Vodafone spokesperson told Pocket-lint that the Satio it offers is a Vodafone variant that's been through testing. The operator says it's continuing to keep a track of the situation, but it is still offering the Vodafone Sony Ericsson Satio for sale.

We've yet to hear if other operators that offer the handset will also be stopping sales or offering exchanges, but we'll update this post as we do.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Sony Ericsson Carphone Warehouse Sony Ericsson Satio Product recalls Phones4U Vodafone 3

Sony Ericsson Satio withdrawn from sale originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:30:48 +0000

A UK mobile phone operator has seen a data leak of millions of records from thousands of customers, the information commissioner has revealed.

Staff at one of the UK's major mobile phone companies sold on the customer information to other phone firms, Christopher Graham told the BBC, making a mockery of the data protection act.

Customers have reported being cold-called as their contracts came to an end, ultimately resulting in the phone company alerting the watchdog to the problem.

The information commissioner has searched company premises, interviewed employees and is planning to prosecute those involved, but the operator has not been officially named.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone industry Biz Information Commissioner O2 Orange Vodafone T-Mobile 3

UK mobile phone operator sees major data theft originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:36:03 +0000

It seems Vodafone is not the only operator to get its claws out in a timely manner as Orange becomes the second operator to offer the iPhone in the UK, as 3 has revealed - on the day of the Orange iPhone launch - it has put in a formal complaint to the ASA about Orange's new advertising campaign.

While Orange and O2's price plans for the iPhone are very similar, it seems Orange is hoping to appeal to consumers on the strength of its 3G network with a new ?4 million "You're Covered" advertising campaign.

However, 3 is taking issue with Orange's claim that its 3G network "currently covers over 93% of the UK population - more than any other network", and has asked Ofcom to put measures in place for a more consistent way to of calculating coverage.

"We're confident that we have the biggest 3G network in the UK, both in terms of geographic and population coverage, built on a 9192 site network that grows by around 150 sites each week", says 3.

"But it's no surprise consumers are being confused about coverage. Right now each operator chooses a population coverage measurement that suits it. We currently claim 92% coverage. We could use a measure used elsewhere in the industry that would boost our claimed population coverage to 95% in an instant, without reaching a single extra customer".

"We're happy to open up our network to a third-party to judge. We"d like to see a common standard applied across the industry, to give consumers a more realistic picture of 3G coverage available to UK consumers on all networks".

Tags: Phones Mobile phones 3 Orange iPhone Mobile phone industry Advertising Ofcom ASA 3G

3 calls foul over Orange 3G coverage claims on iPhone launch day originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:20:35 +0000

3 is offering its customers a new messaging handset that it says means they won't have to make the choice between a QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen.

The new HSDPA-enabled LG GW520 ("the perfect phone for messaging addicts") offers a 2.8-inch touchscreen alongside a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
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Complete with the Windows Live messenger and Skype that 3 offers with all its up-to-date phones, the new mobile also boasts push email and comes pre-loaded with a Facebook app.

Offering a 3-megapixel camera, the LG GW520 is available in either blue or silver and is now available in 3 stores, at Three.co.uk priced at ?99.99 on PAYG or free on the ?15 a month Internet Texter tariff.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones LG 3 Tariffs LG GW520

3 announces availability of LG GW520 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:44:41 +0000

Lawyer: Mrs. Simpson, what did you and your husband do after you were ejected from the restaurant?

Marge Simpson: We pretty much went straight home…

Lawyer: Mrs. Simpson, you are under oath!

Marge Simpson: We drove around until 3AM looking for another all-you-can-eat fish restaurant.

Lawyer: And when you couldn’t find one?

Marge Simpson: We went fishing…

Lawyer: Do these sound like the actions of a man who had all he could eat?

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What am I talking about, and why have a started with a quote from a Simpsons episode? Well, because it's the same problem that is affecting the mobile phone industry at the moment, with neither Ofcom or the Advertising Standards Agency apparently bothered that consumers are being lied to on a daily basis every time they sign up to a mobile phone contract.

The frustration, and one that was experienced by Homer Simpson in the episode, comes down to the definition of Unlimited.

In my books and strangely enough in the dictionary Unlimited means:

Main Entry: un?lim?it?ed

Pronunciation: -li-m-td

Function: adjective

Date: 15th century

1 : lacking any controls : unrestricted 2 : boundless, infinite 3 : not bounded by exceptions : undefined

— un?lim?it?ed?ly adverb

However, talk to any mobile operator and the word "unlimited" seems to come with an astrix that highlights caveats or that the term is based on our "fair usage policy".

According to Orange, that "Unlimited" bundle means 750MB of data, far from what the dictionary describes above.

But why isn't the ASA or Ofcom clamping down on these unfair and misleading claims?

When we contacted Ofcom we got the following response:

"As far as I know, this is not something that Ofcom has published anything on".

Not published anything? Really? However they are happy to spend thousands investigating why people buy pirated DVDs on the Internet - surely they just go to torrent sites?

Meanwhile the ASA doesn't believe that mobile operators lying or being quiet about the terms and conditions of a data plan that could, potentially, cost you thousands of pounds over the course of a contract is that much of an issue.

"The ASA does not have guidance on the use of the term 'unlimited' as the ASA position is derived from the Advertising Codes and previous case history (our ASA case law)", an ASA spokesperson told Pocket-lint when we asked them what was what.

"In a nutshell, the term 'unlimited' can be used to describe a service that, if containing a fair-usage policy, will only affect the a-typical user. (i.e. the majority of users will not be affected.)"

So what's the solution?

I believe that mobile phone operators shouldn't be allowed to use the unlimited moniker unless it really is that. As mobile phones increasingly become the gateway to our digital lives on the go we are likely to be consuming more images, more video, more music and therefore more data.

I don't want to sign up to a contract where there is normally a termination fee if I haven't been made aware of all the facts before signing up.?

At the moment words like "Unlimited" are nothing more than lies, even if "a typical user" won't supposedly be affected.?

Although the ASA might consider "unlimited" an acceptable term for tariffs with data caps or fair usage policies, here at Pocket-lint, we don't. And as such, we are making a stand. We will no longer continue to use the word "unlimited" when the tariff it refers to clearly is no such thing.

We will also be sure to make such caps or usage limits apparent every time we cover news that refers to an "unlimited" deal.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Tariffs Orange Vodafone T-Mobile O2 3

Limited "unlimited" claims should be banned originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:37:26 +0000

Spotify has announced on its blog that the previously-promised Spotify Phone is now available from 3 UK, in both its retail stores and online.

The deal comprises of an HTC Hero preloaded with the Spotify Android app, a 24-month subscription to Spotify Premium, 750 minutes and unlimited texts and data for ?35 per month over 24 months. The phone itself will require a ?100 initial outlay.

If you like the idea of the deal, but aren't keen on the phone, then there's a good chance that if this does well, more handsets will become available with similar offers, potentially from other operators. If and when that happens, we'll bring you the announcement.

It'll also be interesting to see what effect this has on services like Nokia's limited Comes with Music. In the meantime, is this a deal you like the look of? Or is the monthly fee and upfront payment a smidge too much over a 2-year contract? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Audio HTC Hero 3 Spotify Music

3's HTC Hero with Spotify now available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:27:42 +0000

We've been doing a little bit of digging to find out who, in the UK, will be offering Motorola's forthcoming Droid handset. The Android 2.0-sporting QWERTY slider scored a whopping 9/10 in its Pocket-lint review, but given that it's supposed to be due on Friday in the States, we're not seeing any sign of the handset in Britain.

We gave all the UK operators a call to find out exactly whether any of them were planning on stocking the device. O2 told us that it wasn't going to be selling the handset, despite its German wing selling it as the "Milestone". 3 said the same thing - there are no current plans to offer the handset at this time.

T3 spoke to Nicola Shenton, head of handset and device marketing at T-Mobile UK, who told the magazine that the company had tested the phone, but passed it up. We also talked to Orange and Vodafone. Orange told us that it had nothing to announce other than the fact it's selling the Motorola DEXT, and Vodafone promised to call us back and haven't.

From that, we can rule out three of the major five operators. Orange is looking likely, especially given the non-denial when other networks were happy to confirm "no". ?We'll update you as and when we hear more from Orange or Vodafone.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Motorola Motorola Droid Android Verizon O2 Orange 3 Vodafone T-Mobile

Who'll be selling the Motorola Droid in the UK? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:17:37 +0000

INQ's not-long-released Mini 3G handset has just received a price reduction to ?49.99, down from ?59.99.

The handset has Facebook, IM, Skype and Twitter functionality along with a 2.2-inch display and 2-megapixel camera.

There have also been changes to the pricing of the wireless modem that enables Mi-Fi on the 3 network, which now costs ?49.99 upfront on the "Broadband 5GB 1 Month deal", down from ?69.99. The package includes 5GB of data for ?15 a month.

Previously only available on a monthly contract, Mi-Fi is now available on PAYG, so you can shell out the initial ?49.99 and top-up as and when you need it.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Inq INQ Mini 3G 3 Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: INQ Mini 3G gets price cut originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

3 has announced it is very soon to offer the Sony Ericsson Satio, the first 12-megapixel camera phone on sale in the UK.

Available on both contract and on a pay as you go basis, cost-concious consumers will be happy to note that 3 is under cutting Vodafone's pricing for the new phone.

While Vodafone is offering the Satio free on ?35 per month, 2-year contracts, 3 customers can get the handset for free by signing up to a ?30 per month tariff for 18 months.

3's Mix and Match contract comes with 300 minutes or texts, 300 3-to-3 calls, free voicemail, free Skype-to-Skype calls and Windows Live Messenger. Unlimited internet and email access costs an extra ?5 a month.

For those that would rather nab the new handset without a contract, they'll need to shell out ?399.99.
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The Sony Ericsson Satio will be available from 3 from the 30 October.?

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Sony Ericsson 3 Vodafone Tariffs

3 to offer Sony Ericsson Satio originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:14:05 +0000

We're not all made of money. Some of us might just be after a cheap phone that works - maybe a second handset or perhaps something to buy as a present. Whatever your need, if it's budget you're after then that's exactly what we're bringing you today from Pocket-lint with the very best in PAYG mobile phones for under ?50.

5) Nokia 6300

It may be as old as the hills but the Nokia 6300 is a a mobile with class. Just a 2-inch QVGA screen on it and a 2-megapixel camera for trickery but it will shoot video and support up to 4GB of memory through a microSD card. The best thing about the 6300 though is the plain look and feel of the thing. It's got a lovely metal casing which not only makes it stylish but also gives it a wealth of protection. You can throw the thing on the floor as many times as you like and it's not going to break. It'd be nice if it had a 3.5mm jack or something to really call you to the handset, but you'll find all those additions at the more expensive end of the Classic range. This is the best from Nokia within the budget and just sneaks in at ?49.95.

4) Samsung B3310

Let's not beat around the bush here. There's nothing special about this phone apart from the QWERTY keyboard, but the fact is that you just don't get these things on phones under ?50 anywhere else. The whole handset is designed as a written communicator for SMS, e-mail and even built-in access to Facebook, MySpace and Photobucket. Elsewhere, there's a 2-inch LCD display, FM radio, and a 2-megapixel camera. The downside is that the only colour it comes in is pink. ?49.90.

3) Samsung U600

You have to look for small mercies in the budget phone department. Comparatively speaking the U600 is an imaging handset and otherwise it's its lack of glaring mistakes that raises it above the rest. It's got a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash that will shoot video and a fairly bog standard 2.2-inch QVGA to view your snaps on. That said, get them off the phone and you'll have something worth looking at. There's no 3G - not that you could really use it to much effect on this phone - nor is there a 3.5mm jack, which you could, but it's quad-band, stylish and certainly offers bang for one's buck. ?34.95 and not a hint of regret.

2) Skype Phone S2

Sexy this handset ain't, but beneath the plain Jane exterior lies just about the best budget phone you'll find. It measures in at 103 x 45 x 14mm, has a 2.2-inch QVGA screen, a 1150mAh battery, 50MB of on-board memory backed up by a microSD card slot that supports up to 4GB and both HSDPA speeds of up to 3.6Mbps and a mighty 3.2-megapixel camera. The real selling point of the S2 though is that it gives you free Skype to Skype voice calls and chat forever. As in, life. At no data cost at all. Know enough people on Skype, make a lot of calls overseas and this one will pay for itself in a matter of weeks. ?49.99

1) LG Cookie KP500

5 million consumers world wide can't be wrong, or at least if they are you'll have a very large support network. The Cookie has offered touchscreen technology to the masses with the KP500 and a nice chunky 3-inch display to watch videos on too. At 13.9mm slim, this 89 gram handset has an "intuitive" Active Flash user interface with haptic feedback and comes with a built-in stylus. The UI gives you widget control plus there's also a 3-megapixel camera, a MP3 player, FM radio, calendar, clock and motion sensing games too. What keeps it different to the big boys is that there's no Wi-Fi, no push e-mail, no 3.5mm jack and no GPS. Otherwise, it's about as smart as a feature phone can get. Very good indeed for ?49.90.

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Related links:

• Buy - Skype phone S2
• Buy - Nokia 6300
• Buy - Samsung B3310
• Buy - Samsung U600
• Buy - LG KP500 Cookie

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung 3G Photos Cameraphones PAYG Samsung U600 LG KP500 Cookie Skype Skypephone S2 3 Nokia Samsung B3310 Nokia 6300 Features

Top 5 PAYG phones for under £50 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:24:37 +0000

Spotify and 3 have formally announced the partnership that Pocket-lint detailed last week. As previously reported, 3 will begin selling the HTC Hero with a Premium Spotify subscription bundled in - which normally costs ?10 per month.

The tariff costs ?35 per month over 24 months, and you'll have to pay ?100 upfront too, so it's not cheap. For that, though, you get 24 months of Spotify Premium, 750 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited mobile internet. You can also get free calls to other 3 users and to people on Skype. We presume the Spotify app will be preloaded on the handset.

There's more handsets in the works too - "Spotify Mobile will initially be available only on the HTC Hero" says the press release, the keyword being "initially". With an S60 version in the works, could we see an N97 bundled with the service in the future? Or even perhaps even an iPhone if 3 eventually makes a deal with Apple.

Want a quote about the whole thing? Of course you do.?Faisal Galaria, Global Head of Business Development at Spotify, told Pocket-lint: "This is a very exciting deal for Spotify. We're intent on offering people a high quality, simple yet powerful portable music experience at a fair price and we're thrilled to be working with 3 to bring Spotify to UK music fans".

If you're considering the deal, let us know in the comments. You might also be interested in our HTC Hero review, and our comparison of the iPhone and Android Spotify apps.

UPDATE: Spotify has blogged about the deal, but hasn't added much, except to provide a working link to the page on 3's website to "register your interest" in grabbing the handset.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Spotify 3 HTC Hero Tariffs Biz

Spotify and 3 deal confirmed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:57:09 +0100

There are "thousands" of iPhones running on the 3 network across the UK, a spokesperson for the operator has told Pocket-lint.

The comment came in response to our query following a report from The Telegraph that all five mobile carriers in the UK are currently offering the iPhone, whether or not they are official operator partners. ?

T-Mobile has been offering the device to high-spending customers as part of an unofficial retention plan, and? 3 is employing the same policy, albeit in very limited numbers.

"Thousands of people have chosen to use their iPhone on the 3 network", the 3 spokesperson told us, referring to iPhones that have either been unofficially unlocked - "jailbroken" - or officially unlocked and in the UK via distribution channels in Europe.

O2 is currently the only official Apple iPhone partner in the UK, but is soon to be joined by T-Mobile merger partner Orange this year and Vodafone in 2010.

Tags: Phones iPhone 3 O2 Orange Vodafone T-Mobile Rumours Apple

"Thousands" of iPhones on 3 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:59:02 +0100

3 has been announced as the first UK mobile operator partner for Spotify, following negotiations earlier in the year, and will be pushing out the music subscription service bundled with handsets before Christmas. The HTC Hero will be the first phone to come with the app pre-installed, and it'll be followed by three further handsets.

It's already possible to get Spotify on the HTC Hero (and other Android handsets) from other operators, as well as on the iPhone, but this will be the first time in the UK that the subscription service will be bundled in with your monthly mobile phone bill. It's unclear so far how much it'll cost - we reckon it won't be the full ?10 that the subscription normally costs.

The move puts Spotify in an interesting position - directly competing with fellow Scandinavians Nokia and its much-derided Comes with Music service. It'll also help Spotify break out of early-adopter circles and into less tech-savvy markets, making it more mainstream.

It's unclear yet what the other handsets on offer will be, though the lineup will almost certainly include the not-yet-detailed Spotify handset from INQ. We'll bring you more on this story as we hear it.

UPDATE: A 3 spokesperson has told Pocket-lint to "watch this space". Sounds like there'll be more news shortly.

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Tags: Phones Audio 3 Spotify HTC Hero Inq Nokia Comes with music

3 to launch Spotify phones in the UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:18:31 +0100

INQ's Mini 3G handset is now on sale. The phone is available from 3 through its high street stores and online, and will be free on ?15 per month "Internet Texter" contracts with free internet, free 3-to-3 calls, free voicemail and 75 minutes talk-time. Alternatively, you can pick it up for ?60 on Pay As You Go.

The handset has Facebook, IM, Skype and Twitter functionality along with a 2.2-inch display and 2-megapixel camera. It's a beast with many backs - 8, to be precise. Red comes in the box and seven other options will be available from 3 stores.

The INQ Chat 3G, which has a full QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry-like form factor, will be out later in the year. We'll bring you more news of that as it arrives.

Related links:

• News - INQ Mini 3G priced for October launch on 3
• Photos - INQ Mini 3G and INQ Chat 3G

Tags: Phones Mobile phones 3 Inq INQ Mini 3G Twitter Tariffs

INQ Mini 3G on sale now originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:43:21 +0100

3 has announced that its "mobile Wi-Fi" is now available on two new 18-month plans.

Those signing up to the mobile Wi-Fi 1GB plan will see a cost ?10 a month for those happy to pay ?39.99 for the modem, or ?12 a month for those that aren't.

The 5GB mobile Wi-Fi plan will cost ?15 per month which will see the modem priced at ?39.99 or will cost ?17 a month to get a free modem.

Mobile Wi-Fi, also known as "MiFi", uses 3's network to create its own mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.? This lets users connect a range of Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet at the same time.

Tags: Phones Mobile broadband 3 Tariffs Wi-Fi MiFi

Mobile Wi-Fi from 3 available on 18-month tariffs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:13:22 +0100

3, no stranger to Twitter-friendly phones, has announced it is to offer a special version of the Sony Ericsson T715, featuring an integrated Twitter application that is available only on its network.?

The integrated Twitter application gives users one click access to their Twitter page, where users can read, reply and search for Tweets, upload photos via Twitpic and view profiles.

The T715 on 3 also features an integrated Facebook application, as well as a YouTube uploader pre-loaded on to the device, Windows Live Messenger and free Skype to Skype calls.

The slider gets a 2.2-inch screen and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It's available in galaxy silver, rouge pink and petrous grey and is available in 3 Stores from now on costing ?99 on PAYG or free on the ?15 Texter tariff.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones 3 Twitter Facebook Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson T715

Sony Ericsson T715 gets integrated Twitter app on 3 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:53:55 +0100

3 has announced it will be offering consumers the chance to earn cash by promoting free Pay As You Go SIMs to their friends and family using social networks.

The "3 Free Agent" programme is said to be the first scheme of this kind available in the UK.

3's head of online, Ash Roots says, "The idea is simple. Use your social networks to give free 3 PAYG SIMs to your mates".

"As soon as they put their free SIM into a 3G phone and top-up, you'll get ?5 cash paid into a PayPal account and your friends get ?2 extra applied to their PAYG credit. Get 10 friends signed up and topped up and that's ?50 in your pocket".

Those interested need to register at Freeagent.three.co.uk, while a Facebook widget that will see the scheme promoted via the site is coming soon.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone industry 3 PAYG Tariffs PayPal Facebook

3 Free Agent programme goes live originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:35:46 +0100