Thursday 17 February 2011

iPhone Mini?

Apple have announced that alongside the new iPhone 5 there will be an additional phone added to their range.

Hoping to compete with Android handsets that run across a variety of sizes and price points the new handset will retail for around $200 without contract. Very few details are known at this stage but it is thought that the handset will be smaller than the main line of iPhones.

The premium cost of iPhone handsets has led to slow adoption across many markets, where consumers are reluctant to get tied into long term contracts. By creating a smaller, cheaper, iPhone Apple may be able to extend their market share to the demographic who are currently purchasing the products made by their rivals.

Friday 11 February 2011

Saving On Insurance

To ensure a smartphone on a dedicated policy can cost £10 or more a month. With handsets having a price comparable to a laptop it is understandable that you want to protect that investment - and once you have a smartphone doing without one quickly becomes almost inconceivable. Opting for a dedicated mobile phone insurance however may not be your best option.



Mobile phone insurance does not take into account individual risk in the same way that other forms of insurance do. Careful mobile phone owners who are good at not losing things have to subsidize the serial phone losers of the world. If you are in this group, well good for you, if not you will be paying to much to insure your mobile.

It is possible to get phone insurance bundled in with other services. Some premium bank accounts and credit cards offer phone insurance as a perk for instance, but obviously it is very important to read the small print,as the cover offered may not be of the highest standard.

Home contents policies frequently include mobile phones, even if they are lost or damaged outside your home. The excess on some of these policies however can be prohibitive, and claiming runs the risk of raising your premiums.

An increasingly popular option is so called 'self insurance'. Calculating your own premium, based on the cost to replace your phone, and simply putting the money aside each month. The best way is to set up a direct debit to an instant access savings account, and then raiding it when a replacement phone needs to be bought. This works best for relatively low value handsets as it could take longer than 6 years at £5 a month to save sufficient funds to pay for a replacement for one of the more expensive smartphones.

Thursday 10 February 2011

Noisily Brilliant?

HTC are keen to present their Desire HD handset as an 'iPhone killler' to that end they have launched a massive global advertising push. The company, who's slogan is "Quietly Brilliant" hopes that wider recognition will move it from being a brand favored by 'early adopters' to having more mainstream appeal.

Thursday 3 February 2011

The 80s are calling...

Nowadays, when there are more mobile phones than people it is easy to forget the days when owning a portable telephone really meant something. Back when mobile phones were introduced they were expensive, huge and true status symbols.

In many ways the iPhone and other high end smart phones have represented a return to this golden era. Battery life has been reduced almost to the level where unplugging the the thing means communication blackout, the prices are aspirationally high, and (allegedly) making and receiving calls is troublesome. Unfortunately though, one thing is missing - conspicuous consumption.

To solve this problem mobile phone accessory maker Thumbs Up! have launched a retro '80s iPhone case. Compatible with iPhone 3GS and 4 it is being marketed as a novelty gift and prop for fancy dress parties.



Unfortunately the product appears cheap and inauthentic. In addition they have missed a trick when it comes to functionality. There is none. Features such as a long life battery back-up and decent speakers for playing music could have made a virtue out of absurdity.

Its a nice idea - lets hope somebody can make the most out of it.