Vodafone are dropping the monthly price of their 3G USB Modems. The price for their 3Gb data allowance, will drop to £15 per month (if you take an 18 or 24 month contract). At these contract lengths, you will also get the USB Modem for free too. As Vodafone are yet to update their website to reflect this, we can’t confirm whether the £15 includes VAT or not. This price drop should be taking effect from today.
Thanks to SMSTextNews.
Whether you are a PC or Mac user, TomTom has been busy updating it’s desktop software. TomTom Home 2.2 is now released, and offers some new functionality, notably more user community sharing options, with the ability to upload and share POIs, Voices, Routes, Colour Schemes, Sounds (arrival sound, alert sounds, ringtones). In terms of Mac support, the new version offers new functions, and a much more stable interface.
In other news, TomTom has now signed up Vodafone to provide the data for their HD service in Germany. Although only live in The Netherlands, TomTom had already signed up Vodafone to provide the data there and in the UK. TomTom are hoping to have HD traffic for 50% of their European customers by the end of 2008.
Vodafone are now offering a new USB Modem in their range of devices. It’s a USB stick, which plugs directly into the USB port - no trailing device on the end of a cable, like the more common USB Modem used. It’s available now from free (on 24 month contracts), up to £149 (no PAYG) direct from Vodafone.
Update: It’s a Huawei device (model E172), and supports speeds upto 7.2mbps (although Vodafone’s fastest network access is only available in selected areas of London and a few airports.
As we first mentioned here, 3 have now released their USB Modem as a Pay As You Go (PAYG) offering. Simply head over to their website, buy the modem for £99.99 (in Black, White and Pink as mentioned here or the Black ZTE version), and then topup with 1Gb, 3Gb, or 7Gb data packs for £10, £15 or £25 respectively, which are valid for 30 days (charges of £1 per Mb apply once the allowance is used up, although you should be able to topup again).
In comparison, Vodafone charge £9.99 for 24 hours access, with a 500Mb limit, so if you plan to use the USB modem a little more frequently (but not enough to buy one), or want a little more headroom in the bandwidth limit, then this deal may well be for you. You also get the modem for the same price directly, without needing to quote special discount codes.
Have you got yourself a 3 USB Modem, or a Vodafone USB Modem, and fancy making it look a bit different? If you look at the 3 Accessories section, you’ll see that they have a link to 3Skins, which is a 3 branded version of the Skin4Things website. This company sell skins, basically stickers, to apply to your mobile phone, but they also include a few other devices, including the USB Modem (they also have skins for games consoles and laptops).
Picture courtesy of SMSTextNews.
Although 3 may well launch their USB Modem soon, Vodafone already offer their USB Modems with a PAYG option.
More details and pricing (including an offer) in the rest of the article.
Yesterday TomTom launched their new HD Traffic service in The Netherlands. This High Definition traffic service uses raw, anonymous GSM signalling data made available through the partnership between TomTom and Vodafone. This data is merged with existing traffic sources to deliver the world’s most advanced traffic data.
This unique new way of supplying customers with accurate and precise traffic information, using anonymous, aggregated mobile phone data, sets a new industry standard and revolutionises the way drivers plan their daily journeys. Users receive up to five times more traffic updates so they are better informed about the traffic situation on their route and receive more accurate travel and arrival times.
In addition, HD Traffic covers at least ten times more roads in the Netherlands, so drivers know in advance that the alternative route they take is actually a smarter option, thus avoiding any unnecessary delays. TomTom has entered into a partnership with mobile network operator Vodafone in The Netherlands and in the United Kingdom for the supply of the anonymous GSM signaling data. Vodafone’s international footprint, strong brand, innovative power and the best mobile network in the industry makes it a true and reliable partner for TomTom and its users.
The ONE XL HD Traffic comes with integrated HD Traffic, using a built-in SIM card to automatically set up a LIVE connection to the TomTom HD Traffic Centre. The TomTom ONE XL HD Traffic comes with a 12 month introductory subscription to HD Traffic included. After that, you decide if you want to subscribe at the fixed, low cost fee (€9.99 per month in NL, which includes the data connection as well as the traffic service). No hidden charges, no mobile tariffs and no nasty surprises.
TomTom expect to launch this HD Traffic service in the UK in 2008.
We all know about the new N95 8Gb, which Vodafone has an exclusive on until Christmas 2007 (we’re hearing the phone will be available on 3 and Orange from the New Year - no news on the other networks yet). However, today O2 Shops got their stocks of the N95 8Gb, which is all well and good, except one little detail…
It appears (potentially due to the built in Nokia Ovi music store support) that the UK mobile phone network operators have not been too keen on the N81, with The UK Mobile Report reporting that instead of the usual fight between operators to be granted an exclusive for a particular phone (eg Vodafone have the exclusive on the Nokia 6110 Navigator at the moment), Vodafone were the only operator interested in the N81, and then only in N81 8Gb format.
This is interesting - with Nokia pushing Ovi, MOSH, and other new services direct to its customers, the network operators are either going to have to embrace this and accept it, continue to demand phones with features removed (and I think Nokia has stood it’s ground with the N81), or start losing control of the handset market, and moving towards the mobile phone manufacturers selling direct.
This is happening in the US - you can buy Nokia and some Motorola phones direct from the companies, without involvement of your operator, and it appears the US may well move much closer to this model for all phones. In the UK (and Europe), we are used to being able to buy “SIM-Free” phones, but the cost is much higher.
I wonder if we’ll start to see the manufacturers subsidising the phones, based on services they provide, instead of the operator subsidising the phone…
