BT has announced that it will be helping it’s BT Business Total Broadband customers to turn their premises into WiFi Hotspots, allowing visitors to be able to access the Internet without having access to the business customer’s network. The press release mentions the BT FON community, and we wonder whether they are planning to offer the BT FON community offering currently only available to home users. Interestingly, the press release even makes mention of these visitors being able to make VOIP calls, an interesting statement from a company historically reliant upon call revenue…

More information as we can obtain it.

Thanks to Mark at Automated Home for alerting us to this article.

After a long wait, Skype have released a beta version of their mobile client. This is a Java app, which gives them a good range of compatibility across many handsets, but does not provide an integrated solution for Symbian or Windows Mobile users that many would like. Also, although it uses the internet data connection for presence and IM messaging, it makes a traditional phone call to connect into the Skype infrastructure to get VOIP connectivity, so there is still a real cost to these calls (if only that they will come out of your inclusive minutes). Skype even advertise it as “no WiFi needed”, but fail to mention that it really can’t take true advantage of a WiFi connection, even if you have one. Overall, Skype themselves hint that the 3 SkypePhone might be a better solution for many, and right now, I think I agree.

More details direct from Skype.

On Friday O2 finally launched their competition to Vodafone and 3’s Mobile Broadband. For £20 a month you get a 3Gb allowance (with a handy text message at 2Gb warning you the allowance is running out). Over that, it’s 20p per MB. However, you do also get unlimited WiFi via The Cloud. One limitation - you must be an existing O2 customer, and it’s an 18 month contract. There’s a month-by-month option (a bit like PAYG) which is still £20 per month, but you’ll need to buy the USB modem at £120 first.

Unlike 3, the max speed on offer today is 1.8mbps, with O2’s 3.6mbps rolling out in June.

Certainly the unlimited WiFi deal is a bit of a differentiator, but compared to 3’s offer of half price broadband to existing customers; and with the trick of getting a 3 Skypephone on a 6 month contract just to become a customer, it’s not necessarily the cheapest way of getting online for everyone.

Some content courtesy of SMS Text News.

According to Tech Digest, Coffee Republic are breaking away from the current mould, and moving to the pricing model most coffee drinkers want: free!

Coffee Republic will be offering it’s customers (ie you’ll need to buy something first) free WiFi access. The service will only operate during opening hours, and is likely to be limited to inside their coffee shops, but they are promoting that people who use it for an hour a week could save up to £234 per year.

This above picture comes from Symbian Freak, a picture of the new Nokia Tube, which will be the first 5th generation S60 device with a touchscreen. This model should be available in early 2009, and will be a mid-spec model, with a high spec model shipping later next year. Having said that, the spec of it is still impressive; a high resolution screen, which is at least 3″ and 16:9 format, a camera (though unlikely to be 5 megapixel), a front facing camera for video calling, 3G, Bluetooth, WiFi, built in GPS (with geotagging support), all in a device roughly the size of the N73. It won’t, apparently, feature multi touch, but will have haptic feedback.

Information and picture courtesy of Symbian Freak.

Along with a range of other manufacturers, HP have launched a mini notebook, called the Mini. This has the following specs:

• Via C7-M processor
• 1280×768 8.9″ screen
• Full QWERTY keyboard (just 8 percent smaller than normal)
• 512MB to 2Gb of memory options
• SuSE Linux OS (Vista Home or Business also options)
• 4Gb Flash Drive to 160Gb Hard Disk Drive
• VGA Camera
• WiFi Standard, Bluetooth on higher spec models

Full specs are available here on the HP US Website.

No information on UK pricing or availability, although we don’t suspect it’ll be long before it’s available.

As we predicted, JoikuSoft has been updated again to include WEP support, which now adds a simple level of security to the connection. This may not be enough security for many, but it is at least a start. Another new feature is the ability for the software to shutdown when the battery gets too low. As always, the software can be downloaded from here.

Nokia has released details of it’s newest Internet Tablet, the N810 WME (WiMax Edition). Although it will only be available (for 2008 at least) in the US, it still brings some interesting features to the current range. It’s based on the N810, so still features the QWERTY keyboard and built in GPS added with the N810. On top of that, Nokia have added WiMax (which adds a little extra depth to the back of the unit to accommodate the WiMax antenna). Nokia have managed to keep the WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity options for when WiMax isn’t available (or you are at home /work, and want to utilise your own existing connections).

The most interesting features, though, come with the new version of the OS. This includes a number of bug fixes and an improved email client. However, it also features “Seamless Software Update” which Nokia claims to remove the need for periodic system updates. It’s not clear whether this is an automated version of the current Application Manager update process, or whether it’s similar to the User Data Preservation feature of some of the newer Nokia N-Series devices. The new OS should be available in the Summer for both the N800 and N810 devices.

British Airways is planning to offer free WiFi in 25 Business Class Lounges across the UK, courtesy of BT OpenZone. 6 of these lounges are at the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow. This service starts on 1 April. Users will get directed to the BA website where they can activate their wireless devices and will then have access to BT OpenZone.

Story courtesy of StrategyEye [Via SMS Text News]

Early this year we covered the first release of JoikuSoft, which allows your Symbian phone to act as a WiFi Access Point, allowing other devices to share the phone’s internet connection. Well, it’s been updated to v1.1 which includes a number of bug fixes, stability improvements, and the ability to change the name of the access point (although only in the format JoikuSpot_xxx).

However, within the next month or so, we should see a further update which adds WEP support into the software. Although WEP isn’t the latest greatest standard, it should be sufficient for a short term connection between your devices and your phone, and adds an important level of security to the current version.

Currently, HTTP and HTTPS should work (although HTTPS needs some configuring on the clients), but protocols like IMAP and FTP do not currently work, although the authors claim they will have a solution for those for the final release.

We’ll keep an eye on this software, and let you know how things progress.

As we (and others) predicted, the Apple Airport Express has been released, although it is not currently listed in the Apple UK Store. In the US, the price has remained the same as the elder unit, so we expect to see similar pricing when it does come to the UK.

There are rumours that Apple is about to announce an 802.11n version of the Apple Airport Express, which may arrive as early as tomorrow. The only known difference though, is the wireless support. More news as and when we get it.

Panasonic have just released this in Japan. It’s a Skype phone, but the interesting feature is that it also contains a FON hotspot and the handset uses WiFi to connect. This means once you configure this new FON hotspot, and add the details into the handset, you can take the handset with you and then connect via any FON hotspot and still make and receive Skype calls. It’s not got the convenience of the 3 SkypePhone, but does show a good example of technology convergence.

No details on availability outside Japan have yet been announced, but we think Panasonic will soon be selling this worldwide.

According to Symbian Freak, we may see the launch of a native Skype application for the Nokia Series60 smartphones in the next week or two. Although we’ve seen many solutions that have enabled access to Skype on a mobile (eg Fring), a native Skype app may be even more useful for people at home on WiFi connections. Apparently, there’s a chance the app won’t be released directly by Skype, although no one is yet telling the name of the company who will release it.

HandyWi, the S60 WiFi client app we covered here, has been updated to v1.2. This adds supports for more specific WiFi accounts, with coverage of 100 WiFi networks, most notably BT OpenZone and The Cloud Hotspots. It also includes support for JoikuSpot Light, which we covered here.

Best of all, simply using HandyWi to access a WiFi Hotspot should cause the application to spot and download the update automatically, a nice touch.

The Times have covered the Elonex One, which is a £99 laptop due for formal announcement at The Education Show in Birmingham at the end of February. The One will have 1Gb of memory, WiFi, and run Linux (just like the twice as expensive Eee PC and the thrice as expensive Everex Cloudbook), a 7″ screen, although it has no CD drive. It should weigh aound a kilo (2.2 pounds). Pre-installed software will include web browser, email client, mp3 software, and it will feature access to ONEunion, which seems to be some form of content sharing system. Although being targetted at schools (hence the choice of launch venue), it should also be available for general sale.

Alternatively (and unlike the Eee PC), a second version for £120 will feature Bluetooth and 2Gb of memory instead.

Story from Times Online.

As part of Mobile World Congress, Samsung have also announced a high spec Symbian Smartphone. The G810 Slider features a 5 megapixel camera (which also has a 3x optical zoom), it has HSDPA (upto 3.6mbps), WiFi, YouTube support built in, and a GPS built in, including geotagging support. It also has a 3.5mm headphone socket.

This specification rivals that of many other high spec smartphones, and it will be interesting to see how well it sells when it goes on sale around March this year.

Specs courtesy of Symbian [Via Tech Digest]

Sony Ericsson has also announced the G-Series of smartphones. These are UIQ touchscreen phones, but unlike previous UIQ phones, Sony Ericsson has said these have been designed as “Touchscreen Organizers for the Masses”.

The G700 comes in Silk Bronze, has a 3.2 megapixel camera (with image stabilisation and red eye reduction), FM Radio, and Bluetooth (including A2DP).

The G900 comes in Dark Red or Dark Brown, and has a 5 megapixel camera (with autofocus, 3x digital zoom, image stabilisation, red eye reduction, and facial recognition), WiFi, Memory Stick Micro, and Bluetooth (including A2DP). It is 106 x 49 x 13 mm and weighs 99 grams.

Both feature a 2.4″ touchscreen, and we hope to bring more information, including availability when we have it.

Specs direct from Sony Ericsson, with some specs and picture courtesy of Symbian Guru.

Sony Ericsson have announced the Xperia X1 phone. As you can see from the pictures above, the phone includes a full QWERTY keyboard, running Windows Mobile with a 3″ VGA screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD support, Bluetooth (including A2DP), FM Radio, AGPS (not a full built in GPS), WiFi, HSDPA and HSUPA. It is 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm and weighs 145 grams. It will be available in Black and Silver in the second half of 2008.

Specs from SonyEricsson, Picture courtesy of Engadget.

Ahead of the expected launch next week, the German Nokia site listed the N96 complete with full specs. Stefan at IntoMobile released the information. The specs include:

• GPS Built in (A-GPS)
• 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
• DVB-H Mobile TV
• WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 (including A2DP)
• 16Gb of built in memory, plus a microSD slot
• 103 x 55 x 18 mm weighing 125g
• FM radio
• Full 3G and HSDPA
• S60 3rd Edition with FP2 (including Flash Lite 3 support)
• Dual Slider format

The downsides? It’s not got a Xenon Flash, the battery is only 950mAh, which may not be enough. Expect more information at Mobile World Congress next week when the formal announcement is expected.