Mobile Phone Articles
Exetel Now Has 4G Mobile Plans
We’ve been keeping an eye on the state of 4G in Australia over the last few months, and eagerly awaiting news of when smaller resellers will be passing 4G mobile coverage on to their customers. While Optus MVNOs such as Vaya, Amaysim and Spintel have stated they hope to provide 4G sometime in the first half of 2013, it looks like they've been pipped to the post.
How to Prevent Mobile Phone Theft
Some tips on securing your phone and personal data against theft, and advice on what to do if it is stolen.
HTC One SV Hands-On Impressions
We haven’t been giving much love to mid-range Android handsets of late and we apologise for that. To try and make up for it we thought we’d get our hands on HTC’s latest 4G LTE mid-ranger, the HTC One SV (not to be confused with the HTC One S or HTC One V) and put it through its paces.
New and Rumoured MVNOs for 2013
2013 looks set to welcome a few new players to Australia's prepaid mobile market, as the competing big telcos continue opening up their wholesale networks to smaller operators. Telstra continues to take steps to challenge Optus' dominance as a mobile wholesaler, by allowing the newly launched Kogan Mobile, and new partner Boost Mobile, access to its Next G 3G networks. For now, the carrier is keeping 4G LTE access reserved exclusively for Telstra customers.
Goodbye Crazy John's
One of Australia’s most recognised independent mobile phone retailers is effectively no more, with Vodafone confirming plans to shut down the Crazy John’s brand next month. All Crazy John’s stores will be closed entirely, or rebranded as Vodafone stores, by February 20th – meaning that from this date, no new customers will be able to sign up under the Crazy John’s brand. Around 40 of the 60 Crazy Johns stores in operation will be closed, with the rest being transformed into Vodafone outlets.
Vodafone Cuts Free Social Networking
UPDATE: Since this post, Vodafone has revised the decision to begin charging for data in 1MB blocks. The telco have issued a press release stating that, after many customers "expressed concern" about the proposed changes to how data would be billed, it would be dropping the minimum data session for prepaid customers from one megabyte to one kilobyte. The original change would have seen many prepaid customers' data usage and monthly plan costs go up significantly.
Nokia Lumia 920 Review
The Nokia Lumia 920 is Nokia’s first flagship device for the new Windows Phone 8 platform. Complete with Nokia’s increasingly iconic unibody polycarbonate design, ClearBlack HD display technology and the new PureView camera, the Lumia 920 has a good chance of being the best Windows Phone yet.
Adelaide Gets 4G LTE for Christmas
Optus announced today that it will be flicking the switch on a new 4G LTE network for its Adelaide users just in time for Christmas. 4G is quickly spreading across Australia, opening up a new world of super-fast wireless broadband for Aussies with speeds that are often in excess of landline broadband connections.
Lumia 920 Hands-On 1st Impressions
We finally have our very own Nokia Lumia 920 to play with, right on the heels of our Lumia 820 review. The Lumia 920, for those who haven’t been keeping up, is Nokia’s new flagship Lumia device for the Windows Phone 8 platform. As such, it should pack more of a punch than the Lumia 820 and impress us enough to offset its higher price and top-dog status.
When Will Optus' MVNOs Offer 4G?
With Telstra and Optus in the process of expanding their up-and-running 4G LTE networks, customers in metropolitan and some regional locations are already experiencing the benefits of crazy fast speeds and seamless browsing and downloading. Being the only two carriers with their own 4G network gives both companies a distinct advantage over rival telco Vodafone - still yet to roll out its billion dollar upgrade – and over the smaller providers (mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs) piggybacking Optus, Telstra or Vodafone coverage (not including the Optus-owned Virgin Mobile, who are offering customers 4G).
