May 22nd, 2013
O2′s giffgaff offers a range of Pay As You Go bundles from £5/month. Unlimited internet starts from £12/month.
giffgaff is a low-cost mobile network that’s part of O2. Running on the same masts and infrastructure as its parent company, giffgaff has a range of low-cost Goodybag deals that start from £5/month. Of particular note, they provide unlimited internet on their Goodybags from £12/month. This is ideal for heavy users and for people who love downloading and using apps on their smartphone.
giffgaff goodybags are SIM only packages. You’ll need to provide your own smartphone: this can either be a handset purchased from O2 or a handset you’ve unlocked from another network.
In this article, we take a look at the Goodybags from giffgaff. We’ll look at how they compare against rival offerings and what you need to do to get started with a Goodybag.
Continue Reading »
May 20th, 2013
The iPhone 4 has been reduced to its lowest price yet: free on a £17/month contract. However, is it really worth it?
In the past week, the UK has seen some eye-catching price reductions on the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 is now available for free on a £17/month contract. This comes with 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 250MB of internet. The latest price cuts brings the cost of the iPhone down to its lowest ever level in the UK. Compared to the buying an iPhone 5, you could save £336 by opting for the iPhone 4.
If you’re picking up an iPhone 4 whilst it’s discounted, it’s worth being aware that the device is already 3 years old. Whilst it’s still a capable device, you’ll lack some of the advanced features found on the iPhone 5 such as HSPA+ and 4G connectivity. The iPhone 4 also lacks panoramic photos in the camera and the Siri virtual assistant. If these features aren’t essential for you, the iPhone 4 could provide good value.
Continue Reading »
May 13th, 2013
If you already have a smartphone, you can save over £200 per year on your phone bill by switching to a SIM only deal.
Nowadays, a large number of us already have a smartphone. When your contract comes to an end, there are usually two options:
The first option is taking out a new contract: you can upgrade to the latest handset such as the iPhone 5 or the Galaxy S4. To get a new phone, you’ll need to sign a new commitment for another 24 months. You’ll pay around £35/month on this contract. As well as the monthly charge, there may also be an upfront charge for the new phone.
The second option is switching to a SIM Only deal. This is a great choice for anyone who is happy with their current smartphone. You simply pick up a new low-cost SIM card: this slots inside your device. The SIM card is “airtime only” – as such it’s normally around £15/month to £20/month cheaper than standard contracts. Over a year, the savings can add up to over £200.
Continue Reading »
May 5th, 2013
Virgin has launched an eye-catching tariff with “unlimited everything”. It starts at £26/month for TV and broadband customers.
Virgin Mobile made headlines this week by launching the new VIP Plan. Starting at £26/month for customers who take TV or broadband from Virgin, the tariff comes with unlimited calls, unlimited texts and unlimited internet. It also comes with inclusive calls to 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers. Customers without a TV or broadband package from Virgin will need to pay an additional £5/month. This means the package will start from £31/month.
Continue Reading »
April 30th, 2013
T-Mobile has launched a range of “Smart Pack” bundles on Pay As You Go. The packages start from £10/month with calls, texts and data included.
Customers on T-Mobile Pay As You Go can now buy a ‘Smart Pack’ bundle using their Pay As You Go credit. By converting your credit into a T-Mobile Smart Pack, you’ll get a great value bundle of calls, texts and internet access that will last for 30 days.
The Smart Pack bundles start from £10 for 30 days. With the £10 Smart Pack, you’ll get 100 minutes, 400 texts and a generous 1GB of internet (enough for most smartphone users). For heavy users, Smart Packs are also available at £15 and £25. These come with more minutes, more texts and more data.
Continue Reading »
April 23rd, 2013
O2 has launched the new “O2 Refresh” tariff. It splits your airtime plan from your phone plan and allows faster upgrades at a lower cost.
On today’s mobile phone contracts, you’ll usually sign up for a 24-month agreement that includes a handset as well as airtime allowances that can be used each month. The total cost of your mobile phone contract incorporates two things: the cost of your handset and the cost of your airtime (i.e. minutes, texts and internet). The two costs are usually combined into a single monthly figure, often in the region of £35/month.
Once you’re tied in to a 24 month contract, it’s incredibly expensive to end it early. For instance, if you had wanted to upgrade your smartphone early, you’d need to pay off the remainder of your current contract before starting a new one with a new phone. On your old contract, you’ll need to pay something called an early termination fee. The early termination fee is usually quite hefty: it involves making all of your remaining contract payments in one go. For a £35/month contract, you should expect to pay around £210 in early termination fees when upgrading after 18 months (6 months early). To upgrade after a year (12 months early), the early termination fee will be in the region of £420.
With O2 Refresh, O2 are aiming to make their Pay Monthly contracts more transparent. Contracts are now split into two parts: an airtime plan and a phone plan. If you want to upgrade your phone early, it’s simply a matter of paying off the phone plan. There’s no need to pay off the airtime part of your plan. This makes it cheaper to upgrade your phone early. The phone plan will also end itself once the phone is fully repaid. After 24 months, you’ll only need to pay for the airtime plan. This will reduce your monthly payments in the same way as a SIM Only plan.
Continue Reading »
April 17th, 2013
Will your next smartphone be too big? This interactive guide shows you a side-by-side comparison of mobile phone sizes.
Smartphones seem to be increasing in size all of the time. The latest generation of high-end smartphones have grown to encompass 5-inch displays at full HD resolution (this includes the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Sony Xperia Z). Whilst bigger displays are great for browsing the web and using apps, it can sometimes be unwieldy to use a bigger phone for calling. An oversized phone can also be awkward to carry in a pocket.
With this interactive guide, we compare the size of different smartphones. Using the list below, select the devices that you’d like to compare the size of. We’ll show you all of the devices side-by-side and to scale. For an indication of the real-world size, select the “Show Full Size” option.
Continue Reading »
April 16th, 2013
By unlocking your iPhone, you can save money with a cheap SIM-only deal. You can also save money when travelling abroad by using a local SIM card.
When you buy an iPhone, it’ll usually be locked to a mobile network. This means the phone will only accept SIM cards from a certain network (for example an iPhone that is locked to O2 UK will only accept SIM cards from O2 UK).
The majority of iPhones are locked when they’re sold. This includes iPhones that are sold on a Pay Monthly contract or a Pay As You Go tariff. Before you can use the iPhone on another mobile network, you’ll need to unlock it first. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can unlock your iPhone from all of the UK’s major networks.
If you purchased your iPhone directly from Apple, your phone should already be unlocked. In this case, you won’t need to unlock it: it’ll already work with a SIM card from any mobile network. Grab a free SIM card from another network or get a SIM Only contract if you want to give it a go.
If you purchased your iPhone from a third-party retailer (e.g. the Carphone Warehouse) your iPhone will automatically lock itself to the network that you first use the phone with. You’ll need to contact that network in order to unlock your iPhone.
Continue Reading »
April 9th, 2013
Three’s “Ultrafast” Internet service is available in 80% of the country. It’s a great alternative to 4G with lower prices and unlimited downloads.
Three has rolled out their “Ultrafast” internet service to 80% of the UK. With download speeds double that of today’s 3G networks, customers with an Ultrafast Ready phone can experience faster downloads, more reliable video streaming and smoother web browsing. Although Ultrafast is based on 3G technology, it can offer download speeds that are roughly comparable with today’s early 4G networks. Ultrafast also has benefits in terms of lower prices, better coverage and greater handset availability.
In this article, we take a look at Three’s Ultrafast Internet service. We’ll compare the cost of Ultrafast against the cost of 4G. We’ll also look at how the two services match up in terms of download speeds and tariffs.
Continue Reading »
April 5th, 2013
Three offers most of their smartphones on two plans: Ultimate Internet 500 and The One Plan. We weigh up the pros and cons of each tariff.
If you’re signing up for a contract on Three, it’s worth spending some time to make sure you choose the most appropriate tariff. Three offers the majority of their smartphones on a choice of two tariffs: Ultimate Internet 500 and The One Plan.
With the cheaper of the two tariffs, Ultimate Internet 500, you’ll usually save between £2/month and £4/month on your basic line rental. However, the tariff also has a couple of hidden charges: there’s a 35p/minute charge for voicemail and a £5/month charge for tethering. You’ll also pay an additional 14.6p/minute when calling 0845 and 0870 numbers. Once these charges have been accounted for, The One Plan may work out to be better value.
In this article, we look at the Ultimate Internet 500 and The One Plan in detail. We’ll compare the two tariffs and the selection of handsets that are available. We’ll also find out which tariff offers the best overall value.
Continue Reading »
I've been blogging at Ken's Tech Tips since 2005 with the aim of demystifying mobile technology for the rest of us. Before writing about mobile technology, my background was in space & atmospheric physics. I have also worked in software development. Nowadays, I help companies to explain mobile technology to their customers. Please check out 
