Ken's Tech Tips

February 22nd, 2010

If you’re currently stuck in a 18-month contract or a 24-month contract which gives you too little airtime or too much airtime, you might be able to take advantage of a special clause in your operator’s terms and conditions to change your contract and airtime allowance, even if you are currently in the middle of a contract. Most networks will allow you to upgrade your contract at any time to get more inclusive airtime; O2,  Orange and Vodafone also allow you to downgrade to a cheaper contract after 9 months.

photo: Lordcolus

Why might I want to do this?

• If you regularly exceed your airtime allowance and have to pay for extra calls/texts, you may find it cheaper to upgrade to a more expensive contract which comes with more airtime. 3, O2, Orange and Vodafone would allow you to upgrade to a more expensive contract.
• If you find yourself not using the full airtime allowance, you will save money by moving down to a cheaper price plan. O2, Orange and Vodafone allow you to do this after the first 9 months of your contract.
• The network may launch a new tariff (of the same or higher price) which is more attractive to you. 3 would allow you to switch to this new tariff (although you can’t move to a Mix & Match plans).

Sometimes it is possible to find loopholes: for example you could sign up for an expensive contract to get a free/cheaper phone and then downgrade your contract after 9 months to something cheaper. This would be cheaper than signing up for the cheaper contract to start off with.

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• 3 Mobile , Mobile , Orange , T-Mobile , Vodafone , o2
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February 13th, 2010

Last month we brought you news of O2’s secret £20 Sim Only iPhone tariff aimed at keeping customers who have reached the end of their original iPhone 3G contracts. Vodafone have now got in on the act to poach some of these customers by launching two £25/mo. SIM only iPhone tariff. In this article, we look at how they compares to other smartphone SIM only deals and O2’s “Simplicity for iPhone” deals.

What are the Vodafone SIM only deals?

Vodafone have two SIM only iPhone tariffs: both at £25 per month. Both of the tariffs offer 3000 (“unlimited”) texts, 1GB mobile internet access and 1GB BT Openzone wi-fi hotspot access every month. The tariffs differ in the length. On the 1 month contract, you’ll get 600 minutes; sign for 12 months and you’ll get 900 minutes.

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• Apple , Mobile , SIM Only , Smartphones , Vodafone
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February 9th, 2010

What does unlimited mean? According to the dictionary definition: “having no restrictions or control” or “having or seeming to have no boundaries”. Unfortunately in the world of mobile phones and mobile internet, it’s not so simple. Networks impose fair usage policies on “unlimited” tariffs. In this article, we’ve dug through the small print to find out what “unlimited” really means on each of the networks.

What is a fair usage policy?

All the major mobile networks have an acceptable fair use policy. These policies give them the right to terminate your contract or tariff if they believe you are utilising too many network resources (i.e. sending too much texts or downloading too much). The networks have recently moved towards greater transparency by setting explicit limits on usage but these limits are often hidden in the small print. Furthermore, these tariffs continue to be advertised as “unlimited” when they are not.

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• 3 Mobile , Mobile , Orange , Other Networks , T-Mobile , Vodafone , o2
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January 21st, 2010

To tie in with the launch of the iPhone on it’s network, Vodafone has launched a “femtocell” product which aims to guarantee 5-bar signal in your home called Sure Signal. In this article, we explore the technology underlying “Sure Signal” called femtocells. We look at how they work, their benefits and downsides and whether they will take off in the UK.

What is a Femtocell?

A Femtocell is essentially like having your own personal cellphone tower. That sounds scary but a femtocell is about the size of a wireless router so you can have it in your living room. A femtocell will typically output a 3G mobile signal which your phone can recieve. It plugs in to your broadband connection and utilises that to connect to the mobile network operator (i.e. Vodafone). All of your mobile phone calls, texts and web browsing are routed through that femtocell when you are in the range of it.

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• Mobile , Mobile Broadband , Smartphones , Vodafone
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January 11th, 2010

49 SIM-only tariffs from 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone listed and compared on one page.

Last month, we wrote about SIM-only tariffs and how many people are able to save about £180/yr. by switching to one. SIM-only tariffs are perfect for people who have completed the original term of their contract and are happy to keep their existing phone. They are cheaper than traditional contracts because you don’t get a new phone with it. However, it’s still worth shopping around as whichever network you go to you can keep your existing phone number. Continue Reading »

• 3 Mobile , Mobile , Orange , Other Networks , SIM Only , T-Mobile , Vodafone , o2
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January 7th, 2010

Can’t get away from the internet even on the move? Just got a brand new smartphone such as an Apple iPhone or the new Google Nexus One? The next thing you’ll want to do is to find a SIM-only tariff which includes internet access so you don’t have to worry about running up huge bills for accessing the net. All of the major networks are now offering tariffs with internet for £20/month or less. We compare six of the UK’s top tariffs.

First things first…

Firstly, is your phone locked? If it’s a Nexus One it won’t be but there is a good chance that other phones will be locked if they were subsidised by a network when you bought it. If so, you’ll have to unlock your phone before you can use your phone on a different network.

Secondly, are you better off on Pay As You Go? The cheapest SIM-only tariff here is £15/month. If you spend less than £15/month on calls you could be better off on PAYG. Have a look at our guide on PAYG tariffs including free internet access. Of particular note, T-Mobile offers unlimited texts and internet access when you top up £10/month. Continue Reading »

• 3 Mobile , Mobile , Orange , SIM Only , Smartphones , T-Mobile , Vodafone , o2
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January 5th, 2010

According to Google’s website, the Nexus One will be available on Vodafone in Spring 2010 (so in the next 3 months!).

What is the Nexus One?

It’s Google’s response to the iPhone: a smartphone running the Android operating system. According to Gizmodo, it features:

A really fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, with a 3.7-inch, 480×800 AMOLED screen. The camera’s 5 megapixels with an LED flash—it also shoots MPEG-4 video with one-click YouTube upload, which should be quick over its wireless N Wi-Fi. The trackball’s got a multicolor LED for different notifications, and of course it’s got a compass, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, two mics for “active noise suppression,” light and proximity sensors, and an accelerometer onboard. It’s got a 1400mAH battery, from which they promise 5 hours of 3G browsing and 7 hours of 3G talk time.

Mashable compares the features of the Nexus One, Apple iPhone and the Droid (another Android phone).

How much will it cost?

Again, we don’t know yet but we could look at the US prices as a guide.

In the US it costs $530 (£330) for the unlocked phone. In the UK, an iPhone 3G S would cost £440 on PAYG. Alternatively, in the US it’s available for $180 (£110) on a 2 year T-Mobile contract. The standard T-Mobile tariff is $80 per month and includes 500 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet.

Watch this space…

We’ll be covering it the launch of the Nexus One in the UK here on Ken’s Tech Tips. We’ll dig out the best ways to use the Nexus One, find out how it compares to the iPhone, which networks it will be available on and more. Sign up for our mailing list (form below), subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter.

• Google , Mobile , Smartphones , Vodafone
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December 22nd, 2009

I’ve spent a few days working on a new tool – the iPhone Tariff price comparison tool. With the iPhone now available on four networks – O2, Orange, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone – we now have a whole plethora of different tariffs available.

Our tool will ask you for:

• the model of iPhone you desire (8GB iPhone 3G, 16GB iPhone 3G S or 32GB iPhone 3G S)
• your desired contract length (18 months, 24 months or enter any other number of months to work out an “effective cost per month”)
• the number of minutes you use per month
• the number of texts you send per month

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• Apple , Mobile , Orange , Other Networks , Vodafone , iPhone , o2
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December 21st, 2009

Vodafone have today announced their iPhone tariffs and are starting to take pre-orders from today. The iPhone will be available on Vodafone contract from the 14th January. As of yet, it isn’t available on Vodafone PAYG. See our updated iPhone price comparison webpage to see how prices compares to O2, Orange and Tesco.

From the Vodafone press release:

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• Apple , Mobile , Vodafone , iPhone
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December 13th, 2009

Ken’s Tech Tips presents the cheapest & best value tariffs for 11 different types of mobile user.

In the past, we’ve covered how to get free calls, free texts or free mobile internet access without switching network. But if you don’t mind switching network, which network and which tariff offers the best value? There are a whole plethora of different prices and tariffs so it’s easy to get lost. We’ve done the hard work and found the best value tariffs on the market for every type of mobile user.

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• 3 Mobile , Mobile , Orange , Pay As You Go , T-Mobile , Vodafone , o2
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