April 3rd, 2013
Tethering allows you to share your phone’s mobile internet connection with other devices. This includes tablets, laptops and MP3 players.
Today’s smartphones are attached to a high-speed, portable, mobile internet connection. This makes them a great asset for accessing information on-the-go and for staying in touch with our friends and family. Using the tethering feature of your smartphone, it’s possible to share your mobile internet connection with other devices. You’ll essentially get a mobile broadband service that can be accessed from a laptop, tablet or MP3 player.
In this article, we take an in-depth look at tethering. We’ll look at the different methods you can use to get your devices online and we’ll look across the networks for the mobile tariffs that support it. We’ve also got step-by-step instructions on how to tether from an iPhone or an Android-based device such as the Samsung Galaxy.
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March 31st, 2013
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is available on all of the UK’s major operators. We find the most suitable contracts and the cheapest deals.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 has opened for pre-orders in the UK. Featuring a higher-resolution display, an upgraded camera and innovative new ways of interacting with your smartphone, the Galaxy S4 will build on the success of the Galaxy S3 and is likely to become one of the best selling smartphones of 2013.
Compared to the Galaxy S3, key improvements in the Galaxy S4 include:
- A sharper and higher-resolution display. The display on the Galaxy S4 has more than twice the number of pixels. This means photos, videos and web pages will be clearer and sharper. The display on the Galaxy S4 has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Measuring 5-inches along the diagonal, it clocks in with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch (441ppi). This is far higher than the iPhone 5‘s Retina display (326ppi).
- Improved camera. Whereas the Galaxy S3 had an 8 megapixel camera, the Galaxy S4 has a 13 megapixel camera. In addition to the megapixel boost, Samsung have added some new shooting modes. This includes the ‘Dual Shot’ feature which allows you to capture a photo in both cameras simultaneously (the front-facing and rear-facing cameras).
- New gestures. Using the new ‘Finger Air View’ feature, it’s possible to interact with your phone by hovering your finger above the display. The handset also features eye-tracking: videos will pause automatically as soon as you look away from the screen.
In this article, we take a look at the Galaxy S4 price plans that are available in the UK. We’ll compare the tariffs from each of the UK’s major operators and help you to find the cheapest and most suitable tariff.
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March 25th, 2013
How well do you know your mobile tariffs? Fill in our survey for a chance to win a new tablet.
Mobile phone tariffs aren’t always the easiest things to understand. In conjunction with the nice folks at giffgaff, we’re running a short survey to discover the nation’s understanding of mobile phone tariffs. We’re hoping to find out how you choose mobile phone tariffs and what the major sources of confusion are.
The survey will take around 2 minutes to fill in and once you’ve done that, you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a new tablet. Winners can win either an iPad 4 (Retina iPad) or a Nexus 10.
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March 20th, 2013
Mobile broadband gives you fast internet access whilst on-the-go. We look at mobile broadband technologies, dongles and tariffs.
Mobile broadband is a technology for accessing the internet from a PC, laptop, netbook or tablet. Unlike fixed-line broadband, you can immediately get online anywhere there’s a mobile signal. There is no need to worry about phone lines, cables or bulky pieces of equipment.
It can be ideal for working during the morning commute – you can also use it to access the internet when you’re away from home. Mobile broadband can be especially useful whilst travelling – it’s a great alternative to expensive hotel wi-fi or the hassle that comes with finding a coffee shop with wi-fi. Compared to public wi-fi hotspots, mobile broadband also offers improved security.
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March 16th, 2013
If you cancel your contract early, there’s usually a hefty termination fee. We investigate how much you’d need to pay.
Nowadays, there’s a minimum commitment of 24 months on the vast majority of mobile phone contracts. During the initial 24 months of your contract, you’re tied in to the network and the tariff that you signed up for. If you need to cancel it early (for example you want a new phone or you’re leaving the country), it’s usually quite expensive.
In this article, we look at the issue of cancelling your contract early. We’ll look at the fees charged when you cancel your contract early and the range of discounts that are available. We’ll also look at the alternatives to cancelling your contract – these can be substantially cheaper than paying the early termination fees.
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March 14th, 2013
We find out whether UK mobile networks use traffic management and whether they limit download speeds.
When you’re choosing a new mobile network, there are a variety of things to consider. Aside from the tariffs that are being offered and the amount that you’d need to pay on them, it’s also important to think about coverage and download speeds. Some mobile networks offer super-fast 4G connectivity: this will give you faster downloads and more reliable web browsing. On the other hand, some networks have limitations on how quickly you can use the internet. They could also throttle certain types of traffic – this will stop you from using certain applications such as P2P file sharing and voice-over-IP phone calling (e.g. Skype). The policy on tethering (sharing your phone’s internet connection with other devices) also depends on the network that you join.
In this article, we look at the traffic management policies of UK mobile networks. We’ll also look to see whether they throttle web traffic and whether they block certain applications.
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March 12th, 2013
With an unlocked version of the Galaxy S3 or Galaxy S3 mini, you can take advantage of cheaper deals at home and when you’re abroad.
When you buy the Galaxy S3 on contract in the UK, it’s normally locked to the mobile network that you bought it from. With a mobile phone that’s locked, you won’t be able to use SIM cards from another mobile network. This can cause some problems if you want to change network or if you want to use a cheap SIM card whilst travelling abroad. Having a locked phone also reduces its resale value and can prevent friends and family from using your phone on their mobile network of choice.
To use your Samsung Galaxy S3 on a different mobile network, you’ll need to unlock it first. In this article, we explore the ways in which you can unlock your Galaxy S3. We’ll look at all the steps that are required, how much it costs and how long it takes. We’ll also cover a free method of unlocking your Galaxy S3.
This guide covers the standard Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300), the 4G version of the Galaxy S3 (GT-I9305) and the Galaxy S3 mini (GT-I8190).
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March 8th, 2013
Orange and T-Mobile have announced a price rise of 3.3%. We look at how it affects you and whether the ‘Fix Your Monthly Plan’ option provides good value.
For the second year running, Orange and T-Mobile have announced price rises for their Pay Monthly customers. Existing customers will see their contract prices rising by 3.3% with the first customers being affected from next month. For customers who currently pay £30/month on their contract, the latest price rise equates to an additional £1/month on your bill (or £12 per year).
Along with the price rises, Orange and T-Mobile have also introduced a ‘Fix Your Monthly Plan’ option on their contracts. For an extra charge of between 50p/month and £2/month, the ‘Fix Your Monthly Plan’ option future-proofs you from further price rises. In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the ‘Fix Your Monthly Plan’ option and ask whether it represents good value for money.
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March 7th, 2013
O2′s TU Go service allows you to receive your calls and texts on up to 5 devices. You can also call & text using your O2 plan.
O2 has launched a new service for their Pay Monthly contract customers. Dubbed TU Go, the unique service allows O2 customers to pick up their phone calls, text messages and voicemail on up to 5 devices. Once configured, all of your devices will ring at the same time and you can choose the most convenient device to answer from. The service also allows you to make calls and send texts using your O2 price plan.
The free service is available to all O2 Pay Monthly customers, though you’ll need a compatible device. You can use it on the iPhone, the iPad, Android devices (including Samsung Galaxy devices), the iPod Touch and PCs & laptops running Windows 7. In this article, we review the TU Go offering.
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February 28th, 2013
We review Orange’s latest tariff offering: The Works. They’re offering unlimited calls and texts with internet from £26/month.
Orange has revamped their Pay Monthly offerings today and launched a new flagship tariff, The Works. Developed in response to greater smartphone ownership, the new tariff comes with unlimited calls and unlimited texts and starts at just £26/month. Customers simply need to choose the amount of data that they want with options ranging from 250MB (£26/month) to 8GB (£51/month).
The launch of ‘The Works’ puts Orange in direct competition with other mobile networks that have offered long offered unlimited calls & texts on their flagship tariffs. For almost three years, Three has offered essentially unlimited calls & texts on their flagship The One Plan (see our review). Other networks have responded in the past year by launching O2′s On & On, T-Mobile’s The Full Monty and Vodafone’s Red Plan.
In this article, we present our full review of The Works. We’ll look at the different tariff options and see which one is the most appropriate for you. We’ll also look at how The Works compares against offerings from other networks.
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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 
