Mobile Choice Blog

Where will mobile operators fit into Nokia's new London store?

If you've ever been to the Apple Store on Regent Street, you'll know it's a gleaming monument to all things Apple, with visitors dribbling over the latest iPods and Mac computers. It's as much about showing off cool new products as it is about actually selling them. And now Nokia's getting in on the act with its own Regent Street store, which was announced today.

On one level, it's a sensible move - a chance for Nokia to showcase its latest phones away from the clutter of rival firms' handsets that you'd find in, say, Carphone Warehouse. Of course, if you're a punter looking to buy a new phone, you might want to be able to compare Nokia's phones with the competition, so in that case the Nokia Store won't be for you.

But what we're wondering is where the operators fit in here, if at all...

Five-megapixel mobiles like the Samsung G600 will kill off low-end digital cameras

Last week, the main Mobile Choice site reviewed the new Samsung G600 mobile (pictured), which is the latest five-megapixel cameraphone to go on sale, following the recent LG KG920 and Nokia N95, with the Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot coming soon.

These are all relatively expensive handsets, of course, although the price comes down if you get them on a contract. But we think it's the start of a slippery decline for low-end digital cameras. Once a five-megapixel phone is affordable, why would you want a digital camera offering the same or less resolution?

Note, we're not saying phones will kill all digital cameras. If you're into your snapping, a ten-megapixel digital camera still vastly outperforms phones - not just on resolution, but on all the other photography features too. But in terms of a camera that you carry around with you for quick snaps, phones are already winning the war.

Simpsons Movie arrest shows rise of mobile-based cinema piracy

The movie industry is already paranoid about piracy, with good reason judging by the ease with which you can download brand new films if you know your way around peer-to-peer file-sharing technology. We always imagined the original pirates were sitting in cinemas with hidden camcorders.

That could be changing. A 21-year-old Australian has been arrested after uploading a pirated copy of The Simpsons Movie, shot using his mobile phone. According to the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, he's not the only pirate switching DVcams for mobile handsets either.

It's interesting that just as more powerful phones are enabling companies like Nokia to forge new partnerships with Hollywood studios, so they're also opening up more opportunity for piracy. Although we have to say, we'd rather wait for the DVD than watch a pixelly mobile-shot version of most films.

(via Engadget Mobile)

Mobile hotlinks: 20 August 2007

Five mobile stories to check out today:

Are mobile touchscreens as great as they're cracked up to be? (MobHappy)
HP's Cloudprint lets you print from your phone anywhere (Tech.co.uk)
The Bourne Ultimatum's cameraphone advertisements (160Characters)
Man fakes death to get out of mobile contract (Textually)
Samsung's UFO phone is out of this world (Gizmodo)

Mobile users "not interested" in advanced phone features

Bad news if you're a mobile phone manufacturer trying to flog expensive new handsets. According to analyst Continental Research, users aren't interested in advanced features. In fact, when asked in a survey, 68% of respondents said they'd prefer a more basic phone that's easier to use and more affordable.

Continental has also been tracking what people say they do with their phones, covering 11 activities from downloading ringtones and games through to watching mobile TV. In eight of the 11 activities, a LOWER percentage of mobile users is doing it now than were 12 months ago.

"For some time now mobile networks have aggressively promoted various advanced mobile services, but this approach seems to be falling on deaf ears," says Continental's James Myring.

Why the iPhone will cost £329 and £399 in the UK

It's the question on everyone's lips. Well, everyone on this side of the Atlantic anyway. How much will the iPhone cost when it eventually goes on sale here in the UK?

Well, we've been doing some number-crunching to try and figure it out, and we think we've got an answer. The 4GB iPhone will cost around £325 here, while the 8GB model will cost £395. At least, that's our guess.

We based it on the evidence that Apple isn't keen on operator subsidies for the iPhone, meaning that Apple will be in charge of the price. Then we looked at the US-to-UK price differences of four other Apple products - the new iMac, the 30GB iPod, and the basic Apple TV and Macbook products.

This week on the Mobile Choice website...

It's been a busy week over on the main Mobile Choice website. For starters there's been a review of Samsung's new five-megapixel cameraphone, the G600 (pictured).

Check out the first impressions, a look at its camera, and the final verdict. Other reviews include the LG KE800 Chocolate Platinum slider, and the musical Sony Ericsson W660i and Sony Ericsson W880i.

Meanwhile, 3 announced the full details of its HSDPA rollout, including LG's nifty U990 five-megapixel camphone, while T-Mobile launched live Premiership football through a deal with Sky. And in a busy week for Sony Ericsson fans, there's also full details of the new K770i Cyber-shot cameraphone.

Mobile Choice website

Nokia 6110 shows GPS mobiles could overtake satnav gadgets

GPS satellite navigation isn't in that many mobile phones yet, but the number is increasing. Over on the Mobile Choice site, you can read a two-part review (part 1 / part 2) of the Nokia 6110 Navigator handset, which includes Route 66 Navigator software and a full set of UK streetmaps for getting around.

"We have to say it was hard to fault the 6110 sat nav performance during our test. Its route search and calculation was slick and speedy, the voice instructions carried well in noisy car environments, the Route 66 software was stable and although you could argue the display is a tad small, it’s a small price to pay for a convenient convergence package."

Does this mean thousands of motorists will be throwing out their standalone satnav gadgets and relying on their phones, though?

Nokia 3220 goes disco dancing [Video]

When you're about to junk your Nokia 3220 for a new N73, how do you send it off in style? By turning the lights off, switching it to disco-lights mode, and turning its vibration on of course, before sticking footage up on YouTube. This video makes us happy.

Mobile hotlinks: 17 August 2007

What's hot in the world of mobile this morning? Well...

Will you fall Crazy In Love with Beyonce-themed mobile phone? (Engadget Mobile)
Learn Mandarin on your mobile (MobileCrunch)
Study shows iPhone text-entry takes time to learn (MocoNews)
Cheeky monkey steals mobile phones rather than pose for pictures (Picturephoning)
Samsung patents female fertility phone  (Tech Digest)