'Vintage' Mobile Phones Making Comback In A Big Way

Do you remember when the latest mobiles were a must have, and everyone queued up for hours waiting for the latest release? Well it seems that recently times have changed… Now the ‘vintage’ models are making a comeback in a big way.

Before Angry Birds and Cut the Rope, back when Snake was all you needed to keep you entertained on a rainy winters day. The old mobile phones had basic functions, call and text, the battery life lasted for weeks, and they were practically indestructible - actually, come to think of it, old phones were the best! No more daily charging and constant alerts, well sign us up!

Demands for these old phones are so high that some of them are selling for nearly £80 a piece! A vintage mobile site called vintagemobile.fr is selling Nokia 8800 for almost £200, and it seems that people are buying them. Over the past 2 - 3 years the website estimates to have sold around 10,000 handsets, and that figure has seen some rapid increase since the beginning of 2013.

Some say it’s down to the older generations looking for simpler phones, whilst others just want an easy to use work phone. Although, some think it could the hipster vintage market who are the ones really investing in the current market.

Whoever it is buying them up, we are actually quite glad that the older models seem to be making a comeback. If you’re jumping on the vintage phone bandwagon then don’t forget to recycle your latest model!

Should Mobile Phone Unlocking Be Free?

If you are one of the lucky ones who has reached the end of a phone contract without breaking or losing your phone (it’s okay, some of us here are guilty of it too!) then you’ll know about the policies of some providers - regarding unlocking a mobile to all networks. Currently, there seems to be quite a considerable range in policies when it comes to unlocking a handset. The minority will do it for free, most do it for a substantial cost, and others will not provide the service at all.

Which? has called for providers to unlock all mobiles at the end of a contract, and to alert customers of the best deals going a month before their contract is due to expire.

More than 8 out of 10 customers believe that unlocking a handset should be done for free, especially when they have paid for a handset throughout the course of the contract.

This may seem like common sense; however it certainly hasn't been happening across the board. New research shows most people don't trust their provider to alert them of the best deal to suit them. Only 40% of consumers believe their current provider gives them the best possible deal.

The executive director of Which? stated “'We want to send a message to mobilephone companies that they should help customers get a better deal by alerting people that their contracts are about to end and by unlocking handsets for free."

We agree that more regulation should be called for regarding contracts and unlocking mobiles. What do you guys think? Have you ever been stung at the end (or even the beginning) of a contract? Tell us more in the comments below!

OwnFone Launch First Ever Phone For Blind People

OwnFone, a UK based company who specialize in making low-tech user friendly handsets, has just announced that they may have made life that little bit easier for the visually impaired - by launching the first ever mobile phone handset for blind people.

Other Braille phones have been designed by various companies before this has been released to the public; however OwnFone states that the device is the first of its kind to go on sale.

By using 3D printed Braille buttons and offering short cuts to pre-saved phone numbers, which there are 4 of in total. This handset may have pretty limited functionality compared to other models on the market; that being said, it’s the first step in making a handset a viable option for the visually impaired.

With the prices starting at £60, it isn't only affordable, but convenient and at a reasonable price. The low cost is mostly due to the 3D printing aspect of production, meaning that the parts can be printed off in house, lowering the need for high cost suppliers.

OwnFone have a track recording of developing mobile phones outside of the standard target market. In 2013 the company developed and produced a child-friendly mobile called named 1stFone. The device was around the size of a credit card, and came pre-programmed with a chosen 4 numbers. The model was a hit, with parents up and down the country praising the company for making a simple model for younger children.

OwnFone really are offering a great service to those who may not be suitable for a standard mobile phone.

World Environment Day or "WED".

If you’re passionate about the environment, then you will surely know that it is WED (World Environment day) at the beginning of June. Many schools, companies and individuals all over the world are holding events to raise awareness for the day.

World Environment day is just round the corner (June 5th to be exact) and the residents a town in Australia are doing their bit to honor the day, and recycling their mobile phones.

WED have said that recycling your old handset prevents mass amounts of precious metal being mined, and doing so can drastically help the environment.

To even further push the campaign, the recycling Manager at MobileMuster, Rose Read has openly stated that the citizens of Australia “need to take responsibility for their contribution to the mounting e-waste problem.”

It has been mathematically proven that in the Greater Hume Shire, the town holding the campaign to back WED, that there as many old phones left in homes, garages and office for every man, women and child in the area. This amounts to staggering 31 tones of precious metal ore.

To put that figure into perspective, that’s the environmental equivalent of 27 trees being planted or over 1 thousand aluminum cans.

If all this is being wasted in a town in Australia, the numbers based for the rest of the world must be staggering. Do you have a old phone lying somewhere in a drawer? Mobile phone recycling in the UK has never been easier, so get yourself to Fonehub!

Mobile Dominance

Apple and Google are fighting for mobile video game dominance, a new report has revealed.

Image source: Daniel Adel, New York Times

The mobile giants are both persuading game developers to choose them to be the exclusive holders of their latest games. Both companies are in talks with top game developers to secure a deal. If a game developer chooses to give either brand an exclusivity deal, they will receive ideal placement on the first page of the app store.

This comes as no surprise, as app games are one of the most lucrative markets within the mobile app industry. In traditional gaming, games will often be exclusive to a certain console, and is common marketing practice with console games. However this is relatively new for app games.

Last August, the highly anticipated Plant Versus Zombies 2, struck a deal with apple to appear prominently in the app store. For this publicity, EA agreed to give Apple a 2 month exclusivity deal on the game, meaning Apple users came out on top.

Apple has been the front runner in mobile games for years, mainly due to the fact that IOS is easier to develop for, however, recently Android has leveled the playing field as tools for writing software have become much easier to use. However, an analyst at IDC has publicly stated that “"In terms of decision factors of why you buy the device you do, games are very low," Which has sparked debate on whether exclusive app store games will sway buyers when choosing a device.

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How mobiles help developing countries

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (or more commonly know as UNESCO) released a report last month highlighting the benefits of mobile handsets in underdeveloped countries. The report shed light on the fact that worldwide literacy is improving at an accelerated rate, which previously has been unheard of before the digital era.

Although mobile handsets are most often used as a method of communication, underprivileged people around the world are using them to read, learn, and expand their current educational skills simply by using the devices. As technology is advancing, the parts required to create a handset are becoming cheaper - which is making it possible for people in poorer countries to purchase a mobile.

The UNESCO report stated ‘for centuries, limited access to text has been a barrier to literacy. Today, however, this barrier is receding thanks to the spread of inexpensive mobile technology. Basic mobiles offer a new, affordable and easy to use portal to reading material."

This is amazing news for the mobile phone industry, and goes to show they bring a lot more to our lives than checking your social media on the go. It’s amazing to see that the advances being made in modern technology, are affecting the quality of life many people in the world receive, and hopefully as time goes on, more advances will be made to break down barriers worldwide. Education and reading skills should be a basic right for everybody in the world, and we can only hope that technology continues to bring education and knowledge to more countries around the world.

Ryan Google+

4G in the UK

It has recently been revealed that EE have reached a milestone! The much anticipated 4G rollout has finally reached its 200th town. Not content with bringing 4G mobile speed to the masses, the town they chose had some significant value, after a report announced that a Welsh street has the worst broadband speed in the while of the UK. EE announced that Rhyl, a quaint seaside town in Wales, would be the 200th to receive the signal.

Only 18 months after launching the service in the UK, EE is now covers a whopping 72% of the UK

The CEO made a statement stating "We now have over two million customers using super fast 4G. That's the fastest rollout and uptake of any technology in Britain, and means that the UK's mobile digital infrastructure is now ahead of many other nations. We're proud to have been the driving force that made that happen, but we won't stop there."

He also added

"Our continued drive to deliver 4G to more of the UK means that our customers have access to by far the biggest network in the country. Hitting this landmark highlights that 4G from EE is available wherever people need it - at home, at work, or enjoying the sunshine on the beach n Rhyl, our 200th town.”

It’s amazing to see how widespread 4G has become over the last year and a half, and it can only mean good things for the UK’s technology infrastructure. Are you using 4G? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Ryan Google+