Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week – 24th April

As we head towards the weekend and the last week of April, we have a lull in new phones being announced or released, in preperation for that Spring/Summer push.  However, we’ve still got plenty of mobile phone news, including the release of Bluetooth 3.0 and cheaper roaming call costs.

1.  Bluetooth 3.0 Released.

We have yet to hear about any forthcoming phones utilising the latest Blutooth technology, but that’s no reason not to get excited about it!  Bluetooth 3.0 massively increases the speed with which it transfers data thanks to the introduction of 802.11, which also adds the benefit of not always being ‘on’ – thus saving battery!

2.  MP’s Pass Mobile Roaming Price Cut Legislation.

When the Euro telecoms MP’s approved the European Telecommunication Commissioner’s plan to cut mobile phone roaming prices, things were off to a great start.  Now, Euro MP’s have passed it into legistlation, with the new pricing to take effect in July!  It’s a gradual change, but by 2011, SMS will cost no more than 10 pence, calls no more than 38 pence (outgoing) and 17 pence (incoming), and data just 45 pence per megabyte.

3.  Palm Doomed Before Pre Launch?

This is either going to sound pessimistic or realistic, depending on your faith in Palm and the buying public.  An analytical website, 24/7 Wall Street, has suggested that Palm are one of 12 brands they expect not to survive the year, despite the ever-nearing Pre launch.  They claim it will take too much time to lure BlackBerry and iPhone users away, something Palm do not have.

4.   Nokia Comes with Few Subscribers.

The Nokia Comes With Music service, where people who purchase a Nokia Comes With Music handsetget access to a music store where they can download unlimited tracks for a period of time, has managed just 23,000 subscribers – according to an industry consultant -  since launching in October last year.  Get rid of the DRM, Nokia, and you may well find this goes up rapidly!

5.  App Store Makes a Billion.

Apple’s App Store is undoubtably one of the things Apple got right with the iPhone, and it’s a model which everyone seems very keen to replicate!  They’ve got a little catching up to do before they replicate its success though, as the App Store has just witnessed its billionth App download!

6.  HELLO? I’M ON EVEREST! NO, IT’S RUBBISH!

Even though I struggle to get reception in my living room, those climbers who have scaled Mount Everest and want to call their mum will soon be able to do so, as the Nepalese telecoms company are planning to erect a GSM cell at the mountains peak!

7.  We Want Cheap Calls and SMS Rather than 3G.

An OpenCloud survey named My Mobile Lifestyle has revealed that 80 percent of the 1000 interviewed put cheaper calls and text messages higher up in their list than 3G and social networking capabilities,  when discussing important aspects of a new phone.

8.  Just What Does ‘Unlimited’ Really Mean?

Two Pennsylvanian men, who were attempting to break a world record of the most SMS sent in a certain space of time, got a shock when their supposedly ‘Unlimited’ phone bill arrived in a box and for a massive $26,000!  Guinness haven’t been in touch yet, but T-Mobile did clear the bill and state they would ‘investigate’.

9.  Novel Written on Mobile Phone.

No, not a novel about a mobile phone, but one written using a mobile phone!  Peter V. Brett used time he spent commuting to and from work to knock out over 100,000 words of his 400-page book, on his HP iPaq smartphone!  The Warded Man is his first book and is already on the best seller list in the UK!

10.  Sharp Announce Solar-Powered Mobile.

This attractive flip phone from Sharp has solar panels built-in which will return two hours of standby and a minute of talktime for every ten minutes of charge time, it’s even waterproof!  For anyone who is into outdoor pursuits which take them far from civilisation this could literally be a life-saver.