o2 announced mobile broadband

O2 UK today establishes itself as a comprehensive provider of high quality broadband and Internet services in the UK, with the launch of O2 Mobile Broadband.

Designed for fast, easy and reliable Internet connectivity on the move, O2 Mobile Broadband works by simply slotting a small memory stick into the USB port of a notebook computer or PC; customers just “plug-n-play”. With value for money pricing, fast speeds, as well as UK-based after sales service, O2 Mobile Broadband will allow O2 customers to access the internet on a laptop via the O2 mobile network or over 7,500 free Wi-Fi hotspots, anywhere in the UK*, from just £20 a month.

Customers can choose to take out an 18-month price plan for £20 a month with a USB Modem included free of charge, or pay £20 a month for a rolling one-month package plus the one-off cost of the USB Modem (£119.99). Both price plans give customers unlimited** Wi-Fi access and 3GB per month worth of inclusive UK data (on the O2 network). This should be more than enough for the vast majority of customers allowing them, for example, to download 68 music albums a month.

Broadband speeds of up to 1.8 megabits per second, which are equivalent to or faster than the speeds most people experience today on their home broadband, will be the standard across the whole O2 network. From June, O2 will begin increasing this to up to 3.6 megabits per second across the network. Further speed increases will follow in line with technology evolution.

O2 Business Mobile Broadband launches on May 1st 2008.

O2 Introduces New iPhone Offer

O2 announced the launch of a special offer on the 8GB iPhone which can now be purchased for just £169 until 1 June 2008.

The offer is available from tomorrow on all O2 iPhone tariffs and will create additional momentum for what has been O2’s fastest-selling device. The 16GB iPhone remains priced at £329.

Once purchased, customers will continue to be able to choose from one of O2’s three great value iPhone tariffs, starting at £35 per month. Each tariff includes unlimited data browsing and free access to The Cloud’s 7,500 Wi-Fi hotspots.

o2 combine with Napster

O2 announced that it will partner with Napster, one of the world’s most recognised digital music brands, to offer the UK’s largest full track mobile music download service.

Available exclusively on mobile through O2 Active, the Napster Mobile service provides access to over 5 million songs and dual delivery of tracks to both the customer’s mobile phone and PC.
In order to make the best mobile music experience available to its customers, O2 has chosen to partner with one of the biggest brands in digital music.

The deal brings together one of the largest digital catalogues in the music industry with the UK’s largest mobile portal, delivering a high quality mobile music experience to O2 customers.

Napster on O2 will provide market-leading value for customers with single tracks initially priced at 99p* or 5 tracks for £4. Once a song is purchased on the mobile phone, a copy will be automatically sent to the email address of the customer’s choosing. The Napster service will be accessible through O2 Active on over 30 different handsets.

The Napster service will bring O2 customers all the latest releases and the biggest tracks with full artist descriptions and imagery to both their phone and PC.

* Single tracks will be priced at 99p for a promotional period

O2 Launches the 3G HSDPA Xda Atmos

O2 UK announced the launch of the O2 Xda Atmos, the latest addition to the successful Xda smartphone range. This sleek and compact device combines the standard mobile keypad with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, making the Xda Atmos the perfect choice for those who prefer the look and feel of a traditional handset but who also require the functional capabilities of a PDA.

O2’s Xda Atmos is powered by Windows Mobile® 6.0, a mobile platform that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange – meaning that customers don’t need any additional hardware or software to deliver real time email securely to their Smartphone. The O2 Xda Atmos captures the familiar look and feel of Microsoft Windows into a sleek, portable device. With GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WiFi, HSDPA and Quad-Band GSM network capabilities, it also offers customers the best choice of high speed network wherever they are.

O2’s Xda Atmos also supports Microsoft Direct Push Email, a key business email solution that provides customers with real time access to inbox, calendar, contacts and tasks on the move. In addition, the Xda Atmos includes Microsoft Office tools enabling users to open, edit and send Microsoft Office Excel Mobile, Word Mobile and view PowerPoint Mobile documents.

O2 Xda Atmos will be on sale at a range of prices subject to tariff in an exclusive Matt Black colour, and is available now through O2 direct and indirect business and corporate sales and at the business online shop at http://www.o2.co.uk/.

O2 Xda Orbit II Review by 3G.co.uk

O2 Xda Orbit II Review by 3G.co.uk

We’ve said it before but GPS looks set to be the must-have accessory for smartphones in 2008. The O2 Xda Orbit II is the latest device to house sat nav, with ALK’s CoPilot Live 7 built-in.

O2 Xda Orbit II touch-screen

Effectively O2’s own-branded HTC Touch Cruise, the Orbit II is relatively small, particularly when you take into account the vast amount of features the Orbit houses. There’s no QWERTY keyboard, so you’ll have to get to grips with the large 2.8-inch touch-screen. But, thankfully, the handset comes with a stylus that neatly packs away in the bottom right-hand corner. We say thankfully as some of the menu icons are rather small and trying to press these with our fingers and thumbs proved tricky. So using the stylus will be your best bet.

Under the screen is a navigation wheel that rotates 360 degrees as you move through the various menu icons available. Find your chosen option and simply press the button in the middle of the wheel.

The Orbit II runs the Windows Mobile 6 operating system and offers Word Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and Excel Mobile, so you can read and send various documents while out of the office. Once again, the lack of QWERTY keyboard means you won’t be doing anything more than making the odd change to copy or writing a two or three-line email.

Full Review with Many More Photos Here

Backup your precious photos and text message with o2 Bluebook

O2 today announced the launch of its Bluebook service.

Based on the insight that the most valuable thing about mobile phones is now the precious content we keep on them, O2 Bluebook will transform the way we save it by backing up all phone numbers* and automatically saving every text and photo message online, so all valuable memories are kept safe.

O2 Bluebook takes the stress out of worrying about losing valuable information and allows customers to manage, edit and share their mobile life through a personal and secure site.

Unleash Your Mobile Life

With mobile phones increasingly used to capture life’s special moments, O2 Bluebook provides an ideal way of publishing and sharing O2 customers’ mobile life online. The texts and pictures that have been automatically saved, can then be filed, edited or displayed in online albums that can be viewed and shared with friends and relatives. In addition, O2 Bluebook also offers a blogging service, Blueblog, where customers can document their daily lives using the photos and messages saved directly from their mobile.

Samsung U600 Black Launched

o2 have announced the exclusive U600 Black, which is available now.

The phone not only features the new gorgeous "glossy" black finnish, but also now features "HAPTIC touch keys".

The external keys below the screen are HAPTIC touch keys. This means that when you touch these keys you will feel a sensation in your finger tip to tell you that the key has been activated!

The Samsung u600 Black is available now, and costs £99.99 or free on contract.

o2 Store

o2 and Endemol announce "The Cell" a Mobile Only Drama

o2 and Endemol have teamed up to lauch a mobile-only drama called "The Cell".

The drama which follows the parallel stories of a man and comprises of both computer animation and live footage.

The series will be delivered through 20 2 minute episodes and according to o2 boasts the same budget and production values as a TV drama.

The cell will be available from the 1st February (today) and can be viewed by o2 customers by texting "Cell" to 2020. With each episode costing 50p or alternatively the whole series costs £3.50.

O2 improves its Apple iPhone deals

o2 has significantly upgraded its iPhone tarrifs. The £35 a month now encompasses 600 minutes and 500 texts a month, compared to the original 200 minutes and 200 texts.

Additionally, the £45 tariffs minute allowance has been doubled to 1200 mintues a month, but for some reason the text allowance has remained at 500.

o2 have also confirmed that users who already signed up to the previously inferior deal , will have their package automatically upgraded.

iPhone sales fall short of O2 target

Sales of Apple's much-hyped iPhone in the UK have fallen just short of the expectations of O2, the mobile operator that is the exclusive network for the handset.

O 2 said shortly before the iPhone's UK launch on November 9 that it expected handset sales of 200,000 in the first two months, but people familiar with the situation said the actual figure for the first eight weeks was about 190,000.

Some analysts, who had regarded the original 200,000 prediction as a conservative estimate, added that Apple may have to cut the iPhone price in the UK if it wants to maintain sales momentum.

The iPhone's headline price is £269 but customers must also take out an 18-month contract starting at £35 per month, which means the minimum outlay is £899.

O 2 declined to comment on iPhone sales figures, but said it was "delighted with the response to the iPhone, which has seen unprecedented levels of customer satisfaction". It also confirmed the iPhone was its fastest-selling handset ever "by a significant margin".

In November, Matthew Key, incoming chief executive of O 2 Europe, said he expected about 200,000 iPhones to be sold in the UK in the first two months. As well as O 2 and Apple, the iPhone is sold by Carphone Warehouse.

However, Gartner, the research firm, said in November that 350,000 to 400,000 iPhones could be sold in the first eight weeks.

Carphone and Apple yesterday declined to comment on iPhone sales figures.

iPhone sales had been strong in the run up to Christmas, but had subsequently tapered off, according to people familiar with the situation.

Source Financial Times

O2 and Vodafone in 3G Ofcom row

Vodafone and O2 have attacked Ofcom's plans to seize part of the radio spectrum they have used since the 1980s to provide mobile phone coverage, and sell it to their rivals for third generation mobile services.

O2 estimated the plan would cost it pounds 4bn in profits as a result of the forced migration of their customers to 3G. It predicted most of that would be passed on to customers as higher bills.

Vodafone said Ofcom had made its decision "based on a hypothetical and fanciful version of the future''.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

O2 Stellar Coming Soon

O2 has confirmed the O2 Stellar is coming soon, the Stellar is really just the HTC Tytn II with O2 branding but is the first Xda offered by O2 to contain both integrated satellite navigation and a QWERTY keyboard.

The new O2 Xda Stellar is a touch screen Xda with a slim, stylish design. As well as the on-board GPS, Windows Mobile 6 (supporting Microsoft Direct Push Email) and Wi-Fi, it is Quad Band, 3G and has a 3 mega-pixel camera and MP3 player.

O2 announces O2 Wallet

O2 announced the launch of the UK's first large scale pilot of NFC (Near Field Communications) technology on mobile phones.

The trial of the O2 Wallet® paves the way for the mass
market use of mobile phones to pay for purchases, access events or
even be used as Oyster cards for travel around London, simply by
touching the phone to a reader.

"Research shows that people are more likely to return home if they
leave their phone behind than their wallet or keys," said Cath Keers,
Customer Director, O2 UK. "So why not have your wallet on your phone?
We believe that NFC technology is going to fundamentally change the
way people use their mobile phones."

The trial, which will involve over 500 people invited from the O2
customer base, takes place across selected sites throughout London
and begins on 28th November 2007 running for six months until the end
of May 2008.

Full Story Here

Bebo And O2 Ireland Join Forces To Launch Bebo On Your O2 Mobile

O2 Ireland and Bebo today announced that they have partnered to launch a new Bebo mobile service. Bebo on your O2 mobile will give O2 Ireland customers, who are already registered users of the Bebo.com website, access to an optimised version of the Bebo site from their O2 phone.

The service will offer unlimited access to Bebo.com on mobiles where users can view their profiles, upload photos, receive alerts and post comments by text message.

Subscription to Bebo on your O2 mobile will be offered free of charge until 30th November 2007, after which time customers will be asked to subscribe to continue with the service for a weekly subscription fee of €1.50. O2 Ireland has an agreement with Bebo to provide the service exclusively to its customers until March 2008.

O2 customers that subscribe to the service will be able to:
Browse Bebo on a customised version of the service to fit the mobile screen
View and update their Bebo profile
Upload photos via picture messaging (mms) for 25 cents
Receive text alerts when friends post comments
View other people's profile pages and send comments
Source information on responsible and safe use of Bebo mobile

O2 and RIM Launch the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Smartphone in the UK

O2 and Research In Motion introduced the new BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8120 smartphone in the UK.

In its small, stylish and elegant design, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 provides rich multimedia features together with all the popular functionality users have come to expect from the BlackBerry® wireless solution.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 comes complete with a 2 megapixel digital camera with a 5x zoom and video capture capability, an externally accessible microSD/SDHC slot and Wi-Fi® connectivity support. These new features, along with an enhanced visual interface, add to the renowned BlackBerry® smartphone experience for email, phone, messaging (SMS, IM, MMS), web browsing, multimedia, organiser and other mobile applications.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone will be available from O2 UK at a range of prices subject to tariff from 5th November 2007.

Full Story with Specification and More Pictures

O2 Customers Get Exclusive Led Zeppelin Mobile Content

O2 twill offer its customers exclusive Led Zeppelin mobile content until 12 November 2007.

O2 UK has signed an exclusive deal with Warner Music UK to provide its customers with a host of Led Zeppelin content and exclusives, the first time Led Zeppelin fans can get this content on mobile.

To mark the release of Led Zeppelin’s Mothership, O2 customers will get exclusive access to the first ever release of the Zeppelin Mobile content and rare, highly-desirable prizes.

O2 customers who download an exclusive Led Zeppelin ringtone will be entered into a prize draw to win one of six tickets to their unique sold out show at The O2 on 26 November and plus a ticket to the sound check performance the day before. Other prizes, including full catalogue box sets, framed artwork, as well as posters, badges, and cut-outs are also on offer.

O2 customer’s text LEDZEP to 2020 to be provided with a link to download their favourite tone to their phone. Tones cost £2.50. The Led Zeppelin content will also be readily available to O2 customers on O2 Active in the ‘What’s New’ section. The O2 mobile portal accounts for 50% of all UK mobile internet traffic, with 5m unique customers visiting the portal every three months.
This is the first time ever that Led Zeppelin’s music has been made available digitally.

Led Zeppelin Mastertones available exclusively to O2 from 15 October to 12 November are:
Good Times Bad Times , Dazed And Confused, Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker Living, Loving Maid, Moby Dick, Bring It On Home , Immigrant Song , Black Dog , Rock And Roll , Four Sticks, Stairway To Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, When The Levee Breaks, Dancing Days D'Yer Mak'er, The Ocean Houses Of The Holy, Custard Pie, Trampled, Underfoot , Kashmir , All Of My Love

O2 Launches First Interactive Comedy Show For Mobile

O2 has launched the UK’s first interactive comedy show for the mobile phone, in partnership with award winning Virgin Radio breakfast show presenter Christian O’Connell and multi platform content producer USP Content.

Titled “If an alien came to earth….” the comedy panel show aims to reach a consensus on how best to represent planet Earth to a visitor from outer space, in this case a rather obscure looking creature with oven mitts for hands. The pilot show sees Christian joined by a celebrity panel which features Alex Zane (Balls of Steel), Steve Bunce (The Games) and Iain Lee (LBC, Sky), who during the course of the show are presented with a series of questions from the serious to the ridiculous and just plain stupid!

‘Alien’ is designed to bring entertainment to people wherever they are, be it on the bus, at the pub or even at home. The show also features an interactive forum to stimulate viewer interaction by enabling them to put forward their opinions on topics raised and suggestions for future discussions on the show. It demonstrates O2’s ongoing commitment to providing its customers with innovative products and services by developing content for the mobile screen that leverages the power and appeal of TV and cross platform promotion.

Available exclusively on O2 mobile, each segment of “Alien” is two minutes long and will also be available to view exclusively online at O2.co.uk.

“If an alien came to earth….” is now available to view on O2 by simply texting the word ALIEN to 2020 or online by visiting the o2.co.uk website www.o2blueroom.co.uk/exclusives/

O2 and Tanla Mobile Bring PayForIt to Market

Tanla Mobile and O2 have entered into an agreement under which Tanla may sell or market commercial WAP services to any O2 Subscriber via PayForIt mobile billing services in the UK.

Tanla Mobile - selected earlier this year as an intermediary granted ‘accredited payment’ status across all mobile operators–will work closely with O2 in the delivery of PayForIt mobile payment services.

PayForIt is the cross operator initiative that has been heralded as a future driving force behind making mobile commerce a reality for UK consumers, content and service providers alike. On the 1st September 2007 operators such as O2 are permitting accredited partners to deliver PayForIt (a WAP based billing service) as part of their offering.

PayForIt enables a ‘click and buy’ experience similar to a purchase consumers make on a mobile operator portal or ‘traditional’ internet shopping. PayForIt is a true micro transaction initiative as consumers can buy goods and services priced up to a maximum of £5-£10 depending on the operator. It is believed that PayForIt will become the de-facto standard for payments of this value as consumers are expected to increasingly use their mobile device for low value transactions.

Full Story Here

O2 Goes Flat Rate

O2 UK announced that on 1 October 2007 it will launch three new unlimited data Bolt Ons for Pay Monthly and Pay & Go customers who want to make the most of internet services on their O2 phone.

O2 Web Bolt On is available to Pay & Go and Pay Monthly customers for just £7.50 inc VAT per month. This unlimited Bolt On is for customers who only want to browse the internet and send emails and is subject to a fair usage policy which operates above 200Mb usage per month, or approx 1,400 internet pages per month.

For pay monthly customers who want to connect their handset to a PC or use a data card, O2 launches O2 Web Max for just £30 per month inc VAT. This unlimited offering is subject to a fair usage policy which operates above 3 Gb usage per month.

O2 customers who prefer to browse the web while their email is pushed to their handset via the BlackBerry™ service will want Unlimited BlackBerry. For a fixed cost of £10 inc VAT per month, customers get unlimited access to the internet on BlackBerry, with a fair usage policy which operates above 200 Mb.

Apple Chooses O2 as Exclusive Mobile Phone Carrier for iPhone in UK

Apple and O2 announced that O2, the leading wireless carrier in the UK, will be the exclusive UK carrier for Apple's revolutionary iPhone when it makes its debut in the UK on November 9.

iPhone combines three devices into one: a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and the best mobile Internet device ever, all based on Apple's revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. Apple sold its one millionth iPhone just 74 days after it went on sale in the US on June 29.

iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 9 and will be sold exclusively in the UK through Apple's retail and online stores, O2 and The Carphone Warehouse's retail and online stores. iPhone will be available in an 8GB model for £269 (inc VAT) and will work with either a PC or Mac. Three new great value iPhone tariffs will be available from O2 starting at £35, which all include unlimited anytime, anywhere mobile data usage and, in a market first, free unlimited use of the UK's largest single public Wi-Fi network, covering over 7,500 cafes, restaurants, airport lounges, pubs and other locations across the UK.

Pre-order the iPhone Here



Full Details Here