We have already mentioned the O2 Xda handset line a few times, one when Ignito was spotted online, and the other when Denim was approved by FCC. But the good news is that the cellphone will finally become available for purchase next Monday, on November 17.

Built by Asus and promoted by O2 from the UK, the mobile phone will be offered on a Pay&Go prepaid plan and will cost £250 which is approximately $390. It makes use of Windows Mobile 6.1 as the OS, and comes with WiFi and HSDPA.

Additional features include a multimedia player, a 3-megapixel camera, and a 2.8-inch display screen.

Tags: Cell Phones, denim, ignito, O2, xda, xda zest

O2 and Vodafone are the two German operators that launched a new service last week. The fresh payment service has the usefulness of working via SMS and being on the mobile category, which means you don’t need to go to a store or an ATM in order to recharge your cellphone money wise.

Basically, mpass is a mix of direct debit and SMS payment confirmation. Once you hit “Buy” in any product bought online on a website, the only information you need to provide is the mpass PIN, and your cellphone number. Afterwards, customers get the confirmation via SMS and the money is debited on the bank account.

Easy to use, right? Which also makes it easy to spend more money, right?

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Tags: Cell Phones, Mobile News, O2, SMS, Vodafone

O2 has announced it will sell the iPhone 3G with a pay-as-you-go option starting with September 16th. Curious about prices? The 8GB version will sell for £350 or about $700 and the 16GB version will sell for £400 or about $800. Not that much of a difference between those two wouldn’t you say?

The next important issue is data right? After all that’s what makes the iPhone 3G special. For the first 12 months you will be offered unlimited WiFi, whatever that means. The default Sim will be linked to O2’s Favourite Place which means users will get free calls to other O2 mobiles or UK landlines. You can change pay as you go plans at any time.

Voice minutes come in different quantities depending on how much you’re willing to spend each month. 500 minutes come for a monthly £10-14 or $20-28, 1000 minutes come for a monthly £15-29 or $30-58 charge. Spending more than £30 or $60 in credit will get you unlimited minutes.

Tags: 3g iphone, Apple, Mobile News, O2, pay-as-you-go, payment solution

How do you like the new XDA Ignito from O2? Does it look familiar to you in any way? If you know a thing or two about cell phones you will recognize the HTC Touch Diamond which was spotted in O2’s catalogues for August.

The XDA Ignito is not a new handset. Not at all! It’s the same HTC Touch Diamond which got rebranded especially for O2. However that’s quite a move bringing in the Touch Diamond after launching the iPhone in July. Besides O2, Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile are also selling the Diamond. Only UK’s 3 doesn’t have it yet! But maybe they want to be special like that and not get the Diamond yet.

Tags: 3 UK, Apple, HTC, HTC Touch Diamond, Mobile News, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone

It is now official! The latest details for the 3G iPhone’s price plan has been released by Apple’s UK partner, O2. The price plan revealed several key details on the monthly tariffs for the much anticipated device. The cheapest plan for the 3G iPhone will be the £30 per month for both the 8GB and the 16GB models which will also have an upfront charge of £99 and £159 respectively. This will include 75 minutes and 125 texts.

The £45 per month will give customers an 8GB iPhone for free, while the 16GB version costs £59. With this plan, users will get 1,200 minutes and 500 free texts.

All contracts are for 18 months, and include unlimited data and free Wi-Fi (via The Cloud hotspots).

Apple’s 3G iPhone is due to go on sale in the UK on Friday 11 July.

via: pcadvisor

Tags: 3G, Apple, Cell Phones, iPhone, O2

Why do I need an USB Modem? Well I like to backup my current ISP. It happens to go down exactly when I need it the most. And since I don’t always feel like going to the first WiFi cafe in town, I simply go online from my USB Wireless modem. And let’s not mention traveling. That’s when a good laptop battery and a fast 3G USB Modem come in handy.

If I were in the UK, I’d probably end up getting the Sierra Wireless Compass 885 USB Modem which is coming from O2. You will get fast 3G download speeds at 7.2Mbps while upload will go up to 2Mbps. You have the TRU-Install automatic software installation kit and, unlike other USB modems you will get a memory card slot. Carry important data and the Internet connection on the same device.
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Tags: Mobile News, O2, Other Brands, Sierra Wireless, USB modem, wireless

That was the laugh at the day for me. Not because I wouldn’t agree on HTC Touch Diamond being better than the iPhone but because Vodafone UK have posted this on their official HTC web page. Here’s what they say:

Feature rich Windows Mobile 6.1 device utilising HTC’s new Touchflow UI. This device is in a tablet form factor meaning it is touch screen only. The Diamond surpasses the iPhone in all aspects, the key differentiator is the inherent flexibility of the Diamond. It comes loaded with Vodafone Email Plus and the Vodafone Sat Nav program. Launch expected in July

Are the grapes still sour Vodafone? Are you still pissed off that O2 is the only carrier to offer the iPhone in the UK? I mean it would be strange to say the HTC is better than the iPhone like that as long as you are still launching the iPhone in other places. And you would sure love to do so in UK! Am I right or am I right?
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Tags: 3GiPhone, Apple, Apple, HTC, HTC Touch Diamond, iPhone, Mobile News, O2, Uncategorized, Vodafone, Vodafone

Matthew Key, the new head of O2 in Britain, claimed that as many as three out of four customers of the iPhone will be new customers, switching from rival mobile networks. With its exclusive deal to sell the iPhone in Britain, the man-who-will-be-chief-in-2008 did not give an indication of how many phones had actually been sold since November 10 (the launch date across the Atlantic), but mentioned that sales in the first few weeks have been in line with expectations.

O2 financial informaion is available here.

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Tags: Apple, Apple, britain, Cell Phones, iPhone, matthew key, news, O2

The mobile wallet dream is becoming closer. NFC, or Near Field Communications technology, on mobile phones is the way of the future that allows your mobile phone to be used as a payment method for making purchases, access events or even use public transportation by touching the phone to a reader. Provider O2 announced the UK’s first large-scale pilot with NFC with over 500 O2 customers participating across selected sites in London.

The trial begins on 28 November 2007 and will run for six months till the end of May 2008. Participants will be given the Nokia 6131 NFC handset bundled with O2 Wallet, which will hold virtual cards (including Oyster and Barclaycard) with NFC functionality. They can then use it to make purchases in retail outlets or use London’s public transportation. An incoming phone call or text message will not interfere with the NFC transaction.

During the initial phase, Barclaycard will also credit each phone with GBP 200 worth of funds for use by the participants. The Nokia 6131 NFC can not only be used for making purchases but also to check available funds. Stay tuned for more news on this one.

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Tags: 6131, Cell Phones, Mobile News, mobile wallet, near field communication, Nokia, O2, payment solution, purchases, wallet

It’s official. Apple has chosen O2 in the UK to be the exclusive carrier for its iPhone. While the release is still a good couple of months away (it will hit stores on November 9), O2 tariffs for the iPhone have been released. The cheapest option will still set you back by £35, which includes 200 minutes of talk-time, 200 SMS messages and, of course, unlimited data. Interestingly, the fare is subject to fair use policy which apparently means 1,400 internet pages per day - so basically, you have to think twice before heading to the loo with your iPhone in hand.

It is by no means a 3G iPhone, which can be a turn-off for customers in the UK. There won’t be a 4GB version because, well, it’s already being phased out. The contract term with O2 - 18 months - is slightly better than the one with AT&T this side of the Atlantic, but customers will still end up spending £899 over one-and-a-half years with their iPhone.

With over one million iPhones sold in under 75 days in the US, it will be worth waiting to see how it will do in the UK. November 9 is not too far away. Priced at £269 (including VAT).

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Tags: Apple, Apple, Cell Phones, deals, iPhone, launch, Mobile News, O2, UK

The almighty FCC blessed the new O2 Xda Denim this week, paving its entry into the world markets. The Xda Denim is a Windows Mobile-based phone with some really neat features including stylus input and a sleek slider design. The phone offers a USB interface for data sync, and for expanding the available memory there’s support for microSD memory cards. An LED indicator on the top of the device displays the status of the device.

The O2 Xda Denim comes with a 2 megapixel camera, and a built-in speaker. With a 2.6 inch TFT LCD diplay at 65k colors, this is obviously not state-of-the-art but does boast 3G and WLAN support. Being based on Windows Mobile has its obvious advantages: you get Pocket versions of most of the Office tools, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Other tools available on the phone include Answer Machine, Torch, Streaming Player, GPRS Monitor, PDF Viewer among others.

No word on the pricing or availability yet.

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Tags: 2 mpx, 3G, Cell Phones, denim, O2, Other Brands, Windows Mobile, xda