Huawei Ascend Mate to reach Vodafone UK in July

Posted on 10/07/2013 by Jon Fingas

Britons with extra-large pockets will have more phones to choose from this summer than the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3: Vodafone UK has committed to carrying the Huawei Ascend Mate before the end of July. The carrier hasn't yet discussed pricing, although the Ascend Mate's modest specs (6.1-inch screen aside) should keep costs in check. We were impressed with the gigantic handset's battery life during our testing, so Vodafone customers with an aversion to wall outlets may want to give it a closer look.

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Source: Vodafone

Vodafone UK switching to per-minute call charging on PAYG, stiffing you out of seconds

Posted on 09/07/2013 by Jamie Rigg

Benefits of pay-as-you-go handsets and SIMs include having complete control over your spend, and knowing how much call time is left before the next top-up is due. Well, if you PAYG with Vodafone in the UK, prepare to start seeing those available minutes diminish a little quicker than you're used to. You may have been unaware that calls are currently charged by the second, but come August 1st, the network will begin pricing calls by the minute. Basically, this means calls will be rounded up to the next minute, so a natter lasting just over a minute will be charged as two, losing you precious seconds. Voda says this is to make things simpler, so "you'll always know exactly how many minutes you have left" -- or don't, as the case may be. In a statement, the carrier was keen to point out that several "competitors already offer price plans charged in this way," and that top-up extras (like free minutes and cake) "continue to offer our customers great value." Nice try, Voda. Full statement after the break.

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Via: SlashGear, Jonathan Morris (Twitter)

Source: Vodafone

Vodafone UK announces pricing plans for Nokia Lumia 925, pre-orders start today

Posted on 06/06/2013 by Edgar Alvarez

We knew Vodafone would be adding the recently unveiled Nokia Lumia 925 to its smartphone lineup in the United Kingdom, but today the carrier's officially diving into how it plans to sell it to potential suitors. The best attraction would appear to be the all-you-can-have calls / messages with 2GB of data, which will cost you £34 per month over two years. If that particular offering isn't for you, however, Vodafone UK also has something for those who need a little more web access on the go: £39 for 24 months gets you the same unlimited deal on voice and text but with 4GB of data -- and it's worth mentioning both plans won't require any cash upfront for the device. The sleek Lumia 925 is set to be up for pre-order starting today, and Vodafone's really hoping the 32GB black model will be a crucial detail in your decision to go its way instead of, say, O2. So, what will it be?

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Source: Vodafone

Huawei G510 heads to Vodafone UK, puts Jelly Bean on a budget

Posted on 11/04/2013 by Joseph Volpe

Huawei's G510 isn't what you'd call a screamer. In fact, the handset's more of what the Chinese market refers to as a "1,000 yuan" phone, or as we so benignly call it: a budget device. Formerly available in Asia-only, the G510's now making the trek to the UK on Vodafone for £130 outright or £13 monthly. Despite its lower-end leanings, the Android Jelly Bean device packs a reasonably large 4.5-inch WVGA display, dual-core Cortex-A9 clocked at 1.2GHz, 5-megapixel rear camera, NFC and a 1,750mAh battery. It's also the first of Huawei's UK releases to ship with its custom skin, the Emotion UI. It's a questionable bragging right, we admit. But we'll let it slide for now.

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Mach inks carrier billing deal with Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK

Posted on 26/09/2012 by Jamie Rigg

Not a month after Mach's last carrier billing deal, UK network providers Vodafone, Three, O2 and Everything Everywhere are getting in on the action. The company's direct billing solutions will initially allow the networks to charge app and online purchases straight to your bill, with in-app sales joining them at a later date. Don't expect this to be implemented immediately, however, as the agreement covers the back-end processing -- the individual carriers will be responsible for turning it on customer-side. They'll likely inform you when they hit the switch and your phone bill becomes a monthly surprise.

Continue reading Mach inks carrier billing deal with Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK

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Mach inks carrier billing deal with Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vodafone offers unlimited voice, texts, 1GB data with £29-per-month Red plan

Posted on 06/09/2012 by Daniel Cooper

It's a sign of the times that as our smartphones do more, the less we use them for their intended purpose, you know, as a phone. Vodafone's seizing upon the trend by offering you unlimited calls and texts, but keeps a firm hand on the hose marked "data allocation." Vodafone Red will set you back £29 a month, offering you 1GB of mobile internet on the network, while £34 gets you Vodafone Red Data, doubling your allowance to 2GB. The plans go live in-store and online from tomorrow, and are available to pair with any handset that the company current sells -- and, we'd hope, any that arrive in the near future.

Continue reading Vodafone offers unlimited voice, texts, 1GB data with £29-per-month Red plan

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Vodafone offers unlimited voice, texts, 1GB data with £29-per-month Red plan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012

Posted on 05/08/2012 by Zachary Lutz

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, the Galaxy Nexus for Sprint and Verizon Wireless each became available for free, while in the MVNO world, Simple Mobile dropped the price of its high-speed unlimited smartphone plan to $50. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of July 30th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vodafone walks us through a phone’s Android 4.0 upgrade, explains our protracted thumb-twiddling

Posted on 21/07/2012 by Jon Fingas

We're used to seemingly interminable waits for phone firmware upgrades for carrier-locked phones. What is it that takes so long? Vodafone UK isn't promising a quicker process, but it's offering a rare walkthrough of just what itself (and many other carriers) do to rubber stamp a firmware upgrade. Using the Huawei Ascend G 300's Android 4.0 update as the reference point, Vodafone explains that the actual network testing lasts a week or less, depending on the scope of the upgrade -- it's the requirements for branding and carrier-specific network settings that introduce additional overhead. Android phones that skew closer to Google's stock OS (like the G 300) tend to be easy updates, although Vodafone warns that the verification process is typically getting longer, not shorter. There's not much consolation here for phone owners around the world still using Android 2.3; if you'd rather skip the carrier update process entirely, however, you know where to turn.

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Vodafone walks us through a phone's Android 4.0 upgrade, explains our protracted thumb-twiddling originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s 808 PureView will not be sold by major UK carriers, time to save up some pounds

Posted on 27/06/2012 by Richard Lai

If you Brits were looking forward to utilizing the 808 PureView's 41-megapixel sensor while sipping Pimm's this summer, well, be prepared to pay a hefty price. We've heard from O2, Three and Everything Everywhere (the parent company of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK) that they will not be selling said Nokia device in the UK, and Virgin Media told us it isn't in the pipeline "just yet." Our friends over at Wired UK have also heard the same bad news from Vodafone and O2, with a source close to the latter laying the blame on Nokia's "outdated" Symbian Belle system. Ouch. So yes, this means all the major carriers in Her Majesty's backyard are out of the game; but until we hear back from Carphone Warehouse, there may still be a small chance for keen British mobile photogs to dodge the full £500 ($780) price tag on Amazon (in comparison to $699 on the US site), so stay tuned.

Nokia's 808 PureView will not be sold by major UK carriers, time to save up some pounds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vodafone UK launches Smart II: Android Gingerbread for £70 (hands-on)

Posted on 31/05/2012 by Mat Smith

UK carriers often like to elbow their way into the limelight when a rival's getting some attention. This time, Vodafone's cutting into Orange's Intel excitement with the Smart II; an update to its wallet-happy Android device from 2011. The UK carrier even let us get some hands-on time with the pebble-sized phone. While the specifications (800MHz processor, 3.2-inch screen) aren't going to wow, at £70 (around $109) it could reel in plenty of feature phone graduates. Check out a brief hands-on video and our own impressions right after the break.

Gallery: Vodafone Smart II hands-on