All I Want For The Year of the Dragon 2012 Is An iPad3

By editor | Published: December 20, 2011

So the rumour mill starts again. No sooner have I written to Santa in Lapland for an upgrade to an iPad 2, the word on the street is that the iPad 3 is coming. And its coming with a new Thunderbolt port, hi-res display, a faster processor and the lovely Siri.

With the launch of the ipad 3, Apple are more than likely to maintain and increase their lead in the tablet market, leaving Samsung and struggling Blackberry far behind. This is especially so because according to Forbes, over 40% of smartphone owners with a Blackberry, Android or a Windows 7 smartphone, prefer the iPad.

Expectations are that the iPad 3 will appear before the Chinese New Year. After all 2012 is going to the Year of the Dragon which will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. A fitting launch year. And no doubt Apple will keep us guessing and twittering to the wire and will have a few surprises up their sleeve for us.

Posted in android, Apple, blackberry, iPad, smartphone, Year of the Dragon | Tagged , | Comments closed

All I want For Christmas Is An iPhone 4S

By editor | Published: December 19, 2011

The iPhone looks set to be the No 1 smartphone this Christmas heading off challenges from the rest of the pack, in particular the Nokia Lumia which did not figure in the sales chart on the four weeks to 9 December, according to the research company GfK.

According to GfK different versions of the iPhone made up more than 37% of sales, taking five of the top 15 spots in the first week of December.

The iPhone 4S, released in October, was the highest-selling phone for the four weeks to 9 December, making up a quarter of all sales. Samsung’s Galaxy S II was the second-best selling phone in the week to 9 December.What is particularly interesting is that the iPhone 3GS released in mid 2009 continues to sell well even outdoing some Blackberry models.

RIM’s BlackBerry models took three of the top 10 spots in the first week of December, with versions of its Curve models. But its new Bold 9900 did not figure in the top 10.

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2012 Mobile-gazing. Smartphones ‘r’ us.

By editor | Published: December 14, 2011

In 2012 smartphones will take a bigger slice of the mobile phone market than they do now occupying 60% pf the mobile phone handset space. With older smartphone users going for time saving apps that let you buy on the move, youngsters will be homing in on apps that save them money.

So what can we expect in 2012.

Shop on the run

ebay mobile will go from strength to strength and where ebay goes Paypal is not far behind. A good experience here is likely to benefit other retailers that let you shop from your smartphone. And they’ll become more and more sophisticated to make the experience easy and seamless with in app payment.

Money on my phone not in my wallet

Swipe, scan, bump, bang. Whatever? Smartphones to pay for stuff, redeem vouchers and compare prices to get a better deal. This is the future which will increasingly become the norm in 2012.

And if you want to send money abroad, you can do that on your smartphone too by using a smartphone money transfer service.

A change is gonna come?

Tablet plus Cloud vs desktop? How and where do you want to do business? Everywhere, not just in a chair.

Free phone calls and messages

Spending money on calls and texts is a waste of money. Get Skype, go Viber, message me up with What’s App, Chat via Facebook. Mobile networks will be playing catch up in 2012.


 

Posted in ebay, mobile phone apps, Skype, smartphone | Tagged , | Comments closed

Smartphone security. How to lock it down.

By editor | Published: December 12, 2011

Why is smartphone security important?

As we use our smartphone to do more and more jobs and tasks both work and social, smartphone security is becoming a much bigger issue. Especially so when so many smartphones are stolen or mislaid each year. This  lays them open to falling into the wrong hands just like Government papers! And on top of this malware on smartphones phones is also rising, although it may be a while before cybercriminals develop the codes for widespread smartphone attacks.

Smartphone security tips

So how can you improve your smartphone security. Here’s some tips.

  1. Geolocation – check which apps really do need to know where you are every minute of the day.
  2. Permissions – check which apps have what permissions on your phones. If you give them permission some apps can check into your messaging apps, location data and install software that monitors your smartphone use.
  3. Public wifi – try to use spots that have an encrypted internet connection.
  4. Lost and stolen – set a passcode or phrase on your smartphone immediately and make sure you have an app that can find your device if it is lost or stolen and wipe data remotely.

Selling your phone

And lastly if you sell your smartphone at Flogafone, before you send it off for recycling WIPE IT by doing a factory restore or using a data delete tool.

 

Posted in mobile internet, smartphone, Smartphone security | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Pay for a mobile phone app? Not if I can help it.

By editor | Published: December 9, 2011

So this week we’ve been talking about the number of Apps downloaded at the Apple Store and at Android Market, but what the data does not tell us is who is paying for what. Well, according to recent research 38% of Brits have never paid for a mobile phone app preferring instead to get it for free and put up with those annoying ads

The researchers put this down to  a psychological barrier.  We Brits don’t want to pay for a service that we think should be free.

Well that’s not my take on it. Most mobile phone apps are downloaded by kids, teens and young adults who don’t have money to burn. They are also prepared to put up with ads for stuff or services they are never going to buy or use. This view is not based on research of 1000 people but on the behaviour of kids and teens and what I see on their devices.  I manage their devices because their parents can’t figure out how to turn on a smartphone let alone load an app. They have 100s of mobile phone apps, games and useless stuff, on their iPod Touch, iPad and smartphones They love filling them up with stuff that is free. Mobile app heaven for them.

So the question for app developers is how do you convert these young non-paying mobile phone app junkies with little money to paying customers?

 

Posted in Android Market, Apple Store, mobile phone apps | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Christmas Came Early: Android Apps 10p In Google’s Android Market.

By editor | Published: December 8, 2011

We like a bargain so if you are on Android head over to Google’s Android Apps Market. For 1o days only Google are selling selected Android Apps in their Market for only 10 pence each. Every day they will have new Android Apps available so keep checking back for new downloads.

Today you’ll find these Android Apps for 10 pence each: Fruit Ninja, Flick Golf, Beautiful Widgets, Star Chart, Reckless Racing, Reckless Racing Play, AirSync, Christmas HD, Bedtime Battle, NFL Rivals and Read It Later Pro

Christmas came early because Google’s Android market has now topped 10 billion. Another 8 billion to go though before they hit Apple’s 18 billion. Staggering.

Google Android Apps Market link: http://bit.ly/vSbtDt

Posted in android, Android Market, Apple, mobile phone apps, smartphone | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Best Value Mobile Phones for Resale 2011

By editor | Published: December 7, 2011

Over at CNET UK they are putting the Samsung  ahead of the iPhone 4S. Well here at Flogafone whilst we think that Android has come a long way with Samsung leading the charge, there’s yet more that the Android OS developers need to do to rival the mighty power of IoS. But phone for phone whilst we remain iPhone lovers, we are impressed by the super fast performance and great camera of the Samsung Galaxy S2. Maybe we’ll give the Samsung’s a go when the S3 comes along.

But as phones become more expensive with ever more features, residual value should also be factored in to the equation. So just like your car how quickly is your phone going to depreciate in value. What are the best value mobile phones with great features?

Here’s our list of what CNET’s top ten mobile phones are worth today if you flogged them at flogafone.

So if you want to safeguard that investment in a mobile phone and make your Christmas upgrade even cheaper, the iPhone is the best value mobile phone winning by quite a considerable margin.

Source: (*) CNET UK Top Ten http://bit.ly/vaS8Kz. Resale value for the Motorola Razr not available.

Posted in android, iphone, recycle mobile phone, samsung | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Not a good time for a price increase. Thanks Orange.

By editor | Published: December 5, 2011

We’re in the midst of a double dip and Orange chooses the last week in November to announce a price increase for its monthly contract customers.

Whilst 4.3% is not a massive increase, on average £1.43 per week on their customer’s monthly bills says the Orange voicemail message at 150, it is still an increase. And anyway, surely a fixed price contract is a fixed price contract Orange.

The Orange price increase takes hold from 8 January 2011 so chuck out the old and in with the new in the New Year. Go to uswitch and find a better mobile phone deal.

http://bit.ly/bSDJtT

 

 

Posted in Everything Everywhere, mobile phone deals, mobile phone network, Orange | Tagged , | Comments closed

Galaxy tops iPhone in November mobile phone sales

By editor | Published: December 3, 2011

The Mobile Tracker Chart November 2011

Here’s a surprise from uSwitch.com, which compiles Mobile Tracker based on live searches and sales. The iPhone 4S failed to top the mobile phone sales chart in November due to supply shortages. That explains the continuing lengthy queues for the iPhone 4S in the Apple store.

1. Samsung Galaxy S II – Android

2. iPhone 4S (16GB) – Apple iOS

3. Samsung Galaxy Ace – Android

4. iPhone 4 (16GB) – Apple iOS

5. HTC Wildfire S – Android

6. Nokia Lumia 800 – Windows Phone 7

7. Samsung Galaxy Note – Android

8. Samsung Galaxy Nexus – Android

9. HTC Sensation XE – Android

10. Sony Ericsson Arc S Black – Android

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Cost conscious retail therapy by mobile phone

By editor | Published: December 1, 2011

It seems that when it comes to retail therapy more and more of us are turning to our mobile phones to research stuff we want to buy. According to Google, the number of searches we’re making about retail brands rose nearly three times from 2009 to 2011. And searches via mobile are now a whopping 30% of all search activity. Retail therapy by mobile phone on the move here we come. Bye bye desktop.

So online retail therapy via mobile phone or tablet is bright with apps that make iteasy peasey, get us the best deal and let us pay for stuff easily with a wave or a tap.

Here’s a Flogafone retail therapy by mobile phone app shopping tip.

Stumped about what to do with that scanner app on your Smartphone. Are you coveting an Abercrombie and Fitch hoodie? Want it now but the price ain’t right? Well “scan and scram”! Go to the store, show the sales staff on your mobile phone where you have found it cheaper and see if they’ll price match or less. If they won’t scram.

Posted in mobile internet, mobile phone apps, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments closed