Nokia to Release Free Mapping App on Rival Handset

November 28th, 2012Tech News No Comments

Since Apple set Google adrift and developed Apple Maps as the standard iPhone and iPad mapping software from iOS 6 onwards, the mapping app market has been given a breath fresh air as developers scramble to create better and better software to rival Apple Maps.

Nokia already powers maps run on Amazon tablets, Windows Phone devices, Yahho, Garmin sat-navs, Oracle services and around 80% of the built-in car sat-nav devices in the world.

The new Here Maps app will be free and will be available free on rival handsets like Apple iOS smartphone and tablets.

Money4Machines, a UK company offering sell for cash services on unwanted gadgets like iPhones, tablets and GPS devices, said the move is a clear and calculated attempt to expand Nokia’s furtive dominance in the mapping market.

“A lot of the people using Nokia software don’t necessarily realise the service is powered by the Finnish tech giant. Nokia’s spread in the maps market has been gradual and very effective. They’re in a superb position to publically bring out a free mapping app that appeals to users of rival handsets.

And as for the fact users won’t need to sell iPhone etc handsets and buy a Nokia device to access the software, well, that’s certainly something that appeals to our tech experts here in the office. It means it’s less likely you’ll have to sell mobile devices from a brand you love just to access software you love that’s only compatible with another handset.”

Forecasters say Here Maps is a clear play by Nokia to extend its reach in the mapping software market. It’s thought extending the service to rival platforms under the brand of Here (rather than Nokia) could make the software more attractive to rivals looking to adopt new standard software.

Blackberry Launches Free Calls on BBM Chat

November 27th, 2012Tech News No Comments

Last year, RIM announced it’s intention to withdraw the Blackberry range from the personal smartphone market, instead focussing on business clients and taking Blackberry back to the basic formula that first won the firm the lion’s share of the business communications market.

And now Blackberry are clearly taking steps to make their call tariffs more attractive by introducing free calls to Blackberry Messenger (BBM) The flagship messenger service already offers free text messengers as an alternative to paid messaging services. Already incredible popular with the business community, BBM’s new free calls feature is likely to shed an attractive light on the new Blackberry 10 OS when it arrives on 30th January.

UK gadget company, Money4Machines, said the number of customers looking to sell mobile phones from Blackberry in favour of upgrading to handset from a different developer is higher in the personal handset market.

“Since RIM announced its withdrawal from the personal handset market, we’ve seen a pretty varied response from our customers who are looking to sell Blackberry devices. Some are really disappointed, but most can see RIM’s point in terms of going back to basics.

Luckily for our customers, Blackberry devices that are well looked after can still fetch decent rates. Not usually as much as when folks sell iPhone handsets, but still a healthy amount. The addition of the free calls feature to current Blackberry devices will really drive their value in the sell for cash used gadget market, which is great for BBM users and for companies like us.”

Australia Abandons 5-Year Internet Filter Plan

November 26th, 2012Curious Stuff No Comments

The Australian government announced last week that a 5-year scheme to implement mandatory filters blocking child pornography and disagreeable content.

Critics of the proposals voiced concerns about the potential for Australia to enter the same arena of censorship as the likes of China. The filter would certainly have put Australia ahead of the U.S, which carries some of the strictest internet filters in the democratic world.

Australian Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, announced that ISPs will instead be required to block around 1,400 websites related to child abuse. The sites have been chosen with the assistance of Interpol.

“We’ve actually reached agreement with the industry to block child pornography and we think that is a significant step forward.”

UK gadget company, Money4Machines helps UK customers to sell mobile phones and unwanted gadgets at the best sell for cash online rates. They say many of the concerns with the original plan revolved around the government retaining too much power to control internet content.

“The problem with child abuse-related content is that much of it isn’t stored on the open web. A national web filter like the one planned would be unlikely to have the effect expected by advocates of the scheme.”

Supporters of the internet anti-censorship movement said abandoning the filtering scheme should be viewed as a victory for common sense.

Pinterest Launches Secret Boards Feature

November 23rd, 2012Tech News No Comments

 

It’s been the social media success of the year, and Pinterest is clearly looking to expand its base further with the introduction of its new “Secret Boards” option.

Just a few months ago, Pinterest lifted the lid on a signing up process that required new users to either be formally invited by a current Pinterest user or vetted and approved by Pinterest. The process was defended as keeping spammers and fake account creators at bay, but the clear commercial value  and power of Pinterest has led to the creative giant opening its doors to all.

It’s though the new secret board feature could be aimed at making a dent in the wary male population, which currently accounts for less than 30% of users. Secret boards allow users to maintain up to three boards with private content.

UK gadget company, Money4Machines, maintains a Pinterest account relating to everything from cat-friendly offices to the latest in mobile technology.

“Pinterest allows us to engage with customers on a very visual level. We can manage board about what we buy, unusual gadgets, the latest apps – everything!

Secret boards are a great idea because it lets you collate something privately or amongst a small circle of users. We help people sell laptop, smartphone and tablet devices up and down the UK, which means our teams aren’t always together all the time.

Secret boards are a great way to let our employees know everything from what’s hot in the sell for cash gadget market to what makes a decent Secret Santa present for under £5.”

To access the new feature on mobile devices, users must download the latest version of the relevant Pinterest app.

Ofcom Announces Bidding for Rival 4G Services

November 22nd, 2012Electronics Industry Chatter No Comments

 

Ofcom announced at the beginning of the week that rival service providers to Everything Everywhere (EE) – currently the only UK 4G/LTE carrier – would be invited to bid for 4G services on the UK from 11th December, with licences granted in February/March and launches expected in May/June.

EE rivals Vodafone and O2 have been conspicuously vocal about Ofcom’s decision to award the inaugural UK 4G contract to EE. Although EE’s Orange and T-Mobile networks were the only ones able to carry the 4G signal this year, it’s hoped December’s bidding applications will mark the beginning of kick-starting the 4G market in the UK.

Money4Machines, a UK gadget company offering a quick sell for cash service on unwanted electronic devices, said the move is great for the 4G market in the UK.

“Competition is what keeps the market healthy. It’s why you can sell iPhone handsets at companies like ours for very competitive rates. We’ve noticed a healthy amount of customers looking to sell mobile phones to fund an upgrade to a 4G device. The interest is definitely there, so it’ll be great to see the market really take off.”

Seen as the future of mobile broadband, 4G super-fast broadband should enable users to access data speeds between and 5 and 7 times faster than 3G speeds, reducing opening web pages from 1second to around 0.25seconds and offering similar improvements on video streaming and downloads.

iPad Mini 2 Could Have Retina Display

November 20th, 2012Tech News No Comments

It seems to be the latest trends in hardware – release a new device, and then release an upgraded model with retina display. The iPad 4 is a prime example of developers only letting a hair’s width of time lapse between the release of a much-anticipated device and it’s follow-up.

Ac cording to CNET, the rumours have already started concerning a retina display iPad Mini.  Their digging revealed information from Apple’s Chinese supply chain about the possibility of a retina display iPad Mini in the not to distant future. Chinese iPad Mini maker, AOU, is said to be working on a 2048×1536 resolution display for the iPad Mini, which would match the retina display on the iPad 4.

UK gadget company, Money4Machines, said this is the kind of rumour Apple fans may have to take with a pinch of salt.

“Packing the same number of pixels into a 9.7inch screen as into the full size iPad will mean a pixel density of more than 300ppi. The iPad 4 has 264 ppi. Apple may have brought out the iPad 3 and 4 in fairly quick succession, but it’s doubtful that will happen with the iPad Mini.

Apple designed the iPad Mini to cannibalise the iPad 2 market, so we don’t think anyone should rush out to sell iPad Mini 1st generations ready for an upgrade just yet.

So, before heading off to scour the “sell my iPad Mini” listings online, it’s worth remembering that Apple have so far – predictably – declined any comment on the subject of an iPad Mini with retina display. Then again, CNET reported that the grainy display of the iPad Mini is considered one of the devices greatest failings.

Samsung S3 Outsells iPhone in Third Quarter – But the iPhone 5 Was Only On Sale for Just Over a Week!

November 19th, 2012Tech News No Comments

 

A research firm announced glibly last week that South Korean company, Samsung, could rest easy on their laurels for the Q3 period. They had done it – the Samsung S3 outsold the iPhone in the third quarter, 18 million to 16.2 million.

Samsung may have reported record profits in 2012, but some tech analysts say the lull in Apple sales was due to the launch of the iPhone 5 near the end of the quarter. UK gadget company, Money4Machines, said it’s worth taking the figures with a pinch of salt.

“People started visiting our website to sell iPhone devices way before the iPhone 5 was released. They wanted to get the best sell for cash rates to fund their upgrade, but they didn’t want an iPhone 4S, they wanted to wait for the iPhone 5. The same trend across the market could easily skew the figures in Samsung’s favour. The number of people looking to sell Samsung devices was still high, again, looking to upgrade to the S3 or Galaxy Note 2.

The problem with the figures reported concerning Samsung S3 versus iPhone 5 sales is that the iPhone 5 was only available for NINE DAYS before the end of the Q3. Macworld wrote a very insightful article on the subject which covered global smartphone sales figures and some more specific date information.”

Apple is expected to retake the crown when figures for Q4 are reported.

Skype in the Workplace – Less Fun, More Effective

November 16th, 2012Curious Stuff No Comments

 

Microsoft recently announced the intention to retire Windows Live Messenger (WLM) everywhere except China by March 2013. For many businesses, this is going to mean finding a different IM platform for employees to communicate. But what if they could access more than just instant messaging?

WLM has been a mainstay of the office environment, particularly for small businesses, since the early days of the internet. Microsoft say they intend for the recently purchased Skype platform to cannibalise WLM users, but isn’t Skype a bit fun – to many bells and whistles – for the average business user?

Microsoft certainly thinks so. Six months in beta being tested by 500 companies and it’s now finally time to meet SITW – Skype In The Workplace. The platform has been designed specifically for SME (small and medium sized enterprise) clients to communicate and promote their services globally and locally.

Users sign in via their usual Skype account (Microsoft are also providing software to migrate all WLM contacts and information to Skype) and follow the options to connect to the Skype business hub – SITW.

SITW allows users to connect with business partners, consultants, experts, existing customers and potential clients. The service is designed to be 100% business focussed, something Skype desperately needed to show.

Money4Machines, a UK gadget company, said it’s great to see this kind of tailored service in the wake of the WLM announcement.

“If you want to sell iPhone models or old Xbox 360s etc, we’re here to offer great sell for cash rates. But we’re a small business and quick, reliable communication is the beginning and end of our success. WLM has been a standard platform for us, and it’ll be sad to see it go, but we’re definitely excited about SITW.

SITW is free to use. For more information visit Skype’s official SITW website.

EE Fixes Connectivity Issues for 4G Users

November 14th, 2012Tech News No Comments

It was one of the most anticipated new services to arrive on UK shores since 3G. And understandably, consumers couldn’t wait to see what 4G was capable of. But the UK’s only 4G service provider, Everything Everywhere (EE) has been plagued with customer complaints since the super-fast broadband network went live on 30th October.

The main problems reported by users include inability to connect to specific sites like Twitter, total inability to connect to the 4G network and issues getting hold of the correct SIM card. Numerous bloggers documented their attempts to access the 4G network, sometimes having to wait more than an hour to finally connect, if at all.

UK gadget website, Money4Machines, said folks have been looking to sell iPhone 4S devices to upgrade to the iPhone 5 and access 4G for weeks.

“People visit our site to sell mobile phones and tablets, usually to upgrade to the latest handset, laptop etc. We’ve had loads of folks looking to sell Samsung, HTC, Nokia and Apple devices specifically because they wanted a 4G capable device before 30th October.

Amid the 4G connectivity issues we’ve seen over the past week or so, it was clear EE needed to give their back-end systems a bit of attention, which they say they’ve now done. If they’ve really sorted everything out, they can certainly be forgiven for a few initial glitches!”

A statement released by EE on 6th November read,

“In a small number of instances in week one, a gap in a process on SIM distribution has delayed customers in accessing the EE network. We have now identified the teething problem in this process and a dedicated team has resolved all issues it created on a customer-by-customer basis.’

Should We Introduce Smartphone voting in the UK?

November 13th, 2012Curious Stuff No Comments

 

President Obama’s recent win at the polls did not include a service for voters to submit their choices by smart device. All voters found their devices were actually banned in polling stations and they therefore couldn’t even consult apps designed to help voters remember which candidates they’d chosen. Paper notes were allowed though, and in most cases election supervisors stepped in and allowed people extra time to write paper notes to take into voting booths.

But it was voting by smartphone that really hit the headlines. Many tech fans and voters felt that if their smartphone can book a taxi on the other side of the world three weeks in advance, why can’t they use it to vote?

The general consensus seems to be that if a nation’s candidates could find a way to make voting from a smart device completely secure, it could make voting easier for people who can’t leave home or even folks who can’t drag themselves away from Halo 4!

But regardless of how many Americans would like to vote via their Xbox 360, their iPod or iPhone 5, a poll reported in The Guardian found only 30% of Brits questioned, felt that smartphone voting would be beneficial to the voting process.

UK gadget company, Money4Machines, said security is a huge concern for Brit voters.

“Smart device users are always being warned about security risks concerning everything from their Facebook account to clearing data when they sell mobile phones. A huge issue is also anonymity. Voting should be nameless, and it would be almost impossible for voters using a smartphone to remain 100% anonymous.”

 

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