So when I got my connection back some time late last week, I was mildly hoping to see something massively interesting to inspire me to write about; some major piece of news – I mean it’s nearly Christmas after all – or just something that might catch my eye.

Now even on my trawl across the internet in search of mobile news, and the latest goings-on in this brilliant segment of society and business I was expecting something.

Did I?
No.

Am I happy?
No.

You see, even I, a relatively technological “young” person/student, who has a keen interest in the world around me, and with Christmas looming just around the corner, just something eh?

Well, apparently not.

Now maybe some good news, and/or surprises are waiting around the corner for the New Year; or maybe something spectacular will happen in the after-Christmas sales. Needless to say though, I was expecting some major news about something; a big price cut, or some other form of attempt to gain more consumer interest in this very dismal financial situation.

I know I’ve said numerous times now about the lack of real spark at the moment, and the generally poor attempts at gaining custom; and although nothing major, I’m quite amazed at how little I’ve read about anything enticing me – as a probable and likely customer – to go and spend money.

Maybe I’m wrong in my presumptions that the mobile market is avoiding the “Credit Crunch” and that when I walked down my high street the other day, Phones4U, CPW, O2, Three, and the numerous other shops which hoard the high street were meant to be relatively empty on a busy Thursday leading up to Christmas?

Hmm…

Well, I’ll try not to be so pessimistic, and I will believe that someone somewhere is planning something out to ensure that the mobile industry remains in-tact.

Now if you’ve ever read one of my rants before, you may be aware that I’m hung up on mainly two things.

The first being the lack of any originality in the Mobile sector (but I won’t go into that now), and secondly, price.

I’m a happy student; I live at home with my Mum, thanks to Ewan I have a job; but I also have quite a lot of expenditure. I fund all my school-books (and the price of them is astonishing), I pay for my own internet; I pay for all my socialising, my mobile, clothes and all the general stuff. Okay, I don’t have a mortgage to pay off; but even so, I’ve had to put off buying myself a car, and getting driving lessons because I simply cannot afford to be spending that much.

Well, I suppose that’s okay. At least I know I have my head screwed on, and I’m aware of my own financial limits. But even saying that, as I’ve mentioned before I really want a new phone – in fact I’ve been looking for something since the summer.

So it a two and half percent tax cut going to affect me buying myself a car, driving lessons, or even a mobile phone at the moment?

Simply, it’s a no.

Now, it’s not that I can’t afford it (because honestly, I can); the point being I know firstly I’m being cheated by mobile manufacturers. The clever plans to get you to think you’re buying into the latest technology to only find a month or so later the same company has released a better mobile, is just a joke.

Secondly, the amount of money I’m prepared to spend on a mobile is around £100, my absolute limit would have to be £120. Even so, two and half percent off of that is only a difference of £3! Now, even with my own self-admitted tightness when it comes to money, three pounds is hardly a noticeable difference now, is it?

Finally, I can happily predict that we’ll see lets say, some interesting sales in the near future. Well, this a blind guess, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t happen (and I don’t mean the normal January sales), I’m guessing there’ll be price reductions, sales, and attempts to move stock out of the back of the shop.

I’m saying this as a seventeen year old that has a job. Quite a few of my friends, also of the same age, in full time education in Sixth Form; who don’t have jobs. They rely on the menial amounts that their parents will spare them each week (which generally gets wasted on booze-ups at the weekend or something); and leaves them with nothing.

In fact, even just trying to get a new top from Top Shop takes a couple of weeks of saving, so think of how long it would take to get a mobile?

So do I think that Mr. Darling is going to spruce up the “young” people of England to be spending more? Certainly not, and I don’t see that this is going to affect the mobile market in any way whatsoever.

Then again, I may be wrong, and two and half a percent will make the world of difference; but if anyone was to work out their actual savings that they’re making by this VAT change, then I’m sure you may well find that it’s not a lot… A couple of pounds at the most!

Send any queries, e-mails or anything to Samantha@mobileindustryreview.com

Ricky kindly sent me over a link to a piece of “why” news; O2 who recently stopped subsidising their top end phones, have decided to subsidise them again! Well, at least on two phones, the Samsung Tocco and Sony C902.

The Samsung Tocco, Sony C902 and Nokia N95 were all raised to a £75-per-month tariff, but only the Tocco and C902 have been reduced. They are now subsidised on a £35 tariff.

Amazingly O2 have decided against subsidising the Nokia N95, and as Ricky mentioned to me… Couldn’t this cause a stir between the giant manufacturer and the mobile network? Maybe even Nokia penalising O2 by not giving them exclusive launches or something dramatic along those lines.

Personally, I don’t quite understand what O2 were trying to achieve with this, yes okay, they were hoping that other networks were going to follow suit; but who in their business-thinking-right-mind would make existing and/or potential customers pay more in the current credit climate?

Vodafone made me question them the other week too, with their higher prices they’ve introduced. They may be trying to make money here, but surely out-pricing yourself from the high-street competition isn’t the best way to do it, is it?

As for Nokia and O2, what’s going to happen here! I fear O2 are making some risky moves here, which I seriously doubt will pay off; and if Ricky has guessed correctly, this could affect them in the future too.

I wonder what they will do next!

I’m not entirely sure what’s going on.  They are billing me per month.  Right?

Yet I’ve got a price plan balance.   Maybe I’m just paying line rental or something.

I have paid my T-Mobile account shambles no attention. Absolutely no attention.  So I have no clue as to what’s going on. And I’m happy with that.  T-Mobile’s online self service system is both the best and shittest I’ve come across here in the UK.

If it’s not panicking over trying to setup a direct debit, it’s displaying horrible messages about my customer status.  And the upgrade process, sheesh.  I just press ‘OK’ to see how much the N95 was going to cost me and WOOSH, I got a new phone AND 18-month contract the next day.  Although the billing system says words to the effect of UFIX 12-months.

Screw it, with bells on.  I’m not using T-Mobile as my primary communications device.  And since they don’t bother with blogger outreach or social media marketing, I can’t be bothered to find out more.  Not until the evolve into something resembling Vodafone’s Forum Intervention Team.

Ve know vere yoo livvvvvv Mistr Makloud.  Everytime I tell anyone about the ‘Forum Intervention Team’, I feel like I should pull an imaginary cap down over my eyes and wrap my huge artic jacket around myself tigher as though I’m standing somewhere in the middle of Soviet-Era Moscow.

Theze kariars av ears. Kip yoorslev sayf mah freend.

To the main point of this ramble: Shock.

Absolute, abject shock.  Equivalent to getting out of the pool, muscles rippling, water dripping from my brilliantly toned torso, to find my swimming trunks floating in the water whilst a group of old fogies make comment.

I was on the phone to Hetty talking about something MIR related when a horrid T-Mobile voice interrupted my conversation to tell me that I had ‘One minute of credit remaining.’

Panic mixed with outrage.  How DARE you.  How absolutely DARE YOU?  ONE MINUTE?  Shit. RIght. Er.  I’ll… I need to hang up. What if I have to call the AA or something when I’m out and about?  What if I can’t USE my phone?

Shocking.

It’s not a common occurence for me.  But it’s a humbling one.  I made a mental note as I put down my T-Mobile and picked up my Orange contract handset to call Hetty back: It’s worth remembering that vast swathes of the planet’s mobile population are on pay as you go.

Not everyone is clamouring to download the latest version of Nokia Maps for their N95.  Or eBay’s new iPhone application…

Most of the planet is still making phone calls and sending texts.  How depressing.  How real.

More info at buyacredit.com.