Routinely, WiFi hotspots are so SHIT that I simply have to rely on my MiFi unit for connectivity. Three’s data network is amongst the best in the business — and the MiFi unit is a brilliant way of unlocking that for all your connectivity needs.

I used to regularly travel up and down the M4 motorway and goodness me, the networks — Three in particular — seem to have got that motorway connected properly. I was able to stay connected at what felt like desktop data speeds for my whole journey. [I want to point out, I wasn't driving!]

The MiFi gets me out of a heck of a lot of tight spots though. You know the scene — turn up at an office and find that their guest WiFi needs 16-layers of security confirmation. Or arrive into a pub to do some work and find that the bollocks BT Openzone wants to charge you on a pence-per-minute basis. Stupid. Scenarios like this have me reaching for the MiFi all the time. I don’t even bother taking it out my bag. I just feel for the power switch, depress it for a second and then see the WiFi connection pop-up.

So I’m a big user. Three’s current MiFi unit is the Huawei E585. Here’s a quick reminder:

It’s great. The battery feels like it lasts most of the business day. In practice after about 4-5 hours of continuous use, I need to power it up. Provided you’re in a city centre location, I generally find the throughput speeds to be comparable to a desktop broadband connection.

That was then.

Now the next generation is upon us: The E586. Let’s have a photo:

Right. This one is HSPA+ which means that you’ll get up to 21.1Mbps down (“HSDPA”) and 5.76Mbps up (“HSUPA”). Amazing. Three reckons it should be about 40% faster. (80% of the operator’s network will be fully HSPA+ compliant by the end of the year.)

They’ve made a few nice improvements — apparently the dashboard has got a nice upgrade. I’m hopeful on this one. It was a little bit ‘Huwaei bog standard’ for my tastes but it certainly did the job. There’s also a smart new feature that enables users to see the WiFi username/password on-screen at the touch of a button, ‘for fast pairing with new gadgets’.

Somebody at Three has obviously given their MiFi a lot of use. One of the slight arses with the MiFi is having to open up the battery case to get the WiFi access code. Good thinking. See the picture above? See the button with the ‘key’ on it, top right on the side? I reckon that’s the one you press to get a reminder of the device password.

If you’re a big user of the internal memory card functionality (so you can access via your connected devices), that’s now upgraded to support 32GB micro SD cards.

And a final new addition? This:

That there is a fancy new charging cradle. This will be highly useful if you’re a regular MiFi user as you’ll want to pop it in the charger often.

This new unit should be available in-store and online from September. There’s no word on costs yet but I’d expect it will be priced similarly (if not exactly the same) as the existing E585. So, on PAYG the E585 costs £71.99 including 3GB of data. I’d expect it to be free on a 20/month contract. I think that’s what I’ll go for when it comes out.

Anyway, stay tuned. I’ll post a note when it’s available.

Deutsche Telekom has just entered the foray of a free portable computer, with a mobile broadband contract in tow.

They’ve now joined Orange who offered a similar deal back in August, with almost the very same netbook.

T-Mobile’s package is based around a £25 a month contract, with the Asus Eee PC 904HD thrown in gratis.

The Orange deal is at the same costing, with the exact 3GB download allowance per month. Although T-Mobile has 200 FREE texts a month, the other network has only 100.

Where they differ is in the netbooks they’re giving away. Orange’s model is a slightly older Eee PC 901 with 16GB of onboard storage, a 1.3 megapixel built in webcam all with 5-hour battery life.

The Eee PC 904HD is a newer model with the same processor, the same 1GB of RAM, same WIFI, same 8.9-inch TFT screen and the same Windows XP OS as the 901. It does however have an 80GB HDD, instead of an SSD and only a 0.3MP webcam with the same battery longevity.

T-Mobile’s mobile broadband is provided in the form of a USB dongle, whereas the Orange 901 has it embedded inside. This makes it a better deal in our opinion, as we’ve used dongles and also netbooks with it built in and preferred the latter.

We’re sure the 904HD could have it embedded too, but there is bound to be a pay off with getting it all geared up or just shipping it as it arrives from Asus direct to the shops.

See more on the T-mobile offer here, which also hints at more deals like this on the horizon as it lists two other laptops that are coming soon.

The idea is that if you can get all the internet for 30p, imagine what you can get with 30 peas.

The video’s available on YouTube

These go on to highlight just how well they’ve done in the past year alone, with the culmination of stats that ended in September this year.

In terms of mobile phone customers over the key countries they are currently in, all seems on the up and up. Orange now has 117.604million users to be precise, where they were at 107.197million at the same time last year. Just to save you pulling out your calculators, that’s 10,407,000 new customers in only a single year.

Instead of rambling on with a bunch of meaningless figures and stats, we’ve highlighted a few below which we thought were the most significant ones in our humble opinion

Orange France seems to have been the most successful practice with 24.524million users to date on their network, with 23.504million at September 2007. That’s a growth of over 1million customers in just 12 months, the largest out of all the regions.

Let’s not forget that Orange in France has the iPhone in their portfolio, which could explain away the dramatic leap in those numbers. As we were told they picked up 216,000 iPhone customers in that stretch on 3G. Although we’re sure you’re aware those days by now could all be numbered, from a recent court ruling this week.

In the UK they hit 15.815million users in the same time frame, where they were on 15.400million on September 30th of 2007. Here’s an increase of 415,000 users on the network in a year.

The last significant increase we noticed came from Orange in Poland. In that country they’ve come along from 13.487million customers in 2007 to 14.054million, that’s 567,000 all told. That’s a mighty difference from the previous year. Hurrah!

Mobile broadband users across their whole network had the largest leap in their numbers. It’s increased by the factor of 10,409,000 new users in just a year. They used to have 12.789million on their network, now they’re at a whopping 23.198million strong customer base.

In France alone, they hit 9.922million users from 6.284million – an increase of 3,638,000 customers.

Their Spanish outfit hit over 1.5 new users, from 1.232million to the latest stats of 2.820million mobile broadband customers.

The UK’s growth saw them reach 2.883million Orange customers from 1.551million. That’s an overall growth of 1,332,000 new users to the network.

All in all, the future looks bright for Orange judging by these figures. Although it looks like it’s their data network has been the real winner for this year.

Also at the 3 event they drew a line under their mobile broadband offerings, as in how it’s been so far, what’s coming up next and the overall story.

It doesn’t really fall under the remit of the INQ handsets. Although it does ever so tentatively fall into the data services category which backs nicely into their new phone, so we let them have their 5 minutes.

They went on to show a slide which highlighted the amount of data that’s traveled over their mobile broadband network.

As you might not be able to see the figures all that well, it’s risen from 25,000 GB in November 2007 to just under 800,000 GB throughput from last month.

Not a bad overall feat we believe to date. To truly call it splendiferous you really have to factor in their coverage region and balance it up against other networks, so the jury is still out.

They did go on to state they do have the largest mobile broadband network in the UK, with 98% of it being on HSDPA at 3.6Mbps.

Where 3 see themselves next is more of an interesting topic we believe, and it’s here we pricked our ears up and paid thorough attention. Not that we weren’t beforehand.

They’ve combined their efforts with T-Mobile to produce the world’s largest HSDPA and HSUPA network. It’s hoped by Q3 2010, they’ll jointly have 98% of the possible broadband coverage of the UK. It’s also aimed they’ll have speeds of 14.5Mbps downstream and 5.7Mbps upstream, a nice throughput you’ll agree.

It must have slipped this hacks mind about T-Mobile and 3 jointly establishing this project, as notes over this were feverishly scribbled down only to find out this was all made public a while ago.

Oh well, you learn something new every day only to find out it wasn’t so new after all and you wish what you know should have been known before hand.

In wrapping up the coverage from the launch event, we thought we‘d bring you some of the thinking and reasoning passed along to us as to why the development of the phone’s series by Hutchinson began. These were outlaid to us on the day by 3′s CEO Kevin Russell and the INQ’s CEO Frank Meehan.

These facts came along to us in the form of stats around the rise of data services over the 3 network, charted as an example from Nov 2007 until last month.

To be honest, we were a tad surprised over the figures knowing their frontend portal presented to their customers. Also we recalled some distant knowledge of 3 services being heavily firewalled to a severe degree, where not a great deal of access to outside websites was allowed.

So when we saw the number of users mentioned which started at 250,000 from last year and hitting the high of 950,000 of late, it took us back a bit. After digesting all and sundry plus getting hold of a three SIM card, all of these are actually supported and all works rather well too. It looks like their portal doesn’t scream and shout about it too much.

Just to back up their slide and doubly endorsing how 3 is used in today’s world of social networking, they went on to throw some more numbers at us.

On 3 handsets just over the October period, 2 million searches were performed, 3.5million emails were received by users on the network, 20 million minutes of Skype calls were made, 36 million chats were made on Skype, 200 million instant messages took place, 44 million pages on Facebook were viewed where there were only half that number six months ago. And a partridge in a pear tree.

Whilst you’re digesting all of that, it makes sense that a phone like the INQ should have come along right now. Even more so when you take into account news has reached us this week that mobile Facebook users have tripled this year, to the mighty sum of 15 million and counting.

Another day, another USB dongle arrives only this time it’s from Vodafone and has an integrated 4GB in the form of a removable microSD card.

Running on from the theory of ‘why take two bottles into the shower’, they built in a slot for the accompanying memory card. Saving in the trauma of carrying around a broadband modem and a flash drive, or something like that.

The Stick Pro, as that’s the moniker it’s going by is capable of the wonderful speeds of 7.2Mbps, depending on signal strength of course. With the max upload reaching the lofty heights of 2Mbps.

Depending on the price plan, it could arrive in your lint free pocket gratis or upwards within monitory costs attached.

For a limited period only, so grab this bad boy whilst it’s hot – Vodafone will be rolling out this mobile broadband on a 3GB date plan for £10 per month for the first three months, on a 24 month contract.

Calculators at the ready, it’s a mighty saving of £15 over those three months. The 5GB version will hurt your pocket to the sum of £15 per month for the same period three months, with the saving of £30.

Coming on from that the Stick Pro is also shipping free on a 5GB plan with a 24 or 18 month contract in tow, but with the cost of £29 on a 12 month price plan.

If that wasn’t enough, now firmly grasp the arms of your chair or someone else’s arms nearby.

Vodafone has also introduced today an almost pay-as-you-go version too. The ‘Stick Lite’ runs across a 30 day period, where you can download the max of 1GB at the cost of £15 per month. Although here, the dongle will set you back £49 to buy.

There’s also 18 month and 24 month 3GB contracts with this version too, where the Stick comes for free!

All in all, it’s quite a novel approach and hurrah for them!

For more info, see their Sticky product pages here

]]> http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/11/vodafone_gets_sticky_with_a_new_3g_usb_modem_with_4gb_of_storage.html/feed 0 http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/11/3_turfs_out_new_small_business_mobile_broadband_deals_plus_increases_data_limits_.html http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/11/3_turfs_out_new_small_business_mobile_broadband_deals_plus_increases_data_limits_.html#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:04:50 +0000 RobK http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/?p=10774

Taking up the challenge of the credit crunch today is the network ‘3′, by offering two new tariffs aimed at small businesses.

These mobile broadband packages also allow for a second user to be added at half-price, in addition to upping the overall data limits

Going under the pseudonyms of Broadband 5GB and Broadband 15 GB, they increase the bundled in data allowance from 3GB and 7GB, and from 5GB and 15GB. Wahoo!

Also, any small businesses buying into an 18 or 24 month mobile broadband or voice contract can now buy a second MBB (mobile broadband) plan at just half price.

With existing customers also benefitting from this by being offered 50% off line rental for the new plans too.

These new deals and packages are available from today; more details can be found at http://three.co.uk/business

]]> http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/11/3_turfs_out_new_small_business_mobile_broadband_deals_plus_increases_data_limits_.html/feed 0 http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/10/three_wifi_3g_router_crap.html http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/10/three_wifi_3g_router_crap.html#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:17:33 +0000 Ben Smith http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/?p=10406 I parted company with £69.99 today to purchase Three’s 3G / WiFi router, the Huawei D100.  I wish I hadn’t.

I’ve used it for an hour and decided it’s going back to the shop.  I may just throw it through the door and hurl abuse, but I hope to have calmed down enough to go in to collect a refund.

On paper it’s an appealing device – you insert your USB broadband dongle and it creates a WiFi access point…  Ideal for the MIR crew when we’re out and about.  Every operator will offer one – we saw T-Mobile’s effort recently.  So what’s wrong?

It doesn’t have a battery! It was advertised both in the marketing materials and on Three’s site as having a battery (UK Gadgeteer has the story)…. many sites wrote this up. It doesn’t.  It needs a power supply.  Three have changed their site without any comment and it’s confused customers. £70 for something that’s tied to a power supply? Bah!

It’s slow. Oh my god it’s slow. Speed tests are notoriously hard to do, but I never managed to get the router to operate faster than 25% of the speed achieved by using the dongle directly.  Pages crawl down.  T-Mobile’s unit didn’t feel this bad.

I love Three – the Skypephone, X-series and cheap broadband, but this really is a massive disappointment

If the lack of the promised battery doesn’t bother you, I’d still recommend waiting for reviews of a few other models to come in – I couldn’t live with it.

For those interested here’s some more pictures and interface screenshots:

3 UK’s Mobile Broadband offering has been named “Best Mobile Broadband” by the UK’s most popular dedicated broadband comparison site, www.top10-broadband.co.uk. The independent site, which claims over a million unique users each month, has given 3 UK the award based on analysis of data captured from mobile broadband speed tests, examination of feedback from consumers and hands-on research of products and services.

I’ve introduced more new customers to 3 than any other operator, specifically because of their mobile broadband data offering. Whether it’s via the handset or through a dongle, 3 really is knocking the competition for six.

I was in a Vodafone store the other day when I saw their ‘buy me now’ pay-as-you-go mobile dongle. It was on a shelf, ready to be picked up, purchased and used. There’s no way Vodafone or the other networks would have headed toward the tenner-a-month dongle reality we have today if it wasn’t for 3 kicking the industry out of bed. Vodafone were — and still are — making an absolute packet from the 45 or 70 pounds a month data card deals they were originally offering. I think I’ve got one of them, still.

Top 10 Broadband was particularly impressed by the strength and flexibility of 3 UK’s mobile broadband packages. The judges specifically cited the fact that 3 UK allows customers a very generous data allowance, as well as the quality and ease of use of the 3 UK data modems, as important factors in the award.

3’s Head of Mobile Broadband Jonathan Lutz said, “To be independently verified as being the best mobile broadband provider is a great validation of all the work we have done over the past year. Our aim has always been to bring easy-to-use, high-quality mobile broadband at the best possible price to as many people as possible. This award is recognition that we are achieving this goal. “

Congratulations to Jonathan and the team at 3. Nice work. Keep it up!

I came across this offer the other day from PC World, one of the leading electrical retailers in the UK. Working with mobile network 3, they’re offering a free laptop to any subscriber to a 3 mobile broadband package. Or, they’ll offer 350 pounds off a higher spec laptop. Genius!

There is a catch. Obviously. Well, it’s not that bad, really. You get a wicked laptop from Compaq, but you do need to commit to 35 pounds a month for 18 months (with the USB modem).

Here’s the offer:

Celeron processor, aye. A gig of ram, 80gig of disk space, Windows Vista… come on, you can’t argue with that, can you?

Total payable over 18 months? 630 quid. You *could* buy the laptop separately for £329.99 and then do a tenner-a-month contract with 3. That would certainly work out cheaper. But if 300+ is a bit too much to spunk out (as it is for most customers of mobile phone handsets) then this does make sense.

I do like the subsidised model applied to laptops. Very smart. It’ll help get a lot of folk converted. You can, by the way, get a MacBook for just 349 quid up front.

More information here.

Link: ‘Free’ laptops the latest 3G lure | Australian IT

FIRST it was mobiles for nothing, now it’s laptops for free, as telcos try to lure customers into their often-expensive 3G mobile data plans.

Telstra is offering a zero-dollar laptop to the value of $700 to business customers signing up for a three-year contract on the telco’s Next G mobile data service. But as with $0 phones, there is a catch.

The major catch is that the next gig of data will cost you $250…. Arse.

The Beeb says 3 has accused Vodafone of not making it clear that when it says ‘up to 7.2Mbps’ consumers actually won’t get anything like 7.2Mbps. Vodafone says it tells its customers when they buy a device that they shouldn’t expect to get top speeds.

In first days of wired broadband, this argument came up repeatedly and the regulator pretty much decided that putting ‘up to’ before a speed is enough of a caveat for users. For most man-in-the-street users, as long as they can get a service that lets them browse and send attachments in good speed, that’s enough for them. That said, a bit more realism in speed boasts never hurt anyone.