Mobile Expansion in Far East
Hong Kong based PC makers Lenovo are celebrating the success of their first Android smartphone, theLephone, with the announcement that they will be producing the Lepad, an Android based tablet by the end of the year. This news was found floating round the trading markets of the far east and so was sadly short on any of the technical details that might interest us, but the Chinese mobile internet market has enormous potential and Lenovo have put themselves in a commanding position with this astute business move.
New Motorola Milestone hits UK today
If I was in charge of naming phones (And God willing one day maybe I will) I would not name a phone after a big heavy rock, which is what Motorola did when they re-branded the Droid as the Milestone for its WCDMA/GSM UK version. Anyone who has one will know just how un-rock-like it actually is. The latest XT720 model hits shelves here in the UK today and is even less like a rock than its predecessor having shed its keyboard in favour of a larger more fingertip friendly screen. If you’ve got around £370 ($560) you can pick up an unlocked, SIM free one right now. If you prefer a rock of course, I hear there are still one or two iPhone 4s left.
No such thing as a free phone
The free handset has long been a staple of the British mobile marketing strategists, and if by free you mean a contract with monthly payments then almost all mobiles in the UK can be had for “free”. As of today you can get a free Samsung GalaxyS for as little as £30 a month from O2. Now, I’m not one for strapping myself down to a carrier – this industry moves too fast – but a lot of people do and the Galaxy S is such a lovely phone I can see why many people will be tempted. O2 are the network operator that carry Apple and the sight of the S snuggling up alongside an iPhone left me feeling distinctly queasy.
Mile High Android.
British Airways have been in the news of late over striking cabin crews – their tag line “The World’s favourite airline” became “The World’s favourite picket line.” It seems the industrial shenanigans did nothing to stop BA’s creative types from spotting the sky high trajectory predicted for Android phones and apps, and they have smartly jumped on the bandwagon with an app of their own. Their Executive Club members can use it to check details, live flight information and even check-in with their Android phones. Now, if someone can write an app that replaces those pesky cabin crew commies, they could make themselves a pretty packet.