Vodafone to Acquire Ono for €7.2 Billion
In what’s to become one of the largest deals in the European telecom industry for years, UK firm Vodafone has agreed to purchase Spanish cable operator, Ono. Covering 70 percent of Spain with their super-fast Internet offerings, this would give Vodafone significantly more ammunition to take on local giant, Telefonica. Vodafone already has an operating in Spain with their Vodafone ES network, but the purchase of Ono would allow them to offer wired internet as well as TV along with their wireless packages. It’s said that the UK firm will be using the money from their recent sale of their sizable stake in Verizon Wireless in order to finance this latest deal.
Google Play Gift Cards Now Available in Hong Kong
Google’s gift cards for the Play Store have been on sale in the UK, Europe and the States for some time now, but they’ve yet to go on sale in Hong Kong. That’s all changed now however, as 7 Eleven stores in Hong Kong should now be selling the gift cards in 200, 500 and 1000 HK$ denominations. For those that want to budget how much they spend on apps and games, the Play Store Gift Cards are a great way to do that.
Google’s Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 Now Available in More European Countries
While the Nexus line has been available in Europe for some time now, it’s been difficult to get hold of the Nexus 5 or the Nexus 7 in most of Europe. Now, the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 are available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden as well as previous European countries. Pricing will obviously differ from region-to-region, so swing by the Play Store to find out how much they cost. Don’t forget to check out our reviews for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7.
Xiaomi’s 5.5-inch RedMi Note is Finally Official
Xiaomi has expanded their budget line up with the new Redmi Note, a 5.5-inch device that offers those looking for a larger device, but also for something that offers more value too. With a 1280 x 720 resolution, a 1.4 Ghz Octa-Core CPU, 1GB of RAM, dual-SIM support and 8GB of storage with microSD support it’s a good-looking device for the money. However, there is an enhanced version with a faster 1.7 Ghz CPU, 2GB of RAM however, both feature the same 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, Android 4.2.2 and MIUI v5. For the Redmi Note with 1GB of RAM, it’ll cost CNY 799 and for 2GB of RAM it’ll cost CNY 999.
Karbonn Titanium Hexa Launches in India with Android 4.4 KitKat
One of the first devices to launch in the region with Android 4.4 KitKat, the Karbonn Titanium Hexa is a 5.5-inch device with a Full HD resolution, a 1.5 GHz hexa-core MediaTek MT6591, 2GB of RAm and 16GB of internal storage. We’re looking at a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a 2,050 mAh battery for RS 16,990. A quality device that features the latest version of Android, this is definitely something to consider, and the hexa-core CPU here will run on all six cores so there should be some good performance here.
Moto X Launches in India
The Moto X has finally launched in India, for RS 23,999. if you’re unfamiliar with the Moto X, it’s a device that runs stock Android 4.4.2 with a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 display and features always-on listening and more. You can read our review here to find out all you need to know. It’s good to see the Moto X finally launch in India, but at that price there are better devices out there, and without the Moto Maker it seems a little pointless to pick up a boring black or white Moto X. Still though, it’s good to see them expanding, for sure.