IntoMobile » Vodafone

HTC and Vodafone announce Germany’s first LTE handset

Charles West — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:48:42 +0000

Vodafone announced its plans to release Germany’s first LTE smartphone, called the HTC Velocity, slated to hit store shelves in Germany. The new HTC offering will use the 4G network only for data services as Voice over LTE has not yet been implemented. Besides that, the Velocity carries Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU.

Other noteworthy specs include:

1.5 GHz dual-core processor
Support for quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dualband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA at 900/2100 MHz as well as dualband LTE at 800/2600 MHz
Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi b/g/n and a GPS
4.5-inch qHD touchscreen
8 megapixel auto-focus 1080p HD camera on the back
Front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera
1 GB RAM
16 GB flash memory expanded with microSD memory cards up to 32 GB
1620 mAh battery

There were 2,000 base stations added in Germany that is suppose to power up more than 8.5 million households with LTE service. But a large part of these base stations only reside in rural areas where Vodafone LTE in the 800 MHz frequency space lies, as this provides large areas and many users as possible with a DSL replacement.

So with a 4G network finally ready to go, the HTC Velocity is a pretty good beginning. That said, a price or launch date hasn’t been announced, but Vodafone Germany, HTC and Qualcomm will hold a press conference next week, which will more than likely reveal even more details on the country’s first LTE handset official.

[via Computerwoche]

Samsung and Vodafone give away 91 pairs of London 2012 Olympic tickets

Dusan Belic — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:20:12 +0000

Samsung and Vodafone are organizing a neat sweepstakes, offering customers across Great Britain and Northern Ireland the chance to win a pair of London 2012 Olympic tickets.

In total, the two companies will give away 91 pairs of tickets to just under 50 of the most highly sought after Olympic Games events, including the Men’s 100 meters Final, Track Cycling at the newly created Velodrome and swimming events at the Aquatics Centre. In order to participate, folks should purchase any Samsung Galaxy smartphone between February 1st and 29th. Moreover, those who bought the phone will also have to download the Samsung 2012 app (it’s free and linked below) to enter the competition. Customers must install the app and enter their details before the March 14th closing date, and the winners will then be notified by mid-April 2012.

Pretty neat, especially for folks who wanted a buy a new phone, nonetheless. You can choose between such models as the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Y, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Mini. All the details and terms are available from this page at Vodafone’s website.

Samsung 2012 (FREE) [Android Market link]

[Via: EuroDroid]

Vodafone launches LTE in Portugal, offers two data plans that differ in pricing based on speed

Stefan Constantinescu — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:03:12 +0000

The state of 4G LTE in Europe is pretty dismal compared to the United States, but that’s not really a bad thing since most 4G LTE equipped smartphones can’t seem to last more than a few hours under heavy use; the Droid RAZR MAxx is an exception. Anyway, today we’d like to highlight Vodafone’s new 4G LTE network in Portugal. The operator won a total of 123 MHz worth of spectrum in the country late last year, in multiple bands, but they’ve decided to launch using the same 2.6 GHz band that nearly everyone else in Europe is using. Pricing is easy enough for most folks to understand: There’s only one 4G LTE device, it’s a USB modem, and it’ll run you €160. As for plans, there are only two. You can choose to pay €50 per month and get unlimited data with your speeds capped at 50 megabits per second down and 25 megabits per second up or you can pay €60 per month and also get unlimited data, but with speed caps at 100 megabits per second down or 50 megabits per second up. In other words, instead of pricing being based on usage, the term “data bucket” comes to mind, Vodafone is instead charging based on speed.

Now where have we seen that before? Oh right, that’s how we’ve been paying for our home broadband connection for over a decade! Want more speed? Pay more money. Simple as that. We question why this pricing tactic hasn’t been deployed on the other side of the pond. Do most people really need the 50+ megabit per second pipe being delivered to their smartphone? Obviously not. If we had it our way then EDGE would be free, 1 megabit per second 3G would be $20 per month, and anything more than than is up to the operators to decide.

Crazy fantasy? You bet.

Vodafone Guardian allows parents to set limits on their kids’ Android smartphone use

Dusan Belic — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:17:33 +0000

We love the idea of kids using modern smartphones. Sure there are threats out there but there are also filters parents could use to block stuff they think children shouldn’t access. To that end Vodafone UK launched a new Android app called Vodafone Guardian (Vodafone Safety Net in Ireland), helping keep children safe when using a smartphone.

Available as a free download, it allows parents to block calls and messages from individual contacts as well as to limit the use of features such as the camera and the web. Moreover, there are options to restrict use during specified times such as school hours, and to disallow children from adding/removing any apps.

Finally, aside from preventing online and mobile threats, Vodafone is pitching its app as an effective tool against bullying.

All in all, we agree that children should be protected but also like the idea of adopting smartphones when they’re young. In that sense, apps like Vodafone Guardian help make smartphones even more mainstream.

Vodafone Guardian (FREE) [Android Market link]

[Via: EuroDroid]

Vodafone Smart Tab 10 shows up at the carrier’s Irish site

Dusan Belic — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:48:52 +0000

We’ve already told you Vodafone prepares to launch its own branded tablets, which are most likely made by ZTE or Huawei. One of them, Vodafone Smart Tab 10, has been spotted at the company’s Irish website and I guess the Big Red carrier is using Ireland as a test bed for such a product. Moreover, I would expect to see them roll out the tablet in other markets across Europe soon afterwards.

As a reminder, the Smart Tab 10 rocks a 10.1-inch screen, HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, 16GB of internal storage, memory card slot, while Android 3.2 Honeycomb is running the show.

And you can see how it looks like in action from a following demo video. Enjoy!

[Via: EuroDroid]

Galaxy Nexus gets its page at Vodafone UK

Dusan Belic — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:34:02 +0000

Yep, we’ve told you Vodafone will be one of the British mobile operators to offer the brand new Galaxy Nexus and voila… the first Ice Cream Sandwich device got its page at the Big Red carrier’s website. Unfortunately, it’s the standard “Coming Soon” page that doesn’t reveals any details like let’s say the price, but you can leave your email and be among the first ones to get that information once the phone becomes available.

If I had to bet, Vodafone will offer the Galaxy Nexus for free on plans starting at about 35 GBP per month. Heck, they may even ask for 40 GBP. Luckily, there will be multiple options, some of which include pouring out some cash upfront (like 100 GBP) while commiting on lower monthly payments. The choice is good, the choice is necessery… we love choice.

Anyway, you can visit this page to register for updates.

[Via: EuroDroid]

UK: Three, Vodafone now offer HTC Sensation XL

Dusan Belic — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:33:16 +0000

HTC Sensation XL, the Taiwanese company’s biggest Android smartphone announced to date, is now available at British operators Three and Vodafone. Three is offering the device for free to anyone willing to put his or her signature on a two-year contract with at least 34 GBP/month plan. That money gets you 500 minutes, 5,000 messages and 1GB of mobile data every month.

As for Vodafone, it offers the Sensation XL for free on plans starting at 41 GBP per month that include 1,200 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB of monthly data.

Now this would all be cool if HTC’s big baby had a dual-core processor and unfortunately it doesn’t. In that sense I’m not sure why the Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Sensation are so much cheaper. Sure that super big screen is expensive, but I would assume a faster dual-core CPU costs even more. Guess I’ve no clue on component pricing… or that’s just because the Sensation XL is a newer device. In any case, I would pick the Galaxy S II over it any day. What do you say?

Vodafone launches Appia-powered mobile app store in India

Dusan Belic — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:25:15 +0000

Vodafone India, the Big Red carrier’s arm in the world’s second most populous country, launched the Mobile Application Store, powered by Appia. As a result, some 145 million Vodafone Indians will be able to download more than 10,000 free and paid applications for all major mobile platforms including Android, Java, Symbian and Blackberry.

The app catalog is spread across a number of categories like games, entertainment, social networking and local culture, offering something for everyone. And we mean everyone, since the store also rocks local content from companies such as Hungama, India Games, Nazara and Spice, and Vodafone-branded apps like Portfolio Tracker, Vodafone TV and Chhota Comics, alongside Appia’s “standard” offering.

In order to access the Vodafone Mobile Application Store, customers should textorto 111 and then click on the URL in the response message. Alternatively, there’s an option to click on the Vstore link on the Vodafone Live mobile website located at live.vodafone.in…