Remember giffgaff? This is the new MVNO, that seeking differentiation by involving the subs (they call them members) in decisions – well they’ve already started that process now, and in addition we know some more facts – giffgaff is launching in beta this year, and they think there is some stuff we should know:

So there you go – we know that data is going to be free for a while, and that if you want to shape the pricing policy you should get involved in the blog comments. More info as we get it….

TIM Brazil announced a multi-platform app store, powered by Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)’s Plaza Retail. Simply called TIM App Store, it supports a range of platforms including Java, Brew, Flash and Android; and it is also planed to add support for Windows Mobile, Palm (NSDQ: PALM), Symbian and LiMo.

The launch is planned for the first quarter of 2010, when interested users will be able to access it, no matter which TIM phone they happen to use. The store will be accessible either using a dedicated application or through mobile website.

Finally in an effort to spur the application development, the two companies will offer a series of workshops for developers in November throughout Brazil, at which they will present the new business model and the benefits offered by the TIM App Store.

Aleksi Moisio, a writer for Talous Sanomat, a Finnish publication, who was the first to tell IntoMobile about Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s previously filed trademarks: Xseris, Cseries, Netbook and Money, brings news of a new trademark that was filed in Finland on October 14th: Ovi Prime Place.

We have absolutely no idea what Prime Place actually is, or when it will be announced, but if I was a betting man I would say it has something to do with Ovi Maps.

Update: And like clock work, Aleksi provided further clarification by leaving a comment below:

The description for the goods and services involved reads as following: “Mobile advertising services; providing an online searchable database featuring information about local businesses.”

So it has something to due with advertising … on maps? Time will tell.

Looks like Obopay isn’t the only parter Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is going to be working with on providing mobile payments. Today Nokia signed a 5 year agreement with TANLA, an Indian company, to provide a “mobile payment service to enable on device transactions”. Tanla’s service works in 160 countries and can use both operator billing and credit card billing.

“This agreement further highlights our strong track record in processing secure transactions on the handset and our position as a trusted supplier of mobile payment services. Through a single integration with Tanla, application developers can monetize their services in 160 countries through operator and credit card billing.” — Uday Reddy, Chairman & Managing Director, Tanla Solutions

[Press Release]

After getting named Even More and Even More Plus last week, we were left speculating about Project Dark and what exactly T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) was alluding to when they said customers could get “the handset you crave”.  As it turns out, T-Mobile will be offering hardware financing so you can pay off the phone itself in monthly increments rather than getting hit with that initial extra charge. The Plus plan doesn’t require an annual contract, while straight-up Even More will need you to sign up for two years (but you get the added bonus of handset subsidies). The plan itself simply requires you to figure out what you want in terms of voice, texts and data, including unlimited options. This is a promising idea on T-Mobile’s part – getting people hooked on data services on devices they couldn’t normally afford (like the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9700 and HTC HD2) works out in both carrier and customer’s favour. What do you guys think, is hardware financing enough to get you to switch service providers?

[via BGR]

The guys over at fonehome.co.uk have managed to get themselves a Samsung H1, running the Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) 360 service, which is due to come online from 30th October for general consumers.

In case you are wondering what Vodafone 360 is, check out my post on it here.

So you want the vid right? Well then best head on over to the fonehome.co.uk site (click here) and view it in all it’s glory! You can pre-order a Samsung H1 from Vodafone here BTW.

[Via: fonehome.co.uk]

There have been a lot of rumours floating around the last couple of weeks regarding something from T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) called Project Dark, but little proof to nail down a solid definition. Well, from the looks of this poster, Project Dark is two plans (Even More, and Even More Plus) that are the “most affordable unlimited rate plans” and somehow involves “the handset you crave”. Maybe a little cryptic, but go ahead and let your imagination wander – perhaps added hardware upgrade options under the Plus plan…? A source from CTIA told me that the plans would be priced at $60-75, significantly undercutting Sprint (NYSE: S)’s $100 Simply Everything unlimited plan, but we’ll have to wait and see what T-Mobile is actually offering to know if it competes.

[via TMoNews]

Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s Comes with Music, an idea I’ve been shitting on since the day it was announced, is a scheme thought up by executives in Finland to offer devices for around 110 EUR more than they should cost and in return you get one year of unlimited DRM infected downloads. The whole concept seemed as if it was built to attract those people who were too dumb to do any comparison shopping, or for parents who are having the living shit scared out of them by the ever increasing media coverage on people who have committed acts of piracy and are now facing huge fines. For a service that has been out for over a year now, to get only 107,227 users as of July, is pretty weak. Nokia blames this on poor marketing, that they’ve failed to get the Comes with Music message across, to which I have to call bullshit. People are dumb and will buy most damn near anything if the marketing department does a good enough job at producing a 60 second video with a catchy jingle, but they’re not dumb enough to fork over 100 EUR for something they know they can get for free over bit torrent.

Here is the regional break down of those 107,227 users, numbers that were leaked to Music Alley:

• UK – 32,728 (launch date: Oct 08)
• Singapore – 19,318 (Feb 09)
• Australia – 23,003 (Mar 09)
• Brazil – 10,809 (Apr 09)
• Sweden – 1,101 (Apr 09)
• Italy – 691 (Apr 09)
• Mexico – 16,344 (May 09)
• Germany – 2,673 (May 09)
• Switzerland – 560 (Jun 09)

[Via: mocoNews]

TimeBridge, the web service that helps folks run meetings more efficiently, is going iPhone. As a result, users of the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone and iPod Touch, who at the same time rely on TimeBridge for their meetings will be able to do all the coordination work while on the go.

Key features of the iPhone app include:

• Access all TimeBridge meeting information – who, what, when, and where;
• Ping late attendees and send them late messages via SMS and/or email;
• Join TimeBridge conference calls;
• Access online agenda and track time spent on each topic;
• View real-time availability of contacts; and
• Reply to TimeBridge meeting invitations.

Interested? If so, follow this link to grab the application from the AppStore. It’s free for the registered TimeBridge users.

Again we have a great example of beneficial use of mobile technology. The application is called Give Work and it’s a joint effort of Samasource, an NGO working to provide Internet-based jobs for poor people around the world, and CrowdFlower, a San Francisco-based company that provides accessible outsourced labor as an online service. The two parties teamed up with the goal to help refugees in Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the Kenya, to get Internet training and jobs.

Here’s how it works:

1. A U.S. company submits an online job to CrowdFlower.
2. The refugee at Samasource completes the task immediately.
3. An iPhone user in the U.S. voluntarily double checks the work.
4. The refugee worker is paid for their work.

And we have a success story to share to entice U.S. companies to go this route. Paul and Eric are two Samasource employees in Kenya whose lives have been improved using the system. The clip follows after the jump, whereas the AppStore link is here.

[Via: TheHuffingtonPost]