T-Mobile offering UK’s cheapest free sat nav phone: Nokia C5 on £10/month contract

September 9th, 2010

T-Mobile are offering the Nokia C5 with sat nav for free on a £10/month contract with 100 minutes, 100 texts and 1GB internet.

If you’re looking for a brand new phone with turn-by-turn GPS satellite navigation, T-Mobile are currently offering the cheapest deal in the UK. They’re providing a Nokia C5 for free on a £10/month contract. There’s an inclusive data allowance of 1GB per month (choose the “Unlimited internet” flexible booster) so you won’t have to pay to download maps, directions or surf the internet. As well as the GPS navigation and internet access, you’ll get 100 minutes and 100 texts to use every month.

What’s the GPS turn-by-turn navigation like?

The Nokia C5 comes with lifetime access to Ovi Maps. You’ll get a fully featured turn-by-turn GPS navigation application including live traffic information, lane assistance and speed limit warnings. As an extra bonus, Ovi Maps comes with access to Lonely Planet and Michelin guides.

Whilst Ovi Maps is a fully featured GPS navigation system, one shortcoming of the phone is it’s small screen size (2.2″). Typical dedicated GPS devices have a screen size of about 4″. Whilst the Nokia C5 will take you from A-to-B and is a great addition to this phone, you’d probably be better off investing in a dedicated GPS device if you spend a lot of time on the road.

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Giffgaff offering 2p/minute calls and 1p texts with £5/month “labs” goodybag

September 6th, 2010

The O2-backed “people-powered mobile network” Giffgaff has launched a new £5/month “goodybag” tariff which offers calls for 2p/minute and texts for 1p each.

The “people-powered” network Giffgaff has just launched a new tariff, dubbed the “Giffgaff Labs Goodybag”, offering by far the cheapest Pay As You Go calling and texting rates in the UK. Calls are charged at 2p/minute for calls and text messages at 1p per message. Previously, the cheapest calling/texting rates have been held jointly by Giffgaff’s standard tariff and ASDA Mobile both of whom charged 8p/minute and 4p/text. Giffgaff’s new tariff cuts the call/text charges to just a quarter of that.

The “catch” to the new tariff is that, unlike other Pay As You Go tariffs, the “Labs Goodybag” has a standing charge (or “line rental”) of £5/month. You’ll pay the flat rate of £5/month on top of the cost of the calls and texts.

The tariff will be available for 3 months after which Giffgaff say they will review it. If the tariff is discontinued after 3 months, you’ll be switched to Giffgaff’s standard Pay As You Go tariff or a Giffgaff Goodybag.

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PAC Codes: How to transfer your mobile number when switching networks

September 4th, 2010

If you want to switch network, your mobile network is legally obliged to provide you with a “PAC code” so you can transfer your number.

Christmas #1
Creative Commons License photo: kevindooley

If you’re thinking of changing mobile phone network, you don’t need to change your number. In fact, it’s incredibly easy to keep your existing phone number and to transfer it to your new network. In this article, we outline what PAC codes are, how to obtain a PAC code from your existing network and how to use it to transfer your phone number to your new network.

What is a PAC Code?

A PAC (Porting Authorisation Code) Code allows you to change mobile phone network and to keep your existing phone number with no or minimal downtime during the transfer of the phone number. A PAC Code is free and is normally 9 digits long (in the format ABC 123 123).

Our “PAC Code Finder” takes you through the process of obtaining a PAC Code step-by-step.

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How much does it cost to call 0800/0845/0870 numbers from your mobile?

September 3rd, 2010

Ken’s Tech Tips reveals the costs of calls to special numbers across the major mobile networks and how freephone numbers aren’t really free.

Most people assume that freephone numbers are free. Unfortunately that’s not true if you call from your mobile – a 10 minute phone call to a “free” phone number could cost you up to £4! Calls to 0845 numbers should cost the local rate? Nope… not if you call from a mobile phone (and you can’t use your inclusive call allowance either)! In this article, we aim to highlight the cost of calls to special numbers from a mobile phone. We’ll also discuss how much it costs to call from a BT landline and several ways of cutting the cost of calls to special numbers.

What does it cost to call an 0800 (freephone) number?

“Freephone” numbers are only free if you call from a BT landline. If you’re calling from a mobile (except Giffgaff), you’ll have to pay up to 40p/minute. Remember that these calls will not be included in your monthly allowance of minutes. Note that some charity numbers are free-to-call from mobile phones too. Please consult your network’s tariff page (see end of this article).

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Skobbler: Free turn-by-turn GPS navigation application for iPhone

August 31st, 2010

Skobbler is a free application which provides iPhone owners with free turn-by-turn GPS navigation.

If you’ve been just a little bit jealous of the Android users and their free sat-nav app, feel envy no longer. The guys over at Skobbler have launched a free turn-by-turn GPS navigation app for iPhone users in the UK and Ireland.

Which iPhone or iPod Touch do I need to use Skobbler?

Skobbler is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S and iPhone 4.

Skobbler also claim you can use it with iPod Touch, however we struggle to see how you could use the app with only wi-fi functionality. We would suggest buying the in-car MiFi package from Three. It’ll create a wi-fi hotspot in your car with Pay As You Go internet access over Three’s 3G network. This should allow Skobbler to download the maps that it requires to work.

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Amazon’s Kindle offers free worldwide 3G web browsing

August 29th, 2010

Amazon’s popular Kindle book-reading device is currently offering free web browsing over 3G in 100 countries.

Amazon recently launched their Kindle e-Book reader in the UK and one thing that really caught my eye was the fact that they’re providing free 3G wireless connectivity in 100 countries with the 3G version. Combined with the Kindle’s web browser feature, this would make the Kindle an attractive device to use whilst overseas. Although not an ideal device for surfing the web, the Kindle 3G would make it possible to access information such as maps, tourist information and weather forecasts without the ridiculous roaming fees for using your mobile phone whilst abroad or the constant hassle of having to find a free wi-fi hotspots.

What’s the Kindle browser like?

The Kindle isn’t known for having a great web browser. It’s still an experimental feature and whilst features such as Javascript, SSL and cookies are supported, you won’t be able to use plug-ins such as Flash and Shockwave. If you’re looking to watch videos or play games, this certainly isn’t the device for you. The fact that the Kindle is designed as a book-reader and not a multimedia device also shows in that it only has a monochrome screen. So for photos, videos and multimedia the Kindle isn’t going to be a whole lot of use. For basic content pages such as Wikipedia and BBC News, Kindle should be just fine.

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The UK’s Best Value SIM-Only Tariffs (1 month and 12 month contracts)

August 26th, 2010

If you’ve completed your mobile phone contract or you’re looking to switch from Pay As You Go, you can save hundreds of pounds per year by switching to a SIM-only contract.

More and more people are deciding that they’re happy with their existing phone and opting to switch to a cheaper SIM-only calling plan. These SIM-only tariffs, ideal for those who have completed a contract or are currently on Pay As You Go, offer shed loads of minutes and unlimited texts starting at just £5/month. SIM-only tariffs are different from traditional Pay Monthly contracts in that they do not provide a new phone. For this reason, they tend to be about £180/year cheaper than traditional contracts.

In this guide, we’ve compared all of the SIM-only tariffs from the big networks in the UK (3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone). For each price point, we’ve searched through all the tariffs to find the one offering the most minutes and texts. Any of the products listed below should work in your existing phone, providing that it’s unlocked.

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How to find out your international number, receive phone calls & texts from abroad

August 24th, 2010

In this guide, we outline how to receive a phone call from abroad, how to find out your number and what it’ll cost you.

What is my international phone number?

Your international phone number is similar to your UK phone number but the leading zero at the start is replaced by +44. For example, if your phone number is 07123 456 789 then your international number becomes +44 7123 456 789.

Note that your friends abroad don’t actually type this number into their phone. Usually, they’d have to replace the + sign with the international dialling prefix in their country (some mobile phones will now automatically convert the + sign into the correct prefix for you). For example, your friends in America (where 001 is the international dialling prefix) will actually have to dial the number 001 44 7123 456 789. Your friends in Japan (where 010 is the international dialling prefix) will actually have to dial the number 010 44 7123 456 789.

The recommended practice is to give out your phone number in the form of +44 7123 456 789 – most people will know what is meant by this and will replace the + sign with the international dialling prefix in their country.

Note that one very common mistake is to leave the leading zero in the international number (e.g. +44 07123 456 789). This is incorrect and the phone call will not connect.

What is my international number whilst I’m abroad?

Your international phone number will always be the same wherever you take your phone with you in the world. The +44 refers to the fact you have a UK number and not the fact that you are actually in the UK.

For example, if you travel to France then your friends in France will still need to dial your international number with the +44 prefix for UK numbers.

Note that using your phone abroad can be extremely expensive. We’ve got a detailed guide with everything you need to know about using your phone abroad including the charges, how to reduce the chance of hidden charges and cheaper ways of calling whilst abroad.

How much does it cost to receive an international call or text?

In the UK it is always free to receive phone calls and texts. You should not be charged to receive calls/texts from international numbers.

If you take your UK phone abroad, you will be charged to receive phone calls. Receiving text messages is always free.

Solved: The mystery of missing credit on iPhone Pay As You Go

August 21st, 2010

Ken’s Tech Tips investigates reports of Pay As You Go iPhone customers having their Pay As You Go credit eaten up.

I’ve received several reports from PAYG iPhone customers who complain that their Pay As You Go credit has been mysteriously dropping even though they’ve not made any calls or sent any text messages. This problem usually affects users who don’t have an inclusive data allowance on their PAYG tariff (or haven’t topped up enough to receive their free data allowance). Your iPhone continues to the data connection in the background even if you’re not actively using it to browse the web, etc. Although background data usage is usually fairly small, Pay As You Go tariffs such as O2′s Text and Web charge up to £3/MB for data usage if you don’t top up to get free data. This means that even a small amount of data usage can take a substantial amount out of your credit.

In this report, we’ve got a solution to this problem for iOS 4 users and for everybody else, a few tips on how you can reduce these charges.

The solution (iOS 4 users only)

If you’ve got the new iOS 4, you should disable “cellular data”. This will stop the iPhone and all applications from using data over your mobile connection. It will still allow you to access the internet through wi-fi. If you have an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G S, you can download a free update to iOS 4 (although many iPhone 3G users report performance issues after the update).

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Vodafone launch mobile wi-fi hotspot; but it’s pricey

August 19th, 2010

Vodafone have launched a new dongle which allows you to share mobile broadband between all of your wi-fi devices. We dig through all the hype.

Vodafone have just launched the “Vodafone Mobile Wi-Fi R201″ hotspot in the UK. It’s a standalone battery-powered device which connects to the Vodafone 3G network and then makes the mobile broadband connection available to other devices (such as laptops, iPod Touch, iPad, game consoles and smartphones) over wi-fi.

The hotspot will allow up to 5 connections at once and according to Vodafone will last for up to four hours on a single charge.

What tariffs is this available on?

Vodafone are offering the hotspot on three Pay Monthly tariffs starting from £15/month:

Monthly Allowance Contract Length Upfront Price Monthly Price Total Cost (18 months)
3GB 18 months £49 £15 £319
4GB 18 months £29 £20 £389
5GB 18 months Free £25 £450

For more information on what the monthly allowance means in terms of webpages, emails or downloads see our detailed guide to download limits.

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