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O2 Lease lets you rent an iPhone 4S
By Joe Svetlik on 13 December 2011, 9:01am
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Fed up of shelling out for two-year contracts, only for your phone to be out of date a few months in? O2 may well have the answer: rent an iPhone 4S, thanks to its new O2 Lease programme, TUAW reports.
Here’s how it works: you rent the handset for a year, rather than being weighed down with it for an 18- or 24-month contract. There’s no upfront cost for the device, but you do have to return it at the end of the lease period. O2 has some stern words of warning for anyone who’s ever got a bit careless with their phone, too.
The caveat reads: “With O2 Lease, the phone isn’t yours and if you don’t return it in satisfactory condition at the end of your lease, you may have to pay substantial charges.” So bad news if you’ve made a habit of getting drunk and dropping your phone in the loo.
So what’s the tariff like? You get 750 minutes per month, unlimited texts and 500MB data, with unlimited UK Wi-Fi, tethering and 20 UK picture messages. O2 will insure the phone too. For the privilege, you pay £55 per month for the 16GB iPhone 4S, or £65 per month for the 32GB.
Normally if you were taking out an iPhone 4S for 12 months on O2, you’d pay between £21 and £62 per month, with data ranging from £3 to £10 extra.
The 750 minutes per month is a limited offer, going down to 600 minutes according to O2′s terms and conditions, though there’s no word on when that’ll happen.
So, what do you reckon? A good deal? Or is it too expensive just to avoid a longer contract? Would you rather keep the same phone longer than a year? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
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Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Joe Svetlik on 13 December 2011, 9:01am
Read Full Review
Fed up of shelling out for two-year contracts, only for your phone to be out of date a few months in? O2 may well have the answer: rent an iPhone 4S, thanks to its new O2 Lease programme, TUAW reports.
Here’s how it works: you rent the handset for a year, rather than being weighed down with it for an 18- or 24-month contract. There’s no upfront cost for the device, but you do have to return it at the end of the lease period. O2 has some stern words of warning for anyone who’s ever got a bit careless with their phone, too.
The caveat reads: “With O2 Lease, the phone isn’t yours and if you don’t return it in satisfactory condition at the end of your lease, you may have to pay substantial charges.” So bad news if you’ve made a habit of getting drunk and dropping your phone in the loo.
So what’s the tariff like? You get 750 minutes per month, unlimited texts and 500MB data, with unlimited UK Wi-Fi, tethering and 20 UK picture messages. O2 will insure the phone too. For the privilege, you pay £55 per month for the 16GB iPhone 4S, or £65 per month for the 32GB.
Normally if you were taking out an iPhone 4S for 12 months on O2, you’d pay between £21 and £62 per month, with data ranging from £3 to £10 extra.
The 750 minutes per month is a limited offer, going down to 600 minutes according to O2′s terms and conditions, though there’s no word on when that’ll happen.
So, what do you reckon? A good deal? Or is it too expensive just to avoid a longer contract? Would you rather keep the same phone longer than a year? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Access hidden iPhone features without jailbreaking
iOS 5: How to set up geotagged Reminders
iOS 5: How to use iPhone’s native Twitter tools
iOS 5: How to use home sharing
Best touchscreen phones
Mobile Phone Reviews
More reviews »
Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
Apple relaxes rules on iAds, more in-app ads incoming?
By Joe Svetlik on 13 December 2011, 10:37am
Things must be going badly. Apple is notorious for its uncompromising approach, so when it starts softening its usually stringent regulations, you know something’s up.
And that’s exactly what it’s doing with its iAd mobile advertising service, the Wall Street Journal reports. Apple is making concessions to advertisers more tempted by Google’s approach, which is cheaper, and works on more devices than just one company’s. The result for us app fans? We could see a lot more ads in iPhone and iPad apps.
Apple initially asked marketers to commit to at least $ 1m (£640,000), which it later dropped to $ 500,000, and is now discussing a minimum commitment of just $ 400,000, according to sources close to the matter cited by the Journal.
The Cupertino company has also become a little more flexible, which isn’t a word usually associated with it. Rather than charging marketers every time someone taps an ad, Apple is willing to put a cap on it. It’s thought this is because of competition from Google’s AdMob service, which charges less.
Apple has also started courting advertisers, with such big spenders as Pepsi and JC Penney visiting the Cupertino campus for tours and information sessions, as well as being able to make purchases with a discount. Apple offering discounts? Things really must be dire.
While Apple has brought customers to its campus before, this is the first time it’s extended an invite to advertisers. “They are still learning the advertising world,” Shiv Singh, head of digital at Pepsi, told the Journal.
Steve Jobs reportedly envisaged iAds as more like TV ads than online ones, which he thought people found irritating.
Apps continue to be a huge success for Apple though, with nearly 20 billion apps downloaded on iOS and $ 2.5bn earned for developers. Its Mac App Store this week surpassed 100 million downloads less than a year after launch.
What’s been your experience of in-app ads so far? And do you want to see more, if it means cheaper apps? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Microsoft: Insult Android, win a free Windows Phone
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Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Joe Svetlik on 13 December 2011, 10:37am
Things must be going badly. Apple is notorious for its uncompromising approach, so when it starts softening its usually stringent regulations, you know something’s up.
And that’s exactly what it’s doing with its iAd mobile advertising service, the Wall Street Journal reports. Apple is making concessions to advertisers more tempted by Google’s approach, which is cheaper, and works on more devices than just one company’s. The result for us app fans? We could see a lot more ads in iPhone and iPad apps.
Apple initially asked marketers to commit to at least $ 1m (£640,000), which it later dropped to $ 500,000, and is now discussing a minimum commitment of just $ 400,000, according to sources close to the matter cited by the Journal.
The Cupertino company has also become a little more flexible, which isn’t a word usually associated with it. Rather than charging marketers every time someone taps an ad, Apple is willing to put a cap on it. It’s thought this is because of competition from Google’s AdMob service, which charges less.
Apple has also started courting advertisers, with such big spenders as Pepsi and JC Penney visiting the Cupertino campus for tours and information sessions, as well as being able to make purchases with a discount. Apple offering discounts? Things really must be dire.
While Apple has brought customers to its campus before, this is the first time it’s extended an invite to advertisers. “They are still learning the advertising world,” Shiv Singh, head of digital at Pepsi, told the Journal.
Steve Jobs reportedly envisaged iAds as more like TV ads than online ones, which he thought people found irritating.
Apps continue to be a huge success for Apple though, with nearly 20 billion apps downloaded on iOS and $ 2.5bn earned for developers. Its Mac App Store this week surpassed 100 million downloads less than a year after launch.
What’s been your experience of in-app ads so far? And do you want to see more, if it means cheaper apps? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Microsoft: Insult Android, win a free Windows Phone
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD photos leak, but no Android 4.0
Windows Phone text bug lets hackers bork your blower
O2 Lease lets you rent an iPhone 4S
Has GiffGaff become too popular for its own good?
Mobile Phone Reviews
More reviews »
Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD photos leak, but no Android 4.0
By Luke Westaway on 13 December 2011, 11:33am
Photos of the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD (codenamed the Xperia Nozomi) have leaked, along with a host of specs.
The details, sent to GSMArena, suggest that when it launches the mobile will be slightly bigger than the Arc, sporting a 4.3-inch LCD display. Not unusual, but we’re far more intrigued by the purported 720×1,280-pixel HD resolution — so far only the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy Nexus packs that many pixels.
Around the back we’re expecting a honking great 12-megapixel camera. The Xperia Arc had a terrific camera thanks to Sony’s own Exmor R CMOS Sensor, so we’ve got high hopes for this snapper.
Design-wise, we like the look of that clear slab underneath the screen. It looks to house touch-sensitive buttons, and while we worry it’ll feel a tad tacky once we’re actually holding the thing, at least it makes the Arc HD stand out.
A dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM are rumoured to be chugging away inside — if true that should make this phone a frighteningly powerful one. There are some restrictions though — it uses a Micro SIM rather than the normal kind, the battery is not removable, and like the Nexus there’s no microSD card slot, so you’re stuck with the 16 or 32GB of built-in storage.
No Ice Cream Sandwich
Apparently this phone will launch running Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, which is a version behind the newest edition, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
ICS brings a significant interface overhaul to Google’s mobile operating system, and a host of new features like the ability to unlock your phone using your face. It’s already out there, running on the Galaxy Nexus, so to not have it as standard on a new Android mobile is a severe disappointment.
We think we’ll probably see this phone making its debut at the CES tech show in January, where we’ll hopefully also learn its official name. Stay tuned for more info, and in the meantime let us know whether you’re excited about this mobile in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Microsoft: Insult Android, win a free Windows Phone
Apple relaxes rules on iAds, more in-app ads incoming?
Windows Phone text bug lets hackers bork your blower
O2 Lease lets you rent an iPhone 4S
Has GiffGaff become too popular for its own good?
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Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Luke Westaway on 13 December 2011, 11:33am
Photos of the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD (codenamed the Xperia Nozomi) have leaked, along with a host of specs.
The details, sent to GSMArena, suggest that when it launches the mobile will be slightly bigger than the Arc, sporting a 4.3-inch LCD display. Not unusual, but we’re far more intrigued by the purported 720×1,280-pixel HD resolution — so far only the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy Nexus packs that many pixels.
Around the back we’re expecting a honking great 12-megapixel camera. The Xperia Arc had a terrific camera thanks to Sony’s own Exmor R CMOS Sensor, so we’ve got high hopes for this snapper.
Design-wise, we like the look of that clear slab underneath the screen. It looks to house touch-sensitive buttons, and while we worry it’ll feel a tad tacky once we’re actually holding the thing, at least it makes the Arc HD stand out.
A dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM are rumoured to be chugging away inside — if true that should make this phone a frighteningly powerful one. There are some restrictions though — it uses a Micro SIM rather than the normal kind, the battery is not removable, and like the Nexus there’s no microSD card slot, so you’re stuck with the 16 or 32GB of built-in storage.
No Ice Cream Sandwich
Apparently this phone will launch running Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, which is a version behind the newest edition, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
ICS brings a significant interface overhaul to Google’s mobile operating system, and a host of new features like the ability to unlock your phone using your face. It’s already out there, running on the Galaxy Nexus, so to not have it as standard on a new Android mobile is a severe disappointment.
We think we’ll probably see this phone making its debut at the CES tech show in January, where we’ll hopefully also learn its official name. Stay tuned for more info, and in the meantime let us know whether you’re excited about this mobile in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Microsoft: Insult Android, win a free Windows Phone
Apple relaxes rules on iAds, more in-app ads incoming?
Windows Phone text bug lets hackers bork your blower
O2 Lease lets you rent an iPhone 4S
Has GiffGaff become too popular for its own good?
Mobile Phone Reviews
More reviews »
Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
Microsoft: Insult Android, win a free Windows Phone
By Joe Svetlik on 13 December 2011, 11:59am
This could be a little controversial. Microsoft is offering the chance of winning a free Windows Phone, in exchange for Android owners sharing tales of woe on Twitter concerning Google’s operating system, Electric Pig reports.
People are encouraged to use the hashtag #droidrage to vent their dissatisfaction.
Windows Phone ‘evangelist’ Ben Rudolph tweeted: “Share your android malware story… and you could win a #windowsphone upgrade.”
Microsoft’s official Twitter account retweeted it, which we’ll take as an endorsement of the campaign. Though even it seems to know it may be a little controversial, saying Rudolph is “always causing trouble”. We imagine a Microsoft exec rolling their eyes as they tweeted that.
There’s no word on which handset Rudolph will give away (maybe that rumoured Lumia 900, if it launches in the States). He’s in the US, so bad luck for any of us Brits fancying a free upgrade.
Rudolph doesn’t seem short of entrants to pick from though. One person tweeted: “My Samsung Galaxy S would crash just lying there. Battery pull needed, no malware needed.” And another: “I’ve had to flash my Android phone twice because of malware. Not to mention the fragmentation issues + battery life.”
They have to be taken with a pinch of salt of course, seeing as those tweeting are after a freebie. One example: “Personal info compromised twice from malware. #windowsphone looks too beautiful for hackers to dare lay a finger on.” Or how about: “Come on guys. My iPhone is infected with iOS. Surely that’s worse?”
It’s certainly entertaining reading, but is encouraging people to slag off a rival company in return for a freebie a bit below the belt? Or just a bit of harmless fun? Let us know what you think either in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. Feel free to share any horror stories relating to mobiles too, though we’re afraid we can’t offer any free handsets in return.
You might like these…
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD photos leak, but no Android 4.0
Apple relaxes rules on iAds, more in-app ads incoming?
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Has GiffGaff become too popular for its own good?
Mobile Phone Reviews
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Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Joe Svetlik on 13 December 2011, 11:59am
This could be a little controversial. Microsoft is offering the chance of winning a free Windows Phone, in exchange for Android owners sharing tales of woe on Twitter concerning Google’s operating system, Electric Pig reports.
People are encouraged to use the hashtag #droidrage to vent their dissatisfaction.
Windows Phone ‘evangelist’ Ben Rudolph tweeted: “Share your android malware story… and you could win a #windowsphone upgrade.”
Microsoft’s official Twitter account retweeted it, which we’ll take as an endorsement of the campaign. Though even it seems to know it may be a little controversial, saying Rudolph is “always causing trouble”. We imagine a Microsoft exec rolling their eyes as they tweeted that.
There’s no word on which handset Rudolph will give away (maybe that rumoured Lumia 900, if it launches in the States). He’s in the US, so bad luck for any of us Brits fancying a free upgrade.
Rudolph doesn’t seem short of entrants to pick from though. One person tweeted: “My Samsung Galaxy S would crash just lying there. Battery pull needed, no malware needed.” And another: “I’ve had to flash my Android phone twice because of malware. Not to mention the fragmentation issues + battery life.”
They have to be taken with a pinch of salt of course, seeing as those tweeting are after a freebie. One example: “Personal info compromised twice from malware. #windowsphone looks too beautiful for hackers to dare lay a finger on.” Or how about: “Come on guys. My iPhone is infected with iOS. Surely that’s worse?”
It’s certainly entertaining reading, but is encouraging people to slag off a rival company in return for a freebie a bit below the belt? Or just a bit of harmless fun? Let us know what you think either in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. Feel free to share any horror stories relating to mobiles too, though we’re afraid we can’t offer any free handsets in return.
You might like these…
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD photos leak, but no Android 4.0
Apple relaxes rules on iAds, more in-app ads incoming?
Windows Phone text bug lets hackers bork your blower
O2 Lease lets you rent an iPhone 4S
Has GiffGaff become too popular for its own good?
Mobile Phone Reviews
More reviews »
Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
