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Telefónica launches TU Me app: brings free VoIP calling and messaging to the iPhone
We don't understand exactly what European big-hitter Telefónica is set to gain from its new app. Free VoIP calls and messaging doesn't sound like a massive money-spinner for a company that steers several of Europe's biggest mobile carriers, but that's what its new app is offering. TU Me can connect through either WiFi or your own phone signal and throws in some location-sharing features for good measure. The app will still find it tough to break through on the iPhone, which already has plenty of options, include VoIP champ Skype and the home-grown iMessage. According to The Verge, an Android version is already in the pipeline, but if you're driving an iPhone, you can grab the free download from the App Store now.
Mozilla: Brazilians to get first phones running Boot to Gecko
We got to fiddle with Mozilla's HTML5-based mobile OS, Boot to Gecko, for the first time a couple of months ago, and found it to be a promising platform, but one that wasn't ready for prime-time. However, it appears that Brazilians on Telefonica will get the first crack at buying BtG phones, and the handsets are set to go on sale by the end of this year or in early 2013. The good news -- for our South American readers, at least -- came from Gary Kovacs, Mozilla's CEO, who made the announcement in São Paulo today. Unfortunately, Kovacs failed to say what kind of hardware will run the web-based OS, but Pablo Larrieux, the chief innovation officer of Telefonica Vivo, indicated that the handsets will be unlocked and priced to move: they'll cost as much as a featurephone. [Thanks, Henrique] [Brazil flag photo via Shutterstock.]
Galaxy S II does work and personal phone duties at once with Telefonica's Dual Persona service
It wasn't so long ago that the corporate world was ruled by RIM, but with the rise of Android and iOS, more folks are wanting to use their personal handsets both for work and play. Enter Telefonica's Dual Persona service that's making its debut on the Galaxy S II. It's powered by VMWare's Horizon Mobile technology that lets you jump between home and work profiles with the tap of an app, and provides notifications for both profiles no matter which one you're currently using. Basically, the work profile is an instance of virtualized Android based in the cloud, meaning your company's IT folks can manage corporate information on your phone without compromising your personal privacy. Samsung plans to give more of its mobile phones Dual Persona in the coming months, so if you don't own a GSII, there's still a chance your phone could get a split-personality, too. PR's after the break.
Facebook to simplify in-app payments with streamlined carrier billing
Need another watering can to irrigate those crops on your highly-profitable Facebook farm? Soon you may be able to boot that expense directly to your monthly mobile tab, just as you do with other necessities, like ringtones and emoticons. The social networking site is working with carriers to streamline billing, eventually enabling Facebook users to pay their app dues along with their monthly phone bill. Naturally, this is a win for developers, since eliminating the need to pre-purchase Credits or enter card information will result in an increased number of impulse purchases -- and let's face it, there's no line item for FarmVille in the monthly budget. Quite a few carriers appear to be on board -- AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the U.S.; Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone in Europe; and KDDI and Softbank in Japan -- so it looks like devs should have plenty of reasons to celebrate. The service will be automatically activated once providers support it, enabling easier purchases for "hundreds of millions of people worldwide." Streamlined carrier billing is but one recent development, so hit up the source link for the full rundown.
Mozilla partners with Telefonica and Deutsche Telekom to further Boot to Gecko project
So far, we have seen neither hide nor hair of that rumored LG-built Boot to Gecko developer device. Mozilla hasn't exactly been keeping quiet, though. The company announced a pair of partners on the web standards-based mobile OS: Telefónica and Deutsche Telekom. The German parent company of T-Mobile will be lending members of its Innovation Labs team to the development of the project. Telefónica will be bringing hardware to the equation. It revealed plans to build "open web devices" based on B2G for release this year. Qualcomm and Adobe are also throwing their weight behind the HTML5 platform. Before the week is through we should be able to scrounge up a few more details and spend some hands-on time with the OS.
LG to out VMWare phone on Verizon, split home and work better than you ever did
VMWare is on a mission to stop you having to carry separate home and work phones, by letting you flick between totally separate and secure OS environments with the tap of a button. We already tried out its slick virtualized Android OS on an LG phone back at MWC last year, but now The Verge has learned that a finished product is coming to Verizon and Telefonica in a matter of "months." More details soon as we get them.
RIM, Telefonica announce NFC trial, aim to launch mobile wallet next year
RIM's NFC campaign is about to roll into Iberia, now that the BlackBerry manufacturer has announced a new partnership with Madrid-based Telefonica. This week, the two companies unveiled plans to begin testing a mobile payment and ID card system across the Spanish capital, in the hopes of launching commercial services next year. The so-called Telefonica Wallet for BlackBerry trial will involve some 350 Telefonica employees and a select group of testers within Madrid, each of whom will be able to make payments, access offices and check bank statements from their BlackBerry handsets. Telefonica's Matthew Key told Reuters that his company chose RIM to participate in the trial primarily because of the security of its BlackBerry platform, stressing the importance of earning enough consumer trust to handle sensitive personal data. No specifics yet on when or where the carrier will launch a full payment system, though Key said that Telefonica's aiming to bring it to a handful of markets in 2012.
Telefonica exec echoes what we already know: Nokia's new handsets are too spendy
Nokia has certainly had a reputation of keeping its premier phones at a high price, but it's not too often that we hear a head honcho in the industry say anything about it. Telefonica European General Manager Simon Lee-Smith went on the record to voice his displeasure over the exorbitant cost of the Lumia 800 as well as the N8 and N9. Speaking with Telecoms.com, he mentioned that the only way Espoo's going to push a significant volume of Windows Phones is to offer them at a reasonable price point. Vendors, according to Lee-Smith, have unrealistic expectations of what consumers -- and carriers -- will pay for smartphones. Sayeth Lee-Smith: "All device manufacturers seem to think that a €400-plus device is the norm. Well, it isn't. Customers and operators won't pay that cost for a device which doesn't differentiate sufficiently." In other words, the Lumia 800 (priced at €420, or about $585) needs to offer something more unique to customers in order to justify its cost. It does make us curious to see if Nokia can satisfy the needs of US carriers if it doesn't bring down its asking price. Head over to the source to read more of Lee-Smith's quotable quotes.
Telefonica iPhone stock being recalled in time for September 12th launch?
Well folks... looks like we're finally getting some meat to all the iPhone 5/4S rumors that have been swirling around for months. We got some interesting news from a vigilant tipster today: beginning August 22nd, Telefonica will begin scaling back its current iPhone stock through September 12th. According to the source, this three week program is a move that "will of course prepare us for the launch of a new smart phone." While the date next month should sound familiar, we've heard recently that the launch will actually take place sometime in October. Either way, a move like this is usually a telling sign that points directly to a new model launch. Keep your eyes pinned here, and prepare yourself, as it appears Mr. Jobs may have something planned for the fall. [Thanks, Anonymous]
UK mobile companies take aim at Google Wallet, want in on the NFC action
Oh Google, you didn't think you were going to have all the mobile payment fun did you? While you're beta testing in New York and San Francisco some big names across the pond are looking to dominate the entire UK. Vodafone, Telefonica, and Everything Everywhere (a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile) are combining forces to create a mobile payment and marketing system that will take on Google Wallet and Offers before they even get off the ground in the British isles. The platform will be open to all comers, including Google, (you know, in case it decides to make Wallet a US only affair) and the companies have pledged to keep customer data out of the hands of third parties. The project is still in the very early stages of development, but the mobile providers aren't dilly dallying -- they expect their efforts to bear NFC fruit before the end of the year.
O2 plans free and open WiFi network across the UK, Sky picks up The Cloud
Only a handful of Muni-Fi projects ended in anything greater than eternal tears here in the States, but hopefully O2's up for the challenge across the pond. The UK carrier just announced its intentions to "refine the WiFi landscape" in its home nation by launching O2 WiFi, with a raft of "premium hotspots" to be rolled out and managed by key venue owners. As of now, it's hard to pinpoint who exactly will begin hosting O2's routers, but the key part is this: they'll be open for all customers to access for free, no matter which mobile or broadband provider they are with. Making no bones about who it's coming after, the operator has affirmed its intentions to "at least double the number of premium hotspots currently offered by BT Openzone and The Cloud combined by 2013," with the rollout to begin as early as today and continue for as long as it takes. 'Course, doubling up The Cloud may take a little more work given that Sky just picked it up for an undisclosed sum, but hey, we're sure every Briton in existence would just love to see these two duke it out for WiFi supremacy.
HTC 7 Pro now available on O2 Germany, €22 monthly or €599 up front
Not that we had any reason to doubt O2 Germany's Twitter account, but a formal press release does help ease our few concerns. The HTC 7 Pro is now official on the European carrier for the asking price of €29 down and 24 months of €22.50. If you want to rip the proverbial band-aid off faster, it's also available for a €599 flat fee -- both of those without SIM lock. The rest of the world? We imagine it's just a matter of time before HTC offers this through its other channels.
European carriers want content companies and smartphone makers to pay network usage fees
How do you start a net neutrality debate without ever saying "net neutrality?" If you're a European wireless carrier like France Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, or Vodafone, you do it by just getting straight to the point: you say companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook need to start paying for continued network access because their devices and services use too much bandwidth. Yep, that's a straight-up network neutrality issue, but the carriers are framing it like it's an accounting problem -- and they're not being shy about wanting more cash to even out the books as they invest in next-gen networks. "It's necessary to put in place a system of payments by service providers as a function of their use," says France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard, while Telefonica CEO Cesar Alierta says that Google and Yahoo's free use of his network is a "tragedy" that "can't continue." (No, we're not making this up.) In addition to shaking down service providers and device makers, European carriers are also following AT&T and Verizon to tiered data plans -- France Telecom is will move from unlimited pricing to something "more sophisticated," and the other networks expected to follow. What's most interesting to us is that the carriers are appearing to conflate bandwidth-heavy services like Facebook and YouTube with devices that customers use to access those services -- does it really make any sense to charge Apple or Google a fee for making good phones that encourage more network use, on top of charging users for tiered data? That's an unexpected -- and unfortunate -- twist on the standard net neutrality debate, and we're not so sure we want to see where it's going. Read the whole article at the source link, it's a good one.
Samsung Galaxy Tab on sale now in UK
While Steve Jobs doesn't like the form factor and Google thinks that Froyo is less than ideal for tablets, we were pretty impressed by the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab's ability to run Android 2.2. Today it's officially on sale in UK shops as previously announced. It's supposed to be coming to all the major UK carriers in addition to Carphone Warehouse, Dixons, and T-Mobile shops. At the moment, we're seeing it in stock at the Carphone Warehouse under a variety of plans ranging from a £499.99 with a £10 pay monthly plan on Talk Mobile that includes 1GB of data. On the other extreme is a £99.99 deal that requires a £40 per month two year contract that includes 5GB of data on Three. It's also offered for a standalone price of £529.99. And please, whatever you do don't call it a UMPC, that was so 5 years ago. Update: We've just heard that Orange is also launching the Tab at similar price points, starting from £499. Similarly, Vodafone's offering the same tablet for £499 across all of its monthly contracts. On the other hand, O2's slapped a staggering £599 tag onto the device for all of its plans -- a very odd move, we'd say (link only works within the UK).
Novatel's Ovation MC545 modem suggests extremely fast things come in small packages
The next (and most likely last) step in extending the lifespan of 3G data is dual-carrier HSPA, a technology not unlike using two modems at the same time to effectively double the width of the pipe. Novatel's got a new dual-carrier-capable USB stick out that it claims to be the world's smallest -- and it's launching as a Movistar exclusive in Spain initially where the company demonstrated speeds this week topping out at a face-melting 40.5Mbps downstream. Who needs 4G when you're getting those kinds of numbers? After its tour of Spain, the Ovation MC545 will launch with other carriers around the world, though with just 900, 1900, and 2100MHz 3G support onboard, we wouldn't expect to see it grace North America -- at least, not without a radio swap back at the factory. Follow the break for Novatel's full press release.
European operators considering making yet another mobile OS?
What, France Telecom? Neither LiMo nor Brew MP are good enough for you? Bada not open enough? Rumor has it that France Telecom-Orange boss Stephane Richard has summoned the heads of Vodafone, Telefonica, and Deutsche Telekom to Paris early next month to discuss how to best shoehorn their way back into the business of profiting off mobile software stacks, something that both Apple and Google have helped significantly diminish over the past couple years. Of course, Vodafone already tried this with its now-defunct 360 platform based on LiMo, so we're sure it's going to take a bit of convincing to get them back into the game -- and AT&T and Verizon have both done their fair share to prove you can mangle Android enough to profit from it. The phrase "dumb pipe" still isn't clicking with any of the major operators after all these years; maybe if we called it "smart pipe" instead?
WSJ: iPhone 4 to be offered by Vodafone and O2 in Germany as T-Mobile loses exclusivity
The last bastion of Applephone exclusivity in Europe is about to be toppled, according to the Wall Street Journal, as Deutsche Telekom is said to be preparing for the loss of its iPhone 4 monopoly ahead of this year's holiday shopping season. Citing separate sources familiar with the matter, this report suggests that Vodafone and O2's German arms are earnestly reaching out for Apple's latest and greatest, and while distribution deals haven't yet been finalized, negotiations have reached an "advanced stage." Much as with O2's UK exclusivity deal, Apple looks to have opted against extending its arrangement with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile in an effort to reach the widest possible consumer base. Makes a lot of sense to us, now how about doing the same back home?
Telefonica gets behind MeeGo, says 'smartphones, netbooks, tablets, and internet connected TVs' are possibilities
Virtually all of the MeeGo buzz since Intel and Nokia's tie-up back in February has been focused on high-end smartphones, tablets, and netbooks, but Telefonica reminds us that there's another potential target for the platform, too -- connected TVs. The Spanish wireless, fixed internet, and cable operator has thrown its weight behind MeeGo this week (which is a pretty big deal considering that the company has global reach across 25 countries and about a quarter billion subscribers), hinting that "services could potentially include content and applications that can be accessed from devices such as smartphones, netbooks, tablets, and internet connected TVs for Telefonica's wireline and wireless operations." We've yet to see any set-top box announcements in the MeeGo space, but with Google trying to light fires under the connected TV market, we imagine some competitors are bound to emerge -- and it's probably a good sign that they've got the backing of a cable company.
Dell Streak official: exclusive to O2 UK (update: launches on June 4)
Let's all feign surprise now, as Dell has just gone official with its worst kept, though perhaps sexiest, secret ever. The former Mini 5 has been christened the Streak and is launching at the beginning of next month. The UK will be getting the first bite at this cherry, with the rest of Europe following soon thereafter and the US a disappointingly distant third with a launch "later this summer." If you've been living under a (Round) Rock, this is Dell's big foray into the smartphone market: a 5-inch supersized Android handset, housing a 1GHz Snapdragon, a 5 megapixel cam, 2GB of built-in memory (expandable via MicroSD) and a customized UI. Curiously, Dell's opting to market the Streak as "the ultimate portable tablet pc" and would prefer that this device, albeit fully equipped to carry out cellular calls like a phone, not be called a smartphone. We got a chance to play with it during a briefing in London recently, and frankly, aside from the snazzier paintjob, there's nothing new to report. Just like the prototype unit we've previewed to exhaustion, the device on hand was running Android 1.6 and Dell's skinning team hadn't yet laid on the goodies that we've been promised. The battery is the same 1,530mAh cell as before, and we even managed to get the browser to crash in the exact same fashion that our own Streak exhibits on occasion. Now that's consistency. We're not being told the specific Android version that the Streak will ship with, but a couple of flavors are being mulled over right now. Till we get more info, we suggest sitting back, relaxing, and perusing the gallery below for the roaring red number that's currently on show. It won't be available at launch -- you can have any color so long as it's black -- but "a range of colors and designs" will swiftly follow to sate any aesthetic concerns. Video and full press release after the break. Update: The Carphone Warehouse listing for the Streak shows Android 1.6 as the OS with an "OTA upgrade available soon." Pair that with word direct from Dell that Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1 are coming "later this year," and you can connect your own dots [Thanks, Azza]. Update 2: O2's website now has a precise date for us: June 4.%Gallery-93604%%Gallery-93632%
Four big carriers targeting LiMo phone releases this year
Hey, remember LiMo? Yeah, us neither, but the stealthiest of major mobile platform coalitions is back in the spotlight today on news that four top global carriers -- France Telecom's Orange, Telefonica (presumably via O2 and Movistar), Verizon, and Korea's SKT will all be launching LiMo-based phones by year-end. As a refresher, Big Red jointed the LiMo Foundation way back in 2008, so it's interesting to see that they're still looking to play ball; the platform has typically been billed as more of a carrier-facing initiative than a consumer-facing one, so realistically, end users are likely going to perceive nothing other than a little more dumbphone synergy across the lineup than they do now. Android, Windows Phone, iPhone, webOS... you guys are free to carry on.
