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Turkey’s president calls for a boycott of US electronics
As tensions mount between the US and Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now calling for the country to boycott US electronics. He even called out the iPhone specifically -- a product he's often seen using. "Every product that we buy in foreign currency from outside, we will produce them here and sell abroad," Erdogan said during a speech given in Ankara, "We will boycott the electronics products of the US." He added, "If they have iPhone, there is Samsung on the other side. And we have our own telephone brands."
Apple, Fitbit and Sonos could feel the sting of Trump tariffs
Some wearables and smart speakers could soon face a price increase because of US tariffs on Chinese goods, according to US Customs and Border Protection classifications. Reuters reported that Apple Watch, Fitbit devices and some Sonos speakers fall under a "data transmission machines" subheading in a list of 6,000 tariff codes proposed earlier this month.
Harleys sold in the US will still be built in the US
This morning I rode an electric motorcycle to work. It was quiet, clean, quick (lane-splitting FTW), and in San Francisco's increasingly horrid traffic, it was more enjoyable than sitting in a car staring at the license plate in front of me for 30 minutes while moving only three blocks.
US walks back China tech investment restrictions
Earlier this month, President Trump announced that the US would impose a 25 percent tariff on imported Chinese goods from certain industries. There was significant worry that the president would also limit or block investment in US based tech firms if the company had 25 percent or more Chinese ownership. Now, according to Axios, it appears that these additional restrictions won't materialize; the president will limit himself to what Congress already has planned.
Trump's new solar tariffs could kill 23,000 US jobs
As expected, US President Donald Trump has imposed a 30 percent tariff on solar cells imported into the US, mainly from Asia, a move that could bring the booming residential solar industry to a screeching halt. The levies are less than those requested by the US solar cell manufacturers that brought the dispute to US regulators to begin with. However, they were vehemently opposed by Tesla and other large players in the US solar energy industry, who say they will wipe out high-paying jobs in a promising new sector of the economy.
Sainsbury's will kill its mobile network on January 15th
After more than two years of selling mobile plans to customers, Sainsbury's is very suddenly exiting the game. Talks with Vodafone, the carrier underpinning the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), apparently broke down, leading the supermarket chain to quietly pull monthly plans from its website. A knowledgeable source told Engadget that Sainsbury's began removing marketing material in stores yesterday and is in the process of contacting existing customers about their next steps.
EE adds new entry-level 4G tariffs starting at £14 per month
Yesterday, the cheapest way to hop on UK carrier EE's LTE network, with smartphone for keeps, would set you back £19 per month. Today, call it £14, as EE's introduced a pair of lower price tiers in its 24-month, handset-included plans. For that £14, you get 500 minutes, 500MB of data, and unlimited texts. That would've been the same as the £19 per month plan (just with half the minutes) yesterday, but today £19 gets you 1GB of data. The situation is a little different for EE's "double-speed" Extra tariffs. Nothing changes to any of the existing plans, so the new £22 per month option, which gets you 1000 minutes and 2GB of data, just sits in behind the 4GB for £27 tier. Now, these cheaper plans are going to be offset by steeper handset costs, but there are still some thrifty choices. The Alcatel One Touch Idol S is free from £14 per month, as will EE's own Kestrel when it launches, with other phones starting at £20 upfront.
O2 reprices 4G contracts, 1GB plans now start at £17 per month
Now that O2's caught up to its UK competition with the launch of pay-as-you-go and data-only 4G plans, the network's revisited its standard contract tariffs and taken some sting out of those monthly charges. Two-year contracts now start at £17 per month for 1GB of data (unlimited everything else) and go up to £27 per month for 8GB. These are O2 Refresh plans, mind, so there's an additional monthly bill that goes towards the 4G handset you've opted for. In comparison, the cheapest 24-month contract we could find with EE was £19 per month for 500MB of data, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts, as long as you stump up £30 for an Alcatel One Touch Idol S. O2's altered its one-year SIM-only plans, too, now offering 1GB of data for £21 per month, 5GB for £26 and 8GB for £31. Monthly damage on EE for the same data caps are £21, £31 and £41, respectively. O2's revamped tariffs benefit new customers, sure, but there's something in it for existing ones, too. Anyone already on a 4G plan will get a bump to their monthly data limit, and those with 3G contracts can now jump seamlessly over to 4G, as long as their plan is for at least 1GB and they have a 4G-compatible phone. And, if they need to upgrade to an LTE handset, they can leverage a 25 percent saving on the outstanding line rental. We know you love tables, and you'll find one breaking down all of O2's new prices below the fold.
Virgin Media outlines Galaxy S 4 pricing, starts at £31 per month with £99 down
We've seen a few UK carriers show their cards ahead of the Galaxy S 4 launch this weekend, but MVNO Virgin Media has been slightly coy with details compared to bigger peers like EE and Vodafone. Better late than never, we suppose: the provider has outlined just how much we'll have to spend to get Samsung's flagship. Customers who have Virgin broadband or TV services can pay the same £31 per month as their EE counterparts, getting a lower £99 device cost and insurance in exchange for a more limited service that includes 200 minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of data. When mobile-only customers have to pay £5 more per month, though, we'd think carefully about signing up just for the sake of the GS 4. There are better deals afoot if you're not already a loyal Virgin customer.
LTE iPhone 5 coming to EE and Three in UK, but not O2 and Vodafone
Brits ready to stake their preorder claim this Friday might have a harder time deciding between the myriad of networks offering the device. While all of the major UK carriers will be ready to offer you the iPhone 5, that LTE radio will only be working on the newly-christened EE from the start, with Three likely to use that purchased spectrum (after getting the okay from Ofcom) to similar effect in the near-future. Unfortunately for Vodafone and O2, the forthcoming Ofcom spectrum auction is gearing up to sell off the 800MHz (Band 20) and 2.6GHz (Band 7) frequencies -- neither of which are found on Apple's multiple iPhone 5 models, and the latter being a bigger problem in Europe and Asia, where LTE networks already make use of the 2.6GHz frequency. However, Apple have followed up an initial phone launch with additional network-specific models before -- so there's a slim chance we could see another model at a later date. All the UK carriers are keeping their contract prices a tightly-guarded secret at the moment, but we'll update as soon as we hear more. Meanwhile, those on that little European isle can expect to pay £529 for the entry-level iPhone 5 from the source when pre-orders start this Friday. Update: Pocket-lint's been told that those looking to grab the EE iteration will need to initially register with either Orange or T-Mobile, with your service bizarrely migrating across on a later, as-yet unconfirmed, date. This is because its new 4G network won't be ready when the iPhone 5 first hits shops on September 21st. Before that, you'll have to make do with HSPA+ speeds.
Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits
It was only in June that we saw Virgin Media shaking up its regular mobile plans for UK residents. The carrier is back for another round, this time to serve the SIM Only customers who thrive on unlocked phones. Four plans starting from £12 ($19) a month all provide unlimited data and text messaging for bring-your-own-phone subscribers, with voice as the only real separating factor: the thriftiest callers get 150 minutes per month, while higher £15, £17 and £25 ($24, $27 and $40) tiers ramp up to a respective 250, 1,200 and 2,500 minutes for chattier customers. The chief gotcha is a lack of bundled landline calling for all but the priciest plan, although existing Virgin Media subscribers can knock an extra £5 off of that rate. If you're the sort who can't bear the thought of a contract, Virgin now has you better covered.
HTC confirms it's closing offices in Brazil, halting direct sales as well (update: Durham, too)
We don't have great news to share with Brazilian Android fans as the week winds to a close. After AndroidPit's initial word, we've since received extra confirmation from a spokesperson that HTC is closing its office in Brazil "after careful analysis of [its] business." The company wouldn't get any closer than that for reasoning, although the country's high tariffs on technology imports may play a part: they were high enough for Foxconn to open a Brazilian plant just so Apple could keep selling iPads and iPhones at comfortable prices, and HTC hasn't been making phones in Brazil for some time. There's also the matter of fighting to stay profitable in a market where Apple and Samsung are the only real money makers. HTC is vowing to keep up post-sale support, which we appreciate, but it's also stopping all direct sales in the process. As such, the only way you'll get a One S in Sao Paulo from now on is to go through an importer and take the added hit to the pocketbook. Update: Sadly, it looks like the company's Durham, North Carolina research location is also folding, with around 50 employees being impacted. "Some" may be offered relocation options, but the details remain unclear. For those keeping count, the facility is only around 1.5 years old.
T-Mobile wants new customers to pay upfront, says it's nothing personal
A change to T-Mobile's billing methods means it'll want to see the color of your money before you've barely had time to play with your new handset. Normally you'd enjoy a liberating spell of non-topping-up telephonic joy before the cold, financial reality of the money being sucked out of your bank account. However, from the 20th of this month, new post-paid customers will be expected to trump up in advance for the recurring part of their bill. Don't panic though, while the first bill might feel a bit heftier (as it includes the pro rata amount for the month, and the next full month,) you're still paying the same amount over time. But, if you're used to the old method, it might come as a bit of a shock when that first magenta envelope hits your letterbox.
Orange / Deezer strike mobile music streaming deal
When it comes to music subscription services, Spotify isn't the only game in town -- but you knew that already. Here in the States we've got Rhapsody and Rdio to name but a couple, and in Europe, Deezer has been making a bit of a name for itself over the past few years. The French service will likely be expanding its reach in the UK, thanks to a deal struck with Orange. Deezer is now available as part of the carrier's Panther plan -- Orange customers on other plans will have to pay £9.99 a month to get their stream on. Press release after the break.
Verizon data charges leak continues, $30 tethering for 4G customers
The scan above purports to show a Verizon customer brochure that will appear in stores next Thursday, revealing nothing beyond the detailed leaks we've already reported but at least providing some reassuringly crinkled corroboration of the salient details. New customers will barred from the happy land of unlimited data, and will instead have to cough up tiered monthly fees ranging from $10 for 75MB up to $80 for 10GB, plus an extra $20 for tethering rights. In a separate turn to this tale, we hear that customers who want to tether to a 4G handset will have to pay $30 per month to keep Big Red happy. This might come as a shock if you've been living it up on the free tethering offer that ends next week, but we had a strong inkling it was coming. Besides, it's not all bad: those 30 bucks will get you unlimited data on the fastest LTE network around, whereas the $20 crew must make do with a mere 2GB monthly. [Thanks, Verizon Guy]
Tesco Mobile announces cheapest UK iPhone 4 tariffs yet
You're not going to believe this, but someone actually bothered to turn up to the iPhone 4 launch with a bit of competitive spirit. Tesco Mobile, an MVNA riding atop O2's network, has busted out its idea of what represents good value for iPhone lovers' money, and it has put everyone else to shame. 1GB of data and unlimited texts come as standard (seems like O2's network can handle the load after all). Two 12-month options are available, at £20 ($29) per month for 250 minutes and £35 ($52) per month for 750 minutes, accompanied by the big spender platter of unlimited minutes and an almost free 16GB iPhone 4 for those willing to spend £45 ($66) over two years. It's all great news for Brits, and you can see exactly how it compares to the big networks in our comprehensive, chart-intensive breakdown right here.
Apple store in Brazil? Jobs says no
Rio de Janeiro may have picked up the 2016 Olympics, but they won't be getting an Apple store. According to MacMagazine Brazil, the city's Secretary of Heritage emailed Steve Jobs personally to ask if there were any plans to start up an Apple store in the city. Jobs replied back in the negative, citing high taxes on imports in the area and saying that "many [other] high-tech companies feel that way." Apple has no stores at all in Mexico or Central or South America. Almost all foreign countries apply import tariffs to products manufactured elsewhere, but apparently charges in those countries are too high for Jobs to be interested. He said that the high charge "makes it very unattractive to invest in the country." Some manufacturers will lower their retail prices to a certain country in an attempt to dodge higher tariffs on more expensive goods (taking a small cut on profits in order to avoid paying high fees), but obviously Apple, as a premium manufacturer, would rather not get involved if it means lowering their prices. So, for the moment, Brazil will have to go without an Apple Store. [Thanks, Silvio Sousa Cabra!]
Is China's WoW delay politically motivated?
I don't presume to know much about trade policy or international relations, so I'll just pass you this link to a story over on VentureBeat and let you decide for yourself. You probably have already heard that Blizzard has had plenty of trouble trying to bring World of Warcraft back online in China -- they've been waiting on approval from the Chinese government's General Administration of Press and Publication, which has already mandated a few changes to the game. Dean Takahashi at VB suggests that rather than being a technical issue, the delay may actually be political and/or economically motivated: the US and China have been bumping gently lately over exports and imports, and Takahashi suggests that Blizzard's game may have gotten caught in the middle. The GAPP, he says, may be holding the game back, concerned that such a popular foreign game might be released again on their soil.Fortunately, even Takahashi says it's unsubstantiated -- WoW is likely to go back online in China in a matter of days, and the delays could just as easily have been administrative errors. But I do agree with Takahashi that it's worth watching -- China is cautious about allowing foreign manufacturers to sell to their citizens, and video games are no exception.
EU to call out carriers not offering cheaper roaming rates
Time's up, dear European carriers! If you haven't made known your plans to offer up cheaper roaming rates by now, you're about to be called out. Reportedly, the European Commission is readying a web site that would "include the names of operators from all EU countries, whether they have offered the Eurotariff, which kind of Eurotariff they have offered, and those who haven't done anything." Additionally, it was reinforced that the new rates were "not a recommendation, but a regulation," and that customers who were unable to receive their Eurotariff could take their operator to court. 'Course, we highly doubt the legal fees would make this approach worthwhile, but let's not forgot to point and laugh at the nonconformists when the telling site goes live.
