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Vodafone announces unified app framework
Common widget platforms have been a hot topic among global carriers over the past year or so, with AT&T (among several other major players) coming out and saying that they're actively pursuing standardized OS-agnostic frameworks like the OMTP's BONDI initiative. Vodafone also happens to be a member of the OMTP, and the massive multinational operator has laid down the law this week by announcing that it will be creating a single clearinghouse for internet app developers looking to expose their wares to Voda customers around the world. In addition, there'll be a single set of APIs for location awareness, direct operator billing, and other goodies that should take some of the pain out of developing apps that can work across multiple devices. An SDK will be available to some partners starting in the summer, with broader release following on after that.
Telecom New Zealand, Vodafone kiss and make up; XT network to be delayed a bit
Looks like Telecom New Zealand was fully prepared to fold like a bad poker hand the moment Vodafone put on the pressure, because they've quickly agreed to delay the launch of their shiny new HSPA network with the thread of legal action looming. The so-called XT network will no longer be lighting up May 13 as promised; instead, they'll be looking to launch it toward the end of the month as Telecom resolves "technical issues" that are threatening to interfere with Voda's preexisting airwaves. At the end of the day, we think this probably works out best for Vodafone customers, Telecom customers, and those darling little kiwis (the birds, not the people) -- so hang tight; you'll all be blazing along on your Samsung F480s soon enough.[Thanks, Steve L. and Aarun]
Vodafone's BlackBerry Storm gets 4.7.0.141 update
The ratio of firmware leaks to official, carrier-endorsed releases for the 9500 and 9530 Storms is something ridiculous like 7-to-1, so when we do see an official update, it's kind of a big deal. On that note, we present to you 4.7.0.141 -- Vodafone UK's weapon of choice for upgrading its fleet of Storms deployed in the field. Don't bother trying to shoehorn this into your units, Verizon customers; it's a different model, and you'll hopefully be getting yours soon enough. [Via CrackBerry]
Vodafone spat could delay launch of Telecom New Zealand's 3G network
For our money, good, juicy carrier drama is better than an Emmy-caliber telenovela -- and there's a doozy brewing in Kiwi country where operator Telecom New Zealand is planning to light up its shiny new 3G network come next Wednesday. Vodafone claims that Telecom's new cells are wreaking havoc with its own network thanks to spurious radiation interfering with Voda's allotted spectrum. It gets better, though: the carrier goes on to claim that Telecom knew this was going to be the problem -- the government had apparently warned them -- and rushed to move up the launch date so that its competitors wouldn't have a chance to complain until it was too late. According to Voda's altruistic filing, the main concern is that emergency responders are dropping calls, and because its network is used so heavily for emergency services, it's a major cause for concern. At any rate, it's not trying to can Telecom's network -- just force 'em to install filters that will put a stop to the rogue signals. Seems fair enough, but in the meantime, the planned May 13 launch is in limbo.
Vodafone Germany piloting LTE on freed TV spectrum
If you're the cranky type who's protesting the move from analog to digital TV for some bizarre reason, you probably don't care about LTE, either, so this story won't do much good in convincing you of the benefits of the switch -- but for the rest of you, check it out: Vodafone Germany has partnered with broadcaster WDR to repurpose decommissioned analog TV spectrum for LTE trials. The so-called digital dividend frequencies lie between 790 and 854MHz, a nice little nook to drop some 4G data services in rural areas, which is exactly where Voda intends to use it. Digital TV and LTE? Sounds like a win / win to us.
Vodafone UK selling HTC Magic on May 1
As Vodafone Spain goes, so goes Vodafone Germany, so goes... well, you see where we're going with this. Voda's UK branch has issued a press release trumpeting the fact that they'll be next to sell HTC's second Android device as of this Friday, May 1 -- and as is all too often the case with these guys, you can get it for precisely zero pounds sterling depending on your plan (the lowest is a £35 deal with 600 minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited data, though if you preorder before the 1st, you can get it for £30 instead). To commemorate the occasion, they'll be giving away 20 Magics through the month of May, which is 20 more than T-Mobile USA is selling at the moment. We're not bitter or anything.[Via MobileBurn]
Vodafone suggests future Android phones could have less Google
Android and Google may seem inseparable to some, but Vodafone is apparently suggesting that some of its future Android-based phones could possibly pack a little less Google and a little more Vodafone. While the carrier unsurprisingly isn't offering much in the way of specifics just yet, it did tell TechRadar that future Android phones could ditch some of the familiar Google services in favor of a more "basic package" that would let Vodafone (or other carriers following the same route) offer their own client software instead -- a winning idea if there ever was one. And it seems that there will indeed be more Android phones in the offing from Vodafone sooner rather than later, with Vodafone's Rachel William's telling TechRadar that the carrier is "looking at other Android devices," and that "by joining the Open Handset Alliance it shows our commitment."[Via Talk Android]
Star Trek edition Nokia 5800 announced: officially awesome
We knew that endless product tie-ins would come along with the new Star Trek film, so this isn't too big of a surprise (though it is rather a welcome one). A new Star Trek special edition of the 5800 has been announced to coincide with the release of the new J.J. Abrams epic, and while it doesn't appear to be an official Nokia release, it does appear to be pretty rad. The handset is going to boast four animated screensavers, three wallpapers, and eight exclusive ringtones, including ones named "Phazer Shot," "Red Alert" and "Kelvin Communicator." We've also heard tell of a special "Phazer application," and though we don't yet know what that entails, we have really high hopes. The stellar 5800 will be available starting May 1st exclusively at Phones 4 U in the UK in blue, red, and black/silver on Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2. Make it so.
Motorola's A4500 world phone caught in the FCC covered in Verizon tattoos
We don't have a formal unveiling for Motorola's Verizon-bound A4500 world phone just yet, but an operation manual and some snapshots of its dress rehearsal from the FCC should suffice in the interim. From what we glean, it supports CDMA for VZW's network and quad-band GSM for SIM-packing Vodafone customers and other overseas roaming needs. No points for design originality (Q9, anyone?), but it does boast a wealth of good features including two megapixel camera, EV-DO, stereo Bluetooth, 2 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile (presumably 6.1), and a biometric fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. Not that we expected you to be eagerly anticipating this one, but we'd venture to say a cameo in the FCC means it's on track for release some time in the near future.[Via Phone Scoop]
HTC Magic now available on Vodafone Germany, too
Vodafone Germany and HTC have risen above some nasty legal spats to get the Android-powered Magic out of the door, following the path forged by the carrier's Spanish cousin by a mere 24 hours. Depending on your plan, you can end up nabbing the thing for as little as a single, solitary euro -- all it takes is a minimum of €44.95 (about $59) on the monthly bill to make it happen. Otherwise, you're looking at paying €59.90 for the phone on a €24.95 plan, which still isn't too shabby as far as we're concerned. Care to get this show on the road, T-Mobile?[Via portable-devices.net]
Vodafone's HTC Magic gets unboxed on video
While white seems to have been the color of choice for most official demos of the HTC Magic, there's also a black version headed to Vodafone (and other carriers, eventually), and the folks at Netbooknews.de got their hands on one of those once mythical handsets for a video unboxing. As you can see above (and in the video after the break), the packaging is a pretty sparse affair, as are the bundled accessories, which includes only a USB cable, a power adapter, a basic wired headset, and a case that apparently "feels a little cheap." And, if by some chance you still haven't seen the Magic in action, you can get a glimpse of that in the video as well.[Via Android Community]
Vodafone Spain first to launch HTC Magic
In a surprise announcement, Vodafone Spain is set to launch Magic, HTC's 2nd Android handset, in just a few hours. The countdown timer appeared early this morning with local sales set to begin at 1700 hours. That gives Vodafone Spain subscribers an 8 day head start on the rest of the world -- an eternity for Android nerds. Unfortunately, while it's free with applicable contract on Vodafone UK, it's gonna cost you in Spain -- rates our Spanish friends describe as "outrageous." Let's see if our Canadian friends agree.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Nokia N97 confirmed for Vodafone in July
We were going to lead this off by saying "start saving your quid," but let's be honest -- the way European carriers work, you'll probably be able to finagle a monthly rate that'll let you walk out of the shop having shelled out nothing or next to nothing for the hottest device in Nokia's lineup. Vodafone has confirmed that it'll be launching the N97 in July, which is longer than anyone would like to wait, but that's still probably within a few weeks of the phone's initial availability. Color us jealous. [Thanks, Bk7]
HTC Magic up for pre-order from Vodafone: due out May 5th, free with monthly plan
While the jury's still out on its US name or release date, the HTC Magic is gearing up for its European debut by way of Vodafone. The pre-order page is now live with an irresistible price of zilch, provided you agree to a monthly plan of £30 or more. The company says it plans to ship out the Cupcake-powered phone by May 5th. [Via Phandroid; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Vodafone's HTC Magic reportedly delayed until May
There's not exactly much in the way of details just yet, but Pocket-lint looks to have confirmed that Vodafone has pushed the release of the HTC Magic out of its promised April launch window, with the Android-powered handset now apparently set to launch on May 1st. That word comes from both HTC and Vodafone's sales reps, although neither seems to have elaborated much on the delay, with HTC only going so far as to say that it was "due to a last minute hardware change." No word if that change will also affect the launch of the phone on other carriers, although it's tough for it to be "delayed" when they've been even less specific about a launch than Vodafone.Update: Chris wrote in to let us know this delay has been confirmed by Vodafone.
Telefnica and Vodafone reach pan-European deal to share network infrastructure
Good news, Europe. Telefónica and Vodafone have just made public a milestone pan-European agreement that will enable the two to share network infrastructure in Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK, with detailed discussions ongoing in the Czech Republic. The collaboration will supposedly deliver efficiencies of hundreds of millions of pounds for each company over ten years, and for customers of each, they can look forward to better coverage across each of those nations. Oh, and subscribers should also expect rates to remain lower compared to what would happen if each operator were forced to build out individually, but it's not like either of these guys are coming out and saying that. At any rate, we figure there's some serious celebration in order for those in the region, no?
HTC granted stay of execution in German patent case
The temporary injunction filed against HTC in Germany in its battle with patent holding firm IPCom has been repealed -- at least for now -- by an appellate court, allowing sales of forthcoming 3G devices bearing affected chipsets to continue until the case proceeds in four weeks' time. This should be absolutely splendid news for Germans concerned that the case might affect their ability to get in on the Magic come next month; ultimately, the case could theoretically lead to a sales stoppage, but the way things are lined up now, it seems like there'll be at least a slim window of opportunity for would-be owners to get their Android on without fear of IPCom putting the kibosh on the party. We'll continue to follow this drama as it progresses, but we'll reiterate what we'd said before: in all likelihood, this'll end with HTC shelling out some undisclosed settlement, and seeing how the company has already said that it's investigating alternative chipsets, it'll be a moot point before too long, anyway.
O2 and Vodafone relatively mum on future iPhone tethering
At Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 preview event last Tuesday, Sir Scott explained that it was "working with carriers around the world" to build tethering support in. We can't say for sure what that means, but it certainly sounds like it'll be up to the operator to activate (or not) iPhone tethering when OS 3.0 is launched to the masses. Pocket-lint took the opportunity to ping both O2 and Vodafone over in the UK, though neither company seemed particularly interested in giving a solid answer. The former simply stated that it was "working [with Apple] to ensure new features, including tethering, are fully supported on O2's network," but wasn't "making any announcements yet." The latter simply proclaimed that it was "discussing the situation" but didn't have anything to confirm. To us, it sounds like both carriers will eventually allow it, but we aren't too sure they'll be doing so with no extra fees woven in.
Vodafone's music catalog goes DRM-free for mobiles and PCs
We were wondering (seriously, it has been on our conscience at night) which carrier would be the first to go completely DRM-free in respect to its music catalog, and now Vodafone has stepped in to claim said throne. This week, the operator has inked deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music to bring tunes to handsets and PCs sans any nasty DRM, and for those who already downloaded DRM-laced files in the past, they'll be able to upgrade to DRM-free without a charge so long as they do it soon. And to think -- something like this would've been stopped cold at the drawing board by record label execs just a few years back. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition coming to the UK on March 19
We're still not sure how we feel about "Tocco" being used to describe a phone -- it just makes us kinda hungry -- but at any rate, Samsung's lovely S8300 Ultra Touch is officially hitting the UK on Vodafone as the Tocco Ultra Edition in just a few days' time. With an 8 megapixel cam, AGPS, HSDPA, a WQVGA touchscreen OLED, and a body just 12.7mm thick, you'd think this thing would run... you know, at least a few quid on contract, but nope -- as usual, Vodafone is somehow able to get this thing to customers for free if they pick the right plan. Bless 'em.[Via MobileBurn]
