Mobile Network Comparison

An Australian police department has warned that the error-ridden Maps software provided with the latest iPhones is potentially “life-threatening”. The warnings come after at least four people have found themselves stranded in completely inhospitable conditions due to errors in the navigation software on Apple’s flagship iPhone. iOS 6 users have ended up stranded miles away from habitation in the Australian outback as the sweltering summer approaches.

The police department from a small town called Mildura posted an official warning to motorists requesting that they don’t use Apple’s Maps software when driving to the town. It turns out that drivers coming from Adelaide in the West had been led to completely the wrong place trying to find the town.

Instead of coming to the metropolis of 30,000 people, they ended up completely lost at a location over 50 miles away where the Maps app erroneously placed the town. The incorrect location was in the middle of Australia’s second-largest National Park in Sunset country and being stuck without adequate liquids, shelter and supplies can be incredibly dangerous in the barren wilderness. Locals said that there is no water to be found and at temperatures can easily reach 46°C.

One man recently had to be rescued was trapped for over 24 hours in the National Park. An additional problem is that there is limited mobile phone reception as the area is so vast and people might have to walk some distance to get in contact with the outside world. As temperatures are rising toward the peak of the Australian summer, increasing concerns prompted the police departments to issue the official warning.

This is not the first time that inaccuracies and errors in the latest version of Apple’s iOS 6 Maps software has caused headlines. We first reported on the numerous mistakes back when it was first released. Apple decided to remove the ability of iPhone owners to use Google’s map software and instead force them to use their own. However, until now it’s been more of a humorous curiosity or annoying inconvenience rather than something truly dangerous. Apple had to move quickly to update the maps to fix this particular error and avoid any more serious incidents in Australia.

Since the ill-fated launch of the error-ridden Apple Maps app, there’s been much embarrassment for the American firm. A number of senior management is were fired including the head software group Scott Forstall. Even worse, Chief executive Tim Cook had to climb down an issue a humiliating public apology for the many errors and mistakes.

So much for a new iPhone killer – it seems that Apple Maps is making it more of a Killer iPhone 🙂

What do you think? Do people rely too much on technology these days to the expense of common sense? Is this merely a case for having a backup paper atlas? And do you think that Apple has taken too long to sort out the errors in the latest version of Maps?

The latest figures seem to indicate that the mobile app market is set to massively increase over the next five years. The projections show that the value of the app market could reach as much as $35 billion by 2017. This huge growth is likely to be predicated upon a continued rise in smartphone uptake and sales.

It is thought that Apple and Google will still dominate the market in 2017 with their iOS and Android platforms. The report, “The Strategy Analytics App Ecosystem Opportunities (AEO) forecast – Mobile Apps Revenue Forecast: 2008 – 2017” was published by Strategy Analytics and predicts that the two companies will control more than 75% of the app market by 2017. This is despite the recent launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 and RIM expecting to launch BlackBerry 10 early next year. We have to agree with the smart money being on Android and iOS remaining dominant – WP8 hasn’t made all that much traction yet and RIM is not too far from being in its death throes unless it pulls something really special out of the bag.

However, the main prediction from the Strategy Analytics report is the remarkable claim that the mobile apps market will have increase 35x in a decade from its prototypical stage in 2009 to 2017. Just three years ago the whole market was said to be worth “only” $1 billion but its set to increase to $35 billion. Part of the increase in revenue has been attributed to a move away from paid downloads and to advertising models. In 2009 the vast majority of app-based income was from paid-for premium apps but in 2017 it’s thought over 60% of revenue will come from in-app advertising. This change will be driven by further research and investment in this side of mobile applications. We think a big opportunity for companies to wrestle away the bulk of the app market from Apple is to offer more competitive deals over in-app advertising. At the moment, Apple operates some of the most draconian, restrictive and greedy regulations which stifle developers’ opportunities to make money from the applications they create for iPhones and iPads.

Do you think these predictions will ring true? Do you often pay for apps or do you prefer free apps with advertising? And do you think RIM or Microsoft will make any significant in-roads to the app market? Let us know below.

Nowadays, every phone seems overly complicated and exorbitantly overpriced. Sometimes fancy touchscreen smartphones are unnecessary, over-expensive, and just more trouble to use as a phone than what should be expected. Many of you long for the days of a simple mobile phone which was straightforward and had normal buttons – all it did was do calls and texts (and the odd sneaky game of Snake).

However, the truth is, if you’re looking for a handset just for texting and calling family and friends, you don’t need to feel like you should dig deep into your pockets to pay out for an expensive contract, because there are plenty of perfect phones out there that cost less than the cost of one month on a smartphone contract. Here are our top 5 favourite cheap and simple mobile phones:

Nokia 100

Only £4.95 on PAYG | FREE on contract

The Nokia 100 has a 1.8 inch colour display with an FM radio, notes, calendar, and a calculator application. You can also store up to 500 contacts onto the phone for calling and texting. The Nokia 100 is a typical bar phone so you’ll be able to quickly dial numbers with the standard number pad, but texting may be a little slow for those used to a full QWERTY keypad.

The cheapest option for this phone would be to get it for £4.95 on Vodafone or Virgin Mobile with a £10 top-up included. There are also options to get it on contract for free with prices as low as £10.50 per month including a decent amount of calls and texts on Orange or O₂.

 

T-Mobile Zest II

Only £9.99 on PAYG

With an audio player, a few simple games, and a VGA camera, the T-Mobile Zest II is a small step up from the Nokia 100. However, the Zest II also comes with a few other handy features such as Bluetooth, a hands free kit and predictive texting. The screen is sharp and easy to read for the size. The buttons are a little small, but it’s also 2mm thinner than the Nokia 100, making this a slimmer, better-featured alternative.

But you can bag yourself this great phone for dirt cheap and even get change from a tenner. Not bad at all for a phone with these features.

 

Samsung E1190

Only £9.95 on PAYG | FREE on contract

The Samsung E1190 is a lightweight flip phone with a few games, an MP3 ringtone picker, and enough storage space for 500 SMS messages and 1,000 phone contacts. The phone also has a speaker-phone for louder calls which are handy when you need to put the phone down or you are in the car. We also really love the handy torch feature. Best of all, the interface is really straightforward to use and everything is laid out sensible.

When we’re considering cheap phones, the E1190 may seem like it would be a little on the expensive side, but you can get the mobile free for a decent £10.50 a month on contract or just £9.95 on PAYG.

 

Samsung E2121B

Only £4.95 on PAYG | FREE on contract

The Samsung E2121 is a more high-end bar phone with a very reasonable price for the amount of upgrades. With the Samsung E2121 you’ll be able to send and receive content via Bluetooth, send photos via MMS, and access GPRS or EDGE internet via the internet browser. There’s also a camera for taking photos and videos, an FM radio, and even a 2GB micro SD slot for storing images and music files.

You can get the phone for just £4.95, which is incredibly cheap considering the features of the phone. If you like the look of the phone, this device is a sure buy for those on a low budget. The cheapest option would be to go for the PAYG price (with a £10 top-up) from the Carphone warehouse, although you may be just as happy with a contract for £10.50 a month to get some included minutes and texts.

 

Nokia Asha 302

Only £69.99 on PAYG | FREE on contract

The Nokia Asha 302 costs quite a bit more than the other budget phones in this Top 5, but for a cheap contract price, you can get the handset for free. It’s similar in features and look to a classier BlackBerry and we think that the feature-set is really fantastic for a phone at this price.

The Nokia Asha 302 is the only handset on the list with a full QWERTY keyboard and offers internet browsing, quick messaging, flash, java, and other multimedia functionality. There is a decent 3.5G connection which will allow you to make use of all the internet features such as the IM apps like Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger. Alternatively, you can even do all this and browse the web and check emails using using Wi-Fi. The device also comes with a decent camera and a slot for a 32GB micro SD card to store all your photos.

This phone is head and shoulders above the rest on features but is still very easy to use and good value for money on PAYG. The 302 is a bit on the expensive side, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of texting or calling then the Asha 302 definitely deserves a spot on the list, because you can get it free on contract. If the included allowances cover your mobile usage, then the price will end up as low as buying a cheaper PAYG handset and buying credit.