Thanks to more and more networks moving to stripped down plans and trying to make money every way they can, it is welcoming to hear news such as this. It’s not like we haven’t been asking mobile networks both here and abroad to offer us cheaper data plans. And it’s not like we haven’t asked that data used on a mobile phone be counted the same way as data used on a laptop or tablet. Last time we checked, 1MB of data was universal whether you used it on a Nokia N8 with a 3.7 inch screen or a Dell notebook with a 15 inch screen. Well thanks to some common sense thinking from O2 and their staff, it looks like we just might have got through to at least one company.

O2 Wireless announced today that they will be dropping their surcharge for using your data plan to tether a laptop or other internet connected device other than a mobile phone. That being said, you won’t be getting unlimited data with this service, but at least you will have some decent options for basic web access.

For 100MB of data, it will run you £2.50, step that up to 500MB and the price will double (£5.00). For those looking for a full gigabyte of data, the price will increase to a cool £8.33. Both the 500MB and the 1GB plan include unlimited access to UK Wi-Fi and the 500 GB plan will include 20 UK MMS while the 1GB plan will up that to 50 MMS.

While not the cheapest of plans, it is nice to know that you will not have to shell out additional pounds if you want to connect that laptop or iPad to your device.

Source: O2

PC’s… is there anything they can’t do?

Sorry, false start there. Let’s try again.

PC’s… is there anything they do well?

Because, come on, seriously, have any of you ever had a PC that has worked consistently well for longer than, say, a week? Now, just to be clear, we work on Windows-running PC’s here, every single machine in the office. So this isn’t going to be a convert-to-Apple type sermon. We just wanted to write a little bit about something that’s always confused: why Microsoft have never, ever, since time began (kind of) been able to get anything right. Sure, they brought desktop computing to the masses. Sure, they offer the most budget-friendly options for people to get connected to the digital world. But everything, EVERYTHING they make sucks.

Which is a real shame for all the phones out there, the O2 XDA Ignito included, that have decided to run Windows Mobile. Because it’s a stinker. Well, that’s not entirely true. Like most Microsoft products, it does lots of things pretty well. But ask it to do something it decides it doesn’t want to, or maybe over task it with one too many applications running, and what does it do? Does the O2 Ignito warn you to close something, politely and promptly, in order continue perfect running speeds. No, it slows, grinds, spits and screams to a gradual halt, forcing you to turn the whole thing off and start again. What else would you expect?

Oohhh, maybe we’re being too harsh. Maybe the heat outside is making us angry. There’s actually plenty that’s right about this thing. If you’re in the market for a non-iPhone iPhone kind of phone (you’ll know what we mean if you know what we mean), then this thing ticks a whole lot of boxes, as this O2 XDA Ignito review demonstrates. And in many ways it’s even a little bit nicer than Apple’s baby. It’s significantly smaller and lighter, for example, as O2’s official page boasts. But you just need to ask yourself whether you really want a PC in your pocket as well as on your desk…

One of the most highly expected 3G phones to be released this year is the O2 XDA Guide. This phone is really hyped up because of the various features it promises to incorporate, especially the TouchFLO interface, which enables navigation with a finger swipe.

The TFT touchscreen which the XDA Guide incorporates a 65k color display. You can increase the storage capacity of the phone without causing any problems whatsoever to the phone by using the microSD slot which is inbuilt on the phone. The retail package of the O2 XDA Guide also includes a 1GB card. As far as the speed of the phone is concerned, it won’t really be much of a problem because of the presence of a Qualcomm processor.
Data can easily be transferred between the computer and the phone by a variety of connectivity options, which include EDGE, USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, GPRS and Bluetooth. It will run on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform. The color on which it will be launched is a fabulous Silvery-Grey color, which will really add to the glamour of the phone.

However, the real disappointment of the O2 XDA Guide is the 3.2 MPIX camera. The phone also has GPS facilities and has an in built navigation software by the name of Tom Tom Navigator 7. It also has pocket Office so that you can edit documents and spreadsheets on the go.

When looking at the batter performance of the phone, there is a decent talk time of 5 hours and 15 minutes available. The price still hasn’t been decided upon, though it is expected to be priced at somewhere higher than the HTC Magic and other such touchscreen 3G phones.

O2 XDA Guide on O2