INQ to break exclusivity with Three ?
INQ has been an exclusive provider of mobile phones to Three (3) for a long time.
Report: Google Nexus One set to cost 333
There’s not much about the Google Nexus One handset that hasn’t already been leaked, but now even the price appears to have hit the public domain and it is not the news that many people were hoping for. According to Gizmodo, the phone is not going to be made available at cost by Google one of the suggestions about the Nexus One with the leaked information putting the price at $530 for an unlocked handset. That equates to 333; cheaper than an unlocked iPhone, but still a hefty price to pay should you want the freedom to choose your own service provider. In the US, a two-year $40-a-month contract with T-Mobile will bring the price down to $180 (c130). Five per accountMore detail suggests that five phones per Google account can be bought although this seems a little irrelevant considering a new account is available for free. The news, should it be accurate, will come as a blow to those who hoped that Google would offer the phone for cost and make money from people using its software and the Android mobile OS. Google’s online services such as Gmail and Google Calendar are free to use, with the company favouring an ad-funded model. But, it seems, to get the Google (and HTC) hardware consumers will have to fork out a fairly hefty chunk of their hard-earned wages. We’ll no doubt find out more details when Google spills all at its January 5 press briefing to discuss Android and almost certainly the Nexus One.
Guide: How to tether your iPhone to your laptop
The more you use your iPhone, the more you can get frustrated that your laptop lacks the ability to connect to the internet wherever you go. Hotspots are all very well, but they don’t help when you’re on a train, or if you need to file a document when you’re out and about. Happily, the iPhone can get you online anywhere you can get a mobile data signal. It’s through a process called tethering accessing the internet on your Mac or PC through your iPhone. You can do it by connecting your iPhone to a spare USB port on your computer, or simply by pairing them using Bluetooth. With this latter method, you can leave your iPhone in your bag or pocket so long as it’s within a few feet of your laptop, then you’re good to go though bear in mind that having Bluetooth active will reduce the battery life of both the laptop and iPhone. Sadly, you can’t just piggyback your iPhone’s own unlimited data connection at least, not without jailbreaking your iPhone and getting on the wrong side of the terms and conditions of your contract. If you’re on O2, you need to add a tethering bolt-on. You’ll have to pay either 9.79 a month for a 3GB cap, or 29.36 a month for 10GB. These are costings for personal users, business users pay differently. Full details are available from O2’s Internet Tethering page.Various options are available on Orange tariffs, starting at 500GB for 4.89 a month or 1.5GB for 9.79 a month.Vodafone is charging 5 for 500GB, 10 for 1.5GB and 15 for 3GB. So roughly the same as Orange, more expensive than O2. Note that tethering is very much a UK-only deal; AT&T in the US doesn’t even support tethering yet. On all tethering packages international roaming for data isn’t included. And, of course, this is over and above your normal line rental and are monthly fees. If your iPhone is connected to the data cell network with just GPRS or EDGE, any incoming calls will go to voicemail while you’re tethering, though if it’s connected using 3G or WiFi, you can take and make calls at the same time. So, how’s it done? We set to finding out! 1. Configure tethering On O2? First you have to add O2’s Internet Tethering Bolt On. Visit here; O2 aims to add the capability to your account within 24 hours. Then, on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Network > Set Up Internet Tethering. 2. Enable tethering You can turn tethering on by flicking the switch. Apple provides information on how to connect using either USB or Bluetooth, right here on the tethering screen. It’s not exhaustive, though; this tutorial will give you better guidance on getting everything set up.3. Set up USB Once you’ve enabled tethering, simply plug your iPhone into one of your Mac’s USB ports. The above message should pop up on your screen, letting you know that a new network port has been added; now click Network Preferences. 4. Connect over USB Assuming the phone itself has a data connection, you’ll see the iPhone has already connected your Mac to the internet. Look for a circle and an ‘E’ or a ‘3G’ icon next to the network name in the status bar. To disconnect, unplug the iPhone, or turn tethering support off. 5. Set up Bluetooth We’re using a Mac here, but you can naturally also use a PC. Click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar and select Set Up Bluetooth Device. This will start the Bluetooth Setup Assistant, the same thing you’d launch if you opened the Bluetooth pane of System Preferences and clicked the Set up new device button.6. Identify your iPhone To pair your iPhone with your Mac over Bluetooth, first pick it from the list here. (If your iPhone doesn’t show up, make sure Bluetooth is switched on on your iPhone; it’s in the General section of Settings.) It may take a moment for its name to be displayed.7. Pair your iPhone The system generates a passkey to get the two devices connected. A message will pop up on your iPhone, asking you to confirm that the passkeys match. Tap the Pair button then click the Continue button on the Mac before the process times out.8. Configure new interface Once the Bluetooth pairing is complete during which time the Mac configures itself for tethering you’ll see an alert on your Mac telling you that a new network port (a Bluetooth Personal Area Network) has been detected. Click the Network Preferences button.9. Connect To connect over Bluetooth, launch the Network System Preferences pane (it’ll be open, since you just clicked the Network Preferences button) then select Bluetooth PAN from the list at the left. Make sure the correct device is selected, then click the Connect button.