|
|
UK regulator shows complaints stable at virtually zero
Some extremely heartening news for me that I wanted to share with you. A large part of my career has been spent dealing with, and training others to deal with complaint escalations. A very satisfying role, but there have been few situations over the years when I’ve thought the industry was making a rod for its own back. The phrase ‘cashback deal’ is definitely one that led me to thinking, ‘here we go again’.
Cashback deals are promotions often used by third-party dealers and retailers. Independent of the mobile network chosen, an arrangement is made between the customer and retailer agreeing that after a certain time period, if the bills have been paid correctly, the customer can claim back a large portion of their line rental charges as ‘cashback’.
This type of offer often appeared at the top of internet value league tables, because the total cost of the package seemed to be much lower than other deals. And if the cashback deals were administered fairly, all would have been well.
The problems often, and I do mean often, arose when customers tried to claim the money back. You can see from the table at the start of 2008 Ofcom were dealing with 500 complaints about this a month, the tip of the iceberg because most complaints would be made directly to the mobile networks, or more correctly to the retailers involved. To qualify, customer would have to prove they’d paid bills, but documents would mysteriously disappear in the post, even if sent by recorded delivery. Customers could find out they missed previously unexplained qualifying dates, bizarre vouchers might need to be exchanged, or retailers could even cease trading. Let’s just summarise by saying there were a number of unusual barriers involved in getting a claim approved.
It’s fantastic for me to see this problem seems to be virtually extinguished. Ofcom has no formal powers to regulate high-street retailers or off-shore cold calling, but the combination of a crack-down by the mobile networks on the behaviour of their retailers, action by consumer groups and increased customers awareness seems to have eliminated the cowboys. Cashback deals still exist, but consumers can buy with a much higher degree of confidence, as the table shows.
Complaints still happen, but I’m genuinely delighted to see the level around cashback so low. There’s still work to be done on mis-selling and slamming, but the trend is also down. Mis-selling is a broad category, usually occurring where a consumer alleges they’ve been told a service is free or inclusive at the point of sale, only to find out it carries a charge or just isn’t available. Slamming is the illegal switching of a subscriber’s phone (or other utility) service to another provider without their consent.
Augmented reality on Android and Apple
The first commercial augmented reality app to launch on a large scale, Layar is a free application which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality, through the camera of your mobile phone. By just holding your phone in front of you like a camera, you can view key information about your location, be directed towards a local site of interest, or even have historic or imaginary images displayed on top of the camera view.
Layar’s philosophy is to provide the tool, then wait for content providers to queue up to provide you information, alerts, reviews and advertising. All this stuff is added as content layers, almost the equivalent of webpages in normal browsers. Another example is a layer that displays The Beatles on the crossing when you’re at Abbey Road and other famous locations.
Yes, it still needs a bit of work and yes, there’s not a lot of content yet outside of large cities. But there’s such a wow factor in seeing a 3D plane populated with arrows and pointers layered over your live camera image. It brings back memories to me of the reality overlays from Firefox, The Terminator and Robocop.
Maybe I should copyright this idea, but imagine getting a text to alert you there was some kind of prize or nearby, and the first person to get there using Layer could claim it? Or the first 50 people to a store get a discount? Let me know your other suggestions as a comment.
You can download Layar for free from the Android Marketplace or Apple App Store. Your phone needs GPS and a compass.
Flash a-ah. Saviour of the Universe?
 As the MWC came to an end this year, Google and Adobe announced they’ve struck up a partnership to bring Adobe products to Android handsets. Adobe Flash is a popular web format used for embedding video and animation and is used in many advertising applications. And Adobe AIR is a cross-platform suit of routines to put Flash and other functions directly into user apps.
Flash has been in the news recently, mainly due to the criticism ladled upon Apple’s new iPad for not supporting it. Apple Chief, Steve Jobs is on record as expecting the world to move away from Flash products and instead to embrace HTML5. He’s further alleged to have rubbished Adobe in a corporate Q&A session after the launch of iPad, explaining that the reason Apple doesn’t support Flash in it’s devices, is because it’s so buggy and the developer is lazy. He’s said to have blamed most Apple Mac crashes on Flash problems.
I’m not going to repeat what he’s supposed to have said about Google, but it’s interesting to see Google and Adobe working so closely, so soon after the announcement of iPad. It’s a competitive market, and no one device will be all things to all people. Many games and applications, animations and web sites that I use online require Flash, so I’m pleased it’s coming to my favourite operating system soon.
Value Android in vanilla flavour
 Samsung’s Galaxy Portal, Spica or I5700 is little brother to the I7500 Galaxy. It’s a basic Android 1.5 touchscreen smartphone, with the punch of a respectable 800MHz processor. Cosmetically a bit chunky and weighing 124 grams, the bottom of the unit sports large and easy to use control buttons.
The 3.2 inch capacitive screen is bright and clear displaying 320×480 pixels. The camera snaps at 3.2 MP with autofocus but no manual settings, ideal novices but not for serious users. Other features include assisted GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD support, up to16GB.
High-speed 3.5G internet is present and other networking options include Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth.
Google Marketplace is a main attraction of Android phones. As an example the Layar augmented reality app is pre loaded. Use the camera and GPS outdoors to have useful information like the nearest pub or rail station displayed as an overlay. Or jump into the market and find all the apps you want for social networking.
So much work has been done in the last year to give Android an improved UI, seeing it in the raw again on the Portal was a bit of a shock. Like re-watching a cherished TV show from childhood, it’s nostalgic, but you might have outgrown it. If you’re new to Android, and want access to apps through the Marketplace this is a great and cost-effective beginning. I had an identical UI experience with my HTC Magic 18-months ago and loved it. However, experienced users may now want more.
Update: Samsung have promised an update to a newer version of Android will be available via download soon.
Like the Nexus One, and then some
 Android fan blog, Phandroid (see what they did there?) report that all the UK networks have now announced plans to sell the HTC Desire.
The Desire is basically HTC’s own brand version of Google’s Nexus One. Similar looking and with virtually the same feature set, the Desire replaces the trackball seen on previous HTC models with improvements to HTC’s Sense UI. Running Android 2.1 powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon, this top-end smartphone’s availability across all UK carriers will help the popularity and uptake of the OS.
T-Mobile are likely to get it out first, with a release planned at the end of March. The other networks are harder to pin down, giving more flexible timescales like ‘springtime’ or ‘Q2’ and ‘first half’. Anyone who wants to buy one will see these as code words for ‘eventually’.
Mobile mast triple play
 In a move designed to appease regulators at the European Commission and to get their UK merger accepted by the end of March, parent companies France Telecom (Orange) and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) have proposed that their combined UK operation would continue with, and extend an existing network share between T-Mobile and 3.
Currently the existing deal between T-Mobile and 3, managed by their 50/50 subsidiary Mobile Broadband Networks Limited will peak in October at 13,000 3G masts. Under the new proposal the deal would continue on to have access to 3000 more, becoming the largest 3G network in the country with 16,000.
Earlier in February, the UK Office of Fair Trading asked for the merger to be formally referred back to itself to investigate competition concerns, a decision applauded by consumer groups. To further sweeten the EU Commissioners and stop the extra months of discussion such a referral would entail, FT and DT bosses have changed their position on keeping all of the 1800MHz spectrum they are currently licensed to operate, now agreeing that up to 25% might be handed back. Vodafone and O2 (and 3) had suggested up to 50% of the spectrum should be handed back. Any of these competitors might still launch a challenge.
When completed the Orange T-Mobile partnership will form the largest UK mobile operator, with more than 28 million customers. Around 37% of the market.
Not the end for WinMo. Reduce, Recycle, Reuse!
After the launch on Monday of Windows Phone 7, I thought, maybe I’d even secretly hoped that we’d seen the end of Windows Mobile. Apparently not. Although a fine product, it became boring. Overshadowed by Android, out performed by iPhones and lacking the ‘oo’ factor of new and mysterious operating systems like Samsung’s Bada, it was easy to drift away and demand something newer. Of course, I’m considering it from the point-of-view of a decadent European capitalist, secure in my world and eager to consume new things. For the developing world, WinMo is still a rugged proposition, providing a proven, stable and established smartphone platform. And as a legacy product, manufacturers can now negotiate and bundle it much more cheaply.
So, global Microsoft distributer, Bsquare Corporation has jumped in and is offering a rebranded WinMo 6.5 as Windows Phone 6 Starter Edition. The target audience is new and emerging markets, which means mobiles for China, India and the developing world, SIM embedded retail devices and terminals, and education and training devices, or surveying kit. All examples where innovative functionality is key, but having the latest bells and whistles isn’t a part of the marketing proposition. Shoppers selecting goods by SMS to a terminal aren’t going to wonder if the terminal is running version 3.0.1a of Apple OS.
Like to know more? press release here
Going robo-shopping in Barcelona
 More Android phones are confirmed at the Mobile World Congress this week, for release in the UK market. Vodafone are taking two from HTC and T-Mobile is branding another Huawei device in its own livery, the same way it began selling HTC devices. All of these babies run the latest version of Android, 2.1 out of the box, and are reported as available from April.
From HTC, Vodafone pick up two capacitive touchscreen phones. First the successor to the Hero, the HTC Legend. With a 3.2 inch AMOLED QVGA screen displaying 320×480, it replaces the trackball of the Hero for an optical joystick. Second, and for higher-end Voda customers, is the HTC Desire. Featuring a 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA screen display of 480×800 pixels, it’s powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. It also has the snazzy optical joystick.
From Huawei, T-Mobile will launch its own-brand Pulse Mini, applying the mini-me trend that’s developing across manufacturers to the design of the original Pulse. It features a 2.8 inch QVGA resistive touchscreen with a stylus. Readers will know it’s hard for me to buzz about naff resistive-screen technology, but more exciting news is that the Pulse Mini should be much cheaper than the two HTC models, increasing Android 2.1 adoption and bringing it to to pre-pay customers.
Mobile money makes the world go around
 Vodafone is launching its mobile money product, M-PESA in South Africa, via subsidiary company, Vodacom South Africa. Pesa is Swahili for cash. The service is already up and running in with Vodacom in Tanzania, Safaricom in Kenya (40% Vodafone stake) and with Roshan under the brand name M-Paisa in Afghanistan (no Vodafone company stake).
Meanwhile, Nokia has teamed up with YES bank, a private sector bank in India to commercially pilot Nokia Money in India. The service will be tested in Pune, one of the largest metropolitan areas in India, and will be called Mobile Money Services.
Both countries have huge populations, with little or no access to credit, bank accounts or any electronic facilities beyond a basic phone. An estimated 26 million people in South Africa, and many times this number across India can potentially benefit from these products.
Whenever I see mobile money products discussed in the UK media, the fraud and security risk is highlighted by journalists. The situation must be greatly magnified in the developing world. Beyond PIN misuse or shoulder-surfing to spy on a users details, there must be good reason behind the 14 armed guards I saw in Asia, standing outside a branch of HSBC while cash was transferred from a nearby Mall. From the Bank and Mall’s point of view, anything that reduces the need for armoured cars and guards will hugely reduce costs.
(To be entirely fair to all my friends in India and The Philippines, I was almost equally surprised to see two security guards on duty at a branch of Nationwide, by the coach station in Bristol, UK.)
|
