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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’.
Now probably 10,003
The combined powers of 3 and T-Mobile activated their 10,000th 3G cell site in the UK last week, adding coverage and capacity for data-hungry consumers.
Mass expansion of existing sites began after the networks signed a ground breaking agreement to share, forming the 50/50 joint venture Mobile Broadband Network Limited to manage combined 3G access. When completed by around October this year, the project will manage 13,000 3G sites.
Antenna 10,000 was connected at Shooters Hill in London last week, bringing outdoor coverage to around 93% of the population. Indoor coverage will continue to improve as the project nears completion. UK 3G services certainly needs the shot in the arm, with smartphone and dongle access pushing current capacity to the limit.
Like to know more? press release here
Basic call charges can vary by as much as 300%
Unlike dazzling customers with the latest handsets, winning them (back) by critiquing the opposition won’t set pulses racing, but it can be revealing and it works. This article discusses some basic UK operator facts that are often overlooked by customers and sales agents alike.
What do you mean, I used up all my minutes?
Just about every customer will occasionally use up all their allowance and run up the bill. Higher costs await those who focus solely on getting the cheapest plan or the most desirable phone. Being blinkered about monthly charges can result in underestimating use, sometimes critically. When buying or at renewal time, devices and ever greater bundled allowances are the glamorous attraction and out-of-bundle rates for basic call types are often overlooked.
So, what do I pay when my allowances run out?
The table* below reveals Vodafone to have the single highest out-of-bundle rate for cross net at 35ppm, and for T-Mobile to be the most expensive overall. 3 are shown to be the value challenger, with prices as much as two-thirds lower than those of rivals.  *SIM only and prepay rates are not listed. All tariffs are currently available for sale and are heavily promoted. A ‘/’ indicates the call type is free with some versions of the tariff. Prices are accurate at time of posting and allowances vary greatly across all operators and within each tariff family. The best way for any operator’s customer to keep billed charges down, never facing run-on rates, is by choosing a plan with a sensible safety margin in the allowances they need.
Slider with social frills
Branded on INQ’s web site as “The World’s first social mobile”, this is a little phone setting out a big stall. Exclusive to 3 and available in black and silver, it’s the first UK phone manufactured by Chinese electronics firm Amoi.
As you’d expect from the marketing, facebook, Windows Live Messenger and Skype are built in. Presented via the home screen and accessed through an easy to use widget carousel. All friends and contacts appear in the phone book and messages, pokes and requests drop into the inbox. All good, but no support for twitter is a missed opportunity for the In(q) crowd.
Mini USB allows use as a 3G dongle at 3.6 Mbit/s. Pretty much as fast as anything else you could get. The basic (3 MP) camera is fine for snapping to post online but tiny phone, tiny memory is true again. 50MB memory can be expanded to 4GB.
With all the social updates arriving (and why else would you want it?), you’re not left in standby often so battery life can be a challenge.
A first go for Amoi and winner of GSMA Phone of the Year 2009, the intent is to deliver simple social integration and data to the mass market. For a lightweight slider the INQ1 is an affordable option, but I’d wait for the next one to iron out some annoying glitches.
Video streaming left alone but p2p limits begin on Monday
 Changing the rules on your customers is never easy to do and will always cause some negative feedback. Mobile operator 3 plan to begin a tighter broadband traffic management policy from 16 November. This means that some heavy data users will have their speed restricted (throttled back) in areas of congestion.
Originally this was to affect video streaming and peer to peer file sharing, but the decision has been moderated to restrict only p2p applications, like BitTorrent and eDonkey.
Be honest, if you wanted to check your email and had no joy because other customers connected to the same cell were using up all the bandwidth downloading movies, wouldn’t you rant a bit at customer service? That’s certainly been the experience for some customers, leading the operator to bring in new rules.
The new policy, known as traffic shaping might also allow 3 to charge users a premium for more bandwidth, the shaping of tariffs to come? Speaking about the massive increase in data traffic their network has seen, Chief executive officer at 3 UK Kevin Russell told a web site recently “There will be a tsunami like wave of change coming, which the whole industry will have to adapt to”.
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Android fan blog, Phandroid (see what they did there?) report that all the UK networks have now announced plans to sell the HTC Desire.
