Business users can access at-a-glance information, monitor performance against targets and receive alerts of predefined events on the Blackberry mobile phone.

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Twitter has 140 million users worldwide, with Britain the fourth biggest country for users after the US, Japan and Brazil. Globally, 55 per cent of users access Twitter from a mobile device, compared with 80 per cent in Britain.

The figures were released by Twitter to mark 12 months since the company opened its London office, which now has 30 staff.

Tony Wang, Twitter’s UK general manager, said that the company wants to work more closely with politicians and policymakers.  He told the BBC that Twitter plans to hire a public policy manager to work with “the government, various ministries, members of Parliament as well as law enforcement”.

Last summer, a series of events made Twitter the focus of attention among police, politicians and the media. More than 75,000 people identified footballer Ryan Giggs as the man involved in a legal case which was covered by a court injunction. Eventually, Mr Giggs was named in Parliament, but not before judges had complained about the threat services like Twitter pose to court cases.

Later in the year Twitter was cited as a tool used by rioters across Britain. It was claimed that they were arranging meeting points and times using social media and services such as BlackBerry Messenger. There were suggestions that the police could be given powers to block social media during times of unrest.

Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, warned last week that people should not feel that posting anonymously on networks such as Twitter placed them beyond the law. He said: “If somebody goes down to the pub with printed sheets of paper and hands it out, that’s no different than if somebody goes and does a tweet. The idea that you have immunity because you’re an anonymous tweeter is a big mistake.”

Mr Wang told the BBC that last year’s events had shown that Twitter needed to approach different countries in different ways. He said: “One of the things we’ve worked very hard on over the last years is making sure we have the operations as well as the resources to continue to build a business that’s not just in the US but global.”

Twitter remains small compared with a service like Facebook, which has more than 800 million users worldwide and more than 30 million in Britain.

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The powerful, intuitive interface is perfect for business, providing a range of essential functions including on-the move email, document editing and file-sharing.

The Android App store has over 150 000 applications, many of which are dedicated to business users. With all the power of a lap-top in a mobile phone, and a range of handsets to suit all budgets and requirements there is an Android mobile phone that will suit your business needs.

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E

Brace yourself for lightning-fast web browsing, remarkable picture quality and seamless gaming visuals thanks to the powerful quad-core processor. You’ll love the minimalist design and the camera that captures every moment (even in low light) with crisp, vivid, beautiful photos.

It also lets you take a photo while shooting HD video. Plus, with Beats Audio™ you hear authentic, deep sound with true, finely-tuned details.

 


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A 4.8in screen on phone which adds voice controls and high-speed ‘beaming’ aims to cement Samsung’s position in world smartphone and Google Android markets.

The S3 has a super AMOLED 4.8in screen, larger than its predecessor the S2, with an 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.9MP front camera which offers “intelligent camera features” that the company says will adapt to what it sees you doing.  The phone runs on Google’s Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) software, but has a number of Samsung additions – including voice recognition and eye tracking.

The phone will go on sale on 30 May in the UK, with Orange and Phones4U already lined up to sell it. No price has yet been given. It will go on sale in the US this summer. Samsung said it will go on sale with 296 carriers in 145 countries. It can connect at “4G” speeds in compatible countries.

“S Voice” can respond to spoken orders such as “wake up” when its screen is off, “snooze” for an alarm, or to play a particular song, change volume settings, and take pictures. It also responds to gestures, so that lifting the phone to the face while sending a text message will dial the recipient’s number instead.

Samsung has also souped up Google’s Android Beam (which can pass data such as business card details) so it is capable of sending a 1GB file between two S3 phones in three minutes, or a 10MB file in two seconds by touching them together.  It comes in a 15GB or 32GB version, though the company said a 64GB model would come soon. Buyers can get an optional wireless charging pad, similar to that offered with the now-defunct HP TouchPad last year.

At 4.8in, the screen size is only just below the minimum 5in that most analysts class as a tablet – indicating Samsung’s confidence that top-end users will want larger screens.  The first-generation Galaxy S in 2010 had a 4in screen; the S2, a 4.3in screen.

The company sold an estimated 44m smartphones across its entire portfolio in the first quarter of 2012, more than any other company. It dominates the Android sector too, selling around 50% of phones on a platform which itself makes up 50% of smartphone sales.

Jason Jenkins, editor of CNET UK, said: “The Samsung Galaxy S3 is a cracker of a smartphone that makes the iPhone look a little like yesterday’s model. It cements Samsung’s place as one of the leading phone manufacturers and really puts the pressure on Apple to come up with something different for its next iPhone later in the year.  It’s also starting to look like this will be a two-horse race – Samsung and Apple fighting it out for the number one spot with everyone else left to pick up the crumbs. HTC, Sony, BlackBerry and Nokia are the ones with the real work to do.”

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Its average download speed is the 16th slowest in Europe and experts warn that the country could be “frozen out” as a result.

The figures, from IT company Akamai, show that while the UK has named broadband as an infrastructure priority alongside roads, rail and energy, investment is well behind competitors.

Local and central government have earmarked £1.3 billion but this compares to £7 billion that would be needed to keep up with the level of funds China has committed per head of population.  Australia is laying fibre-optic cables to 93% of homes by 2018 – which would cost up to £29 billion in the UK.

The internet represents a bigger slice of the British economy than education, healthcare or construction and Britons generate more money online than any other G20 nation.  But while in other countries, old copper telephone networks are rapidly being replaced with fibre optic cables running straight to homes and capable of almost unlimited speeds, a compromise has been settled for in the UK.

Under the plan, BT is laying fibre to cabinets in the street but relying on copper to carry the broadband signal to the home.  It means broadband speeds are limited to 80 megabits per second, compared to 1000 Mbps in all-fibre networks.  In Russia, 12 million homes have fibre connected to the doorstep while in France there are six million, with 70% due to be connected by 2020.  In the UK, there are just 400,000 and there are no targets for increasing the number.

Peter Cochrane, a former BT chief technology officer, told the Guardian: “Britain is being frozen out of the next industrial revolution.  In terms of broadband, the UK is at the back of the pack. We’re beaten by almost every European nation and Asia leaves us for dust.”

The Government has set a target of 90% of premises to be able to receive at least 24Mbps broadband by 2015.

Rupert Wood, of research group Analysys Mason, said: “In terms of superfast broadband the UK will be among a leading group by 2015 but the trade-off is there will be very little ultrafast fibre to the home.”  But Sean Williams, head of strategy at BT, said: “80Mbps is more than people need. We are not of the school that universal fibre to the premises is the solution.”

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It also allows customers to “digitise” their debit and credit cards to speed up purchases from online stores.

The firm also intends to allow users of phones with near-field communication (NFC) chips to make contactless payments in high street shops.  It is the latest of several firms to charge retailers a transaction fee for making it easier to shop.  The service will be free to consumers at first, but O2 said that it would charge 15p for each money message sent by text at a later date.

The network provider said that more than 100 retailers had agreed to accept payments from the service. They include Debenhams, Comet, Sainsbury’s Direct and Tesco Direct.  Users can also benefit from a search facility that compares how much goods cost, the ability to load money onto the app from their debit cards and a “transaction history” that keeps track of what they have spent.

The firm said it had held off introducing contactless payments as only a handful of retailers had installed the necessary systems.  Every week seems to bring news of a mobile money product launch – but so far British consumers have proved lukewarm about the idea that their phones can substitute for their wallets.

What’s intriguing about O2′s new venture is that it’s the biggest attempt so far by a mobile operator, rather than a bank or credit card issuer, to enter this market.  In developing countries like Kenya it is mobile firms which have successfully pioneered mobile money innovation – but that’s because products are aimed at the many who don’t have bank accounts.

In the UK, where that isn’t the case, O2 will have to convince customers that their money is safe on their mobiles.  If and when UK phone users do get enthusiastic about mobile money, there’s a very lucrative business opportunity – and mobile operators will find themselves in a battle with the banks to grasp it.  It added that it was also in discussions with a rail operator to add a button to buy train tickets.

James Le Brocq, managing director at O2 Money said: “We believe it will transform the way people manage their finances and spend money.”  One of the biggest stumbling blocks for uptake of such technology is fears about security. He noted that all personal details, pin codes, passwords and other financial data were held on remote central servers rather than on the mobile device.

“O2 wallet has been trialled internally for months and has undergone extensive ‘stress-testing’ with security experts,” he added.  “This is, we believe, the safest and most secure way to deliver mobile payment services.”

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Net profit nearly doubled to 5.05 trillion won (£2.76bn) for the three months to the end of March, with more than 70% of Samsung Electronics’ operating profit coming from its mobile businesses.

During the quarter, Samsung overtook Nokia as the world’s top handset maker for the first time, ending the Finnish firm’s 14-year reign, according to a report by research firm Strategy Analytics published on Friday.

The company sold 93.5m handsets in the first quarter, taking 25.4% – or 1 in 4 – of the global mobile phone market.

After narrowly beating Apple last year, Samsung’s smartphone sales exceeded Apple’s by a large margin in the first quarter. Strategy Analytics said Samsung became the world’s top smartphone maker, selling 44.5 million handsets in the January-March period, followed by Apple’s 35.1 million.

Although Apple’s iPhone and iPad business remains more lucrative, earning $11.6 billion (£7.17bn) in the January-March quarter, more than twice as much as Samsung, even though its revenue was about 10% less.

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The easy availability of the internet on mobile devices has led to a boom in spending online, according to a survey from WorldPay, an internet payments system.

Britons do 25 per cent of their spending online, while one in six buy using a smartphone.

WorldPay said the high amount of money spent online was due to the ability to shop while away from the computer. Over half of Britons purchased items while watching TV and 3 per cent did so in the bathroom.  The most popular items to buy online are clothes, books and CDs.

“Online shoppers are becoming increasingly mobile, no longer chained to their PC to buy goods and services,” said Philip McGriskin, chief product officer at WorldPay.   “The way shoppers engage with mobile devices is also evolving and will drive the future of eCommerce as consumers look to purchase through apps, mobile websites and using their device on the move.”

Britain’s mobile spending revolution is partly due to it having one of the highest rates of smartphone ownership, according to a separate survey from TNS, a research consultancy. Over half of Britons own app-enabled mobiles.

Location-based services are also a fast growing trend, according to TNS. GPS navigation, finding nearby restaurants and looking for nearby deals were major reasons for using them.  “We are really starting to see location based services ‘come of age’. People are realising that sharing their location often offers some kind of reward in terms of a discount or deal,” said James Fergusson, head of Digital and Technology Practice at TNS.

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The vast majority of Brits want to see super-fast 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technology rolled out in the UK as soon as possible, according to Everything Everywhere (EE).

A survey carried out on behalf of the network operator by YouGov found that 74 per cent of respondents believe the industry should push forward with the deployment sooner rather than later, with 66 per cent stating the service will help the UK stay competitive and catch up with other countries.

Almost six in ten (58 per cent) said the technology should be made available soon because they want access to faster internet connectivity, while just under half (45 per cent) claimed it is important for job creation and the economy.  Of people surveyed who expressed an opinion on the matter, 82 per cent stated the adoption of innovative services such as 4G is essential if Britain is to remain competitive and jobs are to be protected.

Commenting on the research, EE chief executive Olaf Swantee said: “Consumers are calling for the fast and reliable broadband that 4G LTE can provide – and they want it now.  With nearly three dozen countries, including many parts of Europe, Asia and America having already rolled out 4G, it is imperative that the UK moves forward with building a 21st century digital infrastructure as soon as possible.”

EE has a vested interest in this result, as it is pushing to deploy the country’s first commercially-available 4G mobile broadband service before the end of this year.

The company, which owns the Orange and T-Mobile brands in the UK, is looking to re-use some of its existing airwaves to support 4G before Ofcom’s spectrum auction takes place in late 2012 and early 2013.  Ofcom came out in support of the move, claiming it would not distort competition, but rival carriers O2 and Vodafone have both argued it would give EE an unfair head start.

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Many games on the iOS platform are free to download but offer game add-ons, some of which cost nearly £70.

The group said it was too easy for children to run up big bills without “authorisation of their parents”.

Apple had called for the case to be dismissed, pointing out that in-app purchasing can now be disabled.  However, US District Judge Edward Davila said the hearing could now go ahead.

Apple’s purchasing system allows users to enter their credit-card details once and then authorise future payments for apps and other items with just a password.  In a recent update to its iOS software, Apple added extra steps in the in-app purchasing process, including the requirement to enter an additional password to buy items within apps.

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New research shows that both sending and receiving text messages can improve your mood if you are feeling stressed or lonely.

Text messaging may be blamed for contributing to illiteracy but the study indicates there are clear mental health benefits.

Psychologists at the University of California , Berkeley, found people suffering from depression reported feeling more connected and cared for when they receive text messages.

One patient told study author Professor Adrian Aguilera: “When I was in a difficult situation and I received a message, I felt much better. I felt cared for and supported. My mood even improved.”

Now researchers believe that everyone – not just people diagnosed with depression – experiences an up-lift in their mood when they receive or respond to a text message from a friend or family member.

The research began in 2010 when Prof Aguilera developed a customized “short message service (SMS)” programme in which his patients were sent text messages prompting them to think and reply about their moods and responses to positive and negative daily interactions.

The results have been published in the journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.

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The proposals aim to simplify how much it would cost to call non-geographic numbers, such as those used by the NHS, the Inland Revenue and TV shows. Number beginning 03, 08, 09 and 118 would all be affected.

Calls to ‘freephone’ 0800 numbers currently cost up to 21p a minute from mobile phones, despite being free from BT landlines.  Ofcom wants to make them free, and to introduce a standard ‘network access charge’ for other numbers.  This would allow adverts containing such numbers to say how much calls would cost, rather than simply saying that prices may vary, as they do currently.

The changes are possible after the introduction of the new Communications Act in May 2011, and would make ‘freephone’ numbers free from all telephones.

Ofcom also wants to standardise how ‘revenue sharing’ numbers work. These currently begin with 08, 09 and 118 and split the revenue from a call between the phone company and the service receiving the call. The new proposals would split the total charge transparently, so consumers would be told the cost of their phone company’s access charge. It would allow rates to be advertised at a cost per minute, “plus your phone company’s access charge”.

Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom, said “Consumers are often confused about how much they will pay to call these number ranges. Under our proposals, people will have much clearer information and there will be greater competition on prices. By making calls to 0800 numbers free from all phones, we will clear up any uncertainty about making calls, especially from mobiles, to the benefit of consumers and service providers alike.”

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BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has conceded defeat in the consumer market, saying it will concentrate the bulk of its efforts on corporate customers.

The firm made the announcement as it revealed another set of disappointing quarterly results which saw the firm record a loss of $125 million (£78 million) and revenue slide 25 per cent to $4.2 billion (£2.6 billion) from $5.6 billion in the same quarter a year ago.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins, who took over in January, said: “We plan to refocus on the enterprise business and capitalize on our leading position in this segment.  We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we tried to be everybody’s darling and all things to all people. Therefore, we plan to build on our strength.”

The decision to focus on the business market is part of a wider strategic review of the business announced by Heins.  RIM has also revealed a number of executives are leaving the company.

RIM has also announced that former co-CEO Jim Balsilie is stepping down form the firm’s board and leaving the company entirely.  Balsillie and RIM founder Mike Lazaradis stood down as co-CEOs in January.  Software chief technology officer David Yach and global opeartions chief operating officer Jim Rowan are also leaving the company.

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Draw Something soared to the top of the app charts after being downloaded a staggering 350 million times.

Now, less than two months after its creation, the blockbuster game has been bought by social network games company Zynga for £113 million.  The app is based on the game Pictionary, where one player draws a picture and the other has to guess what is being depicted.

Users pair up online and have to draw a choice of three things in as short a time as possible.  The concept has proved simple yet addictive with the Guardian reporting an average of three drawings a second on the app’s launch day last month.  Martin Bryant, who is the managing editor of technology website The Next Web, also told The Independent: “It is amazing.  I had not heard of Draw Something until around four weeks ago and then, suddenly, everyone seemed to be talking about it.”

The game was thought up by New York based Dan Porter and his team of games developers at OMGPOP and was released on February 1.  Now, the six-year-old business has been bought by Zynga, the company behind the hit app Farmville, for $180 million.

Some have criticised the deal, questioning whether the inexpensive app will lead to significant profits for the company.  But, despite costing 69p to download, the Draw Something app now makes more than £150,000 a day in revenue.

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Researchers used a special tool to monitor energy use by several apps on Android and Windows Phone handsets. Findings suggested that in one case 75% of an app’s energy consumption was spent on powering advertisements.

Report author Abhinav Pathak said app makers must take energy optimisation more seriously.  Free applications typically have built-in advertisements so developers can make money without having to charge for the initial app download.  Mr Pathak said that developers should perhaps think twice when utilising third-party advertising and analytics services in their app.

The research, produced by at team at Purdue University in Indiana, USA, looked at popular apps such as Angry Birds and Facebook.  Due to restrictions built into Apple’s mobile operating system, the team was unable to run tests on the iPhone.

In the case of Angry Birds, research suggested that only 20% of the total energy consumption was used to actually play the game itself.  Of the rest, 45% is used finding out your location with which it can serve targeted advertising.  The tests were carried out by running the app over a 3G connection. The results noted that many apps leave connections open for up to 10 seconds after downloading information.  In Angry Birds, that brief period – described by researchers as a “3G tail” – accounted for over a quarter of the app’s total energy consumption.

Chris McClelland, director of Belfast-based app developer Ecliptic Labs, said he was not surprised by the findings.  “Advertising needs to connect to the server and send information about location,” he explained.  “That just takes up so much battery. It seeps up the energy.”  He said such practices were largely unavoidable if users wanted to enjoy free, ad-supported games and applications.

However, he said developers should give more consideration to energy consumption when building in new features.

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The firm describes the technology as a “floating touch” user-interface.  The Xperia Sola handset is due to go on sale in the second half of 2012.

But some mobile phone analysts question whether the feature will be practical or popular.  A number of firms around the world have been exploring gesture control possibilities for quite some time.

Giants such as Apple, Microsoft and US mobile phone chip maker Qualcomm, as well as several small start-ups, are currently developing camera-based touchless technology.  Their aim is to let users perform tasks such as answering the phone, navigating the web and flicking through photos using gestures – for instance, snapping fingers in front of the screen.

“It may be useful, for instance, when your hands are wet, but we still need to see the other practical implications of it” says Chris Barraclough of Mobile Choice magazine.

Sony’s new “floating interface” is different.  A user’s finger will essentially act as a mouse cursor, highlighting a link. Once selected, it can be activated it with a single tap.  Calum MacDougall of Sony Mobile Communications called the phone’s technology “a sense of magic”.

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Levels of excitement over the new tablet are set to hit fever pitch over the coming days, which seemed to lead to at least one slip on Tesco’s online premises.

But the retailer has said its online terms and conditions mean if a pricing error is spotted before the item is shipped, customers will be asked if they still wish to purchase the product at the correct price.

‘We always look to offer our customers unbeatable value but unfortunately this is an IT error, which is being corrected,’ a spokeswoman said.

One customer said he had bought 20 of the £49.99 new iPads, which will cost £659 for the 64GB Wi-fi and 4G version, and £359 for the basic 16GB Wi-Fi only version, when they go on sale on March 16.

Earlier this year, Marks & Spencer was forced to honour a deal for 3DTVs worth £1,099 being sold at a fifth of the price after thousands joined an online campaign when the pricing error was spotted.

‘Every now and then the big retailers get it wrong, and this latest glitch seems to be a big mistake on Tesco’s part,’ said Paul Nikkel, founder of Hot UK Deals.  ‘But shoppers will not be happy when they are told they cannot get the deal.’

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Apple dominates the market but should face a fresh challenge later this year when tablets running the full Windows 8 system are expected to go on sale.

The new iPad – which is simply called by that name – also features a 5-megapixel camera sensor. It will be able to run on 4G LTE networks where the service is available and can act as a wi-fi hotspot for other devices if carriers allow the function.

It is 9.4mm deep, slightly thicker than the 8.8mm profile of the iPad 2. The basic 16GB model with only wi-fi will cost £399 and the top of the range 64GB model with wi-fi and 4G will cost £659.  Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller said the tablet has the same 10-hour estimated battery life as the previous model using only wi-fi. That limit shortens by an hour when using 4G.

It is due to go on sale on 16 March in the UK, US, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Japan.  The previous model will stay on sale at a reduced price, starting at £329. Mr Schiller said that would make it more affordable for schools to buy the machine.  The firm also announced an upgraded TV box which can now handle 1080p video.  Films and TV shows will be sold via its iTunes store in the high-definition format.

Mixed reactions

IMS Research said Apple accounted for 62% of the global tablet market in 2011. Ahead of the press conference it said it expected that share to rise to 70% this year.

Analysts at Gartner said they expected Apple to maintain its lead and increase the volume of tablets sold – but added that the launch did not contain any news to cause them to increase their “bullish” forecasts.  “I’d call the new iPad an evolutionary device with some revolutionary experiences,” said research director Michael Gartenberg.

Others expressed disappointment following the news noting that the new device’s display did not include haptic touch-feedback technology or access to the iPhone 4S’ voice-controlled Siri “intelligent assistant” as rumoured.

“As tablets are increasingly being used for personal media consumption, it is promising to see a better screen resolution,” said Fred Huet, managing director of Greenwich Consulting.  “But will this be enough to ensure Apple’s competitive lead in the marketplace? No.”

However, the new iPad won praise from journalists at Engadget who were among the first to try out the tablet. They noted that the improved screen resolution should lead to improved apps.  “Apple just put an insane amount of real estate in the hands of crafty developers, and frankly, we can’t wait to see what they cook up,” wrote Darren Murphy.

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Topping the list of free all-time favorites for the iPhone is Facebook, followed by Pandora Radio, Words With Friends Free, Skype and the Weather Channel.  On the paid iPhone app front, Angry Birds is leading the pack, followed by more of games: Fruit Ninja, Doodle Jump, Cut the Rope and Angry Birds Seasons.

The list of most popular paid iPad apps is once again dominated by disgruntled avians, with various Angry Birds flavors taking second and third place. Pages, Penultimate and Scrabble for iPad have taken first, fourth and fifth place.

The most popular free iPad app is Angry Birds Free, followed by the Weather Channel, Netflix, Skype and Kindle.

A quick analysis of the full top 25 lists reveals that iPad users install a lot of children’s games and entertainment apps, as well as office apps, such as apps from Apple’s iWork suite. Gaming is extremely popular on both platforms, while camera-related apps such as Camera+ or Instagram thrive on the iPhone.

And yes, the iPad paid apps are vastly more expensive than iPhone apps – most iPhone apps on the top list cost $0.99, while iPad apps usually cost $1.99, often more.

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