Vodafone offering 3 months free on 4GB dongle plan

Internet service provider (ISP) Vodafone is continuing to offer three months free web access on its 18-month 4GB dongle deal.
The mobile broadband provider's USB Modem Stick + 4GB Premium Plan enables subscribers to get their contract off to the best possible start - by paying nothing until the fourth month.
Even the dongle itself is included for free with the broadband deal, which carries a monthly price tag of £20 after the end of the introductory offer period.
With a 4GB usage allowance, users can get themselves online for approximately 125 hours per month, subject to the type of content consumed.
Free IT security software is also included with the deal, enabling customers to protect their PC and files.
"There are parental controls too - to keep the kids safe online. You also get PC Backup, which automatically and securely saves up to a whopping 20GB of your files," the ISP explained.
Vodafone claims that dongle users benefit from "fast and reliable" network coverage, ensuring an enjoyable browsing experience irrespective of location.

More news on: Vodafone, Mobile broadband

Vodafone launches new mobile broadband modem

Vodafone has launched a mobile broadband modem which allows multiple users to connect their devices to the web simultaneously.

The device, known as the Mobile Wi-Fi R201, is now available for no upfront cost on an 18-month data plan from the network operator, which claims to cover 80 per cent of the UK population with its mobile broadband signal.

Customers who commit to paying £25 per month for the device will get a monthly web allowance of 5GB to use, with Wi-Fi enabled products such as laptops, games consoles, music players and tablet PCs all able to connect to it.

According to Vodafone, 5GB of data usage is equivalent to around eight hours of internet browsing, plus sending and receiving 225 emails, every day.

Earlier this month, ABI Research carried out a study which revealed that the UK - along with Indonesia and France - offers some of the cheapest mobile broadband packages in the world

VHA cuts prepaid mobile broadband price, adds WiFi modem

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has dropped the price of its Vodafone branded USB modem based prepaid mobile broadband starter pack from $79 to $49 and has introduced its first pocket 3G WiFi modem.
The USB modem package, which will be available from both Vodafone and 3 stores, comprises the modem and 1GB of data with 30 day expiry. Current prices for additional data, all on 30 day expiry, are $15 for 1.5GB, $29 for 4GB, $39 for 8GB and $49 for 10GB per month. VHA says these prices will apply until 15 September "unless extended."

VHA is targeting the product as a fixed-line replacement saying: "With the average Australian Internet user spending an incredible 37 days per year online, Vodafone's prepaid mobile broadband starter pack presents customers with a great opportunity to cast off the shackles of fixed-line Internet and start using the internet at home, when they're out an about, wherever they have 3G coverage." (The 37 days figure is derived from Nielsen's 2010 Internet & Technology Report that put Australian average weekly Internet usage at 17.6 hours per week.)

VHA has also introduced Pocket WiFi, a portable 3G WiFi modem that uses WiFi that enables up to five users to share one Vodafone or 3 mobile broadband service. It is manufactured by Huawei. It is available outright as the prepaid mobile broadband PocketWiFi starter pack for $119 that includes a prepaid SIM with 1GB of mobile broadband data on Vodafone or 200MB on 3, both with 30 day expiry. It is also available at no charge on some 24-month plans.

The device is exclusive to VHA. A Huawei spokesman told iTWire that it was a more recent model in the e-series range than the one presently sold by Virgin Mobile in Australia.

According to VHA, "What truly sets PocketWiFi apart from other WiFi models is the way it provides customers with visibility about what's happening at any one time. The handy LED display provides information about the signal strength, WiFi status, number of devices connected via WiFi, internet connection status, battery life, Internet session time, session data usage and roaming status."

The rechargeable and removable lithium-ion battery, is claimed to provide up to five hours of usage and can be charged by mains power or USB.

Vodafone ups mobile broadband data caps

Vodafone today increased the data quota and cut excess fees (on capped plans) on its mobile broadband plans, with four new postpaid and one new prepaid options.

"We've listened to our customers," said Edward Goff, general manager of Voice and Mobile Broadband at Vodafone Hutchison Australia. "They’ve told us they want more generous data allowances; they want the freedom and flexibility to choose the exact duration of their contracts; and the want fairer pricing when they have an internet- and data-intensive month and need to go over and above their usual data allowance."

The sole prepaid plan, the Data Plus Starter pack, is now $99, down from $129. The starter pack includes 6GB of data, a 3 month expiry, a USB modem and a maximum of 14GB of data accumulation.

The four new postpaid plans are: $15 per month for 1.5GB (a 500MB increase from the previous plan), $29 per month for 4GB (a 1GB increase), $39 per month for 8GB (a 2GB increase) and finally the $49 per month plan for 10GB (a 2GB increase).

All postpaid plans have a minimum monthly spend of their namesake, for example the $15 plan has a minimum spend of $15. Early exit fees apply on the 12 month contract plans. For the $15 plan the exit fee is $15 x months left on contract and $20 x months left of contract for the $29, $39 and $49 plans. Monthly data fees on the postpaid plans have been cut from $0.10 per MB to $0.02MB.

A USB modem is included in the $29, $39 and $49 12 month contract plans for no extra charge. The modem is $4 a month on the cheapest postpaid 12 month contract plan or there is an option to buy the modem outright. The USB modem is $79 to buy outright for conumers who do not want to sign a 12 month contract and use on a month to month basis. An unlocking fee applies to all plans.

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Vodafone Releases iPhone 4 UK Prices

Mobile operator Vodafone has released its prices for Apple’s new iPhone 4, leaving only T-Mobile and 3 still to declare how much they will charge for the device.

Vodafone will give the iPhone 4 away for “free” if a customer will pay £60 a month for two years, according to the tariff which has just been published. Like other operators, Vodafone is not yet publishing its pay-as-you-go contract details. O2 published its prices yesterday, and Orange published rates on Wednesday - it has been rumoured that 3 UK intends to declare its prices last, in order to undercut the other players.

T-Mobile and 3 still to go

Although broadly similar to O2’s, Vodafone’s plans have differences which could benefit some users. The biggest difference is that, unlike O2, Vodafone charges the same upfront cost for the phone whether it is bought on an 18 month plan or a two-year contract.

The use of Wi-Fi is also differerent. Where O2’s is unlimited, Vodafone customers get 1GB of Wi-Fi data, along with 1GB of 3G data, on a contract for a 16GB iPhone 4. The device has an upfront cost of £219, and then costs £25 a month on a two-year contract, or £30 a month on an 18 month plan.

The deal also gives users 75 minutes of talk time and 250 texts.

To get the phone “free, users have to either pay £60 a month for two years, or £65 a month for 18 months. On a business plan, users can get the phone free for £50 or £55 a month - for 24 or 18 months respectively. These details have turned out to be the same as those released in error on Monday, when Apple released its SIM-free pricing.

3 to undercut competitors?

Last year, when 3 announced it intended to sell the iPhone, chief executive Kevin Russell promised to negotiate hard on price, so many potential customers hope the 3 network will undercut the others when it brings Apple’s smartphones to a traditonally less-extravagant audience.

The iPhone 4 is selling fast: in the UK, Apple’s pre-order stock ran out in 24 hours, while in the US, AT&T and Apple servers failed under the pressure of 600,000 pre-order sales in the first day.

The iPhone 4 has a larger battery capable of 7 hours of talk time and runs the fourth version of the iPhone operating system (iOS4), which is the first to include features such as multitasking. It also has a thinner body, a front-facing camera for video conferencing and a built-in three-axis gyroscope.

Nexus One shipments headed to Verizon, Vodafone soon?

Not much here in the way of verifiable detail but we're hearing that a CDMAified Nexus One is en route to Verizon (or Google's warehouses, anyway) from HTC's factories. The Economic Daily News (EDN) adds that Verizon will begin to "market" Google's superphone this month or in April at the earliest which lends some credibility to that March 23rd date tossed about previously. As for the Vodafone branded handset; EDN says HTC will ship it "soon" -- something we've been hearing since January.

DigiTimes

Vodafone pledges fix for Snow Leopard 3G modem woes

By Tony Smith

Vodafone customers have let rip at the carrier for its failure to update its wireless modem software for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Yesterday, the network operator promised a fully 10.6-compatible version of its Mobile Connect software, but was unable to provide a timeframe for the update's release.

Vodafone confirmed its USB Modem Stick Pro doesn't work with Snow Leopard at all, but said that its other USB modems and its E870 ExpressCard offering will work with Mac OS X 10.6 when the OS is booted with a 32-bit kernel.

Users claimed the code crashes their 10.6 system when a modem is connected.

Snow Leopard supports 64-bit computing more pervasively than any other Apple OS to date. Users with a 64-bit processor - anything with a Core 2 Duo, basically - can run 64-bit apps alongside 32-bit apps. To ensure maximum compatibility with 32-bit device drivers, only Apple's XServe servers boot up by default with a 64-bit kernel - the rest retain a 32-bit kernel, though this has no effect on machines' ability to run 64-bit apps.

Snow Leopard's 64-bit kernel isn't officially supported on MacBooks. And until the vast majority of third-party device drivers have been released in 64-bit versions, it's likely to stay that way. Laptops are the most common users of USB 3G modems.

But it's not just drivers that are causing woes. Vodafone admitted that Mobile Connect front end needs to be re-installed after users upgrade to Snow Leopard. Even then, some elements won't work, it confessed.

The new version should fix this, but what has got most punters annoyed is the fact that they believe Vodafone should have seen this coming. Pre-release versions of Snow Leopard have been available to developers to use for testing for months.

Early access to upcoming OS X releases is available for a $499 (£243) membership fee - not a lot for a company of Vodafone's size to cough up to keep its monthly fee paying customers happy.

Fortunately, Snow Leopard is out now and can be had for a mere 25 quid.

It seems Vodafone may have been waiting for the lower price. "The UK support team tell me that they are waiting for a copy of Snow Leopard to arrive at their office so that they can load it on a Mac and start testing," claimed one poster on Vodafone's public forum. ®

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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/10/vodafone_snow_leopard_fail/

Huawei E510 USB HSDPA modem & digital TV receiver

by Chris Davies

Huawei, who supply Vodafone UK with their 3G modems, have announced a combination HSDPA/HSUPA USB modem and digital TV receiver. The E510 promises download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps and upload speeds of up to 2Mbps, network depending.

No details about the mobile TV standard Huawei have built into the E510 were discussed, but with such a strong European user-base some are assuming it will at least include DVB-H, which is common in the region.

Neither price nor availability were announced.

[via Everything USB]