| MacUpdate Weekend Sale | :This weekend MacUpdate has slashed prices on Painter 12 and Painter Lite. Painter 12 retails for $429, but has been reduced by 54% to $199. Painter Lite has seen a 58% price cut from $69 to $29. Hurry, because these deals are only available until May 19th 2013. |
The HTC One has been made available to pre-order in the UK, ahead of an expected street date of March 15th. A number of carriers, including Vodafone and Three UK, have started to offer the flagship HTC device, with other retailers also offering an already-unlocked version for £510 ($780) including taxes. Another color of HTC One has also been revealed by the manufacturer.
UK regulator Ofcom has closed its 4G spectrum auction earlier than anticipated. Mainstream British carriers Vodafone, Telefonica, Everything Everywhere, and Three, as well as BT subsidiary Niche Spectrum Ventures, have won various sections of the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands, though the money earned by the UK Treasury through the auction is far below what it expected.
British carrier Three is planning to offer 4G service without requiring any changes to existing contracts, including those with an unlimited data allowance. Customers will be able to access the 4G signal on current 3G contracts without needing to pay a premium or lose any of their existing data allowance, so long as they are using smartphones capable of connecting to it, and are in an area covered by the signal.
The UK may have a quicker overall rollout of faster mobile network services than previously thought. Mobile carriers Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone, and Three have stopped their legal threats, and have joined together to create a company specifically to aid in deploying LTE services in the 800MHz band by clearing it of TV signals.
The Samsung Galaxy S III has finally started to roll out in the UK. National carrier Three released the update earlier today, and is the first network in the country to offer the update, with other carriers likely to offer it over the next few days. Aside from checking through Samsung Kies and the handset itself, Three confirmed the update through its own Twitter-based support team.
Nokia launched the Lumia 610 smartphone in the UK on Wednesday. As the company's entry-level Windows Phone-powered device, it has just 256MB of RAM and is relegated to Windows Phone 7.5. Major UK carriers and retailers including Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Three, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u will sell the phone starting at just £15 (about $23) per month on a contract, with no money down.
Wireless carrier 3 has introduced its Web Cube 3G hotspot to the UK. The broadband router, made by Huawei, offers broadband networking to up to five Wi-Fi devices. 3 is targeting renters and students who want Wi-Fi at home without being tied to a contract or a landline.
Denmark's Three wireless carrier has brought the unique addition of video calling for its call center staff, allowing users to buy a new phone face-to-face without physically being in a store. The interface allows the employees to show off product videos and photos as well as features on a heads-up, picture-in-picture window during the video call as well. Shoppers don't have to show themselves to the Three employees, however.
(Update: not worldwide) Google has just informed The Verge that the Galaxy Nexus will be "pretty much everywhere" beginning Monday, November 21. This likely means a launch in Canada and the US among other countries, making North Americans wait an extra weekend compared to UK buyers. The UK version is LTE-less, just like the Canadian version, while the US phone will have an LTE radio onboard.
HTC's Facebook-oriented smartphones, the ChaCha and Salsa, have now gone up for pre-order on Amazon UK. The ChaCha lists for £250 (about $409) and the Salsa is priced at £320 (nearly $524). The phones are due to arrive on June 26 and are sold as unlocked devices.
The UK is reportedly preparing its largest-ever spectrum auction, which will include bands spreading across 250MHz of spectrum no longer utilized by television broadcasters. The wireless regulation authority Ofcom is said to be working to finalize a strategy that will ensure the spectrum is distributed among at least four competing networks.
UK network operators Three and Vodafone will soon get Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc smartphone, both announced on Wednesday. While release dates weren't specific, it's expected the phone will begin arriving in April. Pricing for the device at either carrier also remains unknown.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has officially launched in the UK market today but has been launching cautiously. Vodaphone said the Galaxy Tab will be available for £499 ($802) with rolling monthly plans that start at the equivalent of less than five dollars (plus data charges). Wireless provider Three is offering the tablet for as low as £100 ($161) with a two year, £40/month ($64) contract that provides 5GB of data, but has not released pricing for voice plans. Orange prices the device at £499 ($802) with 12 month data plans that start at 500MB/month for £5 ($8).
Samsung Mobile UK manager Gary Twohig revealed in an interview with SiliconRepublic that a 10-inch version of the Galaxy Tab will be released during the first half of next year. The devices, including the seven-inch version, will not sport a Super AMOLED display, he added, but the displays will be capable of displaying HD video. The 10-inch Galaxy Tab will still have a version of Android, but whether it's 2.2, 3.0 or a future release like Honeycomb isn't known.
The Mini 3G handset introduced by INQ earlier this summer is now being offered by wireless provider 3. The candybar handset is meant for younger owners heavily involved in social networking, as it can be customized with body covers in eight different colors and has shortcuts for access to Facebook, IM programs, Skype and Twitter.
