mobiles
Communicate
8:57AM Angus Kidman | The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a warning this week to providers of ringtones, games, wallpapers and other “premium” mobile content, noting that “attempts to distract and confuse so that consumers cannot make informed choices are not acceptable”. At the same time, it reminded consumers not to dive into these deals without careful consideration:
Television advertisements with small print disclosure and busy or distracting images and magazine advertisements featuring tiny print and confusing clutter mean that many consumers would not appreciate the significant ongoing costs they could incur by simply texting in to the number on the screen or in print.
While this may seem obvious advice, it’s worth reinforcing in an era when people will rush out to buy the latest fashionable phone and its accessories (though arguably one advantage of the iPhone is that it doesn’t work with most of these providers). If you want to make your own ringtones instead, here’s how to get it done for Windows and Mac users.
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Don’t get sucked in by premium mobile phone content
8:57AM Angus Kidman | The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a warning this week to providers of ringtones, games, wallpapers and other “premium” mobile content, noting that “attempts to distract and confuse so that consumers cannot make informed choices are not acceptable”. At the same time, it reminded consumers not to dive into these deals without careful consideration:
Television advertisements with small print disclosure and busy or distracting images and magazine advertisements featuring tiny print and confusing clutter mean that many consumers would not appreciate the significant ongoing costs they could incur by simply texting in to the number on the screen or in print.
While this may seem obvious advice, it’s worth reinforcing in an era when people will rush out to buy the latest fashionable phone and its accessories (though arguably one advantage of the iPhone is that it doesn’t work with most of these providers). If you want to make your own ringtones instead, here’s how to get it done for Windows and Mac users.
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Communicate
5:08PM Angus Kidman | A survey of Australian consumers by retailer Allphones found that 13% of phone buyers plan on replacing their handset every six months, and 40% expect to do so once a year. While the survey size (110) is so small that the figures can’t be taken very seriously (especially in a country where there are more than 20 million handsets), it does raise an interesting issue.
As a tech journalist, I get to test out quite a lot of new phones (though I’m an amateur compared to Nick at Gizmodo) — but I’ve tended to hang onto my actual working phone for two years or more. What’s your preferred phone replacement cycle? And what drives you to change over — a sexy new design, enhanced features, or a dead battery in your old phone? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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How often do you change over your mobile phone?
5:08PM Angus Kidman | A survey of Australian consumers by retailer Allphones found that 13% of phone buyers plan on replacing their handset every six months, and 40% expect to do so once a year. While the survey size (110) is so small that the figures can’t be taken very seriously (especially in a country where there are more than 20 million handsets), it does raise an interesting issue.
As a tech journalist, I get to test out quite a lot of new phones (though I’m an amateur compared to Nick at Gizmodo) — but I’ve tended to hang onto my actual working phone for two years or more. What’s your preferred phone replacement cycle? And what drives you to change over — a sexy new design, enhanced features, or a dead battery in your old phone? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Communicate
1:23PM Angus Kidman | Rampant confusion over mobile phone plans and charges (and yes, we’re still waiting for Vodafone to get back to us on its particularly bad case of iPhone plan perplexity) has apparently got so bad that the ACCC is getting involved. ACCC head Graeme Samuel has reminded consumers to be especially careful with excess data fees:
“The ACCC is particularly concerned that consumers may be misled if they are not made sufficiently aware that their data allocations can be exceeded – at significant cost. In the case of smartphones, consumers can download greater amounts of information from the internet than ever before. With this, comes the potential for them to exceed their phone plan value and incur considerable additional charges.”
This is sound advice, which we’d almost deem obvious if so many people hadn’t signed up sight unseen for iPhone deals. The ACCC is asking phone companies to supply evidence of their consumer education programs in this area; given the speed with which many responses are handled in telcos, we’d suggest self-education is still the best option. Read that small print carefully!
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ACCC dives into mobile charges debate
1:23PM Angus Kidman | Rampant confusion over mobile phone plans and charges (and yes, we’re still waiting for Vodafone to get back to us on its particularly bad case of iPhone plan perplexity) has apparently got so bad that the ACCC is getting involved. ACCC head Graeme Samuel has reminded consumers to be especially careful with excess data fees:
“The ACCC is particularly concerned that consumers may be misled if they are not made sufficiently aware that their data allocations can be exceeded – at significant cost. In the case of smartphones, consumers can download greater amounts of information from the internet than ever before. With this, comes the potential for them to exceed their phone plan value and incur considerable additional charges.”
This is sound advice, which we’d almost deem obvious if so many people hadn’t signed up sight unseen for iPhone deals. The ACCC is asking phone companies to supply evidence of their consumer education programs in this area; given the speed with which many responses are handled in telcos, we’d suggest self-education is still the best option. Read that small print carefully!
More »
Communicate
1:26PM Angus Kidman | While it isn’t actually the first provider to offer untimed mobile calls (goTalk’s VOIP plans have a similar feature), Optus’ new Timeless bundles do offer a cheap option if you make lots of calls to mobile numbers. Of particular note given the ongoing debate over iPhone plans is the $129 bundle, which includes 2GB of data and an all-you-can-call policy for $129 — a much better deal than the iPhone’s $149 1GB launch plan on Optus. If nothing else, this is yet another reminder that signing up early for the iPhone was always like to be a costly decision.
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Optus introduces untimed call plans
1:26PM Angus Kidman | While it isn’t actually the first provider to offer untimed mobile calls (goTalk’s VOIP plans have a similar feature), Optus’ new Timeless bundles do offer a cheap option if you make lots of calls to mobile numbers. Of particular note given the ongoing debate over iPhone plans is the $129 bundle, which includes 2GB of data and an all-you-can-call policy for $129 — a much better deal than the iPhone’s $149 1GB launch plan on Optus. If nothing else, this is yet another reminder that signing up early for the iPhone was always like to be a costly decision.
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Communicate
11:31AM Angus Kidman | Mobile phones might be ubiquitous, but that doesn’t mean they’re equally well-designed for everyone. If you’re short-sighted, seeing small buttons may be impossible; if you have limited muscular control, then a touch screen’s a non-starter. Nokia Australia has just published an accessibility guide for its phone range, which includes some useful tips on picking the right phone model for your needs and setting it up for accessibility (in amongst the inevitable self-serving corporate gumpf and cheesy photography). While it’s Nokia-specific, the guidelines are potentially useful whatever phone you end up buying.
Nokia Accessibility Guide (PDF)
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Choosing an accessible mobile phone
11:31AM Angus Kidman | Mobile phones might be ubiquitous, but that doesn’t mean they’re equally well-designed for everyone. If you’re short-sighted, seeing small buttons may be impossible; if you have limited muscular control, then a touch screen’s a non-starter. Nokia Australia has just published an accessibility guide for its phone range, which includes some useful tips on picking the right phone model for your needs and setting it up for accessibility (in amongst the inevitable self-serving corporate gumpf and cheesy photography). While it’s Nokia-specific, the guidelines are potentially useful whatever phone you end up buying.
Nokia Accessibility Guide (PDF)
More » 
