Tag Archives: phone

TAX to be added to 50p per month phone line TAX – confirmed

Leave a Reply

Yes – it’s been confirmed – those annoying people we call government have decided that they are going to add VAT to the proposed 50p per month phone line tax. With the VAT rate about to rise back to 17.5%, that makes the tax 58.75p per month or £7.05 per year.

This is seriously frustrating. The government just wants to reel in the money. Has anyone realised that it is impossible to revolutionise UK broadband networks in under 10 years. Frankly, I’d call this idea more of a scam, and sadly it looks like it will become a reality.

I really think the government has no idea what it is talking about. How the hell does the goverment expect to upgrade 5000 exchanges (5600 exchanges in UK approximately) to next generation broadband in under 10 years. With our government, there isn’t a hope in hell.

The Treasury has said approximately £175 million per year with this tax and I suspect very little of it will actually get spent on upgrading our broadband.

It has also been confirmed that the tax has been given the “green light” so it looks like the government will be pickpocketing more money from us within the next few months.

Review: Topcom USB Wireless Skype Phone (Butler 4012)

Leave a Reply

I recently decided that, as I use Skype frequently for general phone calls to standard landline calls, I should get a proper Skype headset.

I found the Topcom Butler 4012 on eBay brand new for £14.99, which is a bargain considering that its RRP is about £70.

I have to say I’m very impressed with the handset. It’s really easy to use and works very well. There are a few pros and cons which I’ve outlined below:

Advantages:

  • Battery life is very good
  • Works very well with Skype using the USB interface
  • The drivers work with Windows Vista and Windows 7
  • It comes with a selection of ringtones and customizable features
  • The sound quality of the calls is very good
  • It works just as if it were a normal landline phone
  • Wireless range is very good

Disadvantages:

  • You have to dial the country code when making a call, even if it is in your local country (ie 0044 before the number in the UK)
  • Must be plugged in via USB, no ethernet port
  • Comes with EU plug (that is probably just the eBay seller, but it is probably worth mentioning)

Other than that I think it is a product that will prove very handy. I use it frequently now and I have to say it hasn’t played up at all yet.

So if you’re looking for a good value Skype phone, try the Topcom Butler 4012 Skype handset.

Orange launches phone recycling campaign – earn money for your old phones

1 Reply

Orange, the UK mobile and phone/broadband service provider, has launched it’s “Recycle and Reward” campaign.

The new campaign allows members of the public to hand in their old mobile phones and get paid a cheque as a reward. It is an effort to cut down the amount of defunct mobile phones we all have in our houses – yes we all have them; all those old contract phones stashed away in the bottom drawer of your office cabinet.

Anyway, Orange has said they will tell you how much your phone is worth when you hand it in store, and if you agree to it, they will send you a cheque within 7 days. Pretty cool, eh?

Well I know I’ve got plenty of phones stashed away that could go to better use as notes in my pocket.

This could prove handy. If the prices are competitive to other phone recycling providers, this service could be a huge success.

O2 gets another top-knotch smartphone – the Palm Pre

Leave a Reply

Well if you have been reading the tech news lately, you’ll know about the new techy phone – the Palm Pre.

It’s been eagerly anticipated by many people, mainly because it looks like a brilliant competitor to the iPhone. It’s got some brilliant features and looks pretty cool too.

But today, it was revealed that O2 will be hosting the new phone in the UK, which ads it to the collection of fancy smartphones.

I think it is good that all the fancy top-knotch smartphones are ending up on the O2 network, but I do think some of O2’s competitors should get a chance too. To be fair, T-Mobile did get the Android phones which could be very promising, but some of the other networks haven’t really got much to say for themselves.

I think it would be nice to see an iPhone on another network. If O2 would let some other networks have some of the really high-end phones, I think it would be good.

New Nokia N86 ships worldwide, looks exciting!

Leave a Reply

The new Nokia N86 has started shipping worldwide, and it looks very exciting!

nokia-n86-0

I think it looks pretty nice, although the angled button towards the bottom right of the top layer looks a little weird on the phone. The number keypad has good size, well spread out keys which should be easy to use, and the large screen should make it great to use.

In terms of technical specs, it has a 2.6″ OLED screen, a quad band antenna, bluetooth, 8MP camera with flash, HSPDA, Wi-Fi, Music Player and GPS – so it is well equiped for most phone users.

It isn’t cheap, with SIM free prices starting from £549.99, but you can get it FREE on a £30 contract with Vodafone.

I don’t think I’d pay the money for it as it is very expensive SIM free, but it is well equiped and is very practical.