Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 09-14-2014

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Industry voice: Mobile payments: Why a mobile phone needs to be more than a fat credit card Sep 14th 2014, 13:14, by Dan Salmons Recent news that Amazon has announced a card reader and mobile app for small business owners to take payments on their mobiles shows just how far the payments industry has come. Couple this with Apple's announcement that the iPhone 6 handset will include a 'tap and pay' iWallet wireless payment system and suddenly you start to realise that how you pay for things matters more to consumers now than ever. Offering people the right choices for payment can make all the difference between a completed purchase and an abandoned basket. Check out our hands on review of the Apple Pay We have more payment choices available to us than ever before, but not every payment option is right for everyone or every product. Indeed, there have been plenty of experiments in mobile payments that have failed. Why? Because they basically set out to take something pre-existing for which payments via cash or cards worked perfectly well, and simply tacked a mobile dimension on to the end. Augmented mobile payments Granted, a lot of the enabling technology was very clever but the proposition for the mobile consumer, in a lot of these cases, was not compelling enough. Mobile payments are getting simpler but, in most cases, they still have a job to do to displace cards and cash. Research we commissioned earlier this year supports this view. Our key finding was that consumers see nothing fundamentally wrong with cash and cards. Indeed debit cards remain the most popular choice of payment (preferred by 48% of us), while cash is now preferred by about a quarter (although that percentage increases within lower income groups). While the growth in spending is being fuelled by 'non-cash, non-card' payments, which include mobile payments and vouchers, these new methods remain minority pursuits. Check out our hands on review of the Apple Watch People are not about to start ditching their wallets in favour of their phones for some time. Online and mobile technologies, in particular, work when they enable brand new, instant and immediate experiences with new payment processes embedded within them. For example, Hailo lets people hail and then pay for taxi ride without having to worry about carrying cash with them. PayByPhone does a similar job in street parking, freeing customers from the worry of having to rush back to the car to top up the machine if they run out of time. These apps have proved so successful because they do more than replace the payments process: they use the functions inherent in the mobile device genuinely enhance the customer experience. It's not how you pay, it's what you're paying for that counts As handset manufacturers begin launching mobile devices with payment functionality hard-wired into them, businesses have a golden opportunity to develop all kinds of new commerce offerings. In order to be a hit with consumers they will need to offer things that only a mobile device can offer: location specificity, personalisation, the mobile screen real estate, smartphones' SMS messaging and voice calling capabilities. And it is in these areas where mobile payments have a significant edge over 'dumb' cash and card payments. It is here where businesses can really add value to consumers, in a way they can't with cash and cards. As long as cards and cash remain our favourite means of payment, businesses looking at opening up the mobile channel have to be sure that they are giving consumers clear reasons for purchasing via their phones. After all, if all the phone does is make a payment, it's no more use than a fat credit card. Dan Salmons is the managing director of PayPoint Mobile and Online. He lead the development of the internet payments and mobile payments businesses. Getting SMS texts on your iPad and Mac? Not until October Sep 13th 2014, 18:58, by Michael Rougeau Every time Apple has taken the stage lately the company's executives have spared more than a few beats to talk about "continuity" between iOS and OS X, but now it's been revealed that one of the concept's flagship features won't arrive until October. That feature, of course, is the ability to receive and send SMS text messages on Mac OS X Yosemite devices and iPads, thereby continuing your conversation no matter what device you're on. The feature has been available in betas of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, but it won't be ready for the masses when the new iOS version launches on September 17, Apple's own continuity hub says. Although iOS 8 has a release date, OS X Yosemite still doesn't - not officially, at least, but it does seem as if the new Mac OS will arrive in September. Here's my iPad, call me maybe There are a number of other continuity features that will let iOS 8 and Yosemite devices interact, and according to Apple those will be available before October. For example iOS 8 devices and Mac OS X Yosemite computers will be able to "Handoff" half-written messages, partially read websites, in-progress Maps routes, and a number of other app-specific bits seamlessly between one another. And then there's the ability to make and receive calls using a Mac or iPad, or to use your iPhone as a wi-fi hotspot (about time). And these features haven't been delayed into October, so maybe we'll see Yosemite this month after all. Forget 4K: Apple is apparently working on a 5K Retina iMac Updated: iPhone 6 Plus release date: where can I get it? Sep 12th 2014, 15:37, by Matt Hanson The iPhone 6 is finally here, boasting a number of improvements over its predecessors, including a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1334 x 750. It will have an an anodised aluminium shell, will be 6.9mm thin and Apple promises it will be faster than the iPhone 5S. As expected the iPhone 6 offers 4G, with 20 LTE bands. It's Cat 4, so capable of speeds up to 150Mbps. The iPhone 6 will also offer VoLTE - Voice over LTE. Read our hands on: iPhone 6 review This feature takes voice data off the 3G network and moves it onto 4G for clearer voice calls, and simultaneous voice and data connections. The iPhone 6 will start shipping from September 19, with pre-orders being starting today, September 12. So where can you get one from, and how much will it set you back? SIM-Free If you're looking to get the iPhone 6 without a contract then prices start at £539 for the 16GB version over on Apple's website. For the 64GB variant you'll be shelling out £619, while the 128GB version will set you back £699. EE At the launch of the iPhone 6 it was announced that EE would be providing the handset with its contracts. It will also be the first UK network to offer Wi-Fi calling with the iPhone 6. Apple promises you'll be able to begin calls on your mobile network and then seamlessly transfer over to calling over Wi-Fi when you're in range, and vice versa. This feature will only work if your network supports it. At the moment if you're on EE, then you'll be good to go. EE is taking pre-orders right now, thought the site appears to be buckling under the demand. Stay patient. Vodafone Vodafone is offering the iPhone 6 with its contracts. You can head over to the website right now to pick one up, with prices starting at £26.50 a month. Along with Vodafone's 4G contracts, the iPhone 6 will also be available on its 2G and 3G networks as well. O2 O2 has also announced that it will be offering the iPhone 6 alongside its contracts. It seems the site is struggling with the traffic at the moment, but you can head over right now and eagerly tap that F5 button in anticipation. Carphone Warehouse Carphone Warehouse has opened its doors for pre-orders. Deals start with a free 16GB handset on a £43.50 a month contract with vodafone, with O2 and EE offers also available. Go check them out. Giffgaff Mobile network Giffgaff is perhaps best known for its cheap sim-only deals called goody bags. We haven't got specific prices yet, but we have been assured that it will be sold at a "very competitive price" and will be available with Giffgaff's goody bags. You can register your interest right now, or find out more about Giffgaff's iPhone 6 offers on the Giffgaff website. Three Three will offer the iPhone 6 with contracts that will include free calls to 0800 numbers, unlimited data and 4G at no extra cost. Three customers will also be able to use the iPhone 6 in 16 destinations worldwide without having to pay additional roaming charges. The cheapest contract on Three will get you a 16GB iPhone 6 Plus with an upfront cost of £99 and a 24 month contract for £44 a month. This contract includes unlimited calls and texts and 1GB of 4G data. You can get the same contract with 2GB of data for £47 a month, or unlimited data for £51 a month. Three also offers the 64GB and 128GB versions of the iPhone 6 Plus as well. For the 128GB version, if you want unlimited data you'll need to pay an upfront cost of £119, rather than £99, on top of a £60 a month contract. Phones 4u Phones 4u will also be offering the iPhone 6 in store for a number of networks and contracts. You'll be able to get yourself a 16GB handset free from £43.50. on a 4G contract, which will give you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 4GB of data. Virgin Media Virgin Media will also be offering the iPhone 6 with its contracts. Pricing and availability of the iPhone 6 hasn't been announced by Virgin Media just yet, but it is offering a £10 monthly saving on all of its pay monthly mobile deals, along with unlimited calls and texts to other Virgin Media customers included in the plans. You can find out more about Virgin Media's iPhone 6 Plus offers on the Virgin Media website. Tesco Mobile The supermarket is also offering Apple's new iPhone, but hasn't yet confirmed whats its prices will be. Keep an eye on the Tesco website for now. We've already had a play with the iPhone 6, and here's what we think so far Updated: iPhone 6 release date: where can I get it? Sep 12th 2014, 15:35, by Matt Hanson The iPhone 6 is finally here, boasting a number of improvements over its predecessors, including a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1334 x 750. It will have an an anodised aluminium shell, will be 6.9mm thin and Apple promises it will be faster than the iPhone 5S. As expected the iPhone 6 offers 4G, with 20 LTE bands. It's Cat 4, so capable of speeds up to 150Mbps. The iPhone 6 will also offer VoLTE - Voice over LTE. Read our hands on: iPhone 6 review This feature takes voice data off the 3G network and moves it onto 4G for clearer voice calls, and simultaneous voice and data connections. The iPhone 6 will start shipping from September 19, with pre-orders being starting today, September 12. So where can you get one from, and how much will it set you back? SIM-Free If you're looking to get the iPhone 6 without a contract then prices start at £539 for the 16GB version over on Apple's website. For the 64GB variant you'll be shelling out £619, while the 128GB version will set you back £699. EE At the launch of the iPhone 6 it was announced that EE would be providing the handset with its contracts. It will also be the first UK network to offer Wi-Fi calling with the iPhone 6. Apple promises you'll be able to begin calls on your mobile network and then seamlessly transfer over to calling over Wi-Fi when you're in range, and vice versa. This feature will only work if your network supports it. At the moment if you're on EE, then you'll be good to go. EE is taking pre-orders right now. The cheapest price you can get the iPhone 6 for is £99 with a two year contract. The monthly cost of the contract is £40.99 for the 16GB version. If you want the 64GB version of the iPhone 6, EE is offering it for a £150 upfront cost with a £45.99 a month two year contract. Vodafone Vodafone is offering the iPhone 6 with its contracts. You can head over to the website right now to pick one up, with prices starting at £26.50 a month. Along with Vodafone's 4G contracts, the iPhone 6 will also be available on its 2G and 3G networks as well. O2 O2 has also announced that it will be offering the iPhone 6 alongside its contracts, which you can now pre-order. There are a number of different contracts available for the iPhone 6. The cheapest option at the moment is for the 16GB version. With an upfront cost of £30, you pay £43 a month and get unlimited calls and texts and 2GB of 4G data. Carphone Warehouse Carphone Warehouse has opened its doors for pre-orders. Deals start with a free 16GB handset on a £43.50 a month contract with vodafone, with O2 and EE offers also available. Go check them out. Giffgaff Mobile network Giffgaff is perhaps best known for its cheap sim-only deals called goody bags. We haven't got specific prices yet, but we have been assured that it will be sold at a "very competitive price" and will be available with Giffgaff's goody bags. You can register your interest right now, or find out more about Giffgaff's iPhone 6 offers on the Giffgaff website. Three Three will offer the iPhone 6 with contracts that include free calls to 0800 numbers, unlimited data and 4G at no extra cost. Three customers will also be able to use the iPhone 6 in 16 destinations worldwide without having to pay additional roaming charges. The cheapest contract on Three will get you a 16GB iPhone 6 with an upfront cost of £99 and a 24 month contract for £38 a month. This contract includes unlimited calls and texts and 1GB of 4G data. You can get the same contract with 2GB of data for £41 a month, or unlimited data for £45 a month. Three also offers the 64GB and 128GB versions of the iPhone 6 as well. Phones 4u Phones 4u will also be offering the iPhone 6 in store for a number of networks and contracts. You'll be able to get yourself a 16GB handset free from £43.50. on a 4G contract, which will give you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 4GB of data. Virgin Media Virgin Media will also be offering the iPhone 6 with its contracts. Pricing and availability of the iPhone 6 hasn't been announced by Virgin Media just yet, but it is offering a £10 monthly saving on all of its pay monthly mobile deals, along with unlimited calls and texts to other Virgin Media customers included in the plans. You can find out more about Virgin Media's iPhone 6 Plus offers on the Virgin Media website. Tesco Mobile The supermarket is also offering Apple's new iPhone, and you can register your interest. You won't have to pay an upfront cost for any of Tesco's iPhone 6 deals. The cheapest contract includes the 16GB version, 3000 minutes, 5000 texts and 3GB of 4G data for £41 per month over two years. For the 64GB variant you'll pay £45 a month for the same amount of calls, texts and data, whilst for a 128GB version you'll pay £48.50. Tesco will also be offering a range of other contracts with larger data allowances. We've already had a play with the iPhone 6, and here's what we think so far

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