JHL Mobile Blog

BlackBerry is Number 1 Smartphone in the UK

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:44:15 GMT

Research firm GFK from shows that Blackberry devices are the best-selling smartphones for the second time running in 2011. BlackBerry averaged 27.7 per cent market share in 2011 and also accumulated 8.5 million UK subscribers the latest data shows.

The rise in sales is due to young people using BlackBerry devices as there are many different budget handsets available to them which are affordable. Also Blackberry Messenger is a very key feature to younger people as they can all keep in contact through the secure messenger service. The fact that Blackberry messenger compresses the data so it’s easier to send pictures through BBM as it is also known.

Another big factor is the price of the Playbook being reduced due to the struggle in sales. This would have got more people interested in the Playbook which would have increased sales slightly. UK Blackberry Managing Director Stephen Bates said the company had “learn a lot” from the experience of the PlayBook, in an interview in the Daily Telegraph. He also admitted that “if you don't have a BlackBerry then it's not the tablet for you”. He explained that the PlayBook was about extending the Blackberry experience for customers. The PlayBook's 2.0 software, which has been announced by RIM is reportedly going to launch in February, in an attempt to resolve any mistakes made from the first PlayBook OS and make it a better experience.

This is positive news for Blackberry who has taken a lot of negative flack in 2011. This welcome boost should take Blackberry into 2012 with more confidence.

CEO change at Research In Motion

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:33:49 GMT

"We will take this to new heights” - This is a Bold statement from the NEW Research In Motion (RIM) CEO Thorsten Heins. Blackberry Smartphone manufacturers RIM have announced a change in CEO. The shake-up at the Canadian company will mean Mike Lazaridis who was founder of RIM and co-CEO Jim Balsillie will both step down. Now steps up Thorsten Heins, who joined RIM in 2007. He has risen through the ranks from Chief Operating Officer, Product Engineering, overseeing the Blackberry smartphone portfolio world-wide. Heins previously worked for Siemens as the Chief of Technology in 2007 and holds a master’s degree in Science and Physics. Will his vast experience be enough to spearhead Blackberry into a new era?

The change up is due to recent struggle in Blackberry sales and the embarrassing outage. The outage at the end of 2011 that troubled users all over the world, experiencing problems, sending ,receiving, using BBM and also internet and data problems. This outage left a lot of users feeling that this shouldn’t happen with a Billionaire company and a secure system. This then lead to the outage being the number 1 #trendontwitter, which was embarrassing for the company.

Another blow was the flop in sales of the Blackberry Playbook which didn’t hit the heights hoped with consumers. This leaves a huge mountain of pressure on Heins to deliver in 2012 as many loyal Blackberry users feel as though they are falling behind the other major manufacturers. The new CEO stated that the company doesn’t need drastic change. He also mentioned that he won’t split up the company. "I will not in any way split this up or separate this into different businesses," Mr. Heins said. "If there [are] requests coming towards Research In Motion to talk about licensing that platform to other companies, I will entertain those discussions. I will listen." I would agree with Heins to some degree as I think they do need some things tweaked to make Blackberry a front runner. I do believe though that they need to step it up fast or risk falling behind further. Let’s look at the positives and negatives of the Blackberry smartphones:

Negatives

Browsing is still slower than the rest of the new smartphones
Lack of apps, means less interesting
Too many devices out, leaves everyone confused. Eg. Curve (9360) this should be called something different so it’s easier to identify. It being a touchscreen, in my opinion means it should be a torch or storm.
Operating system is still a little slow and lagging as same with touchscreen.

Positives

Emails – Sending and receiving emails, I feel Blackberry is the best. Using the QWERTY keyboard is excellent for this.
Blackberry Messenger. I’ve yet to see a more popular messenger. Easy to use, share pictures, video, notes etc. Uses very little data due to compression
Blackberry Bold 9900 is the best Blackberry yet. Looks very sleek and cool. The keyboard is the best I’ve used on any phone. I feel the touchscreen and QWERTY is the way forward for Blackberry. It’s a great balance between touch for internet browsing and keyboard to type long emails etc.

What will 2012 bring for RIM and Blackberry?

In a recent interview with Thorsten Heins he discussed a new Playbook 2.0 OS update. He mentioned that they need to use powerful marketing to help get back on track.

Blackberry 10 platform is something that is being worked on at the moment. Heins states that it’s unheard of for a company to create a new platform within one and a half years, but he’s very excited to see it. There isn’t anything I’ve seen so far that details what Blackberry 10 will consist of and what features and capabilities it will bring. RIM are expected to release a new Blackberry Bold smartphone running on Blackberry 10. The new handset is expected in December and will have touch-screen and QWERTY keyboard facilities.

2012 will be a huge year for RIM and Blackberry, I hope that Thorsten Heins can pull it off and take Blackberry to new heights.

Micro SIM cards – SIMply smaller

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:15:15 GMT

The micro sim is a smaller version of the standard SIM card.

When the iPhone 4 was introduced to the world, it was the first time we saw a micro SIM card being used in a mobile phone. Since then, more devices are being released that utilise it. Whether it was a space saving brainwave or an attempt to cause problems for users swapping between devices, the micro SIM is here to stay (for now at least). Although there have been rumours flying around about a nano SIM being developed by a German company which is 30% smaller than a micro SIM.

Using a micro SIM saves a tiny amount of space but when you consider everything a smartphones does, this could make the difference between a good handset and a great handset. Smartphones are fast becoming thinner, compact and even more powerful. When you look at a Smartphone every inch of space is being utilised due to the amount of new features being crammed in. In the last few months I’ve noticed more devices using micro SIMs including the Motorola Razr (which I reviewed last week) and Nokia 800. I feel it’s just a matter of time before the others follow.

Possible issues

The micro SIM does bring one main issue; when copying numbers you used to be able to copy to the SIM and put the SIM in new handset or put your new SIM in your old handset and copy onto SIM card. If you save your contacts onto your standard SIM then you can’t put this in the Smartphone that only takes micro SIM’s and vice versa. Copying contacts to the SIM was always the easiest way to get contacts across and also was useful for anyone porting onto a different network. This now means that you have to download the Software for your specific handset to then sync with Outlook so that it copies your contacts to your Outlook. Then use the Software for your new phone and sync this with Outlook. This can be a positive thing as well as it means your contacts are now saved on Outlook but this could be seen as a problem if you preferred them being separate. If you think downloading the Software etc. is too much of an inconvenience then you can buy a micro SIM adapter, which is the same size as a standard SIM but has an indent and space for you to put your micro SIM in to make it seem like it’s now a standard SIM. There is also the SIM cutter which allows you to cut a standard SIM to a micro SIM size.

Summary

Pros: Smaller, allows phone to be more compact, more features

Cons: Difficulties when changing or moving handsets (although SIM cutters and adapters an option)

The micro SIM can be a good addition to Smartphones but will also cause some issues with contacts moving around. Let’s see if other manufacturers follow the trend, only time will tell. There will be many possibilities in the future; maybe the nano SIM will mean manufacturers will change again.

Motorola Razr – THINking ahead

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:29:01 GMT

You may think you have heard of the Motorola Razr before in the past due to the Motorola model by the name of Krzr in the past. Don’t let the name fool you as the Razr is far superior and packed with power.

It’s powered by a Dual Core processor and shows signs of becoming a potential smartphone top contender. It uses Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) operating system. The 8MP camera and HD recording that the Razr has is also becoming a trend with all Smartphone highflyers. There is also a very impressive feature called Smart Actions. This allows you to set up your phone so that for example your phone goes onto silent when you get to work, it recognises the address and does this for you, great for any embarrassing moments when your phones should be off. This can be very useful and there are more Smart Actions to be utilized.

MotoCast is a great feature which comes in the form of an App and allows you to stream from your computer or access files on your computer, no matter where you are. You need Wi-Fi or a data bolt on to do this, but still a cool feature.

The Motorola Razr isn’t just an incredible smartphone with all the features competing with the others. It also has something to make it stand out, which is the splash guard that protects the phone in every area. When you spill water or other liquids on the handset then your phone is protected by the splash guard on the handset. This also helps the screen stand up to any scratches or scrapes which may accidently happen. I find this impressive as there aren’t many smartphones that can say they have this feature. Phones in the past with any protective splash guard and screen protection usually struggle due to low specs. It’s not the case for the Razr and this gives you some piece of mind of any accidents that may occur. This is something you always worry about due to the value of smartphones today.

I’ve never been a fan of Motorola, but looking at the specs and the look of their new creation then it’s hard not to be impressed and eager to see how people react to this. It’s another Android/Motorola double team which has produced the best Motorola handset to date. It looks very promising and exciting for Motorola and gives users another option. The protection from Splash guard makes it more appealing that the rest.

Pros

Extremely Thin
Splash Guard and screen protection
Dual Core 1.2 GHz Processor
Smart Actions feature
8MP and HD back and front facing camera
MotoCast

Cons

Can’t take out battery
Bump in design makes phone feel unbalanced
Micro SIM card support only
No dedicated shutter button
Non user replaceable battery

Merry Christmas from everyone at JHL Communications

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:59:45 GMT

JHL Communications Ltd would like to take this opportunity to wish you
and all of your staff a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2012.

We will be closing for the holidays on Friday the 23rd of December and will reopen on Thursday the 5th of January. During the holiday period, should you experience any issues or require advice regarding your mobile communications, please contact your network direct on the relevant number detailed below:

Vodafone: 0161 446 4310 (or 191 from your handset)
Orange: 07970 100 345 (or 345 from your handset)
Orange Corporate: 07970 100 158 (or 158 from your handset)
O2: 0844 375 0202 (or 202 from your handset)
T Mobile: 08454 122 222 (or 150 from your handset)
3: 0843 373 3337 (or 333 from your handset)

Best wishes,

John Livingstone and all the staff at JHL

The Handlebar Boys Raise Money for Movember

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:10:43 GMT

Staff at JHL Communications raised money in aid of Movember, a charity campaign raising money to support prostate and testicular cancer charities in the UK.

Money was raised by five staff who spent the month of November growing moustaches and seeking sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues. The men, known as The Handlebar Boys, groomed, trimmed and waxed their way into the photo below.

Michelle Livingstone, Operations Director said: “We are delighted that our staff decided to support Movember. It is a great way to raise funds and raised a few smiles in the office too”.

Nokia Lumia 800 – Could this be the resurrection of Nokia?

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:09:01 GMT

This week, Robert Menzies of Client Care takes a look at a promising new handset by Nokia. With the company ditching Symbian in favour of Windows Phone OS, this handset marks the first in a new line of smartphones produced by the company.

The NEW Nokia Lumia 800 signifies that Nokia haven’t given up without a fight. The question is could this be the saviour that Nokia needs to get customers interested in their products again and get them back to the top of the market which they dominated for years? Only time will tell, but it looks promising.

The Lumia 800 brings a new look and processor to the table for Nokia. This is Nokia/Microsoft first attempt together. This handset uses the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango platform. This is a first for Nokia and if successful, it could be the first of many. The tile effect looks great on this style of phone and should make it user friendly. I was surprised to learn that the Lumia 800 uses a Micro SIM as I thought this was just an iPhone 4 trend.

Main Features:

First Nokia with Windows 7.5 Mango platform
Xbox integration
Sleek and Stylish design
Access to Windows Marketplace
8 Mega pixel Camera and HD Video

This could be the start of a great partnership between Nokia/Microsoft. If people take a chance with the handset then they may be surprised. This brings a fresh challenge to iPhone, which can only benefit us, the users.

For more information about this handset please visit the Nokia website.

Technical issue affecting O2 customers in the UK and abroad

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:15:11 GMT

Please be aware that O2 are currently experiencing technical issues which is affecting the UK as well as users abroad. Some customers will experience a message stating “sim registration failed” displayed on their handset or low/zero coverage. Other customers may experience dropping calls. O2 Network services are working on this but as yet we have not been advised of an ETA for resolving this issue.

Orange & T-Mobile Network Update: Signal Share

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:22:17 GMT

Great news! Everything Everywhere completed their rollout of 2G signal share to ALL remaining Orange OWE and Personal Line customers on 31st October.

To date the company has seen a fantastic 5.5million inter-network handovers since the first phase went live on 12th October and early results show a real improvement to dropped call rates.

The total switch on is going to plan and we expect to cover the whole country within the next 8 weeks. You will not need to do anything to get the benefit from in call handover, this will just happen automatically.

– Area 1 covering the Midlands is completed.
– Area 2 covering London, Home Counties and the North West - completed on 2nd November.
– Area 3 covering East Anglia and the North East – will complete on 9th November.

Using 3G signal from both Orange and T-Mobile

Sharing 3G signal is being rolled out geographically starting 17th October so anyone in the completed areas with a 3G compatible device will be able to benefit from 3G signal from Orange and T-Mobile (where available).

The company successfully switched on much of South West England & South East Wales on 17th October and completed their rollout to most of Scotland on Monday 31st October.

The whole of Northern Ireland, Cumbria, Northumberland and the county of Durham will be enabled for 3G National Roaming from the 7th November. In addition, northern parts of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will also be activated. If you effectively draw a line from Southport in Lancashire to York, and then from York to Grimsby, anything north of that line will be enabled.

To get the benefit of fast Internet in more places, you will need to switch their phone off and on. Users travelling around the country will not be able to access 3G signal share everywhere until the whole roll-out is complete.

Once the full roll-out is complete we’ll remind you with a text message to power their phone off and on again to get the benefit of the new services.

RIM planning to announce next-gen OS, reveals source

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:48:30 GMT

Research In Motion are planning to announce their new mobile platform at the BlackBerry Developer Conference later this month. BlackBerry DevCon is where the developer community comes together to learn how to work with the latest innovations and breakthroughs for the BlackBerry platform, such as BlackBerry 7, the new BBM Social Platform, and BlackBerry Tablet OS.

The company has just confirmed that it's working on a major update of their BlackBerry OS to the new QNX based OS currently used by the BlackBerry PlayBook. The co-CEOs have promised attendees will have access to the new QNX phones at the developer conference later this month but haven't made it clear how they'll be marketing the new OS.

The confirmed name for the new operating system is BlackBerry X, or BBX for short.

I'm sure we'll see the few weeks dominated with iPhone news following Apple's event later today, but hopefully this news could be the boost that RIM so desperately needs. If you're a developer and haven't registered yet, it might the time to do so.

So what do you think of BBX? Let us know.

iPhone 4S landing in black and white, 16GB, 32GB & 64GB, says Vodafone

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:35:34 GMT

Vodafone listed four iPhone 5 models on its website as "compatible handsets" for their Sure Signal product. The company has since withdrawn the mentions of the iPhone 5 16GB and 32GB models, indicating that this may have been published in error. Rumour has it that Apple will hold a press event within the next few weeks announcing the launch of the new iPhone 5 handsets.

Should you buy the BlackBerry Bold 9900?

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:17:49 GMT

I’ve been using the BlackBerry 9900 “hands-on” for around a week now and despite not being the major upgrade I’d hoped for, RIM have created the best looking BlackBerry to date; combining the classic looks of the Bold 9000 in a thinner chassis. The device is also packing more power and better graphics than any other BlackBerry.

In lieu of writing a full review, I have covered off each area of interest below to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to invest in RIM's next-generation BlackBerry. If you would like any more information or would like to purchase the new BlackBerry 9900, contact our sales team today for a quotation.

Reasons to purchase the new BlackBerry Bold 9900

It’s much faster!

RIM has released this device with a 1.2 GHz processor and 768 MB RAM. Personally, I don’t think this is a relevant metric for measurement as it depends how the software performs and makes use of the hardware. On the 9900, the software/hardware combination seems to be spot on, which results in a user experience with very little lag.

The hourglass has disappeared

On previous versions of BlackBerry OS, you’d see the hourglass appearing when performing certainly operations (installing apps, setting permissions). This has all but disappeared in on the new devices, probably through a combination of better hardware and software optimisations.

The keyboard is brilliant

This device has, without doubt, the best BlackBerry keyboard yet. It reminds me of the Bold 9000. Not to belittle other devices, but there’s something great about the tactile feedback of a physical keyboard. The click of the buttons as you race to finish an e-mail as you leave the office.

It looks nice

The Bold 9900 looks very nice. It’s about half the depth of the 9000 and is surrounded by nice metal bezel similar to the iPhone 4. Looks are not critical but they’re certainly nice to have and I’d be very comfortable carrying this device around with me due to its slender dimensions.

Not quite worthy of a “full version” increment, but BlackBerry OS 7 is nice nonetheless

RIM has really thought about the whole converged messaging experience with everything integrating nicely; from e-mails to Facebook messages. The OS has the familiar look and feel of older versions but has many new features and “liquid” graphics, resulting in a smooth user experience.

Function buttons

The main buttons on the device feel very sturdy and are easy to press, more so than the previous wave of BlackBerries.

Be aware of the following when considering the BlackBerry Bold 9900

Battery life has decreased

After using the device moderately throughout the course of a day, I have reached the flashing amber “charge” light by around 9pm, from a full charge on the same day, on multiple occasions. I should point out that since getting the device; I’ve been using it more than I would normally use a device on a day-to-day basis, with a few third party apps running including Google Mail. Saying this, most smartphones will struggle to get more than a day’s batter life so this is not unusual in the industry – it’s just a shame it had to happen on BlackBerry.

The camera isn’t great

Although it’s *fine*, the camera is really nothing special and the zoom feature is particularly bad on a phone of its price. It’s a business device so I’m not sure this will be a blocking point for business users.

Why would they move the lock button to the top-centre?

I loved being able to press the top left hand corner of the device and lock my BlackBerry. Now I have to awkwardly reach to the top-centre in order to lock my device. Maybe I’m being pedantic but it isn’t as intuitive as previous models.

App World is no App Store

To many, the lack of apps in BlackBerry App World is a bit of an issue. I don’t miss the 400,000 other apps on the Bold because I only really use it for its primary function — messaging. The browser is good, but not as fast as expected.

The web browser is average

The web browser is very good and renders full desktop versions of sites, however it’s not quite as speedy and responsive as I’d expect. The pinch to zoom adds a greater level of control to the When BlackBerry releases its first QNX smartphone in 2012, I’m sure the browsing experience will be substantially faster.

In Summary

As a package though, the Bold 9900 is very nice and if you’re a business user, this device should be a serious consideration for you.

Possible reasons behind the high demand for refurbished handsets

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:24:38 GMT

In this time of smartphones and "always on" technology, client care manager Mike Kimber explores the reasons behind the popularity of older mobile handsets.

Nine years after its release, we still get orders for the Nokia 6310i. I’ve currently got an order for 8 Nokia 3510is and the client won’t settle for anything else. These devices were the most innovative devices in the marketplace when they were released. They were quickly overtaken by devices with polyphonic ringtones, camera and GPRS etc. but they are still seen by some as a benchmark for all subsequent devices. Some of our customers would rather have a 6310i than a shiny iPhone 4 16GB in white. Why?

Reliability? With each new generation of handsets comes a new generation of bugs and faults that seem to be repaired by ‘simple’ software updates. The old Nokia’s didn’t need updates, they are made of stronger stuff. Not only was the software reliable, the device could have been forged by Hephaestus himself in his forge (I recall watching my 5210e sail through the sky only to land in a puddle. I wiped the mud off on my jeans and it was ready to go again). I’m of the philosophy that if you stare at a new smartphone long enough you can cause damage by willpower alone. I’m constantly changing the screen protector of my HTC Trophy, although the silicone skin is bearing up well. Sure, the old devices were basic compared to what we have now but with this came reliability. Read more about this in Robert Menzies's recent article entitled smartphones underperming for calls compared to GSM predecessors.

Price? Handsets costing upwards of £500 is a regular occurrence now (I’ve just seen an N95 for £11,999, available cheaper if you can live without the diamonds encrusted in the body). You can pick up a refurbished 6310i for £65 but it seems worth its weight in gold. Need to fix it? Sure; a new external case for £5, new screen and board for £20. Need a replacement screen for your iPhone 4? No problem, send it to a repairer, pay £145 for a new screen.

Battery life? If you’re good and turn down the screen brightness of your HTC you can get over a day out of the battery. Smartphones will require charging every night. The Nokia 6310i will last for a year on one charge, well almost… Charge it up and you can easily get it to last at least five days. The more the device does, the more is sucks the life from the battery like a thirsty vampire.

Ease of use? The manufacturers are constantly releasing devices that do new things which is fine if you’re software savvy or love new technology. As time passes I’m seeing an increasing number of people who “just want a device to call and send texts”. There is already an established market catering for people who want a simple phone (Doro, Phoneeasy etc.). Don’t get me wrong, I love new technology. I’m a Windows Phone VIP and can’t wait for the Mango OS to be released in the UK but even I have to seek help setting up a Galaxy S II. I’m certain it won’t be long until I can’t send a message without the help of Filipe, Jacqueline or Robert, the Account Managers in the JHL Client Care team. The Jury’s out on this one in my book as there is the odd device out there trying to be simple to use.

My answer? You can’t stop the flow of progress. There’s always going to be a device out there that does more and does it better but I think the manufacturers are missing making a sale. Part of the market still demands good quality, reliable, easy to use phones with a good battery and at a good price. Time will tell if anyone at Apple, HTC, Samsung etc. takes a moment out of their busy schedule and listens to the voice that’s getting stronger over time.

Apple releasing budget iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 in September, says Reuters

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:46:04 GMT

According to Reuters, Apple is preparing to launch two new models at the end of September.

The news agency reports that Apple plan to release a new, cheaper iPhone 4 which will feature an 8GB drive alongside a the next generation iPhone 5. Reuters contradicts recent reports and rumous that the iPhone 5 will be available early September, reporting instead that Apple are aiming for an "end-September" launch. The articles goes on to re-inteate the feautres that many bloggers have already leaked, including a larger display, new antenna and 8-megapixel camera.

Apple has announced more than 200 new features in iOS 5, the operating system likely to be used on the iPhone 5, including a revamped notification centre, iMessage, Newsstand, reminders, Twitter, a better browsing experience and a completely PC free experience.

Read the full article here

Top 50 Android applications make up 61% of total usage, reveals Nielson

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:24:13 GMT

With industry trends moving towards the digital delivery of software, even Microsoft will also be making the move with an "App Store" in Windows 8.

In a wave of new, reveling research, Nielsen have released data showing the types of application installed on mobile devices.

One report examines Android users' usage of applications and web browsing habits, and finds that users spend twice the amount of time using apps than browsing the web.

Additionally, they found that most popular applications in the Android Market account for 43% of app usage on Android devices.

"Despite the hundreds of thousands of apps available for Android, a very small proportion of apps make up the vast majority of time spent," says Don Kellogg, Director of Telecom on Nielsen’s "newswire" blog. The top 50 applications account for 61% of all usage. This means that the majority of applications in the market account for just 39% of usage. Kellogg continued, "With 250,000+ Android apps available at the time of this writing, that means the remaining 249,950+ apps have to compete for the remaining 39 percent of the pie."

Read the full article here