Hello dear reader, it’s been a while.

A foldable iPhone, you say?

Interesting.

Of course this is something we’ve all speculated about for the longest time, but it’s interesting that The Information feels confident enough to report the detail.

Apple has apparently been talking to suppliers.

What kind of foldable?

Well, I’d speculate something similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6:

Or maybe like the slightly naff DALL-E version I’ve knocked up for the feature image:

Or…

This feels like a good ‘time’ (ok, next, next year) for Apple to begin to experiment with models that would actually reach the public.

I say that because if you’ve taken a look at the previous or current Galaxy devices, the quality is pretty much perfect nowadays.

Yes, there will always be issues with folding screens – certainly as the technology continues to improve. I wonder how any of the first or second generation Zs are holding up with constant use?

This year — with the release of the Z Fold 6 — is when I have genuinely considered buying one to replace my Ultra. It’s just been a little too experimental in the past for my preferences, especially when you’re dropping near on 2,000 GBP or thereabouts.

A foldable iPhone, though?

What will that retail for?

If you’re spending on average something like, 1,300 GBP for the existing single-screen model, does that mean that, given the ‘Apple tax’, we’ll see the foldable come to market for something like 2,500 GBP?

I’d need to serious consideration for that level of spend, especially when you’ve got a perfectly fantastic M3 (or M5, by that time?) laptop retailing at less than half the cost.

That said, it’s the device you use most often, right?

And if you can justify replacing your iPad .. (or at least, justifying it to your wife/partner), then maybe it could work.

But goodness me make sure you insure it…

Anyway. Exciting. Something potentially new.

Meanwhile, let us wait for the iPhone 16, then 17… then we might get a foldable? We shall see…

Over the years I’ve occasionally ended up using an inkjet printer – I’m sure there was an Epson in the back catalogue at some point too.

Generally speaking though, my priority has always been HP and currently, I own two multi-function colour LaserJets.

Like most, I don’t print that much. Indeed, most of my business demands are limited to printing and then signing and scanning NDAs or various contracts. Although increasingly that is all moving to some kind of DocuSign service nowadays.

From a personal standpoint, the children still end up using the printer a lot. Our youngest likes to print out colouring-in sheets and we routinely print stuff for the older children’s school work. Oh, and there are a surprising amount of older children’s activities that require a waiver to be printed out at home prior to arrival at the various locations.

So even in today’s hyper-connected always-on world, we still need a printer (and scanner).

I think we’ll need a printer for quite a while yet.

But it’s an inconvenient experience owning and managing the whole process, isn’t it?

Let’s take a look at the current reality:

There is, right now, an HP LaserJet Multifunction Printer available on the HP website — which is normally a reasonably good place to buy (from a price standpoint) — at £329.

The printer comes with the toner when you buy it. But… soon, you’ll need to buy more.

The toner cartridges are about £70 each and you’ll need four of them. Let us, for argument’s sake, assume that you need new toner cartridges every 18 months — you aren’t printing every single day.

Across 3 years, the total cost of ownership of the printer — excluding electricity — is:

Purchase price: £329

Toner cartridges: £70 x 4 = £280, every 18 months

That works out at £15.55 per month or £186 a year.

Total cost for 3 years: £889

Let’s divide this by 36 months (3 years) and we get a monthly equivalent cost of £24.69.

Over 10 years, that’s going to cost £2,195 in total, assuming you keep the printer for the whole time and replace the toners every 18 months. £2,195 divided by 120 months is £18.30 per month.

There is a risk that I’ve got my assumptions wildly incorrect. Let’s assume I need to replace the toners every 3 years instead. That 3 year monthly cost? It’s now £609 or £16.91 per month. Over 10 years that’s £1,262 or £10.51 per month.

Sooo.

Let’s talk about HP’s new subscription offering – “the All In plan”.

A few points:

• It’s only available in the US at the moment
• There are only inkjets in the plan right now
• There are no upfront costs
• You can upgrade to a new printer every 2 years
• You can cancel at any time, but if you do cancel, there are some charges to consider (basically, the cost of the printer, it seems)
• HP monitors the ink levels and sends you replacement ink ahead of time.
• Prices start at $6.99 a month

All my calculations above were on the basis of a laser experience… which is a little annoying. I was hoping they’d have a laser in the line up for proper comparisons.

Let’s have a look though.

There are three printers available in the subscription at the moment:

The HP Envy – a standard inkjet that does print/scan/copy at $6.99 a month.

The HP Envy Inspire – a more capable version of the base Envy, also with print/scan/copy capability. That’s two dollars more at $8.99.

The HP OfficeJet – your ‘home office workhorse’, also multi-function offering print/scan/copy. This is $12.99 a month.

These prices include ‘light’ printing. That is defined as about 20 pages of printing per month.

If you think you’re going to do more than this, then you should upgrade. So that $8.99 for the HP Envy Inspire will move to $12.99 if you select ‘moderate printing’ (100 pages of printing per month) or $18.99 a month (300 pages a month).

I am less aware of the cost of ink cartridges as I’ve not owned an Inkjet for an ages. But I would imagine this is a pretty good deal when you include the cost of the printer too.

Now then, let’s talk commitments.

There’s a 30 day return offering. But after this period, you will have to stump up cancellation charges if you cancel within 2 years. So there’s no actual commitment. You can cancel. It’s just you’ll need to pay off the cost of the printer along these lines:

So keep it for 2 years and the ‘cost’ of the printer is paid off. You can then upgrade to the latest printer, if you choose.

I like it.

I like the convenience.

I like the fact you can recycle the ink cartridges too.

I like the fact there’s no upfront cost.

Yeah, I think I’d do this.

I would prefer if it was Laser, though. At a push, I’d consider the OfficeJet.

Nice thinking HP.

I think this should be the new way I buy my printing needs ongoing.

So, if you could bring this to the UK, that would be great — and if you could add in a laser option, that would be even better, HP!

When I was living in Oman, I did the following for my iPhones, iPads or Samsung Ultras:

1. I WhatsApped the team at GadgetsOman (note: see my GadgetsOman post) and asked if they had the phone in stock. Invariably they would say yes, or there would be a few days wait for them to get hold of it. They would then deliver it to wherever I was – either work or home.
2. I would then pay with my bank credit card for the full price of the phone.
3. I would then wait for the bank’s credit card system to send me a text message the next morning, asking if I would like to spread the cost of [whatever], say 400 OMR (£800), over 3, 6 or 12 months. This was basically like a rather simple Buy Now Pay Later (“BNPL”) thing.
4. I would usually go for 6 months – at 0% interest.

I liked that approach. It worked well.

Here in the UK, well it’s a slightly different story. There are so many potential options.

There’s obviously the mobile operator contract arrangement. I don’t think I’ve purchased a phone this way for almost 8 years, perhaps longer.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the subscription concept. I know many who are ‘subscribers’ to the iPhone with Apple’s offering (“the iPhone Upgrade Programme“), or they use the Samsung equivalent (“Samsung Flex“) for their S24 Ultra.

Then there’s my absolute favourite – very. I have had an account with them for what feels like decades. I love, love, love buying my technology from there, simply because they offer either a “take 3” option (split the payment into 3) or you you can choose 12 months interest-free if the item is £300 and above… every phone qualifies, right? (Do make sure you pay off the amount within 12 months or there’s a 44.9% interest charge….)

Other obvious possibilities – Klarna, of course. Then there are various other BNPL style approaches.

Apple offers financing from Barclays for anything over £399 and PayPal Credit is also an option they support. I’ve actually used PayPal Credit a lot in the past for device purchases too – as a form of ’12 months interest free’ or similar.

There is quite a bit of choice.

I’m interested to understand what you, dear reader, are doing nowadays?

What’s your policy when you’re buying smartphones, tablets and computing equipment?

I was right, as far as I could see, based on my own anecdotal review of the media last week.

But that’s not a bad thing – the mobile industry is hugely profitable and keeps a lot of people employed around the world. Instead, I wanted to highlight the ‘also ran’ status of the industry compared to a lot of the activity happening above-the-line or over-the-top, as the phrase goes.

If you didn’t make it to Barcelona for the event, what did you miss?

Well, in device terms… not a lot.

There were a few eyebrow raises to look at, though. And for that, it’s worthwhile checking out Ben Wood’s brief walk-through. Here it is:

Back in the good old days I would bump into Ben and his colleagues from CCS Insight at such shows and exchange ideas. It was always interesting to see where they were putting their focus. No surprise then that he’s given a clear and easy briefing of things that caught his attention. Thanks for the great updates, Ben!

Ben and the team have a lot more insights for you to check out on their MWC page.

The last decade ushered in a wave of new entrants knocking at the doors of the traditional banking industry. Described as neobanks, these companies provide their customers with intuitive mobile financial services without the hidden fees often associated with traditional banks.

Neobanks like Chime, Varo, Nubank, Monzo and Revolut have struck a chord with digital native consumers, and collectively they’ve amassed tens of millions of customers in short order with aggressive market and product expansion strategies.

The opportunity ahead looks promising. With a projected transaction volume of $6.37 trillion in 2024 – roughly twice the GDP of the United Kingdom – neobanks have clearly demonstrated their ability to attract new customers, mostly organically, by the millions. But monetizing these customers doesn’t come without challenges. 

To date, the revenue model of neobanks has largely been dependent on interchange fees or net interest margin from consumer financing, neither of which are easy to start, nor scale. Interchange revenues from card payments pale in comparison to user acquisition costs – even when ramped up to millions of customers. And on the consumer credit side, both the immense capital required for disbursements and loan loss provisioning, and the losses incurred on defaults stack up quickly, as it takes time to calibrate scoring models. 

As a result, most leading neobanks struggle to earn more than $30 per customer each year. 

While some have managed to diversify their revenue streams with attractive mobile trading services–mostly equities or alternative assets, like crypto–trading activity has proven to be highly dependent on market fluctuations, making it difficult to generate a steady and reliable flow of income. Premium accounts with monthly fixed fees are pointed to as a natural solution to the problem. While effective in boosting transaction volume and customer loyalty, these paid tiers have yet to demonstrate a significant impact on the bottom lines of most neobanks today. 

In other words, the often cited “path to profitability” appears to remain shrouded in fog. With investor sentiment shifting away from growth at all costs to sustainable profitability, this begs the question: What will the neobanks’ next act look like? 

The convergence imperative 

To thrive in the years ahead, neobanks need to embrace convergence – going beyond simply being better banks, and instead building ecosystems of complementary, value added services. By seamlessly integrating these services with their core banking functions, neobanks have the potential to unlock significant surplus value and provide a more comprehensive and tailored experience for their customers. 

Some are already off to the races. Revolut and Monzo have expanded into travel insurance, while Klarna and Nubank have doubled down on shopping tools like price comparisons or affiliate network discounts. But the most promising candidate has been overlooked so far: Phone plans.

There are several supporting parallels between banking and telecommunications. Both are daily-life essentials, conceptually simple but operationally complex, and highly regulated industries. From a business model perspective, both are easy for new customers to sign up for, but relatively hard for frequent users to switch from, which creates a sticky portfolio over time. 

The combination of banking services with connectivity compounds this stickiness, leading to even lower churn and higher lifetime value. By embedding branded phone plans into their offering, neobanks can boost their revenue per customer by multiple orders of magnitude all while differentiating themselves in a crowded, commodified market. 

Companies like Zolve and Revolut are great examples of pioneers in this space. Zolve was the first neobank to launch its own wireless service in the US, while Revolut recently announced the addition of travel eSIMs to its product offerings. 

The timing for this type of offering has never been better. The major network operators have been closed systems for decades, but the advent of Telecom-as-a-Service is removing the barriers to entering the wireless connectivity space. Much like how Stripe abstracted away the drudgery of payments through modern APIs, Telecom-as-a-Service (TaaS) now enables businesses of all sizes to embed wireless plans directly into their product portfolio, delivering an entirely new product experience to their customers. 

With TaaS platforms, neobanks can launch their own branded wireless offering in a matter of hours, as opposed to spending 12-15 months and millions of dollars negotiating and integrating with carriers. This innovation also lifts the costly burden of building software from scratch to offer and manage wireless subscriptions. 

By bundling access to multiple different network operators around the world, TaaS platforms enable neobanks to sell their wireless plans worldwide through a single integration – and unlock a new recurring revenue stream through connectivity. 

This democratization of access to wireless networks has turned the convergence of digital banking and wireless services into an inevitability. Neobanks have already mastered the art of delivering services digitally, and the adoration from their customers is clearly reflected in their strong NPS positions. In other words, they have what incumbent carriers lack. With the pressure on neobanks to turn a profit rising, it’s not a question of whether this will happen, but who will be the first to achieve mass adoption of their wireless service. 

Rafa Plantier is the Head of Go-to-Market at Gigs, and previously held leadership positions at Stripe, Nubank, and Tink. 

I thought it was worthwhile highlighting this one from the Vodafone UK team.

For so long – for what feels like years, seeing the “3G” signal on my Vodafone device gave me a considerable amount of confidence and excitement.

It really did make the ‘internet’ usable on my devices – principally some kind of Nokia or BlackBerry at the time.

Those were the days.

I look forward to strengthened 4G and 5G services as a result! Here’s the press release:

Vodafone UK successfully switches off 3G across the UK – boosting 4G and 5G

Vodafone UK has successfully switched off its legacy 3G network across the UK*.  The activity, which finished this week, allows Vodafone to repurpose the last remaining 3G radio frequencies to strengthen 4G and 5G services, meaning customers across more parts of the UK can access faster data services and clearer voice calls. 

The activity follows an ongoing customer awareness campaign which started in January 2022. This included Vodafone notifying its customers across both consumer and business who may be affected by the switch off, offering information and advice such as how to carry out software upgrades where required and how to activate services such as 4G Calling. The campaign also included working with charities and other third-party groups to reach the most vulnerable customers ahead of switch off in their area.

The 3G switch off is part of a wider network modernisation programme which includes the rollout of faster 5G and 4G services to more locations across the UK. Vodafone has also extended its 4G coverage further through the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, a £1bn joint initiative between Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators, which uses mast sharing on existing sites in rural areas whilst also builds new shared masts to connect areas that currently have no coverage at all. Over 155 rural locations across the UK are now receiving more reliable 4G as part of Vodafone’s ongoing commitment to the SRN programme. 

Vodafone’s UK Network Director, Andrea Dona, said: “The 3G legacy switch off has been a massive programme and I’d like to thank my team for their hard work to make this a success.  With switch off complete, we can start to redeploy the remaining spectrum which will ultimately lead to stronger and faster 4G and 5G across the UK. All on top of our existing 4G and 5G network improvement programmes.  Good news for our customers, businesses and the wider UK economy.”

The retirement of Vodafone’s 3G network was also an important part of Vodafone’s strategy to reach Net Zero by 2027, as modern 5G networks are more than 10 times more energy efficient than the 3G network. 

As part of its proposed merger with Three UK, Vodafone UK has pledged to invest £11 billion over the next 10 years and deliver 5G Standalone (SA)** to 99% of the UK population by 2034.

I resolved this year to make sure I wrote something – anything – about Mobile World Congress, the huge mobile industry trade show taking place in Barcelona this week.

I used to attend, nigh on religiously.

It used to be a huge highlight on the mobile industry calendar.

To be fair, it really is still a massive highlight for the industry.

But, it used to have far-reaching consequences.

It used to matter, widely.

It used to be incredibly important.

Then Apple happened.

You see, it’s still incredibly important for the mobile industry. This is undeniable. However, the market itself moved dramatically across 2007, 2008 and 2009.

You only have to search “MWC” here on this blog and you’ll see the articles and coverage I/we used to deliver across February and March.

It’s fair to say that markets really did move at MWC back-in-the-day.

My ready-reckoner was mainstream media.

How often would you see mentions in the mainstream media across MWC week (and the weekend leading up to MWC)? That was a barometer for me.

Of course, the mainstream media would never write about a new mobile roaming reconcillation product or something like that.

But routinely they’d run stories about Nokia, BlackBerry, Microsoft, Huawei, Motorola, Palm. I remember being in the room – literally in the room – for many critical market-moving announcements at Mobile World Congress.

“Nokia does this” or “Moto does that” were actually headlines of interest to the rest of the world.

There was huge demand for news and insight on handset and the surrounding ecosystem – anything that specifically mattered to the mainstream media. And therefore the rest of the world.

I remember the pendulum beginning to swing with the iPhone announcement(s) and then Google’s Android. We watched as the mainstream market began to separate from MWC.

Apple resolutely refused to engage. Why did they need to? Yes, Apple employees would certainly attend the event, but never ‘in public’.

Samsung’s Unpacked events are now highlights of their own – just like the events of many others.

There’s still a lot moving in the mobile industry: It’s absolutely telling, though, how things have changed.

Back when I was attending MWC, I remember the awesome might and influence that the mobile operators wielded. They used to be king-makers.

“The average person will only need 5-6 apps on their phone,” was the prediction of many a mobile operator and device manufacturer.

Now the operators are dumb pipes.

They had their chance.

They literally did have their chance.

I was right there watching and commentating whilst they collectively dug their own holes, surrendering billions upon billions of value to the ‘over the top’ new world.

Still today, many executives can’t see anything beyond selling minutes, text messages and gigabyte subscriptions.

That’s ok though. They’re still hugely valuable as a means of connectivity – and offer hugely critical services. But commodities. They deserve to get their billionth-of-a-percent premium for running such important infrastructure.

The market has moved on, dramatically.

I find it slightly hilarious reading some of the nonsense announcements. Many of these operators still think they have relevance.

Some, mind you, do. A rare few have managed to step outside the norm and drive stimulating, exciting, compelling ecosystems. Exceptions, though.

For those of you in Brilliant Barcelona, I trust you are having a great time.

I am also happy to stand corrected if you’ve seen any headlines in the mainstream media about MWC!

But there was more (a lot more).

I used to favour VyprVPN. I’m still a subscriber, but… then I found NordVPN because it’s already part of the Revolut Ultra subscription.

I was already paying for it, so, you know… I downloaded it and had a play.

Guess what, it’s actually pretty good.

I’d been hearing about NordVPN from various podcast sponsorship spots for quite a long time. I’d had a look, but settled on Vypr for some reason I can’t remember.

I find NordVPN super fast, reliable and easy to use. I am particularly happy when I forget I’ve got it running and don’t actually notice. Sometimes with some other VPN providers, you reeeeeeeeeelly notice the speed impact – and than can get frustrating very quickly.

So thank you once again Revolut. Thanks for the 3GB inclusive monthly data roaming and for NordVPN too.

And the FT.

And Headway.

And Headspace…

And the unlimited airport lounge thing…

Yeah, I’m quite a fan of Ultra.

I’m an Ultra subscriber so I get 3GB of data included every month. So I just installed the eSIM and … boom… I was connected in about 30 seconds.

I’m pleased to report that it was fast. I tested roaming with my 3UK sim and I couldn’t tell the difference.

Sometimes with third party roaming services, I feel like there’s a bit of a delay – sometimes it’s in the mind, but other times it’s actually accurate because your data is being routed through a specific (and perhaps, lower priority) gateway. Or it’s having to VPN around the place.

So well done Revolut. Well done 1GLOBAL. It was seamless, fast, excellent.

This will now be my default for data roaming, I think!

If you’re an Ultra subscriber, get it activated!

And if you’re a standard Revolut customer, it’s still worthwhile activating the eSIM in readiness for your next trip abroad. You will just need to top up in the app.

Well now, leave it to the team at Revolut to actually do some innovating in financial services.

The news broke this morning that Revolut have launched an in-app eSIM capability for their customers, enabling them to seamlessly deploy an additional eSIM and purchase roaming data. Additionally, Revolut Ultra customers (of which I am one, thank-you-very-much) will get 3GB/month of roaming bundled into their existing subscription.

Absolutely awesome.

Roaming is still a massive issue — and that’s decades after I started writing about the mobile industry (I started writing Mobile Industry Review in January 2006). I myself have been using Airalo (see post) when I have been flying around the Middle East and found it a really good service. I also used Holafly after Ben Smith had recommended/highlighted them on our 361 Podcast. I found them a little less seamless than Airalo, but still effective.

But I tell you what, the fact I now have 3GB of roaming data ‘included’ with my Revolut Ultra subscription is just genius. That will get me going. That will mean I get off the plane working. And if it’s a good service with good quality fast data — which I trust it will be — then it’s more likely I will top-up in my Revolut account. Because that’s just one less set of friction to worry about.

1Global (or Truphone – remember them?) are apparently the team behind the service – so I expect good things.

Now then.

I am very pleased to see some degree of innovation happening in my twin interests of both financial services and the mobile industry.

For years I have been suggesting (and, if they’ll listen, berating) both markets to look for ways to collaborate.

I set some hearts racing with this post back in 2011 when I wrote an April Fool’s story suggesting that HSBC had purchased UK mobile operator, 3UK. In my slightly warped story, I wrote that HSBC had identified that the mobile industry was simply a (meaningful and useful) dumb pipe to the internet. I suggested that HSBC was going to convert all 3UK customers to £5/month unlimited everything subscriptions on condition that they became banking customers. Something like that. Here’s a quick snippet to that post…

Look around the mobile industry and you’ll see there’s generally absolutely nothing of interest going on, whatsoever. Indeed, the ailing mobile operators who, for years have been spending billions on advisers have failed to do anything imaginative beyond selling minutes, megabytes and — still – text messages.

Speak to any mobile operator today and the vast majority are doing exactly the same as they were doing 10 or even 15 years ago.

They can only think in ‘minutes’.

I think we can see with the current Vodafone horror that management is eventually realising that they are simply a (necessary) utility. Different colours of dumb pipes.

Still very necessary though. I’m still totally happy to pay for connectivity.

Which brings me to banking.

I think it’s a great move to see Revolut experimenting with eSIMs and roaming. Indeed, one might suggest that it’s rather late to the party here given how many Revolut customers use them when they are roaming.

I wonder how long it would take for Revolut to gradually extend their thinking beyond data roaming.

I already pay 3UK something like £17 a month in the UK for unlimited everything. I pay slightly more to Etisalat in UAE for similar. It isn’t that much of a stretch for me to click two buttons and have Revolut take over the ownership of this (certainly the UK number), especially if they could take my existing number and make it ‘international’.

This, after all, is what I was looking for all those years ago from Truphone anyway.

I have always, always liked the idea of banks taking control of these sort of generic services. I know that phrase (“generic”) will strike fear into the hearts of any mobile operators reading, but sadly, this is effectively what they/you are. Required. Critical. But, as is witnessed whenever I travel, totally generic. I just want the data and the base connectivity please.

So if you’re working for a bank – what would it look to your fee income profile across the next 10-20 years if you could do similar to what Revolut is doing?

Great work Revolut. Great work 1Global.

“OMG,” I thought. “Have they actually done it?”

I opened the email quickly and here’s the first half of it:

“Wow, have they actually stuck Android in the SGH-E700?” I wondered, excitement building.

I’ve always wondered what a ‘feature phone’ form factor would be like, but with the very latest technical capabilities of, say, Android 14. (In fact, Android 10… anything like that!)

I was momentarily confused when I saw the above image.

There is the E700… and then there’s the Galaxy Z Flip5.

“Oh….”

“Oh it’s just the colours,” I finally realised.

I see what they’re doing.

Yes, there are only 350 available from Samsung (“order now, supplies are limited!!”) and yeah, the external styling evokes the old E700. And, they’re both flip.

It’s fascinating to see the difference that 20 years makes, isn’t it?

Is it even possible to make my fanciful dream a reality? Could you ‘fit’ Android into an E700 form factor?

Practically, yes. But realistically, it would be a nightmare.

Touch would be next to useless.

The keyboard interface would get stale, very quickly, I’d imagine.

I think it’s just the allure of the really small form factor that I still find appealing. Anything around the E700 size is something that I’d love to have, just because I often find the current ‘slab’ format quite annoying.

I think we’re all accustomed to dealing with it nowadays. The iPhone or S22 fits in my back jeans pocket fine… and likewise my waistcoat suit pocket if I’m ‘suited and booted.’

I just find it annoying that we don’t have the flexibility to instantly swap between different form factors – for the evening, for example.

Still, good thinking Samsung. It’s a good ‘mid-cycle refresh’ for the Flip5 whilst the Flip6 is no doubt in testing.

And I do have to say, the Flip form factor is growing on me…

About four days ago I got a familiar WhatsApp message from the team at GadgetsOman. It was just a day or so after the Apple Keynote, “iPhone Day” was fast approaching and they knew I would be in the market.

GadgetsOman comprises a series of shops that you can find in select shopping malls across Oman, centred in particular around the capital city Muscat. In one of the malls, there’s also an allied device repair shop that was able to work minor miracles with the array of children-exposed broken tech that I presented them.

For Westerners reading, GadgetsOman is a cross between Currys, PC World (if they’re still around), Elgiganten, Best Buy… basically everything you would want from a computer, mobile, smarthome and peripheral store. In one place. They packed a heck of a lot of tech into a standard shop, I have to say.

But, and here’s the good bit… if they didn’t have it in stock, they could usually get it for you from Dubai in a few days.

Prices were universally good and comparable with other alternatives.

The super power for me, though, was the GadgetsOman WhatsApp.

I can’t quite remember how I discovered it. I think I was browsing their Instagram, which, by the way, is a compelling series of photos of peripherals that you probably want. I think I saw their WhatsApp number listed there… and I decided to send them a message.

They replied almost immediately.

I think I was after a Google Nest Hub or something. I asked if they had it in stock. They actually sent me a photo of it in the store – as I gathered the WhatsApp was operated by a chap who worked in one of the main stores.

He would send a photo or two and then type the price in Omani Rials. (Double it, roughly, to get pounds, or multiply by 2.6 for USD).

I was slightly confused at that point – I just said “Ok”, expecting that I would need to go to the shop at the weekend.

“Send your location,” came the reply.

This, if you aren’t familiar, is how address locations work in the Middle East (and in many other countries). Given street names and house numbers aren’t that uniform, the tradition is to send your WhatsApp location PIN or a Google Maps link.

“You’ll deliver?” I replied.

“Yes, 40 minutes,” came their reply.

“How do I pay?” I prompted.

“Cash or card,” was their reply.

Wow.

About 35-minutes later I got a call from the delivery guy. He came armed with a GadgetsOman point-of-sale unit for my card. I did the transaction. He smiled. I gave him a tip (I was that impressed).

And I walked into my house with the Google Nest and set it up.

That, dear reader, is when I got hooked.

GadgetsOman became my personal technology concierge. I found myself navigating over to their Instagram profile when I had spare time, browsing through the various different devices to (in my feelings) “see what I needed”.

I loved the immediacy of it.

In the UK used to famously deliver within an hour or two. Deliveroo (or equivalent) will sometimes deliver a limited series of technology bits from some shops. In Oman, Talabat (the Deliveroo equivalent) would often have a few bits and pieces from some tech shops available.

But no one had the stock and variety of GadgetsOman.

Quickly they became my default for whatever I wanted.

“Do you have the new S21?” I would ask. They’d then reply with a screenshot of their stock list – colour, screen size, storage and prices. I’d select the device I wanted.

They’d often prompt – “screen protector?” Oh, yes, good idea. Sometimes I’d say “yeah, you pick it” and they’d select the best one for me.

“Cover?” Oh yes. Get me something transparent. A few photos would appear as a choice. “The second one please.”

40-odd minutes later and it was all in my hands.

This, dear reader, this is how you do technology.

I absolutely loved it.

Now then, back to this week – see the screenshot above. That’s what I received from the team. They had me on their list. They also knew I would be happy to pay top dollar for the latest.

They had managed to obtain some new iPhones. Note that they didn’t bother asking if I wanted an iPhone 15. Or an iPhone 15 Pro. No. This is true concierge. They only sent me the choice of iPhone 15 Pro Max colours, along with the price.

If you’re wondering, 755 OMR is about 1600 pounds. The same device in the United Kingdom (including tax) is 1,399 pounds.

That’s a bit of additional cost, right?

Apple doesn’t have an official Apple Store in Oman. They have an official distributor. I routinely found that GadgetsOman would source internationally for their customers like me – which meant I got the latest devices immediately. I didn’t mind paying a premium.

In fact, when I explained to the chap after his message that I was unfortunately not living in Muscat anymore, but would soon be back in the country for meetings, he suggested that I pick up an iPhone internationally to save on costs. Obviously there’s an additional cost if you’re driving the thing 400km from Dubai.

I paid the premium. I loved the service and the approach.

Often I would contact them asking for a particular device – some internet router or something – and they’d say “no, we don’t have that in stock, why don’t you try X” and then they’d give me a little pitch on why they stocked that range instead. Invariably I had their choice delivered!

Their Instagram upsold me countless times. Go Pro? Yeah. New memory card? Yes please. New iPads for the children? Send them over. Surface Pro for Child number 1’s school? Yup. Best in class Logitech MX keyboard and mouse? Yup. A Samsung Smartwatch just for the fun of it? Aye. What about some Samsung Buds? Yup! Send them over!

What about a monitor stand for the desk at work? Yup.

Oh, and a 32″ TV/monitor for the office too? Yes.

Whilst I’m at it – what about one of those Belkin desk chargers? Yes.

Here is an example of their eclectic selection on Instagram:

Have a look through that list above and find something that catchers your interest! I bet there’s something there that causes you to think “hmm, yeah…maybe”.

Well, when you couple that with near-instant delivery capability, it’s a compelling offering.

Shops like GadgetsOman continue to flourish because of a good mix of customer service, a smart, informed approach to warehousing the right stuff at the right time, and the fact the mega retailers like Amazon aren’t able to offer next day in Oman as yet.

Even so I think there is a market for this kind of customised or concierge service. Or, I like to think there is a market for this.

Rarely did GadgetsOman ever contact me. It was only during the big launches – new iPad, Watch, iPhone or Samsung – that they would contact me. All other times it was me initiating the contact. But I really appreciated the customer centric approach of reaching out to me.

Often, if I had the opportunity to buy something in the UK or Dubai (if I was traveling, for example) I would arrange the purchase – via WhatsApp with GadgetsOman – whilst I was still in the UK and get it delivered when I returned. Their service engendered such loyalty.

Now then… how could something like this work in the UK?

Could it?

Here’s a question: Would you be willing to pay £200 extra to have your iPhone delivered to your house by a chap from your GadgetsUK concierge?

I think the realities of the UK marketplace would suggest not.

Anyway, although I’m no longer living in Muscat, I still hold strong appreciation for the GadgetsOman service to this day. Thank you for all your help team.

And if you find yourself in Muscat, Oman, needing some tech, get on the GadgetsOman WhatsApp hotline and they’ll be able to help you. Just in case, their WhatsApp is: (+968) 9934 9886.

It’s not that different from the one I’ve already got (iPhone 14 Pro Max).

The camera is slightly better.

There’s a different finish (Titanium).

Oh, finally I don’t need to carry a lightning and a USB-C cable (for the S22 and the iPad). If you squint really hard, you might be able to pretend this is an upgrade.

What else?

Oh, you can make photos that will work on the $3k+ Vision Plus device. That’s pretty nifty.

There’s also the latest version of iOS coming – which gives some more features – that, again, if you squint, will feel special. Even though we’re already getting them with our existing iPhones.

Yeah.

Not too impressive, is it?

But I’ll upgrade. I like having the latest.

What’s the cost of the latest?

Well let’s assume I can get about 700 GBP for my old iPhone. In fact, let’s reduce that to 600, just to be safe.

The new iPhone 15 Pro Max (along to the right and down) is at least £1,200 GBP.

So the true cost is approximately 600 GBP per year, to always have the latest – because I’m already in the ecosystem. I’ve already sunk the other 600 GBP. So it’s effectively a 50 GBP per month cost to play the Apple game year-on-year.

I think that’s ok.

I get a lot of value from the device.

If you assume there are 4 weeks in a month, and 7 days per week, that’s a cost of £1.78 per day.

If you assume I get about 5 hours use of the phone per day, that’s a cost per hour of about £0.36.

It would be inordinately cheaper to use a generic £150 Android device. I could buy myself a new £150 Android device every quarter for the same money.

But it’s not the same, not to me anyway.

I am aiming to buy on Very.co.uk. I do love the UK “buy now pay whenever” service from Very. They sell a lot of Apple equipment in the UK because they offer very flexible “take 3” (split payments into 3 lumps) or 12-month interest-free terms.

Miss a payment or miss the repayment date and things get expensive, fast. So I avoid that. They have excellent logistics too.

The one thing Very doesn’t have right now is an iPhone 15 Pro Max – anywhere. They’re not even ‘in stock’ yet. I trust they will be, soon, Very. Don’t let me down. I don’t want to have to use someone else!

Good luck on your annual iPhone purchase….

And once again, I felt depressed for the mobile industry.

This is one of the reasons I haven’t been writing much about the marketplace at all. There has, apart from the odd update, been nothing material to write about.

Witness, for example, the thousands of news stories and blogs about the new iPhone with USB-C support. Next.

What went wrong with the Duo?

Well Ron does a good job of covering the basics. I wonder what the team at Microsoft were actually thinking, though.

They had the opportunity to bring a completely new device context to the market that really changed things.

I was ready to call it my “Teams” device. Anyone who works in a Microsoft world at the office will identify. Many spend their days locked in Teams – and a companion device that executed that brilliantly aaaaaand had the best Office app experience bar none? Compelling.

I was prepared to carry two devices. The iPhone and the Duo. I was prepared to move to a Duo first world at work. That’s what I was envisioning – at least, that’s what I thought the team at Microsoft were aiming for with the device.

I also was prepared to look beyond the $1,400 retail price on the basis that the technology would be phenomenal and that the ROI calculation would be a no-brainer (e.g. 8 hours per day on the Duo plugged in and walk-about for collaboration would easily have the CFO nodding in approval – because the sums made sense on a per hour basis across the year and because they wanted one too).

It would be so powerful that I would just stick in a keyboard and screen when I got to the office. That was my thinking.

And it would be absolutely fantastic as I walked around the office, in meetings and whatever during the business day. It would be a compelling tool and absolutely integrated into my Microsoft world.

That’s what I was thinking.

I never expected (or wanted) and iPhone replacement. This was the workhorse work device.

Gahhhhh.

How frustrating.

Come on Microsoft – is there a reboot of the Duo coming or are we doomed to an iPhone/Samsung world?

I disagree on the figure.

I’ve no idea how the 100k estimate was arrived at, but I think this would dramatically underestimate the genuine “fan boy” curiosity. Not to mention developer interest.

If the device is anywhere near decent – better than the Meta Quest… then I think it’s a foregone conclusion. Lots and lots of people will buy one.

If you remember your basic economics, there is an inelastic demand curve for Apple goods from a large segment of their customer base. Just look at the dutiful Apple fans who spend upwards of 1200 pounds, dollars, euros every single year buying the latest top end iPhone.

Yes the device is rumored to be $3,000.

No biggie.

Not if it’s pretty good on stage.

If it looks good. If it’s got some funky features. If there’s some degree of app support. If it pushes one or some envelopes…. Yeah. Lots of people will stretch for it.

If you’ve been looking for a super case for Buy Now Pay Later to really engage the mid-and top end earners, this could be a good case for it.

I think sales volume will very much depend on whether it’s something you are seen with “out of the home”.

Witness for example the original AirPods. I was really, really suspect when it came to those. Will people actually wear them? Bright white. Hanging off your earlobes. Really?

Yeah. Turns out people like being seen in them. Oh and they worked well. They were functional too.

So if you sit and think about all of the App Store developers who have made a lot of money in the gold rush of various different iterations starting with the iPhone and beyond, do you really think all them will sit and wait, when faced with the launch of ‘the next big thing’?

Will they all sit on their hands, downloaded the xrOS (or whatever it will be called) on to their MacBooks and just… you know… play around.

Will they be quite happy for their friend – the guy they sort of know in the other office over the road – to have a “Reality” device whilst they just… patiently… wait?

I think many of us still remember the Apple Newton. I did actually quite like it. But it wasn’t what you’d term prime time.

Back in 2007 when Jobs did the famous reveal, I knew iPhone was going to be big. I knew the world changed that day. Go and see. I wrote a post after the keynote right here on SMS Text News (as the blog was originally called – the post is still in the archive – The Apple iPhone changes everything).

It was the prospect of the app store – not confirmed at all during that 2007 keynote – the prospect of being able to ‘install’ third party apps that really sold it for me.

But I digress.

If the presented device features are good enough, I will buy one. 1k. 2k. 3k. 5k. Well maybe I’d balk at 5k. For a few minutes. I’d probably “BNPL it” to make it feel cheaper.

I do want to know what Apple is doing. I will want to experience it for myself. I will want to be able to talk about it, to have an opinion.

That’s if there are some good features. I’m sure, despite all the various rumours of tensions and ‘issues’, I can’t quite believe that Apple would ship a dud – something like a Quest 2 with bells on.

Last year AppleInsider reported that Apple has 34 million developers. Across all its different devices and operating systems. But this must be predominantly App Store / iOS. And incidentally I’m one of those.

Are you telling me that…. say… let’s go for 10%… 3.4 million people won’t want to ‘get on the next big thing?’ And to do that, you really need a device.

Let’s go for 1% – 340,000. We’re not talking about customers, I’m talking about 1% of the 34 million existing app store developers… it is a total no brainer for them, right? And what’s more, many of these developers have made millions – MILLIONS – from their work. So they can easily afford the 3,000 USD.

Yeah I think that 100,000 number is massively underestimated… IF:

• The device looks good enough
• It’s got one or two killer features (e.g. watch your Apple TV movies on a ‘giant’ screen)
• It supports some interesting app capabilities

Of course, if Tim Cook says “look, this isn’t quite ready for everyone yet – and obviously the price tag doesn’t work for many” and “please view this as version 0.5 for developers only” then fair enough. Fair enough.

I for one will be incredibly curious and my ‘buy now’ trigger finger will be at the ready…

Bring on June 5th.

First, the trailer…

Ok…

I did find myself questioning why what I used to refer to as ‘normobs’ (normal mobile users, not mobile-tech-obsessed people such as myself) were flocking to the movie.

I sat on the back row, to the right – and as I waited for the movie to begin, I had to marvel at the mobile devices in use in front of me. Every second person was using their iPhone. I did see a few non-iPhones in use too. But only a few.

How many of these people were BlackBerry users, I wondered? I saw quite a few young people who couldn’t have been into their teens when BlackBerry life was upon us.

How the market moves.

And dear reader, if you’d like a first hand experience of all that, you can follow my posts across the critical years between BlackBerry’s dominance and the iPhone’s emergence. Just search ‘BlackBerry’ or ‘iPhone’ to get (probably?) hundreds of posts that I and my contributors wrote during the period.

By way of evidence, I did a search through our media library on the website for ‘BlackBerry’. Now a lot of images aren’t actually tagged properly (that’s something we didn’t really bother with in the early years) – but quite a few were. Here’s one of the press photos of the BlackBerry Bold that I embedded into the Mobile Industry Review website back in 2011:

I really did enjoy using the Bold. One of my favourite phones, ever.

So, to the movie.

I found the physical resemblance of the key characters – the Co-CEOs – a little bit off. I don’t remember Mike Lazaridis, the Co/CEO as a timid and nervous character. At all. I never met the guy directly from memory, but I was ‘in the room’ with him many, many times at various and highly memorable BlackBerry World conferences. He struck me as a towering, confident and pretty outgoing chap. Maybe in the early years?

I therefore had to suspend my disbelief right from the start.

Having lived ‘mobile conscious’ through most of the periods in the movie, I was able to smile and internally shake my head quite a few times.

“That’s not how it was,” was a frequent thought.

I was writing here on this website almost daily through most of the key stages dramatised in the movie. I recognised key turning points – most notably the iPhone 2007 announcement.

I’m not sure the movie captures just how totally embraced BlackBerry devices were by the customer base. I would have liked to have seen that emphasised a little more prior to the arrival of the ‘Jesus Phone’.

I don’t want to spoil the ‘plot’ so I won’t go into too much detail. If you’ve even half an interest in the BlackBerry phenomenon, I think it’s definitely worth going to watch it. I would, however, say this: It’s not a documentary. Even the official website uses this description:

The “true story” of the meteoric rise & catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone.

The speech marks are theirs.

I’m not sure it was fair to say that BlackBerry suffered a catastrophic demise.

Was it catastrophic?

Perhaps “gradually then suddenly” might be a better description. Or maybe I’m downplaying the vision and success of the introduction of the iPhone.

The other major manufacturers were operating in a different world to Apple. Apple’s customers were you and me.

BlackBerry didn’t have consumers as customers. Neither did Nokia, Motorola or almost anyone else. This is a really, really important point that’s often forgotten. These manufacturers all sold to mobile operators. Never (or very rarely) did they sell direct to the consumer.

The ‘end user’ was not the customer of the manufacturer. They were the customer of the mobile operator. This, you see quite dramatically during many sections of the movie when the Co-CEOs are trying to pitch the operators. Get a contract with Verizon and you’re winning. They take a truck load of your devices and then re-sell them to actual consumers.

Apple’s ultra direct consumer-focused approach was radically different in a multitude of areas.

There’s a scene in the BlackBerry movie where CEO Mike is pitching Verizon the new BlackBerry Bold (which, as I’ve said, was a phenomenal device) and the characters from the operator appear unsatisfied, demanding to know if BlackBerry had an “iPhone” killer planned.

It’s a little remembered fact that mobile operators often specified exactly what was bundled ‘on’ the device. Operators expected to control the apps and facilities available on the devices that they ranged. In many cases the manufacturers responded to the requests of the mobile operators, rather than the other way around.

I remember searching around trying to find a Nokia handset that had one particular feature which was unavailable in all UK supplied Nokias… because the various operators had specified that the feature should not be available in the UK.

I also remember many colleagues in the industry being staggered that AT&T (or “Cingular” as they were) wasn’t allowed to make any specific demands of Apple. How did Apple manage that, they all wondered. Normally the operator – the buyer – held all the cards when it came to device specifications and configurations.

Indeed it was always a little frustrating when you purchased a “Nokia” from, say, Vodafone in the UK and found that it had differing capabilities from the Nokia reviewed by a blogger in the States or Finland. Because Vodafone had its own demands, it’s own custom logos and app configurations and so on. Meaning that manufacturers were often shipping dozens or hundreds of different software configurations to meet operator demands.

And meaning if there was a bug or an inconsistency, it took an age for an update to be made available.

Watching the BlackBerry movie, I began to remember all of these various different stages of development that took place across the 2000-2012 years. I remember being at the conferences, press launches and interviews across those years. I remember talking to various manufacturers about the importance of apps and an app ecosystem. I remember many highly informed industry experts telling me I was wrong.

They were right. It wasn’t how things worked, until that is, Apple changed the game.

This is evidenced in a few scenes in the movie – but I think the portrayal is at times somewhat unfair. I came away from some scenes thinking that we’re meant to reckon that BlackBerry just screwed things up and that Cupertino (Apple) dominated from the start.

In the end, yes.

But there were quite a few years where seriously smart people across these manufacturers and operators did try. For a long time I was really excited to see what Apple could do to shake things up. I was hoping that we wouldn’t end up with just Apple and Android devices because I felt things would get pretty boring, pretty quickly. Just look at the range of iPhones and Androids in recent years: I literally could not be bothered to write about most of them here on Mobile Industry Review. I actually couldn’t remember whether I had a Samsung S22 or S23 Ultra recently – I genuinely couldn’t tell the difference.

I think, on reflection, I was hoping for a 4 or 5-way marketplace. I was hoping Microsoft would continue to dominate too.

The pain for many in the marketplace was all too obvious at the events I attended. I remember showing off my iPhone to many BlackBerry and Nokia purists – employees and fans alike. It was just better in so many ways. That wasn’t to say no one could compete with Apple.

Apple was a total weakling when they emerged into the mobile marketplace. Just look at the hundreds and hundreds of patents owned by the rest of the marketplace. But the way they were organised compared to the old guard… the old sell-to-the-operator model together with very fixed ways of working made it incredibly difficult for the other industry giants to respond effectively.

And once the App Store launched…

Anyway.

Watch the movie and let me know what you think.

And consider buying the book (Losing the Signal) behind it too.

Got a problem with your BlackBerry?

Boom!

Sad, isn’t it, dear reader?

Travel all around the world and find relentlessly reliable 5G speeds all over the place, then fly back into the UK and spend a good 30 minutes wondering why everything doesn’t work, keeps crashing or can’t handle your operating demands.

Yeah.

In the GCC/Middle East region, I didn’t think my data demands were too high, but fly back into the UK and all of a sudden I need to think in mono.

Do

One

Thing

At

A

Time

Be patient.

Don’t push the connection.

Don’t expect anything cellular thing to work, especially if you’re moving more than 5mph.

The, when it does work, just.. you know. Be sensible.

Yes, if it says 4G, think back to GPRS. Set your expectations correctly.

Make sure you have downloaded all documents, data – anything you are likely to need – whilst you are standing at the train platform, because once you get ON the train, nothing will work.

Not enough cellular towers?

Not enough throughput?

The wrong kind of rain?

And, of course, dear reader, don’t you dare try and put a cellular mast in my backyard either.

Now and again it’s pretty good. I have data sims on every network. I hop between them in some degree of low level manic ‘connectedness’ desperation, now and again. Sometimes I hit the jackpot… 5G… and in an area where everyone else is obviously watching a re-run of Bargain Hunt on the TV using satellite so the cellular tower is uncontested.

And that’s a total luxury. Strange, but a very welcome experience.

That did confuse it initially. Some of the first versions of the photos literally included some beautifully rendered blackberries (and strawberries) next to devices.

I iterated a few times and… here’s the winning design:

At a glance – from far away – this looks like something I’d like to use.

I still really do miss the physical BlackBerry Bold keyboard. I think it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a mobile phone. Connect that to an ultra-modern Samsung S23 and I wonder if it would be a compelling experience – for me?

Or would I just get constantly annoyed by the small screen? Probably.

But then, maybe this device is a foldable one – you just fold it open to get a dual-screen experience, right?

As an intellectually wistful experience, I think it’s a good one (“do you remember the good old days?”) but I think it’s also a fascinating experience seeing how some of these generative AI tools are performing nowadays.

It’s only when you look closely at the photo that you begin to recognise how… yeah… limited it is. There’s no qwerty at all. The Samsung logo is sort-of there in the middle of the device. It looks like there’s also a small barcode at the top of the display too.

But I do like how it’s created a unique keyboard spacebar. In my mind that’s also a cursor for the screen and it’s a thumb pad for biometric identification. And.. and…

Ok back to the real world.

I didn’t bother. Because I knew it wouldn’t look as good as I could “see” it with my own eyes, irrespective of whether I used iPhone or Samsung. I just resolved to stare at it a little while longer. Then I did a silent nod of thanks to the world for the experience and got on with my evening.

If I had taken a photo, though, would it have turned out magically amazingly brilliant?

9to5mac has a lot more details on the issue of “moon photo enhancing”: Read on.

So it’s quite nice to see this post from The Verge that highlights a tiny bit of original thinking and implementation on the Oppo Find N2 flip Android phone. Technically you can use the software on Samsung too.

Essentially you can use a third party app (Coverscreen OS) to really extend the use of the N2 (and other compatible phones) small screen.

I was really taken with the idea to be able to quickly knock out a T9 reply to someone from the folded screen. That, I like.

Have a read and you can even watch a video at The Verge post.

Check out the trailer of the BlackBerry movie here:

I for one will be watching! Will you?

I wondered if someone had easily sorted the roaming-in-a-random-country problem and made it stupid-simple to purchase and install an eSIM for a particular geography.

Turns out, someone has.

I’m sure there are other options out there, but the one I found in the App Store is Airalo, and it’s simply fantastic.

I have used many eSIM services across the years, most of which generally required you to perform an array of digital gymnastics because of the deployment method. That is, after you’d paid, the website would then show the eSIM QR code.

Which, if you’re actually viewing the website on your phone, is a bit tricky to implement. I once remember asking a hotel receptionist to open the screenshot PDF I had created from one of these websites, just so I could then use my phone’s camera to deploy the eSIM. I think that’s how it had to be done back then. Years ago.

Nowadays, well, it’s just astonishingly simple with Airalo.

Here’s how it works:

• Download the app (I did so on iPhone first, but then installed on my Android/Samsung)
• Create an account
• Select the country and precise data plan you’d like
• Use Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay for the plan
• The eSIM is then ready for deployment. Just tap ‘install’ or equivalent. Wait a minute or so whilst the networks do their thing.
• Your eSIM is ready for use

It’s so quick.

I have used this capability so far in:

• Saudi Arabia
• Kuwait
• Qatar

I’ll be purchasing for Bahrain shortly.

The service from Airalo has been totally seamless at every point. The bundles I tend to go for are 3GB for the iPhone (usually around $9-$15 USD) and 1GB for my Android (something like $5 USD). The price points vary a little depending on country.

For ease of use, I don’t think you can get better. There might be a slight price advantage to picking up a SIM at the airport or the like, and if you’re looking for voice minutes then you do need to get a guest/tourist sim. However when you begin to factor in messing around with taxis, or standing in queues at the airport operator concession, having to get your passport scanned, fiddle with sim ejectors and all that jazz…. Yeah. No thanks. This is where Airalo really excels.

I’ve taken to buying the SIM in advance of my arrival in the country so that I don’t have to rely on any WiFi at the airport. I just activate the eSIM when I switch my phone off airplane mode when the plane has touched down.

I did actually go and get an actual (eSIM) from the network provider Etisalat in Dubai, but that was a different strategy. Plus, I was able to use my 3 Denmark connections for ‘3LikeHome’ roaming in UAE.

I particularly like how the Airalo team have adopted the Apple Pay/Google Pay standard as the default payment methodology. It means things are incredibly simple and easy. There are a broad range of countries supported by the Airalo service too. I’ve obviously been focused on the Gulf Cooperation Countries but you can get eSIMS for what looks like hundreds of countries – the website specifies 200+.

I did give some thought to getting the Airalo ‘global eSIM’ – for example, they have a 20GB global eSIM that offers roaming in 84 countries over 180 days duration. But I was planning on using a lot more data than that, per country – so that’s why I have been deploying eSIMS in every country I’ve visited.

I had one issue yesterday with my one of my Qatar eSIMs (I’ve got two live at the moment). For some reason my Samsung didn’t seem to activate – I think because I did the activation in Kuwait; that might have complicated things. Anyway, I used the Airalo in-app-chat support function to ask their help and we worked out that the APN hadn’t been automatically set. I changed that…boom. Perfectly fine. It was great that Airalo offered this live chat support option – and also great that they were able to identify my issue quickly.

There is also an ‘Airmoney’ feature – basically, you can build up credit for future purchases every time you buy an eSIM. I’ve almost got enough for a $5 USD sim with my existing purchases.

To that end, if you like the idea of using Airalo – use my referral code (EWAN8753) when you sign up and you will get $3 USD credit… and so will I!

I’d like to hear how you roam – what’s your process? Please add a comment below or send me an email at ewan@mobileindustryreview.com.

In this case I was there because I was driving past, saw the sign and remembered I needed – ideally – a local sim. I have been using my awesome Three Denmark sims (which I have still kept) because they support roaming in the United Arab Emirates.

I thought it would be better to not abuse 3DK’s roaming hospitality and try out a local network directly. I therefore walked around the mall until I found a mobile network store… and the one I arrived at by chance was Etisalat.

I walked in and selected a visitor price plan. The nice lady there helped me complete the transaction by scanning my passport and taking payment and so on.

She was a little surprised I opted for an eSim – most people still seem to want to put in the little chip, but not me. I’m eSIM all the way if I can do it. Both OmanTel, Vodafone Oman and 3DK are all networks that really champion eSIM technology and make it so simple to use – you can deploy right from their app or websites.

The lady in the Etisalat store insisted on setting up the eSIM for me … that was kind of her. I let her go through the process and I ‘walked out working’ a few moments later. Nice work Etisalat.

However… just as I left the store, another employee sheepishly stopped me for a moment. He was lingering at the exit looking for people who were new customers, I think.

“Can we do a speed test?” He asked me. He had an Etisalat staff badge and employee uniform. I wasn’t about to hand him my phone, but I thought there was no harm in helping out. I wondered if he was a techie from head office checking if the latest kit he’d installed in store was working properly.

“Oh sure,” I said, flicking up Speedtest and pressing ‘Go’.

“This had better be a good result,” I said to him, nodding to the store. I expected a good result in the vicinity of the store. My device did show a 5G connection with Etisalat.

He watched the Speedtest with interest – closely – and then nodded with satisfaction at the rest.

“May I take a picture?” Has asked. I nodded – he took his photo and then thanked me.

No problem then. He was happy. So was I. This is what the speed test results registered:

In parting I said, “Whaaaaaat? Only 79mb up???” but in fairness almost 2GB down is… pretty good.

I am delighting in the fact that I am able to write again – mostly over at FinTech Profile or LinkedIn – as I have a bit more time on my hands after completing my recent transformation role in Oman.

Above is a screenshot of the email that arrived in my inbox a few minutes ago from Samsung.

“S23?” I thought to myself, “Haven’t I already got that?”

I then looked a the image and thought, “Yeah… weird… why are they suggesting I buy it again?”

Then I lifted my Samsung and looked at the cameras. Then I looked at the photo. The same.

Or…

Or is it?

Don’t I already have a ‘head-spinning 200MP’ camera on that?

Or was it…. 100MP?

Dear reader, do you know what I did? I actually opened up my current Samsung, navigated to Settings and then selected About…. and I scrolled down to the model name.

“Oh I’ve got the S22….”

Geez.

I normally use two phones. iPhone and Samsung. I like the cognitive workload to keep my brain moving when I am swapping between them. Living and working in the Middle East also means that I am at least experiencing the operating system that an overwhelming majority of end-customers tend to use in most GCC markets.

I usually automatically upgrade both the iPhone and the Samsung every year.

Right now… I don’t know if I need to upgrade the Samsung. I really don’t. Is it just the camera?

I haven’t looked in-depth to see what other whizzy things the Samsung team has dreamt up. I hope there’s a lot to justify spending another 1,200 pounds. Although I have kept my S22 in very, very good condition in readiness for a £600 upgrade. So theoretically the new phone should be half price.

Theoretically if I do upgrade now… and get £600 pounds… then I’m only actually spending £50 pounds a month to stay on the latest version of the Samsung.

Meh. Let me go and look and see if I should upgrade…

I have been trying, Samsung. I really have.

Given Bixby – the Samsung ‘AI’ – is preinstalled by default on my new device I have been trying to give it a bit of time.

I used it now and again on the Note 10. I thought I should try and get properly introduced with the arrival of my new Note 20.

But.

Yeah, not really.

“Hi Bixby, remind me to do Freddie’s spellings tomorrow at 7am,” is what I asked.

Bixby then told me – perhaps somewhat presciently – that all is not lost and that, yes, live is worth living.

I think this is particularly helpful for those who are in need.

It’s not that useful in the context of reminding me to check my son’s spellings ahead of his test this week.

I tried it again.

Same result.

I tried asking differently.

Same result.

Bixby is determined that I should seek help. It’s laudable, it really is.

Just… not that helpful for my specific use case.

In the end, I used Google Assistant.

I’ll persevere with Bixby though.