uk - 2/9 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

sony-xperia-z-up-for-pre-order-on-three-uk-from-34-a-month-on-contract-available-on-february-28t

[Deal Alert] Pre-Order The Sony Xperia Z, Get A Free Pair Of MDR-1R Headphones Worth £299 (UK Only)

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Deals, News, Sony, Xperia Z

United Kingdom readers, never say we didn't do anything for you. If you've been patiently waiting for Sony's new flagship phone, you can pick up some pretty sweet studio-quality headphones at the same time. If you pre-order the Xperia Z through one of Sony's partners, you can pick up a pair of Sony MDR-1R headphones for free, gratis, and nothing.

You don't even have to buy it outright - O2 and Three UK are both offering subsidized versions which qualify for the free headphones. If you'd rather go for an unlocked model, both Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u are participating in the pre-order.

Jan

[Updated: Out Of Stock In Spain] The Nexus 4 Is Back In Stock On Google Play In The UK, France, And Spain

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Google, LG, News, Nexus 4

Yesterday, Google re-released the Nexus 4 in the U.S., Germany, and Canada. We also heard that the UK, France, and Spain would be the lucky ones today. So far, everything seems to be panning out nicely, as both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the device – as well as the bumper case – just went on sale in the UK. ~~We're still waiting to confirm availability in France and Spain~~.

Update: Just confirmed that it is indeed available in France and Spain, as well!

Update x2: Well, that was fast – both the 8GB and the 16GB are already out of stock in Spain.

Jan

Skype Updated With Portrait Calling On Tablets, Portuguese, Norwegian, And UK English Languages

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Well, it's a start. While the Skype app for Android still has a bizarre and uncomfortable habit of forcing landscape mode, today's update at least allows users to use the portrait orientation if they're making a call. That's nice. Especially since the positioning of front-facing cameras on devices like the Nexus 7 make landscape video chats extremely awkward. Now if only we could get this for the rest of the interface, that would be great.

^{This isn't just for phones anymore!}

Additionally, today's update brings a few bug fixes and support for Portuguese, Norwegian and English of the UK variety. Not a bad update.

Jan

Vodafone UK To Begin Offering 'Nearly New' Smartphones To Pay-As-You-Go Customers

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Vodafone

It's easy for the tech world to forget that not everyone is looking to buy a new $200 phone on contract every six months. Vodafone UK hasn't forgotten, though. The British carrier is launching a new service to help put top-tier smartphones in the hands of pay-as-you-go customers by selling them lightly used hardware. More specifically, phones exchanged within the carrier's 7-day return window.

If you're buying a phone without a contract, the up-front cost would be slightly cheaper, as one would expect from a used device. For those concerned, stores do check to ensure the mobiles still work, wipe any data or settings, and package them up with any requisite accessories.

Jan

HTC One SV Goes On Sale In The UK Sim-Free For £349.99

Posted by John Thompson in HTC, News

Following its unveiling last month, HTC's confusingly named One SV has made its way over to British shores, and is now available to purchase SIM-free from Clove for £349.99.

For your money, you'll be getting a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and a 4.3-inch display to play your favorite games and watch a few movies on. Unfortunately, the display only has a resolution of 480x800, so it won't be the sharpest looking phone out there.

The One SV is also 4G capable, so if you've been looking forward to trying out the new EE network in the UK, you can do so without tying yourself down to a 24-month contract.

Dec

Everything Everywhere Offers The First LTE Tablet In The UK: Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Everything Everywhere (EE), Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000 / N8010 / N8013), News, Nexus 7

Say what you will about the sorry state of broadband in the US, we were one of the first to have large-scale LTE networks available to the public. It took about a year for mainland Europe to catch up, and the UK is still in the very early stages of getting their high-speed networks started. Everything Everywhere (EE) has taken the lead on the tablet front, offering the very first LTE tablet to United Kingdom wireless users: Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1. Plans start at £25.99 per month for 3GB of high-speed data.

On the cheapest plan, the Note 10.1 LTE will cost £249.99.

Dec

BBC iPlayer Updated With Extra UI Polish, Jelly Bean 4.2 Support, And BBC Alba Channel

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Today, the UK's public broadcasting service, the BBC, upgraded its mobile app for Android. The update brings improvements to the UI to bring the interface a bit more in line with Android's Holo guidelines. The new version also adds support for Jelly Bean 4.2, improved video streaming over WiFi, and a new content channel.

Here's the full changelog:

What's in this version:

Many thanks for all of your feedback on our last update. Here’s what’s new in this release:
- We’ve polished up the design of the app
- Video performance over Wi-Fi has been improved(with more improvements still to come)
- Added Android 4.2 Jelly Bean support
- You’ll find a new channel - BBC Alba
As ever, let us know what you think @bbciplayer

Of course, the BBC iPlayer isn't available outside the UK, so international users need not excite themselves too much.

Dec

EE Continuing Its UK 4G Rollout, Bringing The Service To A Further 17 Towns And Cities By March 2013

Posted by John Thompson in Everything Everywhere (EE), News

EE is continuing its fast-paced rollout of 4G in the UK, promising to bring the service to 17 new towns and cities across the region by March next year.

14 locations in the UK, including London, Manchester, and Glasgow, have been enjoying the fast speeds provided by the network since its rollout earlier this year, and they will soon be joined by the likes of Coventry, Leicester, and Reading as the network's expansion continues.

EE has set itself the ambitious target of 98% coverage across the UK by the end of 2014, so if you can't see your town or city on the list just yet, don't worry too much.

Dec

Google Play Redeem Page Now Live In The UK, Gift Cards May Not Be Far Behind

Posted by John Thompson in News

People in the UK have long been able to purchase apps and other goodies from the Google Play store using traditional methods, but as of yet there hasn't been an option to buy gift cards for redemption online like you can with other stores.

Fortunately, it looks like that could soon be changing; the Google Play redeem page now allows you to enter a redemption code from a gift card, although you can't actually buy the cards in shops yet. This could be an indication that gift cards are on their way, but we can't confirm this or speculate about a time frame just yet.

Dec

Third Time's The Charm? Nexus 4 Set To Go On Sale In The UK And Germany At 5PM Local Time

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Nexus 4

Yes, the Play Store has been plagued by issues. Not the least of which, if you don't live in the U.S. or Canada, you've probably had an even harder time than most getting your hands on Google's newest flagship phone. If you want to get in on the furiously refreshing action, and you happen to live in the UK or Germany, today is your lucky day! Starting at 5PM local time (GMT for UK, CET for Germany... so pretty soon), you can order the device directly from that search engine all your American friends keep saying has a horrible ordering system.