Three announce pricing of iPhone 5s

Three today announce it will offer Apple's latest flagship iOS smartphone, the iPhone 5s and the cute 5c starting from today. The iPhone 5s will be available from £99 and the iPhone 5c from £49 on a 24-month contract.

Never mind what I actually think about the psychedelic and almost flat iOS 7, Apple does make gorgeous looking phones (from the iPhone 4 upwards). While their persistent on sticking with a 4" display may not set the world on fire, at least the people from Cupertino recognises that not everyone wants a phablet size device as their flagship. This is criticism of companies who purposefully reduce of the specification of smaller devices like the One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini (glares at HTC and Samsung).

In any case, the iPhone 5s will be available on Three's great value One Plan for those who prefer to go contract, which should play well once they launch their 4G LTE network later this year. Pricing for the Lumia-ish 5c has already been previously announced, but seriously, if you are into the whole iPhone thing, the 5s should be the only iPhone on your radar.

Sony Xperia Z with 1080p display goes on pre-order

Sony's newest flagship the Xperia Z has just gone on pre-order with Three UK. This is the first smartphone with a 1080p (that's a resolution larger than my laptop!) display to be marketed here. Read that again, that's 1080p - full HD resolution - that's more than double the pixels my sorry of an excuse television has (yeah, I am due for an upgrade)! In fact, the pixel density of this 5" display is at a ridiculous Retina-murdering 441 pixels per inch, or 1323 sub pixels per inch! If that doesn't get your geek heart fluttering, nothing will.

Not only that, the Xperia Z is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC, with quad core 1.7 GHz Krait processors and the latest in GPU technology, the Adreno 320. Coupled with 2GB RAM, 16GB of NAND storage and expandable storage, this will surely impress your other phone geek mates. So if you are the sort of person who wants the top dog in Android smartphones, then be sure to get this.

According to Three, the Xperia Z will be available from £34 a month for an upfront fee of £69 over a two year contract. As if to further re-enforce the Sony's acoustic credentials, the first 1000 customers to pre-order this bad boy will also be receiving a pair of Sony MDR-1R headphones. That's a neat proper closed cup headphone that costs around £200 on Amazon, so you never have to worry about unpacking that poncy free headphones.

The water resistance device will also be available for £449 on a pay as you go plan, a snip over the original £529 price you have to pay sim-free. In fact here's a link so you can go pre-order now. I will of course be trying my best to get a copy to review, so keep an eye peeled.

Three launches AYCE EU data roaming package

I have some pretty neat news for readers who frequently travel to the EU from Three UK. Starting from this week, Three UK monthly customers will be able to enjoy all you can eat internet on their smartphone whilst in Europe. For a fiver a day, customers will not have to worry about overspending and running up a massive bill even when they move between countries.

This is good news for Three customers who love to hop on the Eurostar and wander around the mainland continent. There are alternatives of course, but each will likely require you to swap sim cards, not to mention having to research for each network in each European nation. This will take a huge load off for data hungry travelers  particularly those who frequently visit Europe on business. Imagine that, no more worries about having to use dodgy internet cafes to upload your photos to Facebook.

For those who are on a long holiday, the £5 a day internet pass is quite a lot. Data light users like me will want to research for local sims or roaming deals with their respective couriers first before jumping. But if you are a data heavy user, look no further.

Samsung Galaxy S III UK availability announced

The announcement of Samsung's latest flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone is probably the most polarising event this year as far as mobile tech goes. After all the hype (partly generated by the media themselves, and Samsung), it seems that the media and bloggers's opinions seems squarely divided on whether Samsung has actually delivered. Most has agreed that Samsung has delivered on specifications, but not on design.

While I do not find the S3 to be an ugly device, it does look a tad too generic, even by Samsung's standard. In fact, my first hands-on moment with the S3 gave me an initial poor impression on the build and design when compared to the HTC One X. And this coming from someone who once owned and loved the Galaxy S2. I quipeed that it feels plasticky, and before you accuse me of hating on plastic, I do find the Lumia 800 and One X to be excellent representation of what how great a phone can look and feel despite being made primarily of plastic.

In fact I showed my Android-phobic partner the picture above, and she immediately quipped about how generic looking the phone on the right is. It just feels more like a generic, albeit fast, Gateway laptop than a tough ThinkPad. Nothing wrong with that, as long as the price reflects that compromises has been made towards design.

Design aside, the S3 is a pretty capable device. My initial impressions on the hardware is positive and I like what Samsung has done with the software. I am still no fan of TouchWiz enchancement, especially now that stock Android ICS is shown to actually looks pretty reasonable, as far as UX goes. TouchWiz is a UI that can be traced back many years, and the current iteration is based on one that Samsung uses for their own (now abandoned) Bada OS and previous high end featurephones.

The Galaxy S3 will be released in the UK at the end of the month for a pricey sum of £500 sim-free. Everyone's favourite 'thinking outside the box network' Three UK has also announced that they will be stocking the Galaxy S3 for £34 a month on a two year contract with no fees upfront, which isn't bad for a plan which includes their industry thumping All You Can Eat data plan.

Three Web Cube wireless hotspot review

Last month Three UK, the network that likes to think outside the box (cough), announced a new product that aims to free users from the tyranny of fixed broadband. The cute boxy Web Cube is a semi-portable wireless access point hotspot optimised for home use. Like Three's own MiFi, the Web Cube supports up to five simultaneous wireless connections, HSPA+ download speed of up to 21.6 Mbit/s and HSUPA upload speed of up to 5.76 Mbit/s.

Three is currently conducting trials in three locations: Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds. It is likely that not all Three base stations has been upgraded to take advantage of HSPA+ technology yet, like where I live just outside North London (more on this later), so do bear that in mind when reading the review.

The Huawei-made Web Cube has been lovingly designed and is both stylish and practical. The case is made of translucent white plastic housing the internal hardware and a couple of blue LEDs on the top (as a signal strength indicator) and glowing inner blue LEDs that doubles as a network status indicator. I am not a fan of blue LEDs, but fortunately the LEDs here aren't too bright to be annoying. The device is heavy enough to be able to store it on a shelf without fear it would fall under the weight of the cable.

Three Web Cube hopes to free us from the tyranny of BT

Amid all the snow chaos, here's something that has caught my eyes. And once again it is a new product by Three UK.

When I reviewed the new MiFi v3 (Huawei E586), I wondered if Three's decision to include a cradle with the MiFi was a precursor to something greater - a statement of intent to enter the home broadband market. Well they did - the recently announced Web Cube looks like a great alternative to those without broadband, or those wishing to gain home broadband without the commitment to a telephone line contract by British Telecom. At least for those in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds, where Three is conducting trials.

The HSPA+ certified Web Cube is basically a MiFi all dressed up for home comfort. The sleek case not only looks great, but houses a SIM card to enable instant broadband wherever you are - that is as long as you have a wall socket nearby. While not nearly as flexible as a MiFi, it is sold with a reasonable data plan. I was informed that it would be available for £15 a month on a rolling contract which gets you 10GB worth of data or £15.99 a month on a 24 month contract, which will net you 15GB a month data.

10GB or 15GB a month won't cut it for serial downloaders, and it certainty won't convert me to ditch my fixed line broadband yet. But there is a market for university students who move around a lot. When I was a student, I switched accommodation at least once a year, and because of that, was never able to afford a home broadband package. 10-15GB might not be a lot, but it is plenty for students who will no doubt abuse the internet network at their libraries.

But if Three UK introduce a AYCE plan with this, an has the infrastructure to support such heavy downloads - then I can see this is a suitable replacement to fixed line broadband. ;)

So what do you think? Would the Web Cube be enough to ditch BT?

o2's iPhone 4S lease rip-off

Can't afford an iPhone 4S? Well o2 has you covered with a new lease an iPhone 4S scheme. Or so they hope you think they do. The UK carrier now offer the 16GB iPhone 4S on a 12-month lease for £55 per month - that is £660 a year. And after a year? Well you return the iPhone and have nothing to show for.

Considering you can *own* a brand new sim-free Apple iPhone 4S 16GB for £500, it sounds like o2 is taking bollocks to a dizzying new height.

For the purpose of this comparison, I estimate that you can sell a used in good condition (the condition o2 wants the phone back after the lease is over) 4S 16GB for £300, conservatively. After all used iPhone 16GB regularly sells for around £400 today, only £100 less than they were a year ago!

Okay, so the lease also includes 750 minutes per month (an offer, the normal tariff is 600 minutes per month), unlimited texts and 500MB of data. Even then it doesn't sound like it is of any value. And here's why.

First let's look at some of o2's competitors, starting with the fabulous Three UK network. With their £15 a month PAYG ACYE booster, you get less minutes (300), and less texts (3000 - which is more than enough for many) and *unlimited data*. That's about £180 a year. Add the price of a new unlocked 4S, the total cost would be £680 - just £20 more - and you get to keep the phone! So in effect you are saving £280 by buying a sim-free iPhone 4S and Three UK PAYG sim plan separately compared to leasing it via O2. How about that O2? Your leasing option doesn't sound like a bargain now, does it?

This, my good people, is the cheapest way of owning an unlocked iPhone 4S with a tariff that allows you to phone people. You could even go cheaper if you select Three's SIM Only PAY+12 (12GB of data valid for a year) for a bargain £70.49, assuming you are willing to forgo the backward technologies that are GSM voice and SMS texts. Services like WhatsApp, Skype, Tango, iMessage and FaceTime will have you covered. But this isn't a fair comparison so I will let it slide.

Moving on to Vodafone. Well the network offers a sim-only 12 month rolling contract, and for £26 a month, you get 900 minutes, 3000 texts and 500MB data a month. Total damage: £312 + £500 = £812. Deducting the cost of the phone should you sell it (£300), that's like £148 in savings in comparison to o2's lease tariff. You could get an iPhone 4S 32GB version and still save money to spend on bucket loads of apps, and then some.

Now we look at o2 themselves. Being fair, I will select one of their stupidly priced sim-only plan, this time from their 12- month Simplicity tariff. For £27 a month, you get 900 minutes, 500MB data and unlimited texts. That totals to a mind-boggling £324, slightly higher than what you will pay on Vodafone, Three UK and even GiffGaff, a network o2 owns. Add the cost of a new 4S you have to pay £824. Ah, but don't forget you actually own the phone itself and even if you sell the 4S for £200 less the price you paid, you are saving £136. £136 less than what o2 charges for this retarded leasing service, and you get more minutes!

Last but not least, let's have a good look at GiffGaff, a virtual network owned by o2 themselves. For £20 a month, you get 800 minutes (more than o2's lease), truly unlimited texts and truly *unlimited data* (also more than o2), as well as unlimited calls, texts and video calls to other GiffGaff customers. Wow. You would be a mug to have gone for o2's own Simplicity tariff after reading that. Sell your iPhone after year and you are looking at a saving of £220 - on a tariff that is actually better than o2's offering.

Ah, but I hear you say that the o2 lease also includes insurance. I am sorry but dedicated mobile phone insurance are for fools. Your home content insurance will cover this for less! And don't forget the insurance insures the iPhone for theft/loss, on o2's behalf. Damage the phone and o2 will still bill you for it! The costs are detailed below on this site.

It is worth noting that o2's lease does include unlimited WiFi use. The competiting tariffs here does not include any sort of WiFi use, bar Vodafone (750MB limit on BT OpenZone). But remember that the Three UK's ACYE add-on and GiffGaff offers truly *unlimited data*. Who needs WiFi? In any case, remember that most cafes and restaurants are now opening up their WiFi networks for free.

Remember the best thing about owning your own sim-free phone is you can sell it if you want. Especially when you realised half way through your contract that the 4S doesn't rock your boat and you wished you went for something else instead. As for o2, researching for this blog post only proved I made the right decision when I decided to leave this miserable network three years ago.

Three MiFi Huawei E586 review

I am a huge fan of Three UK's MiFi, a product I rarely leave home without. In fact, it was my gadget of 2010, a huge testament to a simple and affordable gadget. So when Three UK announced the new MiFi Huawei E586, my eyes lit up with wonder and immediately request to review one. While Three refers to the new MiFi as the 'High-Speed MiFi', for the sake of this review, I will simply refer to the Huawei E586 as the MiFi v3.

Before I continue, a short explanation of what a MiFi is and how it works. Basically, a MiFi is a portable wireless router that you can use to connect multiple devices to the internet via a single data connection. This makes it an effective and economical way of accessing the internet wherever you are with whatever gadgets you have. Up to five gadgets can be connected to the MiFi at the same time.

The MiFi v3 is an evolution of the Huawei E585. Even the model number reflects this. Still, Huawei and Three has introduced a number of improvements that makes upgrading from the old version a tempting proposition. Firstly, the MiFi v3 now includes a HSPA+ radio, boosting download speed up to 21.1 Mbps HSDPA and upload speed at 5.76 Mbps HSUPA. However as Three UK are only currently rolling out their HSPA+ upgrade, not everyone will be able to enjoy this upgrade in speed. Download speeds in my area regularly top out at 4 Mbps with the new MiFi, no doubt because HSPA+ has yet to arrive here. Unfortunately there is no way to tell which of Three's cell towers has been upgraded.

The next improvement comes in the form of a new button. In my review of the MiFi v2, I noted how simple the design was with just one useful button - but with this, a new button is introduced that when I look back, makes sense and I can not understand why this wasn't introduced sooner. The 'key' button when pressed displays the SSID of the MiFi as well as the passkey. So no longer do you need to remove the battery cover to check for the passkey. Another good improvement in usability comes in the form of the MiFi displaying the total amount of data use, not just in a particular session (like in the MiFi v2). This allows the user to keep in check the amount of data allowance left to use.

Like the MiFi v2, a microSDHC card slot can be found on the left side. This will allow you to turn the MiFi into a USB storage. It will also feature a OLED screen, where useful information such as signal strength, number of connected devices and data consumption will be displayed. In fact apart from some changes in materials used it would be difficult to differentiate the two. The rubberised battery cover from the MiFi v3 can even be used on the old MiFi. It is however slightly thicker than the MiFi v2.

The small OLED screen is bright and shows a wealth of information, including the aforementioned SSID and passkey. By default, the screen will display the signal strength, the amount of devices connected to the MiFi, battery level, indicator for text messages, amount of data consumed and up time. Each MiFi also has an online dashboard where it is possible to manage the account related to the MiFi. Once accessed, the dashboard allows one to change the SSID and passkey as well as view the current MiFi's signal strength and view the text messages. You can also change the security settings. For example the SSID can be hidden and devices can be blocked via MAC filtering.

While Three did not advertise this, I found that the new MiFi is able to last longer than the older MiFi. In fact, despite using the exact same battery as the old MiFi, the new MiFi was able to last about 2-3 hours longer. On most days I was able to eke roughly 5 hours on the old MiFi, but with the new MiFi getting 7-8 hours on a single charge was normal. The improvement is staggering especially when I find that the new MiFi was able to reconnect quicker than the old MiFi, as well as having a better reception overall. Both of the MiFi boots up in the exact same time.

Three has also kindly supplied a new cradle charger with the new MiFi. It's a simple black unit that allows you to dock and charge the MiFi when in home. This also cements my belief that the new MiFi is marketed at people who may want to use it as a complete home broadband replacement. Unfortunately as Three has not extended their AYCE price plan with the new MiFi, the MiFi would not make a good home broadband replacement, though the £18.99 for 15GB a month plan may still be feasible for some people.

The best deal for people willing to commit on a contract is the MiFi 5GB plan with rolling one month contract. For £15.99 a month, this gives you 5GB data allowance per month, with the MiFi costing a one-off £50. If you are in it for the long haul, the 5GB on an 18 month contract will cost more at £18.99, but you won't have to pay for the MiFi. There is also a cheaper 1GB on a 18 month contract that costs £10.87, but after using 500MB in less than a week mainly via my smartphone, I am hesitant to recommend this plan.

As a fan of PAYG system, I would recommend most people to take the 12GB on 12 month pre-paid deal. For £129.99 you get 12GB to spend over a twelve month period, whichever ends sooner, and the MiFi device itself. This is great for people who do not regularly need their MiFi at times, but is also flexible enough to allow them to use as much data if needed.

Despite the improvements, there are no real reasons to upgrade from the previous version to the new Huawei E586, well, at least until the HSPA+ rollout is complete. But if you are in the market for a new MiFi, then I can't suggest anything better than this. Now we only need to convince Three UK that offering a MiFi with a AYCE price plan is the only way forward.

Three UK to launch the Huawei E586 MiFi

Readers of this blog will be well aware that I am a huge fan of Three UK's MiFi range. MiFi is a series of portable wireless router that you can use to connect multiple devices via a single data connection.

The MiFi is an effective and economical way of accessing the internet if you, like me, own multiple gadgets - including portable gaming consoles, tablets and smartphones. I have been using the current Three MiFi v2 (Huawei E585) for some time now and have never left home without one.

Three UK Pay As You Go: All You Can Eat review

I have been in possession of a Pay as you Go sim card loaded with All You Can Eat (AYCE) data plan from Three UK for a number of weeks now, and have been testing it in a HSDPA-enabled Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play and Motorola Milestone 2.

AYCE on PAYG is available as two add-ons: All in One 15 and All in One 25. All in One 15 will cost £15 and comes with 30-day access to unlimited data, 300 any network minutes and 3000 texts. On the other hand All in One 25 will offer 500 any network minutes, 3000 texts as well as 30-day access to unlimited data for £25. I should add that tethering is not supported with either All in One plan. Tethering is only available with Three's The One Plan on both 12 month and rolling contract.

There were fears that Three's network would not be able to cope with the increase in bandwidth demands. But Three UK's Sales and Marketing Director, Marc Allera, has stressed during the launch of the add-ons that unlike other networks, Three's was built for data - which was why they can introduce deals like this.

Despite weeks of downloading new apps and games, steaming YouTube videos and making Skype phone calls, I've not hit an artificial limit. Speed remained unthrottled whenever possible in areas and times when the cell towers weren't congested. Even in London, where my T-Mobile sim card struggles to even reach 2G-level speed, my Three sim card was able to handle the demand easily.

I did random speed test on the network at different places and days, and found that for most of the time, 3Mbps download speed was normal with upload speed around 1Mbps. I once watched a 2.5 hour video on YouTube in HQ, encountering no issues or even the dreaded buffering screen during the entire screening.

Three UK, a network well known for disrupting the UK mobile network industry, has done it again. While not exactly the only network to offer a truly unlimited data plan on PAYG (GiffGaff offers unlimited web when you top up £10), Three UK has demonstrated that they have the necessary network infrastructure to deliver true unlimited internet with the speed that one should expect to properly make use of it.

Win a Three MiFi with 12 GB data

To celebrate this blog hitting one million page views, I will be holding a competition. The prize: a Three MiFi v2 (Huawei E585) mobile wireless dongle courtesy of the wonderful people at Three UK.

The winner will also receive a 12 GB PAYG ready-to-go Three UK sim card, valid for 12 months, to be used with the MiFi. With the MiFi, you can easily create you own mobile hotspot so you can connect multiple WiFi enabled devices like the iPad.

To be in the chance to win the Three MiFi and 12GB sim card, both of are worth a total of £129.99, all you need to do is answer the following question:

How many devices can be connected simultaneously to a Three MiFi?

(You can find the answer in my review of the Three MiFi v2)

E-mail your answer and name to: jonchoocompetition@gmail.com with the subject: Three MiFi competition by 9pm BST on 17 April 2011.

Only one entry per person.

This competition will be opened to all UK residents. The winner will be chosen randomly.

Your details will not be used for anything other than determining the random winner. Once the winner has been selected and verified, all e-mail entries will be deleted.

Good luck!

Update: The competition has now ended. Over 250 entries were submitted. A winner will be picked at random shortly. Thank you for entering! 

Update 2: Congratulations to Chris Harper of Manchester. A Three MiFi with 12 GB sim card is on your way. Enjoy!

To the rest, don't worry - there will be more competitions coming up soon. ;)

One million page views! Thank you!

Wow, there has been over one million page views on this blog since I launched it in 2004! According to Statcounter, which I have been using since the first day, there has been 750k unique visitors - 55k of who returned.

According to Flagcounter, which started tracking page views on this site since June 2009, there has been visits to this blog from 202 countries. The largest amount of visitors are from the United States (23.9%) followed closely by United Kingdom (20.6%) then Canada, Germany and Australia.

To say thank you, I am holding a competition to win a Three MiFi v2 and 12 GB of data. To be in the chance to win it, please head here.

In the mean time I will continue doing my best to write posts that will help you readers.

Samsung Galaxy Ace review

Three UK has published my guest review of the Galaxy Ace, a mid-range Android smartphone by Samsung. You can find the review here.

I found it tough to write a review from a perspective of a none-geek user, but it was a good challenge. If you have any questions about the phone that I did not answer in the review, ask away. I still have it for a couple more days at least.

Win a Xperia PLAY with Three UK

Read my preview of the Xperia PLAY? Still interested? Well the great people from Three UK has informed me that on Wednesday 23 March, they will be giving people a chance to win it. The challenge is simple: consumers will have to crack a lock and key combination in order to get their hands on the phone. 30 padlocks and 900 possible key variations will stand between the public and the Xperia PLAY.

In order to enter you need to join twitter, and tweet the hashtag #WinThreeXperiaPLAY followed by the key and padlock combination you think will unlock it. The lovely Sedge will then attempt to unlock it live on video. Correctly guess and you will win the phone with a Pay As You Go sim card preloaded with All You Can Eat data. You will also get to attend the Xperia PLAY launch party in London and rub shoulders with people like me! Yes, I will be there. :)

For more information including the terms and conditions, please visit their blog here.

Also thanks to Three, I will also be holding a competition here soon. The prize? A Three MiFi v2 with one year's worth of 12GB data. So keep your eyes peeled.

Three UK launches All You Can Eat data plan on Pay As You Go

Contract shy data addicts can finally rejoice! Three UK today is once again disrupting the mobile network industry by launching an 'All You Can Eat' data plan for Pay As You Go customers for £15. Whilst other UK network operators are cutting back on data allowances, the people at Three has decided to buck the trend again. In an age of smartphones and so-called 'superphones', Three are the only UK operator who seems to want to provide customers with the ability to use the smartphones as intended by the manufacturers.

The new data plan will be available as two add-ons: All in One 15 and All in One 25, and will be available to new customers. Older customers will be able to access the new add-ons after migrating onto the current tariff. All in One 15 will cost £15 and comes with 30-day access to unlimited data, 300 any network minutes and 3000 texts. On the other hand All in One 25 will offer 500 any network minutes, 3000 texts as well as 30-day access to unlimited data for £25. I should add that tethering is not supported with either All in One plan. Tethering is only available with Three's The One Plan.

There are fears that Three's network would not be able to cope with the increase in bandwidth demands. but Three's Sales and Marketing Director, Marc Allera, has stressed that their network was built for data, which is why they can introduce deals like this. With All You Can Eat data, users can now use their phones freely without fear of stepping over some threshold and incurring additional credit charge.

To celebrate the launch of this new offer, Three has informed me that they will be running a competition over the coming month to show the value of the deal, with prizes including a 30-day first class rail travel pass to Europe for two. Other prizes includes a smartphone along with a year's free All You Can Eat data and a huge amount of free calls and texts each month will also be up for grabs. To enter all you need is to head over here.

This blog will also be giving away something courtesy of Three UK in the coming weeks. Watch this space. :)

Cheap data for your smartphone

This morning I paid £20 for another six months of Pay As You Go mobile internet. In the age of Twitter, Whatsapp, email and Facebook, I see little reason in needing voice and text bundles. I only occasionally top up to send a couple of texts. Granted it is on T-Mobile UK, the network that pissed over their customer base last month, but I can't complain with the price. And with Orange roaming enabled, they are still the best 2G network in terms of coverage.

There is one big catch. First while supporting HSDPA, T-Mobile speeds are capped at 250 Kbps on Pay As You Go, which is barely even EDGE speed. I've complained to a T-Mobile engineer about this, but there was nothing he can do apart from the go contract advice. Still, despite the 500 MB limit, it is fine for Twitter, email, Facebook and browsing via Opera, and you only pay an average of £3.33 a month for data. Besides I have a Three MiFi that I top up during times when I do need the bandwidth.

All I need to stay connected

If you do need voice and text bundles and do not mind going contract, Three UK's SIM 300 tariff on a 12 month contract is a good deal. For £10 a month you get 300 minutes, 3000 texts and 1 GB of internet. If the 12 month contract puts you off (like it does me), the SIM 100 rolling contract offers a bit less (100 minutes, same amount of data and texts) for £10 a month.

Three does (did?) have a £5 a month SIM only contract purely for mobile internet users, including 5000 minutes of Skype-to-Skype calls. Unfortunately the deal is buried deep on their site (if it is still there). I do know the tariff existed in some form, but you may need to ask one of their sales store as I can't find it on their site.

Obviously if you are a big data user like some of my twitter friends are (who regularly use 1 GB a day!) you can always go all you can eat with Three's The One Plan. £25 a month for 12 months, gets you unlimited data goodness to consume. And unlike most networks, tethering is allowed.

Three UK unlimited data on The One Plan

Some exciting news from the mobile industry this morning just for you data hungry mobile peeps. Three UK has announced that The One Plan tariff now comes with unlimited all you can eat data with no hidden fair usage nonsense. That's right - real unlimited data with tethering allowed and no fair usage limits. During a time when all other networks are scaling back instead of offering more to their customers, and it is nice to see Three UK bucking the trend. Well done Three!

The plan will take effect starting today and all customers on The One Plan, new and old will immediately be able to enjoy unlimited data right away.

Next, bring me unlimited MiFi with no fair usage and I can kiss our landline broadband goodbye forever!

The Three Blog Awards

Well it is December 2010 and so it must be awards season time. First up is the Three blog awards.

Unlike most awards with hundreds of categories (like the one I sometimes have on this blog), Three Mobile UK has narrowed down the categories to just four: mobile device of the year, guest blogger of the year, best app of the year and social media high of the year. Whoever you voted is up to you, but I personally went for:

Mobile device of the year: Mifi
Guest blogger of the year: Abul Hussain
Best app of the year: Angry Birds
Social media high of the year: Rage Against the Machine Vs. The X-Factor (Facebook)

Why? Well the MiFi, as you can tell from my positive review of the product, is an excellent mobile wireless hotspot that makes connecting multiple devices easily. It is cheap too and I predict that there would be a surge in similar products next year when mass market tablets starts hitting the market.

Abul is a great friend of mine and is one of the most experienced mobile blogger I know. His experience with mobile tech is immense! For best app of the year, this is easy. While Spotify may have gotten my vote, the fact that it requires a premium account works against it. Angry Birds on the other hand is a video game (and I like video games), works on multiple platforms and is dirt cheap. It also happens to be fun.

Three UK meetup

Last Thursday I was invited to meet the new Three 'social media' team. If you haven't heard, Three has decided to create a new in-house team. While it was sad not being able to work with Michelle again, at least not within Three, the new team are raring to get into business with forming a relationship with bloggers. And what better way to break the ice than having a meetup! Having said that, we hope they will extend this relationship to you loyal readers as well.

They had the new MiFi for trial and as you would have known from this review you will know I love it. I was given another trial MiFi 2 to play with and this was stolen on Saturday while I was travelling in a packed Tube. The team was kind enough to arrange for another MiFi to be sent out the next day! So yeah, @ThreeUKLatest = amazing people!

One of my regret of the evening (the other being there was little time to talk to everyone) was not spotting the iPad competition on the window. I guess I was busy making sure I was at the right place as I thought the meet was supposed to be at Meza but was in fact was held at the cigar bar next to it! Still a massive congratulations to Melinda for winning it!

Also was great to meet other bloggers, most of whom I've already met before, including Abul of adonisdemon.com, Dan of World of Nokia, Richard Lai of Engadget, Marc Flores, John Wood of generationstarwars.com, Stephen Wing, Ben Smith, Chris of toogeektobetrue.com, Christiano Betta and of course, Melinda of missgeeky.com