When you work for one of the largest mobile network operators in the UK, you would think that the level of employment stability and the security that comes with such a position would be hard to match.
This is the exact opposite of what many employees within Vodafone are feeling at the moment. Despite the company getting ready to offer its clients some of the best smart phones available this coming April (along with the Apple iPad touch screen tablet), the feeling for most Vodafone employees right now is that their jobs could be removed suddenly without warning. This is the result of a series of the cost cutting implementations that saw the removal of 500 employees in 2009 and 375 just this month.
Redundancies had to go, but not in the way Vodafone implemented the change. Without warning, the employees were simply told to take their things and leave as the cost cutting procedures have decided that their jobs are no longer useful to the company. The teary-eyed employees were then escorted out (apparently by security personnel that Vodafone added in at the last moment –perhaps in case some of the employees riot). Vodafone also had to close down six stores, the employees of which are part of the 375 redundancies.
Many current employees are disheartened by such events. Many of those removed have worked loyally for the company for many years and did not deserve to be treated in such a way. Should the cost cutting even affect more jobs, it is quite likely that the overall morale for employees would drop at an all time low. Union groups such as CWU have been coordinating with those affected by the cost cutting.
Read more about the full details on what is going on with Vodafone’s cost cutting and why it is affecting so many jobs at Mobile Today UK.
Archive for the ‘Vodafone Phones’ Category
Vodafone’s Cost Cutting Affects Morales
Thursday, March 18th, 2010Vodafone to get the iPad
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
There’s a major new device in the works and while not many people are planning to get one, Vodafone is expressing interest in being able to offer the new Apple Tablet to its customers.
The Apple iPad is currently a very recognizable gadget, but not one that people are inclined to bring to their homes. It is an understandable reaction, though that might change once people start realizing how useful it can be to have in the home.
While it is not surprising that Vodafone is interested in having the device –they have been very successful with Apple’s iPhone and sold 100,000 units in the first week of launch this January, this is great news since they are the network provider who could provide the best 3G network service in the UK. It has been reported that their number of iPhone subscribers are continuously growing as subscribers from other lines are switching to their network.
For those who missed the big reveal last January; Steve Jobs presented the device last month and demonstrated plenty of impressive functionalities in a stage demo before handing out demonstration units to the attendees. The device proved to be an impressive browser, organizer, eBook reader and even as a gaming device. While it lacked any good titles, it is already compatible with the applications for both the iPod Touch and the iPhone.
The device itself sports a 9.7 inch touch screen display that auto-rotates and responds to multi touch gestures. Boot up the iWork application to do short documents, emails and messages. Lacking in the device is support for Flash and multi tasking capabilities. The Apple iPad is expected to hit store shelves sometime this coming April –just in time for the Apple iPhone 4G.
Read more about Vodafone UK and the upcoming Apple iPad from Softpedia.
Obscene Tweet Lands Vodafone Employee in Suspension
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Some punishments are pretty lenient.
While many would expect that a person would be terminated from employment for using a company’s official account for posting an obscene message, a Vodafone employee got suspended for posting a very discriminatory remark that can be considered as prejudiced against gender.
Still, the focus of the UK mobile network provider was to apologize and to assure its users that all is well and that the offending Tweet was nothing but the work of a rogue employee. While exact details on whom and what exactly transpired are not available, Vodafone has made it known that the culprit was indeed caught and that there is an internal investigation going on.
The good thing is those who read the Tweets easily understood the situation and nobody over-reacted to the situation. Vodafone’s employees were also quick on the draw to send in apologies and explanations within an hour of the posting.
Twitter’s micro blogging capabilities are fast becoming a social staple, thanks to the one liner tidbits that users can easily post to inform and update friends and family with both major and minor news and events. For companies such as Vodafone, Twitter allows the consumers to get direct line official news straight from the source.
On a side note, things have never been better for the network giant Vodafone UK. The company has been enjoying a continuous grow of sales and subscribers. With the successful launch of the iPhone for the operator, they have established themselves as the region’s number one provider of 3G services. They also re-released the Femtocell Sure Signal booster which further increased the market of their 3G service.
For more details and the complete news about the Vodafone Twitter incident as well as the posts from Vodafone employees, go to Mobile Today UK.
Pushing Redundant Technology: Vodafone’s Femtocell
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
For those who are wondering why the original Vodafone Access Gateway failed (no, not because it’s called a VAG), it is a simple matter of redundancy. After all, would you really use 3G when you are at home?
Chances are, accessing the web from your house would simply mean logging unto your WiFi network with your laptop or even from your desktop. Since most smart phones can log into WiFi, low 3G speeds and even weak signals do not pose much of problem since you have a different network option. Unless it’s a major emergency and you suddenly lose your internet connection, going online via 3G is rarely done a home.
So why is Vodafone renaming the old 3G booster and selling it at a really low price?
It can be for varied reasons; the most common answer that businessmen would say is that disposing of old stocks would be the most likely scenario. After all, the booster was originally priced at a solid £160 with a monthly £5 fee. Now anyone who wants to get the newly named Sure Signal Femtocell simply has to dole out £50 for the gadget sans the monthly fee.
There is however, another good reason why Vodafone might be bringing out this technology again. That is in preparation for the Nexus One. As many may already know, the Google phone has been having problems connecting to 3G networks. With the Femtocell, the chances of the device jumping between EDGE and 3G networks are less.
So far, it is hard to see if people really want this 3G signal booster at home. While piggybacking the connection on broadband internet may seem like a clever idea, it is pointless especially when your device can simply just connect straight to the internet via a WiFi router instead. People should just cut the middle man and save £50.
Vodafone: No Love For Windows Mobile?
Monday, January 11th, 2010
No other Windows Mobile phone has been as successful as the HTC HD2 in terms of delivering the Windows experience in a whole new way. This is why anyone who would like to try the new WinMo 6.5 is best off with the HD2.
Still despite the success of this device, Vodafone has seen it fit to cease offering the HD2 only after two months of its launch –and people still consider the HD2 a great success for WinMo. This is thanks mostly to HTC’s Sense user interface which made accessing the many functions of WinMo easier. Windows Mobile is infamous for its stylus-reliant and hard-to-use interface.
With that in mind, how did the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 hold up?
The XPERIA X2 has a resistive touch screen, the SE Panels user interface and, most importantly, the phone got delayed from its holiday launch due to issues on the device. It is not a surprise that Vodafone will not even be offering the device in the first place. Officials have stated that the issues have made the device unfit for Vodafone’s 2010 lineup. Not only is this a bad thing for Windows Mobile, it is also bad news for Sony Ericsson.
The Japanese-Swedish joint venture has been plagued by problems for quite some time now.
Just last 2009, the company was forced to let go of about 2000 workers as they shut down facilities across the world and some offices the United States. They also got a bad reputation due to having the Satio pulled out of shelves due to software issues. While the Satio was indeed saved before the holidays; having the X2 delayed made the company lose major profits.
Right now it appears that the X2 may never make it to shelves at all, but with all the focus on Android Phones, it is unlikely that anyone would even miss it.
Vodafone Jumps on the Twitter Bandwagon
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Orange Mobile UK recently announced that they have extended their Orange World services to include Twitter. This will allow their users to send and receive Tweets through text, as well as upload images via MMS. Not wanting to be left behind, Vodafone has also made a new announcement regarding their existing Twitter features.
As it stands, Vodafone users can already send and re-send Tweets on their devices through texting. The new feature will allow Vodafone users to send re-Tweets (RT). If they receive a Tweet update on their phone, the user may choose to send a copy of the same Tweet to all their contacts.
This new Vodafone feature is a tie up between them and Twitter. The existing tie up already allows Vodafone users to receive Tweets via SMS on their device free of charge.
Sending a re-tweet will be the same as posting a new tweet and the cost will be automatically deducted from the pool of free SMS allotted to a customer. After sending a re-tweet Vodafone users will be able to receive a confirmation message regarding their Tweet.
Aside from the tie up with Twitter, Vodafone also offers the 360 service. Though limited to mobile phones in terms of capability, the 360 service is far more extensive than the Orange World service. The 360 service consolidates the address book on the mobile phone with social networking accounts and instant messaging applications. The Vodafone 360 is currently accessible through desktop computer and on the Vodafone 360 H1 and M1 Linux Mobile phones by Samsung.
The Orange World service by Orange is a custom feeds site that supports Facebook, MySpace and other similar social networking sites. With this, users can create an account on Orange World that will link the different profiles so users can make new updates on a singular feed.
Vodafone 360 M1; the Lighter 360
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Vodafone brings its 360 service with this new line of mobile smart phones. Manufactured by Samsung and running on the Linux mobile operating system, Vodafone seems to have tapped into the perfect recipe for mobile devices. The original Vodafone 360 H1 is a powerhouse of a mobile smart phone that packs some of the best possible features. In order to tap into a wider market, the 360 M1 has been developed with lower specs in order to get a lower price. The question is, is the transition good enough? Or are people better off with the original H1?
A Question of Practicality
The thing about the original 360 H1 is that is was made for the hard core mobile phone crowd. Unless you are the kind of mobile phone user who wants all the top features, chances are, a great majority of the H1’s features will remain unused to their full extent. It is a common thing for people to go online with their mobile devices, take images, play media, and toy around with mobile apps. The factor that we have to consider is, do you really see the difference when a photo is taken with a 5 mega pixel camera when compared to that of a 3 mega pixel camera? Do having 0.3 inches more of touch screen space affect you?
AMOLED to TFT
The main difference we see in the M1 is the loss of the original AMOLED touch screen. AMOLED screens are perfect for high resolution images and are also good for bringing out the graphic details of whatever software you are running. The standard TFT screen is good, but the switch from AMOLED seems unnecessary since the cost of the AMOLED screen is worth the cost.
Going Light
If you want a Linux Mobile phone but you do not need unnecessary features, then grab yourself an M1. Vodafone made sure that the M1 is useful and functional; since the H1 offers more, then the more tech-conscious should invest in that instead.
Vodafone 360 M1 Links:
Linux is Here, the Vodafone 360 H1
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Linux Mobile is one of the underdogs of mobile operating systems. Playing practically the same role they have with desktop computers, Linux systems tend to play more towards function and practicality over style and form. This is usually compensated by skinning and other customization options. With mobile phones, their position is a little more accepted than with computers. Since mobile applications are easily ported to other platforms, the Linux mobile operating system does not share the same problem as Linux based computers; direct compatibility with a lot of programs.
AMOLED and More
The Vodafone 360 H1 sports an AMOLED touch screen display, promising some serious graphic quality to its users. The screen itself is 3.5 inches and displays up to 16 million colors. This is complemented by the 5 mega pixel camera, so you can really take some high resolution images and view them instantly. Naturally, this mobile phone will also take good quality video. The whole set feels like a multimedia device and that is a great thing, hopefully, the audio hardware will be a good match for the awesome screen.
The External View
The device itself has an amazing external body. The face of the mobile phone is smartly designed, with the wide touch screen taking up a majority of the space. The screen is recessed slightly creating that Palm-type feel. The controls below the screen are nudged in nicely and are easy to reach with your thumb.
Packing Heat
Vodafone also gifted the 360 H1 with a whooping 16GB of internal memory. Forget expanding, the initial memory alone will store over 20 hours of excellent quality video files. Connectivity is mainly Wi-Fi and HSDPA, though we would really appreciate to see EDGE there as well. As per the name, this mobile phone naturally carries the Vodafone 360 service. You will also get GPS support too, thanks to the large screen; you can probably use the GPS function while driving.
Vodafone 360 H1 Links:
Vodafone 360 M1; the Lighter 360
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
Vodafone brings its 360 service with this new line of mobile smart phones. Manufactured by Samsung and running on the Linux mobile operating system, Vodafone seems to have tapped into the perfect recipe for mobile devices. The original Vodafone 360 H1 is a powerhouse of a mobile smart phone that packs some of the best possible features. In order to tap into a wider market, the 360 M1 has been developed with lower specs in order to get a lower price. The question is, is the transition good enough? Or are people better off with the original H1?
A Question of Practicality
The thing about the original 360 H1 is that is was made for the hard core mobile phone crowd. Unless you are the kind of mobile phone user who wants all the top features, chances are, a great majority of the H1’s features will remain unused to their full extent. It is a common thing for people to go online with their mobile devices, take images, play media, and toy around with mobile apps. The factor that we have to consider is, do you really see the difference when a photo is taken with a 5 mega pixel camera when compared to that of a 3 mega pixel camera? Do having 0.3 inches more of touch screen space affect you?
AMOLED to TFT
The main difference we see in the M1 is the loss of the original AMOLED touch screen. AMOLED screens are perfect for high resolution images and are also good for bringing out the graphic details of whatever software you are running. The standard TFT screen is good, but the switch from AMOLED seems unnecessary since the cost of the AMOLED screen is worth the cost.
Going Light
If you want a Linux Mobile phone but you do not need unnecessary features, then grab yourself an M1. Vodafone made sure that the M1 is useful and functional; since the H1 offers more, then the more tech-conscious should invest in that instead.
Vodafone 360 M1 Links:
Linux is Here, the Vodafone 360 H1
Saturday, October 31st, 2009Linux Mobile is one of the underdogs of mobile operating systems. Playing practically the same role they have with desktop computers, Linux systems tend to play more towards function and practicality over style and form. This is usually compensated by skinning and other customization options. With mobile phones, their position is a little more accepted than with computers. Since mobile applications are easily ported to other platforms, the Linux mobile operating system does not share the same problem as Linux based computers; direct compatibility with a lot of programs.
AMOLED and More
The Vodafone 360 H1 sports an AMOLED touch screen display, promising some serious graphic quality to its users. The screen itself is 3.5 inches and displays up to 16 million colors. This is complemented by the 5 mega pixel camera, so you can really take some high resolution images and view them instantly. Naturally, this mobile phone will also take good quality video. The whole set feels like a multimedia device and that is a great thing, hopefully, the audio hardware will be a good match for the awesome screen.
The External View
The device itself has an amazing external body. The face of the mobile phone is smartly designed, with the wide touch screen taking up a majority of the space. The screen is recessed slightly creating that Palm-type feel. The controls below the screen are nudged in nicely and are easy to reach with your thumb.
Packing Heat
Vodafone also gifted the 360 H1 with a whooping 16GB of internal memory. Forget expanding, the initial memory alone will store over 20 hours of excellent quality video files. Connectivity is mainly Wi-Fi and HSDPA, though we would really appreciate to see EDGE there as well. As per the name, this mobile phone naturally carries the Vodafone 360 service. You will also get GPS support too, thanks to the large screen; you can probably use the GPS function while driving.
Vodafone 360 H1 Links: