Business Phone Deals

The best business mobile phone on the planet?

When looking for new mobile phones for your business which is the best one to get? Ask a hundred people which is the best mobile phone for business and you are likely to get a dozen or more different answers.

It all depends on how you use your phone and what you need it to do. For instance a builder is not likely to have the same requirements as an accountant.

BlackBerry business mobiles will always show up well. They are specifically designed for business users and their email service is largely thought to be the best there is on any phone.

So for heavy email users a BlackBerry could be the answer. Although other handsets offer a similar service they never seem to quite reach the mark.

For workers in tough professions, where a mobile is going to take a bit of a beating, a durable phone is recommended. Samsung make a couple of phones which are shockproof, splashproof and dustproof. These rubberised phones still offer great talk and text features, but not a lot else. This does mean that they are relatively cheap to buy and free on most business tariffs.

Internet users need a big screen and decent keyboard. The latest touchscreen phones have screens 4″ plus which also contain full QWERTY keyboards for quick typing of URLs.

Business users looking to make an impression want to turn up with the latest gadget. In which case the iPhone 4 or HTC desire might fit the bill. Both offer good all round features but are distinctly pricey. You are going to have to take out a seriously expensive contract to get one free of charge.

Most modern smartphones offer a range of apps, many of which are geared at business users. Whilst the iPhone has the most apps available now there are plenty of other operating systems catching up. The new kid on the block is Google’s Android OS which is gaining market share hand over fist.

There is no easy answer to the question “Which is the best business mobile handset?”. It all depends on your business requirements. What we would say is that trying to troll through all of the available handsets looking at every feature is going to take you a long, long time, particularly as new handsets are being released on a near daily basis.

Let an expert do all of the hard work for you and find the best business mobile for your business. Not only the best business mobile but also the best business mobile tariff. Save money at the same time as improving your phones!

Tags: business, mobile, phone, planet

Time to ditch the expensive mobile phone?

Tough times require tough measures. Whilst many people are used to reaching the end of their mobile phone contract and upgrading to a newer, more expensive phone is this the best option when money is tight?

Clearly not. At upgrade time you are in a good position to negotiate. The network wants to keep your business and may be able to give you a better deal than they advertise to new customers in order to keep you. This might involve a better handset and reduced tariff. Don’t be afraid to negotiate hard.

If your existing phone is working OK and does what you need it to then more drastic action may be needed in order to save some money. Do you need a contract at all? Have you been taking out large contracts in order to get decent handsets free of charge without using many of the inclusive minutes/texts/data?

For instance, if you have a £30 per month contract but are only using 100 minutes and a handful of texts then you could take out a pay as you go contract with 8p per minute calls and 3p per text. This would reduce your monthly bill below £10.

If at any time in the future you need to take out another contract then you can always pick and choose the best deal from any of the networks. You can retain your number each time you change from contract to PAYG and back again.

If you really do need the latest handset, or if your phone breaks down outside of its warranty period, there are always cheap deals available on Ebay and similar sites and it usually works out cheaper to buy your own phone over the course of a 24 month contract.

New website nearing completion

The new UK mobile phone deals website is nearing completion.

It is being built using MojoPortal, a content management system which, whilst being the easiest to get started with, does still take a bit of getting used to. Because all of the pages now have the suffix .aspx a fair bit of reorganisation has to take place. Plus each and every link on every page needs to be replaced with the new location.

This is time consuming and it has to be fitted in around the core business of selling mobile phones!

We are also having problems with the enquiry forms. The standard ASP forms don’t seem to work as MojoPortal appears to be based in ASP.NET. Rather than learn a new language we are looking at keeping the existing forms but placing them outside of the CMS system with amended links.

We are also currently experimenting with captchas, to stop the spam enquiries, and this will be incorporated into the new forms.

It will definitely be up and running by the end of the year and will feature some new stuff which is incorporated within the standard MojoPortal program. It does make blogs and online polls so much easier to do, no programming knowledge required!

Best business manufacturer poll

Which manufacturer makes the best business mobile phone handsets? Nokia? RIM (BlackBerry)? Samsung? Sony?

We have our own ideas here, but thought we would test them out by putting an online poll on our site. This can be found on our home page on the right hand side.

We’ve picked 11 manufacturers, not all of them but most of the major mobile makers, and will leave it to our visitors to decide the outcome. Let battle commence!

The first vote has been cast, by myself, and I’ve gone for Nokia. This is purely because my latest handset is a Nokia E63 (pictured right) and I find that it has performed perfectly for me. It has a range of features ideal in a business mobile plus plenty of entertainment features too.

As it is a SmartPhone it can also be upgraded with apps and games downloaded straight from the internet. I love the wi-fi feature which allows me to browse the internet for free when in range of an unlocked access point (there are plenty of them about!).

Best of all it is available free on even the cheapest of tariffs as it is very much a budget SmartPhone.

I can’t really think of any drawbacks. Even the camera, which is only 2MP, performs adequately. Only the lack of a computer cable in the original package lets it down ever so slightly.

So what are your ideas? Do you swear by BlackBerry phones? Love your Apple iPhone ? (remember this is a poll for BUSINESS mobile phones!) Or have other ideas. Whatever your opinion we want to hear from you so go to our home page and cast your vote.

Free BlackBerry business mobile phone

We will see soon enough who is considered the best business mobile phone manufacturer when our online poll starts to attract votes and opinions.

One contender who will certainly have plenty of followers, and may even be the “bookies favourite” to take the crown, is Research In Motion (RIM) the manufacturers of BlackBerry mobile phones.

They were the first phones to embrace email on handsets and provide a decent experience for the end user. Many people still swear by them and won’t entertain the thought of using another manufacturer. If you want to see what all the fuss is about then you could do worse than take a look at the “budget BlackBerry” the 8520 (pictured right).

Here are some of the features packed into this handsome unit:

• 2.64 inch screen
• Full QWERTY keyboard
• GPRS
• 512Mhz Processor
• Optical trackpad
• Camera (2.0 megapixel)
• Memory up to 32GB
• Wi-fi
• Email
• Bluetooth
• Modem
• Organizer
• MP3/MP4 Player

Best of all is the price tag. It can be obtained free of charge on even the cheapest business mobile tariff. We can supply you with the handset on a tariff giving you unlimited landline calls, 500 mobile minutes, 250 texts and 500 MB of data (BlackBerry Internet Solution) all for only £25 per month.

For business users looking for multiple BlackBerry phones, or alternative BlackBerry models, please contact us for a free quote. 

Tags: 8520, Curve

MVNOs – mobile virtual network operators

Many of you will be using MVNOs now without realising it. A Mobile Virtual Network Operator is a provider of mobile phone services that does not operate its own infrastructure. For instance, Virgin Mobile do not have their own masts or spectrum but use the T-Mobile network to provide their customers with coverage.

More and more companies are becoming MVNOs – just think of Tesco Mobile and ASDA Mobile for two obvious examples. By utilising an established third party network the set up costs in becoming a mobile operator are greatly reduced. For the networks concerned they get an increase in people using their network with all of the marketing and customer services handled by the MVNOs.

Are there any advantages for the consumer? Yes, the virtual network operators offer vastly different tariffs, many of which are cheaper than the host network provider. The more tariffs there are available the more likely it is that you will find one that fits your usage exactly, keeping your costs down.

And the downside? There aren’t any obvious ones. Just make sure you know who the host network is before signing up in case coverage in your area is patchy. It is also possible that you could sign up with an MVNO on the basis that they are hosted by O2, and in the middle of your contract they negotiate a deal with another host, say Orange, and coverage changes!

It could be that Virgin Mobile may have to move hosts in the future, dependent upon the regulators view of the Orange/T-Mobile merger. If they decide that the newly merged company would have too big a chunk of the market it could be MVNO users of their networks who are jettisoned first.

Tags: mvno

Can mobile phones keep you healthy?

Can a mobile phone keep you healthy? In itself the act of talking on the phone (reclining on the sofa), sending texts and browsing the internet on your phone are not going to burn many calories. However, modern phones have new applications which could help you lead a healthy lifestyle.

For instance, there are applications for your phone that tell you how many calories are in a meal. Whilst you are queueing in the canteen you could take a quick look to see which meal offers you the healthiest option.

Your phone can act as a pedometer, and with the addition of GPS and a special app you can log all of your steps each day. If you are into running you can keep track of your routes, how far you have gone and how many calories you have burned.

Ever forgotten to take your pills? Use your phone to remind you every day, after all most people now carry their phones with them at all times during waking hours! You can also set your phone to remind you of doctors/dentists appointments and your surgery may soon be offering reminder services by SMS (trials have proven this cuts down missed appointments by up to 30%).

With many phones now offering usable internet, just like your home computer, you can get health information at any time wherever you are. Got an ache or pain and need a quick diagnosis – log on to the many sites on the internet such as NHS direct to find out more.

Should you have a health emergency when you’re out and about a mobile phone really could be a lifesaver. Remember to keep it charged if you are going to be away from civilization for any length of time, just in case. If you are going off the beaten track built-in GPS and maps could help you get back where you need to be, reducing the risks of exposure related illness.

A new app to track your alcohol consumption could well help you keep your intake to reasonable levels over the Christmas period. It will also help you in ensuring that you don’t drive whilst over the limit (although if you are thinking of driving the best option is to abstain altogether).

Mobile phone upgrades – O2, Orange, Vodafone

As well as offering business mobile phones and new consumer mobiles we can also help many people with their upgrades.

The main networks want to retain as much business as possible. When your contract is approaching its renewal date they will likely contact you to discuss a new handset and perhaps a new tariff. This is called an upgrade, as it will usually involve you upgrading your phone to a newer, more powerful model (although you can “upgrade” without a new phone if you wish).

You may also be contacted by a number of other dealers and brokers who have details of your renewal date and want to get your business as they will be paid commission by the network on any upgrades done.

Who is going to offer you the best deal? It is well worth getting a few different quotes before confirming your upgrade. Different companies will offer different phones and different tariff combinations. Write all of the details down and compare them to see which one is offering you the best deal.

Do your research online about phone features and view the handsets in real-life in a shop if you wish to see and touch them “in the flesh”. Read reviews to see how others view them, positively or negatively.

Getting the “latest” phone is not always the best option, as we have seen recently with the Satio which has been plagued with problems. A phone which has been out for a few months will have had time for all of the possible problems to come to light.

We can offer you a free quote for your upgrade on the following networks:

• O2
• Orange
• Vodafone

We will discuss handset choices and tariff combination to get you the best upgrade possible.

Be aware that not all phones will be available on all tariffs free of charge. With an upgrade dealers are only earning a small amount of commission out of which they have to pay for a new phone handset and make a profit.

If you are looking for a specific handset, such as the iPhone 3G S, you may also be restricted about which network you can go with and it may involve a large hike in monthly payments. We can advise you and change your network for you if required.

So if you are approaching the end of your contract in the next few months and looking to upgrade please give us a call on 0115 944 8977 and see what we can offer you.

Tags: O2, Orange, Vodafone

December 09 website update

The beauty of using a content management system is that you can change the “skin” of your website with one click. All of the content, links etc. remain the same.

As we were getting a bit tired of the old design (it was a bit too grey) we previewed a few new ones and decided on the current design which you can see on this page. It still has some grey in it but there’s an extra bit of colour with the orange accents and the text is on a white background which makes it easier to read.

We’ve also updated our two enquiry forms, for business mobiles and mobile broadband, with a new heading bringing them up to speed with the main site design.

Finally we’ve contacted our web host to get the site running a bit quicker. We now have our own application pool which seems to have speeded up the site.

BlackBerry mobile phones

We have added a new page to our site dealing specifically with BlackBerry mobile phones.

There are so many different handsets being released by the different manufacturers on what seems like a daily basis. Some are well received and others not so. Sometimes Nokia handsets are selling well and at other times Samsung or Sony are doing well. However, for the business user BlackBerry mobiles are always in demand.

Research in Motion (RIM), the manufacturers of the BlackBerry range, concentrate their efforts mainly on pleasing the business user. They are renowned for their email services which allow you to keep in touch at all times.

Many people use BlackBerry phones all the time and when it comes to upgrading don’t consider any other phone. They have a loyal following who appreciate their ease of use allied to their powerful functionality.

They have a wide range of handsets including touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboards, half-QWERTY and other designs to satisfy all of their customer’s demands. They are reliable handsets generally and don’t have to cost too much. They are free of charge on tariffs starting at £20.

As they are generally used for data (email and internet) in addition to the usual voice and text functions, you will need to include data within your tariff package. BlackBerry internet solution and professional software can be included for a few pounds each month.

If BlackBerry mobile phones are something that might help your business please get in touch for a free quote to see what we can offer you.

Tags: BlackBerry