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Shazam music discovery service comes to O2 UK customers

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shazam-logoO2 may still be reeling from its recent loss, but it’s not resting on its laurels, and has partnered with the Shazam music discovery service, finding a new way to make money from its impatient customers.

Some smartphones already have Shazam as an application, so no worries for those users who desperately need to know what that song is, but for those on O2 with lesser handsets, they can now call the 2580 short code, hold their cellphone’s microphone to the source of the music for a few seconds, and then have details of the song texted back to them via SMS. [Read more…]

Apple and Orange finally break O2 UK iPhone monopoly

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orange-iphone-3g-uk

Some countries that had the “privilege” of getting the iPhone early on, such as the US and UK, have been shackled to one telecoms company since the outset.

While AT&T may still have Apple fans tied up, there is at least some hope for UK users who either object on principle to exclusive deals (common though they are), or don’t like the O2 network because of its reliability or customer screwing tactics. [Read more…]

UK 0870 iPhone app gets green light after O2/BT back down (allegedly)

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Cracked iPhoneI wish Apple would stop trying to keep its exclusive mobile network partners happy and just open up the iPhone to any network, then it wouldn’t have to pander to their tightfisted demands.

In fact, Apple shouldn’t have to pander to the network operators as it is, particularly after the rather derogatory labels Steve Jobs has applied to them in the past, yet their demands still seem to cause apps to get blocked, at to detriment of paying customers.

The latest app is one that British iPhone users would no doubt relish. The 0870 application quickly finds alternative geographically fixed phone numbers for the pesky non-geographical 08** numbers that companies frequently use and cost an absolute fortune to call from cellphones. [Read more…]