In the US, Asia and Australia they've already had their fill of the HTC One XL. But, in Europe, they've had to make do with the lame ol' HSPA+ One X. That is, until now. German carrier Vodafone has announced that it'll be the first to bring the XL home, complete with triband LTE in tow. Just like the American "One X," the new Euro XL ditches the quad-core Tegra 3 for a 1.5GHz dual-core S4, primarily because the NVIDIA solution doesn't support LTE. Though, as an added bonus, we're sure it helps extend the life of that 1,800 mAh cell inside. Vodafone will get the handset first in early June in a nice matte black, while Deutsche Telekom and O2 Germany will score the device later -- potentially in white. If you want yours contract free, it'll cost you €699 from Vodafone or €659 from HTC.

HTC One XL coming to Germany, drags LTE with it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've been twiddling our thumbs waiting patiently for the littlest of Sony's new-look smartphone lineup, the Xperia U, to arrive in earnest. It's a bit of a relief then to see the Android 2.3 phone go on sale at Three UK. You'll be getting what we saw back in Barcelona, including Sony's Timescape interface and the trick color light-up strip. We're guessing that most will see the cheap-as-chips price as the real selling point: the Xperia U costs £170 ($269) without a plan, and it's free as in beer on a two-year contract for £23 ($36) per month. O2, Orange and T-Mobile will expand UK carrier choices soon, but if you're looking for a fresh entry point into Android, Three can take care of you today.

Sony Xperia U goes on sale at Three UK originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 04:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Are you so enthused with the 2012 Olympics that special tablets and non-stop TV coverage won't fully scratch the itch? O2 UK is letting you flaunt your British competitive pride every time you check Twitter by selling Olympic editions of Samsung's Galaxy Note and Galaxy Y. Either comes with a choice to drape your Android gear in a Union Jack or the Team Great Britain logo. If cosmetic patriotism isn't enough, O2 is making it meaningful by contributing £1 from every sale to future athlete training along with giving a chance to win two tickets to attend the London games, a special event and even the training camp. The bundles are ready to go now, although we're slightly bummed that there isn't an extra-long S Pen to commemorate the javelin toss or pole vault.

O2 UK offers Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Y in Olympics versions, S Javelin sadly missing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The UK might be champing at the bit for 4G auctions to finish and give the country a taste of sweet, sweet LTE, but O2 UK is at least offering a panacea with a launch of dual-carrier HSPA+ 3G, or DC-HSPA+ in less wordy form. The British carrier has started deploying a full 42Mbps to "major" cities on the isle, most likely including London as one of them. Vodafone would argue that going dual-carrier is old hat, having started a year earlier, but it's also peaking at 28.8Mbps -- and frequent data advocate Three doesn't start its own proper 42Mbps deployment until the summer. As such, if you're a Brit looking for the speediest path to the Internet for a new iPad or one of the few other devices that supports DC-HSPA+ at full bore, O2 looks to be your best bet for now.

O2 UK rolls out 42Mbps DC-HSPA+ 3G, gives that new iPad fast data in Old Blighty originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Sprint reassured us with optimism for Windows Phone 8, and T-Mobile's CEO found a new partner to continue the fight against Verizon's AWS acquisition. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 7th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While we wait for the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S III to arrive in the US this summer, UK punters will have opportunities to preorder the new flagship device starting right away on these carriers: Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Three. Although details and specific availability vary from carrier to carrier, retailer Carphone Warehouse currently lists a SIM-free preorder price of £499.95. While Orange didn't mention any other details than that it will offer the phone, Vodafone has revealed that beyond the 16GB edition, it has a timed month long exclusive on the 32GB version. On Three, preorders open tomorrow, May 4th, with the all-you-can-eat data One plan for £34 monthly. The phone will launch May 30th in the UK, a day after the May 29th global release date. There's a few UK / Ireland specific press releases included after the break and links below, check those out for all details, preregistration and information on preorder bonuses some are offering.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III launching on Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Three in the UK

Samsung Galaxy S III launching on Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Three in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The High Court has ruled that British ISPs must block web-browsing citizens from accessing the infamous Pirate Bay. The controversial ruling comes just six months after the European Court of Justice (a superior court) declared that companies like Sky and TalkTalk were protected against injunctions to block, filter or monitor internet traffic for that purpose. Virgin Media told the BBC that it would comply, before sensibly adding that censorship measures like this are ineffective in the long term.

UK High Court rules ISPs to block Pirate Bay, forgets it ain't the boss anymore originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This may not be the UK operators first attempt at dipping its fingers logo into your pockets, but O2's new mobile wallet does bring with it some de rigeur functionality. Taking a leaf out of Barclays' book, the new app lets you send "Money Messages," essentially text-driven money transfers to any phone number. There's smart-shopping features, too, such as a barcode reader for price comparisons, and daily discount deals to stop the well from going dry too soon. Interestingly, you can also apply for a physical companion card, based on Visa's pre-pay service to bring your virtual wallet into the real world. Not an O2 customer? Doesn't matter, apparently, and the app is "compatible with the majority of smartphones as well as iPads" which we guess means iOS at least, and Android, too, judging by the phones shown in the video after the break.

Continue reading O2 UK launches new wallet service, helps you empty yours (video)

O2 UK launches new wallet service, helps you empty yours (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HTC One V now available for pre-order in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of March 12th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of March 12th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Vlingo co-founder explains data-collection issues

Vlingo co-founder explains data-collection issues originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Security is our top most priority, we're investigating this at the moment & will come back with more info as soon as we can."

The Next Web confirmed that Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone numbers are unaffected by the issue, but GiffGaff and Tesco Mobile (both MVNOs that operate on the same network) do. TNW's sources say it's most likely an internal testing setup, while Mr. Peckover suggests it's because the network transparently proxies HTTP traffic, using the number as a UID.

Update: We received confirmation from O2, who said that it was "investigating with internal teams and it's our top priority." Slashgear and Think Broadband were unable to replicate the problem, but in our tests (pictured) it was sharing our data with the site.

Update 2: Consumer magazine Which? contacted UK privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office which offered the following:

"Keeping people's personal information secure is a fundamental principle that sits at the heart of the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. When people visit a website via their mobile phone they would not expect their number to be made available to that website.

We will now speak to O2 to remind them of their data breach notification obligations, and to better understand what has happened, before we decide how to proceed."

We'll let you draw your own conclusions from that one, but it's not shaping up to be a good day for the company (or its users).

Update 3: Our tests have stopped working now, as it looks like the network is hurriedly trying to close the hole, but we've had no official word that it's over just yet.

Update 4: O2 has issued a full statement and Q&A which we've embedded after the jump. Long story short, it's fixed the issue -- caused by accidental routine maintenance. 3G / WAP users will have shared your number with any site you visited since January 10th. The network has promised it will co-operate fully with the ICO and has reported itself to Ofcom.

Continue reading O2 data breach potentially shares your cellphone number with the world (Updated)

O2 data breach potentially shares your cellphone number with the world (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Don't want to shell out the cash for an iPhone 4S? Lease one on O2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Ingram Micro, a distributor that ships phones to Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy and Newegg, to expand the distribution of its Android lineup in the US. The deal will include a healthy chunk of the Xperia series, including the arc S. [PRNewswire]
• Like the Motorola Defy+ but it's just not tough enough? Check out the limited-edition JCB version of the rugged device, which adds a hardcore JCB case, a special app with handyman tools and a two-year extended warranty. And it can be yours through Clove on December 6th for £219. [TechDigest]
• Verizon introduced the LG Extrovert, a prepaid device with a slide-out four-row QWERTY, 2.8-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen display, 2MP camera and expandable storage. It, however, lacks 3G data. It's all yours on Verizon's prepaid site for $110. [PhoneArena]
• Speaking of Big Red, the rugged Casio Gz'One Ravine 2 was launched this week, and can be yours for $150 with a two-year contract. [PhoneScoop]
• The BlackBerry Bold 9790, announced this week, is confirmed to show up in the UK on Vodafone and O2, likely sometime in January. [Unwired View]
• SFR is selling the ZTE Tania, but it appears to be sold as a carrier-branded Windows Phone. You can purchase it without a contract for €269, or with a two-year commitment for €9.99. [MobileTechWorld]
• Twitter for Windows Phone just got updated to be compatible with Mango. It's meant to offer a smoother experience, but doesn't bring any new features with it. [WMPowerUser]
• Fandango debuted a new paperless ticket system, in concert with Regal-owned theaters, which can send a scannable bar code to your phone when you want to go see a movie. The ticket-takers then simply scan the code and you're all ready to root on Team Edward in the latest Twilight movie. Just don't forget the popcorn. [Yahoo!]

Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung Galaxy Note now available on O2 in the UK, priced at around $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading O2 launches LTE trial across UK ahead of next year's 4G spectrum auction

O2 launches LTE trial across UK ahead of next year's 4G spectrum auction originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Galaxy Note hooks up with O2, brings the hybridized goods to British hands originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung makes Galaxy Nexus release date official, available in the UK on November 17th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

O2's Galaxy Nexus landing page confirms November availability, forgets to add price originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders exceed one million in first 24 hours (updated)

Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders exceed one million in first 24 hours (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: iPhone 4S

Gallery: iPhone 4S: The camera

Gallery: Meet the new iPhone 4S

Continue reading iPhone 4S officially announced: lands October 14th starting at $199 in sizes up to 64GB, coming to Sprint

iPhone 4S officially announced: lands October 14th starting at $199 in sizes up to 64GB, coming to Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Last week we heard the rumor that Sprint would be launching the BlackBerry Curve 9350 on October 2nd, and we've finally received the official confirmation. The device will be hitting stores tomorrow for $80 with a two-year contract. [PhoneArena]
• The Motorola Photon WiMAX, referred to as the Photon 4G in the US, is now making its way to Japan as KDDI announced the launch of the device this past Monday. [Motorola]
• Verizon Wireless launched the Pantech Jest 2 this week, which is a feature phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [Verizon Wireless]
• The Samsung Galaxy Y is now listed as "coming soon" on O2's website, which makes it the second carrier to announce upcoming availability in the UK. The actual date of release, however, is still unofficial. [O2]
• Softbank (Japan) looks ready to land the ZTE Lord V882, which appears to be an Android device running on Gingerbread, and comes packed with a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.8-inch LCD at WVGA resolution and a 5MP camera. [LandofDroid]
• NTT DoCoMo and Orange have teamed up to offer the Sharp AQUOS SH80F, which features dual 8MP stereoscopic cameras and claims to be the world's first Android device capable of converting 2D content into 3D in real time. It'll first be launched in France on October 6th and will follow to other European and Asian countries shortly after. [Softpedia]
• Maybe Microsoft Canada just assumed nobody actually reads terms and conditions, because the company outed the names of a few upcoming Windows Phones in the T&C for a developer contest: the Nokia Sabre and a duo of Samsungs named the Yukon and Wembley. The Nokia Searay was also named in the list, indicating the Sabre is a second device running on Mango. [Nokia HDBlog (translated)]
• In preparation for its Windows Phone debut, Nokia is also rumored to be featuring a new voice navigation system with 3D maps, according to some leaked marketing materials. [WinRumors]
• Here's a rendering of the HTC EVO Design 4G, also known as the Kingdom or Hero S. [Pocketnow]
• Samsung may have a midrange device coming soon to AT&T's lineup as a complement to the Galaxy S II. We've already seen the I857 pass through the FCC and show up in a leaked roadmap, and now it appears to have been dubbed the Doubletime, according to uncovered Cellebrite records. [Pocketnow]
• Also appearing in Cellebrite records are the HTC Vigor (PH98100), Motorola Droid HD (XT912), and the Samsung Nexus Prime (SCH-i515). [Droid-Life]

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HTC Rhyme clicks its heels, calls O2 its exclusive UK home originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• It appears that Sprint employees are being informed that vacation requests anytime between September 30th and October 15th won't be approved, due to "the possibility of a major phone launch in October." Vacation blackouts are typically used during certain times of the holiday season, so the timing on this particular memo is a bit striking -- as usual, we invite you to come to your own conclusions here. [via SprintFeed]
• Two BlackBerry devices breathed life on T-Mobile this week in the form of leaks. First, the Curve 9360 began showing up on marketing material focusing specifically on its prepaid campaign, which says the device will be offered for $230 without having to sign a new contract. It didn't mention the on-contract price, but if all goes according to rumors, it'll likely be out this time next week (September 14th, to be specific). [via TmoNews]
• Speaking of the Curve 9360, the phone will probably be hopping across the pond to a Carphone Warehouse near you (if you live in the United Kingdom, that is). It's ready for pre-order now on the retailer's site with a prepaid option for $200. Not bad for a brand-new BlackBerry at full retail cost. [via TechnoBuffalo]
• The second BlackBerry we saw leaked for T-Mobile this week was the Torch 9860, which may have been discovered in T-Mo's inventory system, according to a leaked screenshot. This doesn't help us know the date or pricing of the new Torch, but it does signify that it's likely just around the corner. [via TmoNews]
• It's possible that the Droid Prime and Nexus Prime have passed through Bluetooth and WiFi certification. Since names were not provided in the documentation, we're left to speculate using the devices' model numbers -- rumored to be the SCH-I515 and GT-I9250. We're naturally skeptical, but we'll keep a close eye on the FCC in hopes that we'll see these mystery devices pop up soon with at least a few revealing details. [via Droid-Life]
• We've been expecting the recently announced Samsung Galaxy W to arrive this month in the UK, but all of our sights have been set on Three as the only known carrier... until now. O2 placed a teaser page on its website this week, listing the Galaxy W as "coming soon: September." [via MobileBurn and AndroidCentral]

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 5, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Telefonica iPhone stock being recalled in time for September 12th launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Xperia Mini Pro taunts Orange UK customers with free pricing, 'coming soon' status originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

webOS Skype integration revealed in screenshots originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

O2 UK spurns BlackBerry PlayBook, cites issues with 'end to end customer experience' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HTC Sensation bids tearful adieu to Vodafone exclusivity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Xperia Play finally lands at O2 UK, available in black or white originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Alcatel Onetouch 990 coming to O2 this August, wants to be held (even just once) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 07:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HTC Sensation confirmed for all UK carriers, ready for summer fiesta originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

O2 scraps mobile tethering surcharges, cheers up a whole United Kingdom originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Sony Ericsson Xperia[TM] PLAY will be launching on 1st April across all UK mobile operator partners except for O2, who have decided to prolong the testing period in order to ensure that the software meets the requirements of its procedures. Sony Ericsson will be workingwith O2 over the next couple of weeks to expedite the process and ensure that O2 customers can soon join consumers across the UK in being able to enjoy the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone."

Xperia Play delayed by O2 UK due to software bugs, what are the other carriers doing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

O2 Germany says HP Veer is coming in May originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

webOS 2.1 for the Pre Plus now available to download for O2 Germany users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson breaks out white Xperia Play, makes it an O2 exclusive in the UK

Sony Ericsson breaks out white Xperia Play, makes it an O2 exclusive in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

O2 UK says it's getting the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (update: all UK carriers, April launch) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading O2 plans free and open WiFi network across the UK, Sky picks up The Cloud

O2 plans free and open WiFi network across the UK, Sky picks up The Cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HTC 7 Pro now available on O2 Germany, €22 monthly or €599 up front originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.