Palm Pre, the first phone based on the new Palm webOS^TM mobile platform, brings your information from the many places it resides – on your phone, at work or on the web – into one simple, integrated view.

Palm Pre introduces a breakthrough user interface and hardware design that makes it one of the most integrated and user-friendly mobile phones on the market. Featuring a smooth, elegantly rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Palm Pre is engineered to feel natural in your hand and comfortably small in your pocket. When closed, Palm Pre is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos; when open, Palm Pre is optimized for email and text messaging. It provides an exceptional experience for phone calls, whether held to your ear, over speakerphone or via Bluetooth.

O2 UK website has listed Palm Pre as coming soon model:

Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pre and be notified when it’s available can register at:
• UK and Ireland: http://www.palm.com/uk-pre-notify
• Germany: http://www.palm.com/de-pre-notify
• Spain: http://www.palm.com/es-pre-notify

Source: O2 Press Release

iPhone proved to be very popular among UK punters, O2 sold over million iPhones.

Below is the table with new iPhone tariffs:

Apple prepares OS update for iPhone and iPod Touch in June, version 3.0. Update will bring long-awaited features like MMS support, copy-paste support and many others.

Source: O2 Press Release

O2 CEO, Ronan Dunne, highlighted the great opportunity presented by the market today:

“We all want to be better connected at all times and the substantial and continued growth in the laptop market is symptomatic of this desire. Laptops are rapidly eroding the desktop PC market and at the same time, the emergence of the mini-laptop has opened up a whole new market for ultra-portable devices – one that is expected to more than double in size in 2009 alone.

“To date, the subsidised laptop market has received some bad press due to poor equipment and frustrating customer service experiences. O2 is stepping into the market with a promise to turn this around by taking a holistic approach to the product offer. Our package ticks every box when it comes to the main purchase drivers in the market, which in turn means we are taking away the “worry-factor” involved in buying a laptop.”

O2′s laptop package is designed to give customers everything they want at a price that they will love:

· Style – Samsung’s NC10 mini-laptop and R510 laptop models combine great design with looks for the ultimate in laptop style.

· Substance – with strong specifications and great performance, Samsung’s NC10 mini-laptop and R510 model deliver on functionality too.

· Staying Power – Samsung’s solid specifications deliver staying power and assure customers that their choice of device will meet their computing needs for years to come, rather than just months.

· Service – Recognising the ‘worry factor’ that many consumers have when looking to buy a laptop, O2 will offer customers expert sales advice to meet their needs. This includes O2 Laptop Support at no additional cost for a limited period to help get them up and running, with a chargeable option to extend this cover, O2 Assistant software to allow computers to be fixed remotely and award-winning UK based customer service. In addition O2 is offering a 30-day Happiness Guarantee on all laptops and an extended two-year warranty on all devices at no extra cost.

· Security – McAfee software to ensure customers feel secure online.

“The growth in the laptop market is clear to see and we want to be a part of it. But we want to ensure that our customers get a better experience, not just when they buy the package but throughout the duration of their contract with us. Our two year warranty and 30-day Happiness Guarantee are market leading and show our continued commitment to providing great service,” adds Dunne.

“Our bundle packages, unique amongst those currently on the market, provide customers with everything they need and we are confident they will move people away from traditional laptop providers and into our stores.”

Customers can purchase O2′s new laptop packages at any of the 490 stores across the UK or by visiting online shop at www.o2.co.uk from 27 February 2009.

Source: O2 Press Release

O2 site

This offer is limited time offer, so you need to order your sim and top-up at least £10 by 11 January 2009.

Good news is with this sim cards you are also eligible for Top-up Surprises promotion, which we posted about here and here.

Once you get your sim card, remember to opt in to the promotion by texting ‘BONUS’ to 21300 by 11 January 2009.

Order your O2 sim cards here.

Via O2 website

1. How do I make sure I get promo code when I top-up?

You need to make sure you are opted in. To do this, call 2220 from your mobile and choose the option for O2 Top-up Surprises.

2. Where do I play?

You play and claim your prizes here: http://topupsurprises.o2.co.uk or http://www.o2.co.uk/surprises

If your browser doesn’t have Flash install, then go to non-flash version: http://topupsurprises.o2.co.uk/nonflash/?r=1

3. What surprises can I receive?

There are three types:

* A network gift (free texts, minutes or picture messages)
* A download gift (a free game, ringtone or wallpaper)
* An instant win prize (eg an iPod Touch, Nintendo Wii)

Click on the surprises icons on the O2 Top-up Surprises site homepage. For list of instant win prizes click here.

4. I’ve lost or deleted my code. How do I get it back?

There’s a link on the homepage of the O2 Top-up Surprises website. It’s on the right hand side. Just type in your phone number and click to have it resent. You can do this up to five times. Or alternatively click here: http://topupsurprises.o2.co.uk/nonflash/resendCode.jsp and enter your phone number.

5. How long does my code last for?

You’ve got 14 days from the time you top up.

6. When will I get my code?

Usually it won’t take more than 15 minutes, but it can take up to 2 hours.

7. I don’t have the internet. How do I play?

You can’t play without the website, so get looking for the nearest internet café or ask a friend if you can use their computer.

8. My O2 Top-up Surprises code doesn’t work

Check you’ve typed it in right and that the code hasn’t passed its expiry date (14 days after you topped up).

9. When does my surprise expire once I’ve claimed it?

It differs depending on what you’ve won. You’ll be told when your network or download gift will expire when you claim your surprise.

Hope this helps, happy winning!

From 24th November, customers will be eligible for an O2 Surprise every time they top-up their Pay & Go phones. Surprises will range from free texts, picture messages, mobile internet browsing and minutes to prizes such as shopping vouchers, cinema tickets, race day or spa experiences, or even a much coveted iPhone. Every customer who participates will also get entered into a grand prize draw where they have the chance to win a star prize every month. For November this will be a Mini Cooper S.

Michael Williamson, head of Pay & Go at Telefónica O2 UK, said “In the current climate, customer loyalty is more important than ever and we have a commitment to reward and value our existing customers.

Not only are we the only network that rewards customers by giving them 10% of all their top-ups back, but with O2 Surprises we are now also giving them a guaranteed gift, plus the chance to win something big and exciting.”

O2′s Pay & Go customers will be sent a code every time they top-up, directing them to the O2 website to find out what surprise they will receive. www.o2.co.uk/surprises

O2 customers topping up by £10 are eligible for ‘Silver’ gifts, whereas those topping up £15 or more are eligible for ‘Gold’ gifts and prizes, and will receive ten times the number of entries into the grand prize draw.

The initial four-month trial will run alongside O2′s current ‘Rewards’ and ‘Treats’ programs.

Source: O2 Press Release

UPDATE: See O2 Top-up Surprises Help post if you are having problems.

O2 is to refurbish 25 key retail sites by Christmas, and 150 in total by the end of 2009. O2 will also double its annual investment in staff training.

According to O2 press release, selected O2 stores will be sporting a fresh new look over the next few months. As part of a multi-million pound campaign, 150 stores by the end of 2009 will undergo a complete re-fit to make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for, providing them with a more pleasurable shopping experience and maximising sales opportunities.

Stephen Shurrock, Consumer Sales Director, explains: “We want to give customers the ultimate experience helping them connect with other people at any time, anywhere, whatever they do. Our retail stores are our first point of communication with our customers – it’s therefore imperative that when they walk in they feel welcomed by our staff and comfortable in their surroundings so they can browse the store in a relaxed and helpful environment.”

The first store to undergo the re-fit under the Retail Transformation Programme is Manchester’s recently launched Arndale centre store which is now open for anyone to visit.

Over the next few months this programme will roll out in stores across the UK such as Nottingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Ipswich and Northampton.

Source: O2 Press Release

Similarly T-Mobile now does not offer it’s popular Flext tariff on 12 month contracts anymore.

I personally do not like 12 month contracts, they tie you longer and you have to wait longer for phone upgrade. Let’s hope that other operators will not follow O2 and we will be still able to get 12 months contracts from other operators.

Via Mobile

If successful, the system be rolled out on the London Underground in the future.

O2 said it was the first mobile phone operator in the UK to employ the “multi-user distributed antenna system” which enables mobile phones to work underground.

Derek McManus, technology officer, added: “This new technology will enable customers to make calls, send and receive text messages and access a host of data services while on the subway platform.

“This is the first time that any mobile phone network in the UK has implemented a service like this and O2 is delighted to be giving its customers the first chance to communicate on the underground.”

Gordon Maclennan, assistant chief executive of Subway operator Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, said: “This has been sometime in the planning but I’m delighted that we can offer this service to our passengers in time for Christmas.

“It’s a first for Glasgow and it opens the door for wider WiFi coverage in the underground in future.”

Via Telegraph.co.uk