O2 proactively offering users compensation for 24-hour network outage

Last week, O2 in the UK suffered some serious downtime that lasted approximately 24 hours affecting many users of their network. With O2 now back up and running tiptop, O2 is looking to clean up the mess and make good with those affected by the outage by offering some compensation. As noted on their blog and through text messages being sent out, the compensation will work out to three days of service:

• Pay Monthly customers will receive 10% off their July subscription which will be applied on their September bill, which is equivalent to 3 days back


• Pay & Go customers will receive 10% extra on their first top-up in September - (These will be applied automatically - you don't need to do anything to activate them)


• Customers will get the following message - O2: We're really sorry for the network disruption last week. As a goodwill gesture, we're taking 10% off your subscription, to be applied in Sept. And to say thanks for bearing with us, from 1 Sept we're giving you £10 to spend in any O2 shop through Priority Moments. Find out more at http://blog.o2.co.uk

It's never a good thing when your network goes down and it affects millions of users but it is a good thing to go ahead and proactively offer those affected some compensation for the downtime. It's not all that often that a company wants to give money back so, good on O2 for making it happen.

Source: O2

Draw Something sees daily users decline by 5 million

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

No app developer wants to hear that they've lost 5 million daily users in the space of just 30 days. Sadly for the now Zynga owned OMGPOP, that is precisely the situation they find themselves in. 

Draw Something has been the hot ticket since its release on Android and iOS, amassing huge download figures on both platforms in a relatively short space of time. According to information provided by App Data? though, the number of users is in decline. At its peak, Draw Something had over 15 million daily users. In just 30 days, that number has slipped by 5 million, knocking off a third of the daily user base. 

?App Data's ?numbers are based upon the Facebook login method of playing the game. This of course isn't the only way to play, but it is the most popular, so it paints a pretty clear picture. This then begs the question, are people already getting bored of Draw Something? How about you guys, are you still actively playing? Sound out in the comments below and let us know your thoughts. 

via Pocketlint

Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus users reporting data connectivity issues – fix already in the works

Anyone planning on buying the newly launched Galaxy Nexus from Sprint may want to hold off for a week or two. A handful of new Galaxy Nexus owners are reporting issues connecting to Sprint’s 3G network. From what we can tell, affected users are able to send and receive phone calls and text messages, but the data connection to the phone simply remains in “connecting” status without ever making a complete connection.

Several affected users have been given replacement phones at local Sprint stores, but others have been turned away since a fix for the issue is apparently already in the works. No specifics about the software update have been revealed, but a Sprint Community moderator claims that Sprint is hoping to have the issue resolved by early next week.

Sprint/Samsung are aware of this problem and will be releasing a software update to resolve the issue. Can't commit to a date yet, but they are trying really hard to get it released early next week. Sorry for your troubles.ModeratorSprint Community

Have any of you experienced any data connectivity issues with the Sprint Galaxy Nexus? It seems a bit ironic that Sprint’s first 4G LTE phone can’t even get a 3G connection.

Twitter working on next-gen TweetDeck app with power users in mind

Remember back before Christmas when Twitter redesigned their interface with new "discovery" oriented pages? Remember how it made finding DM's and mentions harder by burying them a level deeper? Well if you're one of the many that hated the changes (Twitter refers to us as "power users") you'll like this news. TweetDeck, which was purchased by Twitter proper in May 2011, is in the process of being redesigned with you in mind. Details are sparse, but they all seem centered around a job listing by Twitter, Inc. which reads, in part:

About This Job
The TweetDeck team, working from London, is looking for new team members to work on our cutting edge Android app. We’re building the next generation of a suite of clients that millions of people love and use everyday. You’ll work on our small team, own the projects that you work on, and have a great time shipping products which change the way people communicate.

After the recent updates to the native Android app, and the lack of recent updates to TweetDeck, we're ready for a "cutting edge" app from the folks at Twitter. Don't forget the tablet interface, please.

Source: Twitter; via TechCrunch

Why do Verizon tablet users get free mobile hotspot while smartphone users don’t?

Verizon has just announced the new iPad data packages, boasting the fact that they include hotspot services at no additional cost. Big Red offers the same feature for tablets with other operating systems. The hotspot may be a great incentive to buy a tablet, but seems rather unfair for smartphone owners.

Verizon’s tablet data plans are the following:

1 GB for $20 (iPad only)2 GB for $305 GB for $5010 GB for $80

Never mind the fact that iPads get an extra package to choose from, smartphone owners are paying identical prices for their data, while Verizon requests that they pay an extra $20 fee for tethering (mobile hotspot). Granted, mobile hotspot users get an extra 2 GB of data, though the extra data doesn’t quite make this a fair deal. The fact remains that smartphone users have to pay more for what is essentially the same service.

If given mobile hotspot at no cost, smartphone subscribers would be using the same bandwidth as those tablets. Meaning maintenance costs would probably amount to the same.

On the bright side, tablet users will be much happier about this change, and could be the reason why Verizon has set data plans in this manner. Asking a customer to sign a 2-year contract for a tablet is not easy, as such devices are also much more expensive and usually considered luxury items. Customers are less likely to purchase a tablet at full price.

But people don’t mind signing up for a smartphone, with some considering it to be a necessity. It could be argued that customers would not want to buy a data-connected tablet if they offered free tethering for smartphones. Users would just get a WiFi device, instead, or simply go without.

Regardless, such tactics are unjust currently, though those shared family data plans might make everything much better. Users will be able to share data among a plethora of devices without spending much more.

For now, though, we would really appreciate some equality among different platforms and devices. If there is no need to charge tablet users for hotspot services, there should be no reason for smartphone users to pay up. Give it some thought and let us know what you think. Do you believe it is ok for Verizon treat tablets and smartphones differently?

Sprint provides free Mobile Accessibility app to users with low vision

Today at the 27th annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference Sprint announced that they will begin offering a free application to ease the use of Android phones for people who are blind or have low vision. The app, written by developers at Code Factory, is free in the Sprint area of the Android Market for Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile customers.

The application normally sells for $99 US, and is for anyone who has trouble reading the small print on a smartphone. It's simple user interface and voice guided instructions help users make and receive calls, texts and mail messages, as well as access things like their contacts, calendar, and even browse the web.

We're hard on the carriers here sometimes. Sometimes they deserve it. But I want to take a moment and say on behalf of all of us at Android Central that we applaud Sprint for what they're doing here. The people that will find this application useful may not be able to afford a hundred dollar Android app, and offering it for free is a nice way to give back to customers. Nice work Sprint. 

It's available in both English and Spanish, free for Sprint customers with Android phones running 2.1 or higher. Download links are below, and a short video and the press release are after the break.

Download Wireless Accessibility in English

Descargar accesibilidad inalámbrica en español

read more