Keys2iPhone Offers Hassle Free Unlocks for iPhone 4, 4s, 5 Models – At&t and Vodafone
There is no secret that getting an IMEI factory unlock for your iPhone 4, 4s or 5 may be a real hassle, depending on the carrier to which your iPhone is locked. The good news is that you don’t need to wait for days to get your official IMEI factory unlock if you order it via http://Keys2iPhone.com – the top rated service that has direct connections with carriers that allow to speed up the entire unlocking process. It will take only a few hours to get a confirmation for official At&t unlock and about a week to get a Vodafone unlock (Vodafone is taking a bit longer due to the procedure involved).
Keys2iPhone.com is a five-star reviewed service and has over 2,000 Facebook fans who have got their unlocks successfully and promptly. Many of its users first tried to request an unlocking code on their own by contacting the carrier but were utterly unsuccessful. There are many reasons for that.
The Huffington Post has recently reported that carriers “play all sorts of games” with their customers when it comes to unlocking policies. Some customers get their unlocks issued right away, others are made go in circles wasting precious time that they could use actually enjoying their iPhones. While carriers do publish the conditions under which they provide unlock codes for iPhone 4, 4s and 5 models, oftentimes, there is the fine print that is vague at best and customer assistance staff has to rely on their intuiti to avoid double guessing, they will reject unlocking requests just to be done with it.
One of the main principles that carriers try to implement when it comes to iPhone unlocking is the, so-called, “time lapsed since activation”. The under-contract iPhone 5, for example, that was activated on the At&t network has to be active for at least 60 days (90 days for Vodafone) with no overdue payments before an unlocking request can be approved. As you understand, there are exceptions like, for instance, traveling abroad or upgrading your iPhone to the latest version. These exceptions may be interpreted differently by different staff members, thus, varying outcomes with regards to unlocking requests.
Keys2iPhone allows to avoid all this hassle by providing fast, efficient unlocks that work. The only piece of information needed from you is the IMEI of your handset. This is used to identify your iPhone in the official Apple database. The carrier simply marks your IMEI as unlocked in the database and you are ready to roll. Use it on any network that supports a SIM card (most GSM networks worldwide), save money on voice and data when traveling, or feel free to upgrade to a new model giving away or selling an unlocked iPhone to someone else.
Cosine UK’s award-winning retail execution services turn their attention to the convenience sector
Award-winning field marketing agency Cosine are launching a new specialist service focusing on the convenience sector. Using their long standing experience it retail execution and the recent addition of Richard Sankey to their senior management team Cosine has created a shared convenience service, to ensure brands can capitalise on the exceptional growth being forecast in the Convenience market.
Many experts have predicted significant growth in the Convenience sector over the next five years, based on changing shopping habits, an increase in single-person households, less car use and tightened budgets for households of any size. In fact, the IGD’s 2012-2017 UK channel forecast suggests that the Convenience sector will grow by 5.1% per year and bring in an extra £10 billion worth of sales over this period, a total increase of 28.5%.
Despite this projected growth, 60% of consumers claim their opinion of a Convenience store is negatively affected by the availability of core staples. This shows that availability remains the key issue for the Convenience sector.
Cosine’s dedicated team have the skills and insight to fix availability and in-store compliance, increase distribution levels and therefore sales. And of course this team is supported by a robust convenience channel database meaning Cosine make the right calls at the right time, increasing clients ROI in the process.
Richard Sankey discusses the growth of the Convenience sector and also the exciting new service that Cosine have launched in the latest post of Cosine’s ‘Expert View’ series on the Cosine Blog. Sankey uses his piece to pose the questi “are brands in good shape to take their share of this growth?”.
About Richard Sankey
Richard Sankey is Business Unit Director B2B Sales at Cosine UK. Richard has 22 years industry experience working predominantly across convenience and impulse channels, selling directly to retailers and consumers, with brands such as HP, Bulmer and Twining’s. Richard says: “I believe the industry is increasingly moving towards being led by data to drive the very best sales solutions and Cosine is a market leader is the use of data to design and execute field marketing solutions”.
About Cosine
Cosine UK is a leading field marketing agency with experience of all manner of field sales campaigns, from merchandising and product sampling to sales team training, in-store branding and more.
Contact Cosine
Cosine
Waterslade House,
Thame Road,
Haddenham,
Bucks,
HP17 8NT
+44 (0) 1844 296700
info@cosineuk.com
http://www.cosineuk.com
http://www.cosineuk.com/blog
https://twitter.com/CosineUK
Mobile Innovators MoDe Win IBM Global Entrepreneur Of The Year
Nairobi based company, MoDe have been announced as IBM’s Global Entrepreneur of the year as part of their ongoing ‘SmartCamps’ scheme. The innovative firm plans to spread the availability of ‘nano finance’ to the numerous users of pre-paid mobile phones that populate the African continent. MoDe tackles the problem of nano finance in an interesting way – by using flexible mobile payment schemes to provide users with mobile airtime as and when they need it. The company was able to gain media attention and international recognition via IBM’s SmartCamp scheme that aims to identify small and early stage businesses that share similar objectives to IBM’s Smarter Planet plans.
MoDe’s CEO and co-founder, Julian Kyula released this statement regarding their SmartCamp success:
“Being named the IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year is a tremendous honour and will accelerate out ability to create new markets. The access to clients and potential investors that we have had through the SmartCamp program would have taken out company 10 years to achieve on our own, with IBm it took less than six months.”
MoDe were originally established in 2010 to provide value added services linked to the mobile phone industry in developing countries. MoDo operates across 7 countries within Africa with 10 more lined up ready for implementation. The product that won MoDo the attention of IBM’s SmartCamp is named the Airtime Credit Service (ACS). The ACS enables pre paid mobile phone users to use emergency airtime credit in order to make calls when their prepaid subscription amount runs out. Users can then repay their usage the next time they top up. This enables adopters of the scheme an degree of flexibility when it comes to mobile phone payments, allowing them to stay connected regardless of their short term financial situation. The scheme has already experienced widespread adoption with over 200 million transactions taking place through the service. The scheme is also beneficial to network providers with Airtel and MTN both increasing revenues generated through subscribers.
This is by no means the first venture that has received assistance from IBM’s SmartCamp scheme. Previous applicants have gone on to raise in excess of $90 million in investments from big players in venture capital. The scheme is spread across 20 locations across the globe and provides 2 days of mentoring, networking and judging on product and service ideas put forward to hopeful companies. MoDe was chosen as this year’s winner due to the innovative nature of their product, their growing client base and their firm’s objective alignment with IBM’s Smarter Planet schemes.
The general manager of IBM’s Entrepreneur Programs, Jim Corgel released this statement regarding the event:
“Every day we are working with startups around the world to grow markets in big data, cloud and mobile computing. We are thrilled to expand our relationship with MoDe as we bring new mobile solutions to our clients around the world.”
Keek Raises $18m Investment For Social Video Service
Keek, the exciting new way to share video clips has received a further $18 million in funding enabling continued development to the growing video sharing platform. The round of investment attracted firms such as AGF Investments Inc., Plazacorp Ventures and Pinetree Capital Ltd and brings the total amount invested to $30 million. Using this new injection of funding, the Keek service will benefit from new feature development, cross-platform support and an increased infrastructure to keep on top of the growing international demand for Keek.
Keek is a social network focused entirely on video interaction. Users of the service can create video clips of up to 36 seconds, known as ‘keeks’. These can be anything from short shout-outs to micro musings. Each user has a profile for their ‘keeks’ which others can choose to subscribe and follow, people can even choose to respond to your clips with video ‘keekbacks’ or plain text comments. The service is simple enough for anyone to use and is completely free.
While initially attracting a core of users from the UK, US and Australia, the rest of the world is starting to discover the innovative service offered by Keek. Demand has shot up from various countries in Europe, the Middle East and even South America contributing to an impressive new user sign up rate of 200,000 per day. A recent press release announced that Keek has also experienced 1 billion monthly pageviews, 75 million monthly visits and 15 million monthly active unique users.
The Chairman and CEO of Pinetree Capital Ltd., Sheldon Inwentash explained some of the factors that have made Keek so attractive for users and investors alike:
“Beyond best-in-class technology, consistent stellar growth and great user experience, the thing that impresses me most is the quality of the team and its ability to execute. Keek has emerged as the leading social video network and is well positioned to translate that into significant revenue streams.”
Keek is available online at http://www.keek.com/ but also has fully featured free app for both iOS and Android based devices. These versions have also experienced the high levels of demand that the site has attracted. The Keek app has achieved the top ranking on five countries while reaching the top 10 app in 15 and top 100 in over 70 countries from around the world.
ThinkableDigital Highlights the Benefits of Facebook’s New Graph Search
Thinkable Digital gives the lowdown on Facebook’s new search tool. The ‘graph search’ was unveiled by the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg through a press conference at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park on Tuesday.
As reported earlier today on Thinkable Digital the new feature hopes to provide a more beneficial service to its users.
The report looks into the new search feature, which allows users to perform natural searches across the social media platform in order to access content shared by themselves and their friends.
Users can enter a series of requests or interests into the graph search box, such as: ‘friends who enjoy dancing’. The search results could come back with photos and videos of your friends dancing.
Thinkable Digital also looks into what Facebook hopes to achieve with the graph search. Zuckerberg insists that it is not designed to be a search engine as compared to the likes of Google.
He said: “We’re not indexing the web. We’re indexing our map of the graph – the graph is really big and it’s constantly changing.”
Since announcing the plans for the graph search on Tuesday, Facebook has received support for the changes from many sources including Thinkable Digital.
Company director Mike Gracia said: “Launching Graph Search is an interesting move for Facebook. It may well take traffic away from directory and listing sites (like Yelp), and provides users with some pretty cool features.
“Perhaps Facebook users will actually prefer to trust reviews and recommendations from within their own social friends, rather than random folks on review sites – This wouldn’t be surprising considering the various allegations of fraud against sites like Yelp.
“Let’s hope though, that Facebook has a way to deal with the inevitable onslaught of fake, spammy accounts that some people will try to use to manipulate what, on the surface (it’s early days yet!), looks like a great system.
“Although Mr Zuckerberg was careful to state that Graph Search did not provide internet search, Google’s area of expertise, I feel it does compete with, say, Google Plus Local. In fact let’s face it, ANY expansion of Facebook’s search technology could be seen as a move towards a full search engine, and be a threat to Google.
“For example, if/when Facebook do launch a search engine, the new Search Graph data could quite easily be integrated, as a way to personalise the results of a web search, in a similar manner to how Google personalise search results based on various metrics.
“I would imagine that some alarm bells are ringing over at Google HQ… But let’s remember that in most cases, competition is a good thing as it can keep dev. teams on their toes, and drive development.”
Respected news site TechCrunch has also given graph search the thumbs-up.
A TechCrunch spokesman said: “What’s interesting is that Facebook does not shy away from introducing radical changes to its products,” the site said.
“As always, it focuses on what’s best for the user and will stand behind an innovation if it believes that it will improve the user experience.”
Tiger.co.uk Informs Bikers of Changes to Licensing
In the buildup to the motorbiking season, insurance comparison site Tiger.co.uk has released a guide covering changes that have been made to laws regarding motorbike licenses. The changes are set to roll out tomorrow (January 19th) and affect anyone applying for a new license or those who need to replace or renew a current license. These changes are likely to have consequences for newer riders looking to secure both a license and insurance in time to get two wheels on the road for the warmer weather.
The new rules will affect licenses that apply to both mopeds and motorbikes. Moped licenses will now have a new entitlement category format, Category Q. This will allow riders to use both two and three wheeled machines that have a maximum speed of 25kph while the European category, AM enables riders to use mopeds that can reach speeds of over 25kph but not above 45kph. Category AM also allows riders to use three wheeled mopeds that have an engine equal to or smaller than 50cc and quadricycles lighter than 350kg with a maximum speed of 45kph. The new Category P is one step up from AM and allows applicable riders to use two or three wheeled machines that have a maximum speed of 50kph. Those who already have a moped license will be automatically granted Category P entitlement. Those who hold a driver’s license are entitled to ride a moped provided they pass their CBT.
Tomorrow’s changes also affect current motorcycle licensing rules. Whereas before, motorcycles were split into two categories, they will now be divided into three. Motorcycles will be split with respect to factors such as their power output and power to weight ratio. The lowest division, Category A1 will cover motorcycles that have an engine up to 125cc and with a maximum power output of 11kW. Bikes will have to have a power to weight ratio of up to 0.1kW per kg. Small tricycles with a maximum power output of 15kW are also included in this category.
The new Category A2 will cover everything in-between Category A1 and the unrestricted level, Category A. There are two ways of obtaining a Category A2 certificate; bikers over the age of 19 with at least 2 years of experience on a Category A1 bike will only have to take a practical test but those who are over 19 with no previous experience have to pass both a theory and practical test. Category A2 will allow bikers to to ride machines with a maximum power output of 35kW and with a power to weight ratio of under 0.2kW per kg.
Under the new rules, riders who wish to obtain the fully unrestricted Category A license will have two options that are similar to the Category A2 specifications. Riders who are over the age of 24 can take a practical and theory test but if a rider is over 21 and has already been riding a Category A2 bike for two years then they can becoming fully unrestricted by just passing the practical test.
If you already own some form of motorcycle or moped license it is important to remember that your current qualification will not change unless you wish to use a more powerful bike than your current license already permits. These changes are of more relevance to those who are planning on taking some form of certification test as if you attempt to use the wrong type of bike, the test cannot go on and you will receive no refund.
Changes to licensing laws inevitably have a knock on effect to vehicle insurance. Tiger.co.uk’s Commercial Director, Andrew Goulborn commented on the planned changes:
“The aim of the new licensing laws is to improve the skills and therefore the safety of new motorcycle riders. This can only be good news when it comes to things like the cost of motorcycle insurance as improved safety on the roads will decrease the risk of accidents and therefore lessen the frequency of claims.”
Tiger.co.uk offer a comparison service that can save you time and money when comparing insurance quotes for motorbikes, cars and vans. For more information on licensing changes or insurance quotes, visit their site at www.tiger.co.uk.
Google Maps Headed Back to iOS
Google has released a downloadable map app for iOS though Apple’s iTunes App Store. The app will compete with Apple’s navigation solution, ‘Maps’, which received widespread criticism despite clocking up 200 million downloads since it’s launch in September alongside the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. The app release comes 2 months after Apple removed Google’s mapping app from being a default feature of iOS based devices.
Google’s app boasts industry standard features such as turn-by-turn navigation for both vehicle and pedestrian based routes as well as vector based maps which negate the need for constant data downloads; ideal for travelling through areas with no or patchy mobile reception. The app also enables users to access Google’s popular ’street view’ services for checking out routes on street level enhanced with real photos. Google also provides a programmable API for third party developers looking to make the most out of the app’s extensive set of features. Google’s app will not work alongside Apple’s voice recognition software, Siri, which allows iPhone users to demand directions from Apple’s own navigation solution.
As news outlets such as www.thinkabledigital.com have reported, since launch, Apple’s Maps app has been subject to poor reviews with complaints ranging from misspelt street names to dispensing dangerous directions to Australian drivers. The troublesome launch was uncharacteristic of Apple and prompted a public apology from CEO Tim Cook. The head of the iOS software team, Scott Forstall, was also dismissed shortly after the release of iOS 6.
The news of Google’s app’s approval comes only months after Apple decided to stop Google technology from driving the navigation experience in Apple products. This decision stemmed from a dispute between the two tech giants with Apple disagreeing with Google’s plan to generate revenue by incorporate adverts within the software. Following this, Apple decided to create its own mapping application in order to cut off their dependence on the Google product. Downloads of the app have been impressive, with the app hitting the top spot of Apple’s iTunes chart just hours after its release.
Google’s Maps application is available through the iTunes App Store free of charge. Only the iPhone platform is currently supported but iPad users are able to run this in 2X mode.
Street Casuals Offer Christmas Delivery Options
This time of year can be a real rush for those of us that are still deciding what to get friends and family for Christmas. Not only is there the selection process but the delivery to our homes and then the logistics of getting the present wrapped and to the right house in time for the big day. So to make things easier most online retailers have a special delivery options page at this time of year – just so we can be absolutely certain of the last possible moment to decide and get what we ordered on time. So Street Casuals, the Bristol based online streetwear clothing retailer, have announced that orders can be delivered up until Saturday 21st December 2012 with Saturday delivery (but you have to contact them to arrange this and there is a special fee, dependent on where you live) or if you feel like really leaving it until the last minute then get next day delivery on Friday the 21st and receive your precious cargo on Monday the 24th.
Now no one is suggesting that we leave it all till the last minute but for those of us that haven’t yet decided it is very good to know that this option exists. The fact that Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year is a bonus for deliveries of all sorts but make sure that there is someone in to receive the goods on Christmas Eve.
Having looked at the delivery options available on their website it is actually possible to get free next day delivery by spending £100 or more – not much really when there are so many people to buy for. Whether you are buying Penfield jackets from streetcasuals.com or jeans and chinos; making it to that free delivery mark isn’t very difficult to do and a nice bonus for spending a good chunk with one supplier.
Owner Will did however sound a note of caution if leaving things this late, “Although we offer these last minute options we are reminding all our customers to remember that although the special delivery and Saturday delivery are very good options with a great record, once the items have left us it will be up to the carrier to get your order to you and every now and again they do miss their target. This is not a very frequent occurrence but something that any responsible retailer should make their customers aware of – to save disappointment. We would like to take the opportunity to wish all of our customers a fantastic Christmas.”
Points well-made and noted. The Royal Mail website does state that special delivery and Saturday delivery are guaranteed options but there are always external forces acting on even the best run service in particular the weather. So Make those choices soon and pay for a delivery service that has some room for error in it.
British Airway Flights to Sydney to Leave from Terminal Five
British Airways have announced that from March 31st 2013, all flights from London Heathrow to Sydney Australia will be leaving from Terminal 5. BA will also be upgrading its service to Australia, with new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The change in terminal will make internal transfer quicker and easier for passengers at Heathrow Airport; passengers currently have to change terminals in order to catch connecting domestic or short-haul flights. Terminal Five is home to BA’s flagship lounge and is in brand new premises with state of the art facilities, restaurants shops and bars.
Syntax, a company that rates and reviews airlines and airports has ranked Heathrow’s Terminal Five as the ‘World’s Best Airport Terminal’ in 2012 – as rated by passengers. Heathrow’s plans to expand are a constant source of news for sites like www.holidayspress.com and a reaction to this latest announcement is bound to be expected by airport bosses, with those living in the airport’s flightpath, and ecology and conservation campaigners sure to get their voice heard.
Jamie Cassidy, British Airways’ area general manager for Asia Pacific, said: “This move confirms British Airways’ commitment to Australia,??”It’s an important part of our network and we’re underlining that by putting our newest aircraft and cabins on the Sydney route and moving the flight to Terminal Five, to sit alongside the majority of our other services.”
British Airways Boeing 777-300 is home to BA’s First Class, World Traveller Plus and World traveller cabins, in which the seats go fully flat, turning into a bed for luxurious and comfortable travelling. Inflight entertainment on board has 50% more films and features available for passengers to enjoy.
In partnership with Qantas, the Australian international airline, the BA flights will include stop overs in Singapore. The partnership between BA and Qantas however, is set to end in 2013, when Qantas joins in partnership with Emirates.
The move will see flights transferring from the older terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport to terminal 5 in March 2013, and should vastly improve the flight experience for those travelling to Australia with British Airways.
Google launches UK music service
Google launched its UK music service this week (beginning 12 November 2012), which will allow users to search and buy music through its new application. The service has been long anticipated since going live in the US last year.
Google Music will be available through the Google Play store on Android smart phone devices, tablets, laptops and home PCs. It allows for easy to use searching of a large library of music which after purchase is immediately available to stream or download.
Music purchased through Google Music will be stored on the company’s cloud servers, making it accessible to users where ever they are. Music already stored on your desktop or device can be added to the cloud with space for 20,000 titles. There will also be the option to download music onto devices for listening offline.
The range of tracks available has been reported as being very good, with many old classics and newer releases being available. Prices start from 79p per track. Music by artists such as One Direction can cost up to £1.49 per track, with albums at between £6.99 and £12.
Access to Google music will be through Google Play or via the app store and its Music tab. New features include the ability to create instant mixes and option to find more music from your favourite artists.
The layout is logically arranged with Top Albums and Top Songs to swipe between making it an obvious rival to Apple’s iTunes. Launching the Google Music application enables Android users to have similar music services as those on iOS and will claw back some of the competition from Apple. As reported on sites like www.thinkabledigital.com, mobile web use is rapidly on the rise, with online businesses increasingly making mobile-ready versions of their sites to keep hold of tech-savvy customers.
Google’s venture into music sees the internet giant expanding out into the internet entertainment market. The new features available should make for an enjoyable retail experience for music lovers with instant access to their favourite titles.
Google Music is available for use now.