So the article your Television is Ringing discusses how companies are moving more towards convergence in order to reduce costs by pooling their resources under one brand or name.  We have all played the game of Monopoly before  (and if you haven’t you should definitely give it a try- but basically you try to acquire as many properties so that you can eventually charge more when other players land on them. The players have no choice later but to pay you the higher price regardless of what the services cost previously.

Do Customers really want Convergonolopy?

What is interesting though when these companies are combining their services to make bundled plans is that they assume that customers want all these services: land line, cable TV, cell phone, and internet. For me though, with the added  internet capabilities of watching content online, and being able to call people via skype, I am moving away as a consumer from landlines and cable TV. These bundle deals are just a dying attempt by landline companies to retain their customers who move to mobile cell phones. The future is internet and cell phones – or just cell phones if Wifi is everywhere. The only way I would buy a bundle deal is if it was the equivalent to what I would spend on my cell phone and internet. 

Who will Succeed?

The companies which are hesitant to cushion the fall of the landline and cable companies by joining forces are the ones that will survive. The article mentioned specifically that Vodaphone was hesitant if not resistant to the joining of forces. Internet providers and cell phone provides will sell the new innovations that people can’t wait to have, not just the old technologies that are sold to them in a bundle.

I am not arguing that convergence should never happen. I have enjoyed bundled plans in the past. But for the future – the companies that will be more successful are the ones that stand apart and introduce new innovations, and not cling onto the past. The companies that retain control of pricing for their customers and enable highest choice of products while still keeping the price levels down. Basically, good companies will not only converge but will also diverge to maintain their autonomy and individuality in their brand in order to do things different for the customers sake – not just their own.

Inevitability

The game of “convergonopoly” can be brutal for the consumers. Even though right now they claim that their prices are cheaper by getting a bundle. Consumers soon will not need the “extra” services they offer. Vodaphone knows this…hopefully others will observe this inevitablity as well.  

Questions:

1) What companies do you think are most successful at converging? There are obvious gains but what do companies lose when they converge?

2) What companies other than Vodaphone would you assume would be more autonomous (perhaps divergent) paths in the future? Why?

DiGiCalling Cards , the online seller of prepaid phonecards and mobile top ups are providing Virgin mobile top ups online now. 

Virgin Mobile is one of UK’s leading mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) with more than four million customers. it was the first consumer brand to enter the mobile marketplace. It’s dynamic and popular and has won the hearts of all due to the excellent service.

You can buy the Virgin mobile top up vouchers easily from www.digicallingcards.com. First register on the website and then choose the voucher denomination that you wish to buy- £5, £10, £20.

Ways to top up your phone:
1)Phone 789 free from your mobile and follow the instructions
or
2)Simply text the voucher number for free to 789111

So topping up your Virgin mobile is simple at DiGiCalling Cards. Not only top up, we also have great customer service and support which functions round the clock.

Visit www.digicallingcards.com to buy your Virgin mobile top up voucher or any other top up voucher. We have them all here.

Looking for a genuine and simple mobile top up provider?

Then look no further…simply rely on DiGiCalling Cards. The online retailer of prepaid calling cards and mobile top ups has been around for sometime now. Long enough to have a large section of highly satisfied customers. This impeachable reputation was not built in a day. Over the years dedicated service and delivering more than promised, has made DiGiCalling Cards one of the best in this field.

DiGiCalling Cards has really simplified the process of recharging all mobiles. All popular top ups are available on their website. You can find Vodafone,Vectone, Lebara, Lyca, Virgin, O2, Orange and most of the reputed mobile vouchers in all denominations.

To buy the top up vouchers one has to register online on a SSL encrypted site and buy the top up vouchers through a VeriSign secured gateway. For topping up one has to follow the instructions and get instant top up. This saves the trouble of rushing to a store or waiting for a store to open. Top up vouchers are easy to buy online and can be bought anytime and from anywhere using any UK credit or debit card or a paypoint account.

Visit www.digicallingcards.com for instant mobile top ups.

Lebara top up e-voucher has simplified lives to a great extent. One has to simply register online and pay through a secure mode to buy these top up vouchers. At DiGiCalling Cards the payment process is VeriSign secured and the customers are saved the risk of internet fraudulence. Added to that the service is round the clock and the e-vouchers can be purchased anytime and from anywhere. Lebara Mobile top up also has great deals like 500 free minutes and SMS from Lebara to Lebara, half price calls and good international calling rates.

There are two ways in which a Lebara mobile can be topped up. One has to dial *#1345*, and enter the voucher number followed by #. Or one has to call 5588, follow the voice prompts and enter the voucher number. The instructions are clearly given on the voucher and call credit is added instantly.

Lebara mobile comes with a convenient balance on demand feature which enables customers to find out their mobile balance instantly. One has to dial *#1345# to access the remaining balance or call 5588 to get an automatic balance in English.

Lebara mobile top up vouchers are offered online at www.digicallingcards.com

One can find out more about the recharge process and benefits offered by logging in to the website.   

Remembered your mobile top up in the middle of the night?

Mobile top up over and many calls still to go?

Now there is a safe and easy way to top your mobile. Simply go online. Click on www.digicallingcards.com and choose the top up you want. We have a whole range of mobile top ups…Vectone, Vodafone, Virgin, Lyca, Lebara, Orange, O2 and a whole lot more. The top up voucher is delivered instantly. You can top up within no time. Dial the access number from your mobile phone and follow the prompt. The instructions on the top up voucher are crystal clear and top up is fast and easy.

You also get a lot of freebies when you top up your mobile online. Right now Vectone top up is coming with free call credit and free weekend minutes along with some other deals. Some mobile top ups are being given t a discount in our website. This does not mean that you have to compromise in any way. You can still enjoy the best service and convenience.

Visit our website to take a look at the entire range of prepaid calling cards and choose your mobile top up.

Vectone mobile top ups account for 99% of UK mobile users. This is quite something and that too in a very less time. The Vectone users are satisfied and come back for more and more top ups.

Now this mobile top up is even better than before due to some freebies being given by the Vectone group. With every top up voucher one is entitled to free call credit. Which means that you buy for 10 pounds but you talk for about 12.5 pounds.

Not only that when you buy this top up voucher during weekdays, you get free minutes which you can use during the weekend. The free minutes range from 25 to 100 depending on the destination that you are calling.

Buy the Vectone mobile top up form www.digicallingcards.com and enjoy a whole lot of offers.

View our press release http://www.free-press-release.com/news-digicalling-cards-is-stocking-up-on-o2-top-ups-1257836996.html

The world is getting to be smaller and things are getting easier. Although technology has taken strides, we are hard-pressed for time. The world of online purchase really works out well for most of us. We need not spend hours on buying items that are easily available online.

Mobile phone top up is an item that is not only available online but can be bought easily as one does not need to actually see or choose the item based on aesthetics. One simply has to log in and start buying. Top up is instant and does not have a long waiting period.

 At DiGiCalling Cards almost all mobile top up vouchers are available online and buying is a simple and authentic process. The customers are more than satisfied with the system and more and more people have started buying online top ups. DiGiCalling Cards have Vodafone, Vectone, O2, Orange and a whole lot of other top ups. You can even buy calling cards from here.

Visit www.digicallingcards.com for all your calling needs.

Topping up your mobile is so cool with DiGicalling Cards. Simply register online and start buying the top up voucher that you need. We have a whole range of top up vouchers- Vodaphone, Orange,O2,Vectone, Lebara, Lyca and many others.

The online top up feature is being welcomed by all. You can simply login and buy the top up voucher and you can top up your mobile phone instantly. The payment process is VeriSign secured so you can be at peace about your money and internet fraud.

This is really good if you need immediate top up or kids inform you at the last-minute about the urgent top up that they need right now! In the middle of the night this can be a bit of a problem. Also during inclement weather conditions you don’t have to venture out to the nearest store in search of your mobile top up voucher. Snuggle up and buy online. Once you get used to the comfort of online topping up , you wont go to a store anymore.

The speciality about DiGiCalling Cards is that we offer 24 hours round the clock customer service comprising  an enthusiastic team of executives…ready to please! Visit www.digicallingcards.com for all your mobile top up and calling card needs.

DiGiCalling Cards brings you the Vectone top up mobile voucher with plenty of freebies. This is just what you had been waiting for!

Free call credit is what you get when you buy a top up voucher from us. Automatically, your voucher value is enhanced and you can talk a lot more than what you paid for. So, the Vectone mobile top up definitely makes your money go further than before. You must have figured out by now that it pays to recharge more often with Vectone.

Did you know about the free call minutes that you get with Vectone recharge vouchers? It ranges from 25 to 100 depending on the country you are calling. Now how does that sound?

For those who are thinking that we have got it all…wait! There’s more…you get unlimited calls to all local landlines at a minimum fee. So you need not worry about calling landlines anymore.

What are you waiting for? Click on www.digicallingcards.com and buy the Vectone mobile top up voucher online now…and get a whole lot more!

Vectone mobile top up is offering great deals and plenty of freebies. When you buy a Mobile top up voucher to recharge your Vectone mobile SIM, you get a lot more than you asked for. You get free call credit along with your voucher. If you opted for a 10 pound top up then you get a free credit of 2.5 pounds making the value of your top up voucher 12.5 pounds.

Additionally, you get free weekend minutes when you buy the top up voucher during the week. The free minutes rage from 25 to 100 depending on the destination of call.

There is even more! You get unlimited calls to landlines at a minimum charge. So you can make any number of calls to other landlines. Also when you call another Vectone mobile its is absolutely free.

What more could you ask for? Oh yes, there is even free roaming on incoming calls for the first 10 minutes duration. Well, thats really a lot from a mobile top up voucher, isn’t it?

The best part is you can buy Vectone mobile top up vouchers online from DiGiCalling Cards in an easy and reliable method.

Visit the website www.digicallingcards.com to buy your mobile top up voucher, Vectone and others too.

Now even O2 mobile top up vouchers are available with online retailer DiGiCalling Cards. This five year old calling cards company has a vast stock of mobile top up vouchers.

O2 has been directly involved in multiple activities right from school programmes to local community events. They have a number of charities and fund raising programmes and go all out of the way to help small businesses too. Recently O2 has come up with a unique method of recycling old mobile phones. Now customers can exchange their old mobile phones for cash.

DiGiCalling Cards sell O2 mobile top up vouchers and the denominations are £10, £15 and £20. The UK customer access number is 4444 form O2 mobile phone or 08456062277 from a fixed-line phone. Mobile can be topped up easily by dialing the access number and following the prompt. The online buying method is easy and safe. The transaction process is VeriSign secure and therefore entails no risk of fraud or misuse.

Visit the seller website www.digicallingcards.com for more details about O2 and other mobile top ups.

Need a mobile top up now and wondering what to do? Simply buy top up vouchers online. This is really great if you need the voucher urgently or at odd times. Basically its convenient at all times because online buying implies that you can just relax and buy from anywhere and anytime. No more rushing to the nearest store for your mobile top up.

At DiGiCalling Cards all mobile top ups are available easily. Whichever you need…vodafone, orange, o2 , vectone , lebara, lyca…you name it and we have it. Simply register online and buy mobile top up vouchers using your credit or debit card or your PayPoint account. Its fast and safe. The online buying process is VeriSign secure and so no worries about internet fraud or misuse.

Relax and buy online. Mobile top up vouchers from www.digicallingcards.com. Life is getting easier by the day…and you deserve nothing better. You work like an automaton throughout the day and even at home. This is the minimum comfort that you can afford. At least spare yourself that extra effort of driving to the store for a mobile top up. Visit us now.

Orange mobile vouchers are much in demand because of the increasing number of people using Orange mobile nowadays. This trend is more so in youngsters, especially those in college.

In fact the online top up facility of this mobile makes it more popular day by day. Gone are the days when one had to wait for a top up or drive down to the nearest store. The best part is that the ‘wait until morning’ rule is no longer applicable. These orange mobile top up vouchers can be easily bought online and recharge is instant.

Its great for parents of kids who ‘just can’t wait’ or worse still who make a beeline for your mobile because their’s is down and out. You simply have to register at www.digicallingcards.com and start buying the top up vouchers online. The recharge is immediate and you can sleep in peace. Even the payment is totally secure with VerSign and SSL encrypted. At DiGiCalling Cards the service is round the clock and you can be assured of great customer service.

Buy your orange mobile top up voucher today from DiGicalling Cards.

Now you can get a top up for your mobile easily. DiGiCalling Cards, the online retailer of prepaid calling cards and mobile top ups is offering easy and reliable mobile top ups.

One simply needs to register online at the website www.digicallingcards.com with some necessary details. Buying is through a VeriSign secure payment system. Top up vouchers can be purchased by using a credit or a debit card or through PayPoint account. The mobile access numbers are on the website. One simply has to dial the access number and punch in the voucher number. The service provider enters the new top up in the old number.

Online mobile top up vouchers make your life easy and convenient. You can recharge from anywhere and anytime. At DiGiCalling Cards customer support is round the clock and you can avail of it whenever you require.

Buy the mobile top ups online for Vodafone., Orange, O2, Lebara, Lyca and a whole lot of other prepaid calling cards.

Now mobile top ups have become very popular and indeed saves a lot of time and hassle. The best part is that you can continue the same mobile number. Imagine having to change your phone number every time the money ran out!

Now many phone companies are offering mobile top up vouchers of Vodaphone, Orange, O2, Lebara, Lyca and the whole lot. Topping up is easy and does not require any effort on your part. You simply have to call the access number of whichever phone you are using and enter your voucher number for instant top up.

DiGiCalling Cards offer these mobile top up vouchers online. With a track record of five successful years and a myriad of satisfied customers, DiGiCalling Cards has made it very simple to buy top up vouchers. The entire process is online. You don’t even have to venture out of your house. Top up can be done even in the middle of the night and need not be a pre-planned event.

Get your mobile top up anytime…anywhere from www.digicallingcards.com

I shall let you decide if they conversation I had with “Michelle” is suspect? I highly suspect I may have been talking to an Indian Gentleman, possibly named Satvinder… I do wish Vodaphone would be a bit more honest! If I was indeed speaking to Michelle she needs to go back to school. However she/he did eventually manage to answer my questions. Although I still can’t decide whether to go Blackberry or IPhone….

Michelle: Hello, you’re chatting with Michelle, one of Vodafone’s online sales specialists.  May I take your name please?

You: Thomas

Michelle: Hi Thomas, how are you?

You: I am fine thank you, I wanted to know about talk plans for the new Blackberry Storm 2

Michelle: wow!!! great choice.

Michelle: I’ll be glad to tell you about the incredible phone?

You: I don’t really need to know about the phone itself, just about the talk plans and availability please.

Michelle: Yes… certainly… I quickly gather all the information and tell you..

You: Thank you Michelle.

Michelle: you are most welcome..

Michelle: Its a latest phone with HSDPA, Built in GPS navigation, with 3.2 megapixel camera, you will get all your email and updates, the instant they arrive. It has the most responsive, comfortable touchscreen yet.

Michelle: Moreover you can instantly log on to your emails and Facebook updates that reach you like lightning, get your music, videos, photos and more all in one place.

Michelle: and moreover with the GPS navigation too, its like a friend in your pocket who knows all the ways…

Michelle: infact all the unknows ways.. you have never been before..

You: And the talk plans?

You: Can I please just have information on talk plans and availability?

Michelle: you can go for £35.00 a month deal you get 600 minutes + Unlimited texts (now you do not have to keep a track of texts usage now) + unlimited Mobile Internet and webmail + BlackBerry email + free BlackBerry …….24 months deal…

Michelle: Sorry for late response I was just typing for you…

You: Don’t worry, that is helpful, how about 18 month talk plans?

Michelle: you can go for £40 a month deal you get 600 minutes + Unlimited texts (now you do not have to keep a track of texts usage now) + unlimited Mobile Internet and webmail + BlackBerry email + free BlackBerry ……18 months deal…

Michelle: Moreover, if you are looking to place the order now.. you will get a surprise free gift…

Michelle: Here you save money on this plan,… as other customers pay £5 for unlimited Mobile Internet and webmail and text messages, as here you get Unlimited texts (where you do not have to keep a track of texts usage now)

Michelle: Moreover, if you are looking to place the order now.. you will get a surprise free gift…

You: What is the surprise free gift?

Michelle: Well as a surprise gift, you will get a whooping 12 megapixel camera with 8x zoom digital camera absolutely free, which you can use it under water as well.

You: Hmm, is that only when you buy online?

Michelle: Yes…

You: Also I usually prefer to buy in store, are the talk plans etc the same instore?

Michelle: You can order this now.. with me..

You: No thank you, I need some more time to think it through. I am also considering the Iphone 3gs

Michelle: I cannot comment on that whether you will get this gift in the stores.

Michelle: however you will get it right away if you are looking to place the order.

You: Thank you for your time and help. I shall give the Blackberry Storm 2 some thought.

You: Goodbye.

Michelle: iPhone will be released in the early 2010. To know more you can register yourself…and you will get all the info prior 14 days of the release of the phone.

Michelle: You are welcome

Fancy being photographed by world famous London-based photographer Jilian Edelstein? Then why not give yourself the chance to take part in the launch of the new Sony Ericsson Satio handset on Vodaphone, by entering their competition. Edelstein has snapped stars such as Kate Moss, Woody Allen, Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy, Amy Winehouse, Simon Pegg…the list goes on. Now she is embarking on her latest project which we all can be involved in!

To enter the competition, simply head to http://eyeswideopen.uk.net/ and upload a photo of your eyes, along with the reason you want to be involved with the campaign. Julian will then be personally selecting 61 successful participants and inviting them to an invitation only Satio studio photoshoot, during the first week of December.

Each lucky participant will have their eyes captured by Jillian and then be published as part of an exclusive online gallery. We’re taking our pics as we speak!

here is an awesome commercial for the phone company known as Vodaphone. they get 1000 cell phones to be texted in a specific order that creates a a piece of the William Tell Overture. as we can see from the second video, this was actually real! so awesome.

and see how it was made here:

truly amazing guys.

A few time a year I travel to London, England for business.  Each time I have just paid the daily internet usage fee at the hotel (usually Le Meridien at Piccadilly Circus) but the costs have gone up recently.  At 20 GBP per day my one week visit was going to cost me 140 GBP so I decided there had to be a better way.

I went over to carphone warehouse and checked out all their internet stick options.  While they all seemed like good and less expensive options there was a huge factor that led me to pick the Vodaphone internet stick.  THEY’RE ACCOUNTS NEVER EXPIRE!  All the others there would not only have their pay-as-you-go data expire over time but the account itself would expire after as much as 90 days of inactivity.

So for 34.99 GBP I got a Vodaphone stick pre-loaded with 1Gb of data.  Vodaphone is the most expensive of the bunch at 15 GBP per 1Gb but since I wont have to re-activate my account and the unused data will always be available on a return trip I figure the extra cost is worth it.

As I had been advised the speeds were not lightning fast.  It would be no good for watching youtube videos or uploading and downloading large files but for my day to day emails and source code editing it was perfect.  It also worked everywhere, in my hotel room, in coffee shops, and even in the Heathrow express on my way back to the airport.

At the end of my week I had still not completely used up my complimentary 1Gb of data and I am happy to know it will be there waiting for me when I return to the UK next.

For my next cost saving trick I would like to find out if I can activate this same stick to work in other countries by purchasing a Vodaphone account in Switzerland, and India.  The connection software makes it look like this is, or will one day, be possible.  If anyone has experience with this please let me know in the comments.

Y es que tras semejante tsunami en el mundo del pop no quedará NADA. Es como si Dios y Buda hicieran un milagro a la vez, y luego como les sobra tiempo decidieran crear otro planeta lleno de gente. Demasiado fuerte para asimilar en 3 minutos. Hoy se ha confirmado el tracklist de The fame monster y Beyoncé aparece acreditada como estrella invitada en uno de los temas.

Lo fascinante de la historia es investigar sobre quién es la que manda en este burdel. A saber: primero se supo que Lady Gaga colaboraría en un remix de Videophone, el próximo single de Beyoncé, el cual estaría incluído en la re-edición de I am Sasha Fierce. El caso es que Beyoncé debió darse cuenta de que en realidad era Gaga la que iba a salir más en la tele, por lo que, atención, escuchó todas las canciones que iban a entrar en The fame monster, eligió la que más le gustaba (Telephone) y exigió grabarla. Telephone era una canción que Lady Gaga escribió para Britney, pero del mismo modo que la redneck más famosa del mundo rechazó Umbrella en su día por no parecerle comercial, pasó también de Telephone. La canción por cierto está producida por Rodney Jerkins, responsable de iconos del calibre de If you had my love, It’s not right but it’s ok, Say my name y Holler.

Lady Gaga tenía previsto grabarla con otra misteriosa artista, quien puso como condición sacarlo como single presentación de su reciente (y fracasado) Greatest hits, Celebration. Eso, sumado a que Beyoncé exigió que si había dúo, lo había doble, dio lugar a que la negra se apropiara de Telephone. Menuda mafiosa está hecha, ¿cómo no amarla? Se dice que hasta rapea en la canción, probablemente mientras apunta a Gaga con una pistola.

El caso es que Stephanie nunca ha sido de las que se deja amedrentar (en una hipotética guerra de divas, solo el Pink podría con ella, y porque es un hombre), así que estaremos al tanto de las represalias que tomará ante semejante chantaje. Le aconsejamos que no lo intente secuestrando a alguna integrante de Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé ya ni se acuerda de sus nombres. De momento, Telephone no está acreditada como dúo sino como FEATURING, que viene a decir que en realidad Beyoncé le hace los coros a la otra. Esto demuestra que Gaga es más sutil, pero mucho más zorra.

Si de esto no sale una pelea a muerte en el escenario de los MTV awards, es que el pop ha muerto.

When we first saw Vodaphone’s ringtone commercial where 1000 cell phones perform a section of the William Tell overture, we just assumed it was some slick video editing, not to be taken seriously. Apparently, we were wrong. They actually did this. They actually sent text messages to all the phones in correct timing to play the music.  In the video after the break, you can see some details on how they pulled it off. They had to perform this during non peak usage hours to ensure that all their texts went through. We think this project is pretty impressive. Actually, we still don’t know how they pulled it off, we can’t seem to predict how long a text message will take to reach its destination with any kind of reproducible accuracy.

[via Makezine]

Hold on to your jail-broken iPhones…or don’t. RIM, the company that introduced crackber- er I mean Blackberry to the world is about to drop another bomb on the smartphone scene.

The new Blackberry Storm 2 9550 (don’t get confused with the 9520 for Vodaphone…) has been a highly anticipated phone even just after the 1st gen Storm came out. Because the Blackberry phones have always had physical keyboards and none of them were touch up until the Storm was released, it was expected that there would be some issues with the new technology. For most people, the phone was a lag bucket (yes I said lag bucket.) Now there have been a couple of firmware updates that have been said to make the Storm bearable until it’s upgrade time for the Storm 2. With the addition of WiFi to the Storm 2, I would imagine there are going to be more people paying the full price to get the new phone.

Most of the annoying issues that consumers were not enjoying about there phone were, but not limited to the SurePress technology for the touch screen (where you touch the screen to select and then push down on the screen to activate something), lack of WiFi, battery life, and just all around prettiness. Even the battery life has improved greatly, 5+ hours of talk time and 10+ days of standby. I could certainly deal with that.

The Storm is currently still running on the 4.7 software for Blackberry but once the Storm 2 comes out, 5.0 should be out and accordingly, when this is applied to the Storm it should fix most problems with software issues on the phone. Just long enough to wait for upgrade time I suppose…

Will this new venture for Blackberry be the iPhone killer? Will the masses stampede all Verizon stores, waiting for days in line just to get there hands on a new crackberry? Most likely not, I still stand by the fact that if iPhone moves to Verizon, I will have one. I am pretty sure that there are many other people out there that have the same sentiments as myself. Until then, I am still oogling the new Blackberry Storm 2.