Best online deal for iPhone insurance

January 25, 2011

So you have bought your iPhone and whether you are on a contract or PAYG you should get it insured asap. It makes sense because your iPhone has so many important numbers, photos and useful apps –  the cost of replacing your iPhone doesn’t bear thinking about when monthly protective cover is available at a reasonable cost . It can prove  expensive to go with the recommended contract phone agents (where you got your iPhone) and this cover may not include loss. It pays you to check out the best deals online as cover and monthly rates vary enormously. You have chosen the elite of smartphones so it really deserves the best cover out there! Because iPhones are highly desirable you really need peace of mind that full insurance cover gives you.

There’s a big difference between the price and quality of cover that’s available from different insurance providers. Basic cover can be obtained for iPhones online at around £3.99 per month but this will NOT cover you for theft, loss or unauthorised calls. The good news is, Protect Your Bubble’s comprehensive insurance policy for iPhones, takes into account the importance of price as well as quality in terms of the protection it provides. The following guide sets out their 6-point comprehensive  iPhone cover -usual cost £5.99 a month (current deal online offers first month free). Please note below that you need to pay £6.99 to include cover against loss *.

Accidental damage

If your iPhone suddenly stops working, is damaged, or even stolen – you’ll receive a replacement handset within 48 hours of a successful claim.

Theft

Try and make sure you never leave your personal stuff unattended when you’re out and about. If the worst does happen though and your phone is stolen, inform the police straightaway and then tell your insurance company.

Breakdown

If something breaks after your warranty expires (the insurance includes electrical and mechanical breakdown cover)  and your iPhone stops working, or won’t recharge, a good insurance company will fix it or replace it for you – any time after your Apple guarantee has run out.

Free iPhone contacts backup

You can back up all your contacts for free so you’ll never have to worry again about losing a single number. So if you need to get hold of someone in a hurry, you won’t have to email all your friends first.

Worldwide cover as standard

Wherever you lose your iPhone you’ll be protected against the costs of replacing or repairing it.  So if you’re on your holidays, you can relax even more.

Airtime abuse

If your iPhone is stolen and someone else starts running up your bill, Protect Your Bubble will pay for the cost of any unauthorised calls. After all, it’s bad enough it’s been taken, without having to worry about calls you haven’t made.

Great value cover for just £5.99 a month *

Their comprehensive iPhone insurance offers better value than many network providers.  UK based staff  offer an efficient and reliable service, at a time when you need it most. Please note that you will need to pay £6.99 (an extra £1 a month) for loss cover which is an optional extra.

Protect Your Bubble also provides insurance for lots of other gadgets like  laptops, iPads, iPods, digital cameras and more. Each time you insure one more gadget on your policy, you’ll save an additional 10%.. worth a thought

Always read and check terms and conditions before tying yourself into a monthly contract.

For more information

Visit the Bubble website


IPhone app finds treasure

January 22, 2011

The British Library has launched a new app that brings 100 of the institution’s rarest items to your iPhone or iPad ‘The Treasures Mobile App.’

The Treasures mobile app presents a wealth of images at your fingertips. For example, the world’s oldest bible, sketches by Leonardo da Vinci and Nelson’s battle plan for Trafalgar, among many other rare works. You can browse through categories such as Science, History, Music, Literature, Faith and Religions, Maps and Views, and Illuminated Manuscripts and you’ll also find highlights from the British Library’s current ‘Evolving English’ exhibition. Now you can learn about and interact with with the treasures in your own home, on the move, or within the Library itself. Each is presented through high-resolution images, allowing the viewer to zoom in and explore in detail. ‘Treasures’ offers smartphone users a true multimedia experience.

Frances Brindle, the British Library’s director of Strategic Marketing & Communications explained: “Access to our collections through mobile technology is an exciting initiative for the Library. We are delighted to be able to make our unique collection items available to a wider audience via this interactive app in such a dynamic format.

“The Library is committed to increasing access to its collections and this app demonstrates our commitment to engaging with the mobile community,” Brindle added.

The app is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android-based handsets. The iPhone and Android versions usually cost £2.39 and the iPad version £3.49 , but if you are keen to get the introductory discount (until 24 January) they are being offered for £1.19 and £2.39  respectively.

What’s in it?

  • Over 100 unique or rare items: the original version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the world’s oldest bible, priceless hand-painted medieval books, Nelson’s battle plan for Trafalgar, sketches by Leonardo, a 1664 plan of New York, ‘The Tyger’ in William Blake’s hand, and many more…
  • Arranged in easy-to-browse sections: Science, History, Music, Literature, Faith and Religions, Maps and Views, Illuminated Manuscripts
  • With highlights from  current major exhibition ‘Evolving English’
  • Audio excerpts and nearly 50 WiFi-served videos from expert curators
  • Plus explorer Ben Fogle talking about Captain Scott’s diary and linguist David Crystal discussing Beowulf.

‘Treasures’ was created by the British Library in partnership with Toura

To buy this app visit the itunes store.

Haven’t got an iPhone yet- buy online webpage

How to release apps stuck in your iPhone

January 18, 2011

If you are a new iPhone owner no doubt you will be searching for new apps to try on your phone.

If you are lucky enough to have an iPhone 4 with  iOS4 you were  provided with Apple’s classic interface, allowing you to select numerous applications, all which open quickly thanks to the handset’s 1GHz processor. Your pre-installed apps include: Push email, GPS powered by Google Maps, alarm clock, calendar, voice memos and iBooks, Apple’s new integrated eReader.  With Apple boasting the largest selection of apps,  more can be downloaded, which we’re pretty sure will provide you with endless entertainment. Have you tried Angry Birds yet?

The simplicity of Apple’s smartphone can make some things surprisingly tricky. For instance, how do you shut down, or quit, a program that appears to have got stuck when there’s no menu through which you could select a “quit” command? This problem can happen from time to time and the iPhone manual does contain the solution to your problem. However, if you cannot find your manual or don’t want the hassle of searching through vast amounts of technical advice – read on.

If you own an iPhone 4 and the app concerned appears stuck –  press the Home button twice to bring up the iPhone’s list of recently opened applications. Then touch and hold the icon for the stuck app until it starts to wiggle and displays a minus sign in a red circle above its top left corner; press that symbol to force it to quit. Press the Home button one more time and that should solve the problem.

If you own an iPhone 3G, which doesn’t support multitasking, press and hold the on/off button at the top of the phone until a red slider control, labeled “slide to power off,” appears on the screen, then press and hold the Home button to force the app to exit. If you are missing out on the fun of owning a slick, intuitive smartphone with fantastic features that still offers the benchmark all other phones are measured against – then consider buying an iPhone – they are back in stock after the Xmas 2010 sellout.

  • visit the itunes store for more iPhone apps
  • or check out our Buy iPhone online page

PAYG best choice after VAT increases

January 18, 2011

The VAT increase introduced on 4th January 2011 from  17.5% to 20% should have affected all customers equally, whatever their network. Research suggests that the picture does not reflect this and mobile phone customers may find prices are increasing more than the rise in VAT. According to the comparison firm uSwitch the 2.5% increase in VAT has added approximately £22 per year to the UK average mobile phone bill. That doesn’t sound too bad – but some mobile phone giants are using the VAT as an opportunity to increase their charges by up to 150%.

Ernest Doku from uSwitch said, ‘These increases will be a bitter pill to swallow. The good news is that consumers could offset these price rises by reviewing their mobile usage and moving to a better deal.’

VAT is charged on every new mobile phone, pay monthly contract and PAYG airtime vouchers. VAT is also charged on all smartphone app downloads but generally excludes mobile phone insurance. Costs will rise for new mobile contract customers, and those upgrading, following increases to the cost of calls and texts being introduced at the same time as the VAT rise.

According to Billmonitor (accredited by regulator Ofcom) the average mobile user,  on a contract, has 300% more free minutes than they actually need which means they overpay by around £200 a year. While the Sunday Times – Money Section- reports that Network 3 loses its advantage of being the cheapest operator for calls and texts and is now the most expensive network overall as contract customer calls and texts rise from 12p to 30p – this makes 3 the most expensive operator overall. If you are a new 3 customer, or are upgrading to Talk and Text tariffs, you will also be charged 30p a minute to access your voicemail.

Vodafone customers fair better,  on a 24-monthly contract they will find that their monthly charge will increase minimally  from £30 a month to £30.65 but  will pay more for extras outside their plan.Vodafone appears to be targeting travellers to Europe increasing calls from 38p to 39p a minute and receiving calls from the UK from 14p to 15p a minute. O2 customers on contracts have price increases in line with the 20% VAT  – calls cost 20.4p a minute and texts now cost 12.3p. Likewise, Orange have only increased contract tariffs to VAT at 20%. Orange win the crown for offering the best deals -they have swallowed some of the additional costs on behalf of their customers- including PAYG.

PAYG deals

Most mobile networks providers have set up VAT help pages online. But a current comparison suggests:

  • Vodafone has frozen all its PAYG call, text and mobile internet charges. Visit the Vodafone website
  • O2 has increased PAYG texts from 10p t0 12p. Visit the o2 website
  • Orange has frozen its PAYG and mobile broadband prices without increasing VAT. Visit the Orange website

So what can you do if you are unhappy about your provider’s increases? Happily, PAYG customers can switch mobile networks at any point. However, note that you may need to unlock your mobile phone before it works with a different network operator’s SIM card. Billmonitor suggests that 91% of contracted users can save £216 per year by using SIM-only. Or save up to £150 a year by switching tarriffs with your current network provider. Most operators will allow you to cancel your contract if you pay for the remaining months of your deal.