That said, those who have hoped for such a system can rejoice as the first contactless payment systems will be coming to UK consumers in the summer of 2011. The companies behind the initial rollout, Barclaycard and Orange, which had announced their partnership back in 2009, believe that the launch of this system will be the biggest revolution in payment systems since the introduction of the credit cards more than 40 years ago.

Commenting on the announcement, Gerry McQuade, Chief Development Officer of Everything Everywhere said the following: “We’re making something that’s been talked about for many years a reality and very soon, using your mobile to buy a sandwich, a cinema ticket or in time, even something bigger like a computer will simply be the norm. As Britain’s biggest communications company, we’re proud to be delivering this technical and cultural innovation to the UK through the Orange brand. Orange and Barclaycard customers will be the first to be able to use their mobiles to make payments on the high street wherever contactless payments are accepted. This is part of our wider strategy to re-define what people use their mobiles for, with mobile payments being the start.”

Source: Orange Newsroom

One of the things that Vodafone tried out not so long ago was the range of bespoke Vodafone 360 units. Thing is, if you were one of the people who grabbed one of the said handsets, such as the Samsung manufactured M1 and H1 range, and enjoyed using the device then there is very bad news for you.

Those who are looking forward to upgrading their mobile phones with the latest 360 handset will not be able to. Vodafone has given an official announcement that no more bespoke 360 phones will be made and released following their Samsung made units. The company will, instead, focus on the development of their 360 services and will be including their 360 platform on company released handsets. This is a snippet from the official announcement posted by Vodafone:

“From now we will be focusing all efforts on expanding the range of handsets and platforms that support Vodafone 360 and in developing and enhancing the suite of Vodafone 360 services. Consequently there will be no further development of bespoke Vodafone 360 handsets.”

That means that the company’s follow up to the Samsung made H1, the H2, will also consequently cease production. As of now, the company’s 360 service allows people to access contacts on different mobile phone units. It also gives users access to many music files, downloadable video clips as well as mobile games via their 360 shop.

With the halt in bespoke devices, the company will have all the means to focus on delivering noteworthy developments in terms of apps and all the time to improve their services further.

While the network operator has complied with the ASA ruling, they have confirmed that they will contest the decision. The mobile network operator is even pushing for a full industry wide study in order to verify their claim and add credence to the slogan they want to use.

In many ways, the ASA would have to allow the investigation to push through. Their original ruling was based on the fact that the advertisement has not been properly “substantiated”; should Orange be able to fully support their claims with cold hard facts, then the ruling would need to be pulled back.

Orange has also defended that their slogan was not misleading as an argument from ASA stated. The ad clearly said that Orange has the largest network covering the most people –a claim that can be easily backed by data. This does not coincide with the ASA ruling which stated that a mobile network cannot be easily compared to another.

The ASA is taking a firm stand on the issue and is not pulling back on its sanctions.

In some ways, Orange Mobile UK should stand up for its original claims. While the ASA may have filed a ruling, the network operator has a principle and reputation to live up to. Pushing for an “independent, industry wide verification” in order to prove that their claims are indeed based on fact is the only direction they can take –if they wholly rescind their claims, then it would appear that the ad was entirely baseless to begin with.

There are, of course, plenty of solutions and remedies for this. People have long since resorted to using umbrellas (can get uncomfortable after a while with having an umbrella in one hand or tucked under the chin, and a phone in the other), others have taken to the shelter under trees or roofs, and others simply opted not to use their handset when in direct sunlight.

But what about people who are dining al fresco? Or attending a live game on an open stadium? Or simply enjoying the morning sun during a pre-breakfast walk? The glare is an issue that everyone has to deal with, and Orange Mobile UK has decided that it is time they did something about it.

A quick visit to the Orange UK website will show you, victim of sun glare, how to counter-act this menace. The site is offering everyone (yes, everyone, not just Orange Mobile subscribers) a free downloadable PDF file which will teach you how to make you own sun visor. In fact, you can print out the PDF and cut it out to mount on your mobile phone!

Kidding aside,, it is easy to strap a piece of cardboard on a mobile phone, but it actually takes careful planning to make a visor that blocks the sun out while still making it comfortable to look at the screen. And of course, the visor color is black so it really blocks out the glare. With the football season already starting, this visor add-on will certainly be a very useful tool for anyone who is caught out in the glare of the sun.

As one might expect, this convenience comes with a price. Aside from the usual retail tags and monthly tariffs, our society gets billed with a huge carbon load –which the environment pays for.

This is why there is now a growing need for people to be more aware and responsible for their carbon footprint. And starting with changing one’s mobile phone habits is a great first step.

What people should realize is that as end users and consumers, society has the ability to dictate and decide what companies will manufacture and sell. By choosing to support eco-friendly companies and by buying green products –manufacturers can be swayed to change their approach. Nokia and Sony Ericsson have been heavily promoting their green-solutions internally with reduced packaging and better choices of raw materials. Choosing to buy handsets made out of recycled plastics will encourage other companies to do the same.

It does not end with choosing a phone either. Users have the responsibility to ensure that devices are used wisely. A smart phone can consume about a metric ton of carbon in a single year (energy wise), so ensuring that a battery charge is spent properly, and avoiding over-charging are also important steps.

Lastly, support your local recycling drives. Many companies such as Orange UK hold phone recycling programs in order to encourage people to dispose of their handsets wisely –more often than not, they also offer incentives to people who recycle.