Category Archives: News

09Aug 2012

Too Lazy to Renew Mobile Phone Deals

UK mobile phone comparison service recombu.com commissioned research into the number of people taking the time to shop around for the best mobile phone deals.

They claimed that despite 76% of Britains citing price as the most important factor when choosing a new mobile contract.

In terms of importance this is how customers rated different factors involved when choosing a mobile deal:

  • Price 76%
  • Number minutes/texts 49%
  • Phone brand 21%
  • Contract length 28%
  • Network coverage 26%

less than 7% of customers network in spite of 36% taking up to two weeks to shop around for alternative deals. All this in spite of the ongoing recession and that fact that many people simply do not have money to waste.

Another online comparison site mobilephonedeals.info believed there were a number of factors involved:

Whilst a significant numer of people could save money by switching network providers, often the price differential is not a big enough incentive. Other factors such as network coverage, multiple contracts in the same household or friends on the same network all come into play, as well as the additional effort of porting your number. Networks have done a great job of improving customer retention over the last few years, increasing contract lengths in response to increased handset prices and tying social groups in via discounted calls to friends and family or those on the same network.

Thoughts echoed by the Telegraph in response to the same report (commissioned with YouGov).

 

01Aug 2012

London Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony, commencing at 9pm on the 27th of July, was an excellent precursor to the 2012 London Olympic games. Directed by Danny Boyle, it showed the different phases that the country has been through, as well as showing British music through the years. Following this all of the countries walked out with their respective flags, and the Queen declared the Olympics officially open. Some of the teams were very large, whereas others comprised of just three or four members, showing the diversity of those participating and the different levels of dedication countries give to their sporting teams.

It is hoped that hosting the games in London will help encourage the UK’s athletes and possibly lead to more medal wins than in previous years. Having stands filled with support and the pride of having the games in their country seems to be working, as so far the athletes have been performing very well. At the moment, the United Kingdom is placed third in the league table, behind the China and the USA Hopefully this place will be retained and the UK will be ranked higher than the 4th place achieved at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The next countries in the table are also big nations like South Korea, France and Germany. Unfortunately, there is quite a gap in terms of the number of medals between Great Britain and the 2 leaders in this area, but with 204 nations competing, 3rd place is still impressive. Great Britain’s medal total is 37, compared to the US’s 60 and China’s 61.

British gold medal winners include Jessica Ennis, Andy Murray, Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Greg Rutherford and many more. After years of training and hard work, it must be very gratifying for these individuals to receive the highest acclaim in their chosen sports at the Olympic games held in their country.

All in all, preparation for the Olympics has cost £24 billion, so it is hoped that tourist revenue will make up for this and help the UK economy get back on its feet. The money has been spent on the various venues that are being used for the array of sports, and on improving transport in and around London. Despite this investment in better transport links, London is likely to be much busier during the three weeks of the Olympics because of the influx of people from around the UK and the world. Certain postcodes around these venues are not allowed to receive deliveries because of the security risks surrounding such a large event that draws in so many people. There is also high security around the venues, to minimise the risk of any threats from getting into the buildings. Great care is being taken to ensure everything runs smoothly and safely.

The Opening Ceremony and the actual Olympic games themselves have so far been going very well, showing that London was a good choice as the host of the games, and bringing another impressive piece of history to Britain in 2012, a year when so much has happened already.

29Jun 2012

Prometheus Finally Lands

Although long-term devotees to the original Alien series may be disappointed by this prequel, Prometheus as a stand-alone project is pretty good. As someone who has not seen any other films from the Alien franchise, I can vouch for the fact that you do not need any prior knowledge of the concept to enjoy Prometheus, although it does mean some of the links to the other movies are likely to go unnoticed. In some ways it may be better to go into the cinema without any standards against which to measure the film, as I definitely was not sure what to expect.

 

One of the best things about the film is its excellent cast. Big names such as Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Noomi Rapace feature in the film. Believable performances help to suck you into the drama and make you feel as though you are involved, as does the powerful atmosphere created by Scott. The movie offers more than just action and thrills, there are also minor romantic plots woven into the main storyline, which is itself woven into the storyline of the saga. Well shot and directed, the whole film comes together well because of the contribution from all areas of production, including the screenplay, actors and the direction.

I found Prometheus to be an enjoyable film to watch, if a bit scary in some places, although what I deem to be frightening may be seen as child’s play by some. With an age rating of 15 compared to the usual 18 in the Alien series, the movie involves less gore than the others, although that aspect is still present, and is in some ways less scary, although there are still moments that will make you jump. It seems that in Prometheus, there is more focus on the concept and the story, rather than on the actual action with the aliens themselves. There are a few moments in the film that seem to drag at times, and as with any film, it is down to personal taste. Individual’s reception of the film probably also depends on expectations people have and what they want the film to be. In my opinion, it is well worth a watch.