BlackBerry has undergone a great number of transitions in a short few years, not all of them good. The company was once synonymous with suited business types, due to push email and full physical Qwerty keyboards on handsets. The low price of BlackBerry Messenger — the subscription-based, unlimited messaging service — meant, however, that BlackBerry phones found their way into the pockets of teens who could chat on the cheap.

The rise of touchscreen phones on rival platforms, along with messaging services like iMessage and WhatsApp, well and truly rubbed the shine off BlackBerry and its keyboards, though. Its big refresh came in the form of the Z10, which sports a full-touchscreen interface. 

With its full Qwerty keyboard perched on the bottom, the Q10 is a return to the classic BlackBerry design. Match that with the latest BB10 software, a 3.1-inch Super AMOLED screen, a dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera and you’ve got a recipe for a great return to form.

On the 20th April Team Welcomm conquered the Farmageddon Challenge in Melton Mowbray. The course was a grueling 10KM long and involved running across trecherous terrain and wading through baltic rivers.

Our very own Emily Murray (Pictured) won the title for the fastest female to finish the course, she’s still undecided about entering the Rio Olympics though.

A fantastic effort was given by all involved and we are all looking forward to tackling this beast again next year!

Virgin Media has signed up O2 as a wholesale partner for its WiFi on London Underground service, enabling O2 customers’ access to free London Underground WiFi from June.

As part of the deal, all existing O2 customers signed up to O2 WiFi will be automatically registered for free WiFi on the Underground, taking away the need to sign up above ground or remembering a password.

As well as getting access to free wifi at tube stations, O2 Pay Monthly customers will be able to use our latest innovation, TU Go which lets them use their existing number and tariff to make and receive calls, send and receive texts and use voicemail on up to five devices at the same time. If they have devices that are wifi-only, like tablets and laptops, or if they have wifi but no mobile coverage (like on tube platforms), they can use TU Go to connect to the O2 network. And they can call anyone – even if they don’t have TU Go.

Gary Booker, Head of Consumer at O2, said: “We’re excited to bring free Underground WiFi to O2 customers this summer. Our customers want to stay connected wherever they are and will soon be able to check their email, update their Facebook status, shop online, book their next holiday and stay connected to their friends and family right across Tube stations in Central London.”

Having a strong social presence on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook can not only boost your SEO position but it can also help build a stronger brand name, increase company revenue and help boost sales levels.

Welcomm had a webinar last week with a leading marketing expert and we thought we would share her tips on how to get the most out of your social media platforms.

Methods to Increase your company’s following

• Update your status regularly and interact with existing followers :  It  is a must to do thing. You must update your status at least twice or thrice a  day. It keeps your existing followers informed about your  blog’s updates and  helps them to keep in touch with you.
• Don’t just promote yourself :  Keep in mind that people will love to  share your status or tweets if it  points to some interesting and useful  content, even if it is not your’s
• Use Hash Tags in your status updates :-  These hash tags works as meta tags and meta description for people  searching  tweets. For example: If you use a hash tag #blogging in your  tweet it means  that your tweet is related to blogging, and twitter  searching engines will  easily point out your tweet when ever some one  will search “blogging” on  twitter or any other twitter search engines.
• Post status on peak timings :-  Update  your status on such time when most of your existing followers are online. It  will increase the chances of your content being liked and  shared. Most people  are online between 9 a.m to 12 p.m. & 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Next Generation Voice

Welcomm’s Freedom2 Next Generation Voice Solution offers you a high quality, fully managed VoIP solution.  Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is revolutionising the way companies handle their telephone calls.  Not only does it offer cheaper calls, it also enables more effective call management to improve customer service and internal communication. It’s not just large corporations who are reaping the benefits; small and medium sized businesses across all industry sectors are seeing the positive impact of implementing a business-quality VoIP service.

What does Freedom2 offer?

Our Freedom2 product consists of three main service offerings which are available separately or in combination:

• Hosted VoIP is a Centrex service without the need for a PBXSIP Trunking is an ISDN replacement service that allows the customer to run IP voice over their existing PBX and phones
• SIP Trunking is an ISDN replacement service that allows the customer to run IP voice over their existing PBX and phones
• Business-Grade Application (app) that enables the end user to be more mobile by accessing their calls (audio and rich media) via a Desktop, Smartphone or tablet device using ‘One Number’.

Benefits

• Cost savings: Free internal and inter-site calls plus cheaper UK, mobile and international calls by up to 20%
•  Equipment: Plug and Play phones from leading vendors Cisco and Polycom. Approved to inter work with leading brands of IP PBXs to ensure simple and cost effective service installation
•  No Investment in Infrastructure: Full, unlimited access to the BT national network with no need for investment in an expensive PBX system
• Integrated Solution: Integrates with Microsoft Outlook and web browser
•  Emergency Services: Supports 999 emergency service
•  Cheaper than ISDN: Lower set-up and rental costs than ISDN
•  Flexible solution: Home and remote workers can pick up and manage calls anywhere

The Apple iPhone 5 is the first iPhone with a larger, 4-inch screen. At the same time, it has become thinner, with a more elongated body. The iPhone 5 is powered by a new A6 chip that’s twice as powerful as the chip on the preceding iPhone 4S. It’s also the first iPhone with 4G LTE, supporting not just American frequencies, but LTE networks across the globe.

 

 

 

 

Edward Baig, a tech writer for USA Today, said his initial impression of the phone is that it’s worth the wait, and the price. He wrote: 

For many people, the iPhone is going to be a case of love at first touch. It’s incredibly light and seems to be easier to hold. That means it might not be dropped as frequently as previous iPhones, reducing the chances of the glass on the display screen getting damaged.

One woman who also was testing out an iPhone 5 couldn’t stop raving about how ideal the new design was for people with smaller hands. “All the other iPhones were made with men in mind because they could easily slip from your grasp if you didn’t have big hands,” she said. “Now we finally have an iPhone for women.”

Recharging is easier with the iPhone 5 as well. The phone’s battery offers eight hours of talk or web browsing, and its new Lightning connector offers a smaller, sturdier connection for recharging — and it can fit either way, so no twisting and turning to find the right side.

What are your initial views?  Let us know!

Yesterday, o2 launched a new local business priority moment scheme.

Priority Moments is free of charge, an easy to use online portal which allows businesses to create, manage and promote offers direct to thousands of O2 customers in their area.

This service allows our customers to promote and grow their business for free. They can:

• Reach new customers 
• Boost revenue and footfall
• Be more effective in their marketing

Research is telling us that our customers want help growing their businesses without having to be an expert in Marketing.

So, o2 have set up a self service online tool that allows independent businesses to create and publish offers (or Moments) for Priority Moments users to see.

Moments published using the Priority Moments portal will appear on Priority Moments via the mobile web, as well as via our app available on iPhone, Android, Windows 7 and Blackberry phones.

And as the Priority Moments service is location based, O2 customers can now find great deals near them, no matter where they are.

For more information visit  www.o2priority.co.uk/local

Helping you Join Up Your Communication:
With Landline from O2 our customers can take advantage of the same premium level of customer service and value for money across both their mobile and landline services. In addition this means only one bill for your communications solution.

The Benefits of Landline from O2:

1. Free calls Promotion.

To save you money on your calls, we are offering a bundle of 200 minutes of calls to O2 mobiles from your O2 ISDN lines.

Calls to a mobile from a landline typically cost a business 40% of their total bill, therefore this promotion can offer you significant savings.

UK calls only. Applies for the life of your contract. Minutes are shared by all your landlines. Terms and conditions can be supplied upon request.
 
2. Competitive line rental

Only £11.50 per month if you are taking a landline and already have your mobile contract with us.
Alternatively £13.50 per month which includes 200 inclusive minutes of calls to O2 mobiles each month.

3. Call bundles

O2 have a selection of mobile and landline call bundles to help you plan your monthly bills and make huge call savings on your call rates. With costs to O2 UK mobiles as little as 1.5p per minute and calls to landlines at only 0.69p per minute.*

See all Call Bundles available. 

*On the 50,000 minute bundle.
O2′s Landline Benefits:

• Free calls to O2 UK Mobiles (200 minute bundle available)
• Competitive call rates from a wide selection of Call Bundles.
• One bill for your joined up communications.
• One Account Manager, a consistent customer service and Support experience.
• Set up specialist available to get your landlines up and running.
• Simple to switch on new lines, or transfer your existing line.*
• On-time Guarantees – If we don’t transfer your landline or ISDN line on time, we will offer the first month of your bill for free.**
• All lines come with Caller Display, 1471 – see the number you called last and 141 – hide your number when you call.

*Line transfers need to be from an existing BT line.
**This applies to your monthly subscription. Terms and excessive usage policy apply, see www.o2.co.uk/terms

Fancy receiving more information about Welcomm Communications and our services, special offers and company news?

Then you can sign up for free to our monthly newsletter at the following link.

http://www.welcomm.co.uk/newsletter/

Will school textbooks and computers soon be a thing of the past?

Will the new Innolance app for IPAD revolutionise the way children learn and grow?

http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/07/02/innolance-announces-new-ipad-app-children