Vodafone 360 Launches: Social Media, Apps Plus Samsung H1 And M1
Vodafone have announced their latest mobile networking and app platform, Vodafone 360, bringing Facebook, Windows Live and Google contacts sync, software downloads and mobile content to the carrier's cellphones. While Vodafone 360 will support numerous Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices, the carrier is also launching two new Samsung devices which will be 360 branded: the Samsung H1, with a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen, and the Samsung M1, with a 3.2-inch TFT touchscreen.
The H1 also has a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, 16GB of onboard memory, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and HSDPA, and measures 58 x 115.9 x 12.9 mm (134g). As for the M1, that has 1GB of onboard storage and a microSD slot, together with GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, HSDPA, a 3-megapixel camera and measures 55 x 111 x 13.3 mm (111g). Both support push email and offer around ten hours talktime.
As well as a unified address book there's also integration with various IM clients, mapping with turn-by-turn guidance, GPS tagging for photos, the ability to post and check status updates to various social networks, and synchronisation with PCs and Macs. Vodafone 360 will also offer music, game, video and app downloads. For a full list of supported phones, check here.
[via AllAboutPhones.nl and via London Calling]
Press Release:
Vodafone Announces Vodafone 360A Suite of Innovative, New Internet Services for Mobile and PC
Vodafone 360 is a brand new set of internet services for the mobile and PC which gathers all of a customer's friends, communities, entertainment and personal favourites (like music, games, photos and video) in one place
At its heart Vodafone 360 has the most personal address book available, bringing together all of the contacts from the mobile phone, social networks and other internet accounts. It works across a range of mobile phones, including the new, exclusive Vodafone 360 phones, and synchs automatically with the PC
Connected address book – Vodafone People, open to everyone on any network across over 100 popular mobile phones, automatically synchs all contacts from a customer's phone, Facebook®, Windows Live Messenger™ and Google Talk™, and will soon also include Twitter, Hyves and studiVZ
New suite of internet services accessible on multiple handsets as well as PC or Mac, including a wide range of apps, games, music and mapping services
Two tailor-made Vodafone 360 mobile handsets, manufactured by Samsung, give the best customer experience of the services including the unique 3D contacts display, driven by Vodafone's 'proximity algorithm', bringing the most frequently contacted people closer to the front
Proprietary User Interface on Vodafone 360 mobiles, designed and developed by Vodafone using the LiMo operating system
Launching first in eight European countries by Christmas
24 September, 2009. London. Vodafone today announces the launch of Vodafone 360 – a new suite of innovative internet services for the mobile and PC.
All of a customer's contacts, status updates and messaging services are brought together in one place enhancing the customer's experience and use of social media. Customers will have integrated contacts, music, photos and mapping services and can share their favourite music choices and even their physical location, how and when they choose, with their chosen groups of friends.
The service is automatically backed up and synchronised, regularly and wirelessly, between the mobile and PC or Mac. All contacts updates, emails, photos and conversation history or settings changes made either at home or when on the move are saved, keeping all the content up-to-date.
"Vodafone 360 is the first service of its kind to offer customers the benefits of a truly integrated mobile internet experience that gathers all their contacts and content, all around them, in one place," said Pieter Knook, Director of Internet Services at Vodafone Group.
"The beauty of Vodafone 360 is that all the services work together and they are easy to use. Vodafone 360 enables customers' digital lives. Customers can stay in touch and share experiences through social networks, instant messaging, email, apps, maps, music and buying digital content on their mobile bill, with the personalised address book at its heart."
Vodafone 360 is a substantiator of Vodafone's new brand expression – 'power to you' – which is focused on putting the customer in control and enabling simple and easy to manage communications, both mobile and fixed.
Benefits:
bringing together all contacts and content in one place and allowing customers immediate access to their various contacts across different networking sites – all the latest information updates including Facebook status updates and the ability to chat through Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk
the ability to create different contact groups across social media networks, allowing customers to organise their contacts the way they want and manage how they share different information with different groups
the ability for customers and friends to share locations, tag and share pictures and favourite places
confidence that your connected address book is synchronised between your phone and the web and you can easily recover your phone contacts if you change or lose your mobile
access to the service through a variety of handsets and operating systems from multiple manufacturers – the ultimate experience being through a custom-built device
a catalogue of over one thousand Apps at launch available to different handsets, downloadable through the Vodafone Shop
the ability for non-Vodafone customers to access some of the range of services, linking them to their social networks via mobile.
The Vodafone 360 suite of services has been designed and developed by Vodafone. At launch the full Vodafone 360 experience will be available on two exclusive handsets built to Vodafone's specification by Samsung. The Vodafone 360 H1 by Samsung boasts a 3.5" multitouch, high definition OLED screen, 16GB memory, WiFi, a maximum talk time of over 400 minutes (3G) and a 5 megapixel camera. It will be followed shortly by a second Samsung handset, offering customers a range of colours and price points.
At launch four Nokia Symbian smartphones will come pre-loaded with Vodafone 360 and part or all of the service will be downloadable to over one hundred popular phones. In the coming months Vodafone will be making the service available through as wide a selection of handsets and operating systems from multiple manufacturers as possible.
The 2009 launch in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK will be followed by launches in a number of other countries in 2010, including India, Turkey, South Africa, New Zealand and Romania and in France through SFR. through MTS in Russia, and through Vodafone Hutchison Australia.
Notes to Editors
1) The two Vodafone 360 handsets manufactured for Vodafone by Samsung give the best Vodafone 360 experience. Four Nokia handsets are preloaded for customers to buy in store and for existing customers 10 handsets can download the Vodafone 360 service. The People Service will be available on over 100 popular devices at launch for any customer on any network.
2) For images, go to www.vodafone.com/media
3) For more details on the service, go to www.vodafone.com/media
4) Hyves and VZ networks (which incorporates the schuelerVZ, studiVZ and meinVZ platforms) are leading Dutch and German social network services. Hyves and the Hyves logos are trademarks of Startphone Limited
5) Vodafone Group 2009. VODAFONE, Vodafone 360 and the Vodafone logos are trade marks of Vodafone Group. Other names used herein may be the trade marks of their respective owners.
6) Windows Live is either a registered trade mark or a trade mark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
7) Google Talk is a trademark of Google Inc..
8) Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.