O2

Over the last couple of months I've been in a dispute with O2 via email. I've created a separate page detailing the full story with my letter / emails and responses. At this stage phase one is over, phase two is Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority. I'll be doing that next week when I have some spare time. For now feel free to read the full exchange of phase one.

Within a week of using my HTC Smart phone, I was gradually feeling more and more underwhelmed with it. Given how limited it is by design, multiplied by the limited functionality O2 put on it with a Pay&Go deal it turns into a very basic but flashy touchphone. I decided to return it for a lower end touchphone, the Samsung Tocco Lite. Turns out O2 (and the other networks) may be onto a nice little illegal earner.

In the previous part I talked about my new HTC Smart on O2. This post deals with the O2 specific issues around it. Due to my location I only get a consistent signal from O2. I am too high up, I believe I am higher than most transmitters, which are all pointed horizontal and downwards. With all of the others I have to press myself against the window to get a signal, which drops out if I step more than a foot away. Luckily then that the HTC Smart is available on O2. It is in fact an O2 exclusive. Life is not all rosey with the O2 side of the deal however. O2 strike me as kinda disingenuous on several points.

Last week I joined the smartphone revolution by buying an HTC Smart on O2. It's a budget, entry level smartphone with many limitations and not intended to compete with the high end iPhones and HTC Desires of this world. For the money and my needs it's rather nice. This is the first of a few posts about both the HTC Smart and O2. As a Linux / FOSS advocate you'd imagine an Android phone would be ideal for me, however a couple of things ruled that out.