O2 Customers Get SMS Twitter

Twitter has announced that it has launched its Twitter Text Messaging service in both Ireland and Indonesia today, which implies a kind of alphabetically-based global rollout that probably isn’t happening.

Strangely, we haven’t seen anything from O2 about it, but the Twitter blog is all in a tizzy, telling us that the folks at Twitter are “excited to announce” that 3 Indonesia and O2 Ireland have made Twitter available via SMS to their respective users. The text message service isn’t quite the same as the one currently in place for those using texts to tweet.

Google Phone to Hit in Early 2010

Word is leaking out that the rumoured Google phone people had been talking about last week has started to become something very much more solid indeed, with some intimating that a debut could be just around the corner.

We're hoping Google's phone looks a lot nicer than this...

There are relatively few things for the moment that can be considered “absolutely confirmed” but according to the folks over at TechCrunch we can expect that Google is definitely building its own phone. Moreover, the original plan was that it would launch by the end of this year, though it’s since slipped back to the start of 2010.

Meteor to Launch HTC Hero November 1st

Meteor has announced an update to its fairly vague “November” launch date for the much-anticipated Hero, which we’re not told will actually happen on November 1st.

The hype about the Hero’s release in Ireland is due to a combination of it being launched on Meteor (whose smartphone range has been a little lacklustre to say the least, since O2 snagged both the iPhone and the Palm Pre). With Vodafone to release the iPhone to its customers in early 2010, the Hero could well be the handset that keeps Meteor in the game. Perhaps most interesting though, is word that Meteor intends to introduce new price plans for users who pick up the Hero.

Vodafone Gets iPhone in Ireland

Vodafone has announced that it is to carry the iPhone in Ireland, breaking the O2 iPhone exclusivity for us in much the same way as Orange did when it announced yesterday that it would be carrying the iPhone in the UK.

For now any news of the whole affair seems to be arriving a little higgledy piggledy, but Vodafone has posted a page to allow potential customers to “register their interest” so that Vodafone can “keep you up to date on all the developments as they happen.” The real news, we imagine, will come when Vodafone announces price plans and billing options.

More Details of Nokia’s Netbook Emerge

Ever since the announcement of Nokia’s upcoming netbook, the Booklet 3G, there’s been an awful lot of buzz over relatively scant details. Now though, we’re starting to get a better impression of what the device will actually be like when we see it.

We had already known some of the more attractive qualities of the Booklet 3G, including the fact that it boasts an aluminium shell, weighs in at just 1¼KG and boasts a 10” but is only 2cm thick. The news that’s emerged today, according to Engadget, is that the Booklet 3G will be shipping with Windows 7, which will be welcome news to anyone looking forward to Microsoft’s upcoming operating system. Perhaps the most impressive news is on battery life and connectivity.

ISPCC Asks ISPs About Child Pornography

In a move that makes it particularly hard to disagree without sounding like some kind of heartless beast, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has issued a letter to Irish ISPs to ask what their policies are regarding access to child pornography.

The Sunday Business Post has actually been good enough to post the whole letter, which reads,

“Dear ——, I am writing to ask what your company’s policy is towards blocking access to known child pornography websites and Usenet groups. You will be aware that in Italy it is required by law that all ISPs block access to known child pornography websites, and the German government recently signalled its intention to promote a similar law at federal level.”

O2 To Lose iPhone Exclusivity?

It’s looking as though O2 may lose its exclusivity on the iPhone in the UK in October, though there’s no word on how long the iPhone 3G S exclusivity might last.

TheRegister is reporting that October 9th is the big day for O2 in the UK, with the iPhone 3G looking to make a bit of a shuffle over towards T-mobile and Orange. For now though, there’s no telling just what this might mean for O2’s iPhone exclusivity in Ireland, though we imagine the two are part of a combined deal.

BT Hands off to Vodafone

Vodafone and BT have inked a deal that will see BT push its Irish consumer and small business customers to Vodafone. This will come as a boon to Vodafone, which has been looking for entry into the broadband market for a while already.

The benefit for BT’s current customers is that it looks as though the “strategic partnership” between the two companies will see two thirds of BT’s customers being bumped up to 24Mbit/s by 2012. The main thrust of the deal though seems to be that BT will be handing off the customers to Vodafone, while BT handles network services on Vodafone’s behalf (at least, according to Electronics Weekly).