Firstly – I love the  Rose Bowl, it’s a stunning venue, I can’t wait to be watching Cricket there again soon.

The Expo was far busier and more vibrant than I was expecting . So often these type events are full of weary looking stand holders being pursued by Pen & Note pad collectors. Today was different, there seemed to be many very fruitful discussions taking place.

I always attend these event with the thought that if I come away with just one good idea or opportunity then it has been worthwhile. Today produced a number of areas to move forward with.

All in all a very good day also made better by bumping in to a good friend.

Auditel are actively advising their clients in this very important area. If they are obliged to join the scheme we are helping them turn it into an opportunity rather than a threat for their business. Like any compliance issue it is best to make it work to your advantage rather than it becoming a burden.

To discuss in more detail please call or email.

Further information on how we can help can be found by downloading our specific CRC brochure at:-

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/134da12c#/134da12c/2

Save the Children

Rowans Hospice

Earl Mountbatten Hospice

World Vision

Samaritans

Help for Heroes

We would like to thank all of our clients for their input into selecting these very worthwhile organisations. As with any donation we wish it could have been larger but hope that our small contribution makes a difference.

As always it was great to catch up with all my Auditel colleagues. The day was filled with very interesting and thought provoking presentations and workshops. The keynote speaker, John Neal, delivered a very enjoyable and engaging presentation on the subject of “Leaders, nature or nurture?”.

The evening (and early hours)

The phrase “let your hair down” comes to mind, but it strikes me that I might have done that once to often. A great evening made possible by very enjoyable company. The experience within the network is phenomenal!

The following article extract was taken from Telegraph.co.uk on 13th November

Vodafone users were unable to use their phones for more than two hours this morning after the operator suffered a network glitch.

Vodafone said that the network crash first came to light at 7am this morning, and affected a “small number of users”. It left some Vodafone customers unable to make or receive calls, send emails or text messages, or surf the internet.

Although the company did not give an exact reason for the network outage, it said that engineers had been working on its systems at the time of the glitch.

“An intermittent technical issue affected a small number of users this morning,” Vodafone said in a statement. “The problem had been fully resolved by 9am, and all systems are working as normal.”

Vodafone has around 18.7 million customers in the UK, with more than a quarter of its subscribers using a BlackBerry or other internet-enabled handset.

The timing of the glitch is embarrassing. The company has signed a number of deals in recent weeks to add sought-after devices to its handset line-up. It will start selling the iPhone early next year, after Apple’s exclusivity deal with O2 came to an end, and it will be the first network operator to sell the new touch-screen BlackBerry, the Storm 2, before it is made available on other networks. It will also be the first to sell the HTC HD2, which is based on the Windows Mobile operating system and has earned rave reviews.

Network outages are becoming increasingly commonplace as modern, internet-enabled handsets, such as the iPhone, place extra strain on the mobile data network. In July, O2’s data network crashed for several hours, preventing iPhone users from making calls or sending emails, and a similar problem occurred in August. Last month, O2 customers were unable to make calls for about an hour following technical problems with the 3G voice network.

Orange, which started selling the Apple iPhone earlier this week, is promoting the stability of its data network in an effort to tempt customers away from signing up with rival operators.

The following article appeared on the Timesonline website on 9th November 09.

Nokia, the Finnish handset group, is replacing 14 million malfunctioning phone chargers after warning they could cause an electric shock.

The Finnish group said that it was replacing the chargers, made by BYD, a third-party Chinese supplier, as a “precautionary measure” and was not aware of any injuries.

It is the second recall in as many years for Nokia. In 2007, the company replaced 46 million batteries after components, supplied by Matsushita, the Japanese company, were found to overheat.

Nokia said BYD would cover all costs from today’s replacement. A spokesman for BYD said: “During internal tests we found the chargers could have some problems.”

Nokia said that the recall did not affect chargers brought in Britain, China, Brazil or Argentina.

Three Nokia models are affected — the AC-3E and AC-3U models, made between June 15 and August 9, 2009 and the AC-4U model, made between April 13 and October 25, which are sold around the globe.

Nokia said that their plastic covers could come loose and separate, exposing their internal components and “potentially posing an electrical shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket”.

The group wrote on its blog that the problem “only applies to a restricted number of chargers manufactured over a short period available in a select number of countries”.

The affected chargers, it said, may have been sold with a Nokia device or purchased separately.

Today’s recall is one of the biggest in history. In 2006, Sony saw a sharp slide in its shares following major problems with its computer batteries and it was forced to recall nearly ten million of the product.

We regularly hear people say I get “Free” minutes with my phone deal. I often then tell them that I get “free” fuel for my car – all I have to do is put £100 on the counter. Incidentally, I can currently get about £75’s worth of fuel in my car so the garage would be happy for me to have “free” fuel in exchange for £100. Why then do we convince ourselves that we are in some way getting one over on the telecoms providers- these deals always best suit them. The reality is that these minutes are “inclusive” and if you regularly have unused minutes then you are overpaying. But the answer is not to make more phone calls in order to reach your maximum allowance. If you want to ensure that you are getting the best possible value in this area the answer is to…………………….