Vodafone is pumping up its HSDPA network this autumn to up to 14 times faster, to a possible 7.2Mb/sec, and introducing HSUPA, increasing upload speeds to a possible 1.44Mb/sec.

Vodafone will begin the upgrade in central London to combat the growing number of WiFi hotspots, and major airports. Although capable of 7.2Mb/sec, the new infrastructure will typically offer between 1.7-5.5Mb/sec.

Airports scheduled to receive the new kit are Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham, East Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast City, Belfast International, Cardiff and Norwich.

The Vodafone service will have a fair usage cap of 3GB a month. However, unlike other networks, Vodafone would not charge for extra traffic beyond that limit, and will only take action against habitual abusers.

Kyle Whitehill, enterprise business unit director for Vodafone UK said:

“More than ever, the speed of our Mobile Broadband service is helping people make work, work around them, wherever they are. These devices are fast but they are also future-proofed - they are ready for our new upgraded network and they are ready for the latest PCs or laptops.”

The devices needed to achieve the new speeds will include a new plug-and-play USB Modem, which is the first ‘tri-band 3G’ device to be offered in the UK, and two new ExpressCards, one that is plug and play and another that is targeted at corporate customers. Both formats are also backward compatible using an adaptor which customers can place over the card so it fits the more traditional PC card slots.

Top-up vending units for prepay customers will become available as Payzone and vending company The Hub have signed a deal. The units will include mobile top-ups for all networks and will allow customers to replenish their credit by using a touch-screen and paying by cash or with credit or debit card.

They will be distributed throughout convenience stores, universities, hotel and health clubs and customers will also be able to access other services, such as international call time and paying household bills.

Nokia are recalling batteries used across their entrire range of handsets. Matsushita made 300 million batteries last year, of which 46 million are being recalled due to a potential overheating fault.

Nokia assures everyone that there have been no serious injuries or property damage, but there have been 100 incidents of overheating reported globally.

It has been identified that in very rare cases the Nokia-branded BL-5C batteries could potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge. Nokia is working closely with Matsushita and will be cooperating with relevant authorities to investigate this situation.

Consumers with a BL-5C battery subject to the recall should note that all of the approximately 100 incidents have occurred while charging the battery. According to Nokia’s knowledge this issue does not affect any other use of the mobile device.

While the occurrences in the BL-5C batteries produced by Matsushita in the time-period specified are very rare, concerned consumers can request a replacement for any BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory. It is important to note that the BL-5C battery is not used in all Nokia products and that only a portion of the Nokia BL-5C batteries in use are subject to the recall.

How to identify a BL-5C battery manufactured by Matsushita during the relevant period
In order to determine if a battery is subject to a recall, it is necessary to remove the battery from the device. A Nokia battery will have “Nokia” and “BL-5C” printed on the front of the battery. On the reverse, the Nokia mark appears at the top and the battery identification number (consisting of 26 characters) is found at the bottom. Consumers should refer to this identification number to determine if their battery is among the batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006. A comparison of that number with those subject to this advisory will determine a consumer’s ability to obtain a replacement free of charge.

A list of Nokia products that include the BL-5C battery is available at www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement.

The Nokia N95 multimedia computer has been voted ‘the European Media Phone of the Year 2007-2008′ by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), Europe’s leading association for consumer electronics.

Commenting on the award, EISA praised the Nokia N95 as containing “practically every feature one could imagine in a mobile device.” Additionally, the award citation of the EISA jury goes on to say: “It’s no mere mobile phone and no mere status symbol. Pick up a Nokia N95 and you hold in your hands a state-of-the-art communication tool - the ideal way to remain permanently in touch and on track with the world that surrounds you. “

The judging panel cited Nokia N95 features such as GPS, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and MPEG4 video capture of up to 30 fps. EISA also highlighted the device’s data access of up to 3.5 Mb/s, advanced web browser, Wi-Fi, microSD slot, and audio reproduction of multiple audio formats.

“The Nokia N95 has evidently raised the bar for mobile devices and we are thrilled to receive this accolade from consumer electronics magazines across Europe,” said Jonas Geust, head of Nokia Nseries Players Category, Multimedia, Nokia. “This award is an endorsement of the strategy behind Nokia Nseries - to bring to people’s hands high performance multimedia computers which make digital convergence a reality.”

EISA is a consumer technology awards association, and comprises of nearly 50 prominent Photo, Video, Audio, Home Theater and Mobile Electronics magazines from 18 European countries.

The award comes after rumours that Nokia could be releasing a new and improved N95. The new model will have a massive 8gb of storage, plus an improved 128mb of ram. All of this packaged up behind a new VGA screen.