This week Telstra have upped the ante for competition in the mobile phone industry by releasing some great deals for the new HTC Desire.
Telstra is making up for lost ground since customers discovered problems with the HTC Desire's GPS features shortly after its launch. Telstra and HTC quickly released a software update to fix the GPS glitch.
In the last week Telstra's HTC customers have experienced a flurry of deals and give-aways for the new HTC Desire smartphone.
Telstra 'Social Review' program for HTC Desire:
On May 4th, 2010 Telstra announced a 2 week 'Social Review Program' in which 25 Australians will get a free HTC Desire handset and a Next G SIM card in exchange for their thoughts, opinions and reviews on the new HTC Desire phone.
Telstra Device Lead, Ben Bevins, said the technology media were recently impressed with the new HTC Android-powered smartphone, but Telstra realise the general public are likely to see the HTC Desire smartphone from a different standpoint. According to Bevins, this is a great chance for people to become better acquainted with the new HTC smartphone, and provide great feedback for Telstra.
'The program offers a little bit of everything to current and prospective HTC Desire owners.’
• ‘People considering making an investment in the HTC Desire can read about the Social Reviewer’s user experience and ask questions.’
• ‘Current owners will be able to learn more about the HTC Desire’s capabilities and share their insights on how they’ve customised their handset to meet their needs.’
‘We’re looking for a mix of perspectives, including people from metro and regional Australia, current Telstra mobile customers, as well as people who currently subscribe to competitor services.' Bevins said on his Telstra blog.
Better Telstra mobile internet packs:
Telstra post-paid browsing packs have also been revamped so mobile users can enjoy all of the internet features on the HTC Desire. Telstra mobile customers will now receive more data for their dollar with the following packs:
• AUD$5 buys 30MB
• AUD$10 buys 200MB
• AUD$20 buys 500MB
• AUD$39 buys 1GB
• AUD$49 buys 3GB
• AUD$79 buys 6GB
• AUD$99 will get you 9GB.
These plans improve Telstra's mobile data services, but are still no match for Optus’s monthly data packs for which their mobile customers can pay:
• AUD$4.99 for 150MB,
• AUD$9.99 for 700MB,
• AUD$14.99 for 1GB
• AUD$19.99 for 2GB
Hidden features in the HTC Desire:
After receiving the GPS software update for their new HTC handsets, disgruntled Telstra customers have even more reason to cheer up, as several secret applications have now been uncovered in the HTC Desire smartphone.
Early in the week an anonymous source revealed how to activate Android features such as GPS navigation, Google Earth and Voice Dictation by transferring files from American Android phones to an Australian HTC Desire handset. These features are yet to be released in Australia, so these lucky Telstra customers are the first to experience the full capacity of their new HTC Desire smartphone.
The iTnews website reviewed HTC Desire’s new hidden treasures and said they were very handy, but warned customers as the features are yet to be available in Australia, they would be installing them at their own risk.
After a rocky start to the release of the new HTC Desire smartphone, Telstra has managed to woo their mobile customers back with a number of hidden surprises.