iPhone 4 is now available in Luxembourg – Luxgsm, Orange and Tango’s offers are analyzed and compared right here

Written 3-Aug-2010

In my post prior to the iPhone 4 launch in Luxembourg, there were many active readers of this blog discussing and sharing information on the launch of the iPhone 4 in Luxembourg. Now it is here. All three providers (Luxgsm, Orange and Tango) started to sell the iPhone 4 on the 30th July 2010. Due to the large readership of the prior post, I have decided to also make a comparison of the iPhone packages by Luxgsm, Orange and Tango.

Luxgsm, Orange and Tango iPhone 4 Prices and Packages

All three providers have at least 3 kinds of subscriptions. In order to provide the best transparency, I have made direct comparisons of the ‘same level’ subscriptions. I simply name them small, medium and large packages.

Small Luxgsm, Orange and Tango Packages

	luxgsm	tango	orange
iphone 4 (16 GB)	199 EUR	169 EUR	199 EUR
iphone 4 (32 GB)	299 EUR	279 EUR	259 EUR
subscription / month	35 EUR	30 EUR	35 EUR
duration	24 months	24 months	24 months
calls national	120 mins	100 mins	180 units (shared with sms)
calls international	0 mins	0 mins	75 mins
calls roaming	0 mins	0 mins	0 mins
sms	120	100	180 units (shared with national calls)
data national	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB
data roaming	0	0	0
internet tethering	Yes	No	Yes
Sim-Locked	No	No	No

Medium Luxgsm, Orange and Tango Packages

	luxgsm	tango	orange
iphone 4 (16 GB)	99 EUR	49 EUR	59 EUR
iphone 4 (32 GB)	199 EUR	149 EUR	159 EUR
subscription / month	50 EUR	45 EUR	50 EUR
duration	24 months	24 months	24 months
calls national	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
calls international	0 mins	0 mins	150 mins
calls roaming	0 mins	0 mins	0 mins
sms	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
data national	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
data roaming	0	0	0
internet tethering	Yes	No	Yes
Sim-Locked	No	No	No

Large Luxgsm, Orange and Tango Packages

	luxgsm	tango	orange
iphone 4 (16 GB)	0 EUR	49 EUR	19 EUR
iphone 4 (32 GB)	99 EUR	149 EUR	79 EUR
subscription / month	75 EUR	50 EUR	75 EUR
duration	12 months	24 months	24 months
calls national	unlimited	100 mins	unlimited
calls international	0 mins	300 mins	200 mins
calls roaming	0 mins	0 mins	80 mins
sms	unlimited	100	unlimited
data national	unlimited	2 GB	unlimited
data roaming	0	0	10 MB
internet tethering	Yes	No	Yes
Sim-Locked	No	No	No

Which is the right package to choose?

This of course depends on your personal needs. Your best option is to take your itemized bill from the past months, and see how many calls you make within and outside of Luxembourg. Also look at how many sms you send and finally also check how much data you consume (in case you already have a smartphone). You will then get a better idea of what you need.
I still want to give you my opinion on things, so here we go:

iPhone 4 16GB or 32GB?

The price difference between the two models are roughly always 100EUR. If you look at the total sum you will be spending on owning an iPhone 4 (regardless of package chosen), 100 EUR is really not a lot of money. If you are honest to yourself, then you also know that your music, video and application collection is not exactly set to decrease in size – it is rather likely to increase. Remember, in theory you will have this phone for at least one or two years. In my eyes, it is therefore a no-brainer to get the iPhone 4 32GB.

iPhone 4 Data Packages

It can be rather tricky and confusing to choose the right data package. Over the past 18 months where I have been using the iPhone 3G, I have never managed to use over 500MB in a month. This is with 3 push-mail accounts, calendar and contacts synchronization as well as facebook push notifications. This is generally not very heavy data consummation, but I also view many youtube clips and I also use the iPhone as navigation device. This is the more data-hungry applications, and still – I don’t even get close to 1 GB data consumption.
In my eyes, the only thing that will really get your data consumption close to 2GB per month, is if you start using internet tethering (i.e. connecting your computer to the internet via your iPhone). I believe the number of people concerned here are very low.
Notice that the smallest data packages from every provider is set to 2GB per month. As a result, do not let the data consumption packages make the choice for you – you are very unlikely to reach the limit with any of the available data packages.

iPhone 4 National Call Packages

The medium and large packages all have unlimited national calls (except for tango’s large package). Therefore this section only concerns the small packages. I believe it is fair to say that most mobile phone users use their phone more than 100 minutes a month for national voice calls. If you choose one of the small packages, you should therefore expect additional call charges on your monthly bill.

iPhone 4 International Call Packages

Only Tango and Orange offer international calls as part of their packages. Orange as the only provider also includes international calls in their medium package. If you make numerous short international calls, this could be interesting for you. If you are more likely to make longer but less regular international calls, it is highly recommendable to use skype via your iphone. Since earlier 2010, skype’s application is also able to be used under 3G reception on your iPhone and not only wifi (as it was before). Skype’s international call charges can easily compete with any Luxembourgish mobile phone provider’s international call charges.

Other note-worthy iPhone 4 stuff

Orange offers 10MB roaming data transfer – 10MB is close to nothing. If you choose this package, make sure you ask Orange to notify you when the 10MB has been used, so you have the option to manually switch if off. If you are not careful here, you can very quickly get a nasty surprise on your bill at the end of the month.
Luxgsm has a package only for young people up to 25 years of age. If you qualify for this, it may be worth having a look at.

iPhone 4 without a contract

Unfortunately, none of the providers in Luxembourg sell the iPhone 4 without a contract. If you are looking for an iPhone 4 without a contract, you will need to order it from the French or British apple store. They are not simlocked, which makes it possible to use it in Luxembourg (or anywhere else for that matter). Note that local shipping addresses will be needed to place the order.

Antennagate – the ‘problem’ with the iPhone 4 antenna

Just after the launch of the iPhone 4 in Luxembourg, readers commented on my prior post with information concerning the antenna problem. Nobody saw any note-worthy change when touching the ‘sensitive’ spot on the iPhone 4 on Luxgsm, Orange or Tango. We therefore conclude that this problem does not seem to be anything serious for Luxembourg iPhone 4 users. Nevertheless, I recommend watching Steve Job’s video on how Apple handles the Antennagate problem. If you have purchased your iPhone 4 before September 30th 2010 – you can get a free case, by following this link.

Which provider is best for the iPhone 4 in Luxembourg?

Remember that the iPhone 4 is a very data-hungry smartphone if you compare it to other smartphones. If you are with a provider with a poor data network, you are not going to get the most out of your iPhone 4. I even go as far as saying that it can be very frustrating. Therefore, make sure that there is good data coverage in your area. I cannot tell you if it is good or bad in your area. This is where you simply just have to ask fellow consumers who have the device about their opinion or even make them get this app that can test the speed. If you test with this app, make sure that you are connected to 3G and/or Edge – not wifi. Do not ask the providers – they will not give you a neutral opinion. Generally speaking, all three providers have decent data coverage in Luxembourg City.

iPhone 4 is coming to Luxembourg in July 2010 – What’s the deal? Which provider will get it, when will they get it and how much will it cost…

Written 09-Jun-2010 02:12
(update 1 09-Jun-2010 12:15)
(update 2 10-Jun-2010 16:45)
(update 3 30-Jun-2010 13:00)
(update 4 15-Jul-2010 15:20)
(update 5 22-Jul-2010 11:55)
NEW POST-LAUNCH ARTICLE HERE

When Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS, he never gave specific details for Luxembourg. When Apple announced the iPhone 4 – it was there and it was clear. iPhone 4 is out in Luxembourg in July 2010. If Apple’s CEO says it himself on stage, then it is fair to say that there is something to it. From past announcements, we have learned that Luxembourg has been kind of the wild wild west. For the iPhone 3G, it was Orange who got it first. Then Luxgsm got it a few months later – and somehow without major announcements, Tango had it as well. When visiting the official apple iPhone page for Luxembourg – there is not any mention of the iPhone 4 (Situation on 9-Jun-2010). This means, all we can do at this stage is to speculate and contact the various operators in Luxembourg to see what they are willing to reveal.

Luxgsm, Orange and Tango will all sell iPhone 4 – it’s confirmed

Luxgsm

I contacted the commercial director of Luxgsm (Mr. Celis) who was only able to confirm to me that they will get the iPhone 4. I was not able to get any further answers to my questions with regards to:

• Will the iPhone 4 still be sim-unlocked?
• Will it still be 2 years minimum contract or still available without a contract?
• Will the release date be in July 2010?
• How much will it cost?

All I got out of him was: “All I can say is we will get it”.
Since mid-July (after very unclear communication to the public from Luxgsm), you can enter your email address to get informed when the iPhone 4 is available on Luxgsm via their website.

Orange

Mrs. Hoffmann (head of marketing and communication) from Orange Luxembourg confirmed via email that they will also be selling the iPhone 4. No details on dates, prices etc were given. Since mid-July, Orange is allowing people to enter their email address to get notified when the iPhone 4 is available on Orange via their website.

Tango

Mrs. Montagnese (communication manager) from Tango has also confirmed to me in an email (early June) that they will be selling the iPhone 4 at some point in July 2010. A press release on their website on 22nd July 2010 confirms that the iPhone 4 will be available at their retail stores as of 30th July 2010. The pre-order form that was available prior to 22nd July 2010 is no longer available. It is still unknown under which conditions and at what price tango will sell the iPhone 4.

Stay Informed About iPhone 4 in Luxembourg

At present, we have very little facts and many assumptions. So to keep everything nice and clear, keep and eye on the table below that will be updated on an ongoing basis:

Tariffs for the iPhone in Luxembourg

Chances that the talk plans remain untouched are pretty high. The prices for the devices is the big question. Will they remain how they are or will they change. Steve Jobs announced prices starting at $199 for the US at the WWDC 10. At present, the talk plans for the iPhone in Luxembourg are as following for each of the providers:

Luxgsm Talk Plan and iPhone Prices

Orange Talk Plan and iPhone Prices

Tango Talk Plan and iPhone Prices

Stay updated on the iPhone 4 situation in Luxembourg

This blogpost will be updated as soon as there are more news concerning the iPhone 4 in Luxembourg. To stay updated, simply sign up for the newsletter below in the orange section. Finally, please click the ‘facebook like’ button below in case you found this post useful.
NEW POST-LAUNCH ARTICLE HERE

8 facebook marketing insights a marketer should have

This post is rather long, so feel free to jump straight to the section that interests you

1. Facebook users upload pictures – a lot of them
2. Facebook users post more and more videos
3. Facebook users don’t understand the privacy settings
4. Facebook users spend time stalking – not only interacting
5. Facebook users notice EVERYTHING about their friends
6. Facebook users don’t comment on 3rd party sites, but do comment within facebook
7. Facebook users via smart phones are the real addicts
8. Facebook users keep a clean inbox

1. Facebook users upload pictures like mad

We all have digital cameras, and they are used more than ever before. Especially the girls use digital cameras when socializing. The digital camera makes out an essential part of the handbag content for many girls. Guys don’t use handbags, and don’t have a digital camera with them at all times, but remember that millions of facebook users carry a mobile phone with them that is capable of taking pictures.
Uploading pictures is dead easy and people can select which ones look good and which ones do not. That makes it good content to upload as the ‘not so good’ pictures can be deselected from the pictures that will be uploaded. Video on the other hand is more complicated. Chances that the video shot with the digital camera or mobile phone is ‘perfect’ tends to be very low unless it is being edited. Editing video is tedious and not everyone knows how to do it. For that reason, pictures continue to be the media of choice when people share ‘self-made’ content on facebook. Having said that, many facebook users prefer to watch videos, because it is easy – you don’t need to do anything except for watching and listening. That leads to the next point.

2. Facebook users post more and more videos on their wall

People are lazy and reading a 750 word article to its full is simply not something that your average facebook users does…it will take time and the reader needs to ‘make an effort’. With video, all you need to do is watch and listen…much easier. That is why we see more and more videos from sources such as youtube posted on facebook. Facebook realizes this and includes a screenshot, title and description of video links that stem from youtube, vimeo etc.

3. Facebook privacy

The majority of people on facebook do not understand the facebook privacy settings. Without being fully aware of it, people are sharing content with thousands and thousands of people they don’t know. This is great for stalking and great for facebook as you spend more time on the site…yeah it’s their butter and bread. As an advertiser, this is a great news as chances that facebook users will fall onto your content is higher.

4. Stalking on facebook

People might not always post and comment on much stuff, but they sure look at content. If you really want to find out stuff about other people (especially relationship targets) – facebook is where you want to be. Also, don’t forget that when people use facebook chat, they are online. Just try and see who is always online and then go to their profile and look at their activity – you’ll see what I mean.

5. Facebook friends’ engagement is being checked out

This point is very close to the last one. Think of a time when you meet someone on your night out and they say: ‘I saw that photo of you on facebook from XYZ’s birthday. Was it a good party?’ and bla bla bla. They saw it; they had interest; but they didn’t comment. I am sure this has happened to you before. So remember – no comments doesn’t mean people don’t see it and also doesn’t mean that people don’t care.

6. Comments on facebook posts

If you post a link to a blog post or a video, you are likely to see that people will not post their comments (if any) on the page of the content, but on facebook itself. People are tired of registering to comment (even though it often isn’t necessary, people still think it is) – they rather comment on the place they became aware of the content. Also, not everyone wants to share their comments with the entire internet – by commenting on facebook, they can stay in their comfort zone (remember that most facebook users don’t understand the privacy settings).

7. Facebook on smart phones

Facebook is available via smart phones. The users that access facebook via smartphones tend to be comparable with crack addicts. Note, that a smart phone is a great way to use facebook if it is blocked at the workplace. Finally, iphones can view youtube videos and not facebook videos – so if you post videos, it is a good idea to use youtube.

8. Clean facebook inbox

Only friends and groups can reach the facebook user’s inbox. Likelihood that the stuff in the inbox is of value to the user is high. People know this and read the stuff that gets to their inbox. Many marketers see this as very powerful and create profiles rather than fan pages. What they forget, is that profiles is limited to 5000 ‘friends’ and you have no reporting on the demographics (sex, geographical location etc). Furthermore, remember that you don’t want to spam people on facebook – it has no long term value. If you are not careful, you will be removed quicker than you know.

Conclusion

Facebook has 350 million users, so don’t generalize about what you just read. You might agree to some points and not to others. At the end of the day, only facebook themselves really know how users use their platform and I am not sure they will share that kind of information with us to the extend that we would like.

Just take the points I illustrated and think about them next time you try and target people on facebook with your marketing efforts.

So…this article breaks several things I said. It’s over 750 words long and it is text rather than video. If you read this, I think you might be the exception to the rule. I know that you are probably not an ‘average facebook user’, but more likely a marketer whose job is to gain knowledge around this subject, but I still dare to say that video will work better for a post of this size. As a result, I will post a video with the same content a month from now. I will then share the view numbers of this post and the video with you, and we can see what communication method worked the best. Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on twitter and/or subscribe to our rss feed below and you will be notified when we have the data.

Amazon’s iPhone app picture recognition analysis

I just had the pleasure of trying out Amazon’s new feature in their iPhone app. There is one feature of the app which really impressed me. Not because it is there, but because it works (and it works fast). It’s really simple – you launch the app, you take a picture of a product and amazon will send you back the link to that specific item in their store. Here is how I tested it and what happened:

1. Take a picture of the product in question
2. Submit the picture to amazon
3. Get the reply with product recommendation
4. Check out the product and buy it if you like

For those who forgot they asked amazon to find a product for them, and for those who prefer to buy producs on the computer rather than on their phone, amazon also sends you an email (to the account registered with your amazon account) with a link to the product:

What amazes me is the speed at which amazon’s picture recognition works. It took literally one minute from taking the picture to having the product recommendation. But the tuly amazing thing about this service, is that it actually works and recommends the real product. Remington has several trimmers that look the same. Yet, amazon still managed to pick out the right product for me. I am amazed.

There had to be a downside…and there is. Even though my amazon account is registered to my address in Luxembourg, Europe, I am still taken to the US amazon store. I really don’t see what the big deal is for amazon to guide me to my ‘home store’. By recommending me products from the US store, amazon will not make any sale to me (and other non-US residents) via their iPhone app.

The app is free from the itunes store – click here to get it.