Mobile Phone Deals, Latest Mobile Phone News and Reviews

Orange has announced that it will be the exclusive seller of the new HTC Touch HD device in the UK. The new deal means that Orange will join the other major mobile operators, who all have exclusive high-end devices on their books.

Orange has also stated that customers will have to pay for the device, even on its £40 a month tariffs. The HTC Touch HD is expected to ship in mid November and will directly rival the other four mobile operator’s exclusive devices.

T-Mobile has the first android OS phone, the HTC Google G1 as its exclusive device. Vodafone has the Blackberry Storm, RIM’s first touchscreen device. 3 will be selling the Nokia N95 – Comes With Music enabled phone to their customers and of course O2 has the exclusive rights to the hugely popular iPhone 3G, which the other devices are trying to catch.

Mobile phone operators have started to offer their customers the choice of a reduced tariff plan or an upgrade mobile phone as part of their contract renewals.

It is hoped that customers who are happy with their current handsets will choose the reduced tariffs instead of a new device, meaning that the mobile operators will save money on new handsets (which they heavily subsidise) and also help their customers save during the credit crunch.

Currently both O2 and T-mobile are offering the new deal, which could mean a saving of up to £15 a month for customers who choose to keep their current mobile phone and renew their contract. Both firms are keen to point out that there is still the option to upgrade handsets if the customer wishes.

This new plan may be picked up by the other mobile phone operators, with the whole industry making a major switch towards longer 18 month contracts to retain customers.

Motorola have announced a new device that is designed with social networking in mind. The Motorola VE538 is a simple, but trendy candy bar styled device that supports 3G and has a dedicated key specifically designed to access social networking sites.

Measuring 107 x 46 x 16mm and weighing in at only 83 grams, the VE538 features a 2 inch TFT display, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity and media player. The Motorola VE538 also features a front mounted camera for video calls and a microSD card slot capable of taking up to 4GB.

The VE538 features a dedicated social networking key, which delivers one-click access to sites such as Facebook and Myspace and allows the user to update their page with pictures and blogs on the move. The Motorola VE538 also has a media player capable of playing various audio and video files.

Capturing pictures and video and sharing it with your friends through your social networking pages has never been simpler with the Motorola VE538.

The Motorola VE538 is due to hit the UK in the next couple of months (in time for Christmas). Prices and networks are to be confirmed.

Due to the success of the first LG PRADA phone, selling over a million units LG has released pictures and spec list of their new PRADA phone the LG KF900 (or PRADA II). Styled very much like the original PRADA phone, the LG KF900 also boasts a hidden weapon; a full slide out QWERTY keyboard.

The PRADA II has a 3 inch touchscreen display, HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity and a 5 megapixel camera. The phones camera is fitted with a Schneider-Kreuzach lens and has autofocus and a flash; a front mounted camera is also featured for video calls.

The LG PRADA II also has a media player, which supports various audio and video files and a built-in FM radio for listening to music on the go.

The LG KF900 is due for release before Christmas. There is no work on which of the mobile phone operators will carry the phone, but LG have stated that the sim-free version will cost a hefty £500.

BT has announced two new mobile broadband tariffs designed especially for small businesses. The two new tariffs come under BT’s Business Broadband option 2 and 3. BT Business Broadband also offers free connection with the two tariffs, via a USB stick which uses Vodafone’s 3G network.

Both broadband options are based on a 24 month contract, with option 2 costing £29.99 a month and option 3 a bit more at £40.50 a month.

Option 2 is limited to 1GB of data usage a month, with 2000 minutes of BT Openzone access. Option 3 has a 3GB data limit and 4000 minutes of BT Openzone minutes. If the data usage for the month is reached, BT will charge an additional 10p per megabyte, but stated that customers will be notified if they are near their limit.

BT has defended their low data usage limits by saying that mobile broadband use should not be as heavy as standard connection usage.

Still one of the most popular Blackberry devices on the market, due to its advanced features and compact size, the Blackberry Pearl 8120 is available in a range of colours including Pink. The Blackberry Pearl 8120 Pink mobile phone offers users a variety of features in a compact form.  This handy little smart-phone helps to keep users organized while providing a variety of multimedia options as well.

Users of the Blackberry 8120 will be happy to know that the phone features built-in Wi-Fi in the form of 802.11b/g.  This enables the user to browse the internet and send emails from a device that has access to a compatible hotspot but does not have a good signal on the phone.

Most smart-phones have typically been bulkier devices that can be difficult for users to carry around.  The Blackberry Pearl 8120 changes all that with its compact design.  Users can enjoy a device that is only 107mm long by 50mm wide and a surprising 14mm thick.  The device also only weighs 91 grams to really enhance its portability.

The Blackberry 8120 Pink will also provide users with 4 hours of talk time and up to 15 days on standby.  The mobile phone comes with 64 megabytes of flash memory but users can take advantage of the microSD expansion slot that will expand the device’s memory up to 2 gigabytes.

Many Blackberry smart-phones do not offer integrated cameras but the Pearl 8120 has the added bonus of providing users with a camera.  This camera also has a 5x digital zoom and flash to improve picture quality.  It is also capable of capturing video with its built in camera helping to add to the device’s fun.

Last month saw rumours circulating about a new 8 megapixel camera phone by Samsung, codenamed the Bresson. It has now been confirmed by Samsung, but the Bresson name has now been changed to Pixon.

The Samsung M8800 Pixon is set to rival the LG KC910 and boasts a huge 8 megapixel camera and 3.2 inch touchscreen display. Built-in GPS and 3G with HSDPA support is also featured, but the M8800 does not have Wi-Fi, which may put some people off.

Other features include a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, TV out connection, FM radio and a media player that supports the usual audio and video formats. The Samsung M8800 Pixon also includes a front mounted camera for video calls, and the device measures 107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8 mm and weight in at 121 grams.

The Samsung M8800 Pixon is set for release in November, and is expected to be available on most of the major mobile networks. Price is to be confirmed.

We first came across Crackberry through another mobile blog.

Crackberry is a site dedicated to giving you the latest news, reviews, software and how to guides for the highly popular BlackBerry mobile phone. The name Crackberry is a nickname given to those people who find their BlackBerry device indispensible and become addicted to it; this then was the perfect name for a site dedicated to the BlackBerry.

Designed and manufactured by RIM (Research In Motion) the BlackBerry mobile phone is a powerful and fashionable mobile device, capable of keeping you in touch with your home and work effortlessly, and supports many functions including email and document writing as well as a host of other business functions.

Visiting the Crackberry site will give you the latest news, reviews and even rumoured devices of the Blackberry mobile phone. One of the most recent Crackberry exclusives was the BlackBerry Storm, RIM’s first touchscreen device; with Crackberry being the first to give you pictures and a hands-on review of the product.

This is an excellent site for everything to do with the BlackBerry mobile phone and is an essential bookmark for anyone who owns or is thinking of purchasing a BlackBerry device.

LG has announced that their new KP500 mobile phone will be the cheapest touchscreen device on the market when it’s released. The LG KP500 is basically a cut down version of the LG KC910 and is aimed at the midrange phone markets.

The LG KP500 sorts a 3 inch touchscreen display and uses the latest version of LG’s flash-based user interface. Navigating through the phone can be done using your fingers or the included stylus, which is nicely tucked away in the device.

The KP500 is a quad band device, but because it is aimed at the midrange market there is no 3G support. Other features include a 3 megapixel camera, accelerometer for switching the screen from portrait to landscape, Bluetooth, FM radio and a microSD card slot for expanding the memory.

It may not be to everyone’s liking, but the LG KP500 will surely turn some heads when it is released. The KP500 is expected to be out at the end of October and there is still no work on price, but with LG stating that this will be the cheapest touchscreen device, only time will tell.

Nokia has released a full spec list for their new device, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The Nokia 5800 will be the company’s first new-generation touchscreen device and has sleek and modern styling like the new N85 and N96 devices.

The 5800 XpressMusic features a large 3.2 inch touchscreen and will be powered by the latest version of the Symbian S60 operating system. The screen can either be used with your finger or with the included stylus and automatically switches between portrait and landscape depending on the orientation of the phone.

This quad-band device also supports 3G with HSPDA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as a 3.2 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and LED flash, microSD card slot capable of supporting up to 16GB (an 8GB card is included), TV out and 3.5mm headphone socket.

The most exciting piece of news about the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, is that it will be available as a ‘Comes With Music’ enabled device early in the new year. Comes With Music is Nokia’s new music store that allows subscribers unlimited music downloads to their phone for a year.

If you can’t wait till next year, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is expected to hit the UK before Christmas with a RRP of around £200.