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 dealers are condemning network operator Orange over its conduct towards customers when they try to leave the network.

The dealers claim that they have had a number of complaints from customers who have waited up to a month to be given their PAC code; the code is used to transfer your mobile number to another network. This means that the customer will have to pay for an extra month with Orange.

Customers have also complained that when they ask for their PAC code they receive additional calls from Orange sales staff, who try to hound them into staying with the network.

Orange have stated that they try to issue PAC codes within two days, which the dealers dismiss as more and more customers are being frustrated at having to wait for long periods of time.

A recent survey found that Vodafone and O2 typically send out their PAC codes in four or five days, whereas T-mobile and 3 issue them right away.

LG have announced the UK launch of the KS360 is to be in August on the O2 and Orange networks. The LG KS360 will be available in three colours, titanium and light blue, white and soft pink and black and red.

The Ks360 is predominantly designed for a younger audience with its biggest selling point being ‘messaging on the move’. The KS360 has a sliding QWERTY keyboard and users can either send SMS, IM or emails together with the ability to access social networking websites.

The 2.4 inch QVGA screen is touch sensitive and can be used to dial numbers instead of using the keyboard. The KS360 also sports a 2 megapixel camera and plays audio and video files; a MicroSD card slot is also included which can take up to 4GB. Bluetooth and USB connections are also included. The device is just 16.8mm thick, so it will easily fit into a pocket or handbag.

The KS360 will be available in August on pay monthly contracts from O2 and Orange.

Orange has announced that a new eco-friendly mobile phone charger will be demoed at Glastonbury Festival this weekend. The prototype called the Dance Charge is an armband that will charge your mobile phone using the kinetic energy generated by the user. This is the result of months of research and design into alternative energy sources to power mobile phones.

Orange worked closely with renewable energy company GotWind to develop the device. GotWind is also responsible for Orange’s ReCharge Pod, a seven meter high tent which features a wind turbine and solar panels on the top that generates enough power to recharge 100 mobile phones an hour. The ReCharge Pod will also be featuring at the Festival.

The Dance Charge prototype is fashioned like a runner’s armband used to hold mp3 players. As the user moves their arms the special system of weights and magnets provides an electrical current that charges the reservoir battery stored in the armband. The user would then just plug their phone into the armband to charge it; simple.