Mobile Phone Deals, Latest Mobile Phone News and Reviews

O2 have announced that it’s new PDA, the XDA Zest will be available on both pay and go and contract tariffs. It will be the first O2 XDA device to be offer on their pay and go tariff, and is hoped that first time PDA users will opt for the new device instead of a standard mobile phone.

The O2 XDA Zest is manufactured by computer hardware firm Asus, and is basically a re-branded version of the Asus P552w. The device features the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, 2.8 inch touchscreen display, a 3.2 megapixel camera and secondary front camera for voice calls.

Wi-Fi and HSDPA are also supported as well as Bluetooth 2.0, USB synchronisation, built-in GPS and A-GPS, Pocket Office for viewing Word, Excel and PDF files and a media player supporting various audio and video formats. A microSD card slot is also available and can take up to 16GB of memory.

The O2 XDA Zest is due out sometime this month and will cost £249.99 on O2’s pay and go tariff, and will be free with some contracts.

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.

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.

The wait is over, T-Mobile and Google have announced the long awaited Android Smartphone this week. The phone, which is simply called the G1 is the first device to use the open source Android operating system and bids to become the must have Smartphone.

The G1 will be exclusive to T-Mobile and is manufactured by Smartphone maker HTC. The G1 is quad-band and features a 3.2 inch touch sensitive screen, Wi-Fi and 3G connections, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot for expandable memory. The device also features a full QWERTY keyboard and trackball for alternative navigation through the phone and will have direct access to Android Market, so you can download new applications and games.

The T-Mobile G1 will synchronise with Google apps like Gmail and Google Calendar, but won’t include desktop synchronisation software; but expect the third party developers to make one soon. The device will support PDF, Word and Excel files and comes with an MP3 player to listen to music on the go.

The device also includes a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus for capturing those spontaneous pictures, and has access to GPS navigation and Google Maps.

The G1 will be released in the US first; on the 22nd October and priced at $179 on selected tariffs. UK is expected to follow in November, with the rest of Europe expecting a first quarter 2009 release. There is no word on UK and Europe prices yet.

Leaked specs and pictures of a new Asus Smartphone have been published on the internet. The new device is rumoured to be called the Galaxy 7 and will run the Windows Mobile operating system.

The Asus Galaxy 7 is set to rival Samsung’s Omnia i900 and features a large 3.5 inch WVGA touchscreen display combined with Asus’s Glide User Interface. Other features include a 5 megapixel camera, a trackball similar to the BlackBerry Pearl and a stainless steel body.

The user can navigate through the device using either the touchscreen or the trackball and the phone is quad-band so calls can be made and received anywhere in the world. Also crammed into the Galaxy 7 is Wi-Fi, A-GPS, Bluetooth and 4GB of internal storage for your media and data files.

3G is also supported and a microSD card slot is integrated for expanding the storage capacity. A full spec list hasn’t been released yet, nor has a release date, but several sources on the internet hint that it might be available as soon as the end of October.

Even before the new Samsung Innov8 has been released, we are already hearing a rumour of another 8 megapixel camera phone is nearing completion from the large mobile phone manufacturer.

Reports suggest the device will be called the Samsung Bresson M8800 and will feature a massive 16 million colour 3.2 inch touchscreen display and an 8 megapixel camera. The Bresson M8800 will be only 15.5 millimetres thick and is widely expected to include HSDPA and 3G connectivity.

Samsung haven’t released a statement yet and no other specifications have been leaked, but don’t expect it to hit the stores anytime soon as the latest offering from Samsung, the Innov8 hasn’t even been released yet.

There will be more information on the Samsung Bresson M8800 as we get it, so keep watching this space.

Apple has released their latest update for the iPhone that fixes lots of bugs, as well as adding other improvements to the device. The new 2.1 software update can’t come soon enough for many users of the iPhone and aims to fix call failures and improve battery life.

Apple state that the new update will lower dropped and failed call rates, improve battery life and make it easier to email and text. Other updates include fixes to stop the iPhone crashing when using third party applications, faster searching through contacts and the integration of the new Genius playlist application.

To get the update you must have the latest version of iTunes (iTunes 8), then simply connect your iPhone to your computer, click on the iPhone icon and the Check for Update button.

HTC’s new Smartphone device, the Touch Pro has similar specifications to the hugely popular Touch Diamond, but boasts a full QWERTY slider keyboard tucked away underneath. The HTC Touch Pro features a 2.8 inch touch sensitive screen, TouchFlo 3D navigation system and is 3G, HSDPA and Wi-Fi enabled.

Like the Touch Diamond, the Touch Pro has the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system controlling it, for easy access to the internet, emails and applications and a 3.2 megapixel camera for capturing photos on the move. The Touch Pro is 6mm thicker and 50 grams heavier than the Touch Diamond, but it’s a small price to pay for a practical and responsive QWERTY keyboard.

The Touch Pro also features Bluetooth and USB connections, GPS and A-GPS, TV out, Multimedia player, 4GB of internal storage and a front mounted VGA camera for video calling. The Only question now is which one do you want, the Touch Diamond or Touch Pro?

The HTC Touch Pro will be available in the next couple of months; contracts and price are to be announced soon.

Sony Ericsson has announced that the long awaited Xperia X1 will be available before the end of the year. The US market could see the X1 as early as September with the UK receiving it a short time after.

The Xperia X1 is the first Sony Ericsson phone to have fully integrated Windows Mobile and is set to tackle the iPhone head on in the Smartphone sector. The Xperia features a 3 inch QVGA touchscreen capable of resolutions of up to 800×480 and boasts a unique arc sliding action that slightly tilts the screen and provides better visibility whilst uncovering the full QWERTY keyboard.

The phone has HSDPA mobile broadband and WiFi connectivity allowing the user to get the fastest internet speeds available, wherever they are. The main screen stores up to nine icons on the panel user interface and can be full customised for any preferences or requirements.

As stated above the Xperia X1 has Windows Mobile 6.1 installed which means you can take advantage of Office and Outlook for writing documents and checking your emails, Windows Media Player for playing various music and video formats and Internet Explorer for browsing the web.

Sony Ericsson have also managed to cram in a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, Bluetooth connection, 400MB of internal memory and a microSD card slot that can take up to 8GB capacity.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is scheduled for release around September time; there is no word on price or which of the networks will be carrying it yet, expect details to follow.