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.

Sony Ericsson has unveiled a new device for their Walkman range, the W705. This new device is a slider phone and will be the first Walkman branded device to feature Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Sony Ericsson W705 features a brushed metal front, 2.4 inch display, HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and comes with a 4GB Memory Stick Micro card to store your audio and video files on.

In addition to the mentioned features above, the W705 also has a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and a front mounted VGA camera for voice calls. Dedicated music keys are positioned on the front, so you can play, stop and skip through your music with both camera and volume buttons located on the side.

As you would expect from a Walkman phone, the W705 has a media player with the latest Walkman v3.0 software installed and supports numerous audio and video files; FM radio is also included. One big feature that is missing is a 3.5mm headphone socket, but Sony Ericsson usually include an adapter if you want to use your own headphones.

There is no word on a release date or price for the Sony Ericsson W705, but it is widely expected to surface in the first quarter of 2009.

Nokia have announced a new version of their popular 5130 XpressMusic mobile phone. Designed as a low budget phone and touted as one of the cheapest music handsets on the market, the new Nokia 5130 XpressMusic is set to be popular with the pay-as-you-go sector.

The Nokia 5130 XpressMusic is a quad-band device and has a 2 inch display, dedicated music buttons, a 3.5mm headphone socket and FM radio. Other features include a not too shabby 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot that can take up to 8GB (1GB card supplied with the device).

Of course being an XpressMusic handset, the Nokia 5130 has a media player that supports various audio and video formats, and the dedicated music keys on the side make it easy to play, pause and skip through your favourite tunes.

The Nokia 5130 XpressMusic ticks all the boxes for an entry level device, and with a price tag of around £70 and lots of features, is set to be very popular. The only downside is that it won’t be released until early next year, meaning you won’t be getting one in your Christmas stocking.

The latest report by the Mobile Data Association has shown that UK mobile phone users send on average 217 million text messages a day, up from an average of 157 million during the same period of last year.

This means that over 6.5 billion text messages are sent a month by UK mobile users and the number of multimedia messages, such as picture and video texts has also risen by 20%, up to an average of 1.5 million a day.

The survey, which was conducted in Q3 of this year (between July to September), tracked the amount and type of text messages that were sent from UK based mobile phones. The Mobile Data Association went on to add that the increase of messages sent compared to last year, was a result of the cheap text message bundles being offered by network providers.

The report also showed that 16.9 million people accessed the internet on their mobile phones during September; this was down compared with August, which saw 17.1 million users access the mobile internet, though this is probably due to people accessing the latest sporting results from the Olympic Games.

The Nokia N79 is one of the newest devices to gain the N-series name and is also the smallest. Although it only measures 110 x 49 x 15mm and weights 97 grams, the Nokia N79 is packed full of features.

The Nokia N79 is a quad band, candy bar styled mobile phone that features a 2.4 inch display, 5 megapixel camera with dual flash and HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity for high speed internet browsing.

GPS and A-GPS are also featured on the device, as well as a comprehensive media player, FM radio and FM transmitter. Internal storage is 83MB and a microSD card slot is also present (a 4GB microSD card is included) to store your audio, video and picture files.

The Nokia N79 uses the Symbian S60 operating system, which has proven to be a very popular OS and data and files can easily be transferred to and from the device via Bluetooth 2.0 or the bundled USB cable. The N79 also comes with Xpress-on covers so you can customise the look of the device.

All in all, the Nokia N79 is a practical and small mobile phone, packed with the advanced features of a bigger device. The Nokia N79 is due out in a couple of weeks, no word on contracts or prices yet.

Samsung have unveiled a new Armani embossed mobile phone to join its other mobile devices. For the new Samsung M7500 has ditched the ‘Giorgio’ name tag, going for the ‘Emporio’ name instead.

The Samsung M7500 Emporio Armani, also known as the Night Effect is a stylish and trendy candy bar shaped device, which features red, green or blue side lights displaying the Armani logo. Built as a multimedia phone, the M7500 boasts dedicated music keys as well as a media player capable of playing various audio and video formats.

The display is a 2.2 inch OLED screen, which is designed to give more vibrant colours, and a rear mounted 3.1 megapixel camera and a front mounted VGA camera are featured. Music and video files can be stored on a microSD memory card and can be transferred to the device via the USB cable or Bluetooth 2.0.

The Samsung Emporio Armani also features 3G and HSDPA connectivity, but does not include a Wi-Fi connection, which might put some people off.

The Samsung Emporio Armani is due out sometime in November, prices and contracts are to be confirmed.

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.