Orange
If you are planning to be buy 24 months contract, you can get first 6 months half price by using code “6MTHPROMO” on their website. Your tariff price have to be over 20£ per month. Bad news is iPhone deals and SIM only are not included.

Three
16GB iPhone 4 Black on The One Plan
16GB iPhone 4 White on The One Plan
Nokia N8 Refurb on Text 500
BlackBerry Curve 3G Grey on Text 500
BlackBerry Curve 3G Blue on The One Plan
Three now has the HTC Wildfire for £99

O2
Free Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc OR Samsung Galaxy S
50 minutes
250 texts
500MB data
Now £16.50 a month on 24 month contract

iPhone 3GS 8GB – UK’s Best Price

SE Play White
Tariff
Free from £37 (£31 bonus tariff + £6 All rounder data)
900 minutes
500MB
Unlimited texts
Free multimedia dock worth £29.99 (Online / Tele only) – while stocks last
Now 11 Free games, 3 of which are bonus games exclusive to o2 on top of the 8 preloaded titles
Offer ends 30th June

Windows Phone 7 phones: HTC Mozart or HTC HD7 + £50 worth of music and video

Offer extended until 30th June – Buy a Windows Phone (HTC Mozart or HTC HD7) at O2 and get £50 worth of music & video

Nokia offers £50 worth of game for free!

Buy you can get £50 worth of games for Free when you buy following Nokia phones:

Nokia E7
C7
C6-01
N8

HTC Sensation

Many were expecting HTC’s first dual core smartphone to be sensational, so it is no surprise that the Sensation does its best to live up to its name.

Powered by a 1.2GHz processor, it does more than many other dual core mobiles to actually leverage more of its power. This is indicated by the new 3D effects visible when you scroll through the homescreens, along with the implementation of app launching from the lock screen and improved multitasking. Its unibody metal design is stylish without being as overwhelmingly impressive as the super-sleek Samsung Galaxy SII.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini

The original Xperia Mini and its Pro variant were surprise hits for Sony Ericsson, so a hardware and software update was inevitable.

The latest Mini and Mini Pro get larger 3 inch displays, 1GHz processors and the latest version of Android onboard, complete with more comprehensive integration for Facebook services. In addition they both boast 720p HD video capture, an unprecedented capability in devices of this size.

Motorola Droid 3

Recent leaks have given away vast swathes of information about the Droid 3, Motorola`s second dual core mobile after the formidable multifunctional Atrix. Full HD 1080p video capture is allegedly onboard, while the high res touchscreen from previous models is thought to be a sustained feature, alongside its slide-out QWERTY keypad for precision of typing. While the form factor is not changing drastically, the Droid 3`s popularity is perhaps best sustained by sticking to the winning formula of its predecessors.

BlackBerry Torch 2

The original BlackBerry Torch proved that Research in Motion (RIM) could get touchscreen handsets right and the Torch 2 has appeared in a number of snaps online showing that the manufacturer is committed to expanding this range. A 1.2 GHz processor is promised, giving it much more poke than the precursor, while version 7 of the BlackBerry operating system is likely to bring plenty of new features to the table.

Sony Ericsson Urshi

While the rest of the mobiles mentioned above have been high-end powerhouses, the details about the Sony Ericsson Urshi suggest that it will be a much more modest affair. A high res 3.2 inch display will be your window onto Android 2.3 and a single core 1GHz processor will allow it to remain competitive.

It should be clear that Android mobile phones are quickly dominating the market at all areas, with previous top dogs like the iPhone range faltering under Google`s constant assault. Of course with Nokia planning its first batch of Windows Phone 7 devices and with Apple getting ready to launch the fifth generation of the iPhone this could all change, but for now Android is the king of the smartphone world.

Phones seems to be targeting teenagers, who spend half of their time on Facebook and other half texting or chatting with their mates.

Here are main specifications that might be interesting:

Processor: 800 Mhz

OS: Android Gingerbread

RAM: 512MB

ROM: 512MB

Screen: touchscreen, 2.6 inch

Camera: 5 megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash. VGA front camera

Battery: 1250 mAh, talktime up to 450 minutes, standby up to 660 hours

Connectivity: Wi Fi, Bluetooth, internal GPS antenna

Network:

HSPA/WCDMA: Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Other: 3.5mm headset jack, G-Sensor, Digital Compass, microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

Phone is available on Vodafone and Orange networks, on 18 and 24 months contracts. Phone cost is free on all tariffs.

So has Nokia really made a mistake? Only time will tell, but if you look at it, biggest phone manufacturer and biggest software company could be a good partnership. They have access to large resources, technical, human, financial you name it, so potentially they can come up with pretty good products.

Stephen Elop, Nokia’s chief executive, said last week that its use of Windows Phone would ensure there was a mass-market alternative to the operating systems by Apple and Google.

Nokia is only likely to make large volumes of smartphones based on Windows Phone in 2012, while Android, released in late 2008, is enjoying hyper growth.

Mr Schmidt said 300,000 Android-based handsets were getting connected to mobile phone networks every day.

He added there were 170 Android handsets by 27 manufacturers in the market, spread across 69 countries.

So here you go, we now have 3 major operating systems battling on smartphone front:

• iOS by Apple
• Android by Google
• Blackberry OS by RIM

Now you can get hands on iPhone 4G 16GB version for free if you upgrade to 24 months Flext 60 contract for £60 per month (£30 after discount). Sounds expensive, but this is top tariff which gives you unlimited calls, you can select flexible booster and 1GB internet usage. iPhone will cost you £720 over 2 years, but you will get mobile service as well, so deal is not bad. The only downside is you are tied with this operator for 2 years.

If you have been waiting for Apple’s latest toy and on T-Mobile, call them now and see what options you have.

Cheapest 18 months contract is £15 a month, you have to contribute £164 and you will also get 100 minutes and 100 texts.

All plans with this phone include unlimited internet.

Here is a list of specifications for this phone:

Network Type: GSM Quad-band phone capable of global roaming (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
UMTS dual-band European/Asian 3G (2100/900 MHz)
Data: EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s/HSUPA 2.0 Mbit/s

Dimensions: 4.69 x 2.36 x 0.47 inches (119 x 60 x 11.9 mm)
Weight: 4.76 oz (135 g)
Battery Type: Li – Ion, 1400 mAh
Talk Time: 6.66 hours (400 mins)
Standby: 340 hours (14 days)
Display Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels, 16 777 216 colors, AMOLED
Display Size: 3.70 inches
Touch Screen: Capacitive, Multi-touch
Camera: 5 megapixels Resolution
Camera Features: Flash LED; Auto focus, Face detection, Geo tagging
Multimedia Video Playback: MPEG4, WMV, 3GP, 3G2
Music Player: MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, M4A (Apple lossless), AMR, OGG, MIDI
FM Radio
Memory Slot: microSD/microSDHC
Software: Android 2.1
Processor: Snapdragon, 1000 MHz
Memory: 576 MB RAM / 512 MB ROM
Input: Predictive Text Input
microUSB
WiFi: 802.11b/802.11g
Bluetooth: 2.1, Stereo Bluetooth
Headphones connector: 3.5mm
Other Features:
PhoneBook, Capacity depends on system memory; Ring ID, Picture ID, Search by both first and last name, Multiple numbers per contact, Caller groups
PIM, Alarm, Calendar, To-Do / Tasks, Calculator, World Clock
Voice Recording, Speaker Phone, Email
GPS: A-GPS, GPS

If you place an order now, you will probably wait for a week for it to arrive.

Following is from Samsung press release:

Enhanced User Experienced
The Galaxy Spica becomes a highly intuitive communications device offering users the option to personalise no less than nine side-scrolling screens. Users can really let their imaginations run wild, creating different home screens according to different personal interests or requirements.

The handset now features augmented reality technology that displays real-time digital information of your surroundings over the view-finder of the Galaxy Spica’s 3 megapixel camera. The Galaxy Spica also features Samsung widgets, Visual bookmark and PC Sync support to enable users to synchronise their devices quickly.

Enhanced Multimedia and Messaging Functionality
The handset now comes with a number of enhanced multimedia features which transform the Galaxy Spica into a personal entertainment device. Media browser allows you to browse through your media collection with ease. The camera has been upgraded to offer enhanced picture options and viewing functionality.

Improved messaging functionality means that it is much easier to attach files to MMS and email that users can easily add contacts to messages direct from the phonebook. Improved contact management enables users to find a necessary contact very easily through the alphabetical index.

The upgrade will be available from March 2010 in Germany and gradually rolled out to other European markets, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Asia, Africa and rest of the world.

The upgrade will be available through PC Studio 7, Samsung’s sync software

Orange has confirmed a deal with fixed line provider Unicom, which will sell its SIM-only MVNO offer into its base of 80,000 customers, providing billing for both fixed and mobile services on the same invoice.

It is also working with regional provider Axis Telecom, which is to provide a number of SIM-only deals to its regional base of 14,000 businesses and residential customers.

As well, niche operative Catalyst will provide mobile services through partners for groups such as students, ethnic minorities and SMEs.

All new MVNO deals are products of its relationship with mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA) Transatel, with which it has set up a partner platform to enable swift establishment of such projects on its network. All are expected to launch shortly.

Orange already has MVNO deals with Mobinet, Lycamobile and IDT Mobile, and also national roaming agreements with 3 and Cable&Wireless in the UK.

Source: Mobile News

Here is a full list of phone specs:

2G Network     GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network     HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
HSDPA 1700 / 2100 / 900 or HSDPA 850 / 1900

Dimensions     119 x 63 x 13 mm
Weight     135 g
Display     Type     TFT capacitive touchscreen, 65K colors
Size     480 x 854 pixels, 4.0 inches
- Scratch-resistant surface
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Timescape/Mediascape UI

Sound     Alert types     Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ringtones, composer
Speakerphone     Yes, with stereo speakers
- 3.5 mm audio jack
Phonebook     Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records     Practically unlimited
Internal     1 GB storage, 384 MB RAM
Card slot     microSD up to 16GB, 8GB card included

GPRS     Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
EDGE     Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G     HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps

WLAN     Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth     Yes, v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port     No
USB     Yes, v2.0 microUSB

Camera 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features     Touch focus, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection
Video     Yes, WVGA@30fps

Features     OS     Android OS 1.6
CPU     Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor
Messaging     SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push email, IM
Browser     HTML
Radio     No
Games     Yes

Colors     Sensous Black, Luster White
GPS     Yes, with A-GPS support
Java     Yes, via third-party application
- MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player
- MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk
- Document viewer
- Voice memo
- T9

Battery           Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh (BST-41)
Stand-by     Up to 415 h (2G) / Up to 425 h (3G)
Talk time     Up to 10 h (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G)
Misc     SAR US     0.87 W/kg (head)     0.81 W/kg (body)
SAR EU     1.40 W/kg (head)     0.91 W/kg (body)

Sony Ericsson video ad:

The joint venture between France Telecom’s Orange UK and Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile UK is planning to start trading in April, and will be Britain’s largest mobile operator.

British consumer groups reacted angrily to the European Commission’s decision to approve the merger on the fastest possible timetable, accusing Brussels of clearing the transaction with “indecent haste”.

The merger could also destabilise a UK government-sponsored effort to end a dispute between Britain’s mobile operators over their ownership of radio spectrum.

O2, Telefónica’s UK subsidiary, and Vodafone’s British business are not planning a challenge to the Commission’s decision.

O2 and Vodafone, the UK’s largest and second- largest operators, are instead expected to intensify efforts to poach customers from the new market leader.

Orange and T-Mobile, the third- and fourth-largest operators, are attempting an ambitious integration that is supposed to provide cost savings of £3.5bn.

The operators are planning to rationalise their networks and retail shops, and cut staff.

Tom Alexander, chief executive designate of the combined Orange/T-Mobile entity, expressed confidence that the integration would run smoothly and insisted the transaction was “great news” for consumers.

The merger will cut the number of British network operators from five to four, and consumer groups had called on UK competition authorities to investigate the transaction.

Which?, the consumer magazine and campaigns organisation, accused the Commission of failing to protect consumers’ interests.

Brussels’ decision to approve the merger is conditional on the combined Orange/T-Mobile entity having an infrastructure-sharing agreement with 3, the UK’s smallest network operator owned by Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa.

The Commission said 3’s viability could be threatened if it did not have a network-sharing deal with the joint venture that would save costs.

Source: Financial Times