PhoneLon

Being that it’s the 1st of April, better known as April Fools Day, we thought what better day than today to take a look at the current iPhone rumours doing the rounds. Based on previous iPhone launches, all eyes are looking ahead to June for the grand unveiling of the phone being mooted as the iPhone 4G and iPhone HD and in typical Apple fashion, we know absolutely nothing about the device itself. Sure, it’s safe to say it will be a touchscreen phone with support for Apple’s game changing App store and slick user interface, but what will set it apart from its predecessors? Well, we’re going to take a look at a few of the more popular rumours currently getting people worked up online…

The simple truth is, there’s probably only a handful of people in the world right now who know all the facts concerning the next gen iPhone and they aren’t keen on sharing that information just yet. But don’t think this has stopped tech sites the world over trying to second guess Steve Jobs and co. The Wall Street Journal (via Engadget) has the next-gen iPhone pegged as the iPhone HD and penciled in for an official unveiling on the 22nd of June (curiously, a Tuesday). Whether the HD moniker refers to HD video capture and playback or the resolution of the display is still disputed but other sources have pointed to the new iPhone docks support for HD Video playback as a pretty big clue.

Elsewhere, the common rumour doing the rounds has Apple set to remedy one of the iPhone 3GS’ biggest flaws; the lack of multi-tasking. Numerous tech blogs, bloggers and news sites suggest that the iPhone 4G will launch with iPhone OS 4.0 which will enable full multi-tasking of third party apps. At present, multi-tasking is limited to pre-installed Apple Apps meaning if you want to indulge in a bit of Spotify and check your emails or browse the web on the fly, you best look elsewhere (like say, Android). For a smartphone to be launched in 2010 without the ability to run multiple applications would be criminal so this one seems less like a rumour and more like a dead cert.

Despite the fact that we know it’s coming (well, sort of), the interesting question regarding multi-tasking is how Apple will implement it. Will we see a Palm Pre-esque card system or perhaps the Maemo powered Nokia N900’s dashboard? Will it be an OS update and therefore available to iPhone’s of old or will there be a hardware boost to provide the required extra muscle for multi-tasking? We’ve seen multi-tasking running pretty effortlessly on a current (albeit Jail Broken) iPhone 3GS so here’s hoping for the former.

Any more? Well, Crunch Gear got hold of a video claiming to show off the iPhone 3G’s screen and guess what, it’s fractionally bigger than the original and also boasts an additional hole on the front for what some are hinting at might result in a front facing camera. Video calling on an iPhone? You must be mad! But the idea of a larger screen (slightly longer and slimmer) is intriguing as it opens up a proverbial can of worms regarding compatibility with existing apps and iPhone accessories. This again seems unlikely as it would completely break the iPhone mold but stranger things have happened.

Techradar were also on hand to provide some interesting insights into the possibility of the iPhone 4G. Apparently, the iPhone HD (this name certainly is gaining popularity) will include an OLED display, get a boost in Megapixels (likely 5MP) and an LED flash for the camera, feature a removable battery, Bing Search engine as default (which sounds possible owing to Apple’s legal wranglings with Google) and, most interestingly of all, feature a touch sensitive panel on the reverse of the phone for navigation, ala’ the Motorola Backflip. We’ll take that last one with a pinch of salt but the rest all sound fairly credible.

Whatever it’s called, does, or looks like, one thing we can be sure of with the next iPhone is that it’s going to be freekin’ huge (in popularity terms). As ever, keep em peeled on the Mobiles Blog and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on any rumblings from Cupertino.

For those who’ve had to endure an agonising wait for the HTC Desire since it debuted in early February at MWC, spare a thought for those waiting for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10! first unveiled in November of last year and widely known as the Rachael several months prior to this, the X10 has fallen foul of numerous slips and missed launch dates. But now, the wait is finally over as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, Sony’s first Android offering, is in stock now at Mobiles.co.uk! Want to know more? Then read on…

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is Sony’s first foray into the realms of Android and so it should come as no surprise to hear that the X10 is dressed to impress. Running version 1.6 of Google’s Android operating system (though Sony Ericsson have confirmed an update is in the works), the X10 is powered by Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor which ensures apps run smoothly, open almost instantly and suffer from no slow down. And on the subject of apps, the X10 is supported by the excellent Android Market which is literally growing by the day with hundreds of exciting new apps.

Sporting a stunning 4.0 inch capacitive touchscreen, the X10 is itching to be taken online and used for on the move movie viewing. To this end, Sony Ericsson have seen fit to add in their new Mediascape user interface which combines your music, movies and photos with a wealth of online content for an unrivaled multimedia experience. Coupled with a 3.5mm audio jack, 1GB of internal memory and expandable memory up to 16GB, the X10 provides ample storage for all your music and movies.

Similarly, Timescape does for social networking what Mediascape does for your multimedia, aggregating all your conversations from Facebook, Twitter and more and pulling in live status updates and photo uploads. Start a conversation via SMS, switch to Email and finish in an instant messenger client and the X10 will store all messages as one seamless conversation. Timescape, with it’s user friendly interface and usability acts as the perfect gateway to all your friends.

So, the Xperia X10 has a stunning touchscreen, intuitive user interface and wealth of multimedia options. So what, if anything, sets it apart from the recently released (and equally impressive) HTC Desire? Well, Sony Ericsson have bucked the Android trend by eschewing a 5.0 Megapixel camera in favour of a staggering 8.1 Megapixel camera (a first for Android). Not one to hide behind the pixel count, Sony Ericsson have loaded the X10 with extras, from touch focus and an image stabiliser to smile and face detection.

All this packed to an exquisite form factor made from high quality matte plastics with subtle metallic detailing. Best of all, the X10 is in stock now on Mobiles.co.uk and available free on a ?30 per month contract with 6 months half price line rental by redemption! Click here to check out this and all our other fantastic offers.