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Another ground breaking story has been leaked by Eldar Murtazin, a phone blogger who is well known for getting inside information on all things mobile. His prediction is that Google will be expanding it’s Nexus range by adding an android powered tablet. LG are expected to be manufacturing the device for Google which would be a new choice of manufacturer with HTC and Samsung building the Nexus and Nexus S.

The device is rumoured to be Honeycomb-powered, we can expect that the OS will be tweaked and polished giving it an edge over any other Honeycomb tablet also known as the “Pure Google” experience. We know first hand how responsive and slick the OS is on the Nexus S and are really excited to see how Google will make the the most of this opportunity.

Android devices now have the largest market share in the U.S for mobile devices according to recent surveys from comScore and Nielson. However the tablet market is still dominated by the iPad even though several Android devices are available. This move from Google clearly shows their intent to take a slice of the tablet market away from Apple. The choice of LG as a manufacturing partner isn’t much of a surprise, LG are releasing their own tablet the G-Slate which should be available in the next few months.

A footnote in Murtazin’s post also indicates that Google won’t offer any Honeycomb licensing to tablet’s that launched with any 2.x version of Android. This would mean early manufacturers of the android tablets like Samsung and their Galaxy tab won’t get an official update to honeycomb. This could be very frustrating for owners of these early devices which may become obsolete very quickly.

Overall we’re really excited to see Google step into the tablet market and believe it can only add more to the competition which is needed to keep a market from getting complacent.

We’ll keep you updated if any of these rumours prove to be true.

If you’d like to see our current range of Tablet PC’s just click here!

The Nintendo 3DS has finally arrived, bringing with it the autostereoscopic 3D display that everyone is talking about and kick starting a new generation of handheld consoles. If you do not want to fork out the ?200 plus asking price for the 3DS at the shops then you can actually get one for free when you sign up for a new mobile contract. As with all contracts with inclusive gifts you can get a free Nintendo 3DS for a fixed monthly payment and also get a selection of top quality smartphones and mobiles bundled in at no extra charge.

Free Nintendo 3DS Blue

The Nintendo 3DS does not stray too far from the formula established by its predecessor in terms of form factor. It has two screens housed within a folding shell, with only the larger main display featuring the glasses-free 3D effect. Although you do not need to wear glasses to enjoy the 3D imagery you will actually be able to adjust the depth of the effect on the fly using the slider located to the right of the main display. The secondary display is touch sensitive and comes with a stylus to enhance the interactivity of the gameplay as well as displaying useful information when you are not in-game.

Free Nintendo 3DS Black

When you get your free Nintendo 3DS you will also be getting a fully fledged 3D camera. There are twin cameras on the rear to help you snap pictures with real depth and share them with friends. A forward-facing camera is on hand to use in games and take pictures as well. Nintendo has announced that the 3DS will have access to exclusive game downloads from the 3DSWare service and there will be other features and apps which can be added to the device as time goes by.

Another innovation of the 3DS is the Street Pass system. When you put the 3DS in sleep mode and head out with it in your pocket, it will automatically detect when you are moving past another 3DS owner in the street. You will then share game files and information, whilst if you own the same games then other goodies will become unlocked by this silent interaction.

The 3DS has Wi-Fi connectivity and can hook up to hotspots across the country for online gaming and socialising. It comes with a collection of interactive augmented reality cards, which if you lay down on a flat surface will bring to life 3D monsters and avatars on screen.

Beat the rush at the shops and get yours free of charge with a suitable phone contract from mobiles.co.uk.

Vodafone has recently brought back the 12 month contract deal which includes the latest smartphones in their network. This is on top of its 12 month sim only deal which has been available for a while.

The network is the first to step forward following the statement by ofcom to the effect that all operators should provide 12 month contracts option in their offering. This also comes two months before the expected EU Law forcing networks to offer annual contracts which can include sim free deals.

The news will delight mobile gadget fans as it means they can upgrade to the latest smarthphone every year instead of waiting for their long contract term to end.

Most mobile phone pay monthly contracts used to be 12 months before 2005 then in 2006 there was a big move towards 18 months contracts. In 2009/2010 24 months was the norm resulting in 80% for of all new mobile contracts stretching the full two years.

One thing to note is that these contracts do not come with any free gifts or cashback incentives which may be a small compromise to consumers who prefer shorter contracts.

Another downside is that there is a high upfront charge for the handset to offset the shorter term compared to their 18 months and 2 year contracts. For example the iPhone 4 16 gb 12 month contract costs ?239 for the handset on 600 minutes tarrif.

Though some high end handsets will have their own individual plans, typical tariffs so far are:

• ?35 per month for 300 minutes plus unlimited texts and 500MB data plan
• ?40 per month for 600 minutes plus unlimited texts and 500MB data plan
• ?45 per month for 900 minutes with unlimited texts, 500MB and up to 25MB of European data
• ?50 per month for 1200 minutes with unlimited texts, 750MB and up to 25MB of European data

You can grab a 12 months contract from Mobiles.co.uk on the following handsets:

iPone 4, HTC Desire HD, Samsung Galaxy S and Blackberry Torch 9800.

The Nintendo 3DS is the most popular console in terms of pre-orders a report by Amazon has claimed. The long awaited games console has surpassed the previous holder of this title, the PS3, by a massive 20%. Chris Poad the Director of Video Games at Amazon describes this unexpected popularity as “unusual for a handheld”. Generally excitement of this level is reserved for home consoles, however the success of the Kinect last year shows how new technology can really captivate an audience. The 3DS will be one of the worlds first consumer products massively available that will allow the user to view 3D graphics without the use of those silly glasses.

The 3DS also adds a flurry of additional features compared to the DSi. Analogue D-pad, gyroscope and an additional .28 inches of screen will offer even more options to the game play. Player’s thanks to the gyroscope will be able to move their 3DS around tilting from left and right to control elements within their games. It’s fair to say this did wonders for Nintendo’s home console the Wii.

Here at mobiles.co.uk we can also confirm that the interest in the 3DS has seen the highest pre-order of any free gift we’ve bundled with a phone. 185,000 units are  destined for the UK and over half of these have already been reserved by pre-orders. It’s quite possible that this could lead to a shortage of the device for consumers hoping to pick one up soon after the launch date.

You can get a free Nintendo 3DS on pre-order with a variety of deals on our website and will be shipped on the 24th of March for delivery on the 25th which is the official day of the 3DS release.

Here is the link: Free Nintendo 3DS – launching on 25 March 2011.

We’re always excited when new handsets are released and we’ve got some big phones coming in the next few weeks. Here’s a list of what you can expect.

LG Optimus 2X

The LG optimus 2X was announced at CES 2011 and is set to be  the first dual core mobile phone available on the market. Dual core basically means double the processing power! This had a huge effect on the laptop world and we expect a huge step forward in what your phone will be able to do as soon as dual core technology becomes a standard.

The handset doesn’t just rest on it’s laurels with its dual core tech, here’s the low down on it’s other technical aspects. A 4-inch WVGA screen, 8GB memory (up to 32GB via microSD), 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera, HDMI mirroring, 1080 MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording and will be upgradable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) if it doesn’t come installed at launch.

The Optimus 2X looks to be a great all-round phone and leads the way in processing power. As it relies on the ever impressive android OS we think this handset is clearly going to be a winner in 2011.

If you are interested in this phone and want to know it can be pre-ordered from here.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

The Sony Ericsson Arc is a beautifully designed handset delivering both style and functionality. An upgrade to the Xperia X10  the Arc measures in at just 8.7mm at its thinnest part. The design is claimed to be perfection in terms of ergonomics and we think Sony Ericsson are onto a winner here.

The Camera is 8.1MP and will be able to capture HD 720p video. A 4.1inch“Reality Display” running a Mobile BRAVIA® Engine which they expect will provide “exceptional visual brilliance and a crystal clear image which enhances the overall entertainment experience.” With the handsest measuring  125 x 63 x 8.7 mm this will be one of the slimmest handsets on the market whilst still having a massive screen.

The handset has a 1GZ processor and 512mb of internal memory so should be more then powerful enough to run Gingerbread.

The Xperia Arc is available for pre-order here.

Desire S

The HTC Desire has been updated and given a fresh new design. The Desire S is largely the same handset as the HTC Desire and we agree with HTC that if it isn’t broken why fix it? As a result we’re not surprised the handset hasn’t received much of an upgrade in the tech department but has been given a fresh new look. The Desire S has a curvy shape which is achieved by using an aluminium unibody design which is both ergonomic and dramatically improves the strength of the handset.

This gives the handset a much more classy feel really making you feel as though you have got your money’s worth when it sits in the palm of your hand. The Desire S has also had an upgrade in RAM from 512MB to 768MB and a 1.2 GHZ processor marginally increasing the speed of the handset. The Desire S also gets touch navigation buttons which adds to it’s sleek and smooth lines.

If this is the handset for you you can pre-order the beauty right here.

We’ll be back with any updates on release dates and prices right here on the blog.

Although Apple has stolen the limelight this week with the iPad 2 announcement, we feel it’s still quite big news that the Motorola Xoom is now ready for pre-order!.

The Xoom is currently only available in one variant, a 32GB 3G model and currently costs ?600. Compared to Apples 32GB iPad 1 the Xoom is currently ?101 more expensive although the iPad 2, which is a more comparable product in terms of hardware, will be priced at around ?599.99.

If we look at the hardware of the Xoom there is an argument that it is in fact better value for money.  Firstly, with the upgradeable SD card slot, the Xoom can have it’s memory increased to 64GB. So for an additional ?40-?50 the device will now be cheaper then the iPad 2 64GB model by around ?30.

With the ?30 saving you also get a 2mp front facing camera, HDMI output built in, 1GB of RAM (As opposed to the un-yet confirmed 512mb of the iPad 2) and a whole 0.4″ of extra screen with a slightly higher resolution of 1280 x 800. On top of this you’ll get the first incarnation of Google’s android tablet OS Honeycomb.

The Motorola Xoom is available now as a stand alone product so if you fancy getting one head over now.

For a detailed view on the features of this product check out our previous blog post.

Nintendos latest addition the Nintendo 3DS has been wowing audiences with its “No glasses needed” 3D portable gaming and it is now available for pre-order at Mobiles in Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue. So what can you expect from your shiny new 3DS?

The Nintendo 3DS lets you experience incredible gameplay with real 3D graphics, with no need for the silly glasses! Not everything has changed from the current DS, there are still 2 screens but now features a 3D widescreen on top - 10% larger than the current DS a with an 800×240 pixel resolution which allocates 400 pixels for each eye to create the 3D effect. The 3DS also has a touchscreen below that operates at a resolution of 320×240. The touchscreen works the same way as it always has but Nintendo 3DS features an adjustable telescoping stylus for even more comfortable use. Another new feature to mention is the addition of the analog control circle pad giving players an even better gaming experience and response from characters.

A built in 3D Depth slider allows you to adjust the intensity of the 3D settings on the Nintendo 3DS so you have control over your viewing and can even be turned down completely. All 3DS games can also be played in 2D on an even better and brighter screen. The Nintendo 3DS also has a built-in motion sensor and gyro sensor making gaming on the 3DS even more realistic with the console reacting to the motion and tilt of the system and responding instantly.

The Nintendo 3DS comes with a charging cradle so you can dock your Nintendo 3DS console whenever your not using it and keep it powered whilst in sleep mode. In sleepmode the 3DS can still communicate via SpotPass at any time. SpotPass is a feature that lets the Nintendo 3DS detect wireless hotspots or wireless LAN access points and obtain information such as free software, videos and game data, keeping your 3DS up-to-date at all times.

Another great feature is Nintendo’s StreetPass, quite similar to SpotPass but letting your 3DS communicate with other players to exhange game data such as high scores, customer characters and Mii characters. Don’t worry this can all be controlled by you- you choose what you want to share and what you don’t.

Backwards compatiabilty on the 3DS means that you will still be able to play your DS games as well as your new 3DS games - great for those who aren’t quite ready to part with their favourites!

Taking photos becomes a whole new experience with the ability to create 3D images. The Nintendo 3DS system uses two outer cameras to see the world in 3D like the human eye. The 3DS comes with a 2GB SD Memory Card which you can use to store all your photos and sound recordings created on your DS along with music and games downloaded from the upcoming Nintendo eshop. From here you will be able to download new software and exclusive content for your 3DS as well as downloading new games such as classics from the Nintendo Game Boy!

The Nintendo 3DS certainly comes with a lot to offer and the quality of 3D portable gaming has to be seen to be believed. With the addition of the Nintendo eshop it means that getting hold of new games and software is quick and easy and interaction between players is the easiest its ever been. Here at Mobiles we give the 3DS a big thumbs up and think you will too!

You can get your very own free Nintendo 3DS in Black or Blue from just ?15.32 at Mobiles.co.uk along with a free phone so click here to find out more.

Near Field Communication (NFC) Contactless payment technology is due to be with us by summer thanks to Orange and T-Mobiles everything everywhere tie up in the UK. NFC works by when a customer waves their enabled handset in front of a reader and it takes the cost of their shopping from a designated bank account.

Barclays, who will manage the payment technology, has described it as the biggest revolution in payment technology since invention of the credit card. It is estimated the technology will be available in 40,000 establishments in the UK are ready and waiting for the system to be rolled out.

The NFC technology is currently only available on Google Nexus S but will also be featured in many new handsets from Samsung, Blackberry and the iPhone 5.

Some consumers might feel worried about using their phone as a payment device but rest assured the security measures implemented are higher than the chip and pin that we have come to rely on. The data transmitted between the handset and the reader is already encrypted so it cannot be intercepted. Also data only travels a few centimeters so there is no risk of paying for items accidentally.

The main fear for most consumers will be loosing their phone which would be like loosing your wallet and mobile in one instance. However if your phone is lost or stolen you can be disable it remotely by reporting it to your mobile provider. Normal precautions are of course the norm so it is important to lock your phone by pin code.

Will you be jumping on this new technology when available on your handset? Let us know in our comments section.

So with year end financial information of main handset manufacturers about to be released it is good to reflect on the best smarthphones of 2010 market winners? Below we list what surely must be the top three contenders and the reasons.

Apple iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 had a few teething problems due to a slight antenna issue, but that didn’t slow down it’s sales by any means. An improvement on the 3Gs the iPhone 4 delivered many features that iPhone users had been begging for.

Firstly a 5MP camera capable of shooting in 720p was added along with a front facing camera. The additional camera enabled video calling via Apple’s “Face Time” app which is now available on ipad’s and mac’s. The inclusion of a LED flash also promoted the iPhone to be a serious alternative to a digital camera.

The processor was upgraded to the A4 processor running at 800mhz, and importantly the battery was upgraded with a 7hr stand by time. Apart from the hardware the handset was completely redesigned with a glass front and back. The result was a slightly weightier handset but the overall result was the thinnest iPhone yet that feels and looks stunning.

HTC Desire

The HTC Desire sat in the middle of HTC’s portfolio in-between the Desire HD and Wildfire and brought with it the best of both worlds. The handset launched early in 2010 and still continues to be one of the most popular handsets available today. The Desire employes a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, giving it plenty of power to last for some time yet. A 5 megapixel with auto-focus camera also allowed it to shoot in HD, but what really made the handset stand out was the introduction of the 3.7inch full-color AMOLED display. This was later upgraded to a Super LCD display, the change lead to improved battery performance and showed off the vibrant colours of the HTC sense interface.

What we loved most about the Desire was it’s durability over time. It will handle the newest version of the Android OS (Gingerbread 2.3) which is something newer handsets have failed to do. With 576mb of Ram and 512mb of Rom it won’t be until the newest dual core handsets hit the stores that we can really consider this handset to be dated.

Blackberry Torch 9800

The Blackberry Torch 9800 was a first from blackberry, they had produced touch screen handsets in the past with the Blackberry Storm and had great success with it’s keyboard based handsets. For the first time BlackBerry combined these two concepts and produced a slider handset reminiscent of the palm pre. The display has a respectable 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and kept the familiar Menu, Back Answer and Hang Up buttons just below. The handset can then be slid open to reveal the classic blackberry keyboard.

The phone packs 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. This can then be upgraded to and additional 32GB with the aid of a microSD slot. WIfi, Bluetooth and GPS are all present as to be expected although the processor remained mainly the same as other Blackberry’s with the Marvell CPU running at 624MHz.

Where the BlackBerry really stands tall and the Torch is no different, is it’s data service. The “always on” connection is still the most robust we’ve seen on any phone and enables BlackBerry’s killer service, BlackBerry Messenger. Although this has become mostly popular within the MSN messenger generation, truly unlimited messaging with the ability to share photo’s, music and sound bites gives the user a very rich experience at a very low cost.

Although we expect to see replacements for these handsets in the near future we believe that not only are these the best smartphones of 2010 but will also have a strong presence in 2011. Please let us know below if you think another handset should be in the top three.