High street retailer Phones 4U has made the mid-range, yet highly impressive Sony Xperia SP handset available for pre-order in the UK, with a shipping date of May 3.
The more affordable iteration of the flagship Sony Xperia Z was unveiled last month with a 4.6-inch, 720p display, a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera and 4G LTE radio.
The SIM-free version has been available to reserve form Expansys since last month, but Phones 4U's offering brings a range of pay monthly options from some of the UK's leading networks.
Buyers can grab a two-year deal, with 500MB of 4G data for £31 a month, with a free handset, while the 8GB allowance will set folks back an wallet-emptying £56 a month.
Big boys on board
The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device, which also boasts Sony's Battery Stamina app and 8GB of onboard storage is available for £25 a month with Vodafone (300mins 250MB, unlimited texts, free phone).
However, the £28.50 a month tariff on Orange seems a better deal with 1GB data, 600 mins, unlimited texts and a free phone.
O2 and Three mobile had previously indicated that they will be selling the device, while the SIM-free price on Expansys is listed as £339.
In a recent hands-on review, TechRadar's Gareth Beavis summed up his early verdict by saying: "With this spec list wouldn't look too out of place on a new flagship phone from another firm right now – and with a lower price, that's an ace notion."
If you're struggling to scrape the pennies together for a flagship handset like the Xperia Z then you could do a lot worse than the Xperia SP. Check back in the coming weeks for the full, detailed review.
It’s funny when the original intention and the final product don’t really line up. Chemist William Perkin was trying to find a cure for malaria when he ended up creating the world’s first synthetic dye. And Team Android was trying to create a platform for a smart camera when it ended up releasing what is now the world’s most popular smartphone OS.
In an economic forum in Tokyo, Android-co-founder Andy Rubin said, “The exact same platform, the exact same operating system we built for cameras, that became Android for cellphones.” So, I guess products like the Nikon Coolpix S800c and Samsung Galaxy Camera aren’t that far-fetched after all.
The original intention for Android was to provide a platform for a smart camera that would sync easily with computers. Rubin described a 2004 marketing pitch for Android where he spoke of a camera that hooked up to a computer connected to an “Android Datacenter.” However, they decided that the digital camera market “wasn’t actually a big enough market,” but the smartphone market was growing. In either case, Android was designed to be a mass market platform from the get-go.
“We wanted as many cellphones to use Android as possible,” said Rubin. “So instead of charging $99, or $59, or $69 [like how other companies license their software], to Android, we gave it away for free, because we knew the industry was price sensitive.”
Motorola wants to prove it's not bigger is better, but better is better
It may seem like we've been anticipating the Motorola X, the first collaborative smartphone from Google and Motorola's partnership, for a while, but reports of the phone arriving later this year bode well for the new power duo.
Though it's believed to carry the next version of the Android operating system (Key Lime Pie), very little else is actually known about Motorola's upcoming phone.
We may have a better idea of what to expect thanks to Moto's design chief Jim Wicks however, who recently spoke with PC Mag about the company's next generation smartphones.
No concrete details were divulged, but Wicks painted a picture of a mobile device that could be "just right" for every user.
Size matters
With more and more smartphones like the Galaxy S4 and HTC One taking the bigger is better approach, Wicks promised that size was important, but not in the way competitors would have you believe.
"Certain people like a large screen," Wicks said. "But there's a sweet spot for consumers that we're currently exceeding in the market. There are some people that like a big display, but there's also a lot of people that want something that's just about right."
"I think 'just right' is important, and we're designing so we don't disappoint those people."
Wicks too cautioned size in relation to extraneous software included on a device, adding he hoped the next-gen phones from Motorola wouldn't be as gluttonous with pre-installed apps.
"People don't want all that stuff pre-populated on their devices," Wicks said.
"They really want to define these things themselves. We're focusing on simplicity and the power of the consumer."
United front
A lot of what Wicks is excited about springs from the solid relationship he claims Motorola and Google now share, adding the "wow" factor comment was taken out of context.
"We've been spending the past eight months on this next generation of phones, and we've all seen positive feedback and collaboration around things," Wicks said.
"From a software and UI perspective, our strategy is to embrace Android and to make it the best expression of Android and Google in the market."
It would appear Google shares these sentiments, as executive chair Eric Schmidt called Moto's new phones "phenomenal" during a talk at the Dive Into Mobile conference.
Wicks added he believed moving away from the specification wars, and focusing on the consumers instead, was the answer for Motorola's success.
Brand awareness
With so many different exclusive phones at so many different carriers, it's hard to pinpoint an specific vision to Motorola's smartphones.
The next generation devices like the rumored Motorola X should change all that according to Wicks, as Motorola will be adopting similar strategies as HTC and Samsung for its new phones.
"We are going to try to drive a more singular expression of our brand across multiple carriers," Wicks said. "It's a fundamental change in the model."
Don't take that to mean the Droids will be disappearing though, as Moto still has plans to support the line in the future alongside its new, focused vision.
You might not have heard of Xiaomi, and that’s a damn shame. The small Chinese manufacturer has been making waves in the last few years, often being billed as the “Apple of China” with its premium Android handsets that really push the envelope when it comes to hardware and aesthetics, all while being reasonably priced all things considered.
Unfortunately, there business plan up until now is to focus only on China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. That hasn’t stopped Android fans throughout the globe from sitting up and taking notice of this brand, though. And now it seems that Xiaomi is finally starting to notice back.
Speaking at the D:Dive Into Mobile event in NYC, the company’s CEO Bin Lin has stated that they plan to move beyond China in the near future. He also stated that the company expects to hit 15 million devices shipped in 2013, with some of these devices moving beyond the usual target countries.
We have no idea how far Xiaomi’s global ambitions will take them, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Europe is eventually in the cards. Here’s to hoping that they have their sights set on North America as well. If any Chinese brand could do well stateside, it would be Xiamo, and it certainly would give other Chinese brands that market in North America (like Huawei and ZTE) a pretty big challenger.
What do you think, would you like to see this premium handset manufacturer expand to a region near you?
Facebook's new Home on Android could have been a competitor
Facebook floated the idea of building a brand new mobile operating system for its new Home platform, a senior company engineer revealed on Tuesday.
The social network considered three ways to introduce Home; a custom-built OS, a forked version of Android as many had expected, or the recently-launched custom UI that sits neatly on top of Android.
Of course, the company went with the final option, but Facebook's director of mobile engineering Cory Ondrejka admitted that prototypes existed for all three eventualities.
He said: "[Home] was about making an experience that flows through friends and people. We saw three ways that we could do this. One, we could go and build an operating system. Second, we could dig into Android deeply in order to see how we can we fundamentally change / fork Android to make it different. Or, we could build an app to make it different."
Something for everyone (on Android)
Speaking at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, Ondrejka said the first two options were ditched out of a desire to reach as many people as possible with Facebook Home.
"The OS path was the least fleshed-out of the paths. Mark [Zuckerberg] talked on launch day that he wanted to build something for everyone. It's hard to get to the type of scale that's necessary for us [when building an OS]. We wanted Home in front of hundreds of millions of people - even a successful OS would only give that experience to a few of them," Ondrejka, who was joined on stage by Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer, added.
The pair also discussed the plans for future roll outs, admitting Facebook Home has been tested on tablets, but will not arrive until it becomes common place on all Android phones.
They also revealed that the first Facebook Home update for Android is coming in May.
The company has sent out press invites to a shindig in New York City scheduled for May 1. Ah, the Big Apple in spring, is there anything better?
The invite is light on details, asking attendees only to "Share the Genius" and "Capture the Spotlight in True Brilliance."
A microphone and literal spotlights decorate it, which may simply be symbolic but could also point to a Samsung-inspired extravaganza, though one that features pop star talent and not hired Broadway hands, but who knows.
What will we see?
The last time LG had an event billed this big was last September when the company announced the Optimus G.
While there's always a chance LG might whip out the G's follow-up, the turnaround time seems a little fast to us.
Same goes for the Nexus 5. It's predecessor, the Nexus 4, was only announced in late October 2012, meaning a new version is likely in the works though not quite ready for prime time. What's more, we expect word of the Nexus 5 to come at Google I/O, a more appropriate venue for a phone that Google's really at the helm of.
One phone that's garned some attention lately, especially in the U.S., is the Optimus G Pro, which is already available in a few international iterations.
On a scale of one to 10, an announcement about the phone's stateside availability (or a country-specific variant) ranks at about an 8 in possibility.
The phone has a knock-out screen - perfect for putting pics in the spotlight - plus a nice 13MP rear camera and 2.1MP front-facer. Share, capture, brilliance - the G Pro has it all.
We won't know all until May 1, but rest assured TechRadar will bring you all the latest and the handiest hands on review.
Google's chairman is at it again, chatting up the next wave of "impressive" gadgets on the way from the search giant - without really divulging much in the way of details.
"They have a new set of products, which are phenomenal," the Google executive chairman remarked. "Very, very impressive."
Schmidt wouldn't elaborate further, except to refer to the upcoming devices as "phones-plus" - whatever that means.
No tension with Samsung
New gadgets weren't the only thing the Google chairman was eager to talk about as the conversation inevitably turned to rumors of tension with Android partner Samsung.
Describing the relationship between the two companies as "very healthy," Schmidt dismissed rumors that Samsung may be co-opting Google's mobile OS for its very own.
During a question-and-answer session after his talk, Schmidt commented that Samsung actually "helped to define Android" and how much Google appreciates the Korean manufacturer's decision to "go Android" while the platform was still in its infancy.
And with good reason: Schmidt confirmed that Samsung is now the number one Android vendor by unit volume, which has now reached 1.5 million activations per day.
Facebook Home is coming to Google Play around the world later today, which means that anyone with a compatible handset will be able to download and install the Facebook-flavoured Android overlay.
If that sounds like you, you can enjoy Facebook's not-quite-an-OS which puts the social network front-and-centre on your handset. The app-but-not-an-app went live in the US on April 12.
Facebook phone home
The software turns your phone into a Facebook machine, putting Cover Feed on the homescreen with scrolling photos and status updates to enjoy without even unlocking your phone.
Messaging is taken care of by the floaty-bouncy Chat Heads which pop up and glimmer at you when you have a chat running, until you flick them off screen.
Although it takes over your phone entirely, you can still get at your non-Facebook apps thanks to Facebook Home's app launcher.
If you don't have a compatible Android phone, never fear - you can still get annoyed with those persistent Chat Heads as they are now available in Messenger for Android.
And now you can even get them on your iPhone too. Chat Heads. Inescapable.
The team behind Android originally made the OS for a range of smart digital cameras rather than mobile phones. And it wasn't the iPhone that had Android quaking in its boots - it was Symbian.
That's according to Android founder Andy Rubin, speaking at a forum in Tokyo.
"The exact same platform, the exact same operating system we built for cameras, that became Android for cellphones," he said.
"We decided digital cameras wasn't actually a big enough market."
Rubin went on to explain that the Android forefathers had 9 per cent market share in North America in their sights: we think they may just about have exceeded that.
And happily for those early versions of the OS, their destiny has been fulfilled - you can now get an Android snapper in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy Camera.
TechRadar's reckons this is what a Surface Phone might look like
While there's been talk of Microsoft considering a Surface Phone for some time, the chief of Windows Phone has stated that it's not currently in the pipeline. At least not right now.
Speaking at the second day of Dive Into Mobile in New York, head of Windows Phone Terry Myerson dismissed rumours that there would be a Microsoft-made Surface-branded version of the Windows Phone any time soon.
"It would have to be something where Nokia or HTC was not providing the consumer experience we think is possible with our platform," he said.
Even though a Surface Phone has never been a sure thing, it's certainly an idea that makes sense, and one that Nokia has been encouraged in the past.
Knives out
Myerson also had a few things to say about a certain couple of market competitors.
"Android is…kind of a mess," he said. "Look at Samsung – there's clearly mutiny going on. The only OEM making money off of Android is Samsung."
He then moved onto Apple, discussing the changes found in the iPhone 5: "With iPhone, I sense urgency. With iOS 5 [Apple] just added a fifth row of icons."
Of course, the rumoured Windows Smart watch was also raised during the discussion, though Myerson wouldn't confirm whether one was on the way. "It's an exciting space," he said. "There's no doubt that wearable computing has incredible potential."
Unlocking a phone can be a pain. We've all been there - your phone's locked to a network and you want to use it on a different one, or maybe just get it unlocked to increase the resale value.
Whatever the reason, with there being several different methods, different procedures on different phones and different policies on each network it can be a headache, so we're here to give you the knowledge to make it a little bit easier.
The first thing to realise is that unlocking a phone is perfectly legal in the UK. The main reason that networks are allowed to lock phones in the first place is because generally when a phone is sold locked it's at a subsidised price.
So essentially the network is paying part of the cost of the phone, and in order to make their money back they lock you in to their network. But that doesn't change the fact that you have the legal right to take your business elsewhere.
Before you look into unlocking your phone, it's always worth trying a different network's SIM card in it, just in case it's not actually locked at all. Sometimes phones are sold unlocked, even when bought from a specific network.
Ask your network
If your phone definitely is locked then you have several options at your disposal. Despite it being the network that locks your phone in the first place, they're also sometimes willing to unlock it for you (though they're not legally required to).
O2, for example, makes it incredibly easy. In fact if you're in a contract with the network then it will unlock your handset free of charge - though that won't get the contract cancelled.
Even if you're on Pay As You Go it will generally still unlock it for you as long as you've had the handset for at least 12 months, but there will be a one-off payment of £15, and depending on the handset it can take up to 14 days to do it. The only exception to all this is O2-exclusive handsets, which the network will refuse to unlock.
Vodafone will also unlock its handsets, though at a potentially higher cost. You can generally get a free unlock if you're on contract - or if you purchased your phone more than 12 months ago. Otherwise it will cost around £20. Sometimes the network will unlock your phone in just one day, but it can take up to two weeks.
EE is a little bit stricter with its unlocking terms. You need to have been a customer with the network for at least six months regardless of whether you're on a monthly contract or Pay As You Go, and either way there will be a fee of £20.42. It also takes up to 20 days to unlock a handset, which is slightly longer than most.
Three is in some ways quite lax in its unlocking terms, since it will allow Pay As You Go customers to unlock their handset any time, while if you're on a contract you can unlock it after the first 30 days.
It will also unlock the handset straight away where possible, and even when it can't it shouldn't take more than seven days. However it doesn't unlock it for free, instead charging a fee of £15.32 regardless of your circumstances.
It's also worth being aware that it's stated in its terms and conditions that it prohibits unlocking your phone "via any unauthorised manner (ie by anyone other than us or the device manufacturer)," so doing so may constitute a breach of contract.
Tesco Mobile will unlock Pay Monthly phones for free at the end of your contract period or for a £20 fee if you wish to unlock your phone before then. Pay As You Go phones can be unlocked for free after 12 months, otherwise again a £20 charge will apply. The exception to this is Pay As You Go iPhones, which Tesco won't unlock at all unless you've had one for at least 12 months.
Virgin Mobile will generally unlock any phone for a fee of £15.32, but like Three you can't get a free unlock from it, no matter what your circumstances are.
Your network should be able to unlock any handset for you - even the latest and greatest phones to hit the market. Most of the networks have an online form that you can fill in to get your handset unlocked or alternatively you can call them.
Either way you'll need your IMEI number, so it's worth having that handy. Generally you'll be able to find this on your phone's settings screen (for example on an Android handset you go into 'About phone' and then 'Status'), but if you're having trouble locating it you can also enter *#06# on your dial pad to bring it up.
Do it yourself
If your network isn't willing to unlock your phone (or charges too much for the privilege) then worry not, for there are other options. Before proceeding with any of the following methods though, be aware that getting anyone other than the network or manufacturer to unlock your phone may void your warranty.
In some cases it's entirely possible to unlock a handset yourself free of charge. All some phones need is an unlock code, and certain sites list these. However, generally you'll only find them for older, non-smartphone handsets, and even then the bulk of them are for Nokias. But if you've got an older phone, even something other than a Nokia, then it's worth a look.
Before you start you'll need to know your make, model and IMEI number. The make and model should be easy to find (hint: check the box, the manual or even the phone itself). With them in hand you can head to unlock.nokia.free.org if you've got a Nokia or do a Google search if you've got anything else, though obviously be careful to check that it's a legitimate site if you head elsewhere.
Occasionally do-it-yourself methods do pop up for smartphones. For example the Samsung Galaxy S3 can be unlocked with an app called 'GalaxSim Unlock', which can be downloaded free of charge from Google Play - though you need a rooted phone to use it.
Similarly, depending on what firmware you're on you may be able to unlock a jail-broken iPhone. However, Apple is more resistant to unlocking than most other manufacturers - so in many cases, particularly if you've got a newer model such as the iPhone 5, approaching your network directly will be your best bet.
Pay someone
If all else fails you can always pay someone independent to unlock your phone for you. This can be done both through websites and from high street stores and market stalls, though of course it's worth shopping around and where possible checking the legitimacy of the person or company before proceeding.
The terms, pricing, methods and time frames of these services can vary wildly. Generally if you're getting it unlocked online you simply provide the site with your phone's make, model, IMEI number and the network it's locked to, pay a fee and wait for them to send you an unlock code. This keeps it pretty simple, but you still want to make sure that the site is legit and that you're getting good value for money.
As a starting point, though, Mobile Unlocked uses this method and is a legitimate site with a 100% money back guarantee if for any reason it fails to unlock your phone. It will also unlock major handsets such as the iPhone 5 (albeit for a seriously hefty £74.99 upwards fee) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (for a more reasonable £17.99 upwards).
Alternatively, giffgaff's site has a list of other companies that offer an unlocking service, along with some information on them and user reviews.
Some sites may ask you to post your phone to them, but this is generally best avoided because it adds time, risk and hassle to the process and shouldn't normally be necessary.
If you take your phone to the high street, methods sometimes vary, with unlockers potentially physically attaching a cable to your phone to get it unlocked. This can work, though it can also run the risk of damaging your phone.
It's always best to make sure the person or store offering the service is legitimate before handing your phone over, so a physical shop is a better bet than a market stall and you should read reviews or find feedback about them where possible.
One way or another you should now have the information you need to get your phone unlocked, so go out and enjoy the freedom to choose a new network, or go nuts and get SIM cards for them all. The world is your oyster.
The BlackBerry Q10 is the second handset to come running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, but it's the first to offer a physical QWERTY keyboard alongside it.
The Q10 won't have the same appeal as the flagship Z10, but there are still people out there who swear by a physical keyboard on their smartphone, so we've searched far and wide to bring you the latest on where and when you'll be able to get it.
Carphone Warehouse
Carphone Warehouse has reduced the price of BlackBerry Q10, with it now listed at a still rather eye-watering £579.95 SIM-free (it was appearing at £600 originally), which is the same as the Samsung Galaxy S4.
You can also pick it up on contract for free from £36 per month - with all the major networks apart from Three represented - with stock expected to arrive "by the end of April".
Phones 4U
The Phones 4U site tells us it expects stock of the BlackBerry Q10 to arrive "in 4-5 weeks" and it's offering a free BlackBerry PlayBook to the first 300 who pre-order - we're not sure if that's an incentive or not.
Like Carphone Warehouse you can grab the Q10 for free on two year contracts starting at £36 per month, but there's no sign of Three or O2 here, nor does it appear to be offering the handset SIM-free.
EE
EE announced at the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 in January that it "also plans to range the forthcoming BlackBerry® Q10 smartphone. Details on pricing and availability will be announced at a later date".
And we're still waiting on those prices and release date.
O2
O2 reckons we might have a bit of a longer wait here in the UK for the BlackBerry Q10, with a coming soon date of May and the option to "keep me in the loop" on its info page.
Three
Three is yet to announce whether or not it will be ranging the BlackBerry Q10, but considering all its rivals will be selling the phone we'd expect the data-friendly network to follow suit.
Vodafone
Update: Vodafone now has its BlackBerry Q10 pre-order page live and is offering the handset for free on a two year, £37 per month contract which gives you unlimited calls and texts plus a distinctly average 1GB of data.
There's no word on the Q10's release date however, nor does there seem to be PAYG or SIM-only options on Vodafone.
Online retailers
Unlocked Mobiles has the handset listed for pre-order at £529.98 and a Blackberry Q10 release date of April 26.
The Q10 is slightly more on Clove's pre-order page, with a price of £534.99 for the SIM-free handset and a note saying "first stock due late April".
Update: You can pre-order the BlackBerry Q10 at Expansys, but it's a bit pricier at £579.99 for the QWERTY keyboard device.
Samsung seems to be in hot water again, this time over negative comments which appeared on HTC One reviews by people apparently paid to write them by the Korean firm.
Only last week did police raid Samsung's Seoul offices after LG accused the firm of stealing its OLED secrets and now the Galaxy S4 maker is being investigated by Taiwanese authorities over false advertising.
According to AFP, Samsung hired students in Taiwan to post negative comments about the HTC One online, while also promoting its own products in the process.
Not so fine
Apparently if these allegations are upheld Samsung could face a fine of around $835,000 (£545,680/AU$805,200), and there will be some red faces around its office too.
There may be some truth in the allegations though, after Samsung Taiwan posted a message on its Facebook page saying: " Samsung Taiwan has ceased all marketing activities that involve the posting of anonymous comments.
"We regret any inconvenience this incident may have caused. We will continue to reinforce education and training for our employees to prevent any future recurrence."
We have spoken to HTC and Samsung about these allegations and will update this article if we receive a comment from either party.
In a world where everyone sues everyone and everybody buys out everybody else, we’ve come across some fresh news regarding America’s third biggest wireless carrier. Sprint is still in negotiations with Softbank, but now it looks like Dish Network has put in an aggressive bid to acquire the wireless carrier. They’re prepared to offer up a cool $25.5 billion.
That’s not all cash, of course, but quite a bit of it actually is. The bid consists of $17.3 billion in cash and $8.2 billion in stock. This is a bigger bid than the $20.5 billion that Softbank announced it would be willing to offer for a 70% stake in Sprint. Based on these figures, Dish would effectively be paying $4.76 per share for Sprint, which is still lower than the $6.22 at which the stock closed on Friday evening.
The goal is to get some cross-promotion action going on. Dish Network only has a customer base of 14.2 million people, but Sprint has 47.5 million subscribers. If Dish is able to convert some of those Sprint customers away from their current TV providers and over to Dish instead, they come out as quite the winner. Of course, they’d have no problem promoting Sprint to their existing Dish subscribers, too. This kind of cross-promotion is nothing new.
What’s interesting is that whether or not Dish is able to successfully acquire Sprint, it will likely still want to get its beak wet in the wireless business. Dish has already expressed interest in merging with T-Mobile USA and it also had a look at Clearwire. And let’s not forget that Dish owns 40MHz of spectrum in the 2GHz band with no network to run it on.
