There was a time when phones used to be a bit different from each other. Buyers used to have choices that extended a little further than whether they'd like their featureless new rectangle to run iOS or Android, with the phones of old having quirkier appearances and more unpredictable features.

Nokias were nothing like Panasonics, Sony had some bonkers ideas, Palm existed and LG pioneered with some weird touchscreen models way before Apple worked out how to make them feel nice and actually work properly.

Many older handsets came with their own operating systems and therefore had different personalities. Some had games, some didn't, some had chunky little aerials to fiddle with, and it was always, always possible to work out which way up they were in your pocket by feel alone.

We miss the days when phones weren't all homogenised into the same form factor by the one huge factory in China that makes everything, so here are the five finest phones that made us love them by being different and proud of it.

Nokia 3210

• Year: 1999
• Launch Price: £400

The first phone of a generation. We loved it like we love a first car. It didn't matter what make it was, how fast it was or how cool it looked, the fact that it existed, worked and was ours* was enough.

We were empowered with the ability to adjust meeting times and dates while on trains, we could send text messages when a full conversation would be needless or awkward, while T9 text input had us texting with ease on the keypad.

It had three games and you could choose the sounds it made, plus you could purchase after-market covers to jazz up that staid exterior. Cutting-edge tech that changed lives.

*Subject to contract, terms & conditions apply.

Sony Ericsson K800i

• Year: 2006
• Launch Price: £400

Sony's been a bit shy about putting its Cyber-shot branding on mobiles of late, but it was this promise of decent portable imaging, teamed with a capable 3.15MP sensor with autofocus, flash, a dedicated shutter button and a cute little sliding lens cover that convinced people the K800i was the coolest phone to own in 2006.

Its burst mode photo tool was innovative back then too, letting users capture nine shots and pull out the best of them to keep - a system most modern smartphone makers are still trying to pretend to have invented themselves today.

And while we may laugh at its clunky candybar looks now, just seven years ago this was the phone used by gadget king James Bond to text his East European lady friends in product-placement motion picture bonanza Casino Royale.

Nokia N95

• Year: 2007
• Launch Price: £450

As well as dominating the cheap candybar market for years, Nokia was also king of the newly emerging smartphone world for a bit.

Phones weren't quite as smart in 2007 as they are now, but the S60/Symbian OS was the hackable Android equivalent of its day. A 5MP camera was a thrilling thing to have on a phone back then, which Nokia coupled with GPS, Wi-Fi, a decent web browser and HSDPA radio support.

It was the nerd's phone of choice, thanks to Nokia managing to push it as a powerful computer inside a chunky little sliding case.

It wasn't quite that, but it had all the elements of today's smartphones in place - just working a bit slower than they do now.

BlackBerry Bold

• Year: 2008
• Launch Price: £500

Released shortly after the iPhone began recalibrating everything, the BlackBerry Bold 9000 series model appeared to have the power and style to give Apple's newcomer a thorough kicking.

It was slimmer than previous BB models, supported the full-speed HSDPA mobile data connections, and incorporated all of today's smartphone must-haves like GPS, Wi-Fi, a camera, SD card memory upgrades and more.

The Bold was solid (with an erotic leatherette back), the keyboard a dream, the display large and clear. It was a winner. Shame about what came next for BlackBerry (nee RIM).

HTC Desire

• Year: 2010
• Launch Price: £500

The first genuinely Triple-A Android model, the original HTC Desire was also one of the last smartphones to really stand out from the crowd in design terms.

It was brown for a start, had chunky silver buttons and even came with a glowing red Terminator eye inside its clickable track sensor, a feature that would soon disappear from the Android spec sheet.

With a 1GHz processor inside, the old Desire still functions pretty well as a smartphone today, although HTC never took it past a DIY upgrade to Android 2.3.

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Source : techradar[dot]com

Until now we were expecting to be treated to Nokia's rumoured phablet handset, the Lumia 1520, on September 26. Sorry folks, but it looks like that's just changed.

The suspected 6-inch device is now scheduled for around mid-October, according to sources speaking to The Verge.

The event was originally set to take place in New York but apparently the location may have also changed, though we're not told where to.

Illuminating information

Of course this may well have something to do with Microsoft's recent massive buyout of Nokia's handset business.

We've told that the Lumia device will be the first Windows Phone device with a full HD display, and expected to arrive in red, yellow, black and white.

It might not be the only device on the Nokia horizon either, with its first tablet - codenamed Sirius - said to be about to break cover.

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Source : techradar[dot]com

While the Nexus 5 was busy partying, the 16GB Nexus 4 was busy selling out at the U.S. Google Play Store. And it's reportedly never coming back.

According to a "trusted source" for The Verge, Google has no plans to restock the Nexus 4 back in any storage configuration in the U.S. It already sold out of the 8GB Nexus 4 after a price cut, and while "a few" devices remain in stock in other countries, once those devices are sold out, Google supposedly won't replace them.

A check of the Google Play Store has this message for the 8GB and 16GB phones: "We are out of inventory. Please check back soon."

Not that checking back will do any good.

Nexus 5 release date nearing?

It seems we are inching ever close to the debut of the Nexus 5. The phone has been popping up left and right, including in a bar, just like it's predecessor was outed before it's official release.

The phone we've seen so far could be far from the final product, but it looks like we can expect a device similar to the LG G2. Rumored specs include Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac and 7-band LTE support.

Chances are we'll see it with Android 4.3, but Google could be calculating a release timed with Android 4.4 KitKat.

Nothing is official until Google gives the word, but all signs are pointing to an incoming Nexus 5.

• We may see new hardware from Valve soon, too.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Mobile phone users in some areas of the UK will soon be receiving text messages when emergency situations develop in their locale, as part of a new government trial.

The Cabinet Office says it is working with the UK big three mobile networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone to test a US-style alert system, which will warn of severe weather, industrial incidents and other emergencies.

The scheme will be tested in on up to 50,000 mobile users in parts of Yorkshire, Suffolk and Glasgow via text and CB messages delivered directly to the handset. Alerts will be marked as 'test' during the trial.

Countries like the US, The Netherlands and Australia already have measures in place to notify users to be on the look out for cars suspected in kidnappings, escaped felons, wanted fugitives,

Other nations, such as Japan and Chile, which are more susceptible to natural disasters, are also in the process of implementing their own mechanisms.

Potential lifesaver?

The idea is that hopefully, the early alert system will keep mobile users vigilant and could even safe lives during emergency situations.

If you're interested, you can check out a list of those potential scenarios in the rather ominous sounding National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2013 government report.

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Source : techradar[dot]com

Amidst all the hubbub over Twitter's recent IPO filing, word on the 'net is that the not-so-little birdie may be releasing a series of mobile updates.

A new app rollout isn't too far off though, especially since Twitter recently asked users to sign up for its Android beta program to squash out bugs.

Twitter will release a small app update following Apple's Sept. 17 iOS 7 release with sources at All Things D claiming the newly designed app will be available a bit after in a larger update.

With the Facebook interface always morphing, Yahoo's recent logo switch and Google's own purportedly impending logo change, it's not surprising Twitter feels the need for a refresh to stay current.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

According the The New York Times, the Twitter app will update the tweet stream to be more visually appealing.

All those pictures and videos in your Twitter stream will be displayed automatically without the need to click and expand, much like the Discover tab, for an image-heavy experience.

Additionally, the Times says Twitter will be taking cues from iOS 7 and aim for a more crisp and clean look to "feel more alive."

The mobile update will also include the ability to swipe from stream to stream, and do away with the four buttons on the bottom, for seamlessness that allows for more content and less interface.

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Source : techradar[dot]com