Those looking to purchase the hottest phone on the market should be aware that not every deal and every contract are created equal. Thankfully there are some great deals being offered by many European cellular service providers.

One such deal is being offered by Vodafone through Phones4U. This deal requires a £25 a month plan with £39 due up front. For that price, you will get 100 calling minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB of mobile data allowance. Granted, this might not be the best phone for those who are heavy on the texting and calling end, but the data allowance is comparable and is even a plus considering it’s offered through Vodafone.

Better yet the phone is unlocked so it will be first in line for any Android updates that are pushed out by Samsung, something locked devices are not able to boast.

That’s not the only deal out there for the Samsung Galaxy S II, though. Why not check out the Samsung Galaxy S II contracts over at Best Mobile Contracts, where you can compare this deal with many others to find the best deal for you.

The much awaited and talked about successor to the Nexus One, the Nexus S is finally available for pre-order in the UK, the release date already being set for late December, with no word on when it will be released in the US (where the first Nexus was released, with not-so enthusiastic user feedback).

The pricing seems pretty normal for a new high-end smartphone that packs in everything you might ever need and looks good to boot. An unlocked, SIM-free unit will cost the potential users 550 pounds, or $870, while the version bound by a 24 months contract will only be 35 pounds per month. The choice is pretty clear: if you want this phone but don’t have the money, go for the contract version, but if you already have a contract with another network company, it may prove difficult and more expensive to do that.

The new Nexus S certainly looks great, with the curved housing and the new Android 2.3 Gingerbread pre-installed, but a lot of people think it’s not worth paying the price when a brand new, unlocked Samsung Galaxy S, which shares the same platform and hardware with the Nexus S, costs only 415 pounds, and has support for HD video filming and an external micro SD card slot (though the lack of the former in the Nexus is probably only a matter of software). Furthermore, it might actually be cheaper to export the phone from the US when it comes out there at 550 US dollars (which is only 345 pounds).

Still, with all the issues, the Nexus S is definitely a phone worth paying attention to, and if you want to have the latest and greatest software, it’s the only choice besides the older Nexus One, as Google markets it as a “fully open” device with no locks or limits (unlike HTC, Motorola, Samsung and other brands, which lock the boot loader and do not allow the users to customize their own ROM).

Just a few weeks after its release, the Samsung Galaxy S i9000 may turn out to be one of Samsung’s biggest sellers. With superior engineering and innovative technology encased within its handsomely-designed casing, the i9000 is Samsung’s most advanced smartphone to date, receiving praises from mobile fans and reviewers alike.

Seat of power

At the very heart of the system beats a powerful and efficient ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor which powers up the phone’s operating system, the popular Android v2.1 (Éclair) OS. The OS and the processor works in tandem with the phone’s beefed-up user interface, the TouchWiz 3.0.

This combination creates an overall synergistic effect which enables the Samsung Galaxy S to handle even the most challenging application or function with amazing ease.

Raft of excellent features

The i9000 comes in both 8 GB and 16 GB models which are upgradeable up to 32 GB via a MicroSD expansion card slot.

Multimedia functionality is provided by a versatile media player which can play audio files in MP3, WAV, eAAC+, AC3 and FLAC formats as well as video files in MP4, DivX, WMV, H.264 and H.263 formats with amazing clarity and presence. A 3.5 mm audio jack for earphones is provided as well for private listening.

The Samsung Galaxy S comes with a large 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen which displays a stunning 16 million colours at 480 x 800 pixels resolution. Other display features include an accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor and touch-sensitive controls

Multi-mode digital camera

The Samsung Galaxy S is equipped with a built-in 5 megapixel digital camera which is capable as well of recording videos at 30 frames per second. It can display vivid images at 2592 x 1944 pixels resolution and is capable of taking pictures in panoramic mode, stop motion and cartoon mode. A secondary VGA camera is provided to support video chat.

Looking back at the industry’s standards, mobile phones have come a long way from the older models that were initially made. Before CDMA and 2G technology was available, most mobile phones were huge, as in carrying a bothersome weight. These mobile phones only allowed two purposes –making and receiving calls (though you can probably knock a person unconscious with it too). Phones these days are smaller and slimmer. You can even hang some phones from a lanyard or just slide one into your shirt’s front pocket.

Even the weight has changed dramatically. From bulky to just around the area of 100-150 grams, the change in weight is an even bigger issue –and these days, having a phone weighing close to 200 grams is already considered heavy.

But industry standards can get confusing, while smart phone manufacturers have been sticking true to the new weight rule, the concept of size is a completely different matter. People want smaller handsets, at the same time, they all want bigger screens. Even scrapping the keyboard and keypad in exchange for a large touch screen was not enough; now, some developers are looking to make phones will really big screens.

Dell recently launch Dell Streak that has a 5 inch touch screen, Sony is rumored to be working on a 5.5 inch touch screen handset as well. At a recent tech conference in Asia, Samsung revealed the Galaxy Tab which is basically a 7 inch tablet which can be used for making phone calls as well.

Breaching the border between a tablet and mobile phone is a tricky thing; after all, the main point of having a mobile handset is portability. Avoiding the need to carry a 7 inch touch screen device is specifically the reason why mobile phones have been invented.

Samsung’s latest Android handset is finally available. Amazon UK is already offering the handset for shipping and it is expected to appear on store shelves pretty soon. Many of us in the tech industry believed that the handset would be available last May thanks to some rumors regarding an early release –Samsung was at least quick enough to offer a quick announcement that the device would not be available so soon, but folks in the UK only need wait till June for the device to be available, and from the looks of things, they lived up to their word.

This impressive little handset’s best feature is its 4 inch touch screen display. Not only is the new capacitive touch screen display responsive and fast, it is also using the new super AMOLED screen technology that was first shown off with the Samsung Wave smart phone, and with the larger screen of the Galaxy S, the visual superiority of the new hardware truly shows (the Wave only had a 3.3 inch screen, and it was already impressive to look at).

Of course, Samsung fans will not be surprised to know that this handset also uses the TouchWiz user interface and it also makes use of several Samsung made features such as the Social Hub, the ThinkFree document editor and the Smart Life digital organizer.

Hardware wise, the Android smart phone is able to compete with the other new handsets like the HTC Desire and the Nexus One. The i9000 Galaxy S comes with a 4 inch capacitive super AMOLED touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera (with 720p video recording, with HD video playback), a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 8 to 16 GB or internal storage, DivX and XviD video playback support and of course, the 2.1 Android Éclair operating system.

There is a new Android smart phone in town and Samsung is ready to join the big Android squabble against rival manufacturers HTC and Sony Ericsson (and also against the Google phone). T-Mobile has just announced that it is offering the Snapdragon Android devices from HTC and Sony Ericsson (the HTC Desire and the XPERIA X10). Samsung is hoping to add more in its offer by using the new super AMOLED touch screen display technology on the Galaxy S.

It has also been confirmed that the Galaxy S is getting certified for DivX, making it the first HD capable smart phone compatible with the popular video format.

The new device is the third phone from the Korean manufacturer that makes use of the new super AMOLED technology. The first phone to have the touch screen display is the Samsung Wave smart phone which also utilizes the new Bada mobile platform. The other device with the high end screen is a yet to be named Windows Phone 7 device that is still in the works.

Back to the Galaxy S, this smart phone follows the basic aesthetic style of the original Galaxy series. The display is a large 4 inch capacitive touch screen and it will be running on a 1GHz CPU. The phone is also confirmed to be equipped with a 5 mega pixel snapper.

Aside from having good hardware, the phone also has a few extra features; the TouchWiz user interface is back and the Wave’s Social Hub application will also be installed in the phone. New to this phone are the Smart Life and ThinkFree applications. No exact release date has been given, but we can expect to see this phone on store shelves later this year.

Find out more about the new Android smart phone from Korean manufacturer Samsung at Tech Radar.

Good old Blighty… what is it good for? Well, very little, if we’re honest. But one thing we can at least be proud of one our shores is our advertising, because without doubt we make the least terrible, the least vomit-inducing ads in the whole wide world.

Take the example below (sick bags at the ready) for the Samsung Genio Touch. What an absolute beauty. We can imagine the creative pitch to the client now: So, right, yeah, like, totally imagine, like, the phone – the phone is like the star here, so there’s hundreds of them right – and then like, imagine one of those twisty tube things, you know, like, from when you were a kid, with the glitter and the spinning, you know – a kaleidoscope! Yeah! That’s what they’re called – and like, that’s how the add works. Yeah? Like spinning and mirrors and stuff. Yeah.

Thanks for that, Creative Mind of the Year 2009. And look, look what else we have, some young people jumping around in water and so on. Gosh, this phone really is vibrant and playful, and I think it will fit into my active yet budget conscious lifestyle. I will appreciate the range of social media applications, engaging with them in order to facilitate an ‘always on’ sense of entertainment…

Who’d have thought it, the ad actually works. Or it would do if we’d been lobotomised at the age of twelve and then fed nothing but Big Macs and Coke (the fizzy brown stuff, not the good stuff).

All of which is a shame because the Samsung Genio Touch is – as budget phones go – pretty darn decent. Or favourite TouchWiz interface is onboard, as is some nice haptic feedback from the touchscreen and it’s all wrapped up in a dinky, nifty design. What more can we say… apart from go have a gander at this Samsung Genio Touch review, or at the official press release.

So the summer is coming to an end, yet we seem to be enjoying some rare sunshine here in the UK. To celebrate this rarity we have decided to put together a list of our 8 favourite mobile phones and the best deals that are available with them. We might make this a regular feature, it just depends how useful you guys think it is. So let’s get started.
1. Nokia N97 deals – The hottest Nokia mobile phone out there right now. Yes it has a few problems, but nothing a few firmware updates will sort out. You can get a free ipod shuffle on T-Mobile with 800 minutes and unlimited texts for under £40.00 per month.
2. HTC Hero deals – Android is the way forward and the HTC Hero is the best of the lot. At £15 per month cheaper than the N97 it is worthy of the number 2 spot. You do only get 400 minutes per month though.
3. HTC Touch diamond 2 deals – much improved from the original Diamond, we really like the interface on this phone. £30.00 per month on O2 is the one to beat here, with 400 minutes and 500 texts.
4. Sony W995 deals – The best Sony Ericsson phone available in the market at the moment. You get music, camera and a sleek design all rolled into one. And for a little of £21.00 per month on Orange we think that it is a bargain.
5. Blackberry 8520 deals -No list would be complete without a Blackberry. The new 8520 is a slimmer sleeker version of the older models and we are very impressed with it. There is a deal with Orange offering £170 cashback on a £35.00 per month deal, so now is the time to grab this one whilst its cheap.
6. Nokia 5530 deals – Wow this is a cheap mobile phone. Vodafone are offering this one with 600 minutes and unlimited texts for just £21.00 per month, an absolute bargain.
7. Samsung Jet deals – The new addition to Android community has been well received and if you are looking for an alternative to HTC this one needs to be considered. Grab it O2 for £29.35 per month on O2 or £21.20 on Orange if you don’t mind cashback deals.
8. Nokia N86 deals – Gamers delight in this fabulous handset. Yes there are cheaper Nokia phones out there, but if you like to game then this one is a must. Vodafone are offering it for £31.00 with 600 minutes unlimited texts.
So there you have it our run down of the best mobile phones with the best deals. It is probably worth bearing in mind that these offer change quickly so grab them whilst they are still around.

If you thought Bluetooth headsets – staple ear decoration for mini-cab drivers, construction site foremen and, well, all ****s who think that a flashing piece of plastic hooked into their ear hole looks good – were painful to be around in your day to day life, just you wait until the next mini revolution in mobile phones happens: watchphones.

That’s right, in some kind of back to the future style scenario, watchphones are back in the shape of the Samsung S9110 (and we say back, because one of Samsung’s last notable efforts in this category came in the shape of the SPH-WP10, an almost unbelievable ten years ago). And as well as the S9110, LG are getting in on the act with the GD910, although their effort is arriving next month rather than this, and costs £1,000 whereas the Samsung S9110 comes in at under £400. But regardless, we don’t doubt that in a few months, you’re going to start seeing a lot of people with strange looking watches. All the most strange when you see them seemingly dislocate their elbows and wrist in an attempt to talk into these things like they’re a phone. See…. do you see why we’re worried? Because, as quaint an idea as a watchphone is, we just fail to see how it’s going to be all that practical. Either it’s going to be something you have to twist and turn up to your face in some weird way, or it’ll just be on permanent speakerphone (which will really, really wind us up). Or it’ll go down the route of the so-called “hands-free” sets. And don’t get us started on hands-free sets… IT’S NOT HANDS-FREE YOU IDIOT BECAUSE YOU JUST TOOK LONGER TO USE YOUR HANDS TO STICK THE EAR PIECE IN, RE-ADJUST THE STUPID DANGLING MICROPHONE AND THEN ANSWER THE CALL THAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY TAKE TO ANSWER THE CALL. AND LOOK! LOOK! NOW YOU’RE HOLDING THE MICROPHONE BIT CLOSE TO YOUR MOUTH AS YOU TALK. JUST USE THE ****ING PHONE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON YOU ****ING **** ****.

Ahem. Anyway. Yeah. Watchphones! Woooo!

Check out this Samsung S9110 review for less rant, more stats. Or have an early look at some Samsung S9110 deals.

Preston! Cool! That’s where Peter Kay’s from, right?

Erm, no, that’s Bolton.

Oh. Preston! I know! That’s where Johnny Vegas is from!

Erm, no again. He’s from St Helen’s.

Hmmm. Right then.

Exactly. Because the only amusing overweight people in Preston are the one’s in the queue for the fish and chip shops. The only comedians in Preston are the ones that campaigned to make it Britain’s 50th city in 2002. The only thing funny, at all, about Preston in fact, is, well, yeah, we don’t live there. That’s pretty funny.

So step up the Samsung S5600, the only phone, as far as our extensive knowledge extends, named after a depressed town (it is not, repeat not, a city) in Lancashire. Which is all a bit of a shame, because this is not a bad phone at all, as this Samsung Preston review might show, or as Samsung’s official page will definitely claim. What you’ve got, in fact, is merely the Tocco Lite with a few useful add-ons like 3G and GPS. And the Tocco Lite sold many more millions than even we were expecting, so why try and re-invent the wheel. But why, why oh why oh why, give the wheel such a ridiculous name? It’s beyond us. Suggestions welcome on a postcard though. Or you could just check out these Samsung Preston deals, or have a little look at the disturbing video below.