Vodafone is supporting their customers by providing free internet mobile browsing tomorrow (Friday).  If you need to check the traffic conditions (Google Maps provides free traffic on many of the UK primary routes), check your reservations for the weekend away, check the weather, or just access your favourite mobile website, then there will no charges for your mobile on Friday (from 0:00am until 11:59pm Friday 28th August 2009).

We should point out that this is a mobile only offer, and most likely does not apply to Mobile Broadband connections.

Although we’re used to hearing the likes of Apple and Nokia announcing phones which have sold over a million devices, it’s not something we often hear the same thing from the other players, especially as they often don’t hit such large figure for a single device, but LG have; since February this year they’ve managed to sell over 1 million LG Arena phones across the world (LG state the phone is on sale in 53 countries).

This is a fantastic figure for LG, and shows how popular their phones are becoming.  The LG Arena was the first phone with their new S-Class User Interface, which is also featured on their latest LG GD900 Crystal phone too which we are currently reviewing, which apart from a few minor issues, we’re really enjoying using.  Occasionally their are times when we find the virtual on screen keyboard more responsive than the touch based keypad, and the screen sometimes seem to take a little while to light up when a call comes in, but otherwise it’s proving to be clearer on calls and better at hanging onto poor network signal than many phones we have tried.

Along with many other people, we thought the UbiSurfer was a really cool product.  However, if you go to the Maplin Ubisurfer product page, you’ll find lots of people complaining of a number of issues with the device.  Well, Datawind have listened, and have now released a rather large patch (nearly 17Mb!) which should address a lot of the initial issues found with the device.  If you head to this webpage, you’ll find the download links and instructions on how to install the updates.

Given that the device is linux based, and has a built in software updater facility for some of the apps, we’re wondering why this needs to be applied in this way though; surely a better solution would have been to make the update available from within the device itself; even going further and automatically notifying people of the update; let’s hope functions like this are available in a future release.

Ignoring our concerns over the distribution of the patch, Maplin assure us that it has resolved the majority of issues, and should make the device more user friendly.

Also, if you were thinking about getting one of the devices, head over to the update page and you can at least see what the screen loos like when using Firefox; of course, if you are after something a little more portable, you may want to look at the latest Pocket Surfer 3 instead.

This is the new Nokia Booklet 3G, a small form factor laptop (similar to many other devices, like the Vodafone netbook / Dell Mini units).  This, however, as well as featuring what appears to be a Windows OS, will also include some special features.  Firstly, like some other units, it will have 3G capabilities built in, possibly via a hot-swappable SIM card slot (allowing you to change or remove the SIM with the machine booted up).  It will also have A-GPS facilities for location based services.  Now, let’s remember that other devices, such as the Dell Mini 9 have similar capabilities, so this isn’t yet a unique device.

It will though, ship will access to a number of the Ovi Services, which will make a difference, including Ovi Maps (device widget), Nokia Music Store (including music streaming), Ovi Files (cloud based file storage), and Ovi Suite, allowing syncing with your mobile.

The spec, what little is currently known, looks good on paper: 10″ glass fronted screen, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 120GB Hard Disk, HDMI port, integrated SD card reader, stereo speakers.

If you want to know more about this device, head over to All About Symbian.  More information is likely to be revealed by Nokia next week at their Nokia World event, where we expect a number of the phones we’ve covered recently to be announced as well.

This is the new Revo IKON, launched this morning by Revo Technologies. We’ve featured various devices by Revo before, but this is a very interesting device.  Previously we were big fans of the Revo iBlik RadioStation, which brought together their FM, DAB and DAB+ technologies with an iPod dock, but this unit takes things a stage further…

In terms of music, the Revo IKON can play FM radio (with RDS information), DAB, DAB+ as well as Internet Radio, and will, where available from the broadcaster, display colour station logos, station descriptions, track and artist information, and even news headlines.

Yet it also supports a few other methods; it can stream music from any wirelessly connected PC or Mac (and will show colour album artwork and track information where available), and it’s also an iPod / iPhone sound dock.  If that wasn’t enough, in the US (these services are all US-only, so none are generally available in the UK), it will also connect to the Sirius, Pandora and Rhapsody premium online service too.

However, a really interesting feature is that the device also supports Last.fm, something we’re a big fan of here at UK Gadgeteer; the Revo IKON will also provide access to online music service Last.fm. Simply choose an artist or genre and let Last.fm build the perfect playlist from its library of 5 million tracks – unique to the user, and fresh every time.  Alternatively, an existing Last.fm profile can be used.  On top of that, Revo are including a 30 day trial to last.fm, which would then need a standard subscription of £3/month €3/month $3/month (this service is only available in the UK, US and Germany) to continue to use this facility.

Owen Parry, Last.fm Product Manager said “We’re delighted that Revo has taken the decision to include Last.fm functionality as a standard feature on their new IKON ‘touch-radio’. The combination of high quality audio, large colour display, and a free 30 day trial subscription, makes it easy to explore and enjoy music through Last.fm, right out of the box.”

The unit features an NXT flat panel speaker, and delivers 30W of audio.  It will be on sale from October 2009, and cost £279.95.

Lots of speculation going on around Spotify at the moment.  Some things we know for sure; firstly, Spotify recently advertised for various mobile platform software engineers, and we understand that the Symbian software engineer vacancy is now filled (their website states “This position has been filled. Thanks for your interest!”); so this tells us Spotify are planning mobile phone clients (in fact, they have already produced an iPhone client, but it’s not been approved by Apple yet, and they demonstrated an Android client earlier this year too).

We also know that one of the Hutchison Whampoa subsidiaries (other subsidiaries include 3UK and INQ) has invested into Spotify, and as part of that funding have managed to get 1 seat on Spotify’s board.  This will be taken by Frank Meehan, who is also the CEO of INQ.

We also know from an industry-insider that 3UK and Spotify have been in talks for months about launching Spotify on the 3UK network; this would not replace their current Music Store, but enhance their range of offerings.  We understand 3UK would like to bring Spotify to all their handsets, thereby needing a wide range of phone clients…

Earlier this year there was lots of talk of 3UK buying Skype (partly due to their close ties); well, although nothing’s happened yet, it does appear that Hutchison Whampoa is spreading it’s wings wider, and we wonder if not just will we see Spotify launching on 3UK, but will we also see a dedicated INQ Spotify client; or, with INQ already having the “Facebook phone”, and the “Twitter phone”; maybe next year we’ll see them launch the “Spotify phone” too…

Interesting times.

Our review LG GD900 Crystal arrived yesterday, and I’ve been using this since then, and wanted to share some of my initial thoughts on the device.  I haven’t really had time to spend with the device yet, so some thoughts and opinions may change as I use the phone more and more.

Before this, I was using an LG Renoir on a regular basis due to the nice 8 megapixel camera, but the LG Crystal combines that camera with the new S-Class UI from the LG Arena, and seems to do a good job too.  It’s a slider, and therefore features a keypad too, which I prefer.  However, the transparent keypad is more like a touchpad, so has no real keys; in fact, within certain parts of the UI, it actually acts as a touchpad, allowing you to scroll through screens (eg your contact list) with ease.  Closing the slider can also end a call (this can be turned off), which is a nice touch too.

The phone is a nice colour, and matches in with the stylish designer look LG seem to be perfecting with all of their recent phones.  It’s moved from a proprietary LG connector to microUSB, which is a good thing (although does mean a new investment in chargers), although LG are still sharing that single port with the headset, which I don’t personally like, but on this handset may well be acceptable…

Why do I say that; well, the main drain on the battery of a modern phone is using the GPS, and simply put, this phone doesn’t have a GPS.  So, no geotagging of photos and no moving maps in Google Maps (which is included as standard on the device, but with no GPS, and the version installed not supporting Cell ID location information nor Google Latitude, it’s a little limiting).  The phone does feature WiFi and Bluetooth though, so for those looking for a stylish feature rich phone, as opposed to a SatNav workhorse, this phone really does shine.

DivX support is there again, as is TV-out, although the Dolby Mobile features of the LG Renoir and LG Arena seem to be missing.

What else has impressed me so far with the phone?  I like the way the slider covers up the camera, thereby not needing a separate camera cover (which always seem to open on it’s own on the LG Renoir), and I like the way LG has put a nicely designed battery in there, which is on show when the transparent slider is shut.  However, it appears there’s no contact or calendar syncing built into the device, which for someone who normally keeps all that data synchronized across multiple devices via syncML is a shame, but probably not a key requirement for the target market for this device.

Oh, and I like the little slip case it ships with to keep the device in good condition; and although the touch keypad is made of tempered glass, I don’t think the actual main screen is, which, without that slip case, may make it more prone to scratches (the LG Renoir equally doesn’t have a tempered glass screen, and my model is looking quite scratched up now, whereas the LG Arena, and LG Secret before that, do have the tempered glass screen, and still look wonderful even after regular use).

More opinions on this device after I’d used it for a while, but right now, it’s looking a very stylish phone that should be popular.

Since it’s initial launch we’ve had the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone, then we had the Comes with Music version released, and now we have the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition.  This new version of the phone concentrates on providing a SatNav experience on the device, and to that end, ships with a lifetime voice guided Drive and Walk navigation license.  Of course, Nokia provide map updates for free for their devices, and software updates are free too, so this really does look like a good deal, and certainly could work out cheaper than buying a phone and navigation license separately (as long as you keep the phone for at least 2 years).  The Navigation Edition also features a slightly modified housing, with the silver effect instead of the red or blue colour band.

Unlike earlier devices in the range, this version will ship with the latest Ovi Maps pre-installed, although it’s not clear what mapping will be included on the device (additional maps can either be download Over-The-Air, or via a PC, which is often more convenient).

Just in case you thought that wasn’t enough, Nokia have also included within the box a car holder, easy mount (windscreen suction mount) and swivel adaptor, allowing you to mount the phone conveniently for use.  The box will also feature a car charger, a key component when using phones as a SatNav due to the additional battery drain of the GPS, the data connection (if used), and keeping the screen display lit.

This version of the device will retail for around £250, which is a good price given the accessories and navigation license that’s included, and will be available during Q3 (err, that means September we suspect), although if you can’t wait, you can either get the original Nokia 5800 XpressMusic from Vodafone, or, as from today, it is now also available from 3UK as well (with their usual additional apps).

If you do buy the original device, you should be able to buy the Car Holder / Swivel Adaptor / Windscreen Mount as accessories (often sold separately so watch out you know what you are purchasing!), and of course, you can purchase Nokia Navigation Licenses either from the internet (normally cheaper) or direct on the device itself, giving you the same overall experience, just without the silver colour!

Yesterday Canon launched a new range of compact digital cameras, but the rumours are that Canon are preparing a new EOS DSLR, the Canon EOS 7D.  This will take the Canon EOS 5D, and extend it.  For a start, it appears it adds an integral Flashgun (something common on lower spec DSLRs), and a picture shows microphone vents indicate the possibility of video recording too.

Now, this could just be a fake Photoshop image, but it appears there’s a lot of things correct about the image.  We’ll let you know if the rumours come true…

Picture courtesy of DPReview [Via Engadget].

Both Orange and Vodafone are preparing some Social Networking software to improve their customer experience…

Orange are planning their “Social Life”, which will be available from their Orange World portal, bringing your Facebook, MySpace and Bebo information together in one place, and they should be offering text message services too.

Vodafone are starting work on Vodafone People, which appears to be based on Zyb, a company they bought last year.  It will apparently bring together Twitter, Facebook and Google Talk (Which for us, makes it a more useful service), offering status updates and the syncing of the contact lists onto the mobile phone.  Interestingly, Vodafone are claiming this will be available on 400 mobile phone devices, which makes it pretty device OS-independent.

3UK obviously already have the INQ1 (aka Facebook phone), and with the new INQ Chat (aka Twitter phone) coming, it seems these three networks are going to be going head to head to claim superiority in the Social Networking space.

On a side note, we heard yesterday that it’s unlikely 3UK will be launching the Nokia E72, and we suspect they’ll be promoting the INQ Chat instead.  So, if you are after a replacement for your current Nokia E71, you’ll either need to move to the INQ products, or head off to another network…