We’ve been fans of the idea behind the Pocket Surfer device since it was first launched, and now they have upgraded the unit again, and provided an even more compelling product.

Firstly, the Pocket Surfer 3 adds an Active Matrix TFT Screen, probably the major complaint about the original and Pocket Surfer 2 devices.  Weighing just 174g and featuring a 640×240 display, the device has a backlit QWERTY keyboard and a touchpad mouse, and features about 4 hours of active use, or 4 days standby time, and recharges via a miniUSB connector.  The device also features a GPS (previous units relied upon cell ID triangulation), although you won’t find any SatNav type software available for it; the device is designed to be used as a web terminal.

With a built in web browser (and server based compression technology back at Datawind), the device is capable of loading many webpages in less than 7 seconds, despite being limited to a GPRS connection.  As with the Pocket Surfer 2, this is via Vodafone, and included in the £159.99 device price is 12 months of 30 hours per month.  This will cost around £29.99 for another 12 months, and if you need more than the 30 hours, you can either pay an additional £5.99 per month for unlimited browsing per month (if you haven’t paid the extra, the device simply stops working, as opposed to racking up huge additional bills).

Of course, if you are a heavy user, then you may be better paying a one time £59.99 for unlimited web browsing for the lifetime of the device (if you fail to use the device for 90 days, you will need to pay a £29.99 reactivation fee).  Travelling abroad is the same as the Pocket Surfer 2, with either a charge of 5p per minute (Europe & USA) or 25p per minute (Rest of World) for when you use it, or you can pay £29.99 to credit your account with 600 minute of usage (valid for 12 months).

With email, IM, web browsing, and many other services linked via the online menu system (eg free online translation services, travel information etc.) this is still a handy little device, and one well worth considering for those who want more than just a mobile phone, but don’t want an all encompassing smartphone.

Two things to note: the Pocket Surfer 3 (£199.99) is still lacking audio (so no voice chat, watching video or listening to music), and the Pocket Surfer Lite (£129.99) doesn’t have the GPS or touchpad.  Both devices will be available from Maplin shortly, who are currently selling the Pocket Surfer 2 Lite at a discounted £129.99 (presumably to clear stocks).

As part of bringing you all the technology news, we are sometimes able to offer deals not generally available on the high street.  Earlier this month, we announced an offer on the Pocket Surfer 2, and this week we are able to offer 4 deals over and above just heading off to the Vodafone website and ordering.  All these deals need you to sign up to contracts, but if you were already planning on doing so, then the little extra each offer includes may just help…

Samsung Tocco with Free Sports Bag

Get a Samsung Tocco on a 18 month contract with 600 mins and Unlimited texts for just £30 a month and get a FREE red sports bag.  To sign up, click here.

Samsung Soul with FREE Bose headphones

Get a Samsung Soul on a 18 month contract with 600 minutes and Unlimited texts for just £25 a month, and get a FREE set of Bose headphones. To sign up, click here.

Dell netbook with FREE 2GB memory Stick

Get a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook on a 24 month, 3GB plan for the fantastic price of just £15 for the first three months and £30 thereafter, and get a FREE 2GB USB memory stick. To sign up, click here.

BlackBerry Storm with FREE Sandisk 8GB Micro SD memory card

Get a BlackBerry Storm on a 24 month contract with 600 min and Unlimited Texts for just £35 a month and get a FREE compatible Sandisk 8GB Micro SD memory card. To sign up, click here.

Full details and any specific terms and conditions are listed on the Vodafone website.

We’ve managed to arrange for a dedicated discount on the Pocket Surfer 2 (Lite version).  Click on the advert above and once you have selected the Web Exclusive deal, then go to the Checkout cart and enter the discount code ARCPS498.  This will apply a further discount (currently £40) to this already fantastic deal.  This offer does not include the unlimited web surfing option, which is a monthly £5.99 fee on this device, but with the free accessories and our exclusive discount code, you may well find this makes a very nice xmas present…

Read here for more details on the Pocket Surfer 2.

DataWind have announced they have updated the Pocket Surfer 2, which we have featured before.  The new version, the PocketSurfer 2R will cost a little more (£199 compared to the original holding a street price of £159.99).  It now additionally includes a touchpad, a new and improved display screen, advanced text entry and user interface, and improved network coverage via Vodafone (the original units were supplied with either T-Mobile or Orange SIMs).  This comes with 20 hours of web browsing per month for the first year, as with the original.

Even more interesting, they are offering Unlimited web browsing for £60 per year.  Datawind are stating this is absolutely unlimited, with no caps or fair usage limits at all.  They are stating that this will be a lifetime deal too (for the life of the device).  On the original Pocket Surfer 2, this would have cost £5.99 a month.

They are also offering roaming on the device for 5p per minute across Europe and the USA, although this may be only available by purchasing 600 minutes for £29.99, which is still 10 hours of surfing, which is a lot for a casual use device.  A quick note: Roaming needs to be activated on the device before travelling, which can either be done via phone, or directly on the device via “My Account”.

Update: The £60 fee for unlimited browsing appears to be a one-off cost (although we’re waiting for absolute confirmation from DataWind), and is for the life of the device.  Also, the Pocket Surfer 2 will be phased out, and replaced by a £150 PocketSurfer 2L, which will be very similar to the original unit (no GPS, no touchpad, not eligible for the lifetime unlimited browsing), but presumably will still benefit from the better Vodafone coverage.

Malcolm over at SMS Text News has reviewed the Pocket Surfer 2. Although currently on special offer (again) at Maplin, it’s actually cheaper still at Amazon. We like the idea behind the Pocket Surfer 2 for those who want occasional internet access (apart from the initial cost of the device, it’s then free of charges for 12 months as long as you use less than 20 hours of internet access each month). Head over to SMS Text News to read the review. Finally, as SMS Text News point out, there’s an unofficial fan site for the Pocket Surfer 2 here.

If you head off to the online Maplin special offer catalogue, you’ll see the Pocket Surfer 2 on the front cover at £179.99.  However, click on the Pocket Surfer 2, and you’ll be taken to Page 6 of the special offer catalogue, and then click on the Pocket Surfer 2 again.  This will take you off to the Maplin website where you’ll find the Pocket Surfer 2 on special offer at £149.99 until 10 June (and free delivery is included too).  Alternatively, just click here.

Datawind, in conjunction with STYLZ, have launched a range of accessories for the PocketSurfer 2. First available (all are sold by Widget) is the Leather Case (£14.99). In the near future we should also see a leather case with a strap (£17.99), a USB Car Charger (£14.99), and a travel adaptor pack for £19.99.

[Via Tech Digest]

If you are looking for a Pocket Surfer 2 for a Christmas pressie for someone, it’s currently on special offer at Aria, saving a few pounds, although stocks are running out fast.

It appears, according to this Engadget article, that the PocketSurfer2 is soon to arrive in the US, as it’s now been through the FCC. Although the device is already available in the UK, the advantage of products going through FCC approval is that we get to see pictures like above, which show us the internals of the PocketSurfer2.

This page links to any reviews we have written. We will try to keep this page up to date, but we will always announce any new reviews on the homepage first.

Reviews in 2007

3 SkypePhone

Pocket Surfer 2

Reviews in 2008

3 USB Modem

Dell Mini 9 / Vodafone Netbook

LG KF600

LG Viewty

LG Secret

Reviews in 2009

Android Application: Locale

Android Application: My Tracks

3 Mobile Wi-Fi unit (3UK MiFi)

IDAPT I3 Charging Station

INQ Mini 3G – First Looks & Full Review

LG Arena

LG GD900 Crystal

LG Chocolate BL40 – First Looks & Final Review

LG SL9000 LED-Backlit LCD TV

Novatel Intelligent Mobile Wireless Hotspot 2352 (MiFi) – First Looks

orbitsound T3 Speaker

Sony Ericsson T715

Reviews in 2010

3UK MiFi 2 – First Looks & First Review

Dell Streak (Quick Hands On)

HTC Hero

INQ Chat 3G

Location Based Services & Privacy

Nokia Booklet 3G

Novatel Intelligent Mobile Wireless Hotspot 2352 (MiFi) – Update & Full Review (Coming Soon)

Pibbix Voicemail

SanDisk Mobile MicroSDHC Memory Card

Symbian Application: Maps Booster

Symbian Application: Socially