Hardware

While the key components of the Web Cube may be the same as your average, pocket-sized mobile hotspot, the device as a whole is much bigger. Almost a 10cm cube (it’s 9.5cm high) it’s a distinctive addition to your desktop, with white base and top plates sandwiching a frosted midsection that reveals a fluted inner pillar. An array of blue LEDs cause the whole thing to glow when a device is connected via WiFi.

Physical controls are limited to a single button on the top, which doubles as a WPS pairing key and, with a longer press, a power button to shut the Web Cube down. Three of the top edges have tiny hatches, one sliding out for the SIM card, another hiding a reset button and external antenna port, and the last a microUSB port used for firmware updates. Unfortunately you can’t plug an external drive into the USB connection and share its data across the network.

Inside the Huawei-made device there’s a HSPA+ radio supporting up to 21.6 Mbit/s downloads and up to 5.76 Mbit/s uploads, network depending, along with a WiFi b/g/n router supporting up to five WiFi connections at any one time. 3G signal strength is shown via blue LEDs on the top panel.

Setup

Three is aiming for plug and play simplicity with the Web Cube, and the most confusing part is probably going to be loading the SIM. The quick-start guide shows where to slot it in, though hopefully in-store sales staff will do that for most users; then it’s just a case of plugging in the mains power lead and watching the Web Cube load up automatically.

Both the SSID and WPA2 encryption key are preconfigured, each printed on the base of the Web Cube as well as on the back of the quick-start guide. We were connected and surfing in sixty seconds from plugging the modem in, in fact.

As with most routers, there’s a browser-based control panel for checking status and accessing more complex settings. The home view shows data connection, upload/download speeds and a data counter, along with icons for signal status and how many WiFi clients are connected; you can also turn off the main body light. There’s also text message support, including incoming and outgoing messages; it’s worth noting that any WiFi user can access this and send SMS billed to your account. While you can’t turn off text messaging or lock it down with a passport, you can put in an incorrect service center number and block the functionality that way.

Log into the admin pages, and the Web Cube’s true router abilities become visible. It may look toylike but there’s most of the advanced settings and options that you’d expect from any wireless hardware: a DHCP server, static routing, MAC filtering and optional WiFi bridging, a firewall (sensibly on by default) and IP filtering, virtual server support and a DMZ. If you want to lock down the Web Cube to only support visiting certain sites, you can do it.

Performance

Mobile broadband download speeds are obviously dependent on carrier coverage, and the Web Cube’s 110cm cable doesn’t give you a huge amount of flexibility to move the modem around. Still, the integrated signal strength meter does make positioning easier, though we’d recommend doing some online speed tests just to see where the best results can be had.

Shifting the Web Cube one meter closer to the window saw download rates double (to 4.06 Mbps) and upload rates more than quintuple (to 1.72 Mbps), for instance, so there are significant benefits to be had in experimenting. At least, unlike most wired home broadband connections, you can take your pick of locations, as long as they’re near enough to a power socket. Moving to the other side of the building saw download rates jump to 5.89 Mbps and upload rates to 2.74 Mbps.

As for WiFi strength, we had no problems keeping a connection even with three walls (one external brick) and solid wooden doors between us and the Web Cube. In fact, our test computer was still showing full signal strength at the time. This could be the Web Cube’s biggest advantage over traditional mobile hotspots, which generally suffer from relatively short range WiFi radios.

Pricing

Three offers two options for Web Cube data packages. If you’re willing to commit, you can get 15GB of data per month on a two year £15.99 agreement, and pay nothing upfront for the modem itself. Those feeling more flighty can opt for a £15 month-to-month package, getting them 10GB of data instead; they’ll also have to pay £59.99 for the Web Cube.

There’s no unlimited data option, however, and Three tells us the target audience wouldn’t really want it, though we’re not so sure that’s actually the case.

Wrap-Up

It’s easy to be dismissive of the Web Cube, at least at first glance. Three’s HSPA+ can deliver reasonably speedy burst rates but still lags behind top-tier wired broadband connections, while you also miss out on the battery-powered portability of a traditional mobile hotspot. Unlike the carrier’s own WiFi Hub – which shares a USB modem’s connection over WiFi – you don’t get wired ethernet either, and the Web Cube is even larger.

Where the Web Cube begins to show merit is in its ease of setup and WiFi performance. Ignore the advanced settings – as most users will – and you can be up and running moments after plugging in. It’s portable enough that you can take it on holiday with you, and the data plans, while missing an unlimited option, are probably enough for casual users. The dramatically stronger WiFi range than a battery-powered hotspot singles the Web Cube out for semi-fixed usage too.

Definitely a niche gadget, then, but if you fit the target demographic then there’s plenty of appeal. We can see the Web Cube being ideal for broadband-shy grandparents or catering to a temporary office; it’d make a good backup option if your home broadband goes down. More advanced users will undoubtedly be able to find cheaper ways to share out a 3G connection, but if simplicity is your guiding star then the Web Cube will take some beating.

A WiFi SSID and encryption password are preset, and once you plug the Web Cube into the mains it automatically starts sharing its HSPA+ connection. Up to five wireless clients can be connected at any one time, and the range is around 30 feet.

Three says 2-5Mbps download speeds should be typical, though suggests peaks of up to 10Mbps could be achieved. Two packages will be offered, a month-to-month option at £15 with a £59.99 upfront hardware charge and 10GB of data, and a 24-month agreement for £15.99 per month with no upfront charge and 15GB of data.

The carrier is targeting students, renters, those who frequently move and people who don’t want the hassle of a landline for traditional wired broadband, though we can see the data cap being a potential issue if the Web Cube is your sole connection. Three intends to trial the modem in Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh before a broader roll-out across the UK this year.

Hardware

This isn’t your regular router: at 93 x 70 x 25 mm it’s a palm-sized glossy black plastic box sitting on four grippy rubber feet. Bigger than a regular mobile hotspot, but the upshot is connectivity: as well as sharing out your USB modem’s connection with up to five WiFi devices, it has a pair of 10/100 ethernet ports on the back for wired devices too. That’s useful if you’re trying to share your connection in a WiFi-saturated environment, where wireless links can often become unstable.

On top is a rotating USB port for your modem, as well as four indicator LEDs for power, WLAN, PPP and WPS status. The back offers two buttons – WPS for easy connections with Windows-based computers, along with power – the two ethernet ports, each with activity LEDs, and a DC power input.

Unfortunately there’s no internal battery for true portable use, so you’ll have to find space in your bag for the included AC adapter. That’s frustratingly bulkier than the Hub itself; ZTE really needs to learn a lesson from the ultra-compact wall warts supplied with recent handsets from Nokia, HTC and Apple.

Software

Unlike USB modems, which generally require an app be installed on your laptop, it’s possible to use the WiFi Hub without any software bother whatsoever. Once your modem is in place and the connection has stabilized, it’s a simple matter of searching for the preset SSID on your tablet/laptop/phone/console and punching in the PIN, both of which are printed on the bottom of the Hub itself. Wired connections are even easier: just plug in your ethernet cable.

ZTE ships the Hub preconfigured to use WEP security, the weakest option but the one with the broadest compatibility. Most users will want to step up to WPA or, preferably, WPA2, (though a fully open WiFi connection is also possible) and that requires logging into the browser-based settings page. That’s found at 192.168.1.1 and logging in with the default username and password (which can be easily changed).

There’s actually a fair range of options available, if you’re of the tinkering mindset. The basics – SSID and security – can be altered, as well as the APN settings for the USB modem, DHCP settings for automatically assigning IP addresses, MAC and IP filtering, URL filtering to limit which sites can be connected to, and port forwarding. There’s also a firewall, with optional DMZ bypass.

Obviously it’s up to the user how deeply they dig through the settings; it’s possible to treat the WiFi Hub as plug-and-play, or get pretty granular with your control.

Performance

We saw no difference in download speeds from Three’s normal performance when using the WiFi Hub, though being able to position the modem near a window meant we could hunt down the best signal at any one time. WiFi range proved sufficient to cover our (admittedly bijou) London flat, with two solid wood doors in-between, with maximum strength showing in OS X.

Unfortunately, our attempts to get the WiFi Hub working with USB modems from other providers than Three failed, even when the modem was unlocked. The settings page refused to recognize that a modem was plugged in, and no connection was automatically made. Three tells us that other operators’ modems should work, but obviously won’t help you out if – like us – you can’t get the Hub to recognize them. It would also be useful if you could plug a wired WAN connection, such as in a hotel room, into one of the ethernet ports, and share it with the Hub.

Wrap-Up

There’s no denying the Three WiFi Hub works, nor that it’s useful. The wireless connection is solid, and the two ethernet ports are a particular bonus over regular mobile hotspots. Ease of use – with a Three USB modem – is another strength, though we wish ZTE had opted for better security with WPA2 by default.

Unfortunately the absence of a battery – even to just power wireless use – significantly limits the usefulness of the WiFi Hub when on the move. Forget dropping it onto the table at your nearest coffee shop or in an airport lounge and getting online in seconds: you need to make sure there’s a power point nearby. For hotel rooms or spur-of-the-moment meeting room connections that shouldn’t be too great a drawback, however.

That power limitation, compounded by the unnecessarily chunky AC adapter, are our main criticisms of the Three WiFi Hub. Those with modems from other providers should also be wary, as compatibility isn’t assured and you’re on your own to figure out any problems. Still, at £39.99, if you’re a Three data modem user who blanches at hotel and conference wireless fees and has enough bag space for the power adapter, the WiFi Hub makes an inexpensive way to get multiple people online.

Three UK has included a Pay As You Go SIM pre-loaded with all-you-can-eat data so you’ll be free to stream, download, tweet and surf the web without ever worrying about the cost – there literally are no limits. That’s perfect for Nokia’s preloaded apps, like Nokia Music and Nokia Drive, offering subscription-free streaming music as well as turn-by turn navigation.

For more on Three’s unlimited internet, check out all the details. If you want to stand a chance of winning the Lumia 800, taking part is simple:

1. Add +SlashGear (url: http://goo.gl/EI0yz) to your Circle(s) on Google+

2. Comment in this article: this will count as your entry, and note that you may only enter this giveaway ONCE – all additional entries beyond your first will be deleted.

3. You are now entered into the SlashGear Nokia Lumia 800 giveaway!

Rules

Giveaway begins December 19th 2011 and ends December 26th 2011, 11:59AM BST barring any complications finding a winner.

Competition is open to residents of the UK over the age of 18. Family members of Three and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear comments thread — entries left in the comments section of any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check).

The winners will be contacted by a SlashGear staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Three UK, SlashGear, and Android Community.

Prizes consist of one Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winner unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and Three UK reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Giveaway provided by SlashGear. Prizing provided by Three UK. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to Giveaway @ SlashGear.com

One thing this video will allow you to see perhaps better than anyone not having already had a hands-on look themselves have been able to see is the HD screen. The Galaxy Nexus has 720 x 1280 pixel resolution on an HD Super AMOLED technology 4.65-inch display. And on top of that, it’s curved as well – have a look at the post Galaxy Nexus has a curved pentile OLED display for some heavy conversation on what you’re going to see.

Earlier today we also got a look at the first place you can pick up the Galaxy Nexus in the UK over at Phones4u as carried by Orange. There’s also a listing of all the UK carriers if you’d like them as well. At the moment there’s just Orange, Three, and Vodafone carrying the device in the UK, while O2 and T-Mobile UK have yet to announce their allegiance to the vanilla Android cause.

There’s no word from the other carriers – O2, Orange and T-Mobile UK – at this stage, though that could change as the UK wakes up later today. Still, if you want the Galaxy Nexus on a different network, retailer Phones 4U has confirmed it will be offering the handset as well.

In the US, of course, Verizon is confirmed to be offering the LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus, for even higher potential data speeds. Not much use in the UK, though, where LTE is yet to land.

The new Nexus has a 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 touchscreen, dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 1080p HD capable 5-megapixel camera, all in a “Contour” curved chassis. Check out our hands-on with the Galaxy Nexus for all the details.

If you didn’t get in on the pre-order action before, the iPhone 4S available for purchase online direct from Apple. The company is only offering the unlocked, SIM-free (and thus unsubsidized) versions itself, priced at £499 for the 16GB, £599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB. If you’d prefer a contract, Vodafone, Orange, Three and T-Mobile are all offering the handset, while O2 is initially limiting sales to existing subscribers.

To get up to speed on the whole iPhone 4S experience, check out our full review of the handset and then turn to our full iOS 5 review, complete with video demos of Apple’s Siri voice control system. We’re not the only ones who were impressed, either: our review roundup has all the key opinions from around the web.

[poll id="21"]

Hardware and Design

Chromebooks are built to a budget – Samsung is offering the Series 5 in the US at $429.99 for the WiFi-only and $499.99 for the 3G version, while in the UK it’s £349.99 for the WiFi-only model and £399.99 for the 3G – and so you get a mixture of laptop and notebook functionality and style. Our white review unit is eye-catching, certainly, with a glossy lid and gently rounded black plastic elsewhere. Stylistically it reminds us of the N310 netbook, though we wish the rubberized chassis had been carried over too.

Open the thin lid up, and there’s a reasonably sized bezel around the 12.1-inch 16:10 display. Samsung has used one of its so-called SuperBright LED panels, running at 1280 x 800, and we can’t fault the quality or colors; it’s also non-gloss, which makes it easy to use without reflections. Above is a 1-megapixel webcam. The whole thing weighs in at 3.26-pounds, which makes it heavier than a netbook but reasonable for a notebook.

The keyboard and oversized touchpad look somewhat cheap but are decent to type on, the keys themselves being large and nicely spaced. Cost constraints mean you don’t get backlighting. Because of the new Chrome OS the layout is somewhat different to what you might be used to on a Windows or OS X notebook: “ctrl” and “alt” in the lower left are broader than normal, the caps-lock has been swapped for a dedicated Google search key, and the function key row has been replaced by feature buttons. As well as dedicated back/forward keys, there’s a refresh button, full-screen button, window-switching, brightness and volume control.

We may be expected to start our new lives scurrying around the internet pipes, but Samsung and Google do at least realize that we still have peripherals we might want to plug in. Ports on the Series 5 include a proprietary VGA out (with a bundled adapter cable in the box) and two full-sized USB 2.0, along with a mic/headphones combo, a SIM slot (with a Three SIM preloaded) and a full-sized SD card reader. No ethernet port, however, with WiFi b/g/n or, on certain models, 3G to get you connected.

Inside is where things get shaky. The Chromebook Series 5 may be larger than a netbook, but it uses the same Intel Atom processor as you might find in one: a 1.66GHz N570, to be precise, paired with integrated graphics and 2GB of RAM. Samsung’s speakers are weedy and underwhelming too, lacking bass and grating at the top end of the volume range. 16GB of flash storage underlines the web-centric focus.

Overall, then, it all works, but it doesn’t exactly feel premium. That’s okay when you’re spending a couple of hundred on a netbook, but the Chromebook Series 5 occupies the blurred middle-ground between netbook and notebook. It’s a space where strong competition has driven regular Windows laptop prices down to tempting levels.

Software

The browser is undoubtedly the most commonly-used app on most people’s computers these days, so Google’s argument makes quite a bit of sense: why not junk the rest and just live online? Chromebooks promise resilience from viruses and malware – because just about everything is held at bay in the cloud – and utter simplicity, too. If something stops working then you close the browser tab and start again.

For those suffering the blue screen of death or Word disappearing and taking their carefully-crafted thesis with them, that all sounds tempting. Even if you’re an adept computer user yourself, you probably have friends and family who aren’t so skilled, and who likely turn to you for their unofficial tech support. Wouldn’t it be better to point them to a Chromebook and let them scamper freely across the web?

In some ways, yes. Chrome is familiar from the regular browser already available for Windows and Mac, only now you can’t escape it: Chrome OS has no Start menu or dock bar, no way to minimize the app and see the desktop. In fact, Chrome is the desktop. Where a Windows user might expect to find minimize/maximize and close controls in the top right corner, there’s a clock, wireless indicator and battery gage. The settings icon to the right of the address bar now not only controls browser configuration but the few options Chrome OS allows you: user accounts, touchpad sensitivity, wireless networks and the like.

Go to Gmail, or YouTube, or Google Docs and it’s just as you’d expect from your regular computer. Your bookmarks – if you’re a regular Chrome user – are pulled across too. In fact, if you’ve already committed your online life to Google’s various services, getting up to speed is a simple matter of mashing in your password. Various optional apps bring things like IM+ (for instant messaging), TweetDeck (for Twitter) and Angry Birds (for, well, hurling birds) into your life.

Unfortunately, around about here is where things start to go rough at the edges. Angry Birds may be a suggested game in the Chrome App Store, but it doesn’t play nicely with the Atom CPU. Glitchy graphics are something we didn’t expect to see on a title that plays problem-free on our phone. Full HD YouTube videos were also more than the Series 5 could cope with, though 720p was manageable. Other cloud services – like Spotify, for instance – fall foul of the missing local app support; their music catalogs may be online, but they require a local client in order to access them.

Then come the headaches of trying to step outside Google’s garden. Plugging in a mouse or a USB keyboard is fine, but try to access files on a USB stick or SD card and there are headaches galore. Some of those are merely UI head-scratchers – dragging & dropping may be a common practice on regular notebooks, but try to drag a file from your Chromebook to the little file explorer window that pops up when you plug external storage in and you’ll have no luck; instead, you have to save the file through the browser’s dialog – but others are more frustrating. The range of supported local file types is limited – JPG and PNG for images, MP3 and M4A for audio, MP4 and MOV for video – whereas Google’s online services like Gmail can handle a broader range. Ironically we often resorted to emailing a file back to ourselves so that Google’s online file viewer could display it.

Connectivity

If you want the cloud then you need a connection. Google was much maligned when Chrome OS first launched – on the Cr-48 developer machine – for the absence of offline support. Gmail, Google Calendar, your Google Contacts, everything demanded access to the internet in order to work. If you didn’t have a WiFi network handy or a 3G mobile connection, then your Chromebook was pretty much useless.

Google’s recent update to Gmail, Calendar and Docs, adding offline support, has partially addressed that. Just as in the regular Chrome browser, it’s now possible to cache certain aspects of each service locally, so that even without a connection you can continue to work. In the case of Gmail, that means you can browse through anything up to a week’s worth of messages in your inbox, assign labels and stars, create new emails and reply to existing ones. They’re saved until you next get online, when Gmail can sync again.

Calendar support is less flexible, allowing you to view your appointments and send schedule acceptances, but not actually create a new appointment. Similarly, Google Docs will let you read text and spreadsheets when offline, but you can’t create new ones or edit any existing ones. Presentations are completely inaccessible: forget running your next meeting from your Chromebook if you can’t get online while you’re there.

Altogether, it means the 3G-enabled version of the Samsung Series 5 makes a whole lot more sense than the WiFi-only model, unless you know for certain you’ll only be using it amid blanked WiFi coverage. Whereas integrated 3G is generally a luxury in a notebook, for a Chromebook it can be the difference between being able to work or being sat in front of a “can’t connect” message. In our test unit, Three UK charges £15.99 per month for 15GB of data, a healthy amount; in the US, Verizon offers 100MB per month free (for two years) or various prepay plans ranging from daily to monthly. Bear in mind you’re browsing the full internet, however, not some cut-down mobile version on your phone, and as such general use will consume more MB than you might expect.

Battery

Google and Samsung’s decision to use Intel’s Atom processor is, in part, because of the promise of longer battery life. The spec sheet promises up to 8.5hrs from the non-user-accessible 8,280 mAh pack; in practice, with a WiFi connection, we managed over seven hours of use before we needed to recharge. Of particular note are the standby times, with very little power used up between us closing the lid and opening it later.

Wrap-Up

In many ways the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 – and indeed Chromebooks in general – makes perfect sense. Being able to throw open the lid of your notebook and get online in seconds, with little in the way of config or battery concerns, is a liberating experience. The Samsung design isn’t going to give Apple any sleepless nights, but it delivers in most of the places it matters: the keyboard, the display, the battery.

Unfortunately it also drops the ball when it comes to power, and the Atom processor proves incapable of handling even Chrome OS’ constrained list of applications. Google’s offline support, though recently improved, still makes connectivity assumptions that our daily use couldn’t live up to. With no WiFi or mobile signal the Series 5 was of less use than our smartphone.

Chrome OS has promise, certainly. A simple platform for everyday users remains a tempting prospect; unfortunately, those we gave the Chromebook to in order to test the theory generally came back with questions about file support and other issues. In short, the problems had migrated from over-complexity in a regular notebook to under-complexity in the Samsung. We spend a lot of our time in the browser, yes, but not all of it, and ironically Chrome OS does a very good job of reminding us of that fact. If it was priced to suit its part-time companion functionality – perhaps a hundred or so less off the MRSP – then it would make far more sense. As it stands, though, we’d still opt for a regular notebook over Chrome OS.

There’s also a microSD card slot, for sharing up to 32GB cards with WiFi-connected clients, together with a battery good for up to 4.5hrs active use. Usefully, a new button shows the WiFi SSID and password on-screen, meaning you no longer need to take off the battery cover in order to check them and get new devices online.

The E586 also comes with a neat little charging cradle, which should encourage you to keep it topped up, and an updated web interface UI. No word on official pricing yet, though when it goes on sale in September we’d expect to see pre-pay and contract options.

Getting up to dual-core speed with the HTC Sensation is Andrew Jackson, who was picked by the random generator and got back in touch with us earlier today. In fact, he tells us he’ll be giving the smartphone to a friend who still languishes with an HTC Legend, and we can’t think of a better upgrade!

If you weren’t lucky this time, fret not: we’re lining up more SlashGear giveaways for the very near future. And if you’re desperate for an HTC Sensation – and we can’t blame you – you can find all of Three’s deals on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone here.

Since a smartphone is little use without a connection, Three has also thrown in a PAYG SIM for the carrier’s all-you-can-eat data connection. £15 per month gets you truly unlimited data to stream, download, tweet and surf the web without every worrying about the cost.

Open to SlashGear’s UK readers, entering is incredibly straightforward. To take part, you must:

1. Add +Chris Davies (url: http://goo.gl/grCbe) to your Circle(s) on Google+*

2. Comment in our SlashGear HTC Sensation Giveaway thread with a comment tagging +Chris Davies : this will count as your entry, and note that you may only enter this giveaway ONCE – all additional entries beyond your first will be deleted.

3. You are now entered into the SlashGear HTC Sensation giveaway!

* if you don’t already have access to Google+, send your name and email to giveaway @ slashgear.com

Rules

Giveaway begins July 22nd and ends July 31, 11:59PM BST barring any complications finding a winner.

Competition is open to residents of the UK over the age of 18. Family members of Three and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Google+ Page — entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check).

The winners will be contacted by a SlashGear or Android Community staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Three, SlashGear, and Android Community.

Prize consists of one HTC Sensation smartphone with PAYG Three SIM. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and Three reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by Three. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to Giveaway @ SlashGear.com

“This page is not live at the moment, it was built at the same time as the iPhone black page so that we have it ready when and should the time come to launch white. For now, it’s a hidden page that’s inactive.”

Apple is rumored to be preparing the white iPhone 4 announcement for April 26, and the Three listing was seen as the carrier jumping the gun on getting its offer out there. The original product code is no longer working, however, and it’s unclear what’s happened to anybody who took advantage of the deal before Three pulled it.

Still, all signs point to an imminent launch of the handset, and were we cynical people we might wonder whether Three were now playing dumb so as to keep Apple on-side. If you got an order in with the carrier before the listing changed, let us know in the comments!

Although the white iPhone 4 has been listed on Three’s general product page for some time now, it has been – and remains – impossible to actually select the smartphone and add it to the basket. That’s not the case with this particular deal, however.

According to the page, this particular white iPhone 4 deal is available only until the end of the month, and Three’s online support staff confirm that it’s authentic and not a mistake. Other rumors have suggested that Apple intends to launch the white iPhone 4 generally on April 26 2011.

[via Recombu]

On pay-as-you-go, the “1GB Ready To Go” package – which, unsurprisingly, includes 1GB of data – will be £69.99; on a rolling one month contract the modem will be £49.99 and then £15.99 per month for 5GB of service (or with no upfront charge and 5GB for £18.03 per month on a 24 month contract). Existing customers will also be able to upgrade their existing Three dongles for a one-off payment of £59.99.

[youtube ynFR04gbuUY]

It will have a 5MP rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and a VGA resolution front camera for video conferencing. It will run Android Gingerbread for the OS and have a 3.7-inch touchscreen with WVGA resolution. Other features will include GPS, WiFi, a 1.4GHz processor and WiFi hotspot capability.

Other than the S II Mini, the roadmap also shows that the HTC Flyer tablet will land in May along with a WiFi only Blackberry PlayBook in June. The launch dates for the UK haven’t been verified for the US at this time, but we can hope.

[via Android Community]

The £15 add-on throws in 3,000 texts and 300 minutes of calls for that 30-day period, while the £25 add-on increases the bundled minutes to 500. Three says the new data plans are active from today, though it might take them a while to update their site and literature to reflect the new, limit-free packages.

Video demo after the cut

There’s also WiFi and an 800MHz processor running Android 2.2.1 Froyo. Samsung’s TouchWiz interface – seemingly modified to suit the landscape orientation screen – and Social Hub Premium are loaded. The whole thing measures 108 .6 x 66.7 x 10.6 mm and will come with a 2GB microSD and WiFi hotspot sharing support.

No word on pricing at this stage, but we’re assuming – given the CPU and relatively low resolution camera – that the Galaxy Pro will be a reasonably affordable device. If it’s a hit in Europe, we’re also guessing Samsung will look to bring the Galaxy Pro to the North American market.

[via xataka]

As we found, though, the extra weight and bulk of the rest of the netbook – including a reasonable keyboard – does remove some of the mobility friendliness of the Inspiron Duo. We’re presuming Three will be offering a 3G-enabled version of the hybrid, though it’s unclear whether that means an integrated modem or an external one (either USB or mobile hotspot).

No word on pricing or specific launch dates at this stage, though we’re assuming it won’t be long before we hear more. More details on the Dell Inspiron Duo in our hands-on report.

Dell Inspiron Duo hands-on:

Two versions of The One Plan are offered, a 24-month plan if you want a subsidized phone from the carrier, or 12-months if you’re happy to use your existing handset and just need a Three SIM. It remains to be seen what Three will do when the inevitable data-hogs emerge and start to use masses of mobile bandwidth; we’re guessing there are still terms & conditions covering things like P2P downloads.

That’s obviously a whole lot less than either the Apple App Store or the Android Market have to offer, but what might make the difference is the quality of those titles.  Both Apple and Google’s download stores have been criticized as unhelpful for users wanting to sift the decent apps from the less impressive software, and if Microsoft has prepared a more curated, satisfying experience then sheer numbers might not actually be the most important thing.

The tipster also confirmed that Three UK will be getting a Samsung Windows Phone 7 smartphone, most likely the Samsung Cetus.  The same handset has also been tipped to arrive on AT&T, though we may have to wait a couple of days to find out whether that’s actually going to be the case.

[via Windows Phone Forums 1 and 2]

That’s because, in a bid to squeeze the site down to the fewest complimentary kilobytes, Facebook has sliced out images; if you want to see the contents of new galleries you’re shunted over to the normal mobile site, and start paying for the privilege.  According to Three, Facebook Zero will be free for at least the next twelve months, though they reserve the right to change the T&Cs after that point.

They also go on to mix in some speculation about the hardware itself, though it’s tricky to work out exactly where the leaks end and the wishful-thinking begins.  A stripped-down “thin” Android build is the underlying OS, with Facebook an HTML5 layer on top; your Facebook login details trigger an auto-sync, pulling in contacts, calendar and multimedia.

Meanwhile there’ll be greater blurring of local vs. cloud, with photos taken with the Facebook phone’s camera automatically uploaded rather than just locally stored.  GPS will link in with Places, and calendar data will be used to educate the phone as to where you are, where you’re going and who you might be meeting there.

If their sources are to be believed, the Facebook phone has been in the works for some time – longer than the more recent cooling of relations between the social networking site and Apple – and originally test hardware was supposed to be ready now.  That deadline has apparently been missed, however, hence the later launch in 2011.

Meanwhile O2 are saying the HTC Desire HD will be available on their network via Carphone Warehouse stores, again with no sign of any pricing.  Orange and Three are yet to make any public announcement, though we heard at yesterday’s press event that they would indeed be offering the devices.

Less clear is availability for the HTC Desire Z.  No carrier is saying anything quite yet, but Amazon UK have listed the QWERTY smartphone for £499.99, unlocked and SIM-free, with an October 18th release date.

HTC Desire HD live:

HTC Desire Z live:

Full price plan information after the cut

Interestingly, even if you’re only on a data plan you can make ad-hoc calls and send SMS messages, you just don’t get any inclusive minutes.

Three voice packages:

- SIM10: £10 a month including 100 any network minutes, 2000 Three-to-Three minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB data

- SIM15: £15 a month including 300 any network minutes, 2000 Three-to-Three minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB data

Monthly data only packages:

- 1GB data for £7.50

- 5GB data for £15

What the carrier hasn’t confirmed is pricing for the slate, and with month-to-month contracts we can’t imagine there’ll be much in the way of a subsidy on offer.  Considering we’ve seen the Galaxy Tab listed for £617 by one UK retailer, that’s a hefty entry price to get on board.

Press Release:

Three has confirmed it will be ranging the Samsung GALAXY Tab (GT-P1000). Samsung’s Android flagship Tablet.

A network built for mobile Internet, Three will provide fast and reliable 3G connectivity for the Samsung GALAXY Tab, making the most of product features such as phone functionality, front and rear facing cameras for video calls, downloading e-books, using GPS and searching the Internet with full Flash capability.

Nigel Field, Director of Devices at Three said, “With both the Android and tablet markets going from strength to strength, we’re proud to be ranging the Samsung GALAXY Tab. More than 97% of Three traffic over the network is data, so more than ever consumers need to make sure they’re on a network that can cope with the demand when buying mobile Internet devices like tablets. With both SIM and Wi-Fi connectivity, Samsung GALAXY Tab users on Three can get the most out of the product knowing they’re with the UK’s number one mobile broadband provider.”

Perfectly suited to Three’s high speed 3G network, the Samsung GALAXY Tab’s super fast 1.2GHz processor makes browsing the internet, watching YouTube videos and sharing social media updates a breeze.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab also features Internet tethering, so you to connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices any one time, using Three’s fast 3G connection.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab will be available on SIM only one month rolling voice and data contracts.

Three voice packages:

- SIM10: £10 a month including 100 any network minutes, 2000 Three-to-Three minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB data

- SIM15: £15 a month including 300 any network minutes, 2000 Three-to-Three minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB data

Monthly data only packages:

- 1GB data for £7.50

- 5GB data for £15

Data customers are able to make calls and send text with their data SIM at 10p per text, 10p to call Three mobile or landlines and 25p to other networks.

Samsung Samsung GALAXY Tab P1000 Key Features

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
1.2 GHz processor
7” WSVGA TFT
Full HD (1080p) playback
Full Flash support
PC & TV compatibility via DLNA
Wi-Fi Hotspot for up to eight devices
Bluetooth 3.0
Phone/ SMS enabled
HSDPA/ HSUPA

There’s also a pay-as-you-go plan with free SMS messages and internet access.  If you want to actually buy your iPhone 4 from Three and get it subsidized, when the carrier does start offering the smartphone it’ll be priced at £99 for the 16GB or £189 for the 32GB on their cheapest monthly plan, £30, with 1GB of internet data.  If you want a “free” phone you’ll have to sign up to the £45 per month plan, and even then you only get a 16GB model.

Still, the figures hold up well to what’s on offer from rival carriers, and if you’re an existing Three customer you can call them up and they’ll send you out a microSIM to use.  Full details in the gallery below.

Huawei have also listened to user complaints about their first-gen version, and reworked the browser-based dashboard status page so that it can be accessed on Windows, Mac and Linux machines.  Previously only Windows-based computers could log in, which some found made setting up wireless security tricky.

There’s also a one-button startup, the ability to simultaneously charge the E585 while using it to share a connection, and a microSD card slot which we’re hoping can be accessed by all WiFi clients this time around.  No word on battery life – we’re guessing 3-4 hours – but the Huawei E585 will be available on Three next month, priced at £49.99 ($73) on pre-pay.

[via Recombu]

Press Release:

New ‘one-touch’ MiFi from Three

Three is pleased to announce the new ‘one-touch’ MiFi (Huawei E585) which has been developed in line with customer feedback following the launch of Mobile Wi Fi in 2009. The MiFi creates a personal Wi-Fi hot spot for up to five devices, such as iPads, laptops or handheld games consoles, giving you the flexibility of getting more than one device online when on the go.

The new model boasts a one button connection , an improved display and an online dashboard that works with any browser – features not available in the original model. The new look screen displays information like the amount of data used, speed of the current connection and length of browsing time.

“Connect devices need a strong 3G connection like ours, especially when you’re on the move. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our mobile internet offering. Following the launch of our first MiFi device, our customers asked for changes to made. We worked with Huawei to incorporate features like ‘one button to connect’, an improved screen and a great browser dashboard that works across Windows, Mac and Linux devices. We now have a device that customers will enjoy even more. ” said Mark Brewer, Head of Broadband Devices

Key features:

One button start-up
Advanced OLED screen
Browser based dashboard
Charge whilst in use
Available early July 2010 and priced at £ 49.99 on PAYG.

So far only O2 has announced any details as to upgrade offers; they’ll be giving existing contract customers the chance to buy out their current agreement for £20 per month remaining.  They’ll obviously also have to pay the price of the iPhone 4 handset itself, which is another detail yet to be announced in the UK.

The iPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch 960 x 640 “Retina Display”, 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and FaceTime, Apple’s attempt to popularise video calling.  More details in our hands-on report.

iPhone 4 hands-on:

In comparison, Orange match Three’s 1GB for £7.50 but charge £25 for 10GB, while £15 will only get you 5GB on O2′s iPad plan.  Vodafone are charging a whopping £25 for just 5GB, meanwhile.

As with the other carriers, Three’s plans are contract-free and can be cancelled month to month; leave them untampered with and they’ll auto-renew.  You can check coverage at Three’s site as well as register for a MicroSIM.  The iPad WiFi + 3G will launch in the UK this Friday.

We can’t see AT&T being particularly pleased about that Dell soundbite, since the US carrier brought the company on-stage earlier in the week as part of their triumphant new five-strong Android line-up.  Perhaps Dell reckon that where the UK goes in terms of smartphones, the US will follow on after, even if the Mini 3 ends up launching on AT&T first.

As for the Google Nexus One, the HTC-made “superphone” will arrive in the UK on Vodafone initially, though it’s already available to order by UK customers as long as they don’t mind having it shipped from the US (and thus paying the inevitable import duties and tax).  It leaves O2 as the grumpy one; they’ve said they currently have “no plans” to launch the Nexus One, and that in fact customers should be wary of buying unlocked cellphones not specifically tested on their network.

[via Coolsmartphone and via TechDigest]

That’s despite the fact that Orange have not yet confirmed their pricing for the handset, nor which tariffs they’ll be offering to subscribers.  Despite hopes that the competition might drive down both the initial cost of the iPhone 3GS and the ongoing tariff costs, Orange execs have said that they’ll instead be looking to increase “value” of their version by including accessories and possibly pre-installing applications.

While that might differentiate it from O2′s model, the competition is set to heat up even further in early 2010, when Vodafone UK will begin offering their version of the iPhone 3GS.  Meanwhile 3 UK are said to be interested in selling the Apple handset in 2010 too.

[via Twitter]

Update: 3 UK have put up a pre-registration page for the deal, though there’s no specific availability date.  The Hero will come with a voucher for 24 months Spotify Premium subscription; that does mean that after two years your monthly plan will stay the same price but you’ll no longer get inclusive streaming music.

The contract also includes 750 minutes of voice calls, while SMS, Skype-to-Skype calls and – most importantly, perhaps – data are all unlimited.  It’s a good thing, too, as the Spotify app certainly has the potential to hammer 3′s data network; while users of the mobile app (which is also available to non-3 subscribers with Android or iPhone devices; an S60 version is promised) can choose to store a local copy of playlists, much of their music consumption is streamed over the 3G network.

It’s also only the first step for 3 and Spotify.  ”As a first step, we’ve built this service into an attractive, well-priced package with the HTC Hero,” Charles Blanchard, director of products and services at 3 revealed, ”over time, our deal with Spotify will extend across a range of our products, including Mobile Broadband.”

The choice of monthly plans includes an “Internet Texter” package, at £15 ($25) per month, and bundles data, in-network 3 calls, free voicemail and 75 minutes.  The phone will come with red and black back-plates, with other colors available to buy separately, and be followed later in the year with its INQ Mobile Chat 3G counterpart.

According to what we’ve heard about the Huawei device previously, it will support up to five WiFi clients – the same as the MiFi – and recharge via USB.  It also has a microSD card slot, though unlike the MiFi that’s believed to only be accessible via a directly-connected computer, rather than shared among all WiFi clients.

Nonetheless, at 86 x 45 x 10 mm it’s a compact way to share a 3G connection, and with an estimated five hours runtime from a single charge it should last – on paper at least – longer than the Novatel device.  No word on pricing nor data package costs as yet.

Anybody cautious about Facebook ubiquity should look away now.  The INQ1 automatically synchronizes contacts with Facebook, Skype and Flickr, offering up peoples’ current status, recent updates and Skype availability when browsing through the address book.  The Facebook app caches changes when there’s no connection present, with comments, messages and updates added as soon as it finds a signal.

It’s only an early look, but this could be the holy grail for Facebook addicts.  What might hold it back, in fact, is the dreary handset itself; put the app on a more attractive handset, with a full QWERTY keyboard, and you’d likely have a serious hit.  The 3 INQ1 is “coming soon” and will likely be priced from free with a new contract.

It’s unclear what differences a specific Facebook handset could bring, compared to the existing mobile access version of the social network’s website or the special software that’s on offer for certain devices (such as the iPhone).   

Assuming this is a direct collaboration with Facebook, it’s not the first time that Three have worked with a company to produce a customized cellphone.  The carrier already sells a 3G Skype handset, with inclusive use of the data network to make VoIP calls at lower rates than traditional mobile calls.