Having been spotted over the weekend, albeit unofficially, Motorola Europe and O2 have officially announced the Motorola MILESTONE, the GSM version of the Verizon DROID. The MILESTONE will run Android 2.0, just as with the CDMA handset, and has been confirmed for Germany and Italy on – according to Motorola Germany – at least Vodafone and O2.
Orange UK will begin selling the iPhone 3GS from November 10th, according to the Guardian, the day after rival carrier O2’s exclusivity agreement with Apple expires. The launch will see two UK networks offering the smartphone in the run up to the holiday period, and while you might be tempted to think that anybody who wants an iPhone probably already has one, Orange have apparently had 200,000 people register their interest in the handset already.
It’s beginning to get a little ridiculous now: after Walt Mossberg reviews the BlackBerry Storm 2 ahead of any official confirmation by RIM themselves that the device actually exists, now Vodafone UK have announced that they’ll be the first network to offer the second-generation touchscreen smartphone. Available to preorder from today, and with deliveries set to begin on October 26th, the Vodafone Blackberry Storm 2 9520 is priced from free with a new plan costing £35/mo ($56) upwards.
Continued »
Vodafone Spain have announced that they will be offering the HTC HD2, with the Snapdragon-based Windows Phone expected to arrive in December 2009. No pricing for the HD2 has been revealed, but Vodafone Spain have said that it will be aimed at their business customers rather than mainstream users.
Having confirmed last month that it would be the first UK carrier to offer the entry-level HTC Tattoo, Vodafone UK have announced pricing and specific availability for the Android smartphone. Available for preorder now, the Vodafone Tattoo is free on certain monthly contracts and will begin shipping for October 8th.
After Orange’s announcement yesterday that they would be offering the iPhone 3GS in the UK, now comes word that Vodafone will be the third carrier in the country to sell Apple’s smartphone. According to UK paper The Telegraph, the Vodafone iPhone 3GS is likely to be £100 cheaper ($159) after analysts predict a price war between carriers.
Update: Vodafone have confirmed the news; the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS will launch in the UK and Ireland in early 2010. [Thanks Dion!]
Vodafone have announced their latest mobile networking and app platform, Vodafone 360, bringing Facebook, Windows Live and Google contacts sync, software downloads and mobile content to the carrier’s cellphones. While Vodafone 360 will support numerous Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices, the carrier is also launching two new Samsung devices which will be 360 branded: the Samsung H1, with a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen, and the Samsung M1, with a 3.2-inch TFT touchscreen.
Vodafone UK have confirmed their second Android smartphone, the HTC Tattoo, which will arrive on the network come October. The Tattoo is HTC’s most recent Android-based device, and is being positioned as an entry-level model with a focus on customization; to that extent it has a 2.8-inch resistive, rather than capacitive touchscreen, but features the HTC Sense UI and replaceable covers.
ITG have launched a preorder page for their distinctive xpPhone, promising support for “the global three major 3G standards” from its integrated 3G chip. Still unpriced, the xpPhone has a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, AMD processor, WiFi b/g and Bluetooth, together with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Unlike most smartphones, though, the xpPhone runs Windows XP.
Vodafone UK have put three much-anticipated devices up for preorder, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2, Nokia E72 and LG GM750. Set to begin shipping in November, October and October, respectively, the three phones each have HSDPA high-speed data connections and GPS.
JP
