Says the sources, Verizon has not yet approached Vodafone, but has instead hired advisers and are looking into the possibility. If the proposal is offered, it is said to involve $100 billion in a combination of cash and stocks ($50 billion from financing, the rest in shares), with Verizon being ready to “push aggressively” to have the deal go through.

Back in 2004, Verizon almost scored Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless when the company was trying to purchase AT&T Wireless, something that would have necessitated the sale of its stake. That purchase didn’t go through, however, and as a result Vodafone retained its Verizon Wireless stake. If the proposal is made, some analysts expect that Vodafone will demand more.

One such reason is the large tax bill Vodafone could be faced with if it sells it stake, estimated to come in at about $20 billion, reducing the value of Verizon’s offer. The sources have a different take on that, however, saying that the way the proposal is made would reduce the tax burden to about $5 billion instead, possibly less. Nothing official has been said on the matter.

[via Vodafone]

If such a deal would be made, it’d be the single largest M&A value (Mergers & Acquisitions, that is) of all time. The previous holder of said record was the AOL takeover of Time Warner back in 2000, that deal racking up a cool $182 billion USD. The same source speaking with Alphaville has suggested that Barclays US is working out the possibilities for a potential transaction, the current deal being the following.

“Barclays US has been tasked with putting together the potential transaction, the usually reliable people claim. The basic idea would be that Verizon buys Vodafone’s 45 per cent stake in their Verizon Wireless joint venture while AT&T takes the non-US assets.” – Alphaville

Other than this basic set of notes and some analysis, it would appear that there’s been no evidence that these companies will actually go through with said deal. We’ll continue to keep our eye on the situation and you’ll know as soon as we know – stay tuned to SlashGear for more!

UPDATE: An update from Dealreporter (through Alphaville) says that Verizon “is not involved in a reported bid for UK telecom company Vodafone.” Of course their note also comes from “a person familiar with the matter” as no representation from any of the three companies supposedly involved has yet come forward with a statement.

Have a peek at the timeline below for additional puzzle pieces leading to today’s oddity and let us know if you have any insight you’d like to lend!

As of right now, Vodafone owns a 45% stake in Verizon Wireless. To completely buy out Vodafone, Verizon would have to shell out around $115 billion. This would give Verizon full control of the mobile service provider, which is the most profitable service the company currently offers. Vodafone is unsure what to do with the money from the sale, but sources say that it will use the money to make various acquisitions all throughout Europe instead of returning the proceeds to its shareholders.

The other option is the merger. The full merger would combine Verizon’s $130 billion value with Vodafone’s $120 billion value to create one of the biggest mergers in history. The merger would require Verizon to move its operations to the United Kingdom, which would provide many tax benefits. Verizon would hold a 55-60% stake in the combined company. However, Verizon has expressed in the past its reluctance to move away from the United States, so similar issues might arise in future discussions.

The sources say that the option Verizon really wants is to completely buy out Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless. It wants to have full control of the mobile service provider and the freedom to make its own decisions. Fran Shammo, Verizon’s CFO, stated at the Deutsche Bank AG that Verizon has always been interested in owning the entire U.S wireless company. Also according to Walt Piecyk, a BTIG analyst, “Seems like both parties are finally ready to end this saga.”

[via Bloomberg]

3 Austria users with the iPhone 4S also encountered similar problems, and the carrier said that it and Apple were working on a fix for imminent release. That update came sooner rather than later, in fact, with Apple pushing it out OTA to iPhones yesterday.

“Apple has released a new version of its iPhone software that fixes the 3G performance issues that have been affecting users of the iPhone 4S who had installed iOS 6.1″ Vodafone said today. There are no other known features to the new version.

Where Apple is with addressing some of the companion concerns of enterprise system managers, who have complained that iOS 6.1 devices have been creating vast database logs, is unclear. That problem, believed to be connected with how Exchange calendar invitations are handled, has seen some devices spawning 50GB+ log files and forcing admins to block them from the system.

Samsung has been working with NTT DoCoMo on developing the software, the insider claims, with the Japanese carrier particularly stinging from the absence of the iPhone in its line-up. Another alternative to Apple’s smartphone, beyond Android, and which it had a greater hand in shaping, would help retain existing subscribers and add new users, so DoCoMo’s thinking apparently goes.

It’s not the first we’ve heard of a Samsung Galaxy running Tizen; rumors of such a device broke back in September as well. Samsung is also believed to be considering merging its own, homegrown bada OS with Tizen, though no final decision has been made.

Among the lingering questions at this stage is what sort of processor the Samsung Tizen handset will run. The Tizen Technical Steering Group (TSG) is made up of Samsung and Intel, the latter having a vested interest in coaxing cellphone companies away from ARM processors and over to its Atom chips, as in the Android-based RAZR i. However, Samsung also makes its own ARM chips, the Exynos series, and it might be easier for the company to stick with an architecture it knows well for the first-generation Tizen range.

That certainly seemed to be the approach with the Tizen developer handset Samsung pieced together for a code-focused conference back in May. Inside lurks a 1.2GHz dualcore ARM chipset, along with a 720p HD display, though all involved were clear that it was a far cry from what we can expect to see released commercially.

[via TNW]

HKT Company Limited, MLL Telecom Ltd, and Niche Spectrum Ventures Limited (a BT Group subsidiary) round out the seven candidates. HKT is a subsidiary of PCCW, a Hong Kong based telecoms firm, while MLL Telecom is a UK telecoms company.

On offer are chunks of spectrum in two distinct bands. The 800MHz band – made available when the UK completed its transition from analog to digital TV broadcasting – is more suited to broad mobile coverage, while the 2.8GHz band has speed advantages; together, the new spectrum will increase the UK’s mobile capacity by roughly 75-percent, Ofcom suggests, and be capable of catering for heavy use in cities as well as cost-effective, widespread deployment in less populated areas.

Of course, six out of the seven bidders are playing catch-up in 4G. EE launched its LTE network a few months back, though the carrier – a combination of T-Mobile UK and Orange, though neither subsidiary brand offers 4G service itself – has been criticized for the price of its mobile plans. That may well be forced to change when 4G alternatives go live, however.

Ofcom decided to approve EE’s early start after deciding the potential benefits to consumers outweighed competition risks to rivals. That decision forced some unlikely partnerships; O2 and Vodafone, for example, have joined forces to partner on 4G infrastructure, though both will operate their own, independent LTE networks.

Femtocells, for the uninitiated, are a way for carriers to fill in small areas of poor network strength – such as basements – by helping subscribers create their own, personal bubble of coverage. Hooked up to your broadband connection, they allow (pre-registered) phones to connect as if to a regular base station, but calls and data are funneled over the internet to the carrier.

Compared to the first-gen model, as well as being smaller the new Sure Signal supports more simultaneous users and can now have up to 32 devices registered as “approved” to use it. A minimum broadband speed of 1MB is required for stable use, though obviously the width of the pipe demanded will depend on how many people are using it at the same time.

Vodafone is offering the Sure Signal now, priced at £100. Some might find paying to fill in the carrier’s dead spots frustrating, but if it’s a case of paying up or being forced to step out into the cold every time you need to make a call, it’s probably worth it.

Vodafone customers that don’t mind a contract can get the tablet for £29 on 24 month contract for plans costing at least £20 monthly. That price plan includes 2 GB of mobile Internet data allotment and 1 GB of data allotment on Wi-Fi networks. Vodafone will also offer the tablet on a contract free plan.

For people not wanting the contract they can pay £149 for pay-as-you-go mobile Internet service. The tablet runs Android 4.0 and can access any app on the Google Play store. It has a 1 GHz processor and is 11.5 mm thick.

The tablet has 4 GB of internal storage and can be expanded up to 32 GB using a microSD card slot. Vodafone is also selling an optional foldable hardcover for £25 to protect the tablet when you’re on the go. The resolution of the seven-inch display is 1024 x 600 and the tablet has a two-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3 megapixel front camera.

Monthly line rental includes unlimited calls and messaging, plus 2GB of data, the leasing fees for the handset itself, and insurance to cover it. There’s also the possibility of an upfront cost, depending on which device you opt for (an iPhone 5 16GB is free upfront, for instance, as are the 16GB Galaxy S III and Note II, but you’ll pay more if you want versions with larger internal storage), and the line rental itself varies based on the handset.

At the end of the twelve month lease, Vodafone will have a new list of devices to choose from; if none of those catch your eye, you can hold on to your existing device for up to a further six months. Swapping your current phone for a new model is based on what condition it’s in, so for instance there’s no fee if both handset and charger are returned in good condition and with “normal wear and tear.”

Hand back a device with deep scratches, water damage, or worn ports, however, and you’re looking at a £75 penalty; that rises to £150 if there are cracks and/or wear to the ports and buttons. Finally, Vodafone reserves the right to charge £375-425 if the phone doesn’t work, has been modified, is damaged beyond repair, or if there’s “a lot of damage” incurred. You’ll pay the same penalty if you don’t return the leased device either.

Notable for those wanting to root/jailbreak their phone and load a third-party ROM or software, Vodafone also classes installing “a non-approved operating system” as condition falling into that final grade. Of course, there’s insurance to cover any hardware faults, and Vodafone tells us that it will be supplying screen protectors and cases with each device.

It’s an arguably expensive way to get a high-end phone, but with twelve-month contracts rarer now, and the turnover of smartphones so rapid, we can see the all-in approach appealing to some users.

Vodafone and O2 have been vocal in their fury over EE – a combo carrier of Orange and T-Mobile UK – being allowed to launch an LTE network so soon, while they wait out for the Ofcom spectrum sale. “The regulator has shown a careless disregard for the best interests of consumers, businesses and the wider economy” Vodafone said in a statement back in August, “through its refusal to properly regard the competitive distortion created by allowing one operator to run services before the ground has been laid for a fully competitive 4G market.”

However, Bennett has little time for Vodafone and O2′s arguments that they are dependent on acquiring new spectrum rights in the 2013 auction. Instead, the 4G expert suggests, the other carriers are merely reaping the rewards of poor forward planning, having used their 900MHz spectrum holdings to bolster 3G coverage, for instance.

Orange and T-Mobile UK, in contrast, have been building out EE’s LTE infrastructure since the beginning of the year, Bennett pointed out, and have been planning the roll-out for some time ahead of that. Competitor fury, he counters, involves being selective with what facts and details are emphasized.

As for compatibility issues, which for instance sees the iPhone 5 only supporting the LTE bands EE will use in the UK, and not those Vodafone or O2 intend to use, Bennett believes the headache will be short-lived. Within a year, he suggests, chipsets which support all the bands in use will be prevalent – at least in the UK market – and consumers will be back to a situation where they can swap SIMs between phones without worrying about whether they’ll be limited to 3G.

Beyond the usual color and storage capacity options, there will be three different types of iPhone 5. Each will cater to different carriers in different geographies: Model A1428 (GSM) with the AWS and 700b LTE bands (4 and 17) for AT&T in the US, and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada (including Virgin, Fido, and Kudo, their respective sub-brands).

Model A1429 (CDMA) supports the most LTE bands, with 2100, 1800, 850, 700c, and 1900 (bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25), though ironically Apple is positioning it for the fewest carriers: only Verizon and Sprint in the US, and KDDI in Japan. Finally, Model A1429 (GSM) handles most places outside of North America, with LTE service for Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, the UK’s EE, Australia’s Optus, Virgin, and Telstra, Japan’s Softbank, Korea’s SK Telecom and KT, Hong Kong’s SmarTone, and Singapore’s M1 and SingTel.

That leaves plenty of carriers either with 3G-only support or planning LTE networks with no band support in any of the three iPhone 5 models. As Engadget highlights, UK carriers Vodafone and O2 may well be readying their own LTE push, but they’ll be using 800MHz (band 20) and 2.6GHz (band 7) for their 4G and thus won’t actually work with the iPhone 5.

To counter that, some carriers are offering a get-out-clause of sorts partway through the typical two-year agreement. O2′s new “4G Handset Promise” will mean iPhone 5 buyers will be able to upgrade to a device compatible with the carrier’s LTE network, it told The Inquirer, mid-contract when that network launches. Vodafone, meanwhile, is simply pushing its 3G network with the new nano SIMs needed for the iPhone 5, as is Three.

Even those with LTE on their carrier of choice may find they’re unable to use 4G while they’re in another country. With no direct LTE roaming between the North American GSM iPhone 5 and the European/Asia GSM model, those hoping to hop between continents with seamless high-speed data will be disappointed.

Somewhat comically, given CDMA’s history of being limited in terms of roaming, the CDMA iPhone 5 may be the best bet for international roaming, as it supports the same three bands of the Euro GSM version. Verizon told ArsTechnica that it would be “surveying which markets line up best with the frequencies available in our version of the iPhone 5″ when global roaming is enabled “in the future.” However, the three models don’t only vary by LTE bands; the UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA bands they each support are different too.

It’s worth noting that this 4G headache is nowhere near a problem limited to the iPhone 5, though it’s likely to be Apple’s handset that draws the greatest attention to the fragmented condition of LTE roll-out. Existing Android LTE phones, on sale for some time now, are also limited to 4G in specific markets, so even those with so-called “global roaming” support max out at 3G when abroad.

Despite hopes for a seven-band LTE radio based on Qualcomm technology, it seems size and other limitations have forced Apple’s hand when it comes to catering to the most territories with the least number of versions. For now, it’s worth doing some research if you’re hoping to use your new iPhone 5 with LTE in more than one country.

More on the iPhone 5 in our full hands-on!

“Vodafone has now got 500,000 of the new 12.3 mm x 8.8 mm nano-SIMs in stock” the carrier pre-emptively crowed. “Stripped of all excess plastic, this fourth generation SIM card is 40 percent smaller than a micro-SIM, but supports the conventional eight electrical contacts and fits backwards into current micro-SIM slots so that you can use it during any changeover period.”

The photos, meanwhile, show the nano SIM still fixed inside the credit-card sized shipping plastic, as well as in size-comparisons with today’s micro SIMs as in the current iPhone 4S and other devices. For those not in the UK, the two coins are British 20 pence and 5 pence pieces.

It’s potentially a case of premature publishing and, with no specific mention of the iPhone 5, it’s unlikely to get Vodafone into any trouble with Apple. The conspiracy theorists among us might wonder, however, whether Vodafone revealed the SIMs early on purpose, to distract from new UK LTE carrier EE’s hint at ranging the new iPhone earlier today.

[via Pocket-lint]

However, regulators obviously found no aspect of the plans to be worrying, and so the three networks are free to push ahead with the JV. The goal is to not only put together a payments system, allowing subscribers to charge items to their handsets instead of using cards or cash, but to “provide a single contact point for media agencies, retailers and brands, enabling them to create campaigns that will reach millions of opted-in mobile users.”

The service will be cross-platform and cross-operator, though each will be building its own user-facing mobile payments brand on top of the shared underlying technology. “For consumers, this means they will be able to receive the discounts and offers that they want to receive from the brands that are relevant to them” the trio says.

As for Three’s complaints that it had not been invited to join the joint venture, Everything Everywhere, O2 and Vodafone UK claim their rival is very welcome to get involved. “The shareholders remain committed to making the JV services open to all,” the three said in a statement, “including all operators and MVNOs, 3rd party publishers, banks, advertising agencies, retailers and any company that wants to engage in this space.”

There’s no indication of when the mobile commerce platform will launch in the UK.

This device is a lovely Plum color, too, a color that’s certainly rare if not completely exclusive at the moment to Vodafone. This device otherwise has the same specifications as the Galaxy S III throughout Europe with a quad-core Exynos processor from Samsung – the difference between this and the USA being a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. Have a peek first at the LTE result from inside the IFA building:

Next have a peek at a single Quadrant benchmark result, and note that the I/O and CPU are quite high. Compare them to the HTC One X with NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor if you wish, and see how they’re both handling four CPU cores in hardcore action. The HTC One X with Tegra 3 got CPU 6670, Memory 3305, I/O 4832, 2D 946, 3D 1244. Also compare if you will to the Galaxy S III we’ve reviewed in full – the International Version, that is.

Finally hear this: the Jelly Bean upgrade appears here on the Vodafone version of the device to have made the device just a bit quicker, but certainly within a margin of error. There’s going to be some changes done to the Samsung TouchWiz interface that we’re not really seeing here yet as this is a bit of a pre-release build, so to speak. Stay tuned for the final build as it hits the USA soon.

The “4G” spectrum that Everything Everywhere already owns runs along 1800MHz, and outside their own camp, Ofcom’s decision to give them the go-ahead has been met with some unsurprising dissent. An O2 spokesman made it clear this morning that they were amongst those groups that are not really happy about the decision.

“We are hugely disappointed with today’s announcement, which will mean the majority of consumers will be excluded from the first wave of digital services. This decision undermines the competitive environment for 4G in the UK” – O2

Similarly, the folks at Vodafone have been quite vocal about the situation.

“The regulator has shown a careless disregard for the best interests of consumers, businesses and the wider economy through its refusal to properly regard the competitive distortion created by allowing one operator to run services before the ground has been laid for a fully competitive 4G market” – Vodafone UK

The upcoming auction of 4G spectrum will be bringing on both 800MHz and 2.6GHz to the party, while each of the groups mentioned above already own at least two different kinds of spectrum in the 2G/3G/4G universe. Vodafone and O2 are the proud owners of 900MHz, 1800Mhz, and 2.1GHz spectrum while Everything Everywhere also owns the two higher spectrums 2.1GHz and 1800Mhz. It’s not entirely clear why the other two companies have not yet been granted the ability to offer up their own 1800MHz spectrum.

[via ZDnet]

“We’ve just been advised that the roll-out the of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update to Vodafone Australia customers has been delayed” the carrier wrote on its official blog. “At this stage, we don’t have any further information on when the roll-out will resume, but as soon as we do, we’ll let you know.”

Vodafone Australia does not specify what, exactly, the cause of the delay might be. However, according to The Next Web, the Jelly Bean update was discovered to not be up to scratch with Australia’s regulatory requirements for emergency calls.

Google has already begun rolling out OTA updates to Android 4.1 to Galaxy Nexus handsets, but Vodafone Australia’s Galaxy S was to be the first carrier-modified device to get Jelly Bean. More on Jelly Bean in our full review.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

In fact, ZTE announced its challenge for the low- to mid-range Android market yesterday, in the shape of the ZTE Grand X. In the light of Huawei’s announcement, however, the Grand X is starting to look overpriced; Virgin Mobile will be offering the ZTE handset for free on contract for plans of £27 or more for existing customers, though those new to the company will need to pay £32. Vodafone has not announced pre-pay pricing for the Ascend P1.

Specifications of the Huawei include a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 960 x 540 touchscreen, a dualcore 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor, an 8-megapixel camera with Full HD video recording, and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. There’s also HSDPA, WiFi b/g/n, and a 1,670 mAh battery.

In fact, overall the Ascend P1 shapes up into a solid budget choice. Check out our full review for more details on performance and how it holds up against other low-cost rivals.

AT&T and RIM then collaborated on the BlackBerry Torch while Verizon and Vodafone worked with RIM on the first touchscreen BlackBerry smartphone call be Storm. As it turned out neither of those BlackBerry smartphones came anywhere close to competing with the iPhone. According to reports, AT&T and Verizon turned to RIM because they were concerned about the “wild popularity of the iPhone.”

The report also claims that both major carriers wanted to prevent Apple from gaining too much influence in the market. Some of the reason for RIMs financial woes and inability to compete is laid at the feet of former CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Reports describe a “split personality in the executive suite” between the two former CEOs. Lazaridis reportedly wanted the company to focus on a next-generation BlackBerry with a new operating system while Balsillie wanted to license out proprietary RIM technology. RIM has continued the downward spiral even with the CEO Thorsten Heins at the helm.

[via AppleInsider]

Vodafone announced that it will be splitting its European dealings into two divisions, with one focused on northern and central Europe, and the other dealing with southern Europe. Paolo Bertoluzzo will be overseeing such markets as Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain, while Humm will be managing regions like the UK, Germany, and Turkey.

Humm oversaw the failed merger between T-Mobile USA and AT&T, a move that was blocked by the US government. T-Mobile USA, meanwhile, has been left without a CEO. COO Jim Alling will take over duties while the company searches for a suitable replacement.

“Under the proposals, both companies will have access to a single grid of 18,500 masts representing an increase in sites of more than 40% for each operator” the carriers say. “The joint venture will also be responsible for the building of new sites needed to extend coverage into rural and remote areas. There will be opportunities for the decommissioning of duplicate sites and, as a result, the two companies expect there will be a more than 10% overall reduction in the total number of sites, in the UK, used by the two operators.”

Telefónica UK – O2 parent company – will be responsible for managing and maintaining radio equipment as well as local transmission (connecting to each operator’s intelligent backbone network) in the East (including Northern Ireland and most of Scotland), while Vodafone UK will take the same duties in the West (including Wales). Traffic for each network will continue to be carried on each company’s own spectrum.

The deal differs from that of the Orange and T-Mobile UK partnership that culminated in the combined Everything Everywhere carrier. There, the merging of the two brands has allowed for cross-network roaming by subscribers, along with an acceleration in LTE plans.

Thanks to the partnership, O2 and Vodafone predict that they could have 98-percent UK nationwide coverage with LTE service by as early as 2015, two years ahead of the regulatory required date. The hope is that Ofcom will see that as good reason to green-light the deal, with finalization tentatively estimated before the end of the year.

Previously Vodafone took pictures of customers dropping off their smartphones to be recharged, or used wristbands with barcodes, but as the company notes, “wristbands get lost [and] faces need a human to make a judgement call on identity.” The truck will instead be fitted with infrared palm vein readers, designed to build a map of the blood vessels in your hand which is unique to each person. Vodafone say the system offers great security, already employed by several Japanese banks, and is impossible to fool.

The readers even work if your hands are dirty thanks to the use of infrared, and should detect the customer in just a couple of seconds. The new system should be much faster, and the truck itself can accommodate up to 2,000 smartphones. Vodafone say they have chargers for all kinds of phones, so no need to worry about standing in a muddy field without any battery left. The truck should be making its way to various festivals shortly.

[via Vodafone]

The handset also comes with 150MB of internal storage and a free 2GB microSD card. It’s not a super slim device, coming in at 12.35mm, but hopefully it’ll fit snugly in your hand since it’s a little smaller than most screens nowadays. You’ll get the full suite of Google apps as usual, such as Gmail, Gtalk, and YouTube, plus access to the Play Store to score some social network action with Facebook and Twitter.

Vodafone will be offering the Smart II in either dark grey or white for the low, low price of £70. You should be able to pick one up starting today. If you’re on a tight budget and think this is the right phone for you, take a peek at the video below and make sure to hit up Vodafone.

Phones 4u will have several carriers available for attachment and will be getting the Samsung Galaxy S III in on the 30th as well, of course. Phones 4u is Samsung’s exclusive retail partner for its Samsung Experience Zone at Phones 4u Oxford Street if you did not know, and this location will be one of the many that will have the device in-stock at the end of this month. The device will be accompanied by a “premium accessory bundle” only here at this carrier, it being worth over £50 total – details incoming on that by the time the device launches, certainly.

UPDATE: Three has also jumped in to note that they’ll also be offering up the device for free with at just £34 per month for data. They’ve also got a deal where you’re entered in to win a Samsung Smart TV as well!

Phone 4U has the Galaxy S III up for pre-order now connected with carriers Orange, O2, and Vodafone. Prices range from absolutely free on 2-year contracts to £289.00 with lower minutes and data allotments. Have a go at both the blue and the white versions of this device right on over at Phones 4U right this minute – pre-order madness!

The UK is a competitive market for smartphones, and we’ve seen carriers increasingly eager to throw their oar in with new handsets so as to associate their networks with particular brands. Still, it’s more usual for them to actually wait for the phones to at least be announced first, something Vodafone doesn’t appear to want to do.

That could mean that the rumors of Samsung postponing the Galaxy S III announcement until it could release the handset to the market just after may well be true, and that sales will begin almost immediately after the big May 3 reveal. Alternatively, though, it might just be a keen carrier wanting to join in with the hype.

According to the recent leaks, the Galaxy S III will have a roughly 4.7-inch display using Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology, a 12-megapixel camera and a 1.4GHz quadcore Exynos processor paired with 400MHz ARM Mali-400 graphics. Still unknown is the handset’s aesthetic, however; though prototypes have been caught on video, Samsung is believed to have used a temporary casing so as to keep the final design secret.

The offer will see individual shareholders getting 38 pence, which is about 61 cents per share. The offer is a premium of 92% on the closing price of stock in CWW as of closing on February 10, 2012, which was the last business day before Vodafone made its offer. Vodafone figures that the purchase of the company will strengthen its enterprise in the UK and internationally.

CWW has about 2,570,695 outstanding shares. The offering price of £.38 per share for CWW is final will not be increased. However, Vodafone can increase the offer for third party announces a competing offer for the company before the deal closes.

[via Vodafone]

We had a look at a very early version of the Galaxy S II’s version of Ice Cream Sandwich when it was in Alpha mode – this version being a nude Vanilla flavoring of the software more akin to the Galaxy Nexus than it was to what we’re seeing now. Now we’ve got the Galaxy S II on Samsung’s own TouchWiz, this allowing it to work extremely well with the other new devices from Samsung popping up this month including the Ice Cream Sandwich-laden Galaxy Tab 2.

Those of you looking to upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy S II running on Vodafone have only to head to settings, down to the bottom where it says Software Update – and make it happen. If you do not have an upgrade waiting for you there, you’ve more than likely got only days or hours to wait for the update to be pushed to you by your carrier. Twiddle your thumbs while you wait!

[via Inquirer]

HTC One X

So far, all the UK carriers have expressed their intent to carry the HTC One X. Orange and T-Mobile said yesterday that the handset will “coming soon” to their networks. Both have posted information pages on their respective websites, and have said via press release that the phone should come in for Free on a £41/month tariff.

O2 has the handset right now. The One X will cost you nothing on O2’s new “On & On” tariff, which costs £36/month on a two-year contract. That nets you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 1GB of data. If you need 2GB of data, the price increases to £41/month. The cheapest you’ll be able to pick the phone up on a two-year contract is with an upfront cost of £79.99 and monthly payment of £31. That gives you 300 minutes, unlimited texts, and 1GB of data. If think you don’t need that much data, O2 offer between 100 and 750MB depending on the tariff, which would save you some money.

Vodafone is offering pre-orders for the white HTC One X for Free on a £41/month tariff with a two-year contract. That plan includes 900 minutes, 3000 texts, and 1GB of data. If you don’t want to pay that much monthly and are prepared to shell out some money up front for the phone, then you can drop down to a £36/month tariff. The phone will cost £99, and your minutes will decrease to 600. Paying £199 upfront will drop the cost further to £31/month, although you’ll only get 300 minutes and 500MB of data with that tariff.

Three, meanwhile, are offering a slightly better deal. The HTC One X will be available for Free on The One Plan, which costs £38 a month. With that you’ll get 2,000 minutes, 5,000 texts, and “all you can eat” data, including tethering. If you want an ever so slightly lower monthly cost, then the Ultimate Internet 500 plan offers the handset for Free on a £35/month tariff, with minutes dropping to 500. Tethering, however, isn’t included. Whichever plan you choose, Three are shipping the HTC One X right now.

HTC One S

All of the major UK networks will be offering the HTC One S. O2, Orange, and T-Mobile all have links on their websites that will inform you when the networks release pricing and availability information. Orange and T-Mobile have said via press release that the handset will be available for Free on a £36/month tariff.

Once again, Vodafone are taking pre-orders for the One S and show the full tariffs on their website. You’ll be able to pick the phone up for Free on a £36/month tariff, which gives you 600 minutes, unlimited texts, and 1GB of data to play with. If you pay £99 up front, the monthly costs drops to £31/month, as do your minutes to 300, and data to 500MB. The cheapest tariff will run you £26 a month with the phone costing £199, but you’ll have just 100 minutes, 500 texts, and 250MB of data at your disposal.

Three seem to be offering the better deal, and have the handset in stock right now. Ultimate Internet 500 gives you the handset for Free on a £32/month tariff, with 500 minutes, 5,000 texts, and “all you can eat” data. The cheapest tariff comes in at £24/month with a £99 upfront cost for the phone, which only gives you 100 minutes and 250MB of data, but still presents better value than Vodafone. All tariffs are two-year commitments.

AT&T will be offering the HTC One X in the United States, although there’s no word on pricing or availability. The US version of the handset will feature a Qualcomm dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 processor instead of NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chip, although from our own testing, performance doesn’t seem to take a hit, even besting the quad-core chip in some tests. Be sure to check out our reviews of both the HTC One X and One S!

A £5 initial top-up is good for 250MB of data (that expires after 30 days) over Vodafone’s 3G network. Of course, there’s also WiFi if you’d rather not use the 3G. Those who buy the PS Vita 3G elsewhere will be able to get WipEout 2048 themselves by slotting in a Vodafone SIM and topping up £5.

Released in Japan in December 2011, the PS Vita has struggled to gain a grip on sales, with a lackluster line-up of titles blamed for continuing disappointment at the checkout. That will hopefully change by the time the Vita drops in the US and Europe, with the promise of cheaper downloaded games; however, Sony is courting further disappointment with the news that, in the US at least, PSP owners won’t be able to port their UMD games over to their new PS Vita.

The PS Vita has a 5-inch OLED multitouch display, twin analog sticks, Bluetooth, WiFi and a rear-mounted trackpad. Inside there’s a quadcore ARM Cortex-A9 processor, and Sony loads its own NEAR location-based gaming app.

Meanwhile, UK carriers have also piped up to plead their innocence. Vodafone UK has confirmed it is not collecting Carrier IQ information through handsets it sells, while O2 UK told mocoNews that it too “doesn’t collect” user data. According to the O2 spokesperson, any data collection would be the purview of handset manufacturers, not carriers, though Carrier IQ is known to have inked deals with operators as well.

The new denials join those of Nokia from earlier today, along with the insistence from a “trusted source” that none of Google’s official Nexus devices – the original Nexus One, follow-up Nexus S, or the most recent Galaxy Nexus – have Carrier IQ software loaded. The Motorola XOOM is also said to be clear.

The same can’t be said for the iPhone, however, with digging through iOS 3, 4 and 5 turning up evidence of partial monitoring abilities. However, it can apparently be turned off with a simple settings toggle, one which is set to ensure privacy by default.

Expect more announcements as carriers and manufacturers attempt to explain where, exactly, the extent of their involvement with Carrier IQ ends.

From the sound of it, however, users are picking up the Lumia 800 even with carrier agreements made mandatory. WMPowerUser spotted what looks like confirmation that the Nokia smartphone is selling better through Vodafone UK’s online sales than everything bar the cheapest iPhone 4S, edging ahead of Android and BlackBerry devices, when you look at the pay-monthly handsets sorted by “most popular.” We’re waiting for clarification from Vodafone as to whether the sales are as strong as the site suggests.

Neither Nokia nor any of the carriers have announced specific sales figures for the Lumia 800 so far, though there have been plenty of vague “its been very popular” comments from the operators. For more on the Nokia Lumia 800, check out the full SlashGear review.

Update: Unfortunately for Nokia, it seems divining sales from Vodafone UK’s site placement isn’t the most accurate way of doing it. Positioning on that page apparently doesn’t relate to actual sales, despite what “most popular” might suggest.

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.

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Like the HTC ChaCha there’s a dedicated Facebook button, which can be preset to automatically share photos snapped with the 555′s 2-megapixel camera, though since this is a featurephone rather than a smartphone, don’t expect the full app experience. Vodafone does preload Opera Mini, however, for browsing, though again you’re stuck with EDGE data speeds since there’s neither 3G nor WiFi.

You do at least get an FM radio and expandable memory, handy if you want to make the 555 your media player too, and there’s Bluetooth and a speakerphone as well. The Vodafone 555 is available now.

“We’re aware of legal proceedings between Apple and Samsung in Germany in connection with the Galaxy Tab 10.1″ Vodafone told SlashGear today. “We’re in discussions with Samsung about the position in the UK. In the meantime, we will be suspending pre-orders and contacting customers who have already placed orders. We will update our customers as soon as possible.”

Contrary to some misconceptions, the preliminary injunction does not necessarily affect retailers, only Samsung itself. In Germany, for instance, retailer MediaMarkt confirmed to Forbes that it would continue to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 until its supplies ran out. Vodafone had not confirmed when the 3G Galaxy Tab 10.1 was expected to begin shipping, but it’s likely the carrier already has stock of the tablet since it usually takes pre-orders only a week or two ahead of shipping devices.

However, even if Vodafone had gone ahead with sales, it could well have reached a point where its own warehouse was empty and Samsung was unable to provide further units. There’s no timeline for when Samsung may be permitted to resume shipments – SlashGear has heard from retailers that it could be anything from 24hrs to several months.

Outwardly, the Galaxy S Plus GT-I9001 is identical to the phone it replaces. There’s the same plasticky chassis and 5-megapixel camera, 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and undoubtedly iPhone-alike aesthetic in both the casing design and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. You get 8GB of integrated storage (and a microSD card slot) along with a front-facing camera and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

It’s the performance and battery which have seen the boost, however, with the original 1GHz Galaxy S comfortably out-performed in benchmarking by the new Plus variant. Samsung also reckons it will last 24-percent longer thanks to economy tweaks. Full benchmarks and details are over at Android Community, and expect the Galaxy S Plus to land on Vodafone UK imminently, priced from free on a new, two-year £31 per month agreement.

Update: Vodafone has put the Galaxy S Plus up for sale, and it’s cheaper than expected: free on contracts from £25.

The Galaxy S II is arguably the Android modder’s device of the year, a powerful 1.2GHz dual-core handset with an indecently vivid 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display and 8-megapixel camera capable of Full HD 1080p video recording, all squeezed into an 8.49mm thick chassis. It’s perfectly paired with Vodafone’s voice and data network. For more on the Galaxy S II, check out the full SlashGear review.

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 Samsung Galaxy S II 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 Samsung Galaxy S II giveaway!

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

Rules

Giveaway begins August 10th 2011 and ends August 18th 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 Vodafone 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, Vodafone, SlashGear, and Android Community.

Prizes consist of two Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones to be split between two winners. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and Vodafone reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

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

The Bold 9900 will ship on August 16 if you pre-order the device. The Bold 9900 will be offered free on qualifying monthly plans starting at £41. The smartphone has a touchscreen and the famous Blackberry QWERTY keyboard. It also runs the new Blackberry 7 OS and has a 1.2GHz processor inside. The new OS supports many features including gestures and advanced graphics.

The camera on the rear is a 5MP unit and the smartphone has WiFi, music payer, 3G capabilities and more. The rear camera can also record video as well. Internal storage is 8GB and the phone has a memory card slot for expansion. The screen is capacitive touch and measures 2.8-inches. There is no front mounted camera, ruling out video chats.

Vodafone UK will be offering the Torch 9860 and Torch 9810, though release dates for the two handsets haven’t been confirmed. The carrier had already confirmed it would be offering the BlackBerry Bold 9900, though again there’s no sign of a release date on the carrier’s site.

However, UK retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U have announced that they will be offering the Bold 9900 from August 18; pricing will be from free on a £31 ($51) a month contract from Carphone Warehouse, and free on a £35 ($57) contract from Phones4U. Neither retailer is describing it as an exclusive, so we’re guessing Vodafone – and other carriers – will stock it at around the same time.

Update: UK carrier O2 has confirmed it will be offering all three handsets “later this year.”

More on the new BlackBerry smartphones in our hands-on reports from earlier today. Check out the Torch 9810 here and the Torch 9860 here.

On the back is a 2-megapixel camera with an LED flash, though there’s no front-facing camera for Skype video calls through Facebook. Connectivity includes a microUSB port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while a microSD slot can handle up to 16GB cards. Opera Mini 5 is loaded for web browsing duties.

While it promises to be cheaper than Facebook-toting rivals like the HTC ChaCha, the Vodafone 555 Blue does cut some corners to reach that sub-€100 sticker. There’s no 3G and no WiFi, which means you’ll be stuck on EDGE network speeds at most to share your photos and browse updates, and no GPS so checking into Facebook Places will be a chore.

The Vodafone 555 Blue will be available “soon” across Europe.

“We’ve decided that due to delays to the launch of the device, we no longer plan to include the EVO 3D in our smartphone range. We will be contacting customers who have registered for updates about the device to make them aware of this decision shortly” a Vodafone spokesperson told us. “We realise this will come as a disappointment to some people but we already offer some fantastic phones, like the HTC Sensation and Galaxy S2, with some really exciting handsets in the pipeline.”

Unfortunately Vodafone couldn’t be coerced to tell us what, exactly, those upcoming handsets might be, and the carrier’s “coming soon” page is looking unusually sparse with the BlackBerry Bold 9900 the only smartphone listed. Interestingly, Vodafone also lacks any glasses-free 3D handsets, such as the LG Optimus 3D; it’s not clear whether that’s due to underwhelming interest in the display technology or something else. It’s perhaps telling that Vodafone’s choice of alternative devices, the Sensation and Galaxy S II, each have regular displays.

[via Android Community]