It’s always exciting to get a new version of an operating system but it is even more exciting when all the cool features in it are working properly, rather than have the feeling we are lab mice who are testing something unfinished. In this relation news about forthcoming releases of major operating systems, such as Android, are met with mixed feelings – excitement about all the new and great stuff and caution that it will take time to make the software stable and by then we’ll be dealing with software that is crashing way too often.

Probably because of this, the rumor that the new version of Android, code named Jelly Bean, will be released in summer didn’t make us jump with joy. The release of Android 5 is scheduled for summer probably because the idea is to launch it before Windows 8, which is to be released in Q3.

Summer is not too far away and after all, the current version of Android (4, or Ice Cream Sandwich) hasn’t been around that long but unfortunately, its success hasn’t been that impressive either. So, let’s hope that with Jelly Bean Android will get back on the right track.

The Merge of Devices

It is hard to say which the most distinguishing feature of Android 5 is when there is only speculation rather than cold facts about what’s in it but it is a safe bet to say that Android 5 will be a step further to the merge of devices – i.e. the same code goes for tablets, netbooks, and laptops.

While this is reasonable because tablets are becoming as powerful as desktops and laptops, there are still differences between the devices (i.e. screen size) that make unification hard. However, if unification does happen, this will mean you will be able to use your favorite desktop apps on your mobile (and vice versa) without having to look for the mobile version, which might not exist.

The Arrival of Dual Boot Devices

Another cool feature that is supposed to be introduced with Android 5 is dual boot. Dual boot means you can have two operating systems on one device (i.e. Windows and Android). What is best, if the rumor is true, with Android you will be able to switch OS without rebooting – this is revolutionary and even PCs don’t have it.

What Else to Expect from Android 5

The fact that there are still only rumours and no official statement makes it hard to guess what else is inside Android 5 but some bloggers have suggested that this might be the Android version to accompany a new Google device (which isn’t unlikely, having in mind the recent acquisition of Motorola Mobile by Google) and the version that will introduce laptop dock mode (the ability to put the device into a laptop cradle and use it in conjunction with a laptop).

These two features are cool but they are also hard to implement, so unless Google has done most of the work on them by now, they won’t be available in such a short period of time. Still, there are great expectations about the new version of Android and hopefully soon we’ll see if they come true or not.

According to research conducted by Gfk the Telecoms industry showed signs of decent recovery in the last quarter of 2011. October and November numbers were particularly strong for both 12 month SIM only contracts and mobile handset contracts. The 12 month SIM only had increased from 27.9% to 43.9% of total SIM only sales whereas 30-day contracts sa similar decline. Other contract lengths were minimal as the 18-month contracts offered by a minority of networks were withdrawn at the beginning of last year and new 3 month and 6 month contracts are also still quite rare.

The move towards 12 month contracts not just on SIM only but mobile handsets too, looks set to continue for this year as consumers look to shorten the amount of time they are tied into their contract and also get the best value for money. New offers from networks like Three, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone have also spurred growth as well as the introduction of more SIM free Smartphones such as the iPhone 4s and the Samsung Galaxy SII.

These premium phones provide innovative technology that provides a refreshing contribution to the market and consumers who like to have the latest phone. The introduction of these then also has a positive effect on SIM only contracts uptake from both old and new smartphone users. With an iPhone 5 expected this year and many other new phones from manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung in the pipelines the trend is should continue in this way.

There are very attractive deals available that include the One Plan from Three as well as some time limited offers such as half price line rental and free data allowances from other networks. For people that do not want to upgrade their mobile and don’t want to commit to another 2 years contract, the SIM only product is clearly a great proposition.

Whilst there has been growth in the these areas, it is quite feasible that there are still tough times ahead for both consumers and the mobile phone industry as the world economy continues to struggle and living costs continue to rise this will no doubt have a great effect on sales and have a say as to whether customers swing towards a SIM-only contract or a mobile phone contract.

Sources: GfK Retail and Technology

T-Mobile have come to the table once again and just in time for the festive season, when we’ll be calling and texting more frequently as well as browsing the net and sending emails or tweeting!

Until the end of November, T-Mobile have knocked off £2.50 from all their SIM card plans (except You Fix) making them a one of the cheapest networks to join at the moment. There isn’t long left now until the end of month so take advantage of this super offer whilst you can. It is possible that they extend it until the end of the year and we hope they do.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s on offer and how this price cut compares to what the other networks are offering at the moment.

£30 saving over the whole year

So, the £2.50 price reduction may not seem a lot but with these changes it is best to look at how much you will be saving over the course of the year. What I would do in this situation is simply multiply £2.50 by 12. This totals to a saving of £30 which is much more significant. That’s money that could be put towards something else more important or even towards a treat for yourself, friend or family member.

It’s also worth noting that the offer is for 12 months regardless of whether you are on a 30-day SIM or a 12 month SIM contract, therefore if you know that you will be able to stay with the same network for a year then I recommend choosing the latter as they offer more bang for ya buck!

Seven is the magic number

The discounted tariffs are unbeatable in most price ranges and still offer value for money in terms of allowances.  The one that stands out the most is the cheapest T-Mobile SIM only deal for just £7.71 and this will get you 300 minutes, 300 texts plus your choice of a Free Flexible Booster. This is comparable to the £7 tariff that Orange recently announced that provides 150 mins, 500 texts and 250MB of data. Both of these are on a 12 month contract however, although the T-Mobile deal is 71p more you do receive double the amount of minutes plus the booster which you can choose can then choose an Internet data package that provides 500MB.

Shame on the rest

The £7.71 deals from T-Mobile is also available on a 1 month contract but with 100 minutes and 100 texts. As you can see from this example, the changes are extremely great value. This is even more notable in our next example.

The tariff that was £15.32 and is now  £12.82 puts the other tariffs to shame. Check this out:

T-Mobile - £12.82 – 600 minutes – 500 texts – 500MB (choosing Internet as a Free Booster)

O2 - £13 – 300 minutes – Unlimited texts – 100MB

Vodafone - £13 – 300 minutes – 3000 texts – 100MB

These comparisons are for the 12 month contracts and the only exception to this is the current Vodafone promotional code that gives customers 3 months half-price. Looking at this, you maybe getting a better deal from them if you are opting for a tariff in the £20 and above range as the savings are greater the higher up you go.

25 Minutes and 50 texts for only £1 a month!

So, I was just browsing the Internet trying to keep up with the latest mobile news and checking out a few of the latest SIM only deals too and I then decided to head over to the Carphone Warehouse to see what they have to offer. Their name sprung to mind mainly because of the recent announcement that they will be terminating their partnership with Best Buy in the UK and all of the stores that they only just opened within the last 18 months will be closing as well. Anyway, what caught my eye went visiting the CW site was a £1 SIM only contract. YES, just £1! My first thought was this could be a really good deal but then I though is it really worth it?! The allowances on offer are 25 minutes of talktime to any network as well as 50 texts. This will of course suit some people out there who only use their mobile phone in emergencies or maybe use it to be contacted on rather than to make contact with others. In these cases this works out to be a very good option. It also beats PAYG as you don’t have to top-up a minimum spend.

The cheapest company for SIM only?

There is no data included within the package so this is certainly not suitable for those of you who like to watch You Tube, connect with friends on Twitter/Facebook, check your emails or browse the In
ternet in search for the latest news and gossip!

The great thing for Carphone Warehouse is that they get to stake claim to the cheapest SIM only contract in the UK (most probably the world). Where they and most other networks who offer these cheap plans look to make their money back will be on outside allowance call and text charges, data usage and calls to 08 numbers. For this tariff in particular, the charges outside of the inclusive allowances are 30p for calls and a higher then average 14p per text.

This offer doesn’t appear to be on the Talk Mobile website as yet so we assume this is a new or exclusive offer. Please let us know below if this has been around for a while or if you have any thoughts on this plan. (Update: This has been around on and off for the last 3 months)

Overall, Talk Mobile do seem to have some very good value tariffs but the overall feedback from a customer service point of view this last year hasn’t been positive. In terms of reception and network reliability, TalkMobile is an MVNO of Vodafone so you can expect these to be pretty good.

Over the weekend Orange launched a refresh of their SIM only packages. A press release had been circulated  through the web over the last couple of weeks about the introduction of a Panther tariff but the proposed changes did not go live at the online shop until recently. The line up sees the addition of more great value 12 month contracts that were previously only available via 2 options. We can also see the addition of several new packages that are ideal for customers with iPhones.

New tariffs for iPhone users

These all offer internet data and unlimited texts making them the ideal option if you have an iPhone or even a smartphone too. Most of the cheaper tariffs come with just 250MB of data though and this may not be enough for the average user. On the whole we recommend opting for 500MB but with Orange this means you will need to either purchase an add-on or choose a higher end tariff. The options from £20 and above are the more competitive when comparing to what other networks are offering and a quick check shows that they are on par with what Vodafone have. For example, £20.50 will get you 600 minutes, Unlimited texts (3000 on Vodafone) and 500MB of data.

£7 SIM only – the cheapest ever from Orange

The star of the show has to go to the new £7 pay monthly contract. This is the cheapest plan that any of the major networks has to offer at this moment in time and it’s available to all customers for a limited time only. This amazing SIM comes with 150 minutes, 500 texts and 250MB of web data making it ideal for everyone looking to save money and those of you who just need a minimal amount of allowance that is sufficient for your needs. Our insider information tells us that this plan isn’t going to be around for long so snap it up whilst you can. Updated: The offer is available until  5th January 2012.

General price changes

With the refresh, there has also been some small price increase which appear to be taking into account VAT which had previously been absorbed into the cost. It does look like they have rounded these prices up to the nearest 1/2 pound or pound although the tariffs are still very competitive when compared to the pricing on other networks.

There are a wider range of 12 month contracts now available staring from just £10.50 a month as standard (not including the limited edition £7 SIM above) and these are available on Racoon, Canary and Dolphin and go up to £20.50 a month.

Overall there are some decent changes here however there are now around 30 different Orange contracts for you to search through now and this can make it harder to sift through and distinguish the good from the bad.

SIM only contract tariffs for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS

Mobile operator 3 have some super Micro SIM-only deals that are perfect for your Apple iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS. They provide one of the best sets of deals for the iPhone 4 and are available in 30-day or 12 month contracts. In addition to this, there are separate 3-3 mobile call time minutes + 1GB of Internet data available on all their tariffs. For more information see below.

THREE Micro SIM Only for iPhone 4 SIM - 2 amazing 1 month iPhone 4 SIM only contracts with FREE Voicemail, Skype-Skype calls and Windows Messenger on all tariffs.

1. 300 minutes + 3000 texts + 1GB Internet for only £15 a  month – View now >>>

2. 2000 minutes + 5000 texts + unlimited data for only £25 a month – View now >>>

Three iPhone 3GS SIM only deals – 1 and 12 months standard sim contracts

1. 300 minutes + 3000 texts + 1GB Internet for only £15 a  month – View now >>>

2. 2000 minutes + 5000 texts + unlimited data for only £25 a month – View now >>>

Why should you choose Three Mobile for your iPhone?

The iPhone demands a SIM only package and network that will give you the best Internet experience. Getting online with 3 is simple and fast because its network is designed specifically for fast and reliable Internet access on your mobile. Three has the largest 3G network in the UK and they have improvements to be implemented by the end of 2010 that will make it bigger and better.

As well as the above, purchasing your 3 SIM only online will give you:

• FREE Standard delivery
• 14-day money back guarantee

The iPhone 4 micro SIM only is also available on other networks, check them out here – iPhone 4 SIM only >>>

Visit our dedicated home for Three SIM only deals for more information and all available tariffs.

600 Minutes, unlimited texts & 1GB data

For a limited time only, you can purchase the Sony Ericsson X10 smartphone with Android operation system online at Vodafone at a reduced price. Normally £35 a month, you can now save £5 every month and get 300 extra minutes with this exclusive online offer.

• £30 a month
• 600 Minutes
• Unlimited Texts
• 1GB Internet Allowance
• 24 Months Contract

The Sony Ericsson X10 is an intelligent, touchscreen phone that runs on Android. It features a massive 8 MP camera as well as GPS functionality.

For more information and customer reviews visit the Vodafone shop

600 Minutes, unlimited texts & 500MB data

The HTC Desires S is one of the hottest phones to be released this spring. The phone is lightweight and slim and definitely gives the iPhone a run for its money in terms of style and beauty. The HTC Desire S is available online at Vodafone where you can save £5 a month extra on all tariffs. There are also free data roaming allowances available on tariffs £35 and above for those of you who travel and need to use the Internet abroad in European countries. The cheapest available tariff if you want to get the phone for free is on the £30 a month plan. This is great for most average users and the most popular option as there is a decent amount of minutes as well as unlimited text messages. In terms of data, 500MB is also more than enough even for the most frequent users however, if you think you are going to need more then go for one of the tariffs that include 750MB or 1GB of data allowance to be on the safe side.

Online Exclusive – 3 Months Half Price Line Rental. Use this code 3MHPL . Expires 30th April 2011.

• £30 a month (save £5 a month online and a further £45 with this code 3MHPL )
• 600 Minutes
• Unlimited Texts
• 500MB Internet Allowance
• 24 Months Contract

The HTC Desire S is an easy to use and highly customizable phone that runs on the latest Android operating system. If you don’t already have an Android phone or have never used one then you’re missing out, trust me. This makes the iPhone 4 look old school.

For more information and customer reviews visit the Vodafone shop

Throughout July up until the 5th August 2011 it’s a great time to join O2 on one of their 12 month SIM-only contracts as you will receive a £50 Marks and Spencer shopping voucher. This follows on from the Amazon and general high street shopping vouchers they have used in the past few months on their SIM only deals (Simplicity).

You may not think you need a shopping voucher for M&S but look at this way. It’s a free £50!

What are the best O2 SIM only deals?

O2 package a wide range of contracts to suit almost everyone including iPhone and BlackBerry users. There are also flexible options in terms of data that allow you to customize the SIM plan to your usage. Data add-ons start from £3 for 250MB and move up to £6 for 500MB and £10 for 1GB. In terms of price, O2 are slightly more expensive than most of the other networks including Three and Vodafone mainly due to latter both including data allowances within some of their tariffs at no additional cost. For example, in the £15 price range on a 12 month contract with Three you can get the same minutes and texts (600 minutes and unlimited texts) but with a 1GB data allowance. All that and 50p cheaper.

There are however, other benefits to joining O2 aside from price like the reliability of their network, customer service and offers like priority O2 tickets and discount broadband for being an O2 customer.

Where does the real value lie?

In addition to the latest offering of a £50 voucher it is a worthwhile contract if you use less than 250MB of Internet or none at all. Having to pay £6 or more for the extra data diminishes the value of the £50 voucher over the first 9 months making it a better option to choose an Internet inclusive deal.

Taking a closer look at this, the £15.50 contract over 12 months would average out to be £11.33 per month if including the £50 M&S voucher as a discount.
At this average there is a significant saving when compared to other plans in this price range. Adding the £6 a month data package to the equation bumps this average up to £17.33 per month, making it approx. £27 more expensive than the 3 Mobile example over the whole year.

Exclusive online promotion – save up to £61.50 on a 12-month Voda SIM only

To kick off the beginning of June, Vodafone introduced a fantastic new promotion on ALL 12 month SIM-only deals. For a limited time only you can get 3 months of your tariff for half price. All you have to do is enter the provided discount code at the checkout when you purchase your SIM online at Vodafone UK. Don’t forget to update the cart otherwise the discount won’t be applied. View all deals & discount code now >>>

how much can you save?

To make it easier for you to see the savings on the different tariffs we have constructed this small table:

Here we can see that greater savings can be made as the price of the SIM only plan increases. Either way this promotion offers unbeatable value for money.

You will notice that Vodafone have in fact increased there prices this month as well. On the tariffs between £10 and £20 there has been an increase of 50p. The £25 and £30 tariffs have increased by £1. This price increase is partly due to the VAT increase where Vodafone had previously frozen their prices. Despite this, they have managed to offer more value for money in terms of extras.

More value for money

Many of the new tariffs come with online exclusive add-ons such as unlimited landline calls, free 08 numbers or picture messages to choose from. As well as this there is also a wide range of Smartphone tariffs that include data packages as well as BT Open Zone access.

In combination with the 3 months half price offer the Vodafone SIM only deals are looking to be some of the best around at the moment so grab this opportunity to get your savings whilst it lasts.