The best August mobile phone deals

It's that time of year again and a few of you are probably looking at new mobile phones. We have decided to compile what we feel are the best handsets and the best mobile phone deals associated with those handsets. We decided to not make it Sony Ericsson Specific, so that you could get a complete overview of the market. However we will put our SE pick at the top of the list.
1) Sony Ericsson W995 deals - The best Sony Ericsson mobile phone in the market at the moment. Okay the camera is not as good, but the music features are streaks ahead of the rest. It is available on T-Mobile for £32.36 before cash back.
2) Nokia 5530 deals - This is a revised version of the popular Nokia 5800 and comes at a fraction of the price. You can pick this handset up for as little as £21.00 per month on an 18 month deal, a real bargain in our opinion.
3) Blackberry 8520 deals - The new addition to the Blackberry family is a truly welcome addition. The keypad is much better and there is better social networking applications. O2 offer £170 automatic cashback on their O2 unlimited blackberry tariff, a truly great buy.
4) HTC Hero deals - This is the best Android phone yet, however the lack of a Qwerty keyboard may put some people off. Vodafone wins through here with a £35.00 a month tariff giving you 600 minutes and unlimited texts.
5) Samsung Jet deals - 400 minutes and 3000 texts for just £21.20 (after cashback by redemption) makes this Android offering well worth considering on the Orange network. There are some great features on this handset as well, all for under £25.00 per month... not bad.
6) LG Crystal deals - Slightly overpriced in our opinion, but it is a novel phone and worth paying that little bit extra. It has to be the Orange Dolphin tariff here, offering 600 minutes and unlimited texts for £29.17 over 18 months
7) Nokia N97 deals - Lower down the list because there are still a few teething problems with the N97, but it does sport a full Qwerty keyboard and touch screen. You won't get it for free for under £40.00 per month though.
8) Nokia N86 deals - a cheaper alternative and good for gamers, you can pick this little beauty up for £25.00 per month on Orange, which will get you 400 minutes and 3000 texts over an 18 month period.
Have we missed anything out? Do you know of some better offers? Let us know in the comments section and we will get them posted up here as soon as possible.

Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman: Complete Entertainment

The World Mobile Congress 2009 was opened by Sony Ericsson and the first mobile they chose to unveil was the W995 Walkman. The price is as yet undisclosed and it is expected to debut in the market sometime in the second quarter. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this mobile phone. It is, by far, one of the most exciting phones to come into the market this year.
The W995 Walkman is the first mobile from Sony Ericsson that features Media Go, which is an all-in-one media organization system. Its main function is to transfer and organize as well as play a multitude of multimedia file formats for ease of use. Users can transfer audio, photos, and video between phones and computers without needing to manually convert the files.
The Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman brings about another first for Sony Ericsson. After resisting long enough, they have finally incorporated a 3.5 mm audio jack which allows users to connect any standard headphone set directly into the phone. So far, Sony Ericsson has tended towards using wireless Bluetooth enabled headsets alone.
The other main feature offered by the See Sony's press release is an 8.1 MP Cyber-Shot quality camera with 16x digital zoom, auto-focus, face detection, a flash, image stabilization, Sony's PictBridge, a video recorder as well as the ability to geo-tag pictures via the phone's A-GPS. The phone also has a 2.6” display which lends itself beautifully for everything from pictures to videos to movies.
There are a host of other features in the Sony Ericsson phones that I could go on and on about. But, suffice it to say, that any feature you see in any high end phone is incorporated here. Moreover the colors black, grey and red, in which the phone is available in also make for a great style statement.

The ‘Bass Thumping’ Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman

Ever since I have heard of the Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman, I have been unable to stop myself from thinking about it. I can hardly think of a phone more perfect for me than this particular phone. So far, I have only used some of the more basic models and was just considering buying myself a good music phone. Just then I heard of the Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman and I knew immediately that this was the very phone I was waiting for.
I believe that it has been announced that W395 Walkman is an entry level music phone and Sony’s attempt at bringing music to the masses. But honestly, when I saw the pictures of the phone and read its specifications, I found that there was nothing basic or completely entry level about it. The music player application is fully fitted up with stereo widening and a built-in equalizer function. There are some very interesting features like the Sony Ericsson's TrackID that enables song identification, and PlayNow hook-up that supports downloads of themes, wallpapers and ringtones.
There is a dedicated Walkman key and a directional pad that doubles as navigation controls for the music player. The The offical press release also has built-in stereo speakers and A2DP Bluetooth stereo wireless headphones. The phone also allows you to easily sort tracks by artists and albums and browse through your music collection. The phone comes with a 1 GB memory Stick Micro (M2) card as well as 10MB of internal storage to allow you to carry large collections of your music wherever you go.
And, apart from all of that, the mobile phone contracts is a sleek slider phone that even fashion aficionados will come to appreciate. Like I said, I simply can’t wait to get my hands on this fantastic phone.

Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot

I must confess that until now, I’ve never really been all that interested in Sony Ericsson phones. But then I read on some blogs and news websites about the upcoming release of the new C901 Filippa Cybershot and I actually got a little excited.
I’m a music freak. I like to listen to songs and sounds on my phones, and sometimes they come with a cheap digital camera that really should be outlawed. But, maybe an iPod is what music is for. I’ve sneaked my phone into many a concert and came out with some really bad shots of memorable moments with my friends, not to mention the stage. I believe if I get the Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot the problem of lousy cell phone photos might be over.
The cold hard fact is the Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot has 5 megapixels of digital resolution, and virtually all camera cell phones are lucky to have 2. There’s a world of difference between 1 to 2 and 5, and evidently the price is not supposed to be more pounds that I make in a week. In addition, the Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot has the ability to auto-focus and a flash. That makes it really useful for dark concerts.
Other advantages I’ve read concerning the Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot is color choice, an unlocked phone allowing multiple network options, and also the Bluetooth feature.
Using Bluetooth is pretty exciting, especially when out in the real world. The colors are an added bonus, but offer choices for all tastes including Noble Black, Sincere Silver, and Precious Peach. Not to mention, it would be nice to find a camera cell phone that doesn’t require me to go pursue a new contract with a new cell phone company. Overall, I think the C901 Filippa Cybershot is going to be a great addition to my music life.


For network specific deals, follow the links below:
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on Orange
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on O2
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on T-Mobile
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on Vodafone
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on 3 mobile
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on Virgin

The Sony Ericsson W995 looks set to be a winner

Sony Ericsson are pushing the boundaries with the release of the Sony Ericsson W995 and we have to say that it has some pretty impressive features. See the official Press release. There are a few things that stand out here that are worthy of a mention. The W995 is a walkman phone that is optimised for music and video playback performance. Sony Ericsson claim that organising your media has never been easier with its Media Go platform that essentially takes all the effort out of sorting throught your music tracks and video.
Sony Ericsson claim that you can stream TV or video via its 3G connection, or (probably the more preferable option) via wifi. OK so it doesn't go as far as the N96 in that it doesn't have a built in digital TV tuner, but that doesn't really matter, considering the format is not supported in the UK anyway.
Other Specs for the Sony Ericsson W995 include a 2.6 inch screen, a mightily impressive 8.1 megapixel camera with auto focus and face detection and an 8GB memory stick. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can plug in your own headphones. Expect release to be sometime during the summer, but if you can't wait until then, perhaps opt for the Sony Ericsson W705, not quite as good, but hey... Phones are always getting better.
Check out a video of the phone, courtesy of our friends over at mobile choice

You can check out the best deals for the W996 on the following networks
Orange
O2
T-Mobile
Vodafone
3 Mobile
Virgin

The Sony Ericsson C903 stepping it up a gear

The all new Sony Ericsson C903 is a mid range phone that is due for release later this year. On the face of t there is not all that much to shout about. The camera is a standard 5 megapixel version, a little disappointing given the large number of 8 megapixel versions being announced at the world mobile congress at the moment, but there are some features that make the C903 a little more intriguing.
Firstly there are the dedicated camera keys. This makes the Sony Ericsson C903 a lot more like a dedicated camera device and allows greater flexibility when taking photographs. There is also a protective lens cover ensuring that your camera stays scratch free.
Other smart features include face and smile shutter recognition, which in theory should highlight all those happy faces that you are snapping, as well as "Best Pic", which will take 9 photographs in quick succession and then let you decide which one to go for.
There is a 2.4 inch display, which is a little on the small side for a camera phone, but again we must stress that the Sony Ericsson C903 is being pitched as a mid range phone, so would probably suit the top end of the pay as you go sector. They have also thrown in GPS navigation, which isn't half bad for a phone pitched at the middle of the market.
See the promotional video below:

You can find network specific deals for the C903 below:
Orange
O2
T-mobile
Vodafone
3 Mobile
Virgin

Music & Style all in one – the Sony Ericsson W580i

The Sony Ericsson W580i is a phone that was released in July of 2007 and is actually a pretty good phone on paper. Unfortunately, just after the phone was released, a lot of people started complaining about the handset and people were saying that the design was poor and that it simply wasn’t robust enough to withstand everyday mobile phone use and a lot of people complained of the keypad cracking and chipping quite easily. I’ve also seen a lot of W580i reviews which mention this problem as well and because of this I can’t really recommend this phone to anyone except very basic users.
I’ve also seen that there are a lot of mobile phone contracts on offer at the moment and I think as we approach Christmas, we can expect to see a lot of deals and offers for great prices. I’ve also seen that the Sony Ericsson W580i orange phone is currently the best value for money but I’d say that if you’re looking for the Sony Ericsson W580i on contract or on PAYG you should shop around before you make a decision to make sure you get the best deal possible at the time.
Overall, the Sony Ericsson W580i is a nice looking phone and does have a nice set of features which include a 2 mega pixel camera and Walkman Player 2.0 but the problem with the keypad puts me off the phone quite a bit. However, I did see a Sony Ericsson W580i video which is definitely worth watching if you’re interested in this phone because it’ll show you the phone’s features in a lot more detail than I can describe and it’ll allow you to see the phone in action before you buy it. All in all, the Sony Ericsson W580i is a nice phone; it’s just a real shame about the keypad and its flaws.