HTC have been busy with Android updates recently with the Desire and the Incredible S. HTC originally announced that they would not be upgrading the HTC Desire to Android 2.3 due to a lack of memory, but they backed down after demands from customers just one day later.

Since then HTC Desire Z owners have been begging HTC to provide them with some information about when they can expect the update. HTC has since confirmed that the handset will receive the update at some point this summer, hopefully before the end of July.

The Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer claimed that the HTC Desire does not have the memory to run Gingerbread as well as the HTC Sense UI.

“Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you”.

The news has been particularly hard to swallow as HTC has just released two budget smartphones, the ChaCha and the Salsa which both have less RAM than the Desire, but both run on Gingerbread. Other users have commented that it’s a marketing ploy to persuade owners to buy a new handset, and others claim that HTC should just remove the Sense UI.

SIM only contracts are able to provide users with the benefits associated with a mobile phone contract but without the commitment to a 2 year deal. These contracts suit those who already have their ideal handset, do not want to pay the extortionate costs of a standard contract, and would rather not be tied down into a long commitment.

For lower monthly costs you can have the call, text and data allowance you require with a SIM only plan. Most UK network providers do now have SIM only deals available but Mobiles.co.uk are able to offer you further benefits.

There are a number of plans on different network providers available through Mobiles.co.uk, but the best deal lies on the O2 network. O2 call their SIM only tariff “Simplicity” and you can find a range of different plans via the operator. Mobiles.co.uk are offering the O2 Simplicity 1200 SIM card on a 12 month short term deal, with 1200 any time, any network minutes and unlimited text messages for £26 per month. However, you can opt for the free gift of 12 months half price – a total saving of £156!

O2 are offering free SIM giveaways to everyone. All you have to do is fill in the form and O2 will send you 2 SIMs completely free – one for you, and one for a friend.

On top of receiving a free PAYG SIM card, O2 also offer great deals when top up on the unlimited plan. If you top up just £10 per month, you will receive unlimited texts to any network, at any time, completely free of charge. Top up another £5 in the month and O2 provide unlimited texts and unlimited O2 to O2 calls.

Maybe you talk too much for a free unlimited PAYG SIM card, well rest assured as O2 also offer a free Simplicity SIM card. On this tariff you could receive 500 free UK texts, 100 minutes to any network and 500MB data allowance for just £16.50 per month.

O2 make sure there is a plan for everyone by also offering Text & Web free SIM’s which do not offer any calling time, but make sure that you are getting what you want for your money. Top up over £15 and you will receive 500 free UK tests and 500MB data allowance.

Most interestingly, these new Canary SIM Only contracts will only tie the user in for 12 months, and each give unlimited texts, plus 100, 300 or 600 minutes. You, of course, will also get Magic Numbers & Orange Wednesdays only all except the £10 SIM Only.

Tariffs
£10 12mth SIMO includes: – 300 xnet minutes – Unlimited texts – Magic Numbers & Orange Wednesdays
£15 12mth SIMO includes: – 600 xnet minutes – Unlimited texts – Magic Numbers & Orange Wednesdays
£10 1mth SIMO includes: – 100 xnet minutes – Unlimited texts – Orange Wednesdays (no Magic Numbers)

ORANGE SIM ONLY £10 PER MONTH

For more deals on SIM’s, why not try our SIM Only deals?

O2 are offering the Nokia N8 for just £35 per month, however when you take the O2 900, 24 month contract with Mobiles.co.uk you will receive a mega 7 months line rental completely free! The price plan includes 900 anytime, any network minutes and unlimited text messages. The 7 months free will save you over £240 over the period of your contract.

Combine this with the incredible 3.5 inch AMOLED touch screen display featuring multi touch technology and the Nokia N8 proves to be one of the best smartphones on the market. The Nokia N8 also sports one of the best cameras ever to be seen on a mobile phone, Nokia pack in an incredible 12 megapixel camera featuring a Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss lens. This camera will out class any camera found on the other smartphone giants currently on the market. Another nice touch by Nokia, is that the HDMI connection, allowing you to view your recently recorded HD videos on the television. Nokia didn’t miss out on the importance of social networking either, view live feeds from Facebook and  Twitter, and post updates directly from your home screen.

Screen
The iPhone 4 has a 3.5 inch touch screen, scratch resistant, Retina display and packs in 640 x 960 pixels, this is all pretty impressive and many phones have fallen foul of the iPhone’s display, but the Samsung Galaxy S fights back. Samsung manage to impress with a 4 inch touch screen super-AMOLED colour display with 480 x 800 pixels, and steals the limelight!

Verdict: Samsung Galaxy S

Camera
Considering the iPhone 4 specifications, Apple always seem to lag behind slightly with poor camera quality, which Steve Jobs defends by claiming it’s not all about the number of pixels. The iPhone 4 sports two cameras, a standard 5 megapixel camera, and a front facing camera ideal for the FaceTime application. Samsung have not taken advantage of this and also only feature a 5 megapixel camera  on the Galaxy S, but it does feature HD recording.

Verdict: iPhone 4

Processor
Both the Samsung Galaxy S and iPhone 4 sport speedy 1GHz processors, the Galaxy S features the ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor, whereas the iPhone 4 uses Apple’s own Apple A4 processor. Although the iPhone 4 is pretty quick, the Samsung Galaxy S just takes it.

Verdict: Samsung Galaxy S

Operating System
The iPhone 4 runs on the infamous iOS4 operating system which has proven itself to be one of the biggest and best operating systems and is trying to keep up with Google Android. The Galaxy S runs on Android 2.1 which has proven to be a popular choice for many manufacturers but as we’ve seen the relatively recent FroYo update, the iPhone 4 wins this category.

Verdict: iPhone 4

Conclusion

It’s a tie! The Samsung Galaxy S has done it, although it is unable to beat the iPhone 4, it is just as good a choice.

The Tocco’s camera is brilliant, sporting 3.2 megapixels, face detection and “Smile Shot” so you’ll always be able to capture great moments, and save them to your expandable memory. Although the Tocco does not have a 3G connection, the web browser is brilliant, taking advantage of the large 3 inch touch screen display.

The Samsung Tocco Lite is available on the Orange Panther 45 tariff which is a 24 month contract providing you with a massive 1200 anytime, any network minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB data allowance.  Mobiles.co.uk are offering the Tocco Lite on this plan for £45 per month with a completely FREE Samsung Galaxy Tab! The latest tablet computer, running on Google Android 2.2 costs over £500 in store, but could be yours free, when you take out a contract with Orange.

HTC HD7 ON O2 WITH SEVEN MONTHS FREE

The HTC HD7 also features a 720p HD camcorder, allowing you to capture any precious moment and turn your family into movie stars. This smartphone is a complete revelation, offering features never seen before such as the support for Xbox Live, and other popular features like Microsoft Office, Outlook, social networking integration, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi connections and a 16GB internal memory. What more could you want from a smartphone? Downloadable apps of course – well have no fear, HTC have their very own HTC Hub where you can download all the latest apps including weather, notes, and picture editing software.

The HTC HD7 is available on the O2 900 tariff for £35 per month (24 month contract). The price plan includes 900 anytime, any network minutes and unlimited texts. When you take the HD7 on this plan through Mobiles.co.uk you will receive a massive 7 months line rental completely free: a total saving of £245!

Mobiles.co.uk are offering the HTC Wildfire on the O2 Unlimited plan for £55 per month. When you purchase the phone on this price plan you are eligible for a number of free gifts including a completely free Samsung Galaxy Tab. Launched at the beginning of the month, this tablet computer has been flying off the shelves, so get your hands on one now with the HTC Wildfire at mobiles.co.uk.

GET AN HTC WILDFIRE WITH A FREE SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB

With access to over 100,000 downloadable apps on the Android Market, and multiple homescreens, your Wildfire can be customised how you like it. HTC Sense runs over the Android OS providing you with excellent navigation around the menus. The Wildfire sports a stunning 3.2 inch touch screen display, with Pinch & Zoom capability. These features, combined with Flash support will completely reinvent the way you browse the web on the move.

The Wildfire was designed to renovate caller ID, when a friend calls you will see their name, number, photo, Facebook status and even their birthday. The Wildfire also features a 5 megapixel camera, built-in GPS, HSDPA and Wi-Fi connections.