Mobile Fun Blog

Top Ten Phones of 2010

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

It’s been an interesting and busy year in the world of mobile phones. Countless new handsets have all been gunning for the top spot and trying to beat Apple’s iPhone. Stiff competition from Samsung and HTC has meant that the iPhone isn’t always the phone of choice – as our X-Factor giveaway showed. But which handset really was the winner in 2010?

With just 3 days left of 2010, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the top handsets from the last year and see just which of them came out on top – after all, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t do an end of the year round up!

The handsets listed below are ranked on their popularity on the main Mobile Fun website from the 1st January through to today (29th December) and are based on a the number of people visiting the accessory pages for each handset.

There are a few surprises in here – most noticeable is that there are no handsets from Nokia, Motorola or LG.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 - Black

10 - Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Release Date: April 2010
Operating System: Android

At ten is the X10 from Sony Ericsson, it’s their only handset to make it into the top ten. It was their first handset to run the Android operating system and shows that Sony Ericsson aren’t just going to lie down and let the iPhone take over. The handset is crammed full of features, including a massive 4 inch screen, 8 megapixel camera with flash and a fast, 1GHz processor. Sony Ericsson have changed both the charging and headphone port on the phone, making the task of finding X10 Accessories easier than ever.

HTC Desire HD

9 - HTC Desire HD

Release Date: October 2010
Operating System: Android

Some of the guys in the office were surprised to see the HTC Desire HD finish so low in the top ten. Although it’s hugely popular, it’s only been out for a few weeks, so to even finish in the top 10 is a great achievement. It won’t take it long to get to the top spot, and I’m certain that this is going to be one of the biggest Android phones of 2011. The Desire HD is essentially the same as the original HTC Desire, but with a few noticeable differences – the first, and most obvious is the screen size – 4.3 inches – perfect for internet browsing and watching videos. Other differences include more internal storage, more RAM, and an upgraded camera.

8th Place - iPhone 3G

8 – iPhone 3G

Release Date: July 2008
Operating System: iOS

I bet you weren’t expecting to see the 2nd generation iphone in the top ten! At 2 and a half years old, this is the oldest handset in our list and was officially discontinued by Apple back in July. For it to still be in the top ten there must be a lot of people keeping them after their contracts have expired or passing them on to friends and family when they upgrade. The iPhone 3G uses the same wide range of iPhone accessories as the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, with the exception of a few speakers and docks.

7th Place - Samsung Galaxy S

7 - Samsung Galaxy S

Release Date: June 2010
Operating System: Android

Samsung hadn’t had much success with Android handsets, not until they launched the Galaxy S anyway. The phone was released almost at the same time as iPhone 4 and proved to be a great alternative. It matches or beats the spec of both the iPhone 4 and HTC Desire and has an equally stunning 4 inch display. The Samsung Galaxy S is without doubt the best Samsung phone of 2010 and it comes as no surprise that the Galaxy S is the only Samsung phone to feature in the top ten.

6th Place - BlackBerry Bold 9700

6 - BlackBerry Bold 9700

Release Date: November 2009
Operating System: BlackBerry

The media are saying that BlackBerry are having a tough time as more and more people are switch to Android and iOS devices, but that’s not necessarily the case. Two BlackBerry handsets have made it into the top ten – thanks mainly to their large corporate user base. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the professional’s ‘Berry of choice as it has fast 3G internet, a clear, high resolution screen and is perfect for messaging and emailing on the move. It’s interesting that their two touch screen efforts, the Torch and Storm2 didn’t even come close to making the top ten, finishing 26th and 46th respectively.

5th Place - iPhone 3GS

5 – iPhone 3GS

Release Date: July 2009
Operating System: iOS

The second iPhone to feature in the top ten is the iPhone 3GS – the faster version of the iPhone 3G. Visually they’re the same phone and all iPhone 3GS accessories also work with the iPhone 3G – the only real differences were to the internals of the phone. The 3GS has a faster processor and an improved camera. The iPhone 3GS is still available now, and will be until Apple announce iPhone 5 in July so I wouldn’t expect the 3GS to disappear any time soon.

HTC HD2

4 - HTC HD2

Release Date: October 2009
Operating System: Windows Mobile 6.5

There is only Windows Mobile phone in our top ten – the HTC HD2. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise, as the HD2 is one of the best Windows 6.5 Smartphones we’ve ever used. The huge 4.3 inch screen makes using the OS pretty easy, despite it being designed for sylus based input. What is surprising though is that this is another fairly old handset, that’s now been replaced by the HD7 running Windows Phone 7.

3rd Place - BlackBerry 8520 Curve

3 - BlackBerry 8520 Curve

Release Date: August 2009
Operating System: BlackBerry

BlackBerry have always been associated with business users, but that all changed with the Curve series of phones. The original 8310 was a great handset that suited businesses on a budget, but it still didn’t really appeal to everyday consumers. Fast forward a couple of years, add in a much wider range of 8520 Curve accessories like covers and cases, freshen up the operating system and bring the price down and you get one of the most popular BlackBerry phones ever. It’s been around for a while and there’s plenty of life left in it, although the Curve 3G is gaining popularity and could soon knock it off it’s perch.

Nearly, but not quite - iPhone 4

2 – iPhone 4

Release Date: July 2010
Operating System: iOS

No, you’re not seeing things  - the iPhone 4 isn’t the top handset of 2010, but it is a very close second. If it had been on sale for as long as the phone in first place, it would easily have taken the top spot. iPhone 4 is still the handset that manufacturers are trying to beat and the only one who seems to have achieved the impossible so far looks to be HTC – having said that, no-one can touch the iPhone for simplicity of use, it’s stunning looks, app store content or the huge range of iPhone 4 accessories.

Finally then, the Number one handset of 2010 is the HTC Desire.

Top handset of 2010 - HTC Desire

Release Date: March 2010
Operating System: Android

It’s the closest thing to an iPhone killer that you’ll get and one that Android fans have been desperate to get their hands on. The Desire is easily the most popular Android phone out there, although the Desire HD will catch it up pretty soon. The Desire was the first mainstream handset to get a fast 1GHz processor and has an amazing screen. The range of Desire accessories is growing all the time too, although it will have a tough time matching or beating the number of iPhone 4 cases that are available!

So there we are, that’s our top handsets of 2010. Any surprises? Should any other handsets have made it? Let us know in the comments.

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Mobile Fun Hot Handsets – July 2010

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

After a busy month for Apple, HTC & Samsung it’s time for another new Hot Handset list. July saw 3 of the biggest handsets go head to head with each other, but with limited supply and numerous problems reported with iPhone 4, it was going to be interesting to see which handset came out on top. This month there are three new entries into the top ten, with the other handsets staying pretty static. Here’s how the handsets ranked for July. (Previous month’s position is shown in brackets)

iPhone is back on top

1. (2) iPhone 4
2. (1) HTC Desire
3. (2) iPhone 3GS
4. (4) BlackBerry Curve 8520
5. (-) Samsung Galaxy S
6. (6) BlackBerry Bold 9700
7. (3) HTC HD2
8. (5) Sony Ericsson X10
9. (-) Samsung Wave
10. (-) HTC Wildfire

Despite all it’s perceived problems, the iPhone 4 has stormed its way to the top of the charts, and that’s before it’s was launched on all networks. It only went on sale with T-Mobile and Three 2 days ago, so next month I’d expect iPhone 4 to have an even bigger lead over the HTC Desire. This means that the Desire has been knocked off the top spot after 3 months. Following HTC’s announcement that they’re downgrading the screen on the Desire due to supply issues, I’d expect it to drop even further next month. Another handset that’s worth mentioning is the iPhone 3GS, which despite now being an old model held on to third place – I’d imagine the recent price drop and it being offered on all networks will have helped with this considerably.

The scores are achieved using a points system. We award points based on sales, number of customers owning each phone, searches on the website, page views and a few other bits of data. At the end of the month we total these up and publish the rankings.

For the last couple of months I’ve been revealing the scores for the top handsets as I think it gives a better idea of just how incredibly popular these phones are. This month iPhone 4 scored more than the HTC Desire and iPhone 3GS combined, based on our points system.

iPhone 4 scored 318 points (+ 198), the HTC Desire came in second with 206 points (-37),  iPhone 3GS held on to 3rd place with  100(no change).  By comparison, the BlackBerry 8520 in 4th scored 39 points and the HTC Wildfire in tenth place scored just 20.

BlackBerry handsets have had another strong month and have managed to hold onto the same positions that they’ve held for the last 3 months.

Sony Ericsson aren’t doing too badly, the X10 slipped slightly to 8th place. Their new X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro didn’t manage to make the top ten, but finished 12th and 25th respectively.

Nokia as I predicted last month, Nokia have now slipped out of the top ten. Their best performing handset is still the X6 which has dropped to 14th place.

Motorola. Still no sign of Motorola. Despite a few recent successes in America, Motorola are still struggling to launch a winner over here. Their best performer this month was the Milestone which could only manage 41st.

LG could only manage 23rd with the Cookie. This is really bad as the Cookie was originally released back in 2007 and they’ve failed to release a handset since then that’s been anywhere near as popular.

Samsung have had a good month with both the Galaxy S and the Wave breaking into the top ten – a massive improvement on last months 27th and 14th places respectively. The Tocco Lite has held on to 11th place.  The Galaxy S is a great alternative to both iPhone 4 and the HTC Desire so I’d expect to see this in the top ten for a quite a while.

Coming Up

August and September are fairly quiet months for handset releases, although we are hoping to see some new handsets from BlackBerry, Nokia and Motorola. For more information on what’s coming up in the next few weeks, take a look at our Release Calendar.

About this Top Ten

This list is unique as it is not based on handset sales, but the number of users with a particular phone, accessory sales and visitors to the mobilefun.co.uk website between 1st & 31st July 2010.

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Guide to the Best iPhone 4 Bluetooth Headphones

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

As I’m sure you’re aware, Apple have just announced the iPhone 4 and along with it iOS 4.0 – the latest major update to the operating system on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. There are a number of great new features, but one of the features that I was really hoping to see was full support for Stereo Bluetooth Headsets and music control using AVRCP.

In simple terms, this means that you would have been able to listen to your music from your iPhone through a pair of Bluetooth Headphones and control your music playback, (play, pause, forward, rewind and volume) using the controls on the headset, but Apple for some reason have yet again decided to leave this feature out of iOS4 so you’ll need to continue to skip tracks using the iPod app on your iPhone.

There is a work around of course and that is to jailbreak your phone, but that’s not something that a lot of people want to do and I can’t say as I blame them.

Although iOS4 doesn’t fully support Stereo Bluetooth, it does still support the basics, so you can enjoy your music in stereo and play/pause your music, you just can’t skip backwards/forwards. There are plenty of Stereo Bluetooth Headsets that will work with the iPhone and last June I compiled a list of my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, but as headsets have changed and the phone now supports more features, I thought it was well worth revisiting the list and updating it with some of the best new Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone.

Background Apps

Another new feature in iOS 4 is that you can now leave audio apps running in the background. This is great news for anyone who regularly uses streaming services such as spotify or Last.fm as it means you can now continue listening even if you’re browsing the web or emailing.

We’re using the latest version of the iOS4 beta software to test these headsets, but until developers update their apps to support multitasking, we aren’t going to be able to confirm that the headsets listed below will work with apps running in the background, but look out for a separate post once iOS 4 is officially released on the 21st June.

iPhone 4 Bluetooth Headphones

Right, on to the headsets!  With so many to choose from, it can get a bit overwhelming, so I’ve been through our current range of Bluetooth Headphones and compiled a list of my top 5 Bluetooth Headphones for the all new iPhone 4.

The headsets below were all tested with iPhone but should work just as well with the iPod touch.  If you have an iPod touch 2G (or newer), then you will be able to play / pause your music and, in some cases, adjust the volume but you won’t be able to use these headsets with any of your VOIP apps (such as Skype) on your iPod. Bluetooth won’t work on the first generation iPod touch as it doesn’t have bluetooth built in.

1. Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

These are the most popular Bluetooth Headphones we’ve ever sold! Not only do they allow you to listen to music from your iPhone without a wired connection, they have a built in FM radio – something the iPhone has long been criticised for not having.

Another unique feature is that they have their own volume control – this means that you can adjust the volume on the headset or on the phone. As with most headphones on this list, they have the ability to skip tracks, but as the iPhone doesn’t support it, the feature is a little wasted for now. It’s multipoint too, so you can use it with your PC or Playstation 3 at the same time.For more details, take a look at my Sony Ericsson MW600 Review.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Headset with Radio

2. Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The Jabra BT3030 works well with both the iPod touch and all versions of the iPhone.  The BT3030 is another multipoint headset – Multipoint allows you to connect to two devices at once, so you can connect it to your mobile phone and your iPod touch to listen to your music, and when a call comes in, it will pause the music and answer the call from your mobile.

The BT3030 hangs around your neck on a chain or can clip to your belt or pocket, and can be used with any 3.5mm headphones. Volume control on the BT3030 is not a problem, press the ‘+’ or ‘-’ keys to adjust the volume. It has several controls on the main unit, including play, pause and track skip – again, all work fine except track skip.

Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

3. Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

The Jabra Halo Stereo Bluetooth Headphones are great. They’re the most normal looking ‘over the head’ headphones that I’ve come across and work well with the iPhone. It has incredibly simple controls – a touch sensitive slider on the right ear lets you adjust the volume by sliding your finger up or down, where as a double tap would skip the track if iPhone supoprted it. One multi use button lets you play/pause your music as well as answer/end calls and activate voice dialling (iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 only).

When they’re not in use, the headphones fold away so as not to take up too much space and to reduce the chance of them getting damaged. For more info take a look at my Jabra Halo hands on review.

Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

4. Sony Ericsson IS-800 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

These are without doubt my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, but there are others that work better with iPhone and that’s why these have dropped from the top spot last year to fourth place this year. The IS-800 is incredibly small – it’s basically two earpieces joined by a wire! Although there are wires involved, the IS-800 is one of a few headsets that don’t feature a fairly bulky control unit. Instead the IS800 has a small, simple in-line control that allows you to answer and end calls.

Battery life is impressive at upto 270 hours – especially considering how small this headset is. The IS-800 doesn’t support AVCRP, which is fine as neither does the iPhone! The headset doesn’t have any volume controls, so all adjustment needs to be made on your iPhone.

Sony Ericsson IS-800 Stereo Headset

5. Samsung SBH-650 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Samsung don’t do many accessories for phones, but the few that they do make are really good. The Samsung SBH-650 has been a hit with Mobile Fun customers since it launched. It is easy to set up and works really well with iPhone. It’s very similar in terms of spec to the Jabra BT3030 but it looks a smarter. Like the MW600 and the BT3030, you can use your own 3.5mm headphones if you don’t like or lose the ones that come with the headset. It’s also multipoint, so using it with 2 devices at the same time isn’t a problem.

Controls are propably laid out the opposite way round to what you’d expect, with the volume controls on the front and track skip/play/pause on the sides. If you want to know more about the SBH-650, take a look at my Samsung SBH-650 Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review.

Samsung SBB-650

There are more Stereo Bluetooth Headsets for the iPhone and iPod touch over on the main site, so if you’ve not seen one here that does what you want, take a look at all our Stereo Bluetooth Headsets.

If you’ve got any questions or queries about Stereo Bluetooth on the iPhone leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you.

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How to work out which iPod or iPhone you’ve got

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Every June and September Apple announce an upgrade to the iPhone and iPod line up (iPhone in June, iPods in September). For months the media speculate as to what the latest and greatest device to come out of Apple HQ will be called, often getting it wrong and causing no end of confusion in the process.

iPhone Naming

iPhones don’t follow the same naming pattern as iPods. The ‘G’ in iPhone 3G and 3GS refers to the technology within the handset and not the generation of phone. To avoid any future confusion over mobile technology and versions of device  Apple have decided to drop the ‘G’ completely from the name of the new phone and have simply called their latest handset iPhone 4.

What does the “G” mean?

When Apple launched the early iPod’s, they weren’t given names like they are today. The original iPod was replaced by a newer model also called iPod. As the newer model had several advanced features over its predecessor, it was unofficially dubbed the new generation of iPod, this over time change to 2nd Generation, which in turn got shortened to 2G.

The number preceding the “G” just determines where that particular model sits in the range of iPods. Even now with the iPod nano, we are seeing 2nd and 3rd generation models. The original style of iPod is now called the iPod classic, and no doubt as time goes on, more generations will follow.

So which iPod or iPhone have I got?

The list below shows all Apple iPods and iPhones from the last few years. I’ve put the dates that the different generations were released along with the available storage capacity so you should be able to figure out pretty easily which one you’ve got. If yours isn’t listed here, take a look at last years post which shows all models of iPod and iPhone up to March 2009.

iPhone 4

iPhone 4

Available from June 2010 and available in 16GB and 32GB models. The iPhone 4 is a brand new design with a lot of new features over the 3GS. It has a faster processor, higher resolution screen, video calling and a 5MP camera. iPhone 4 is released alongside a major new version of the operating system, iOS4.
Status: 16GB and 32GB launching 24th June 2010
View all iPhone 4 Accessories

iPhone 3G

iPhone 3GS

Available from July 2009 and available in 16GB and 32GB models. The iPhone 3GS is essentially the same as the iPhone 3G, but with improved battery life and a faster processor. There are cosmetic changes but a major new version of the operating system added many new features.
Status: 8GB Current, 16GB and 32GB discontinued 24th June 2010
View all iPhone 3GS accessories

iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G

Available from July 2008 and available in 8GB and 16GB models. The iPhone 3Gis essentially the same as the original iPhone, but with improved battery life and 3G connectivity. Some minor cosmetic changes and the introduction of a white 16GB model. iPhone 3G shipped with software version 2.0 which added the App store and support for Microsoft Exchange.
Status: Discontinued
View all iPhone 3G Accessories

iPhone

iPhone

Available from November 2007 and available in 8GB and 16GB models. The iPhone is a revolutionary Phone, iPod and Internet Device. The iPhone combines all the features of the iPod Touch with a mobile phone.
Status: Discontinued
View all iPhone Accessories

iPad

iPad

Available from June 2010 and available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. The iPad is a whole new type of mobile computer from Apple. It has a much larger touchscreen display that makes emailing, browsing and using your apps much easier. It has the same powerful processor as the all new iPhone 4 and comes in two versions, a Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi and 3G.
Status: Current
View all iPad Accessories

touch 3g

iPod touch 3G

Available from September 2009 and available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models. No visual changes compared to the 2nd Generation Touch. Main upgrade was to processor speed to bring it inline with the new iPhone 3GS.
Status: Current
View all iPod touch 3G Accessories

touch 2g

iPod touch 2G

Available from September 2008 and available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models. The the black beveled edges and back cover on the original iPod Touch gets replaced with stainless steel. Physical volume keys and a speaker are introduced into the slimmer design. Support for Nike+ is added with software version 2.1, along with “Genius” playlists.
Status: Discontinued
View all iPod touch 2G Accessories

iPod touch

iPod touch

Available from September 2007 and available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models. iPod moves to a whole new level with the introduction of the iPod Touch. The click wheel is replaced with a wide screen, touch sensitive display. Wi-Fi is introduced to the iPod range to give internet and email access.
Status: Discontinued
View all iPod touch Accessories

nano 4G

iPod nano 4G

Available from September 2008 and available in 8GB and 16GB models. The iPod Nano returns to its earlier, slimmer design, but with a 2″ widescreen display. Slimmer than previous versions, the iPod Nano 4G has an inbuilt motion sensor which allows you to change track just by shaking it. The iPod Nano 4G is available in 9 new vibrant colours.
Status: Current
View all iPod nano 4G Accessories

iPod nano 3G

iPod nano 3G

Available from September 2007 and available in 4GB and 8GB models. The iPod Nano now lets you enjoy TV shows, music videos, video podcasts and more.
Status: Discontinued
View all iPod nano 3G Accessories

iPod nano 2G

iPod nano 2G

Available from September 2006 and available in 2GB, 4GB & 8GB models. The second-generation Nano come in a variety of scratch-resistant colours.
Status: Discontinued

shuffle 3G

iPod shuffle 3G

Available from March 2009 and available only in 4GB models holding up to 1000 songs. The iPod Shuffle 3G is even smaller than the second generation model, and has no buttons to press to control your music. Instead the iPod Shuffle 3G has a new remote headset that controls volume and play back and a new voice menu system that talks you through your menu’s.
Status: Current
View all iPod shuffle 3G Accessories

iPod Shuffle 2G

iPod shuffle 2G

Available from September 2006 and available in 512MB, 1GB & 2GB models. The second-generation Shuffle comes in only one capacity in a clip-on case that’s roughly half the size of its predecessor. In September 2008 the iPod Shuffle receives a minor make over, with the introduction of 5 new colours.
Status: Discontinued

iPod Shuffle

iPod shuffle

Available from January 2005. Apple gets into the flash-based music player business, introducing the iPod Shuffle. About the size of a stick of gum, the shuffle comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities.
Status: Discontinued

iPod classic

iPod classic

Available from September 2007 and available in 80GB and 160GB models. Re-named the iPod Classic, the iPod Video sees an increase in capacity. In September 2009 the iPod Classic 120GB sees an increase in capacity to 160GB and the 120GB model is discontinued. The iPod Classic continues in Silver and Black
Status: Current
View all iPod classic Accessories

iPod Video

iPod video 5G Available from October 2005 and available in 30GB & 60GB models. The fifth-generation iPod Video plays video on a 2.5-inch, 320-by-240, 260,000 colour TFT display.
Status: Discontinued

iPod Color

iPod colour

Available from June 2005 and available in 20GB & 60GB models. The iPod and iPod photo lines are merged into the iPod Colour, ending the availability of monochrome-screen music players.
Status: Discontinued

iPod Photo

iPod photo

Available from October 2004 and available in 20GB, 40GB or 60GB models. The iPod Photo plays music as well as displays photos on a 220-by-176-pixel resolution screen.
Status: Discontinued

Wondering what’s next from Apple?
You shouldn’t have too long to wait. The next expected announcement is normally a music themed event that takes place in September and normally includes a refresh of all iPod models. This year, I’d expect the iPod touch to get the biggest update, with a new look to bring it in-line with the new iPhone 4 as well as camera and video capabilities. Look for more news on the Mobile Fun Blog nearer the time.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Mobile Fun’s Hot Handsets – January Update

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

We’ve just updated our list of the 10 most popular handsets in December. The thing that makes our top 10 handset list different from other retailers, is that ours is not based on handset sales, but the number of our customers that use a particular phone, accessory sales and visitors to our website over the last month.

December has been a relatively quiet month for new releases but with manufacturers fighting to sell the most phones at Christmas, who’s going to come out on top?

To see which are the most popular handsets in the UK right now, or to see if your phone makes our top ten, head over to our Hot Handsets page.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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