It’s not all about iPhone 4

If you are into your gadgets and tech blogs, I’m sure you’ll have noticed that Apple are yet again dominating the internet this week with their impending iPhone 4 launch, but this week it’s not all about Apple. As well as the latest version of iPhone there are a number of excellent new smartphones hitting the shelves.

Sony Ericsson, HTC, BlackBerry and Samsung have all got new phones out, but you won’t hear much about them as they’ve been overshadowed by Apple yet again. So to give them their 5 minutes of glory, here are some other smartphones that are new and well worth taking a look at.

Samsung Galaxy S

The Galaxy S was originally announced at the same time as the Samsung Wave but with Samsung focusing on their new Bada operating system, the Android running Galaxy S was surprisingly pushed to one side. Well, it’s now launch time for the Galaxy S and WOW. What a handset. Until now the best phone out there was the HTC Desire with iPhone 4 waiting to knock it off the top spot. That’s all going to change now and it’s definitely a three horse race.

The Galaxy S matches both the iPhone 4 and Desire in specs, beating them on a couple of points. It runs Android 2.1 – currently the best alternative to iPhone that there is, and it sports a superb Super AMOLED display. Samsung have customised the Android interface on the Galaxy S to bring it in line with the appearance of the rest of the handset range, and they’ve done a great job. There’s no duplication of apps like there is with the HTC Sense UI that’s found on the Desire.

If you don’t want to wait in line on Thursday for an iPhone, or simply want a phone that’s just as good for a lot less money, then the Galaxy S should be your only choice.

The Samsung Galaxy S has only launched this week, but we’ve already got a range of Galaxy S Cases and Galaxy S Accessories in stock and available now.


HTC Wildfire

The HTC Wildfire is a junior version of the HTC Desire. It has the same slim, stylish look to it and a much lower price tag. In order to make a more affordable version of the Desire, some of the specs have been turned down a little. The screen resolution is a reduced, as is the processor speed and internal memory.

The HTC Sense UI has had a bit of a make over on the Wildfire and there are a number of new features, most of which are based around social networking. A couple of stand out ones are that Caller ID is now integrated with Facebook, so when someone calls you, as well as seeing their photo and phone number, you’ll also see their Facebook Status. You’re also able to see the latest posts and updates from facebook, twitter and flickr all in one place and on the same screen. No more switching between apps to check what’s going on.

The Wildfire still boasts a 5 MP camera with smile detection, capacitive touch screen, GPS and it runs the Android 2.1 operating ssytem. It’s quite a bit smaller and lighter than the Desire too, so if you’re new to touchscreen phones and don’t want something too big and bulky, this is a great choice.

The Wildfire hasn’t been out long, but we’ve already got a great selection of HTC Wildfire  Accessories to help you make the most of your new smartphone.


Sony Ericsson X10 Mini

I wrote a post last week that gave my first impressions of the X10 Mini at the end of last week.  The X10 Mini is unlike any other smartphone out there at the moment. It’s a lot smaller than you’d expect and is a similar size to most of the popular slide handsets from Samsung and Nokia.

Again, the X10 Mini runs Android, but given the compact dimensions of the phone, it’s had to be heavily customised by Sony Ericsson – So much so, that it’s almost unrecognisable as the Android operating system, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it gives the phone a fresh, friendly, social feel that has social messaging and sharing right at the heart of the phone.

If you’re into your Apps then you may encounter some difficulties with the X10 Mini as the reduced screen size and resolution may mean that not all apps will run on it, but I’d expect that to change once developers get behind the phone and start updating their apps.

If you’ve got, or are getting an X10 Mini, make sure you check out our range of X10 Mini Accessories.


BlackBerry Pearl 3G

BlackBerry have been a bit quiet recently, but over the next few months I’d expect to see several new handsets from them. The first of them being the all new 3G version of the popular BlackBerry Pearl, but it’s not just the 3G that’s new on the Pearl 3G – the keyboard has seen a few changes too.

The original Pearl was aimed at everyday consumers that wanted the experience of BlackBerry, but didn’t want a full-on qwerty device. The keyboard on the phone was a new, never seen before qwerty hybrid called suretype and combined a standard keypad with a qwerty one. This time round, BlackBerry have changed the keypad again and have dropped the suretype keypad and are instead using a traditional 14 button keypad found on most phones.

The operating system has been upgraded too and is now a bit nicer to look at and is easier to use, without straying too far from the BlackBerry menu system that we all know inside out.

The BlackBerry Pearl 3G should be hitting the shelves towards the end of next week, but while you’re waiting for it to arrive, why not treat yourself to some of the Pearl 3G Cases and Pearl 3G Accessories that are available now, ready for your new phone


If you want to stay up to date with the latest handsets hitting the market, keep an eye on our release dates calendar. It’s updated throughout the month as and when new handsets are confirmed.