We all know that January sucked for all kinds of reasons, it was cold, Christmas was over and there never seemed to be any sun. But really we hated it because we spent far too much over the festive period and we just had to wait so freaking long until pay day.

Well according to stats from SellMyMobile.com a lot of us tried to beat the January money blues by selling our old mobile phones. A huge £2.6 million worth of old handsets were recycled in January, a 30% increase from January last year.

It's hardly surprising that the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 were the most popular phones recycled last month, after all we all know Apple fans just have to have the latest model, so we're guessing they all got an iPhone 4S for Christmas.

However, it was BlackBerry that dominated the list, with the BlackBerry Curve 8520, BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Torch 9800 and the BlackBerry Curve 8900 making up 40% of the site's top recycled handsets.

Keir McConomy, MD for SellMyMobile.com, said:

"As smartphones become increasingly more popular, we're seeing the average value of mobiles recycled go up and up - and this is only set to increase as handset innovation continues. Just by looking at the top 10 list of most recycled phones, you can see consumers are cashing in on the most valuable phones out there."

We've always been a little sceptical about whether you actually make any decent amount of money from giving your old mobile phones to recycling websites, but if you're getting rid of something fairly new you can get a fairly good deal, which doesn't involve having to get involved with the headache that is eBay. Just be sure to shop around for the best deal.

[Image via Honou]

You may think you know your stuff when it comes to the latest smart phones, but could you tell us what MMS, data roaming and 3GS all mean without having to think about it? Thought not, and it seems you're not alone with the majority of Brits revealing they don't understand a lot of mobile-related terminology. But which term or service or product has us the most stumped?

Well, according to a new study conducted by GoodMobilePhones.co.uk, more than 62% of Brits don't know what data roaming is, which would explain those massive phone bills when people step off the plane after a week abroad...

More than 1,680 mobile phone users were asked "Which mobile phone related terms do you not fully understand, if any?" and were asked to select all that applied from a list of possible answers.

Here are the five that have us most confused:

1. Data Roaming - 62%
2. 3G - 56%
3. MMS - 47%
4. Wi-Fi - 43%
5. Bluetooth - 28%

It seems a quarter of those who said they were unsure about data roaming were just being modest and could define the term when asked, but most thought it was something to do with "accessing emails", which we suppose isn't that far off. Kinda.

The study may have just been a bit of fun, but it does show that we're really not as clued up as we should be when it comes to how our mobile phones and network providers actually work.

If you're worried about data roaming charges in the future, instead of burying your head in the sand try out an app specially built to keep a track of your spending while you're abroad, like Onavo or My Data Manager (both available from iTunes and the Android Market), which enable you to monitor your spending and avoid any nasty surprises when you get home.

[Image via Creativity 103]

A shot of RIM's first BlackBerry 10-packing superphone, dubbed the "London" was leaked online this week and we're pretty excited about what this means for the troubled company...

The new smart phone looks somewhere between a BlackBerry PlayBook and an iPhone, it's claimed to be RIM's newest flagship device and it's set to hit stores before the end of the year.

Revealed in what appears to be an internal corporate presentation slide, the London has been called the "Ultimate Communication Device" and is said to feature a "Rich specification - hardware & software". Spotters at CrackBerry are also claiming the device will have a 1.5GHz dual core processor either from Qualcomm or Texas Instruments, a .5GHz jump over the PlayBook tablet.

It's hard to judge the legitimacy of the image, we know RIM is hedging its bets to deliver something revolutionary during 2012, while the lingo used does seem full of enough chaff to be genuine executive-speak. The handset itself though looks far more like a render than a genuine photo of a device.

We'll bring you any updates on RIM's smartphone plans as we get them. What do you think? Genuine image? Or clever fake?

[Via Tech Digest Via Crackberry]

I think we're all probably well aware that we check our phones far too much, when was the last time you went for a meal and the people you were with didn't all put their phones on the table in front of them?! Exactly.

But is there really a difference between the amount of time men and women spend checking their emails, looking at Facebook and responding to texts?

According to new research commissioned by online smartphone retailer Dialaphone, 52% of married women check their smart phones within 10 minutes of waking up. In fact 29% look at their phone before they even bother to look at their partner. Aw we're a romantic bunch, aren't we?

However, it seems men prefer to look at their partners instead, with only 18% reaching for their phones straight away.

It's an interesting study, but we wonder whether this is more a testament to which sex tells the truth. After all, we all check our phones far too much, but maybe it's only the women who are willing to admit it...

From a UK survey of 1007 smartphone users in Britain, who are married or living as married was conducted between 25 and 29 November 2011.

[Image via Johan Larsson]

Big tech brand LG and Italian fashion label Prada have teamed up yet again to create a slick and beautiful new smart phone called the Prada phone by LG 3.0, catchy huh?

The handset is the third phone to come from the collaboration between the two brands and fuses together Prada's style and LG's technology, but does that mean it's a decent smart phone or just a fashion gimmick?

The phone itself looks good and subtleties in the design scream LG, just take a look at the Chocolate BL40 handset. It's got a huge streamlined 4.3" screen and simple navigation buttons on the front and Prada's distinctive saffiano pattern on the back all in matte black.

When it comes to what's inside the pretty handset, it has 1.0GHz Dual-Core/Dual-Channel architecture for high-speed performance, dual-band wi-fi, an 8MP camera and up to 8GB of user memory. For now it runs on Android's Gingerbread OS, with a future scheduled upgrade to Android's Ice Cream Sandwich.

If you're looking for a good-looking and capable smart phone there are much better options out there, but if you like labels on your gadgets as much as you like them on your clothes then the Prada phone by LG 3.0 is for you. And, although some may call it a gimmicky fashion gadget, you can't deny that it looks damn good.

Embarrassing stories from the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Scarlett Johansson and Vernon Kay prove that dirty images, sexts and general smuttyness on your mobile phone is always a little bit dangerous. But soon any kinds of remotely naughty words (and plenty that aren't) are going to be banned in Pakistan.

According to PCMag, more than 1,600 dirty words and phrases are soon to be completely banned from text messages by The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Carriers in the country have been given a long list of dirty words and phrases (as well as a range of others that are rather puzzling) and have then been told they have a matter of days to make sure they're all blocked or they could face serious legal action.

Words on what is allegedly the list include lots of dirty terms (go have a look and try not to giggle like a 10 year old), as well as some that seem a little silly to ban, like "barf" and "lotion."

On a more serious note, it doesn't set a good example to young teens that the word "condom" is considered a banned word, does it?

An official from one of the carriers in question told the AFP:

"There are more than 1,600 words in the list including indecent language, expletives, swear words, slang etc, which have to be filtered. The filtering is not good for the system and may degrade the quality of network services -- plus it would be a great inconvenience to our subscribers if their SMS was not delivered due to the wrong choice of words,"

Go see what Twitter thinks by searching for the hash tag: #PTABannedList.

[Via Wired Via PCMag Image via Dominic Syka's Flickr]

We're big Apple fan boys and girls here at Shiny Shiny, but the newest Android smart phone from HTC, the Sensation XL, might just be our new BFF. Just.

Here are five reasons we love the new handset:

1. Its impressive camera

The handset has an 8MP camera on the back as well as a dual LED flash and a 28mm f2.2 lens, which seemed to worked surprisingly well during our hands-on session (although we were in a very small, dark, secret HTC room).

All of the Instagram fans out there will LOVE the fact that the camera comes with a range of different retro-like filters. Granted there's not as much choice as you'd find with a dedicated app, but it's a pretty good selection. There's also vignetting options and that blurry, fake depth of field look too, so a lot of users can safely dump their favourite apps for all of the built in options instead.

There's also a camera on the front of the device and that's 1.3MP.

2. The HUGE screen

The 4.7 inch display is pretty impressive. In fact we did wonder whether we were at a tablet briefing and not a smart phone briefing for a few seconds, as our iPhones looked pretty scared by the big new boy.

It'll take a little getting used to if you're used to handling a much smaller phone, you may even find some hand and lower arm muscles you never knew you had. But, I have average female-sized chubby hands and I found it pretty easy to navigate around the screen and forgot it was a GIANT after just a few minutes of playing around with it.

The big display obviously means the user experience is much MUCH better, you can watch movies and TV shows without having to squint, and obviously it makes the camera even more impressive and editing much easier. It'll be interesting to see how some of our favourite apps run on such an over-sized screen too.

3. Beats Audio

During the briefing a member of the HTC team explained to us that this is the first handset which has been built with Beats integration from the ground up, meaning every part of the Sensation XL is dedicated to giving you the best possible audio experience.

Whether you think the Beats integration is cool or not may well depend on your personal music tastes, with fans such as Will.i.am, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, for some people it might just be a "so what".

4. Headphones included

You'd definitely expect a phone which shouts BEATS, BEATS, BEATS at the top of its lungs to come with some fancy Beats headphones, and you'd be right. Every handset comes with a pair of urBeats included and some limited edition devices will even be paired with a larger Solar set of headphones too. A nice change to the small, annoying Apple ear buds we have far too many pairs of.

5. HTC Watch with progressive download technology

The HTC Sensation XL has HTC Watch, a built-in application and service which puts a huge library of movies and TV shows into your pocket. HTC Watch uses progressive download technology, which means that you can watch any kind of video without having to wait for it ALL to load and it allows you to either rent or buy movies.

It seems like a great fit that a handset so geared up to be an entertainment hub would have an app like HTC Watch readily available.

Who should swap their iPhone for the Sensation XL?

We've seen a lot of tech press refer to this phone as an "entertainment hub" for "entertainment lovers", but that's hardly very specific! We'd hate to meet the other half of the population who don't like entertainment at all. Instead we think it's ideal for someone who uses their phone for entertainment a LOT of the time. And we're not just talking half an hour of Spotify here and there, if you depend on your handset for catching up on TV shows, watching videos and listening to lots of music, then this is one for you. Just have a play around with it in the store first, it IS pretty big.

There are no exact details about dates and prices just yet, but we can expect it to be widely available from early November.

Related: HANDS-ON: HTC announces new Sensation XL handset: Beats Audio Integration and 4.7" screen

HTC has just unveiled its latest all singing, all dancing Android handset, the HTC Sensation XL, a slick smart phone with a HUGE 4.7" WVGA screen, Beats Audio integration and the HTC Watch application for catching up with movies and TV shows.

Shiny Shiny went along to the preview of the new handset with the HTC team yesterday to bring you the key facts and some sneak peek photos.

The key facts

The handset has Beats Audio integration, which means every teeny tiny component has been fine tuned to provide your ears with the very best audio quality.

To show off just how good the handset can make your music sound, a pair of urBeats headphones are included with every phone and some limited edition devices will have larger Beats Solo headphones.

The thing that strikes you most about the Sensation XL is definitely its huge screen, it's 4.7" which sounds a bit too big, but we were able to control everything with one hand just as you would with a smaller smart phone, so you don't need to worry about dropping it or anything, it's not like having an iPad strapped to your palm. Despite the fact it's so big, it's still a slim 9.9mm in width, so it'll still slot into your pockets. Well, just.

The handset has the HTC Watch application, which gives you access to a big library of movies and TV shows. It also has progressive download technology, so you can watch a movie before you have all of it.

We were very excited about the device's 8MP camera, with an f/2.2, 8mm wide-angle lens.

There are no exact details about dates and prices just yet, but we can expect it to be widely available from early November.

There's a really interesting article over about the new iPhone over at The Guardian, nope not that one, which takes the views of a series of analysts about the new handset. There are some very significant points, but the one that stood out for me was this one from Ming-chi Kuo, analyst at Concord Securities in Taipei

He says...

"The iPhone 4S targets users who are expiring on their two-year 3GS contract."

I am one of the many people who bought the 3GS the moment it landed on my network (Vodafone) and am now ready for an upgrade. All summer long I have been wittering about how I will see what the new iPhone looks like and if it doesn't cut it for me I'll buy an Android handset, probably one of the new Samsungs.

In some ways the iPhone 3GS was the phone that tipped me into the Apple camp. It had 3G, a very usable camera, and unlike its predecessor the 3G it also had a video camera. For me this was a big deal not just because I spent lots of time videoing my children, but also because it meant I could access all those new Augmented Reality apps.

There was no way I was going to upgarde to the iPhone 4. Sure it looked great, but I would never ever buy a phone that needed to have a nasty bumper around it.

So now then shouId upgarde to the 4S?

Yes

1It's best to stay with what you know - I know the iPhone interface very well, have loads of apps and I also like the fact that I own a similar phone to many of my colleagues so we can share apps and features etc.

2 The camera looks pretty special - From a specification point of view the overwhelming reason to upgrade is the new iPhone's camera. Eight mega pixels and HD video of 1080p. Its a world away from the low res VGA video of the 3GS. As for the enhanced camera - that's good to have, but as some wag commented on Twitter yesterday these days most of my photos look like they were shot on a toy camera in the 1970s (thanks Instagram)

3 There would be some apps that I would lose if I left the iOS camp - These include Instagram and some neat games. I think this might be less of an issue as time goes by though as Android continues its surge to be the world's number one smartphone platform.

No

1 The difference between what I have and the 4S simply isn't that great - As I said, the camera would be nice and the faster processor and enhanced screen are useful - but they are not compelling reasons to go for the 4S.

2 There are some very promising Android phones out there - I think that the Samsung Galaxy Note looks like a lot of fun, not sure how much I would use the stylus but the bigger screen size is a must (the 3.8inch screen of the iPhone looks tiny now in a world of tabets) and it has a faster processor too. It'll be interesting to see what HTC has up its sleeve and I am not going to write off Nokia yet.

3 By going Android I can still use all my iPhone apps - The old iPhone becomes a 'touch' so if I want to access my old apps or download new ones it is a very simple process.

Ultimately my decision will be determined by what Vodafone has to offer and how much it ends up charging. Also if I need a bumper to make the 4S work Apple will have have lost this customer for good.

But for now the iPhone 4 looks like a contender rather than a shoe-in.

What do you think?

So the jury is out on the Apple iPhone 4S. Those who were expecting a radical redesign are obviously disappointed, but it is clear that this is a sensible evolution from what has (in spite of its antenna problems) been a very well received mobile. That eight mega pixel camera, HD 1080p video recording and smoother processor at least mean that the new iPhone keeps pace with its Android rivals

One of the key enhancements is the speed at which the phone can access data. According to Apple 'data can now download up to 2x as fast. The theoretical max performance of the iPhone used to be 5.8Mbps up and 7.2Mbps down -- it has now been doubled to almost 14.4Mbps down.'

This was illustrated by a slide that highlighted the maximum data speeds of the iPhone and rivals like the Motorola Atrix and HTC Inspire 4G.

So does that mean that the new iPhones run on 4G networks? Well much depends on your definition of 4G.

All sorts of networks and handsets are currently available which purport to offer 4G services. Though none of them really offer 4G as we will understand it in say five years time.

And Apple's new handset runs on an enhanced 3G format called HSPA+. This is called 4G by AT&T (one of the US networks that has the iPhone) but not by anyone else. Also HSPA+ 14.4 phones typically really only run on real world speeds 1.5 to 2 Mbps. Contrast this with the service offered by Verizon which uses an early form of LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G technology. It can deliver data speeds five times faster than HSPA+ and sometimes even faster.

The iPhone 4S that will run on Verizon and Sprint won't even be able to access HSPA+ and will have mobile data speeds akin to standard 3G phones.

So what about the UK? Well Three is committed to rolling out a HSPA+ 14.4 network and hopes to have it across most of the UK by the end of the year. Vodafone has HSPA+ in most of its key urban areas as has 02. So the iPhone 4S should in theory run at improved data speeds on those networks. The other networks are running a little behind but planning to catch up shortly.

So to sum up then in the US the iPhone 4S will be able to compete with handsets like the the Motorola Atrix and HTC Inspire 4G on AT&T's HSPA+ network, and in theory will be quicker on Three, Vodafone and O2 in the UK. But if you want to see some real smoking 4G action you need to see the Motorola Droid Bionic on Verizon's 4G LTE network.

Underneath is a quick primer on 4G from earlier this summer.

What is 4G?

You may have been able to figure this bit out from the name alone; 4G represents the fourth generation of cellular communications standards, following on from 3G, and 2G before even that. In theory, 4G should allow for drastically faster cellular data speeds, perhaps as much as 10x as fast, which would allow for far faster download and upload speeds from mobile devices.

4G will deliver speeds of 100 Mbps for mobile applications and 1 Gigabit per second for fixed networks, making regular home broadband look snail-paced in comparison. In an age where downloading films, music and applications on mobiles is becoming increasingly prevalent, with higher-quality file types resulting in ever-growing file sizes, 4G will let streaming and downloading whilst on the go become a smooth, stress-free experience.

Are there different forms of 4G?

Yes there are. Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTEA) and WiMAX Release 2 are the 4G services which the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have classified as true 4G. In a format war similar to Betamax and VHS, it's hard to say which of the two 4G forms will be dominant, though LTEA seems to edging ahead at this early stage.

For instance, Verizon and AT&T both agree that; "LTE provides a more natural upgrade for [their] GSM/UMTS/HSPA/CDMA-based networks and subscribers - and GSM is the dominant mobile standard worldwide, with more the 3 billion global customers as of February 2010."

Can I get a 4G connection yet?

In the UK no, and that's unlikely to change until 2014/15 at the earliest. OFCOM are still divvying up the 4G spectrum in Blighty.

In the United States, the answer is yes via Verizon's LTE network. This isn't fully flavoured 4G as we will come to know it, but it does deliver very quick data download speeds. Even on slow days phones like the Motorola Droid Bionic work at a minimum of 10Mbps that's at least 10 times faster than 3G handsets.

T-Mobile and Sprint both claim to offer 4G connections in the USA, the truth of the matter is that these are more like 3.5G connections, as they are built upon HSPA+ (not LTEA or WiMAX Release 2) technology. They'll be upgradeable to true 4G once the network technology becomes available though.

When will the "true 4G" networks be available?

4G is a significant investment for the networks, with a complex array of antennas, towers and other such infrastructure to put in place before we will see the true 4G download speeds of 100 Mbps that the ITU categorise as real 4G. To that end, you're probably looking at 3 to 4 years, with some less-well-funded networks possibly never offering 4G connectivity.

Is it worth me buying a 4G phone then?

Not if you are in the UK. By the time the true 4G networks arrive, this first wave of 4G-enabled handsets may look quite aged.

Several years ago, when the iPhone was a mere twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye, Motorola launched an iconic new handset called the Razr. It was startlingly thin for a mobile, looked absolutely incredible and was soon the number one handset for any self-respecting gadget lover, celeb or fashionista.

But within a couple of years the Razr had become the uncoolest phone on the planet. Motorola had made so many of them and offered it in so many different guises that gadget-lovers, fashionistas, celebs and quite possibly your grandmother had moved on.

So why am I mentioning the Razr now? Well it is clear that Apple has a very aggressive strategy for its handsets and that means it is offering the 4S (which to be honest doesn't look like much of leap forward), along with reducing the price of its older handsets, in a bid to expand its reach. I just wonder if the iPhone, like the Razr before it, might just become a little too ubiquitous.

In some ways this is a strategy that Apple has to adopt. It is starting to feel the pinch from low cost, but better specified than the iPhone, Android models and will soon be contending with Nokia Windows handsets that may turn out to be a lot cooler than most of us are expecting. But I do think that when everyone on your bus has an iPhone, and I mean if you live in Northampton rather than North London, the phone itself might start to feel a little uncool.

Of course Apple has been here before with the iPod. Over its existence it went from the preserve of Apple fanboys to a music player that almost everyone in the UK seemed to have. Did it ever become uncool? Well kind of. The difference between the iPod and the iPhone is that the iPod never really had any serious competition (except maybe in its early days from Sony). If the iPhone ever becomes the handset of choice of your grandma then you have lots of other places to go. This has already happenned a little in the UK with the rise of the Blackberry among young urban kids. There are many reasons why kids lust after Blackberrys rather than iPhones, but the fact that the iPhone has become so ubiquitous among their peer group has clearly helped sell a few devices for RIM.

The reason why Apple execs probably aren't too worried is that the iPhone app market is still so far ahead of its rivals. Also I think this might be the last time we see a minor tweak to the iPhone. You can bet on some serious surgery next time (like the move from the iPod classic to the touch) or else that device will start to look a little passe.

Pic from Gdgt

Great spot by the team at 9to5Mac who noted the early arrival of the iPhone 4S on Apple's Japanese website.

The interesting part is that the phone will retail for 10,800 yen, which is apparently 30% cheaper than the iPhone 4. So maybe those rumours about an cheaper iPhone to take on the Android handsets is bang on.

The phone will be available in both black and white.

Story here

The web is awash with iPhone rumours but we are going to take this one seriously. The Guardian has just posted that there are two new iPhones on their way - the iPhone 5 and an upgraded 4 - and they will be on sale in the UK on October 14th.

A 'source' told the paper.

"All we know is, there will be two devices, we will put our pricing in to Apple as soon as Tim Cook goes on stage, and we hope to get agreement to announce prices on Thursday," said a source at one UK operator, who also confirmed the 14 October shipping date.

According to The Guar the other big news is that all five UK networks will have access to the new phones on day one. Carphone Warehouse is understood to have done a deal directly with Apple for the first time, which means it will be able to sell phones "unlocked" - free from contracts with particular networks.

Well as rumours go this sounds pretty on the money. We'll find out soon enough

So, not long to go now. As you all know there's a new iPhone coming on Tuesday and you can read all the gossip about it here.

It is incredible to think that the iPhone is in fact only four years old (well six if you include Apple's first attempt at a handset with Motorola, the not very-loved Rokr).

Anyhow, here then is a quick whizz through the history of the iPhone which highlights all the key changes to its design and functionality.

Ever since mobile phones invaded our homes and became integral parts of our lives, there have always been 'fashion' handsets, which in some way, shape or form look a little more attractive than their plainer rivals.

However, the disappointing thing about the fashion phone is that although it may look shiny, sleek and beautiful it often lacks in other departments leaving us feeling disappointed and much happier with something more run-of-the-mill.

Last year we featured a list of 10 Great fashion phones, but in honour of London Fashion Week, we've decided to collect together a few more of our favourite fashion phones from over the years and show you just how pretty they are (well, most of them), which were all looks and no brains and which ACTUALLY perform in the wild as well.

Now the term fashion phone is often used interchangably for a range of different attributes and we think fashion handsets fall into four categories, those that are the products of actual collaborations with fashion designers, those that look extra specially slim and sexy, those that are pink, fluffy and therefore obviously made for girls (eugh) and finally those that made us actually LOL.

Here are the top three handsets in each:

The top 3 designer handsets

Christian Dior Reverie

Dior has tried its hand at phones in the past, producing a number that resembled Christmas decorations a little too much for our liking.

However, its latest offering called the Reverie is pretty impressive and gives us a very sleek looking smart phone that's made from all kinds of expensive bits and pieces, like sapphire, gold and mother of pearl.

There are very few details online about the phone other than all of the rare treasures it's made from, but its predecessor had everything you'd expect from a high-end smart phone, like a 3.2 inch Multi-Touch screen, GPS, WiFi, 3G, MP3 player and the rest, so we expect the Reverie will be packed with even more good stuff.

Probably one of the newest AND priciest handsets on the list, the Dior Reverie phone will set you back a sweet £85,000.

Dolce & Gabbana Motorola Razr V3i

Wow D&G like designing (OK, putting their name to) phones don't they?! The Goldfinger version of the popular Motorola Razr looks sleek and kinda gawdy at the same time.

It looks like you can still get hold of this shiny Razr from ForestFly for £219.99.

Sony Ericsson Dolce & Gabbana Jalou

The Jalou is a shiny jewel-like clam shell handset with plenty of flecks of gold. It has a number of special features built-in to attract the more fashion-focused set, like a mirrored screen and a pretty good quality 3.2 MP camera.

It used to come in a range of colours, like turquoise, royal blue and rose, but the dusky rose seems to be the only one available on the Sony Ericsson website at the moment.

The top 3 sleek, slim and SEXY handsets

LG Chocolate

The LG Chocolate phone first launched years back and immediately became popular with its sleek design and hidden red buttons. Since then its continued to be resurrected in its long, chocolate bar-like packaging and the latest model, the BL40, is full of regular smart phone features including a 5 MP camera, media player, radio, GPS and WiFi.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness

Another quirky offering from Sony Ericsson, the Xperia Pureness was designed to be free from any clutter and unnecessary distraction. It has a completely see-through screen which only allows you to talk, text and tell the time.

Although those used to regular smart phones would be frustrated at the lack of choice with the Pureness, you have to admire its beautiful simplicity and sleek frame.

iPhone 3GS

Now I was reluctant to put the iPhone on the list. It's not really 'fashion' is it? But it IS super sleek and super sexy, so for that reason it's going into this category.

However, the newest handset isn't because it's a little too 'blocky', so let's revisit the 3GS.

The top 3 pink, shiny and girly handsets

Samsung Diva S7070

Well this handset is playing up to all kinds of stereotypes isn't it, it's quilted, it has a beauty editing feature, the back is pearlescent, it has a range of "female centric themes" (their words NOT mine) a pink screen AND it's called a diva. Ok then...

Motorola MotoJewel

Motorola's MotoJewel handset isn't too dissimilar from Sony Ericsson and D&G's Jalou, but it looks a little cheaper and (I hate to say it) much tackier.

Blackberry Curve 3G in pink

The Blackberry Curve 3G doesn't only come in pink, but the metallic frame around the powerful handset which can come in silver, purple and pink makes it a firm favourite for our "girly" section, yet shows you don't have to sacrifice quality and functionality for a bit of colour.

4. The top 3 actual LOL handsets

Nokia 7380

Dubbed an "innovative fashion statement" this Nokia handset just doesn't look right.

After all, mobile phones are a certain shape for a reason, so once you go changing that shape too dramatically you get a ridiculous product that doesn't even work properly. Ambitious? Yes. Functional? NO.

Samsung SGH-L310

I suppose before the days of phone cases brands had to add their own personal touches to their handsets, but this Samsung SGH-L310 in gold is just so BLAH and what is that random tribal tattoo design on the side?

Nokia 7200

Now I hate to pick on Nokia in this section, but what IS this? Granted the insides were actually ahead of their time when the handset was launched, but that's to be expected from Nokia. The issue isn't really with the phone though is it, it's THAT case.

The BBC has a pretty amazing story about a group of Americans who think they are being poisoned by mobile phone signals and Wi-Fi. Except rather than just moan about it they have built a shelter city in the West Virginian mountains.

According to the article around 5% of Americans suffer from a condition called Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), which they say is caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields typically created by cell phones, wi-fi and other electronic equipment.

So a small group have decamped to a designated 'quiet zone' in the West Virginia mountains in a village called Green Bank, where electromagnetic signals are banned to prevent them interfering with a number of radio telescopes in the area.

Obviously there are huge issues in the US surrounding EHS and it hasn't as yet been recognised by the US government.

It is worth remembering that Wireless (Wi-Fi) signals have only been common in the US and UK since the early naughties, while mobile phone mast only became a regular feature of towns and cities in the mid 90s. So we are very much in the early days of gauging how electromagnetic signals impact on humans.

It is a fascinating read.

Imagine the scene, you've been on a packed tube train for around half an hour, you spent ten minutes pressed up against some big guy's armpit, you were kicked by a kid in a pram (prams on tubes should be banned before phones) and you finally get a seat when someone sat opposite you answers a phone call and SHOUTS non-stop for the next 20 minutes. Eurgh it's enough to drive even the calmest of people into an angry little public transport induced rage.

Normally we'd just give the offending individual evils and tweet about how rude they are, but it seems that some people have had ENOUGH.

Due to too many situations like this, and the public's general inability to answer a phone when they're travelling without shouting, a number of campaign groups are calling for some stricter rules to be put in place when it comes to mobile phone use on London's buses and tubes.

It's not just a few angry groups either, a recent study by mobile comparison site GoodMobilePhones found that more than 22% of commuters would welcome an outright ban on mobile phones on the tube.

Now, I'm undecided about this. Obnoxious shouty phone people annoy me as much as the next person, but what if it's an important call you need to take, or you like to use your commute to get in touch with family because you're just so busy the rest of the time? I don't want to find myself being led down a small corridor to Room 101 just because my mum called for a quick catch up.

The study also showed that instead of a ban, half of those questioned like the idea of quiet tube carriages. Yes, this already works quite well on trains, but on the tube? What if you REALLY had to answer a call? Would you just have to hop across to the next carriage like some kind of super hero?

Instead of imposing bans I think we all need to take a few deep breaths and accept the fact that some people are loud and rude, whether they happen to have a mobile phone in their hand or not.

[Image via]

Bit of an odd one this for half a decade after Apple revolutionised the touch screen phone, by making its interface work without the need of a pen, Samsung brings the stylus back with the Galaxy Note. The video preview is above and you can find out more about the device here.

Expect a launch price of around £500 and a Q1 2012 street date for the Galaxy Note

HTC has announced its two new Windows phones called Titan and Radar at IFA this week. Both handsets are pretty powerful and their names could very well have been taken from the hit 90s TV show, Gladiators.

The smart phones will be HTC's first to run on Mango OS and both have very very big screens and moulded aluminium bodies that are similar to the HTC Desire.

As you'd expect, the Titan is the more powerful of the two, with a 1.5GHz processor, 16GB of onboard memory and 512MB of RAM. It also has a 4.7 inch "super LCD" touchscreen and an 8 megapixel camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens.

The Radar features the same super lens as the Titan, but with a 5 megapixel camera and a 1GHz processor with 8GB of internal memory and 512MB of RAM.

Both Titan and Radar will be available from October and it'll be interesting to see how the Radar will fare in comparison to the high-end and super powerful Titan.

And one last biggie from Samsung at IFA - the Galaxy Note. It is quite clearly a smartphone but it does boast a 5.3 inch display, so it could almost be a baby tablet. It isn't the first gadget to sport this sized screen, you might remember the similarly specced Dell Streak from last year.

What makes this a bit different is that it actually comes with a pen on board. The S Pen means that you can use the device's big 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display for everything from sketching to note-taking. It also comes with a planner - the S Planner, which is a professional planning tool that integrates the phone's To-Do list and schedule.

Interestingly Samsung plans to release the S Pen SDK allowing app developers to create fundamentally new applications and services incorporating the pen functionality.

Samsung also claims that the bifg screen makes the device useful for things like PowerPoint presentations (yawn), web-pages, news apps and e-books.

It also boasts a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, HSPA+ and LTE (4G) connections, runs Android 2.3(Gingerbread) OS and packs an eight mega pixel camera. Full specs below.

Network

HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

Processor

1.4GHz Dual Core Processor

Display

5.3" WXGA(1280x800, 285ppi) HD Super AMOLED

OS

Android 2.3(Gingerbread)

Camera

Main(Rear) : 8 MP with LED Flash

Front : 2 MP

Action Shot, Beauty, Panorama Shot, Smile Shot, Share Shot

Video

Video : MPEG4, H.264, H.263, WMV, DivX, Xvid, VC-1
Recording 1080p@24~30fps, Playing 1080p@30fps

Audio

Codec : MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG

Music Player with SoundAlive

3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS

Value-added

Features

Samsung Apps

Samsung Kies 2.0/ Samsung Kies air

Samsung ChatON mobile messenger service

(Downloadable via Samsung Apps)

Samsung TouchWiz/ Samsung L!ve Panel UX

Smart Note Apps

S Pen / Pen UX

Social Hub
- Integrated Messaging(Email, SNS), Contacts/ Calendar Sync

- Basic: POP3/IMAP Email

Social Hub, Readers Hub , Music Hub

GoogleTM Mobile Services

- GmailTM, Google TalkTM, Google SearchTM, YouTubeTM, Android Market TM,

- Google MapsTM with Google Places and Google Latitude

A-GPS

Enterprise Solutions

- ODE, EAS, CCX, MDM, VPN, WebEx

NFC (optional)

Connectivity

Bluetooth® technology v 3.0 + HS

USB 2.0 HOST

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct

Sensor

Accelerometer, Light, Digital compass, Proximity, Barometer

Memory

16/32GB Internal Memory + microSD (up to 32GB)

Size

146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm

Battery

Standard battery, Li-on 2,500 mAh