White BlackBerry Bold 9900

With Christmas and winter almost upon us we always have a soft spot for white gadgets, and especially white phones.

So up steps the white BlackBerry Bold 9900 to whet our appetite, giving us all that is the Bold in a glorious white casing, so we can put it next to our pearly white teeth… or something like that.

In the hand, it’s tasty. The white looks good and it doesn’t come off as a cheap option compared to the black. And the back finish is nice to the touch. Unfortunately, where the black 9900 looks businesslike and premium, with its matte finish and metal highlights, the glossy plastics RIM has used on the white 9900 look and feel quite cheap. White also makes the Bold 9900 seem bigger than it is, not great when you’re dealing with a phone that’s already fairly broad.

As with the black version of the Bold 9900, the keys are very comfortable to use – although, being white, we do worry how quickly they will show the dirt. If you’ve used the original Bold 9900, then you pretty much know what you’re getting with this new white model. The physical keyboard is solid and easy to type on, while the touchscreen is bright and responsive if, arguably, a little unnecessary given the optical trackpad too.

Specs wise it is identical to the Black BlackBerry Bold 9900, and that means you get a phone that is 10.5mm thick and packs a 1.2GHz processor, BlackBerry 7 OS, a QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen controls. It also boasts NFC capabilities.

It has a 2.8-inch display with a 640 x 480 resolution, which sits above the keys. There’s also 8GB of internal storage – expandable up to 40GB with microSD. Plus, the camera is a 5-megapixel one with 720p video-shooting features.

It’s available for free on £39, 24-month price plans with Vodafone, where you’ll get 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB of mobile data.

Nokia Lumia Windows Smart Phones

Nokia has launched its latest effort to get back into your pocket with the release of the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 smart phones.

The colourful Lumia 800 Nokia is the first Nokia phone in a joint partnership with Microsoft and features an 8 mega pixel camera (just like the iPhone 4S) with Carl Zeiss optics and HD video, a 3.7 inch display, 16GB memory and Windows Mango 7.5 operating system.

The lower spec model, Lumia 710,  takes advantage of the same 1.4GHz CPU found in the Lumia 800, offers a 3.7-inch ClearBlack display and comes in “stealthy black” and “crisp white,” with replaceable back covers. Look for the 710 to be priced around €270, or $375.

The Next Web reports that the estimated retail price for the Nokia Lumia 710 will be approximately €270, so not a terribly low-priced option compared to the low-end HTC Explorer, price TBC and out in November, or the £139 BlackBerry Curve , but lower than the iPhone 4S which costs £499 outright.

Both will be sold available from Vodafone and Three in the UK “soon”, according to their spokespeople.

Mashable reports that the Nokia Lumia 710 will first become available in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan toward the end of 2011, and it’s coming to other markets in early 2012.

The Next Web describe Nokia’s latest release as “first step on the road to recovery” for the company.

Mashable says the Lumia 800 could be “the best Windows phone yet”.

The specs won’t exactly set anyone’s world on fire, but the design might: like the N9 before it, the Lumia 800 features a stunning unibody design that’s shaped out of a slab of durable polycarbonate material.”

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

Phone specialist Phones4U has a rather impressive exclusive deal currently running for the white-hot Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, with the 4.2″ phone available with an Orange SIM for £20.50 per month.

It’s not the best contract in the world, but you do get 200 calling minutes, 3000 monthly texts and there is a data usage allowance, too – but it’s only 100MB. But still. It’s an Arc S for a shade over £20.

Phones4U’s plan is cheaper than what Rogers has made. Rogers have the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 on a price plan.

Rogers are offering the Xperia X10 for $25.50 a month when taking out a twelve month contract with them. Minimum pricing is $32.35 a month. To put that in perspective, the Xperia Arc is available on a one year contract but, the actual handset will cost $499.99 and $449.99 if you go with a two year contract.

So, you choose which one suits you.

Nokia 900

It turns out that Nokia 800 won’t be the Windows Phone flagship of the Finnish company after all.  Three Nokia Windows Phone 7 handsets have already leaked ahead of Nokia’s annual conference, and there’s now wind of a fourth – the Nokia 900.

Not to be confused with the chunky, powerful Maemo device the N900, the 900 is yet another handset pipped to be launching on Windows Phone 7 Mango edition.

If the rumored specs are true, the Nokia 900 will be by far the most impressive Windows Phone yet. The 900 packs a 1GB of RAM, 32GB built-in memory and a 1800mAh battery, making it the heavyweight of the Windows handsets rumoured to be unveiled at tomorrow’s Nokia World. These specs confirm the previously rumored 1.4 GHz single-core processor, 8 MP Carl Zeiss camera with auto-focus and dual LED flash, and large 1800 mAh battery. The screen is also a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display, which is basically equal to Samsung’s Super AMOLED screens. The Nokia 900 will run Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS, on a Snapdragon chipset. It will feature NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and will come in 16GB and 32GB flavors.

Nokia Windows Phones

Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices are set to debut at the upcoming Nokia World conference, according to Windows Phone division president Andy Lees. Nokia plans to show off its first Windows Phone devices at Nokia World in London, which starts Oct. 26.

Apple iPhone 4s

The iPhone 4S has landed in the UK, and eager Apple fans pulling sickies are queuing up around the country to snap up Apple’s latest smartphone. But if you’re planning to snag yourself a 4S today and aren’t yet in the queue, you’d better hurry up; we’re getting word that Apple Stores in London are already selling out of certain models, with more expected to go by the end of the day.

At the time of writing the Apple Store in Regent Street still has all the iPhone 4S models in stock, but are selling fast. There’s also a queue at the Store. Meanwhile, the Apple Store Covent Garden is completely out of 16GB iPhone 4Ss in both black and white, with customers now buying up 32GB models instead. There’s also a queue about an hour long, so if you’re after anything but the 64GB 4S model, best head to the Regent Street Store.

Meanwhile around the rest of the UK, the Manchester Arndale Apple Store has completely sold of iPhone 4Ss in all models and colours, as has the Store we called in Liverpool (still some handsets available on contract). If you’re in either city and desperate for a 4S, the Phones 4U branches we called in Manchester and Liverpool still have certain models available on certain networks – call ahead.

Phones 4U in London were a lot more forthcoming: no hold time, no stock shortages, all models in stock. The branch we called was on Oxford Street, so if you’re a Londoner who can live without all the pomp and ceremony of an Apple Store on iPhone launch day, a trawl down Oxford Street might be your best bet.