The main reason why people are expecting the iPad 3 to come out early in 2012 is because the iPad 2 came out during March of 2011. We all know that Apple love bringing out regular updates which are mostly yearly updates, so there’s a good chance of seeing the next iPad model in March of 2012. However, this isn’t always the case! Another Apple product, the iPhone, came out during the summer for a number of years before it changed with the latest model of the iPhone which is the iPhone 4S. A lot of people think that they planned to release it during the summer but they were forced to delay it due to production problems, so it just goes to show that things can go wrong even for a huge company like Apple!

It’s believed that the production of the iPad 3 has already began in Asia, with a Chinese manufacturer called Foxconn supposedly working pretty much 24/7 which has made many people think that the iPad 3 release date might be a lot sooner than most people expect. So, if you’re thinking about purchasing a new Apple iPad it might be a good idea that you wait another little while so that you can either get the newest model or you can get the iPad 2 for an even better price! If you’re wondering what features the iPad 3 could have, here are just some of the things that people expect Apple to add to their new iPad model:

HD Screen – While the screen on the iPad 2 is quite good at the moment, people are expecting Apple to add a high definition screen so that you’ll be able to enjoy high definition movies, pictures and so on all on your iPad.
Faster Processor – The first iPad had an A4 processor; the iPad 2 had an A5 processor, so we can only assume that the next one will have an A6 processor, right? Well, that’s what many people are hoping for so that their iPad will be able to be even faster than it already is!
Colours – Once again, the original iPad didn’t have any choice of colours when you were buying it while the iPad 2 had either black or white. So why not have a range of different colours for the iPad 3? Let’s see will Apple agree with us.

There are loads of features that the iPad 3 could possibly have but we’ve just mentioned a few of them. Let’s hope we see what great new features Apple have decided to add when they tell us the release date of the iPad 3.

As most people know, O2 are definitely one of the best companies in the UK in terms of coverage, so you’ll basically get the exact same coverage if you are on the Giffgaff network which is great. There’s no doubt that O2 have really good coverage, as a matter of fact they’ve 99.9% population coverage! If you want to check out if you’d get good coverage from Giffgaff you can check out O2’s network coverage. It might sound a bit weird that you have to check 02′s coverage in order to see if the Gigg Gaff networks coverage is good, but that’s what you have to do! You should be able to tell from the maps on that site whether your area has good coverage, but there’s also another way which you can use to see if you’d have good coverage if you used Giffgaff. Since so many people are on O2, you could simply ask someone (a friend or someone from your family) to come over to your house and see how many bars you get on the phone. If it’s good then you know that if you were to move to Giffgaff you’d have no coverage issues.

As you can see, the Giffgaff coverage is pretty good, so if you were wondering whether it was worth switching over to Giffgaff to save money or whatever, it certainly is! Don’t be worried about the whole situation that they use O2’s coverage, other companies do the same. (Tesco also use O2) There’s a reason why all of these new networks want their coverage to come from O2 rather than someone else!

Firstly we’ll take a look at the design of both mobile phones. Design is one of the most important things to a lot of people, and the design of both the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the iPhone 4 is pretty good! The main difference between the two is the screen size, with the Samsung Galaxy S2 having a 4.3” screen while the Apple iPhone 4S only has a 3.5” screen. It’s hard to say which screen type is better since some people love the iPhones screen size while others might like the additional screen size on the Galaxy S2. Although the iPhone 4S is smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S2 (mainly because of the screen size) the Samsung Galaxy S2 is a bit thinner at just under 8.5mm! If you’re looking for a nice thin smartphone with all the features you need you might want to go with the Galaxy S2 but that’s not to say that you should forget about the iPhone 4S just because it’s a little bit more bulky.

Secondly, the processor of a smartphone really should be one of the first things that you look at when you want to purchase a new phone. A good processor allows you to do more tasks at the same time without making your phone get slower, as well as letting you do things faster, for example: an application might take one second to open with one processor while a better processor may take half the time. Believe it or not, the Samsung Galaxy S2 wins hands down when you’re comparing processors on both of these phones. Samsung have used a 1.2GHz dual core processor in their Galaxy S2 while Apple opted for a 1GHz dual core processor. While Apple have used an improved the processor a lot in comparison to their previous iPhone 4, it’s still not as good as the Samsung Galaxy S2. So, Samsung have won in the processor test!

Next, we’ll take a look at the cameras in both devices. Both phones have an 8MP camera as well as the ability to record in 1080p, so both phones are quite similar to each other. Both smartphones have an additional camera on them, and although the one on that Samsung Galaxy S2 is better than the iPhone 4S secondary camera, it’s just too close to call a winner.

Finally, we’ll compare the display on both smartphones. The display on smartphones has been getting better and better over the past couple of years. Even though when people first heard of Samsung’s attempt at improving their screens many people thought that nobody else could beat them, Apple have proved all of those people wrong! Samsung have an amazing Super AMOLED screen that has a resolution of 800 x 480. Sounds good, right? Well it is very good, but the iPhone 4S has a resolution of 960 x 640 which is big difference between the Samsung Galaxy S2. We aren’t trying to say that the Samsung Galaxy S2 has a bad screen, it’s still very, very good but we still think that Apple win on this won unfortunately for Samsung. The only downside of the iPhone 4S in regards to its display is that some app developers use bad quality images for their icons and this can kind of ruin the whole “wow” factor in relation to the great screen on the iPhone 4S.

So, which is the better phone? It’s nearly impossible to answer for definite since some people will prefer one from the other for their own reasons. If you want a smartphone which is really fast you might want to get the Samsung Galaxy S2 while if you think you’d use a lot of the features that are only on the iPhone 4S like Siri and so on maybe the iPhone 4S would be a better option for you. Lastly, take your time when deciding which one you’ll go for; they aren’t exactly the cheapest phones around!

The Samsung Galaxy note price will depend on whether you opt for a 16GB or a 32GB internal memory and it’s been hotly debated for months but we will simply have to wait for an official figure. There 1.4 Ghz dual-core processor running on Google’s Android OS is very quick and a decent competitor to the Apply iPhone. There are two cameras, a 2 mega-pixel one facing forward and an 8 mega-pixel one on the rear. There is full HD video capabilities that runs at 30fps for a clear picture even on the move, and there is GPS too.

As mentioned there is a stylus, called the S Pen, which is a bit of a retro step in terms of smartphones’ touch screen capabilities, but thanks to Samsung’s S Note software and new apps for artists or handwritten notes, it makes sense. It can be easier to use than the end of your finger as it’s more accurate. It’s fair to say that it already sounds like a good competitor to the iPhone.

If you can live with the pseudo-tablet size and it being over-sized for a smartphone, it’s slim and dainty which is handy for carrying around. It’s not too heavy nor is it bulky, but just slightly larger than regular phones. But that is it’s niche. It bridges the gap between an iPad or tablet and a smartphone. Thanks to the larger screen, it’s easy to work on and you can revel in the 285ppi (pixels per inch) it boasts. Colours and graphics bounce off the screen and it’s no wonder that people are asking when the Samsung Galaxy Note release date is.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the Super AMOLED display screen and streamline your gadgets from buying a smartphone that is just as powerful and almost as big as a tablet PC, then the Samsung Galaxy Note release date is something you need to ingrain in your mind. Whether you don’t care about the Samsung Galaxy Note price because you simply can’t wait to use a thoroughly fast tablet PC with a stylus or that you want to be different from the iPhone crowd, then the release date shouldn’t be long now.

If you’ve been a Vodafone prepay customer over the last couple of months you’ve probably already heard of Bonus Bank by Vodafone. Bonus Bank was basically a way of Vodafone giving something back to their loyal customers depending on the amount that they topped up by. Although Bonus Bank was successful, it had its downsides. The main one was that customers could only spend their points on things that were related to your phone such as credit and so on. However, with Freebee Rewardz people have a much wider choice to choose from – which is always good, right? This time, you can choose from anything from vouchers, a day out or even a brand new iPod! Obviously it’ll take longer to get certain rewards, but you’re basically getting them for free if you usually top up your mobile phone a lot. Personally, I believe that this promotion is miles better than their previous promotion for prepay customers.

The great thing about Vodafone Freebee Rewardz is that you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune in order to get anything back in return. When promotions like this come to the market there will always be a certain amount of people who don’t think it’s worth it since they think that it’s not possible to get anything that’s worth the effort. However, Freebee Rewardz isn’t like that at all. All you have to do is send a text message to sign up to it and that’s pretty much it, it’s not hard, is it? After all, Vodafone are giving you rewards for topping up your mobile phone, which is something that most people would be doing regardless, so you’re getting something extra at no extra cost! With many offers like this there are usually certain terms and conditions such as the offer only applies to minimum top ups and so on, but thankfully there’s nothing like that in relation to Freebee Rewardz. It doesn’t matter what amount you top up by, even if you top up by £5 you’ll still be included in this great promotion.

Overall, I think that it’s well worth looking in to this promotion if you’re a prepay customer. No matter what type of person you are, this offer is great. If you want to get an instant discount from large retailers or you want to save up your points so that you can get something else like an iPod dock, Vodafone’s Freebee Rewardz have got you covered!

The 13.2 mega-pixel camera, 1GHz dual-core processor, 4” touch-screen LCD and a body that is water-proof has been sparking interest all over the world. With the latest Android platform from Google and a smart case, it looks like it could be a match for those that need a decent smart-phone that makes buying a separate digital camera unnecessary.

As Panasonic left the mobile market almost seven years ago due to high competition, it seems that the firm has had a chance to sit back and see what the market needs rather than copying what is already out there. It might not be the quickest or the smartest phone ever, but that camera and it being water-proof could well be the aspects that draw the most attention from buyers. With many people still having to buy an additional digital camera to carry with their poorly-specced iPhone or HTC camera, the LUMIX 101P meets those needs perfectly.

Expect the networks to release more news about the new Panasonic LUMIX 101P smartphone in the next few months.

The new 4G technology will be seen by December 2012, but there are hopes that it will be able to reach the outer reaches of Cornwall or Suffolk, without people needing to have a wired connection. This means that smart-phone users will only be ‘out of range’ in 2% of the UK’s land area and will mean that more people can access the Internet, stay in touch and not be stranded without contact.

Although we won’t see 4G coverage on the same terms as the super-fast US version, it will help people from having to wait for buffering, dropped connections or just poor quality broadband any more. What 4G offers is a chance to reach 100Mbps, rather than the current speeds of around 7.2Mbps. While the UK might be behind the rest of the world at the moment, with Ofcom, protests from phone-mast militants and cost being the main factors for change, it’s important for the country to receive the most area of coverage to encourage more enhancements down the line, if only to avoid the frustration of a poor/slow Internet connection.

O2 have recently started testing on 4g capabilities covering 40 square kilometres in London, after having investing around £1 billion in this area over the past few years. However, it has been suggested recently that it could be as late as 2015 until the networks in the UK have caught up with our 4g cousins across the Atlantic.

From it’s 720 HD video recorder to the 1.5GHz MSM8255 processor, and the 8 mega-pixel camera, it’s not far off the best in terms of spec. There is a 16GB SD card for memory as well as Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi b/g/n and and HSPA/WCDMA triband technology. There is a 1.3 mega-pixel camera on the front, which is ample for video calls, and thanks to the gyroscope, digital compass and ambient light sensors, it’s an all-rounder when it comes to ticking those boxes we’ve come to expect.

It’s music and the sound quality where the HTC Sensation XL ‘excels’ thanks to the beefy bass, the punchy sounds and the accurate vocals that are relayed through the over-the-ear headphones you get from Beats. The 1,600mAh battery does its job well, only really losing power when you’re mixing 3G and WiFi continuously ad have push email on. While you can video, take pictures and browse the web regularly, a nightly charge should suffice for the HTC Sensation XL. While HTC might not have the benefit that Samsung do with having direct access to the factory for their phones, instead they rely on suppliers, it’s still a decent-quality phone that will appeal to those that like something larger without resorting to a tablet PC.

At just under 1cm thick and palm-sized, it’s not the most bulky of phones but that large screen is really beneficial for those that like to have a clear image without peering at the screen. Thanks to the dual-LED flash on the camera, you can take crystal clear images even in dull lighting, and those images are instantly displayed rather than having to wait or wait for the picture to be taken. The shutter release is instant, which is far greater than many competitors out there that still force you to miss perfect shots.

While the HTC Sensation XL might not be the best in its class for any particular point as a smart phone, it’s an all-rounder in many and that big screen really helps capture the essence that people are looking for. If other HTC’s aren’t fulfilling your needs or you don’t want a one-trick-pony, then the Sensation is ideal for you. It can play HD movie clips without judder, and unfortunately there is no HDMI port for connecting to your HD TV, it performs well when it needs to.

As a large smart-phone, the HTC Sensation XL is ideal for browsing the Internet, or if you have poor eyesight, and resists the need for a tablet PC. It might not have the most storage capacity out of other phones on the market but 16GB is ample for most people.

The customers are being bull-dozed into paying the extra amount for the rest of their contract, which could have as much as 20 months left on contracts that are 24 months long. The network is refusing to allow customers to end their contract, even though there are regulations that have been implemented to stop this exact motion. This is due to all Orange contracts having, in the small print, a clause that allows an increase of the retail price index inflation up to 5.4%, which is at currently.

In a statement, Orange announced, “Our contracts state that we can increase the prices up to the 5.4% of the RPI, and we have in doubt that our service to our customers will remain exceptional and that the customers who will be affected will be contacted.” However, customers are not taking to the increases that are being imposed, and despite the Ofcom rules, Orange have clearly stated in its contracts that increases can happen.

What it means for customers who are on a £15 per month contract will need to pay £15.64 including VAT, and a £20 per month contract will now pay £20.84. Orange, which also now owns T-Mobile, will not be increasing the prices for T-Mobile users, but all customers are wary now after Orange has landed the bombshell just before the festive season.

One Orange customer commented “I’ve been with Orange for 9 years and signed my latest contract in good faith, thinking I would pay £35 a month for 2 years. They were happy to tie me in for that time but now want to up the amount! Not happy, and will be moving elsewhere when my contract is up next year”.

The new PS Vita is set to give users the option of using Wi-Fi/3G to connect to the online store, play new games and play against other users in the near vicinity. The collaboration with Vodafone means the unit will come with a Vodafone SIM card so the owner can be connected straight out of the box. As a bonus, there is a WipEout 2048 game voucher, so they can download straight from the PlayStation store.

The PS Vita, which is set to be available in on the 22nd February 2012, will have the “near” applications that helps players play others that are close-by. This location-based feature is similar to the technology from Nintendo with their 3DS, and it also means that PS Vita users can “gift” virtual items, such as powers, costumes, special weapons and share data with others in a truly social way of gaming.

The partnership of Sony and Vodafone has encouraged new plans from the network, such as special data plans, flexible features and different pricing to suit each player. The prices, packages and deals will be announced closer to the launch date. Having two giant companies working together will ultimately bring a better, more controlled service for each PS Vita user.