PlanetN96.com report that the Nokia N96 has started shipping, first in the UK, for a retail price of £535.

Although it has not yet hit the shops, there is a cool video of what you get in the N96 box

Manufactured in a joint-venture between Bang & Olufsen and Samsung, the Serene is probably unlike any other mobile phone you will ever come across. From the start it has obviously been designed by Bang & Olufsen and its pedigree is clear to see. The phone can best be described as a clam shell, and closed up has a slightly trapezoid shape. (more…)

Sony are reported to be working on a brand new mobile phone within the PlayStation brand. This would be a joint effort between PlayStation and Sony Ericsson.

This phone will bring a brand new videogame console to the mobile phone market and an official Sony in Japan has been reported as stating that Sony are planning this device to take full advantage of the handheld gaming market.

Given Nokia’s failures with the N-Gage and a difficulty in launching the N-Ggage application platform, this would seem to be a brave move on behalf of Sony, but the PlayStation brand is very, very strong, so it may suceed, where Nokia have failed. The market is potentially very big and the potential rewards could be hugh.

In addition to competition for Nokia’s N-Gage the PlayStation phone would seem to be a direct competitor for must have gadgets such as the iPhone but it would still seem that this device is a long way from launching.

With the launch of the iPhone on 02, we have glossed over the launce of the Skype phone/mobile link up with the 3 Network.

If you use Skype, then you know all about the benefits of free calls, particularly free international calls. And with a stand alone Skype phone costing upwards of £100 (of course access to the network is free if you use a PC), this looks lie a good deal. Free phone, with the starter price plan at £12 per month.

The phone comes with a built in 2 megapixel camera, music player and memory expndable to 1GB with an SD card.

If you don’t want to sign up to a contract the skypephone is avaialble on PAYG for only £49.99 and you get free Skype access for 30 days after you top up with at least £10. Becasue of this, the Skpyephone is going onto our Best Buys for Christmas list.

At 6:02 tonight, 02 and Apple stores will start releasing the Apple iPhone to the UK market.

If you don’t fancy queueing it is available direct from 02, Carphone Warehouse or from All Camera Phones, without needing to stand in the rain to get it!

The 2 days to go before the UK launch of the iPhone, exclusively on 02, this Friday, O2 have reviewed the 200MB monthly cap they were proposing for data downloads. (more…)

It would seem that Nokia have delayed the relaunch of N-Gage to December, stating that software testing is taking longer than expected.

Given that certain games have been in the pipeline for many, many months, and also the fanfare in August, with which Nokia announced the proposed November launch date, one may have thought Nokia would have been certain that the development would be ready.

November is obvioulsy an ideal time to stoke up interest prior to Christmas. This delay may be another case of just too late, for N-Gage.

Really want an iPhone, without queuing up for hours to get it.

Pre-order is now available to get your own iPhone when it launches with O2 later this month.

There are also some videos of the iPhone in action.

We like this new P1i phone from Sony Ericsson. It is packed full of the best featuers on other phones, and a host of others that you can’t find on other mobile phones.

In addition to always on email (like a Blackberry), a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a mini keyboard, you get full touch screen capability and a stylus with handwriting recognition. The best bits of your PDA, stuffed into a smartphone.

The P1i also comes with a flight mode, a business card scanner and iScoot -Skype for your mobile.

Then, once you have finished with the business applications, listen to the built in FM radio or MP3 player, play a game, or browse the internet.

The Nokia N95 is more than a great camera phone, as it comes with built in GPS and maps included.

Of course there is an MP3 player but it is the 5 megapixel camera on top of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, connectivity that makes this a not to be missed camera phone.