All very well and good, but what if you’ve got an Android smartphone? Well, don’t fret, Opera Mini 5 is now available in Beta for Android. Available to download from Opera’s site and found in the Android Market app store, Opera Mini 5 comes with all the usual goodies - the aforementioned speed, tabbed browsing, password managers, bookmarks and speed dial. It’s easy to see why Opera is the browser of choice for so many mobile users.

Opera Mini 5 Beta for Android follows hot on the heels of its Windows Mobile variation which was rolled out last week. And, with Opera also beavering away on an Opera browser for the iPhone and nearly ready to be submitted to Apple for approval (though it’s anyone’s guess if Apple will give it the go ahead), it might not be too long before we see an Opera browser on every smartphone operating system. If you’ve got an Android phone and want to check out the Opera Mini 5 Beta in the Android Market. Not got an Android phone but want one? Then check out our range of Android powered mobile phones here.

The HTC Tattoo is the perfect device for those who want to get on the Android ladder. Boasting a cute and compact form factor, 2.8 inch touchscreen and smooth curved edges, the Tattoo is loaded with high end features, from HSDPA and Wi-Fi, to GPS and social networking integration.

Best of all, despite these high end features, the Tattoo doesn’t have a matching price tag. This budget Android smartphone is designed to bring Google’s OS to the masses and can be picked up on a £20 per month tariff with 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 10 months half price.

The catch? Well, the Tattoo has been left by the way side to an extent, stuck on version 1.6 of Google’s Android OS which is currently up to version 2.1 in other phones. But, HTC have confirmed that a planned software update will bring the Tattoo up to speed and bring with it the likes of Google Earth for Android and Gesture Search for Android.

HTC have confirmed that they are currently working on the upgrade for the Tattoo to combine Android v2.1 with HTC’s own Sense UI and whilst they wouldn’t give away any concrete dates, they have simply stated that they “expect to have the upgrade finished and ready to go soon“. Keep an eye on the blog for more information as and when we get it.

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Check it out for yourselves below and take our word for it that the Samsung Wave looks even better in the flesh. Samsung’s first SUPER AMOLED phone is set to launch in April which is only a matter of weeks away. Click here to register for updates and keep an eye on the blog for more information as soon as we get it.

Th current version seen in many smartphones and wireless headsets is 2.1, however v4.0 is already on the horizon and will bring benefits such as a low power mode which will help decrease battery drain

Low Power demands can now be implemented in a whole range of new devices; the current Bluetooth standard requires AAA battery power or more, where as the up coming v4.0 will easily run off a watch battery.

Version 4.0 also builds upon the increased data capabilities of build 3.0, by allowing equipped devices to connect to Wi-Fi networks at speeds up to 25Mbits per second.

Although we will be seeing a massive improvement in power consumption, v4.0 Bluetooth will still use roughly the same amount as v3.0 when data is streamed continuously.

Check back for updates on when Bluetooth version 4 is likely to be making an appearance and what handsets will be sporting this refreshed version.

As mentioned in earlier posts, the Vivaz is built with Human Curvature in mind, meaning that it is not only one of the best looking handsets available today, but also one of the most comfortable to hold and use. Sporting a resistive touchscreen means the Vivaz will react to your swipes, pokes and prods whether it be with your finger or a make-shift stylus. Navigating the phone is simple, thanks to the Symbian OS which will be familiar to most that have used a Nokia or previous Sony Ericsson Symbian handset.

The Vivaz’s party piece and it’s reason for being, is it’s camera, which it isn’t any ordinary unit. It’s an 8.1 megapixel unit, sporting an LED flash and face recognition. But what’s so special about that, i hear you ask? Well, we’ve neglected to mention until now, that the Vivaz is capable of recording videos in High Definition. As you’ve probably guessed, the Vivaz is the natural successor to the Satio and as far as we can tell, beats the Satio hands down in every respect unless you’re counting megapixels (which, as you probably know, doesn’t actually dictate how good a quality picture can be expected from a camera.) The Vivaz is a much better looking phone, easier to use, more responsive, offers more functionality and ultimately is perhaps everything the Satio should have been when it was originally released.

Interested? Well, Click Here to see all of our best deals and to see the full specification and feature list you can expect from this phone.

Below is an explanation from Google themselves.

“Say you want to call your friend Anne. Just open Gesture Search and draw letter “A”, and Gesture Search returns a list of items that have words starting with “A”. If your handwriting isn’t all that neat, that’s okay. If the “A” you draw looks a bit like an “H”, as seen in the bottom left corner of the screenshot, “H” results will be brought up as well. If needed, you can also erase a query by crossing it horizontally: left to right erases the entire query, and right to left removes the last letter or space in the query. Now you can either scroll down the list to find Anne or write more letters to refine the search.”

Sounds like a pretty good and simple tool to use, and definitely a lot more convenient to use in public rather than voice search. If you fancy trying out the Gesture Search for yourself, search for it in the Android Market; it will only appear and be available to download for handsets running on Android 2.0 or higher. If recent rumours are correct, all Android phones will be upgrading to 2.1 meaning all Android users will be able to take advantage of the new Gesture Search tool.

Keep an eye on the blog for new Android mobile phone releases which will be sporting Gesture Search.

Yes, following ongoing legal wranglings with Nokia and Kodak, the Cupertino outfit have now filed suit against HTC claiming the smartphone manufacturer has violated patents relating to the iPhone’s “user interface, underlying architecture and hardware”. Speaking about the legal action, Apple CEO Steve Jobs commented “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Some of the 20 patents Apple claim have been infringed include Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image, something that could quite easily cover any touchscreen phone without a hardware unlocking button, List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display which relates to how scrolling menus bounce when you reach the end (among other things) and Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices which refers to the proximity sensor turning off the screen when the iPhone is held to your ear on a call.

At this point, it’s very early days with HTC yet to answer to the claims and a court date potentially months (or even years away). We won’t see the end to this one just yet. At this point, you may be asking yourself why HTC? All 3 of the above features have all been seen in notable handsets from the likes of Nokia, Samsung and the Palm Pre so why are Apple only going after HTC? Well, that’s anyone’s guess, but the cynical amongst you may see this as a thinly veiled dig at Google. Whilst HTC manufacture both Windows Mobile and Android handsets, the Taiwanese outfit has been a major supporter of Google’s OS from day one.

With Apple and Google originally co-existing quite amicably (the iPhone uses Google Search and Maps after all), the relationship started to turn sour after the arrival and subsequent success of Google’s Android smartphone operating system which has clearly moved into iPhone territory. Now, with the release of the HTC manufactured Google Nexus One, Google have moved from software to hardware and it comes as no coincidence that Apple have decided that now is the time to act. Looking closely at the patents, we can see that it is Android that is mainly being implicated.

Google have even gone as far as to issue a statement following the law suit, commenting “We are not a party to this lawsuit. However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it.” Whether this means standing behind their partners with moral support or some financial clout remains to be seen but this one’s definitely set to run for some time. Keep an eye on the blog for more information on this as and when we get it.

Aesthetically, the C5 bears a striking resemblance to the 6300, one of Nokia’s most popular and successful launches in the companies history. Sporting a candybar form factor, the C5 boasts a large finger-friendly keypad and sharp 2.2 inch display. So on the outside, the C5 could easily be mistaken for yet another Nokia candy-bar feature phone but on the inside it’s a totally different story.

The C5 runs Symbian series 60 pitching it as a fully functional smartphone only with a feature phone design, size and, most important of all, price. Download apps from Ovi Store, pull in Facebook status updates to your contacts list and launch instant messaging conversations from your home screen. As a Symbian smartphone, the C5 also benefits from Nokia’s free SatNav initiative with Ovi Maps pre-installed, offering free voice guided in-car and on foot navigation.

The premium features don’t stop there. The C5 includes HSDPA connectivity ensuring the aforementioned app downloads and web browsing are lightening quick. Nokia have also found room for a 3.15 Megapixel camera with Flickr support, MP3 music player and FM radio, a 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth and expandable memory. Throw in up to 12 hours talk time and a staggering 26 days of standby and it’s obvious Nokia are on to a winner with the C5.

Expected to launch in the second quarter of 2010, click here to register for updates and keep an eye on the blog for more information as soon as we know more.

That’s right, eschewing large cameras and lenses for a completely standard N86, the installation boasts over 90 images taken with Nokia’s flagship camera phone. Taken over the course of eight days in November 2009, the images were created by stitching several separate shots together contrasting the slums ob Mumbai with the fabulous wealth of Dubai.

Speaking about the exhibition, Henry commented “The Nokia N86 Explore exhibition visually maps the polar opposites of two of the world’s most extreme urban dwellings: Dubai is a showcase of extraordinary wealth, development and architecture, whilst Mumbai is an extraordinarily vibrant city driven by the resilience and incredible good nature of its people who live for the most part in poverty. It also goes to show the potential and range of new multimedia communication devices which are able to capture the world in a way never previously thought possible.”

Mark Murphy, operations director at Terminal 5 said, “We’re delighted to welcome Henry Reichhold back to Expo at Heathrow Terminal 5. His photographs not only add a dynamic visual presence to the airport but also challenge preconceptions of what can be achieved with a mobile. It’s very inspiring and certainly encourages us all to celebrate technology and create our very own mobile artworks.”

So, enough chit chat, i’m off to grab an 8.0 Megapixel camera phone and a one-way ticket to the far reaches of the globe. And if you can’t wait for my exhibition, be sure to check out Henry Reichhold’s at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 Expo Area before May 2010.