Vodafone – the world’s leading mobile phone telecommunications group have announced the ‘lowest-cost mobile phone on Earth’; the Vodafone 150. Aimed at the developing world and set to be initially launched in India, Turkey and eight African countries the 150 will be priced at a tiny $15!

With a predicted 5bn mobile phone owners by the end of 2010 and most of the growth coming from the developing world The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has said that demand has been driven by people using their phones to access banking and mobile health services. ITU secretary general Dr Hamadoun Toure said, SMS can be used to “deliver instructions on when and how to take complex medication such as anti-retrovirals or vaccines”.”It’s such a simple thing to do, and yet it saves millions of dollars,” he said.

The handset is very basic with a 1inch monochrome display, polyphonic ringtones and a built in torch. It is very useful however, with the ability to make phone calls, send and receive text messages and with a battery life of 16 days standby time the 150 is a practical and affordable phone.

The 150’s slightly more advanced sibling is the Vodafone 250 which will cost around $20. The colour screen is a little bit bigger at 1.45inches making it an understated but attractive looking device and there is also an FM radio on board.

Unfortunately these devices are set for developing countries so are unlikely to enter the UK market but if you are after a cheap and fuss free handset then the Nokia 1208 is a great alternative with a SIM free price of just £25.

With all eyes on Barcelona for the 2010 Mobile World Congress; day one has given the mobile phone world a lot to talk about and there is set to be a lot more exciting news throughout the week.

The top story to hit the headlines has come from computer giant Microsoft with the announcement of their Windows Mobile 7 (WinMo 7) platform which emphasises social networking and supports the popular multitouch feature.

Chief Executive of Microsoft Steve Ballmer said: “In a crowded market, filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience.

“Windows Phone 7 marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences.”

Features and content on WinMo 7 is organised into ‘hubs’ so users can access either online or offline apps with ease within each category. Categories include

• People (social networking)
• Pictures (including both your online and saved albums)
• Games (including full access to your Xbox live profile and rankings)
• Music+Video
• Marketplace (a revamped version of Microsoft’s app store)
• Office (documents, agendas, calendars etc)

Unfortunately the new platform doesn’t allow for customization and Adobe have confirmed that there will be no Flash support. Other than that the Windows Phone 7 is a great leap in the right direction and we can’t wait to see a collaboration with HTC very soon!

Super Bowl viewers got a glimpse of the Motorola Devour on Sunday night in the hands of one of the most frequently Googled hollywood stars – Megan Fox. The advert cost an estimated $2 to $3 Million Dollars but went out to around 100 million viewers and was pretty entertaining!

The Motorola Devour will be available in the next few months and with the MotoBlur OS on top of a number of high spec features it is set to be a phone a popular device. The Devour features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard under the 3.1 inch touchscreen.

The highly user friendly Motoblur changes the very look and feel of the device compared with other Motorola devices, adding live streams of information onto the home screen through a series of custom widgets. Social network status updates, e-mail, and other messaging tools are all integrated into the desktop with a unique graphical look not seen in the standard Android OS. This feature is featured in the ad (below) with Fox to entertain all those Super Bowl fans.

Save £55 when purchasing the Samsung Genio QWERTY! Normally priced at £139.95, you can now save £55 with e2save using voucher code QWERTY55 at the checkout. The voucher code expires this Friday so order your fun and funky Genio Qwerty from Samsung now!

The Genio QWERTY is a BlackBerry-style messaging device aimed at text addicts! The entry level phone is simple and lightweight and features a 2.2 inch landscape screen and a full Qwerty keyboard for writing quick messages. The Genio Qwerty has a 2 megapixel camera, multimedia player and FM radio as well as a 3.5mm audio jack. This fun phone has a cartoon style user interface and supports GPRS, HSCSD and EDGE which allows users to check emails and browse the web. The Genio Qwerty comes with two back covers, one brightly coloured and one plain black one.

To get this great deal today follow this link.

With a number of exciting new phones on the horizon, I take a look at a select few that are set to make a mark on the mobile world!

Coming Soon Podcast

Sony Ericsson are continuing to expand their environmentally friendly GreenHeart range with their third QWERTY, Windows Mobile device – the Aspen. Sony Ericsson has described the new phone as “the business mobile phone with green credentials at its core” and it is certainly that; with the same user interface as the Xperia X1 and X2 and recycled materials used throughout the package.

The 2.4 inch touchscreen phone has the full package of connectivity options including WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio jack. The QWERTY keyboard allows for fast messaging and viewing and editing Microsoft Office files is a breeze with one touch operation. Great for a business user ‘with a conscience’; the Aspen has a power saving mode, E-manual and an Eco mate application. There is also a decent media player, 3.2 megapixel camera and access to social networking sites for some fun out of the office! The interesting looking phone comes in Iconic Black and White Silver

The GreenHeart Aspen is set to be an affordable business phone when it released in the second quarter of 2010.