The latest figures to hit the news from GFK show that Android’s share of the contract phone market in the UK has more than quadrupled from 3% in Q1 of 2010 to over 13% in Q2.

To use nerdy Star Trek speak, Google look like they are going to translate their tactics in the online services sector to mobile phones and Borg us all.

To me, this battle for the smart phone operating system crown looks alot like the way the computer OS market went in the late eighties/ early nineties.

Back then there were a handful of serious players – Microsoft had DOS and the embrionic windows which were not tied to hardware, Apple were doing what they do now and selling hermetically sealed software/hardware combos, IBM had OS2 and Linus Torvalds was beavering away on Linux.

Ultimately Microsoft won, with Apple as runner up OS2 consigned to history and Linux finding a small niche with nerds.

The players in the phone OS game right now are Google with android,available free to any manufacturer who wants it, Apple again tying the hardware and software together, Microsoft with Windows Mobile and Samsung and Nokia with their proprietary Bada and Symbian systems.

So who’s going to win?

I’m not a betting man, but if I was I would be looking back at why MS won the PC operating system wars.  The bottom line is that there was more and better software available for windows than any of the others. It’s the same reason VHS won over Betamax and HD-DVD lost out to Blu Ray. Content.

Importantly in all these cases, the format’s fates were decided by third parties, the movie studios in the cases of VHS and Blu Ray, and software developers on the case of Windows.

Looking at the phone OS battle through this lens, it looks to me like a two horse race between Android and Apple. Microsoft are throwing money at developers and Samsung and Nokia have a small base of app developers too, but none of them compare to the numbers of  developers working on Android and iPhone apps.

Now, if you held a gun to my head and made me choose between them, I would have to say Android is going to win.

Apple have one product in the mobile phone sector, the iPhone, whereas every single major phone manufacturer aside from Nokia is rolling out Android phones. Developers go where the money is, would you write apps for one phone or apps that owners of many different handsets could use?

On top of that, many developers are growing concerned about the Orwellian level of control that Apple exert on their App Store, by contrast Android Marketplace is a wild west style free for all.

Apple will always have a place in the hearts of style concious buyers, unkindly dubbed” fanbois” by the less charitable commentators, they will always have a significant share of the market, but I can’t help feeling that Android has the edge.

As mobiles please compare new phones and deals everyday, we know a thing or two about the coolest and smartest phones on the market. So, here’s the low-down on the top phones of the moment to make sure you make a smart choice for your mobile companion.

As it is tradition for ladies to go first the super stylish Nokia X6 16GB pink is a great phone for those who love to chat on their mobiles without compromising on style. The Symbian run phone is a music focused device with high spec features including a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, LED flash and geo-tagging, a massive 16GB of internal memory and a great web browser with Wi-Fi and HSDPA support. This super stylish phone will be your ultimate fashion accessory.

If you are more concerned about the environment than your next fashion purchase then you may be interested in the latest offering from Sony Ericssons GreenHeart range; the soon to be released Aspen. The QWERTY style phone comes with a ‘GreenHeart panel’ with an Eco mate application and a power saving mode. Different to most QWERTY handsets the Aspen comes with a 2.4 inch touchscreen display (with handwriting recognition) to give a great user experience to access all the many features available on the phone.

If you want something with a bit more oomph the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is a powerhouse smartphone with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor (meaning it can cope with all the hot features on the phone without slowing down) and a fantastic 4 inch touchscreen display. The Xperia X10 has a standout 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash that is full of image enhancing features to take fantastic photos on your phone.

For all these phones and more visit our Latest Mobile Phones section.

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!

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.

The highly anticipated HD2 from HTC is the world’s first Windows Mobile phone with a capacitive touchscreen. Not only that, it is a whopping 4.3 inch in size with HTC Sense user interface for an enhanced user experience. With a high-resolution screen and built in accelerometer, viewing photos, videos and web pages is a dream and with an impressive 1GHz Snapdragon processor the super fast device can cope with a number of apps at once without a hitch.

If you are looking for an alternative business phone this may be the one. With both Internet Explorer and Opera Mobile browsers on board and WiFi and HSPA support, users can access the internet, view and edit Office documents and send/receive emails wherever they are to keep on top of work wherever they are.

Similar to the HTC Hero, the HTC TouchFLO home screen displays useful information such as Messages, Weather, Stocks, Photos, Calendar and Email as well as popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

The HD2 is a fantastic all-rounder and a strong leader in the touchscreen market. Choose a deal to suit you today at www.mobilesplease.co.uk