Stocks cleared as new Apple iPhone set for July release

O2 is poised to tweak prices on the 3G iPhone in May, ahead of what is believed to be a new Apple mobile phone in June or, most likely, July, Mobile can exclusively reveal. The 3G iPhone (pictured) will be free on its £35 and £45 per month tariffs from May. The 16GB version is currently only free on the £75 per month contract, while the 8GB handset is free only on the £75 and £45 per month deals. Customers currently spend between £59 and £159 for an iPhone on the £35 and £45 monthly tariffs.

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Flagship handset plagued by software freezing and speaker faults.

Sony Ericsson has suffered a new setback as one of its latest flagship handsets, the C905, has suffered high levels of returns. Software freezing and speaker faults on the eight-megapixel C905 camera phone are responsible for returns as high as 30%, in some areas.

Sony Ericsson's UK and Ireland managing director, Nathan Vautier, said: ‘We understand the specific quality issues were on early [batches of] C905 handsets in 2008, and we rapidly implemented steps to resolve the particular elements that caused concern, such as the speaker phone problems.'

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Vodafone working on tie-up with O2, while Orange keen to join T-Mobile/3 alliance, local press reports.

Vodafone and O2 plan to pool their networks, while Vodafone's existing partner, Orange plans to ask T-Mobile and 3 for permission to join their network sharing venture, The Guardian reported without citing its sources.

All five companies will continue to compete under their own brand names, but putting together their networks will allow them to push mobile broadband into more rural areas and should allow them to reduce the 51,000 base stations dotted across the country, The Guardian said.

The move will reduce costs, which should lead to cheaper calls and Internet services, the report said.

Both the Competition Commission and Office of Fair Trading are expected to scrutinize the two deals to see whether they amount to a merger that will reduce competition, the newspaper said.

Nokia's market share fell by 10 percentage points to 40.8% in Q4, largely on strength of RIM and Apple.

Worldwide smartphone sales grew 3.7% on the year to 38.1 million units in the fourth quarter 2008, research firm Gartner said Wednesday. Gartner research director Roberta Cozza said growth slowed in the fourth quarter due to fewer compelling new products and the worsened economic climate. As a proportion of all mobile device sales, smartphones remained relatively stable at 12% in the fourth quarter, compared to 11% a year earlier.

Nokia Corp. maintained its market-leading position in the quarter. However, its market share fell to 40.8% from 50.9%, and its smartphone sales declined 17% to 15.6 million units.

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Mobile operator signs new deals with major labels to offer subscribers DRM-free songs via their mobile phone or PC.

Vodafone on Wednesday announced new deals with major record companies to offer digital rights management-free music to subscribers, irrespective of device. The U.K.-based operator has signed agreements with Universal Music, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music to offer over a million DRM-free songs across its markets. Vodafone said the agreements are the first of their kind insofar as they enable dual-delivery of music to separate devices, meaning users don't need to side-load songs, or synchronise PCs and mobile phones.

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With its edgy, top-sliced design and illumination effects, Nokia 5330 XpressMusic is ideal for music and keeping in touch with your social network. XpressMusic touch keys on the side of the display provide instant access to music. The standard 3.5mm jack offers crystal clear sound for any headphones, and the extended battery life gives more than 26 hours of playback time. Of course, the Nokia 5330 XpressMusic provides access to sites that specialize in online sharing, including Ovi, Facebook, and MySpace.

The Nokia 5330 XpressMusic is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2009 for an estimated retail price of 160 EUR.

To enhance your music listening experience on the go, Nokia offers a variety of accessories. Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-504 - that has recently started shipping - has high quality audio with powerful speakers, echo cancellation and noise reduction. Nokia Stereo Headset WH-500 is also great for both music and calls and compatible with a broad range of devices. Both headsets are easy to fold up and store in the carrying pouch. The small-size Nokia Mini Speakers MD-8 with extra long playtime are ideal for sharing favorite songs with friends.

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is Nokia's first music-optimized device to offer a full QWERTY keyboard - ideal for quick messaging. The heart of this music device is the Homescreen for XpressMusic, providing access and dynamic information on music, people, games, email and calendar.The Homescreen features an improved contacts bar with up to 20 friends and family members and provides direct access to music, N-Gage and other applications, like Facebook, Photos, Ovi Contacts, Maps, messaging and more. With Ovi Contacts, people see which friends are online, chat and even view what music they are listening to.

The Music shortcut offers a quick access to the music stored on the device as well as to the Nokia Music Store where they can find for information on artists, music and over-the-air downloads, directly on the device.

With the dedicated gaming keys the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is a true N-Gage gadget. Direct access to the N-Gage Arena community and the preloaded N-Gage games invite to connect and compete and check high scores with online friends.

Nokia also launched the Nokia Mobile Holder CR-110 to keep the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic firmly in place.

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2009 for an estimated retail price of 280 EUR before subsidies and taxes.