Blimey, it is only 9am on Monday and yet we already have what is likely to be the week's biggest mobile news - that the Apple iPhone is going Orange.

So what does this mean for Orange subscribers ? At present we have no details on when the phone is coming or how much Orange users will pay for it. However judging by the tweets we have seen already today that are a fair few Orange users who are very happy about the deal. A couple have even said that it means they will stay with Orange and not move to O2.

At the moment Orange's arsenal of smartphones is good rather than great. There's a good selection of Blackberrys including the Bold and the Curve, the HTC Hero, the Toshiba TG01 and Samsung's high def video handset the i8910 HD. The Motorola Dext is also on its way too. However until the Dext arrives Orange is a bit short of a hero smartphone and the iPhone will certainly fit that bill.

So what do you think? Are you an Orange subscriber? Will you grab an iPhone?

Here's our big smartphone mega test

As widely predicted Orange has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in the UK. This means that after a couple of years O2 finally loses its exclusivity on the Phone.

There has been a great deal of speculation in previous months that the network was going to get the iPhone. It already offers the Apple handset in 28 countries. It will go on sale very soon. Orange customer can register their interest here.

So who are the five biggest tech winners this week? Well we have a surprise at number one and a very interesting start up doing well. And see if you can guess which mobile phone network is this week's biggest loser?

Click on the pic to enter the top five

Some iPhone apps are just great fun. Others make your life easier and help make you more productive. However there aren't that many which actually save you money.

Well here's one that will save you a few quid if you live in the UK at least. It is called 0870 and its basic premise is that it makes it cheaper for iPhone users to dial premium numbers such 0870, 0845 and 0800. These would normally cost the user 35p per minute, but using the app the numbers are converted from 08 numbers to 01 and 02 numbers which then come out of your monthly call allowance and subsequently are much cheaper. More info here

How it works is that the app searches a database for the 08 number you are calling and then directs the call to an alternative landline number if it can find one.

The app has been available to Android users since January with company developer Simon Maddox stating that he believes that the app's users have saved £84,000.

Now it has become available to iPhone users though its arrival is not without controversy, As Mike Butcher points out at TechCrunch Europe it has taken Apple an astonishing 429 days to approve the app.

At the moment the app only works in the UK but it is free to download and use.

Ready for some quality Apple gossip? Well according to Apple Insider, and they have been right on quite a lot of stuff in the past, Apple is about to revamp its IMac line up with some new upgraded models arriving as early as October.

The blog reckons that the new dual core desktops will sport a thin industrial type design, boast some new audio facilities and will be available at cheaper price points than the last gen of iMacs.

Apple Insider's big punt though is that at least one of the high end iMacs will feature a Blu-ray player, a format which Steve jobs has up until now been quite cynical about.

I must admit I can't think of a single reason why you would use a texting service like AQA 63336 - unless that is you are really, really shit-faced and fancy a giggle at the answer they come up with (though I think there are cheaper ways of having fun personally).

So to find out that people are texting in asking if eating a polo mint prevents you from getting pregnant or if eating a banana helps you maintain an erection doesn't really surprise me. Apparently, according to the press release, AQA 63336 (no, I have no idea what the numbers stand for either, though I'm sure it's significant), 'researchers' have found that half of the sex-related queries it receives come between 9pm and 2am. No shit, Sherlock. Honestly I would be worried for the state of the nation if they were during the 9am and 2pm unless the survey was carried out among students of course.

Even more revelationary is that the the most popular time to ask
questions about sex is 12.37am. And that 60% of these sex texts to AQA
63336 come from men - wow you don't say. So you see, as I said it is pissed blokes.

Says Paul Cockerton, Communications Director (no this isn't an April Fool). "When we set AQA 63336 up five years ago, we were expecting customers to ask questions about shopping, travel, going out, and of course the odd pub quiz trivia question. Whilst we've seen an increasing use of us as an agony aunt, we've also noted a large and growing number of male customers are using us as an anonymous sex advice line, especially at night."

Somehow, Paul, judging from some of the questions below, I don't think they are being entirely serious in wanting 'sex advice'. At least I really, really do hope not. Still at nearly £1 a text it seems you are having the last laugh.

If you eat a banana before sex does it give you a better hard on?
No, eating a banana before sex doesn't increase your erection.
However, getting your partner to eat one very slowly can sometimes do
the trick.

If sucking a polo during sex, is it true u cant get a girl pregnant?
Sucking a polo during sex will absolutely not protect against pregnancy. Using a condom is 97% effective; other contraceptives include the Pill & IUDs.

My girlfriend complains at my miniscule penis. What should i do?
The average penis is 6ins so if you're smaller, sex from behind or
with her legs closed helps. Foreplay is as important but you should be
loved for you.

The name for somebody that is sexually aroused by bridges?
There isn't a word for someone who's turned on by bridges, but if
there was (particularly if it was about crossing them) they would be a
gephyrophile.

How many people in the UK are having sex at this moment? An educated
guess would be lovely.

202,587 people are having sex at this moment in the UK. AQA hopes
you're 1 of them and are good at multitasking. The average Briton has
sex 2.2 times a week.

If a smurf and a simpson had sex what would the outcome be?
If a Smurf and a Simpson had sex you would get a bi-racial green baby
called a "Smurson". You would also get a very anger Papa Smurf.

Why do I get so tired after sex?
During ejaculation men release chemicals including prolactin.
Prolactin levels are raised during sleep and so the increase in
prolactin causes tiredness.

What are the top 10 films to watch with your partner to get you
aroused and in the mood for sex?

10 sexy films: Cruel Intentions, Secretary, Showgirls, Tipping The
Velvet, Emanuelle, 9.5 Weeks, Basic Instincts, Barbarella, Wild
Things, Betty Blue.

Otha than oral sex does aqa have ne more tips 2 make my girlfriend
scream with pleasure?
Other than oral sex, the best way to make your girlfriend scream with
pleasure is to buy her a pair of black leather Jimmy Choo boots (RRP
£1,000).

www.aqa.63336.com

Surprise, surprise. O2 is getting hammering on Twitter. And that's not just the view of a group of iPhone owners in my local (or some unhappy bloggers) but the main headline in a report published by media company Kaizo.

The Kaizo Advocacy Index, which tracks online reputation via sites like Twitter, Facebook and Google, was published this week and highlights how O2's online 'sentiment score' had plummeted. Apparently it has gone down 20 per cent over the past six months and O2 is by some distance the worst performing brand in the mobile sector.

So why has O2's reputation slunk to a new low? Well this is just my opinion but I think it could well be the iPhone. The phone has been bought by early adopters who want to use their handset to do lots of data-centric interesting things - like for example post tweets. When the phone doesn't function in the way they expect it to their way of moaning about its failings is via Twitter. And sadly for O2 iPhone owners don't tend to have an issue with the device itself (maybe they should?) but rather the network on which it runs.

Now I couldn't call myself an authority on the reach of mobile phone networks, but I do know that compared to its rivals O2 is lagging behind in the breadth and quality of its 3G coverage. Throw in a data hungry community with high expectations for their new wonderful device into the mix and it sounds like a recipe for brand reputation disaster.

In some ways it might be a blessing for O2 when the other networks actually get hold of the iPhone. On one level it takes the spotlight off O2, and secondly it will give mobile industry watchers a chance to compare the performance of the iPhone on different networks. If the handset performs badly on other networks then maybe people will be a little less harsh on O2.

Anyhow back to the report. Kaizo MD Rhodri Harries told PR Week that O2's poor reputation stemmed largely from negative comments on Twitter: 'There has been a huge rise in the number of people posting about bad service and signals. They clearly need to get their house in order and proactively go back and deal with customer service issues.'

The study examines links on Google and posts on Twitter and Facebook before assigning a sentiment score.

Here's the Kaizo report

Archos's rather cool eight gig touch screen personal media player has now hit the stores. Here's what we made of it back at its launch in August.

While I was snooping round the GRO website I also found that the company has also designed what must be the most stunning table football in the world. A mix of chrome metals (there's a whiff of luxury bath taps) and atmospheric lighting, it really does look stunning. The table is now on sale via this website. The bad news is that it takes 12 weeks before they can ship it to you. Got to be worth the wait though. Take a look at these images.

Click on the image to start the gallery

We don't known a great deal about it except that it has been designed for Samsung by London based design team Gro. It is very cool the way it looks of futuristic yet kind of retro at the same time. You can almost imagine this lot using it.

Take a look at the gallery and you'll be able to see that it can used horizontally or vertically and customised to the user's requirements. Cool stuff and almost as cool as this fridge. Just a prototype at the moment, but here's hoping it gets made one day.

Spotted by this lot.

Click on pic to look at other fridgey images

Back in the day subwoofers used to be square boxes things that you hid away behind the sofa to invariably became a snoozing place for your cat - well until you switched it on that is.

However in these style concious times even the sub had had a makeover cue the HTB2SE-W from UK speaker maker KEF.

It has two key features; its design, it looks like a mini flying saucer and the fact that it is wireless so you really can site it anywhere in a room.

It is due next month, features a 250W Class-D amplifier that powers a 10inch driver and boasts something called a Smartbass control for when you really want to feel those low frequencies. Price will be in the region of £800,

The WSJ blog has just gone live with the news that micro blogging powerhouse Twitter is close to securing a deal for a further $100 million of funding. It claims that the investors group includes 'mutual fund giant T. Rowe Price and private-equity firm Insight Venture Partners.'

There are two interesting parts to this story

1 What does that mean Twitter is worth now?

According to WSJ that makes Twitter with its 20 million or so users, worth a nice round $1 billion. Not bad for a company that hasn't yet made any money or indeed said how it intends to make money. For reference sake Facebook, which has around 300 million users, is apparently worth around $15 billion

2 Why does it need more money?

Well given its surge in traffic over the last year Twitter is obviously using a lot of expensive bandwidth. I guess that the next round of finance too will come with strings attached which will see Twitter's execs having to implement monetisation plans. So far the team has mumbled about plans for advertising and premium services for busineses. Now it appears to be cards on the table time. I bet we see some hot shot sales execs in that team very soon.

Motorola has today unveiled exactly what type of apps will be accompanying its new and highly anticipated Google Android smartphone the CLIQ, or the DEXT as us Brits will know it.

And you know what, the list looks pretty impressive. Annoyingly though it looks much more impressive in the US than it does in the UK. Ok so we get the basics; Google features plus LastFM, Facebook, Amazon's MP3 Store, Imeem, Ministry of Sound, Photobucket, Picasa and ShazamID. There's also Quick Office, which you have pay for on some handsets,

Bizarrely though unlike the US CLIQ there's no Twitter client - I guess you choose your own from the Android Market - and also Mint and the highly useful TeleNav Navigator both of which feature on the CLIQ.

As you probably know the phone will be on sale in mid October via Orange and we can't wait to get our hands on one.

There has been a pretty big kerfuffle stateside today over the launch of the IREX DR800SG ereader. Gizmodo has shed loads on the device here including a hands on and loads of pics.

However there is some interesting news for us Europeans. According to the blog the device will be reaching our shores very soon too. What makes this interesting is that unlike the models on sale in the UK from the likes of Sony and COOL-ER, the IREX DR800SG has on board 3G. So in theory you could download Pride and Prejudice while on the bus. Even more useful though would be a an integrated web browser so if your book got a little boring you could always pep up your journey with a website or two. Maybe next year for that one.

The specs look pretty good with the IREX DR800SG sporting an 8.1inch screen, two Gigabytes of storage, memory card expansion and a stylus input. It is black and white at the moment thought the company says it will launch a colour version next year.

It will sell in the US for $399 which would make it a bit pricier than the COOL-ER on a direct exchange over here.

The dark horse in the ereader race is of course Eee Book reader from Asus which has two screens, integrated 3G and Wi-Fi, a webcam, Skype and loads more. It is slated to go on sale before Christmas. We shouldn't forget that the Amazon Kindle ought to be on its way soon too.

Mmm tasteful. If you do fancy turning your mobile phone into a tribute to the king of pop there's always this case. On the positive side the picture is very detailed and looks like Jacko in his late 80s prime. It is made of hard shell plastic and the maker reckons it could withstand a knock or two. Yours for the very competitive $5.99.

Via Chip Chick

Over at Gizmodo there are pictures of what it claims are two of Microsoft's 'Pink' phones. No that's not the colour of the phone, it's the secret code name. Well, not so secret anymore - but we wonder how long the pictures will remain there before someone at Microsoft asks them, and now us, to remove them.

The fact that Microsoft has been working on a phone to rival the iPhone has been widely reported for the last few months. The idea is that the handset would be based on the Zune and would have its own app store. How very original.

Pictured are two of Microsoft's 'pink' phones, codenamed "Turtle" and "Pure".
One of the pictured devices (The Turtle) resembles the chubby, ovoid, Palm Pre while the Pure - which looks more like an HTC device - comes with a keyboard and a decent-looking screen.

Via Gizmodo

From Vodafone comes a new suite of internet services for mobile phone and PC connectivity that will enable users to access communities, entertainment and personal favourites (music, games, photos and videos etc.) all in one place.

Similar to services already offered by other mobile phone operators, such as Orange's Social Life package, Vodafone 360 works across a range of mobile phones, including the new, exclusive Vodafone 360 phones and syncs automatically with your PC.

At its heart, Vodafone 360 offers a personal address book - Vodafone People - which brings together all your contacts from the mobile phone, social networks and other internet accounts. At launch Vodafone 360 will work with Facebook, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk. It will also soon be compatible with Twitter, Hyves and studiVZ.

Two tailor-made Vodafone 360 mobile handsets, manufactured by Samsung, have been designed to give the best customer experience of the services including the unique 3D contacts display, driven by Vodafone's 'proximity algorithm' which brings the most frequently contacted people closer to the front.

US iPod accessories company Griffin Technology has announced what it claims is the first-available FM transmitter with an iPhone/Touch application for additional control.

Users connect the iTrip to their iPhone or iPod Touch running iPhone OS 3.0, open the app, and are greeted with a large display showing tuning controls and a SmartScan button. Three preset options are present and programmable, and a settings screen allows for adjustment of SmartSound EQ and mono/stereo broadcast modes.

Says Paul Griffin, creator of iTrip, founder and CEO of Griffin Technology: "iTrip has defined the iPod accessory industry since its release seven years ago. Now with app integration, iTrip represents the latest FM transmitter technologies and best user interface available anywhere."

The iTrip is available at Apple Stores from October for £39.99. iTrip Controller is now available as a free download from the iTunes App store.

Key iTrip features:
* Broadcasts music, podcasts and audio books to any nearby FM radio
* Displays track and artist information on RDS-compatible radios
* Backlit graphic LCD display is easy to read in any light
* Large menu button allows easy fingertip navigation of menus
* Griffin's SmartScan technology automates setup and operation by instantly finding the best available frequency in any locale
* Users can save up to 3 presets for easy recall
* Choose between stereo and mono transmission for best signal
* Toggle SmartSound EQ adjustment on or off
* Transport controls allow track changes directly from the iTrip
* Micro-USB port for charging any USB-powered iPod or iPhone from any compatible charger, including Griffin's classic PowerBlock or PowerJolt.

Buy Griffin products at Amazon

Well it took them so long that we were beginning to think that it wasn't giong to happen, but O2 has this morning finally confirmed that the Pre, Palm's popular smartphone, will go on sale in the UK in three weeks time.

The Pre has done brisk business since its launch in the US in early summer, eben though the company itself has been dogged by a falling share price and rumours of an imminent take over by another manufacturer (Nokia is the favourite).

The device is free to O2 customers taking out a 24-month contract and to customers taking an 18-month contract at £44.05 or £73.41 per month. O2 is also throwing in unlimited UK data browsing over its HSDPA network and unlimited access to 7,500 Wi-Fi hotspots.

It will also be available on current O2 business tariffs as a monthly bolt on, with the device available for free to account holders on all business tariffs from £30.91on a 24 or 36-month contract.

The phone will be on sale via O2, the Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and Business partners. It will also be available for purchase online from the O2 shop at www.o2.co.uk/shop.

Ronan Dunne, CEO of Telefonica O2 UK said "Today's announcement reinforces O2's position as the home of the smartphone. With the addition of the excellent Palm Pre to our already extensive portfolio, we will continue to offer our customers the widest range of the very best devices on the market today."

"There's a lot of excitement about Palm Pre in Europe as we continue to expand Palm webOS products across new carriers and countries," said Jon Rubinstein chairman and chief executive officer, Palm, Inc. "We look forward to launching Palm Pre with O2 so people in the UK can see firsthand how Palm webOS offers a new and better smartphone experience."

Here's how it fares against rivals like the iPhone and Nokia N97

An opinion on Palm here

It has been a while since we had a new mobile phone network in the UK so I think there will be a lot of excitement around giffgaff, a new operator which will debuting some time before Christmas.

The network is billing itself as people powered and says it has some unique features.
It works completely online, has one single tariff for data and voice and it doesn't sell handsets so subscribers can use any mobile they want. The company also claims that the more a person gets involved in the company then the cheaper their calls become. There's no firm details on pricing plans yet.

In fact ee don't know a great deal else about the service except that it will use O2's network- so in theory it could be compatible with the iPhone - and it will apparently be driven by feedback from its users.

And in case you were wondering giffgaff was originally a Scottish expression - You give me something, I give you something back.

It'll be fascinating to see how the service evolves and whether they make their Christmas launch deadline.