giffgaff, the new "people-powered" mobile network, is set to launch on 25th November.

In a novel approach to mobile network operating, users who go out of their way help promote the service will be rewarded with free calls, texts and mobile broadband. You scratch giffgaff's back and they will scratch yours, so to speak.

To help in this process, giffgaff users can hire "tools" to take out and use to introduce the world to the giffgaff brand. They are pretty wacky; radio controlled baseball shoes, a three-person "Cuddle Monster" suit for handing out hugs. Users upload videos making use of the crazy gear, and are then rewarded by becoming a V.I.G member (a Very Important Giffgaffer), eligible then for all the freebies.

There is even a cash reward of £5,000 for the best videos uploaded.

For more information, check out http://giffgaffnews.com/

Sony Ericsson will be shutting down four facilities, resulting in the loss of as many as 2,000 jobs, it has been revealed today.

The large Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and smaller sites in Miami, Kista and Chennai are the facilities under threat.

Those whose jobs are to be axed are yet to be announced, though severance packages will be offered to those who qualify. There is no word on whether the remaining employees will be relocated to facilities in Atlanta or Redwood Shores, California.

Sony Ericsson have been flailing since the smartphone race really took off, with their first Android device shipping way behind the pack at some point in 2010.

Looking for some cool new apps to pop onto your brand-spanking new Blackberry Storm 2, but can't afford to dip too deep into your wallet? Then here are 3 top-notch apps that you can download, totally for free, each with the Tech Digest seal of approval.

7 Digital

With 7 Digital you can browse the latest charts and preview tracks, then pick your favourites and download DRM-free MP3's straight to your smartphone. 7 Digital also lets you integrate playlists you've already set up and MP3's you already own with an advanced media player, letting you take your whole music collection on the go. Who need's iTunes, eh?
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/3310

Viigo

Viigo gives one click access to news, weather, entertainment features, live sports scores, cinema listings, Twitter and lots more in an intuitive UI designed specifically for the Blackberry Storm 2. It's simple to use and is a great way of tracking loads of information at once, removing the need to tap in URLs or navigate web browsers.
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/558

Windows Live Messenger

Just like its desktop namesake, Windows Live Messenger lets you chat in real-time with your contacts. Taking Messenger on the go is great for arranging meet-ups with friends, and quickly lets you access information like addresses or email details.
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/687

For more apps, check out http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/.

Tech Crunch have pooled together some pretty convincing evidence to suggest that Google may be launching their own branded phone by the beginning of next year.

Based on information gathered from numerous insider sources, Tech Crunch are happy to confirm that:

• Goole will sell the phone directly themselves and through retailers.
• The Google phone will be manufactured by an established phone manufacturer, with Samsung or LG the most likely to take up the task.
• Google will have total control over the design of the phone, with a "no compromise" approach to their Android OS.
• There will be a big advertising push for the device around January, perhaps signalling a Spring release.

It's still not much to go on, but it certainly does fan the flames of the Google phone fire once more.

Via: Tech Crunch

Orange have today announced a new partnership with Twitter, which will see it's users able to upload Tweets by sending standard SMS messages without the need for any special software..

Tweet-uploading text messages will either come as part of a users contract, or will be charged at the standard text messaging rate. Tweet alerts will be free, while users will be able to upload photos via MMS through their contracts for 30p per message.

Twitter will now join Facebook, Myspace and Bebo as part of Orange's Social Life service, an internet portal allowing users to access all four social networking sites from one place.

Mark Watts Jones, Head of Product Management for Orange UK, said: "We've seen over the last year how Twitter is transforming the dynamics of real-time search and breaking news. So we're delighted to extend the value of the service by bringing it to mobile, enabling our customers to view and update their Twitter streams and giving them the unique ability to upload photos directly via MMS."

Orange mobile users should visit Orange World from their mobile handset to find out more.

OnLive's cloud gaming service looks set to work on mobile phones as well as PCs and laptops, according to CEO Steve Perlman.

At a financial conference in New York, Perlman showed the service running not only on a TV and PC, but also simultaneously on two iPhones.

OnLive works in a similar way to cloud computing. Users choose and sync with a game from an online database, which is then rendered remotely by a ridiculously powerful machine. Gamers then remotely control the game, with the server sending back only the video of what is being played. Therefore a user's hardware can be relatively weak and still be used for high quality gaming, provided they have a fast and stable internet connection.

Perlman did admit that playing high-end PC games on a mobile handset may be too ambitious for the foreseeable future however, but was keen to promote the social elements of OnLive that would be available to mobile phone users.

"We have further development to do, and we need approvals from some cell phone makers before we can release OnLive to the public. So, for now, OnLive on a cell phone is only a technology demo."

A demo it may be for the time being, but it's certainly interesting to see OnLive stretching its legs out in the handheld and mobile market. Here's hoping, hey?

Samsung have today officially unveiled the Galaxy Spica i5700, a cheaper alternative to the company's previous Galaxy model.

The Android-based Galaxy Spica i5700 features an 800Mhz app processor and integrated connectivity with Google mobile services and a range of social networking sites including Facebook and Myspace.

The handset will feature a 3.5mm headphone jack and will be no more than 13.2mm thick.

Perhaps the most notable inclusion will be DivX support, an Android first, which should certainly help video compatibility across different formats on the Galaxy Spica.

Samsungs Galaxy Spica i5700 is available across Europe now.