One of UK’s largest online retailers, eXpansys, has announced that they will be offering the Acer Stream smart phone this coming August 9. The device is expected to bring in a new era of Acer devices.

While the Liquid series of Android smart phones from Acer was quite interesting, no other device from the computer manufacturer is as compellingly engrossing as the Stream. And by engrossed, we mean it in both the hardware and the form factor. The handset itself simply looks good –a definite first for Acer. While the beTouch and Liquid devices were decent smart phones, the Stream is a solid notch above all the rest. The phone’s form factor, color and texture give it a balance in design that is hard to deny.

Specs wise, the Stream matches up nicely with the Google Nexus One and the HTC Desire. The phone also packs a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, a 5 mega pixel camera, plenty of internal storage, the Android operating system (according to reports, will come loaded with Android 2.1 Éclair. An update to 2.2 Froyo is expected to be made available soon), support for GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, microSD cards and more. Basically, it’s the whole smart phone package.

Acer is also going to feature the Acer Touch 3D user interface. With the handset’s 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, running the graphics and effects on the handset will be a breeze.

With several Android devices already available on the market, Acer’s latest offering is a testament to how influential the Google operating system has become. It is expected that several more Android smart phone will be released before the end of the year, making this year the most prolific in terms of the number of Android devices released within the period.

In what seems to be a region isolated case, UK network subscribers are having trouble with their iPhone devices. Apparently, even when the device’s data roaming features have been manually switched off, it still manages to access roaming services when outside of the UK and thus, causes excess amounts to appear on subscriber’s bills.

The exact causes of the issue and the nature of the problem is being kept strictly under wraps, with no representatives from either Apple or the network operators willing to step forward to comment on the issue. The only good thing here is that networks are already aware of the problem and most will be willing to refund overcharged data roaming charges. As for users who have not paid the billed amounts, they can bring up the matter with their network in order to have the charges fixed.

So far, similar reports are not being reported in other countries so it is hard to determine if this is a problem with the iPhone itself or the UK networks. Since the case does not seem present for other mobile phones, it can be assumed that the problem lies with the combination of having an Apple iPhone and being a UK subscriber. Some believe that the case is also more based on the iPhone OS itself, as no specific model of the iPhone is mentioned.

As always, for UK subscribers travelling outside the country, regardless of network and mobile device used, they are advised to ensure that their data and roaming settings are properly set prior to leaving the country. There is currently a cap for roaming data that would allow subscribers to keep the charges at a low rate. Those who will need more web access may opt to have the cap removed. It is best to consult with your network operator regarding any other special arrangements that can be made.

Apple has started the iPhone 4 free bumper program and the Cupertino based company has come up with a very interesting way of distributing the cases; everything will be done through a downloadable application.

According to Apple, the system has been made in order to prevent users from committing fraud. The special iPhone app will connect directly to user’s iTunes accounts and will show if they are eligible for the free iPhone 4 bumper offer. For those who have not taken up Apple’s offer, now is a great time to get the app and sign up for the free casing. Those who have already purchased a bumper from the official iPhone store will be happy to know that the amount has already been returned to their credit cards.

For those wondering why Apple is giving out free bumpers, this is because that is currently the only solution that the company can offer the 1.7 million iPhone 4 owners. Reports indicate that the Apple iPhone 4 is suffering from a design flaw that leaves a portion of the antenna exposed to human touch. When this part is touched by the hand or a finger, the phone completely loses signal strength and calls get cut off. Sadly, the phone was designed in such a way that the exposed portion is most likely to be touched when the user is holding the device close to their ear with the left hand.

Apple, in an attempt to divert attention to the actual problem, gave varying excuses regarding mobile phone technology. Their argument was that other handsets also lose signal strength when the antenna is touch. This was countered by various mobile phone manufacturers, stating that other phones have been designed in a way that the antenna would not be touched automatically, and even if users did, the signal drop would not be so bad as to actually drop calls.

There are certainly plenty of big advantages to working for one of the biggest companies in the whole world, especially when they are also the same developers of the most widely used operating system for desktop and laptop computers. Just for example: Microsoft is going to give out free smart phones to all of its employees.

Now, we have yet to get the full scoop on this little tidbit of news, which means that nobody has any idea one what the scope and limits for the giveaway will be. Obviously, Steve Ballmer’s teams are already getting the handset, and so will everyone who is associated with working on the operating system as well.

But as for the rest of the company, it is hard to imagine how Microsoft will be able to distribute so many devices internally –though they easily have the resources for it. It is estimated that the amount could cost anywhere from 1 to 2 million Pounds (about 2-4 million USD).

Anyway, the Windows Phone 7 OS has already been given out to many developers –bringing the device to its official technical phase. Initial reactions to the new OS are both promising and disconcerting. The UI and performance is said to be top notch, and while the new layout seems a little to experimental for some, it is fully functional, responsive and runs smoother than any other OS in the market.

The big issue that many folks are having is with the integration of Facebook into the handset. The OS apparently comes without any actual contacts page –the people page is the only list that users will get and it basically combines all contacts into a single listing.

Consolidated phone books are one thing, but for people who like to keep their phone and Facebook contacts separate, this can prove to be a serious issue. Also, having several thousand Facebook friends (surprisingly, many people do) will clog up the people page so badly that browsing through the list becomes a troublesome task.

It seems that Apple is incapable of making a simple announcement without getting plenty of people riled up. After all, the only thing substantial that Steve Jobs had to say was that Apple would be giving out free cases for the iPhone 4 and that they would not be able to provide bumpers for everyone so users will be given a choice among a range of cases. Those who have already bought a Bumper will be given a refund.

If Apple left it at that, they would be criticized a little for taking so long to announce such a simple non-solution. But it would have ended with that. Instead, Apple is now taking heavy criticism for taking 22 days just to decide on that, and come up with a large overdrawn presentation on why they are not at fault and that the entire industry is suffering from the same problem.

Fortunately for the tech industry, other companies also have a voice. With the Samsung Omnia 2, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and HTC Droid Eris being directly mentioned in the presentation, it was not surprising that RIM was among the very first companies to speak out.

Canadian based Research in Motion announced that the BlackBerry Bold 9700, and all BB devices did not need to have a casing to run properly. Samsung’s spokesperson also stated that their devices have antennas located in positions where it would not come into contact with the user (which compromises performance).

Last to speak up was HTC, represented by their chief financial officer Hui-Meng Cheng. According to him, “The reception problems are certainly not common among smart phones, (Apple) apparently didn’t give operators enough time to test the phone.”

It will be a while before Apple recovers from this major public blunder, in the meanwhile, all three handsets mentioned above are actually pretty good smart phones to switch to if you plan to refund your iPhone 4. Unfortunately, the HTC Droid Eris isn’t available in the UK, but the HTC Desire or HTC Wildfire are equally good alternatives if you’re interested in trying out an HTC Android device.

Apple has officially announced that they would be giving out free cases to all iPhone 4 users. For those who have already bought a case for their iPhone 4, a refund will be available.

Now, for those of you who are still hoping to be able use the iPhone 4 without the added bulk of a casing just so a finger does not accidentally touch the unfortunately placed exposed antenna on the edge, there are actually several solutions that are available.

Some users have resorted to applying a small coating of nail polish on the area. Apparently, the solution does not interfere with the signal of the handset. Others opted for more conventional measures and applied a small strip of tape to the edge of the phone –resourceful yes, but most types of tape are not designed to be used in such a way.

This is where the Etsy Antenna-aid comes in. Basically, this is a band-aid for the iPhone 4 antenna. The vinyl sticker is tough, durable and is a suitable material for sticking on the side of the iPhone (it matters a lot when you slide the phone in an out of a pocket –a regular strip of tape might get peeled off slowly). The designs are also pretty nice. Sticking with the band-aid theme, the adhesive vinyl strips look like band aids that fit just right on the iPhone.

Manufacturer Etsy is also having fun with the marketing of this ingenious product as well, poking fun at both Apple and the antenna issue (the ad references the retina display and of course, the use of the term “magical”).

Naturally, Etsy is not making any solid promises; the Antenna-aid as advertised states that it “may improve signal performance”. The iPhone 4 accessory is now available online directly from the Etsy online store.

Well, it is not really over yet. After all, the most that the public got on Friday was that Apple is willing to give out free cases; they also know that the antenna has problems, but they are still not willing to admit that the iPhone 4’s antenna problems are so severe that it needs a real solution.

In short, Apple still wants to get away from this situation with the least possible amount of damage.

What would have been better was for Apple to just admit the situation outright, and present their users with a viable solution options. While it is nice to have a free case (which would, in a way, allow users to use the device with less problems), and the option to have the phone refunded, that still leaves people who want to be able to use the iPhone with no need for a case.

Apple has managed to forget that they have other options to offer as well. The company cannot offer a recall, but they should at least be able to offer a discounted antenna repair program. This will still be a burden on their customers, but at least the problem would be solved directly (as opposed to the free case, which is basically a temporary fix).

Another solution would be to offer a major rebate that would offset the value of having a phone that keeps dropping calls. Because as impressive as apps, multi tasking, FaceTime and other side features can be, the bottom line is that the iPhone is still a phone, and a phone that cannot handle calls properly is a product that is never worth the full price.

One other thing that Apple needs to look at is their PR. Steve admits they do not have a “wall of PR to shield them (Steve and company)”. Steve needs to hire PR, not for themselves, but for their customers.

It is actually misleading to say that the iOS 4.0.1 update is not working, after all, it actually does change some of the colors for the Apple Games center and users will actually see a significant change in the way the signal meter is displayed.

After the update is installed, the handset would rarely ever show a full signal bar, and more often than not, the signal strength would be shown several bars lower than usual. Since the meter is often at the halfway mark, the lower bars (the first two) are not shown is slightly larger images in order to emphasize the new graphic.

In that regard the update works: it does what it is supposed to do. However, Apple also created version 4.0.1 as a means to solve the issue with the antenna –show the world that the signal is low and thus, they are prone to getting a voice call cut off short. This is not something that Apple could ever hope to fix with a software update, not now, not ever. After all, when the problem lies with the hardware itself, it would take something material to change the situation.

It has already been confirmed that the iPhone 4’s antenna problem could be fixed by simply having a protective case. This will ensure that the devices’ exposed antenna does not come in direct contact with human skin and prevent the signal from being lost. At the same time, there are users who would resort to more creative techniques such as applying a covering over the exposed antenna area (some of these include small strips of tape to applying a layer of nail polish on the handset).

Unless Apple gives out free cases or actually recalls all the devices, then it is unlikely that they would ever be able to give a viable solution.

For those who are already subscribing to an existing plan or contract, there are several considerations and rules that should be understood. From the monthly fees to the cut off rates, users need to understand what usage patterns would cause their bill to grow.

More importantly, it is also important that existing network clients are made aware of the features and services of the network that they are under. Information regarding area coverage and signal strength should be openly and freely given to any user.

Mobile network operator O2 is on a crusade to promote transparency between mobile network operators and the consumers.

Smart phone technology is growing, and each year more and more people find themselves relying on handsets more and desktop computer less. In this day and age, network operators are expected to deliver more than just one service: calls and the internet. Thanks to the development of 3G technology, giving net access to users has become easier, but it certainly is a lot more complicated.

Rates, charges, and even the cancellation of contracts all entail things that even regular users are not fully familiar with. O2 UK stresses that the average plan holder does not know the termination and cancellation policies that are being used.

Of course, calling for change is one thing, but action is another.

O2 has already taken the initiative when it comes to their services. In fact, for any user who is unhappy or dissatisfied in any way regarding O2’s services, they can have the plan or contract cancelled instantly. Users will then receive a full refund with no questions asked.

Supporting the Communication Consumer Panel, O2 has been able to provide users with plenty of important information regarding plans and tariffs –pushing for other networks to offer better cancellation options for users should existing network conditions prove to be hostile.

If there is one thing that we now know from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference it is that most of the folks in MS share the excitement and enthusiasm that Steve Ballmer has regarding Windows Phone 7, and that a wide range of other upcoming Microsoft services are going to make the whole deal a lot sweeter for all end users. When Ballmer stated that they would have plenty to be proud of, he was not kidding.

The Windows Phone 7 already brings a lot to the table. From the new Bing search engine (which is slowly proving to be quite the competition for Google’s search engine) to the inclusion of Zune, WP7 promises plenty of new features that are dedicated to making everything more accessible to users. The new OS will also have the Xbox Live Games services, the MSN player, Silverlight, the XNA engine and plenty of other unannounced features.

Microsoft is not just stopping with the OS, they also have several supporting services that will be launched such as the Windows Phone Live service which allows users to easily back up files online for free (which is a much better deal than the Apple MobileMe paid service).

The Beta versions of the development tools for Windows Phone 7 have also been launched as well as trial versions of the handset running the new MS OS have been given out to specific groups for testing.

Microsoft stated that the app support for the new OS has been overwhelming and that they are excited about the platform’s launch. Considering that Microsoft has been pretty generous to app developers –to a point of even offering cash incentives for some, it is pretty much important that WP7 still manages to come out with plenty of great app support.

With the new OS expected to come out this coming September, many smart phone hopefuls are keeping a tight control on their budget for the release of the first Windows Phone 7 handsets.