The team talk with Chris Caudle from the IMPDA about the future of the independent dealer. There is also a review of the the Sagem my150X and a rant from Mobile News Ian White about an over the top press Nokia press release.

To cap it all off Iain Graham and the team take a light hearted look at all the latest headlines affecting the mobile industry. So dont miss out listen to the latest edition of the Mobile News podcast by clicking here.

Currys has decided to open the new zones in 550 stores after successful trials in its Manchester White City and Bournemouth stores. The zones will open in August and will initially only stock 3 tariffs but the group hopes to introduce packages from other network providers in the near future.

The size of the zones will vary in size in each store starting from three metres and going up to 29 metres. Stores that have larger zones will also stock a full range of other digital services for the home including TV and broadband subscriptions from Sky and Virgin Media.

Currys head of trading communications Jon Lyngra said: The communications zones are designed to offer great clarity and value for customers. The tariff guides are ultra-transparent and fair with a range of options to suit any customer.

The convergence of so many devices and the rapid emergence of new technologies create exciting possibilities for our customers. As market leaders we are uniquely placed to offer great advice and the right solution for each customer with the widest possible choice straightforward pricing and hands-on access to technology supported by a team of Currys experts.

The results were boosted by the release of 33 new handsets from a variety of Symbian licenses including the Motorola Z8 Nokia 6110 Navigator and Nokia 5700 XpressMusic.

Symbian also revealed that it has now sold 145 million cumulative smartphone units worldwide.

Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford said: We feel that the rise in popularity of smartphones the proliferation of affordable high-speed data networks and the innovation which companies are showing on open mobile platforms should see us extending our 14 quarters of growth into the future.

We are in the right market at the right time with the right product.

The new devices will make the service 10 times faster than the original 3G service that was launched in 2004.

From September 3 Vodafone customers can benefit from quicker laptop connectivity speeds by purchasing either a new plug and go USB Modem or a next-generation ExpressCard. Prices for both products start from £49 and come with an 18-month contract.

Vodafone will upgrade its mobile broadband network to support download speeds of up to 7.2MB. But initially only customers located in central London and major UK airports will able to access optimal speeds. The operator will offer typical speeds of 1.7MB to 5.5MB to customers in all other areas.

Vodafone UK enterprise business unit director Kyle Whitehill said: More than ever the speed of our Mobile Broadband service is helping people make work work around them wherever they are.

These devices are fast but they are also future-proofed – they are ready for our new upgraded network and they are ready for the latest PCs or laptops.

The deal covers 5500 voice and 3000 data connections mainly used for the AAs breakdown service fleet in the UK.

The initial agreement was signed in July 2006 and general manager for business sales Ben Dowd said the four-year extension will see O2 ramp up its data services to the AA.

McNeil whose position was based at the companys Dubai headquarters said he had personal reasons for leaving.

Trevor Mais will act as finance director until a replacement is found. McNeil who joined i-mate in January will remain in the job until September.

Its new £12.7 million site in Hayes Middlesex will increase its warehouse resources significantly he said. Unique has purchased two warehouses side-by-side at the Hayes site.

I cant see anything that will stop us from getting involved with any distribution deal said Tow. These are exciting times for Unique. Theres just over 100 warehouse staff at the company at present and the new warehouses will be able to hold 160 workstations. That shows our long-term plan to expand the business.

Unique is expected to announce a significant handset fulfilment deal in the coming weeks following its move from its present site in Abingdon. Unique will also move its sales function headed up by Jolyon Bennett from Abingdon to Hayes.

IT and telecommunications equipment will be fitted into the new offices next month. Two weeks of testing will follow before the move is made permanent.

Designed as a showcase for its premium consumer products it will feature blue Nokia signage with floor and ceiling in silver birch. There will also be LCD screens displaying Nokia brand messages and product advertising.

Nokia said it will stock live working demo versions of all its handsets. The interactive LCD screens will also offer customer advice on each product. In addition the store will range Nokias luxury product line Vertu.

Samsung launched its new E590 prepay handset which has a threemegapixel camera in Carphone Warehouse earlier this month. The E590 candybar has a metallic finish and 70MB of internal memory.

Samsung is looking to hike its UK market share from 23 per cent to 25 per cent by the end of the year with a fuller prepay range.

This year we have been strong in prepay said Samsung UK head of channel marketing Susan Land. High end premium contract phones are still a focus but we need to make sure were strong in the prepay sector leading up to Christmas.

Meanwhile dealers reported strong sales of Samsungs U600 handset which includes a 3.2-megapixel camera. Intek managing director Manny Hussain reported demand had outrun supply. He said: Sales have been down generally but the U600 has sold well. It has been the standout handset and there have been some stock shortages.

Future Mobiles proprietor Antony Nathanson added: Its a big seller. The only other mass market handsets that compare to it for camera quality are the Nokia N73 and Sony Ericsson K810i and consumers prefer the design of the U600.

At the same time LG Mobile UK sales director John Barton said the forthcoming 5.1-megapixel cameraphone the LG KU990 Viewty will trump similarly specced handsets from rival manufacturers.

It is a touchscreen handset and introduces the worlds first 120fps video recording feature on a cameraphone.

Five-megapixel cameraphones are already available in the form of the Samsung G600 and the Sony Ericssons K850i.

But Barton said: The KU990 will defeat rival devices by virtue of all its other features.

He acknowledged the five-megapixel handset LG launched on 3 in the UK last year the LG U990 had failed to hit the mark.

It shows that as a challenger brand you cant always make [such ambitious devices] stick in peoples mind he said.

LGs new prepay devices are the KE500 KG290 KG130 and KG275. The KE500 has a 2MP camera and the KG290 a 1.3MP camera.

All will be available for less than £100.

Samsung is pitching the F210 as an affordable prepay music phone to 16-24 year-olds.

Samsung UK head of channel marketing Susan Land said the F210 was Samsungs key music device for the Christmas quarter.

The F210 builds on the old Blush handset with a stronger metallic casing. Samsung has also scrapped the old condensed keypad from the X830 in favour of a conventional keypad after complaints the X830 was cumbersome to use.

It also features a jog wheel to select music tracks FM radio 1GB internal memory memory card slot and two-megapixel camera.

It will be available from all retailers and networks in October with colour exclusives to follow.