This only works if you’ve a contract with free minutes

Most mobile phone providers in the UK still charge their users for calls to 0800, 0808 and 0500 numbers. 0800Buster lets you call these numbers using your mobile’s inclusive minutes, by providing you with a UK landline number to dial instead.

Or try Skycom’s 0800 Wizard App for iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Hat Tip: Money Saving Expert.

More than 50 applications available via the official Android Marketplace have been found to contain a virus.

Analysis suggests that the booby-trapped apps may have been downloaded up to 200,000 times.

The malicious apps were copies of existing applications, such as games, that had been repackaged to include the virus code.

All the apps found to contain the malicious code have now been removed from the Android Marketplace. BBC.

So looks like I need to either stop download apps from the market place or get anti-virus for my phone – but how do I know the anti-virus software on the market place isn’t infected – catch 22 isn’t it?

Nokia has joined forces with Microsoft in an attempt to regain ground lost to the iPhone and Android-based devices.

The deal will see Nokia use the Windows phone operating system for its smartphones, the company said.

It means that Nokia’s existing operating systems will be sidelined. BBC.

So Nokia’s response to its awful smartphone operating system Symbian is to replace it with the next worse thing Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system – well that’s going to be a winner isn’t it? Talk about making it difficult for yourself.

Goodbye Nokia it was fun whilst it lasted but I for one, like many others won’t be purchasing another of your phones.

“Following a further review of our policy, these changes will now be introduced from 1st February, to new and upgrading customer’s only – not existing customers. There will be no change to the data packages for existing customers for the duration of their contract and we apologise for any confusion caused. The revision to the FUP is designed to ensure an improved quality of service for all mobile internet users.” Lisa Hardy, VP of T-mobile.

T-mobile could certainly have handled the changes better – or is it a marketing ploy to get a load of new customers before the 1st February?

T-Mobile has slashed the amount of data customers can consume on their handsets.

The company said the move was necessary to provide “a better experience for all our customers who use internet on their phone”.

The monthly allowance for most has gone down from 1GB (gigabyte) to 500 MB (megabytes). BBC.

One of the reasons for choosing T-Mobile was their bandwidth allowance so can we cancel our contracts or at the very least get some money back?

The number of phones which use Google’s Android operating system has been rising rapidly, challenging established rivals.

Android was on 25% of all phones sold worldwide during July, August and September, overtaking Microsoft Windows Mobile and Apple’s iOS.

Last year, the equivalent figure was 3.5%. BBC.

If you’ve not got a Samsung Galaxy S phone then this will be of little interest.

THE MYTHICAL Android 2.2 update for Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones has once again been delayed.

Samsung issued a press release last week promising that its update to Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ would be released this week. But now it has chosen a less formal medium to announce that the update has been delayed until “early November”.

The news gets worse, with the firm saying that all operator versions will be available by the end of November. It is not clear why Samsung has delayed the release of Android 2.2, but the latest delay will frustrate users who have repeatedly been promised an update only for their hopes to be dashed. Lawrence Latif, The Inquirer.

And as Latif also points out

Samsung’s further delay to operator customised versions provides fodder for Microsoft and Apple when they criticise Google’s Android operating system. Microsoft in particular has been arguing that Android is far from free, with phone manufacturers and operators having to spend money to customise it to their needs. Apple CEO and spinmeister Steve Jobs recently attacked Android as fragmented.

While customers might not care how much money operators spend on branding Android, if it leads to repeated delays, and limitations on the software that users can run due to varying versions among handsets, then the shine on the Android operating system might start to tarnish. Lawrence Latif, The Inquirer.

Google need to get to grips with Android – six months is a long time to wait for an upgrade.

Sadly it’s not that good – no video calls, and that’s what we love about Skype – in fact why release Skype for Android without it? If like me you own a Samsung Galaxy S then you’re out of luck altogether – in fact I’d pretty much forget Skype’s Android App full stop there are better options available for straight forward phone calls.

Orange and T-Mobile to offer customers access to both networks at no extra cost as first benefit of newly merged company Everything Everywhere Orange and T-Mobile customers invited to sign-up to get access to both networks to make calls and send texts in more places in the UK for no extra cost. Everything Everywhere.

You have to register which is a pain but as it’s free there’s no reason not to. T-mobile customers got to http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/share and Orange customers got to http://www.orange.co.uk/share to register.

Mobile phone companies make their tariffs as complex as they can in the hope that we’ll choose the wrong tariff and end up paying more than we need, there’s also plenty of web sites claiming to find us the best tariff, but they’re interested in commission – so what to do?

Ofcom today said BillMonitor was awarded its price accreditation scheme logo after meeting the terms of a rigorous independent audit, which checks whether information given to consumers is accessible, accurate, transparent, comprehensive and up to date. Miles Brignall, The Guardian.

Now we know where to go to find the best deal.