Well, it certainly looks like it.

Some people in the mobile phone industry are predicting that iPhone 5 could even be launched as early as the middle of next month.

Websites like Slashgear have mentioned that Apple seem to be looking to increase their staffing levels from August until October in the UK. There are also reports over in the States that Apple are on a bit of a recruitment drive for this autumn.

Such hiring behaviour could just be seasonal since loads of students tend to buy mobile phones at the end of the summer holidays before the start of a new term.

But the tone of some of the job advertisements suggests that the increase in staffing levels could be a little more out of the ordinary. One job advert asked for iPhone sales staff for an ‘exciting project’ between the middle of August and the end of October.

Not only are we left guessing about the launch date of iPhone 5, there are lots of conflicting stories about what the mobile phone will be like. Some sources say that it is going to be pretty much the same as iPhone 4, but other commentators are suggesting a larger display and a completely different look.

Keep your eyes on the E4S Mobile Phone blog for more updates on this iPhone 5 story.

Are you in the market for an iPhone? Are you going to wait and try to get a good mobile phone deal on the iPhone 5? Or are you looking to compare mobile phone prices for current iPhones? You can check out our latest iPhone 4 offers now – or browse through all of our mobile phone deals to find the offer you are looking for.

It’s only just the beginning, but Samsung have partnered with Orange and Barclaycard so that shoppers can pay for their goods with their mobile phone.

The Samsung Tocco has become the very first mobile phone which can use the ‘wave and pay’ technology to check out with items up to the value of £15.

It’s very similar to other forms of payment such as contactless credit cards – but paying for goods with your mobile phone has a few advantages over the credit card. First of all, you have to remember to take your credit card out with you.

But second, and much more importantly, because of the data connection on a phone such as the Samsung Tocco, there is even more security than a credit card. Although, there is still the £15 limit at the moment, it looks highly likely that you’ll be able to use your mobile phone for more expensive items if you enter a PIN. And, you can expect that the £15 baseline will rise steadily over time as more providers come into the market for mobile phone wave and pay technology.

So, it looks like the Samsung Tocco on Orange could be just the thin end of the wedge for mobile phone payment. But will it mean that real money will fall out of circulation? Probably not for a long time….

Would you use your mobile phone to pay for stuff? Are you in the market for a Samsung Tocco? Are would you like to take out a mobile phone on the Orange network? Compare the best prices around on mobiles and smart phones now on our Mobile Phone homepage.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), sales of mobile phones rose by just a fraction under 20 per cent in January, February and March.

A press release on the IDC website said of the current global market for mobile phones that: “Smartphone growth worldwide, particularly in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America, helped lift the overall market to a new first-quarter high.”

“Increasingly, mobile phone makers and carriers are making smartphones affordable to a wider variety of people, which has helped drive the market to new heights. Smartphone-specific vendors, such as HTC, continue to grow sales at a steady clip as a result of this trend.”

It identified the top five mobile phone vendors around the world as Nokia, Samsung, LG, Apple and ZTE. Nokia was the top mobile phone performer based on shipments in the first quarter but Apple had improved the most when compared to the first quarter of 2010. Apple’s sales of mobile phones and smartphones had increased by well over 100 per cent over the year and they shifted close to 19 million units in the first three months of 2011.

Don’t just buy the first cheap mobile phone you stumble across. Do a bit of homework in our mobile phone deals section and you could find a real bargain. We compare mobile phone from lots of the major phone retailers in the UK so that you can see the best mobiles at a glance.

See if you can find the mobile phone of your dreams at a knock-down price now in our Mobile Phone Deals section.

Good Mobile Phones claim that the iPhone 4 only limps in at 6^th place with the HTC Wildfire, HTC Desire and HTC Desire HD taking all three places in its most-searched-for mobile phone deals.

Other mobile phones that featured in the top ten of the mobile phone comparison site’s list were the Blackberry Torch and the Samsung Tocco Lite.

Mark Owen, MD of the mobile phone comparison site said: “For some time now, HTC has been knocking at the door and trying to overtake the Apple iPhone’s dominance of the handset market. Our results clearly show that they have taken the lead in terms of consumer demand for their smartphones.”

Owen added that he was surprised that Apple didn’t seem to be doing much to persuade potential customers to choose Apple mobile phones over their competitors.

This is only the results of one mobile phone comparison site though and wouldn’t seem to be indicative of what people looking for mobile phone deals are searching for on a broader scale. A simple google search on ‘iphone 4’ produces over a hundred and thirty times more search results than one for ‘htc wildfire’.

If you are looking for a new mobile phone or are interested in the iPhone 4 or other smartphones, then compare the best prices now on our iPhone4 deals page or search for others from our Mobile Phone Deals hompage.

What is new though is the range of free mobile phones that Virgin Media are now offering on their £8.50 tariff. Both new and existing customers can choose from a range of free mobile phones including:

• Special edition Nokia 5230 Chrome
• Nokia X2
• Nokia 6700 Slide (silver or pink)
• Samsung Monte (pink or black)
• Samsung Tocco.

To qualify for these free mobile phones you need to sign up with Virgin for 24 months but then you receive 100 free minutes and 100 free texts each month as part of the package. For an extra 30p a day you can also access Virgin Mobile’s mobile internet service from the free mobile phones.

Virgin Media’s director of mobile phones, Jonathan Kini, says: “We’re delighted to be able to offer this fantastic new range of handsets for free on our incredibly popular £8.50 tariff. There’s something for all the family in this new range and existing Virgin Media customers can benefit from even greater value with a host of exclusive extras including free to calls to Virgin Mobiles from their home phones.”

There’s even more good news for students too! NUS card holders who take out any of these mobile phones on a £10 or higher monthly tariff are entitled to a 15 per cent discount on any spends with Virgin Mobile and Mobile Broadband.

There is no better place to compare mobile phone deals for students than in the e4s Deal Zone. We keep on top of all of the new mobile phone deals hitting the high street and internet. Find a mobile phone deal to suit you now on our Mobile Phone Comparison page.

As well as trying to compete with Apple, the unveiling of the HTC Desire HD and the HTC Desire Z also sends a message to other rivals in the smartphone market, coming as it does just a day after Nokia announced their E7, C7 and C6 range of Symbian-powered handsets.

The two new HTC mobile phones are due to hit the European market in October

The Desire HD has a large 4.3 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camera with some powerful photo editing software included. The larger screen on the HTC Desire HD means the mobile phone is actually a little bigger than Apple’s iPhone 4 and weighs almost 30g more.

The main feature of the even heavier (180g) HTC Desire Z is that it has a fold-out keyboard. This mobile phone also features a camera which can film HD video – but it is only 5 megapixels.

Will mobile phone buyers accept the extra dimensions and weight of these new HTC mobile phones in exchange for a bigger screen or a flip out keyboard? Only time will tell – but HTC certainly think they are in with a good shout. At the launch of the two new smartphones, HTC Chief Executive, Peter Chou said: “We want people to view HTC as a global brand.” Chou was keen to point out that this would already seem to be happening as their research suggests that HTC brand awareness in the last year has doubled.

What do you think? Would you trade off some of the features of the Apple iPhone or the Nokia N8 in return for the features of the new HTC Desire smartphones? We always try to help you pick out the best mobile phones and deals on the market. Compare mobile phone deals now with e4s.

There have been complaints mounting since the end of June that the antenna on the iPhone 4 was receiving a poor signal when it was held towards the bottom left of the mobile phone. The free case, apparently available to everyone who has bought the iPhone 4, should go some way to solving the reception problem by acting as a bumper.

Jobs, however, was also quick to point out that this signal problem was not unique to the iPhone 4. He said it was incredible that the matter had been blown out of all proportion and had become a media firestorm. During the press conference in which Jobs made the offer of the free iPhone 4 cases he compared the signal on the Apple smartphone with that of the Blackberry Bold. Jobs said that the loss of signal strength was something that the whole industry had to try to surmount.

Jobs also revealed that only around a half a per cent of all iPhone 4 users had complained about the antenna problem. This was a small amount compared to other Apple product releases he claimed.

If you want the free case for the iPhone 4 then you will have to apply via the Apple website on or after July 22^nd. At the press conference Jobs also said they were extending their full-refund offer for unhappy iPhone 4 users until September 30^th.

Jobs was keen to stress just how much Apple customers mean to his company: “We love our users, we really love them. We try very hard to surprise and delight them. We work our asses off. And it’s great, we have a blast doing it,” eulogised Jobs.

We at E4S also love our users. That’s why we are constantly searching for the best mobile phone deals for you to compare. Check out our latest batch of cheap iPhone 4 deals now.

The Samsung Omnia is a top end smart phone recently released by Samsung

What features does it have?

• 16 GB memory
• 3G connectivity
• Quick access to Microsoft outlook and built in Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional software
• 5 megapixel camera

Which network?

02

What deals can I get?

The phone is free on O2 with 1200 mins and unlimited text per month for £37.50 per month.

Good for students?

This is quite a lot, but the phone you are getting is one of the best on the market, and with Windows allows you to do study or work on the move.

Where can I get it?

A number of online retailers are giving big discounts. OneStopPhoneShop, part of the Carphone Warehouse, have one of the best deals, click here to get the best Samsung Omnia deals on O2