This week the Office of Trading (OFT) has encouraged the European Commission to investigate the potential merger as it had the probability of “significantly” reducing the competition in the UK mobile market.

Both and Orange and T-Mobile had initially hoped to complete the amalgamation by the end of this month but mobile phones analysts predict that the true extent of this review could see it put back to as late as December.

Although both companies have revealed that they feel the merger will be good for the industry, James Barford of Enders Analysis believes both companies will have to be prepared to make sacrifices to make the move work.

He said: “Our view remains that the Competition Commission investigation is probably going to result in the merged company having to make very significant concessions, with the not insignificant chance of an outright ban.”

Consumer groups were also defiant in their stance that serious consideration needed to be made from the European Commission before sanctioning the switch that could have a major impact on competitors.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which? said: “It’s only right that a deal affecting UK consumers should be scrutinised by UK regulators. This merger will clearly have a huge impact on the mobile market, since it will form the biggest mobile operator in the UK and bring the number of networks down to just four.”

As yet there are no indications of potential new handsets and mobile phone accessories from the potential amalgamation and the longer this protracted switch drags on the more it will play into the hands of competitors who are continuing to develop the latest smartphones and applications.

Vodafone’s retail director, Terry O’Brien, said to Mobile Magazine: “A significant number of iPhone users have migrated to Vodafone since we launched the iPhone.

“It is quite astounding how many of these new customers have moved to us because of poor network experience.”

Mr O’Brien did not go as far as to mention which networks were losing custom to the Vodafone network, but it appears that the financial commitment made by Vodafone to the iPhone is reaping its rewards.

“There is no good trying to sell the iPhone without the right network to support it. We are getting a lot of anecdotal feedback from stores and from sites like Twitter that shows we have the advantage on other networks.”

These positive vibes coming from the Vodafone camp come days after the revelation that Apple had sold over 8.7 million iPhone units in Q4 of 2009.

There was immediate rejection of claims made to O2 that it was beginning to lose its iPhone customer base to other leading mobile phones networks.

A spokeswoman said: “This is absolutely not the case. We have seen no increase in churn since the end of our exclusive agreement with Apple. In fact, we continue to have the lowest level of churn in the industry.”

It is an ultra-thin smartphone at just 11mm in depth which sees it labelled as one of the latest Candybar handsets of the ilk of the iPhone 3GS. As with all of the latest smartphones, the HTC Trophy will arrive complete with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, including a mid-range 5.0 megapixel digital camera.

Despite being powered by Windows Mobile 6.5, HTC has implemented its very own TouchFlo 3D interface to improve the look and feel of the handset, as very few Windows Mobile 6.5 mobile phones have fully succeeded in the market.

As of yet there is no concrete release date or pricing structure for the HTC Trophy, with this mid-range smartphone not likely to be released until the middle of the year. HTC has dropped its prices for a number of its smartphones portfolio. The likes of the HTC Magic, HTC Hero, HTC Tattoo, HTC Pro2 and HTC Touch Diamond2 have all had their values lowered in order to compete with the impending arrival of the Google Nexus One.

The design of the HTC Trophy would suggest that the evolving look of the latest smartphones in 2010 will be focused on combined touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard handsets in the Candybar style that has proved so successful for Apple.

During 2009, an average of 265 million text messages were sent on a daily basis (a total of 96.8 billion annually), with 1.6 million picture messages also shared.

The annual record of sent text messages compares favourably with the previous two years – as 56.9 billion and 78.9 billion messages were sent in 2007 and 2008 respectively. This suggests that the supplies continue to meet the demands of the UK consumer market and that short, concise texting is just as efficient as social media websites.

Steve Reynolds, chairman of MDA, said: “These statistics show that even with new social media forms of messaging such as Twitter and Facebook, people are using SMS as a social messaging tool because of its simplicity and ubiquity.”

The advent of text messaging for reality television shows does appear to skew the data somewhat.

Rob Bamforth, principal analyst of Quocirca, said: “Now it is not only a convenient medium for a quick chat with friends, but also a way of participating in television voting and raising funds for needy charities. When a powerful call to action is given, the population of the UK often turn first towards their mobile phones.”

As we use our mobile phones with such intensity, the need for replacement keypads and other mobile phone accessories is vital. You can save yourself the expensive cost of purchasing an entirely new handset by purchasing a new mobile phone keypad.

Apple revealed that it had sold 8.7 million iPhones – a 100% increase on last year’s unit sales. Nevertheless experts had previously predicted sales over 9 million but this remains a figure not to be sniffed at.

Overall revenue improved by an impressive 32%, raking in more than $3 billion more than the previous quarter. With Apple’s new tablet device set for release in the coming months these latest figures seem to have been revealed at just the right time to show a period of great strength.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said: “If you annualise our quarterly revenue, it is surprising Apple is now a $50bn plus company. The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about.”

The aesthetically pleasing iPhone design continues to attract consumer demand despite a host of other smartphones that provide more flexible alternatives for mobile working. Apple mobile phones have always had the capacity to attract users with their extensive range of applications.

The Apple iPad is the latest product due for release in the coming months and it is regarded as Apple’s best way to allow consumers to experience the Internet, e-mail, photos and video all in one handheld computer device. Apple’s ambition clearly knows no bounds at present.

Over the Christmas period over 100,000 customers subscribed to the service, with recipients of new Vodafone mobile phones and smartphones naturally signing up to be part of the music directory. Subscribers can purchase differing levels of music, from 10 tracks a month to an unlimited supply from some of the world’s biggest music labels.

Vodafone internet services Director of Content, Lee Epting, said: “We are really excited by our customers’ reaction to these great music offers. We expect to see continued growth in our music service subscriptions driven by the increase in smartphone use, with their worry-free data tariffs and great value add-ons such as music bundles.

“We will carry on working hard with our partners in the music industry to develop new and innovative music services for our customers. Vodafone is starting to prove the significance of its place in the music industry.”

The great selection of mobile phone accessories on the market for mobile phones and smartphones customers means that MP3 downloads and online music streaming have become an integral part of a mobile device. Bluetooth music headsets and standard headphones are lightweight and incredibly easy to use. Bluetooth products enable users to listen to their music wirelessly – perfect for car/train/plane journeys for those regularly on the move.

Users wishing to purchase the iTYPE will have to download a free application in order to use the accessory. The keyboard will be a welcome addition to the iPhone as a means of sending messages via e-mails and numerous other applications.

The iTYPE keyboard has been designed with the aim of attracting PC users towards using a smartphone of this calibre. The portability and design of the iPhone is an attractive feature to most mobile phones consumers but the added option of using a keyboard will allow businessmen and socialites to keep on top of their e-mails on the move with an efficient keyboard system.

Gregg Stein, Managing Direct of Ion, said: “For years, travelers have wanted to find a way to get out of the office or away from home without having to carry a heavy laptop computer.

“iTYPE converts iPhone into the first truly complete travel-computing solution.”

New iPhone mobile phone accessories have been few and far between with only the standard Bluetooth products and car kits providing the most practical additions to a consumer’s home or workplace.

The iPhone 3Gs is a phone, iPod and internet device all in one offering desktop style email, an amazing maps application and much more. The iTYPE goes some way to bridging the gap between laptop and travel computing.

With just 689,000 Android units sold in 2008, it appears to be quite a steep increase in popularity for Android software – an annual growth rate of 150.4% to be exact!

This ever-increasing demand is music to the ears of the likes of Google and HTC who have taken on the Android operating system in recent months for some of the most successful smartphones – most notably the HTC Hero, HTC Magic and the upcoming Nexus One.

IDC believes that “Symbian will retain its leadership position worldwide throughout the forecast period – due primarily to the strength of Nokia in markets outside of the United States, Symbian continues to lead all other mobile operating systems.”

Android’s competitors, the likes of BlackBerry, webOS and Apple are predicted to struggle to overhaul the demand for Android-powered smartphones. BlackBerry appears to take a beating in the forecast, with the Apple iPhone and now Android smartphones taking the lead due to a greater number of apps and choice of handsets.

Curiously the much-talked-about impact of Windows Mobile OS has been virtually non-existent in recent months, with IDC not even mentioning the operating system in their forecast and analysis.

Clearly the flexibility and connectivity of Android smartphones continues to become a deciding factor for UK mobile phones consumers. With a great open source selection of applications and mobile phone accessories, it is little wonder why Android appears to be making waves.

The iPhone has been on the market for almost three years now and it shows no signs of weakening in demand despite the influx of smartphones across a broad range of manufacturers including HTC, Palm and Nokia.

Despite the fact that many rival smartphones offer greater practicality and connectivity than an iPhone, its stylish looks and general persona has ensured that it remains at the forefront of the UK market.

Numerous mobile phone carriers are now taking on the Apple iPhone in their stores, with Vodafone the fourth provider to follow suit after the end of O2’s exclusivity agreement back in 2007. Vodafone’s sales figures have been broken down into 50,000 pre-order units and 50,000 post-release units – underlining the hysteria that exists surrounding the device.

By contrast Orange enjoyed a successful first day of sales when they released the iPhone on their network back in November, with over 30,000 sold in the opening 24 hours.

The demands of the iPhone and smartphones in general has seen Vodafone push hard to improve its 3G network connectivity, with O2 struggling with coverage and speed problems to cater for its iPhone customers during its exclusivity agreement.

Apple are thought to have sold over 400,000 iPhone units across the United Kingdom in 2009 and no other smartphone can hold a candle to its continued desirability.

Nokia chiefs believe that the growth of Ovi Maps has the potential to double the current mobile navigation market.

Nokia Vice-President, Anssi Vanjoki said: “Why have multiple devices that work in only one country or region? Put it all together, make it free, make it global and you almost double the potential size of the mobile navigation market.

“Nokia is the only company with a mobile navigation service for both drivers and pedestrians that works across the world. Unlike the legacy car navigation manufacturers, we don’t make you buy maps for different countries or regions even if you’re only visiting for a few days.

“We offer both navigation and maps free of charge, with all the high-end functionality and features that people now expect.”

Current Nokia smartphones such as the N97 mini and the Nokia 5800 will be eligible for these latest mobile phone accessories, with the application set to reach a broader audience including the N900 in the near future.

This latest ambitious move from the Finnish mobile giants sees them clash head-on with Google Maps and Apple’s iPhone navigation functionality. With high-end car and pedestrian features, Ovi Maps looks set to provide features that global mobile phone consumers are coming to expect.