Online retailers have started to publish 18- and 24-month contract deals for the HTC Desire HD and Desire Z smart phones, with SIMs from O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange all available. For the Desire HD they’re all much of a muchness: you get the phone free if you pay from £35 or £40 per month …

It wasn’t long ago we saw the Samsung Intercept hop into Sprint’s lineup, and now it’s set to do it again with Virgin Mobile. While an entry-level Android device, the smartphone will make a more notable splash as a prepaid handset with Virgin Mobile for the simple reason that the Intercept is the carrier’s first Android phone. We found the …

HTC Sense, the Taiwanese company’s custom skin that improves the user experience on its Android phones, is one of the best manufacturer add-ons for Google’s OS — we particularly liked the way Sense worked with the original HTC Desire. Now thanks to the website Android Spin, you can take a quick look at the new version of the user interface …

Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and 3 will bear the £100m-plus cost of bringing mobile reception to the London Underground before the 2012 Olympics, according to a report. London mayor Boris Johnson will soon announce that all of London’s Tube network will get mobile phone reception by 2012, the Telegraph reports. It’s been talked about for years, but never put into …

MetroPCS launched the nation’s first Long Term Evolution 4G wireless broadband network today in Las Vegas along with the first-ever commercial LTE handset. Like all MetroPCS services, the new 4G wireless broadband service is prepaid and it doesn’t require a contract. For $55 a month, users get unlimited talk, text, and data. And for an additional $5 a month, they …

Samsung Epic 4G speed tests. Our 4G connection died when we took this picture. Nicole Lee/CNET Sprint customers in San Francisco who have a 4G-enabled device woke up to a pleasant surprise today as the carrier began a few public tests of its WiMAX-based 4G network there. So those who have the HTC Evo 4G, the Samsung Epic 4G, or …

The Sonim XP3 Quest isn’t your typical cell phone. CNET We may refer to the proliferation of glossy black and silver matte cell phones as “sleek” or “professional.” But let’s face it: most phones on the market are a neutral-toned, rounded-corner flood of design sameness. Since fitting in isn’t for everyone, we rounded up 10 cell phones and smartphones that …

The TerreStar Genus satellite phone AT&T AT&T has unveiled a new satellite phone that can provide phone reception in areas where there are no cell towers. Available today, the TerreStar Genus is a dual-mode smartphone that uses AT&T’s cellular service by default but kicks in with satellite reception as a backup in remote areas. The satellite service offers the standard …

Now playing: Watch this: Prizefight: Epic 4G vs. Evo 4G 4:51 After last month’s introduction of the Samsung’s Epic 4G, Sprint now has two smartphones that support its growing 4G WiMax network. Though both handsets offer high-end features, luscious displays and the Android operating system, the Epic 4G and HTC Evo 4G aren’t identical. The Epic has a nifty physical …

Last week saw LG announcing two new Android devices: the Optimus Chic and the Optimus One. At the time, the compnay indicated that the phones would be released to European carriers starting in October, but it did not hint at an eventual U.S. release. Things look to be changing however, as more leaked information has hit the Web. According to …