Three UK launches HTC Desire C, available on PAYG for £150

British network Three is the first mobile operator to launch HTC's latest budget handset, the Desire C. Announced just a couple of weeks ago, the Desire C is the successor to HTC's budget-busting Wildfire range. It's got a 600MHz CPU, a 3.5-inch HVGA display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. And being an HTC Sense 4 phone, it also ships with Beats Audio software enhancements. There's also a 5MP rear camera, though no front-facer, so video calling is out of the question. So it's not going to set the world alight, but the Desire C looks like a decent little budget handset.

Three's offering the Desire C for free on contracts starting at just £13 per month, or if you want to buy it outright, the PAYG price is an equally reasonable £150, when purchased with an initial £15 top-up. The network's selling the Desire C in black and white, and the phone is available to order online and in-store from today.

Source: Three UK; More: HTC Desire C gallery

Verizon releases Q1 financials; report highest wireless growth in three years

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Verizon has released their first quarter 2012 earnings, and it looks like they're going to need some help carrying all that money. I'm no finance wizard (I can barely keep a checkbook balanced) but there's no need to be when things look this good. Their wireless division reported the highest growth it has had in the past three years, with a 7.7 percent year-over-year increase in service revenues, 8.9 percent y-o-y growth in retail, and a whopping 21.1 percent increase in revenue from data services.

That's a lot of cabbage.

It stems from the addition of over 500,000 new postpaid customers, bringing the total to 88 million. 47 percent of those customers are using a smartphone, and the number will likely keep growing as Verizon continues its LTE expansion -- which now covers more than two-thirds of the U.S. population in 203 markets. In addition, the wireline services (FIOS cable Internet and phone) also grew by a couple hundred thousand customers, making the picture rosy all around. Of course, running a network isn't cheap so most of this profit and earnings will go back into the company. Hit the break for the press release with all the highlights.

Three UK taking HTC One X upgrade orders from existing subscribers

Three UK might not be taking orders for the HTC One X from new customers just yet, but if you're due an upgrade from them, you may be in luck. It seems the network is already allowing existing customers to secure themselves a One X on launch day, assuming they're eligible for an upgrade. So if your contract with Three is up for a renewal, check the upgrades area and you should be able to select the One X in grey or white.

Orders placed over the past few days are reportedly due for delivery on April 5, which as we all know is the reported launch date for the HTC One series.

As we reported a few weeks back, the HTC One X will be sold on every major network in the UK. Vodafone UK is currently taking pre-orders, while O2 has said it expects to stock the device from April 5. T-Mobile and Orange both specify an April release window.

Thanks to AC reader +Andrew Jones-McGuire for letting us know!

Three UK announces availability of Sony Xperia S

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Today sees the official UK launch of Sony's new flagship smartphone, the Xperia S, with the news that Three UK has begun selling the device. The phone went on sale exclusively at the Sony Store in Barcelona during MWC, and is expected to see broader availability in the next week or so.

Despite Three's announcement, we're not seeing the Xperia S anywhere on the networks' online store, so your best bet may be to track down your local brick-and-mortar Three shop if you want to pick one of these up.

Three says it's offering the Xperia S for free on contracts of £30 or more per month, but it's also available for a surprisingly reasonable £369.99 on pay-as-you-go. That's not at all bad for a dual-core phone with a 720p display and an impressive 12MP camera (even if you'll have to wait until Q2 for ICS).

For more on the Xperia S, make sure you read our first impressions, and stay tuned for the full review in the days ahead.

Source: Three

Mobile World Congress day three wrap-up

Things are winding down in Barcelona, the fellows are enjoying some of the local delicacies and getting ready for the trip home. But just because Mobile World Congress is finishing up doesn't mean they didn't work their collective tails off today, making the final sweep of the show to make sure no stone was left unturned, no device left un-handled,  and no hors d'oeuvre was left uneaten.  We're thorough like that.  While Phil and the gang pack up their belongings, hit the break with me and see what they found today.

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Texas Instruments shows off ultrasonic stylus that can work in three dimensions

At Mobile World Congress 2012, Texas Instruments was demonstrating a stylus that communicates its distance from a tablet over ultrasonic frequencies. The tablet in this demo has a microphone in each of its four corners, which can pinpoint exactly where the stylus is pointing at the screen, even if you're not touching it. Of course, the stylus also works perfectly well along the two standard planes, but it's particularly cool when you pull back and the model correspondingly zooms out.