Sony Xperia U is now available on T-Mobile

JAPANESE PHONE MAKER Sony's Xperia U smartphone is now available on the T-Mobile network.

The handset is available to buy in black from its webstore today and in stores "within the next few days", the UK mobile operator said.

Sony's budget Xperia U Android smartphone will be free from £15.50 a month, bundled with 100 minutes and unlimited texts on a pay monthly deal. Data-hungry customers craving more than 250MB of data can upgrade to 750MB for an additional five pounds a month.

Unfortunely, those wanting to buy a 'pay as you go' handset on the T-Mobile network will have to choose a different device, as T-Mobile told us the Sony Xperia U is available only on pay monthly deals.

The smartphone has a customisable design with changeable coloured caps that fit onto the base of the handset. It features a 3.5in touchscreen display, 1Ghz processor, 5MP camera and runs the disappointingly outdated Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.

Rival mobile operator Three was the first to announce that the handset would go on sale through its web site on Monday.

O2 has yet to announce its release date for the handset, but says on its 'Coming Soon' web page that it will be available in May. The Orange web site says nothing more than "coming soon", while there is no suggestion from Vodafone that it will be offering the phone on any of its plans.

Sony's latest range of Xperia handsets has gotten plenty of attention since its announcement at Mobile World Congress in February. It is the firm's first line of smartphones since completing the buyout of its joint venture with Ericsson and rebranding its mobile division to drop the Ericsson name.

However, the Xperia U smartphone with Android 2.3 Gingerbread is likely to disappoint users who are expecting the most up-to-date operating system with more compelling features. µ