The latest Asus Transformer tablet is now available in the UK, with the Dixons group of stores now selling the new 10″ Android 4.0 tablet for £399. This includes the tablet’s docking keyboard, which also doubles as a USB port and battery booster.

Inside you get the same Tegra 3 quad-core processor the tech maker put within the Transformer Prime, 32GB of onboard storage space, a micro SD card slot, 8megapixel rear camera for looking like a right idiot using it to take photographs…

…all inside a slightly less glamorous case than the Transformer Prime. Still, that’s a decent price for a quad-core tablet, as long as Asus has managed to get Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS working a little better than it is in its other tablets.

Here are the tech specs of the thing, if you’re wavering:

Asus Transformer Pad TF300T with Docking Station

Performance
Processor Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3
Operating system Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
RAM 1GB
Screen type 178 ° viewable Scratch Resistant Panel
Screen resolution 1280 x 800 pixels
Screen size 10.1″
Touchscreen Yes

Connectivity
Memory capacity 32GB
Memory card slot Micro SD(SDHC) – SD
Device interface USB
Wireless Bluetooth 3.0
Internet connection 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Video interface Mini HDMI
Audio interface Headphone socket
Features
Sound Built-in stereo speaker
Camera Front: 1.2MP
Rear: 8MP
Adobe Flash Player Flash supported
Additional features G-sensor, Light sensor, E-compass, Gyroscope, Qwerty Keyboard
Additional information
Accessories included Dock, charger
Software included Polaris Office
Battery type Lithium Polymer
Battery life Up to 10 hours
Up to 15 hours with dock
Dimensions 263 x 180.8 x 9.9mm (pad only)
Weight 1.185 kg with dock

Mozilla’s mobile team has put a new version of Firefox up on the Google Play Store, taking the beta version of the Android browser up to version 14. The big news for Firefox users is the integration of Adobe’s Flash format, meaning an exciting new world of animating adverts is now open to all users.

The update also sees Mozilla debut another new look for the browser and a useful tabbing system, with Firefox Beta now featuring “significant performance advancements” according to the release notes. Here it is:

The font’s pretty big by default, but that can be changed in the options menu. That little “3″ is the tabbing toggle. Pressing that pulls up the open tab page.

And that’s the tabbing system (right). Looks nice, but it all felt rather slow on our creaky old Xperia Arc. The latest Android Firefox update is on the Play Store here if you fancy seeing how it works for you.

Link via AP.

HTC’s next low-spec Android model has been announced, with the maker offering Google’s “Ice Cream Sandwich” OS and its latest HTC Sense user interface for a price of around £170 in the HTC Desire C. The phone comes with a 3.5″ display running at 320×480 resolution, a 5megapixel camera and the same Beats Audio claims HTC’s been sticking into everything else recently.

If nothing else, it should at least make the world a better place by seeing the abysmal HTC Wildfire S retired from sale.

The HTC Desire C runs on a 600MHz single-core Qualcomm processor, so god knows how that will work with Android 4.0 on top. The phone should hit parts of Europe later this month or early next…

…and T-Mobile UK says it’ll arrive on its network in June for £169 on PAYG, or on contracts starting at £15.50. HTC says the Desire C should come to Vodafone, Orange, Virgin Media, Three and O2 as well. Which is all of them, isn’t it?

Here’s the press release, confirming the same 25GB Dropbox storage boost applies here, too:

New HTC Desire C – brilliant, entertaining and well connected

LONDON, UK — 15 May 2012 — Following on from the successful launch of the HTC One series, HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled its latest phone, the HTC Desire C. Featuring Beats Audio™ technology, this premium designed, yet affordable smartphone, allows you to hear your music just as the artist intended. The HTC Desire C also enables you to easily manage your professional and personal lives and share the moments that shape them.

Available in red, white and black, and coming with HTC Sense 4.0 integrated with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the HTC Desire C is great as a first smartphone or for those upgrading from an existing one. Packing a powerful battery and offering access to thousands of apps, games, music and movies – available through Google Play – you will always be connected and entertained whether at work, home or on the move.

“Listening to music is one of the most popular things people use their phones for, so it’s more important than ever that we deliver the power and emotion artists capture in the studio,” said Jason Mackenzie, President, Global Sales and Marketing for HTC Corporation. “The HTC Desire C offers customers excellent design, easy access to content and fast connectivity – making it the perfect all round device.”

Authentic sound without compromise

The HTC Desire C features a powerful, yet rich studio-quality sound experience that is enabled through the combination of optimized Beats Audio and amazing hardware. This integration enables a rich, clear audio experience to customers no matter if they’re listening to music or playing a game.

Premium design taken to a new level

Combining a durable metal frame with precision engineering, the HTC Desire C is ideal for those who want a premium-designed phone. Boasting a micro-drilled earpiece for sharp in-call sound, hyper-viewing angle display and metal camera bezel, this compact smartphone offers an unrivalled level of design and user-experience for its class.

Designed for sharing

Packing the latest mobile technology into a neat, eye-catching design, HTC Desire C’s vibrant 3.5-inch HVGA screen makes it easy to browse the Web, view photos or connect with friends and family. If you like to share personal experiences with your social network, HTC Desire C’s 5 megapixel camera and instant sharing capabilities will allow you to post any moment, seconds after it was captured.

Through HTC Desire C’s deep integration of Dropbox and 25GB of free online space[i], you also have the freedom to securely back-up, browse and share thousands of photos, videos and documents, whether stored locally or in the cloud.

Ensuring that HTC Desire C keeps pace with new mobile services as they become available there is also an NFC variant of this model, allowing users to make payments or access information and offers.

Availability
HTC Desire C will be available from the following HTC partners: Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Media, Three, O2, Phones4U, The Carphone Warehouse, and Tesco Mobile.

Machinarium is a low-budget point and click adventure game that’s done big business on PC and Mac, thanks to a winning design that ditches dialogue and plot for a game world entirely discovered by the player and his or her interactions.

And it looks really nice, with a weird, 2D, decaying robot world making for a very sexy and unique setting. Here it is on Android:

It’s a paid release, with Machinarium up on the Play Store for £2.49 in our money. The desktop version won masses of praise, so we’d expect this to be a stormer, especially as the old point and click genre is ideally suited to touchscreen play.

Android 2.2 or higher is needed to run it, plus it must have some high resolution or power requirements, as we’re only able to install it to a Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Tab 7.7 or Sony Xperia S out of all the various Android devices we’ve used.

What tech feature do those three all have in common?

There’s about to be an amazingly cheap new Android tablet on the high street, courtesy of the Dixons Group stores, which are now listing a device called the KMS COMPON Touchpad 7 Tablet PC, a machine which seems to be more commonly known as the Versus Touchpad 7.

The Versus Touchpad is a 7″ capacitive-screened Android tablet, running at 800×480 resolution, that’ll arrive with Android 4.0 as its OS and powered by a 1GHz single-core Cortex A8 series chipset, with 512MB of RAM onboard, 8GB of storage space and all for and astonishing…

…price of £99. And no, that’s not a typo this time. Sadly the device is showing as “out of stock” at both Currys and Dixons, but it’s a new listing so may take some time to filter through.

Here are the tech specs of the thing. The 640×480 camera resolution’s a bit of a low point, but for £99…

Versus Touchpad 7 Tablet PC

Performance
Processor ARM Cortex A8 1.0GHz with 560MHz DSP
Operating system Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Flash 11 support
RAM 512 MB DDR3
Screen type Multi-touch capacitive
Screen resolution WVGA 800 x 480
Screen size 7″
Touchscreen Yes
Screen features Super responsive Multi-Touch with 5 point Capacitive Screen

Connectivity
Memory capacity 8 GB built-in
Memory card slot Micro SD slot supporting up to 32 GB
Device interface USB 2.0 high speed interface
Wireless IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Video interface mini HDMI 1.3 Output
Audio interface Built-in Speaker, 3.5 mm audio jack
Features
Camera Yes 640 x 480 resolution
Adobe Flash Player Flash 11 support
Additional features Voice Control System, 4H Battery Life
Additional information
Accessories included 5V 2A Power Adapter, User Manual, 2 x USB Cables (1 for PC, 1 for external USB devices)
Software included Yes
Battery type Lithium Polymer 3000mAH / 7.4V
Battery life 4 hours
Dimensions 225 x 166 x 71 mm
Weight 0.4 kg

There’s good news out today for those of you who’ve been holding out for the rather lovely HTC One X to come down in asking price a little, thanks to Phones 4U offering the quad-core Android phone for “free” on a £36 12-month Vodafone contract.

For your £36 a month you get a decent 300 calling minutes to use each month, plus a 500MB data allowance and 3,000 text messages. And the company’s stocking the white version of the One X, too:

Rather a good deal for a 12-month contract, that one. Check it out over at Phones 4U if you’re up for a One X.

Link via HUKD, which points out you can get an additional £50 refunded if you place your order through online “cashback” portal Quidco.

Samsung’s all-new Galaxy Tab 2 has arrived in the UK, with a surprisingly modest price tag of £199 attached to it. Carphone Warehouse is now selling the thing for that price, for which you get a 7″ display running at 1024×600 resolution, powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor and Android 4.0 as the tablet’s OS.

This is the low-end model with 8GB of onboard storage space, mind, so if you’re after the 16GB or 32GB models, you’ll have to wait a little longer and pay a little more…

…but for £199 in return for a big brand ICS tablet, you can’t be too fussy. Plus there’s an SD card slot on it anyway, so it’s no big deal. Check the Tab 2 out over at CPW if you’re in the market for a tab. The silver Galaxy Tab 2 ships today, with a white variant due next week.

Full tech specs of the Galaxy Tab 2 are online here.

…that’s the pitch that greets you on the Play Store listing of ACME Planetary Defense, which is a 2D shooter with a twist. You man the guns of a planet, spinning the view around to cover attacks from all sides. It has a nice, modern look to it, too, plus all the usual upgrading and enhancement options we’ve come to expect from shooters.

Here it is:

ACME Planetary Defense for Android is on the Play Store here, for free. Video embedded below:

Shame it’s rather brief and framed so you can’t really get a good look at it.

Vodafone UK has just started taking direct pre-orders for Samsung’s new Galaxy S III Android phone, and this is the only way you’re able to get your hands on the 32GB version of the phone at launch thanks to the network’s exclusive. The cheapest “free” tariff option is to pay a whopping £41 a month, which is quite a premium, but then you do get a 2GB data allowance alongside it.

There are other options, including a decent 12-month contract at £36 a month with a £219 upfront fee and 300 calling minutes…

…while upfront fees for the phone itself vary by about £80 to £100 depending on if you prefer the 16GB or 32GB model. Check out the myriad contract options over at Vodafone’s S III pre-order page.

UK network O2 has joined Vodafone in supporting Huawei’s push into the UK market, announcing it’ll be stocking the Huawei-badged Ascend Y 100 Android model. It’s very much the “entry level” option, offering a 2.8″ display, 800MHz processor and 2MP camera, with Android 2.3 arriving as the Ascend Y’s operating system.

The Ascend Y is not yet featured on O2′s web site, although it’s apparently ready to launch very soon for £80 on PAYG SIMs, or from £10 per month on a contract basis.

That looks like a slightly rejigged Vodafone SMART to us, which was being rebranded by all the networks last year (see also: T-Mobile Rapport and Orange Stockholm) and sold for a similar price.

You would be much, much better off stealing an extra £20 out of your mum’s wallet and picking up the £100 Huawei Ascend G300 from Vodafone if you’re after a budget Android phone in 2012. Good luck with it all the same, O2.