Mark Bridge writes:

Contactless payments. They're catching on, aren't they?

But mobile contactless payments haven't proved so popular.

A new industry-wide mobile payment service says its final testing is on track and it’ll announce a launch date next month.

Once the Paym service is launched, consumers will be able to transfer money to someone else’s bank account by using their mobile phone number instead of a sort code and account number.

The UK government says it’s launching a consultation in 2014 that could result in consumers taking photos of their cheques instead of taking the physical cheque to a bank.

As a result, the money could be in a customer’s account within two days rather than six.

Barclays has added two new options to its Pingit mobile app, which was launched in February last year.

From today the app can be used for mobile-based online purchases and for buying from a print or on-screen advertisement.

We start this week's podcast with financial results from EE - along with new phones from LG and HTC.

There's also a merger between mobile browser companies, mobile security from Vodafone, free WiFi from Barclays bank, a preview of Ubuntu for smartphones... and much more.

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

This week the team debate the number of "free" calling options on the market and determine if they represent real value for money. They review the new budget phone from Motorola the W220 and Nokia's 5300 Xpress Music phone along with more applications for your phone and the latest news and views.

This week we review the LG Shine a phone that doubles as a mirror, and a WiFi Skype phone from Belkin. We discuss the future for Mobile TV as well as all the latested news and software including Dr Simon's Brain Trainer a mobile rival to Brain Age on the Nintendo DS.

The team update you on the Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4U and Vodafone latest, you can still buy Vodafone in other high street Retailers. Latest news including O2's reduction in roaming charges from Spain. Plus a review of the Lobster 700 with mobile TV from Virgin and the Sony Ericsson W850i, along with First Direct's mobile banking service and Monopoly on your mobile phone.

This week the team bring you the facts associated with Vodafone's announcement to abandom Carphone Warehouse as well as informed debate on what this means to the industry and consumers. We also review the UK mobile networks HSDPA roll out status.

This week the team debate the state of the Mobile ringtone market, review Orange Unique a service that combines broadband with your mobile plus the Nokia 95 and all the latest news and mobile software.