LONDON, UK - Vodafone UK has recently updated its smartphone offerings, which already includes the likes of Nokia N97, HTC Magic, HTC Touch Pro2, and Blackberry Curve.

With the market favorite, iPhone, belonging to the rival network O2, Vodafone has been on its toes to up the ante in its smartphone segment. The first to join the list is Nokia's N97 Mini followed by the Sony Ericsson Satio, LG GM750, Nokia E72, HTC Tattoo, and Sony Ericsson Xperia X2.

While almost all of the devices have been announced and confirmed by their manufacturers earlier, the Vodafone branding on these devices makes them the first devices in the UK market.

The Nokia N97 Mini was well documented in the web much prior to its official announcement by Nokia at the Nokia World. The device, which bears a striking resemblance to the Nokia N97, lacks the d-pad and comes preloaded with an on-board memory of 8GB as compared to the N97 which comes with 32GB  of on-board memory.

Another Nokia device officially confirmed by Vodafone is the business series model Nokia E72. The device. which is an update for the immensely popular Nokia E71. comes with a 5 megapixel camera and optical navigation pad, compared to the 3.2 megapixel camera and navigation pad of its predecessor Nokia E71.

The LG GM750, which has the unique distinction of being LG's first Windows Phone device, features a 3" touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera, it supports Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, and will sync with calendars and e-mail accounts. This device marked the entry of LG in the highly competitive smartphone segment.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is the successor to Sony Ericsson's flagship device X1 and offers a 3.2" display, as well as a QWERTY keyboard, a panel-based interface, an 8-megapixel camera and is the first Windows Phone device from the Swedish-Japanese joint venture.

The HTC Tattoo which was earlier known as HTC Click is supposed to be the world's cheapest Android phone. The device will also feature the next generation Touch Sense UI, proprietary to HTC.

The Sony Ericsson Satio, earlier known as the Idou, is one of the most anticipated phones of 2009. The 12 megapixel camera phone is the first S60 fifth edition being marketed by Sony Ericsson.

Pricing and availability of these devices  has not yet been revealed by the network.