Vodafone 360 promises unity

Vodafone has launched a series of web services that will bring social networking and other functions to your handset.

Called Vodafone 360, the services work on a number of existing handsets, the company said, and can help you store all your phone, email and social networking contacts on your mobile.

This means you can see status updates from Twitter, Facebook and so on on your handset and talk to your friends using instant-messaging software.

The service also automatically backs up all this information to your PC so if you lose or break your handset you won't lose all your contacts as well.

Vodafone 360 will be rolled out in the UK before Christmas, the company said.

"The beauty of Vodafone 360 is that all the services work together and they are easy to use," said Pieter Knook, director of Internet Services at Vodafone Group.  

"Vodafone 360 enables customers' digital lives. Customers can stay in touch and share experiences through social networks, instant messaging, email, apps, maps, music and buying digital content on their mobile bill, with the personalised address book at its heart," Knook continued.