Anybody using a mobile phone or handheld device with internet access is now able to use many of the group's online banking service features. However, this month also saw the launch of an app specifically designed for use with the iPhone or the iPad, which will provide a single platform for accessing current accounts, savings and credit card information.

Charlotte Hogg, retail director with Santander, commented: “We want to make banking with Santander as easy and convenient as possible for our customers, wherever they are in the world, and we've spent considerable time developing our mobile banking service and iPhone and iPad app with this in mind.

“Customers will be able to do almost as much on their mobile phone as they can with our full online banking service and in the coming months we expect to be able to provide an even greater range of mobile services for customers.”

The service also boasts a secure messaging service to allow people to get in touch with Santander through their smartphone without having to worry about their information being observed.

The bank has launched a Mobile Banking app, which will be available on Apple, Android, Blackberry and Nokia handsets in the coming days.

It could be particularly useful for those looking to keep track of their expenditure over the Christmas period as it offers users the chance to access and manage their money on the go, as well as helping them to locate nearby branches of Halifax and ATMs.

Research supplied by the bank suggests that using a smartphone will be a particularly suitable way of delivering the service as ownership is clearly on the rise. Indeed, just nine per cent of UK consumers owned such a device two years ago, but this has since risen to 36 per cent.

David Nicholson, group director of the Halifax Community Bank, commented: “The use of mobile apps to assist day-to-day activities – like banking – on the go is more popular than ever, especially apps that provide customers with everything they need in one place.

“The launch of the Halifax Mobile Banking App will ensure our customers can manage their money when they need to and allow them to control their money quickly and easily.”

The game came in first place, but two of its spin-offs – Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio – also came in the top ten, proof of the game's enduring popularity among users.

Meanwhile, Facebook was the most downloaded free app on the smartphone, although a number of other social media and networking apps also features strongly, including the WhatsApp Messenger and Skype.

Apps downloaded for the iPad were a little different, with visual programs taking the top positions. The most downloaded free app was the BBC's iPlayer, which allows people to watch things on the go. This was followed by iBooks, although ITV's and Channel 4's viewing apps were also in the top five.

Apple has made good use of its App Store, with many people opting for the iPhone's because of the huge amount of free and cheap software available for the devices. However, Google's Android is starting to catch up in terms of software, with a good number of designers now writing for these popular gadgets.

Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of VAD Wick Hill Group, specialists in secure infrastructure solutions, stated that UK businesses are not yet fully aware of the security risks attached to the devices.

Speaking as the company announced its new partnership with US vendor Fiberlink, Mr Kilpatrick stated: “Despite multiple mobile device loss and security breaches, and the recent events at News International.

“UK business has still not taken on board the security risks of unfettered use of mobile devices such as smartphones.”

He added that the problem is growing at a faster rate each year as smartphone and mobile device use booms. Indeed, Gartner recorded a 16.5 per cent year-on-year increase in mobile device sales in the second quarter of 2011, while smartphone sales grew 74 per cent in the same period.

The chairman explained that the problem appears to lie in people's lack of awareness of the power of the smartphone, which actually has the same kind of power as a laptop from just a few years ago.

As a result of their capabilities, it is vital to secure smartphones to protect the devices and the information they contain from hackers and criminals.

Conducted by a national online security initiative and published as part of the Get Safe Online week, the study found that malware on smartphones has risen by 800 per cent as cyber criminals shift their focus towards the expensive handsets.

The change could be due to the fact that people in the UK are increasingly using their mobiles for more than just calling and texting. For example, 17 per cent were found to use their smartphones to complete monetary transactions, while more than 22 per cent downloaded the latest apps at least once a month, allowing criminals an easy way in to their gadgets.

Francis Maude, minister for cyber security, commented: “More and more people are using their smartphone to transmit personal and financial information over the internet, whether it's for online banking, shopping or social networking.”

She added that it is “important to be vigilant” if consumers intend to use their phone to access the internet and save time.

In addition to using a smartphone to steal data, cyber criminals are able to programme a hijacked phone to make phone calls, send texts or access the internet, putting the gadget's owner at further financial risk.

The software upgrade has not been as dramatic as the iOS4 from June of last year, but it has brought with it a number of useful extra features. Among these updates are the iMessage service that should provide a real contender to the Blackberry Messenger concept, and the new over-the-air syncing option that negates the need to plug the smartphone in to update its content.

Better integration of applications and notifications have also been included but in total there are more than 200 tweaks to the system for users to explore.

Unfortunately, the launch did not go entirely smoothly and many users complained of bugs and system crashes while attempting to install the new software.

The release of the iPhone 4S, taking place today (14 October) should hopefully run more smoothly as devoted fans have been queuing for hours and even days in some cases to get their hands on the new device.

The main focus of the changes on the device have been internal. Siri, the voice-controlled personal assistant built into the handset looks set to be one of the most useful additions to the device.

Conducted by premium rate regulator Phonepayplus, the investigation found that more plans need to be issued to protect consumers from rogue traders within the sector. To this end, the group has started a consultation on proposals including the strengthening of password requirements, clearer consent to charge and more explanation of the cost of virtual credit.

Paul Whiteing, Phonepayplus chief executive, commented on the impending regulation: “We need to be nimble and flexible in our approach. We know that the best regulation is one that works collaboratively with industry to pre-empt problems that harm consumers and damage markets.”

He added that the group will not hesitate to implement “robust sanctioning powers” to push rogue providers out of the market in order to avoid damaging a “vital part of the UK's growing and innovative digital creative economies”.

Among the companies to be challenged by Phonepayplus was a service that claimed to be a 'free battery saver' app. However, it was shown to contain malware that automatically accessed the phone's text message service and sent and received texts to premium services without the user's knowledge.

The regulator shut down the group and imposed a substantial fine on those responsible for the app.

The study conducted by the NPD Group found that nearly 40 per cent of smartphone users are concerned about threats, including activity monitoring, hacking and credit-card security. A further 33 per cent were also shown to be worried about harmful apps, malicious emails and the potential for user-location tracking.

However, very few are doing anything about these issues and a total of 82 per cent have no security products installed in their handsets at all. But some users are more savvy than others, with Android smartphone owners significantly more likely to have a security product installed than their iPhone counterparts.

Stephen Baker, vice-president of industry analysis at NPD, commented, “Even though iPhone users are less concerned than Android users about device security, they are still clearly worried.

"Their biggest concerns were much more likely to be fears that their iPhone would be stolen or damaged, than any unwanted or harmful activities."

He added that smartphone owners appear “thoroughly confused” about what to actually do about the threats, with around a quarter of people unaware of how to obtain security systems for their phones.

The Google Wallet app, currently available on the Sprint Nexus S 4G handset, is capable of turning the smartphone into a wallet by employing near field communications (NFC). By linking the app with a credit card account, the NFC systems allow people to pay for items by simply tapping their mobile phone on a reader.

At the moment only Citi MasterCard and Google Prepaid Cards can be used with the Google Wallet. However, this looks likely to be extended in the near future and consumers can benefit from the option to use American Express, Visa and Discover accounts with the system.

But while the system will initially be quite limited, early users will be able to benefit from a cash bonus if they sign up before the end of the year.

It is hoped that eventually consumers will not need to take their wallet out with them because all of their accounts and funds will be accessible through their smartphones. However, for now the system is in the early stages, with employee testing only recently concluded.

In fact, just five per cent of mobile phone owners were found to be using platforms such as Gowalla and Foursquare on their handsets, the study conducted by Pew noted, while 12 per cent of smartphone owners were found to make use of such apps.

However, location software was shown to have its uses and 28 per cent of mobile phone owners were shown to be using their phones to get directions or recommendations for certain locations.

The research, which looked at over 2,200 US adults, suggested that younger users were more likely to be using these kind of services.

Kathy Zickuhr, Pew Internet Project research specialist and report co-author, commented: “Americans are not currently all that eager to share explicitly their location on social media sites, but they are taking advantage of their phones’ geolocation capabilities in other ways.

“Smartphone owners are using their phones to get fast access to location-relevant information on the go.”

Social networking pages, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, were also found to play a role in how frequently people made use of check-in location services.