Carphone ­ which is pushing into the wider consumer electronics market through a joint venture with Best Buy ­ has been granted exclusive rights to sell Elonex’s new 10in Ultra Mobile Computer (UMC). The device will be available free with a mobile broadband contract.

Nick Smith, marketing director at Elonex, said: “We were asked by five or six major retailers, including two supermarkets, to supply them exclusively.

“However, it is our belief that Carphone will be the largest supplier of notebook PCs and UMCs within 12 months.”