Omio News Blog

BlackBerry Storm 9500 Descends On Vodafone Site…Sort Of

Following on from the leaked Vodafone images, the BlackBerry Storm 9500 has made it’s first official appearance on a UK retailer, with news of a competition/e-mail gathering exercise on the Vodafone site.

The site says: “Get the incredible power of the BlackBerry Storm smartphone in your hands. Simply register your interest in this new BlackBerry phone and we’ll keep you up to date with launch news as it breaks. Plus, by signing up, you’ll automatically be entered into our prize draw to win your very own BlackBerry Storm smartphone.”

“You understand that, by giving us your details, you’re happy to hear from us with news about the new BlackBerry Storm smartphone.” Sure we are…

So there is no official sign up or pre-order process just yet, but the fact that someone is even acknowledging the existence of RIM’s worst kept touchscreen secret is a definite step in the right direction…

Check out the BlackBerry Storm 9500 features on Omio’s handset page!

Magnetic Fujitsu Concept Phone FROM THE FUTURE!

The Japanese technology expo CEATAC is in full swing, and even though they have toilets which are more technologically advanced than most European home cinemas, they continue to make us insanely jealous with the most innovative and exciting ideas.

A handset from Fujitsu consists of a touchpad and screen which are connected only by magnets, with the position of the screen dictating which key layout is displayed. The tech is also spread across the two, with the screen in charge of the software settings like video and games, whilst the keyboard half is for calls and connectivity.

Yeah, that means they can be used independently and connected by Bluetooth, and yeah, it’s amazing.

It may be a concept, but even if they were to start production tomorrow, the Japanese would enjoy their magnetic mobile wonderland whilst we remain in the dark ages with the phone equivalents of flint and iron…Look at how excited we are with the Nokia N96 and TV on our phones! Japan had that in the late ’90s…

Source: Akihabara News

iPhone Coasters: For Geeks Or Unique?

There is a fine line between super cool and geeky. These iPhone menu icons coasters, however, sail so far into geek territory that the guys left behind on the cool side can only see them as tiny teeny specks.

We want them now!!!

Source: Technabob

LG KP500 Brings Touchscreen Joy To The Masses

Apple may have innovated as far as touch screen phones are concerned, but with us at Omio drowning in our free phones often forget that they are all pretty expensive! The Samsung Omnia, iPhone 3G and M8800 Pixon are all targeting the gadgetophile, leaving the market without a mid-range handset to sway the casual consumers.

Well, LG are about to fix all that with the KP500, a full touchscreen phone which is affordable, but not at the expense of technology or style. Weighing only 89g and at a thickness just shy of 12mm, the phone is certainly a nice looker, with the 3 inch screen making it look like a facsimile of the recently announced LG Renoir.

Focusing on what it has got as opposed to what it lacks, the KP500 has a 3 megapixel camera, accelerometer based gaming, an FM radio with RDS and a microSD slot to expand the memory to 8GB.

Features getting the chop to keep costs down are all around connectivity. It unfortunately lost a G in a freak boating accident to make it a 2G quad-band phone, also ‘missing’ are GPS and Wi-Fi support, with it does have 2.1 Bluetooth support, which is nice.

If you still think that cheap equates to not being good, this brief promo video might change your mind about the KP500…

Coming out in an increasingly crowded October, the phone has not been given a concrete price, but we can guarantee that it will be affordable, or so their press release is so eager to reiterate…

Check out Omio’s LG KP500 features page to get a look under the hood of this wallet friendly winner!

Omio Survey Results!

First things first, a huge thanks to everyone who filled in the Omio survey, we got a really good response and tons of interesting data on phone habits!

Here are our results:

CONTRACTS

Of the responses given, 81.5% of those asked were using less minutes and texts than they received on their tariff.

47% of the aforementioned were using less than half the minutes or texts that they were given for free each month.

Overall, 40% of respondents were getting 600 free minutes a month, making it the most popular, whilst 27.9% received unlimited text bundles with their deal.

Based on Omio, a 600 minute and unlimited text tariff costs at least £25 on an 18 month contract.

When it came to actual usage however, 30% of those surveyed used only 200 or 300 minutes a month, whilst 24% used only 150 texts a month.

Look on for our shocking findings!

Read more…

Apple Shares Take A Nosedive, Industry Follows Suit

Not a good time to have little Timmy’s inheritance in Apple shares, as they dropped by almost 18% on Monday following shaky industry reports and Wall Street worries about the US Federal rescue plan.

The stock price is currently at $105.26, a low not seen since May 2007, and fell from $128.24 to make the steepest Apple price drop in 8 years.

As news emerged that the $700 billion rescue plan for the industry failed to pass through the House of Representatives, the stock market went into freefall as the Dow Jones lost a worst ever 800 points, and Wall Street saw the bleakest day of trading post-9/11.

The ramifications are currently being felt across the globe as well as in the tech sector, with others in the mobile industry feeling the effects deeply.

Microsoft shares fell by 8.7%, whilst Nokia and Samsung felt the ripples also. The lattermost at least have a barrage of forthcoming handsets like the Tube and the M8800 Pixon to weather the storm, but with a lack of information regarding a follow-up to the MacBook Pro and a lacklustre iPod nano announcement last week, Apple’s previously recession-proof sheen is beginning to fade.

Our bet? Apple will come up with a positive bit of spin in the coming week, either a ‘leaked’ photo or quick announcement to get back on the right track, and be fine in no time. Right?

Source: San Jose Mercury News

T-Mobile G1 Pre-Order Madness, Sales Halted…For A Bit

Good news for T-Mobile and Google as the G1 phone proves to be super popular, selling out of their initial pre-order stock in only four days!

When people tried to sign up to the TMobileG1.com site on Saturday, they were met with the following message: “Sorry! Due to the overwhelming popularity of the new T-Mobile G1, upgrades are temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

Once the blogosphere got a hold of the sell out fiasco, apparently the site quickly came back online and started to accept orders again. Victims of their own success, or generating infamous Wii-style hype ahead of launch?

The G1 goes on sale in US stores on the 22nd of October, at a cost of $179.99 with a two-year T-Mobile contract. The UK release is to follow in November.

Intrested in how it stacks up against the big boys? Check out the T-Mobile G1 features on our handset page, and look here for a detailed iPhone 3G vs T-Mobile G1 comparison!

Source: Silicon.com

Porsche Design P9522, It’s Fancy

When Porsche Design offer their unique asthetic taste on existing objects, you can be assured of two things. That it will be gorgeous, and that you will not be able to afford it.

When they decided to reinvent the bicycle, they looked like a Tour De France winner’s impure thoughts and cost £3,900. Now they are reinventing the mobile phone for the second time, and it looks good.

The P9522 is a single piece of brushed aluminium, within which they have managed to graft a 5 megapixel camera, touchscreen, and GPS.

It is that kind of understated beauty that everyone will just know you paid a premium for, rather than bathing it in diamonds Vertu-style or gaudy graphical displays.

A snip at €600, which is around £480. If you didn’t flinch at the price, then this is the phone for you. Cheaper than a Touch Pro, though…

Source: Born Rich

Microsoft Phone Data Manager Gives Symbian Phones That Syncing Feeling

Doesn’t sound like a big deal, does it? However, Microsoft have been stubborn for the last…well, forever, preventing anything other than Windows Mobile handsets from using their Phone Data Manager syncing software.

Their newest update is currently in beta, and they seem to have had some kind of spontaneous change of heart and allow it to be compatible with Symbian S60 operating systems, the preferred OS for Samsung and Nokia handsets. Whaa?!

It’s true! This version allows owners of these previously shunned phones to back up all valuable data to the PC in a quick and easy manner via Bluetooth or USB, but not without a classic Microsoft caveat…

The program requires use of Windows Live Contacts to move data around. Oh, you don’t have an account? Then sign on up! It makes the process a little more time-consuming, but who doesn’t have an old Hotmail account kicking around that they can bring up to date with a contacts list?

It does offer the choice of saving everything to the computer as well an orbiting space station that can be accessed anywhere Apple’s MobileMe-style, and it is a move towards some kind of unified method of doing things rather than the fractured mobile market we currently have. Well done Microsoft!

Is it a genuinely altruistic act, or is Microsoft trying to rally forces in the face of Google’s Android? Either way, give it a free download and see if you prefer it to your current syncing solution…

Source: Symbian Freak

HTC Still Cool With Windows Mobile After Cosying Up To Android, Considers Systems “Complimentary”

Just as we had predicted in our T-Mobile G1 blowout, HTC chief Mr. Chou’s carefully worded Android compliments were to keep both camps happy, an opinion reiterated in an interview with DigiTimes.

HTC has released numerous handsets running on Windows Mobile, and Chief Marketing Officer John Wang has gone on record to allay any fears that the Taiwanese manufacturer would stay faithful to any one operating system after having used Android in their phone for Google/T-Mobile. The floosy.

“Windows Mobile and Android handsets form separate ecosystems with their own merits and advantages. The former provide users with high performance, interoperability and a large library of applications, while the latter gives handset design companies and developers more flexibility.”

HTC have been flitting from company to company for years spreading joy and nicely designed handsets to the highest bidder (including the Xperia X1 for Sony Ericsson), why stop now?

Source: The Register