Omio News Blog

Nokia Lumia 520 available with O2, free on £14 a month deal

Former British Telecom mobile phone network O2 is now retailing the Windows Phone 8 truly-entry-level Nokia Lumia 520 mobile phone, for as little as £11 a month (£59.99 for the handset).

The 520 was unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress event, alongside the Nokia Lumia 720.

It is the replacement to the Windows Phone 7.8 Lumia 510, which has only just arrived on our shores – and is available from Tesco.

The 520 ships with a super sensitive 4-inch, IPS LCD touch screen. This can be operated with a gloved hand; ideal for use in the winter weather that is still with us.

It features some of the same DNA as the Nokia Lumia 720: 8GB storage capacity; support for microSD cards (up to 64GB); 512MB of RAM and a dual-core 1GHz CPU.

The rear sports a 5-megapixel camera, but there’s no front-facing or NFC capabilities – which are to be found in the 720.

However, it does have access to the digital lenses that are found on the higher-end Lumia 920, along with the HERE mapping app suite.

O2 is offering the phone for free on a £14 a month contract, with 200 minutes, an unlimited text message bundle, and a 100MB data allowance.

It is also around for the same price, with 100 minutes, unlimited texts and an increased 250MB mobile broadband limit.

UPDATE: Temple Run app comes to Windows Phone 8 – now available

Seattle based software developer Microsoft has unveiled that a range of new games have gone live in its Windows Phone app repository, where another – Temple Run, is due this week.

This news comes off the back of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, this week.

Tech news website The Verge has stated that the popular Temple Run is due to go live this week, after it was promised to arrive in time for Christmas – last year.

That is a delay of sometime, but it’s not that much of a delay, when compared to the Apple iOS, where it has been around for 18 months.

Microsoft has taken to its Windows Phone Blog and posted about the new releases, to its Windows Phone 8 OS.

It notes the highlight is a sequel to the popular Gravity Guy: Gravity Guy 2.

This will be exclusive to Windows Phone for the period of a month, before it is rolled out to other platforms.

The games are already proving successful on the other mobile phone operating systems. These are Chaos Rings; 6th Planet; Fling Theory and Orcs Must Survive.

These are for the WP8 OS, apart from the first, which is for Windows Phone 7.5 devices (and presumably 7.8).

UPDATE:

Temple Run is now available, here.

Omio Mobile Phone Weekly Newsletter – 11th March – 15th March

The week began with Omio reporting the HTC Myst #UL was leaked: the 2013 Facebook mobile phone. O2 is already selling second hand BlackBerry Z10 mobile phones for £11, and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 pictures leak. Samsung Galaxy S4 is to have Sony Xperia screen tech and PHOLED display. We updated our article on the Samsung Galaxy S4 specs leak, with a second video posted online – and the Nokia Lumia Windows Phone mobile is now, for only £10.

Earlier on in the week, Samsung Galaxy S4 picture was released by Samsung, and a hands-on video was posted online. Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 became available to order, free voice calls came to the BlackBerry OS. And we exclusive published the Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 benchmark results.

Midweek, HTC Desire C is now available for £8 a month, on Orange. HTC One will be arriving 2nd of April. Samsung Galaxy S4 registration opened at Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4u, Three, Vodafone – and EE. Android Jelly Bean Google Now is coming to Apple iOS devices. Vodafone drops Samsung Galaxy S3 cost ahead of Galaxy S4 launch, and a new unknown Motorola Android mobile phone has been seen online. Omio published HTC One: unboxing and hands-on walkthrough in pictures.

Towards the end of the week, Samsung Galaxy S4 best quality photos leaked. We ran a guest post from Phones 4u – Sony Xperia Z vs HTC One vs BlackBerry Z10 – 2013 Flagship Phone Fray! LG mobile phones are to get a Samsung Galaxy feature. Samsung Galaxy S4 features caught on video: floating touch, SmartPause, unlock screen and Internet browsing. Omio brought out the HTC One: unboxing and hands-on video walkthrough. Samsung Galaxy S4 rumour and speculation was rounded up. Samsung Galaxy S4 was unveiled with 4G LTE, 5-inch screen, octa-core 1.6GHz CPU and a dual capture camera.

At the end of the week, we published Samsung Galaxy S4 official pictures, and video walkthrough, the S4’s accessories in pictures. Samsung Galaxy S4 features are coming to Samsung Galaxy S3. Windows Phone 7.8 roll out resumes, with tile bug fix. Samsung Tizen mobile phone is coming in August, and we rounded up all the Samsung Galaxy S4: mobile phone industry reactions.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The biggest story of the week came from Samsung, launching its flagship Galaxy S4 mobile phone, with a full high-definition 5-inch screen, a octa-core 1.6GHz processor and a 13-megapixel camera – withdual-capture capabilities.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The next most significant piece was HTC reportedly faced delivery delays on its flagship HTC One mobile phone, which is now shipping on the 2nd of April.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The third largest news item came when HTC had specifications appeared on-line of a handset called Myst #UL, which is thought to be its upcoming Facebook phone – following on from the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The following most significant story was Omio exclusively publishing  benchmarking results for the Samsung Galaxy S4 mobile phone, confirming model name, screen size, processor, RAM, memory and version of Android.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The fifth biggest piece was when O2 began selling refurbished versions of the BlackBerry Z10, on £11 a month contracts.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The next most significant news came Google reportedly saw a video posted online of the Android Jelly Bean Google Now assistant, only for the Apple iPhone and iPad.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The seventh largest story was Unlocked-Mobiles.com opening the pre-ordering of the two new Nokia Windows Phone 8 handsets – the Lumia 720 and 520, for £294.98 and £159.98, respectively.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The following most significant item came when Motorola’s yet-to-be-announced handset appear online, in a hands-on video and images – with a possible design influence from its parent company.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The penultimate piece of news was Microsoft starting to redeploy the Windows Phone 7.8 OS, after it paused the update rolling out – due to an error.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Lastly, Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has had its entry level Lumia 510 priced up at Tesco, on a £10 a month contract or for £85, without a 24-month contract.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Windows Phone 7.8 roll out resumes, with tile bug fix

Seattle based software developer Microsoft has started to redeploy the Windows Phone 7.8 OS, after it paused the update rolling out – due to an error.

This has been reported by Microsoft mobile OS news website Windows Phone Central, which states that it has seen its readers receiving the update – taking their phone’s build number from 8858, to 8860.

It goes on to note the Zune Desktop installation has the wording “quality improvements”, compared to any new features or additions mentioned – suggesting this is a bug-fix release.

That publication has said that places such as Italy have received the update. Nokia has also confirmed the roll out, in a tweet from its @NokiaHelps account -

“Good news! Delivery of WIndows Phone 7.8 has begun again at 20:00 East European Time (UTC+2) on the 14th March 2013.”

The Verge has stated that Microsoft has confirmed it has included the Live Tiles fix. This is a resolution to a battery draining issue that was experienced by users, relating to the live titles on the home screen of the OS.

Omio has checked its own test Nokia Lumia 800, and the update has still yet to arrive.

Nokia Lumia Windows Phone mobile is now only £10

Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has had its entry level Lumia 510 priced up at Tesco, on a £10 a month contract or for £85, without a 24-month contract.

Omio was told at Mobile World Congress that the only reason the Lumia 510 is coming to the UK, is so that Tesco can sell it exclusively for the period of a week – as it has already been succeeded, by the Lumia 520.

It appears that this has now come to fruition, with the handset being listed at Tesco Direct and on the Tesco Mobile online phone store.

The mobile phone side of the business is carrying it with 100 minutes, a 500 text message bundle and a 500MB data allowance – on its own network.

Tesco direct is allowing you buy the device outright, which isn’t possible on its phone shop.

Nokia’s Lumia 510 arrives running the updated Microsoft Windows Phone 7.8 OS, with a 4-inch screen; 256MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.

There is also a 5-megapixel camera on-board, with face detection and get-tagging – where it is said to offer 8.4 hours of talk time and 38 hours of music playback.

Both avenues of resale have the 510 in the colours of black, yellow and blue. This is with triple the Tesco clubcard points on the monthly bill, or 85 points on the £85 price.

Via: NokNok

UPDATE: Microsoft Windows Phone 7.8 now available – roll out suspended

Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has made public that the Windows Phone 7.8 update is being deployed to its older Lumia range of mobile phones – right on schedule.

This new OS is rolling out to the Nokia Lumia 800, 710, 610, 900 and 510, Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ handsets.

The update has been the source of many column inches of late, where Omio reported that it was due to arrive at the end of January, and this has now come to fruition.

O2 confirmed that in a Tweet, where Windows Phone Columbia backed it up on its Facebook page.

Nokia has noted this is rolling out over the next coming weeks, but is already shipping pre-loaded to the new lower-end Lumia 510.

Owners of those other mobile phones are said to receive a message on their devices, encouraging them to get the update.

This is applied by connecting an older Lumia to a PC and running Zune, or the Windows Phone app for Macs, and then following the on-screen instructions.

Windows Phone 7.8 brings in features of the latest Microsoft Windows Phone 8 OS, which is only available on new handsets.

Those are along the lines of the customisable three sizes of live titles, with their 20 different colours. Nokia has added internet sharing; Bluetooth sharing and image enhancements. These are camera extra, Contact Share, Play To and the Nokia City Lens augmented reality app.

UPDATE

Omio has just heard from Nokia that the Windows Phone 7.8 roll out has been suspended.

Ray Haddow, Senior Manager, at Nokia UK Communications states:

“Microsoft has identified a minor issue in the Windows Phone 7.8 update and have temporarily paused delivery until it’s addressed. We’ll have more information as it becomes available“

Nokia music can not be stored on microSD cards

Omio has had confirmation of a limitation to the Nokia Music+, which went live last week; music cannot be stored on removable memory.

Nokia Music+ is the company’s fee paying music service, which differentiates itself from the free service in a number of ways.

The first is that its users can skip an unlimited number of tracks, from its curated or other mixes. This is limited to just six an hour, in the standard offering on Windows Phone 8 or Windows Phone 7.5/7.8 handsets.

The second is Nokia Music+ subscribers can download unlimited off-line mixes, rather than the four limit, on the basic version.

Windows Phone 8 allows microSD card support, which was absent from the previous version and a sadly missed feature.

This is used to increase the amount of storage capacity, which the mobile phone natively has. That is a boon to those handsets that have low amounts, such as the Lumia 620 and 520.

We asked Michael Bebel, Global Head of Music at Nokia: How many off-line mixes can be stored on a Nokia device?

He answered – “It is just a matter of capacity, and with everything else you’ve got on there; pictures, videos”

“Easily 10-20 mixes can fit on even an 8GB device.”

He added that limitation is down to the native storage capacity, not including microSD cards, which can’t be used to store the music.

This wasn’t so much of an issue with the hampered version of just four mixes, but limiting a fee paying service to whatever the device has built-in – is a problem.

UPDATE: Two new Nokia Lumia mobile phones leaked online – with specifications

Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has reportedly had two of its yet-to-be-announced Lumia range outed – in the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520.

These pair of Finnish devices come from a Directorate Post & Telecommunication listing image, in Indonesia.

Read more…

Weekly Newsletter – 28th January – 2nd February 2013

The week started with Omio reporting the BlackBerry Z10 is to cost £479.95 at Carphone Warehouse. A Sony Xperia T Jelly Bean update is now available, and Nokia Music+ is announced, with unlimited music for £3.99. BlackBerry 10 OS PlayBook could appear in advert and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 photo leaks; Galaxy Tab 7-inch dropped.

Earlier on in the week, 4G EE Apple iPhone 5 gets visual voicemail and it is also coming to Orange and T-Mobile. BlackBerry World TV and film content partners were announced and Omio published a feature Google: What’s on the agenda for 2013?. Apple iOS 6.1 was released with worldwide 4G LTE support and the iPad 5 photos were leaked, with an iPad mini design. Apple launched a 128GB iPad 4 with a cost of £639. The next Google Nexus 7 launching in May with full 1080p screen and the HTC M7 is to be announced in London, 19th February.

Midweek, we wrote the BlackBerry Z10 available on Vodafone 31st of January for £25 a month; Phones 4u to stock in white. We ran the BlackBerry 10 OS launch event – Live Blog. 4G BlackBerry Z10 was announced: RIMs first BlackBerry 10 OS mobile phone, we published BlackBerry Z10: hands-on photos and unboxing; an unboxing video; hands-on video walkthrough and a hands-on review. A BlackBerry Z10 vs. Apple iPhone 5: in photos and specifications; BlackBerry Z10 accessories: in photos and BlackBerry Z10 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3: in photos and specifications. BlackBerry Q10 unveiled: Research In Motion’s first BB10 Qwerty keyboard handset; and the company named changed to BlackBerry. Omio also ran a hands-on photos and hands on video, of the Q10.

Towards the end of the week, Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 mobile phone will be available before March. Exclusive: Higher specification BlackBerry due this year; no lower end BlackBerry 10 OS mobile phones in 2013. Nokia: Microsoft Windows Phone 7.8 is now available. We published the best BlackBerry Z10 deals and prices: networks and retailers compared. HTC M7 is arriving before 8th of March and Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie due May-June, where 4G EE is now available in nine more places.

At the end of the week, we reported the Sony Xperia Z is to cost £529. Sony launched a phone locator for Xperia mobile phones. Nokia Lumia 620 and Lumia 920 is now available on Three.

BlackBerry service costs have been dropped; confirmed by EE and Three. Nokia Lumia 620 is now available for as low as £149.99 and the Motorola X Phone confirmed. Omio ran How to send images over NFC, between two different mobile phone operating systems.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The biggest story of the week came from Research In Motion, which unveiled its first BlackBerry 10 OS mobile phones – the BlackBerry Z10, with 4G LTE capabilities.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The next most significant piece was when HTC invited press to an event in London, on Tuesday 19th of February – where the M7 is thought to be unveiled.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The third largest news item came from Research In Motion BlackBerry, announcing its first BlackBerry 10 OS run mobile phone, with a physical keyboard – the BlackBerry Q10. This is along with changing the company name to BlackBerry.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The following most significant story was when Apple launched a 128GB version of its iPad 4, with a cost starting at £639.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The fifth biggest piece was when Omio learned that a BlackBerry 10 OS based handset, with higher specifications than the recently announced BlackBerry Z10 phone – is due this year.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The next most significant news came when BlackBerry waived its traditional costs for using its service, as confirmed by EE and Three.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The seventh largest story was EE enabled visual voicemail on the Apple iPhone 5, which is also coming to Orange and T-Mobile

——————————————————————————————————————————

The following most significant item came when Nokia has made public that the Windows Phone 7.8 update is being deployed to its older Lumia range of mobile phones.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The penultimate piece of news was Nokia unveiling an addition to its Lumia Mix Radio service – Nokia Music+, which lifts the limitations of access to 17 million tracks of free music, which competes with the likes of Spotify.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Lastly, we published How to send images over NFC between two different mobile phone operating systems.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Weekly Newsletter – 21st January – 25th January

The week began with Omio reporting the Samsung Galaxy S4 benchmarks had appeared online, sporting an 8-core CPU and 4.99-inch screen.  Motorola X with Key Lime Pie is to launch at Google I/O, and BlackBerry 10 OS navigation gestures were leaked, where its app store gets a renamed. Apple iPhone 5S, iPhone Math is to launch in June – with a third phone for Christmas. And Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is confirmed to launch at Mobile World Congress 2012.

Earlier on in the week, we covered that Windows Phone 7.8 is coming to O2 mobile phones next week and Phones 4u is launching a 4G mobile phone network, called LIFE Mobile. LG Optimus G Pro was unveiled with a full HD 5-inch screen and EE announced 4G £31 contract and a 20GB data allowance. LG Optimus G 4G LTE is to arrive in more 50 countries and Samsung is to replace the Galaxy S3 Mini, with an NFC version.

Midweek, Samsung Galaxy S4 press photo leaked online. Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 8 handsets gained the Portico update, and Nokia Lumia 510 with Windows Phone 7.8 is coming to the UK, with confirmation from Nokia and proof found on Phones 4u. Nokia 41-megapixel PureView Lumia 920 is launching in February, and Samsung mobile phone road map leaks for first half of 2013. HTC Sense 5 screenshots appeared online and the UK 4G licence auction is now under way.

Towards the end of the week, we noted that the HTC is being announced in London, 19th February. Android Jelly Bean is hitting Samsung Galaxy S2 in the UK. Older HTC mobile phones are to get Windows Phone 7.8. 75 million Apple iOS devices were sold in three months, and Siri was destined for Android, not Apple. Nokia Windows Phone 8 satnav is available for HTC and Samsung mobiles; Samsung 7-inch tablet is to undercut Nexus 7 price. And, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 gets photographed, on public transport.

At the end of the week, Nokia sells 86.3 million mobile phones in three months, and Argos leaks Three Nokia Lumia 620 mobile phone’s cost. Huawei Ascend P2 leaked online, and the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is coming to the UK. Windows Phone 7.8 is to include Nokia Windows Phone 8 apps, and Acer Liquid E1 mobile phone is unveiled ahead of Mobile World Congress.
We reported on how to hold an umbrella and send a text message with both hands, at the same time, and the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 mobile phone was announced – which can take photos underwater.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The biggest story of the week came from Samsung, where its purported Galaxy S4 had appeared online in benchmark results.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The next most significant piece was when Apple was report that it intends to launch a trio of iPhones in 2013.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The third largest news item came from Samsung, which had its purported upcoming flagship Galaxy S4 leaked – in a picture discovered on Picasa.
——————————————————————————————————————————

The following most significant story was when Samsung had its yet-to-be-announced Galaxy Note 8 tablet leaked online – in a set of photos that appear to be taken out in public.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The fifth biggest piece was Samsung having its road map of handsets outed online with devices such as the Galaxy Note 8.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The next most significant news came when Nokia was rumoured to be announcing a Windows Phone 8 version of its Symbian PureView 808 41-megapixel handset – at Mobile World Congress 2013.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The seventh largest story was from Motorola, in that it’s reportedly going to unveil a 5-inch screen based mobile phone in May, featuring the next version of Android.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The following most significant item came when Phones 4u made public it is to launch its own mobile phone network in March this year under the name of LIFE Mobile – with 4G to be offered later in 2013.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The penultimate piece of news was when EE mobile phone network introduced a new entry-level 4G price plan, from the 31st of January and a larger 20GB data limit.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Lastly, Samsung is now rolling out the Google Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS to its former flagship Galaxy S2 mobile phone.

——————————————————————————————————————————