Omio News Blog

Flipboard App Leaks: Flipping Great News Available To All Android Users

We were pleasantly surprised at the recent Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 event to see the innovative newsreader app Flipboard running on the Samsung Galaxy S3. 

Flipboard allows you to add RSS, Facebook and Twitter feeds into a bright tiled layout, and flick up and down to ‘flip’ rather than scroll through pages, making navigation a breeze.  It also looks great, folding the page in half as it flips, and especially making Twitter posts with images more visually presentable.

It was a great app to show off the S3′s huge 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED screen, and something of a talking point. Up until now this has been exclusive to, and an office favourite on our iOS devices. Whilst an Android release was rumoured as imminent, it was announced as a Galaxy S3 exclusive at the event, at least initially.

Now a version of the app has turned up online via the forum XDADevelopers.com after user Falcho reported that he had simply extracted the program file from a review handset using AirDroid.

The app is currently working perfectly on a number of Android handsets, not just the latest ones, even the original Samsung Galaxy S gets some love,  meaning that you don’t have to upgrade just yet, to get a piece of the flipping pie.

Installation is as easy as dropping the .apk file into the handset’s internal memory (it won’t work fully from the SD card) and in the phone’s security settings, enabling the ‘Allow installation of non-Market apps’.

In addition to this, the same user has managed to upload the S Voice app, so Samsung Android users will also have a chance to try the Galaxy S3′s voice control functionality.  We’re not nearly as excited about this as Flipboard though, an app that actually improves the user experience rather than frustrates it.

If you’re feeling a little adventurous and wonder what all the fuss is about, head over to XDAdevelopers for more details.

For more details on Android handsets, including the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3, check out Omio’s deals page.

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Announced: Free On T-Mobile From £15.50 Per Month

RIM have announced an upgrade to their popular and affordable Curve range of handsets.  The BlackBerry Curve 9320 will have all the core functionality of that users have come to expect, although offer no real surprises.

Being an entry level classic BlackBerry, the focus here leans towards function and affordability over spec-sheet.  We have the usual 2.4″ screen and QWERTY keypad. Push Email, Facebook and Twitter integration via apps is present and accounted for, whilst the BBM service for instant, always-on communication now has it’s own button for easy access.

Onboard is an MP3 player with FM radio for music on the move, plus a 3MP camera with LED Flash for capturing moments when something bigger is out of reach.

GPS maps, and internet access also round off the ‘smart’ functionality, whilst global 3G compatibility, 512mb onboard with 32GB microSD storage and a good sized 1450mAh battery will mean that the Curve 9320 will travel well abroad too.

The Curve 9320 will run the latest version of BlackBerry OS 7.1, although it is unlikely that this will be upgradeable to the upcoming BlackBerry 10, which seems to be more geared towards touch-screen handsets.

T-Mobile are the first to announce availability of the 9320, offering it free from £15.50 p/m on a 24month contract.

This will net you 100mins call time, unlimited texts (flexible booster) and 250MB of data.

Alternatively they are also offering the handset off-contract for £149.99, making it a cheap and chirpy communicator, or a functional second handset.

Keep an eye on Omio’s deals page for offers on the BlackBerry Curve 9320 from other networks as they emerge.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Launch: UK Release Date Set For May 30th

Samsung finally revealed the hotly anticipated Galaxy S3 yesterday evening, in a multi million pound launch event at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

The handset runs the latest version of Android 4.0.4 on its 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos processor with 1GB of RAM. 

The screen is an impressive 4.8-inch 720p Super HD AMOLED screen, which, whilst big has a thin bezel around it, so is perfectly holdable.

Figures like that would usually have us reaching for the charger, but the new processor is said to be much more power efficient, and the battery is a whopping 2100mAh, which is roughly 30% more powerful than the rival quad-core HTC One X.

The rear camera is 8MP and super-fast, taking 3.3 still shots per second, and 1080p video. 

The front camera is a surprise at 1.9MP, which is larger than expected, but maybe necessary for facial tracking. The S3 will be able to tell if you are looking at it and stay on if you are reading something, rather than dim the screen on a timer as is the norm.

The Galaxy S3 was given a more rounded appearence than the S2, opting for natural curves and soft edges.

Samsung have said they were inspired by nature when desiging the handset, which explains why we were serenaded by whale noises and birdsong during the build up.  The handset was demoed in two colours, pebble blue and ceramic white, for business and pleasure respectively.

Samsung also described the phone as being ‘designed for humans’ focussing on the social sharing features of the handset.  ‘S Beam’ is a close proximity file sharing feature that uses NFC and wifi to send files between handsets.

Facial recognition software will also allow users to instantly share photo’s with people in their contact list immediately. 

‘S Voice’ brings an air of Siri to the precedings, allowing users to look insane whilst talking to no-one.

You may be able to wake the phone from sleep with a voice command, but we always found the wake button much quicker. Hopefully local search facilities will be enabled upon release, (something Apple have still failed to do here in Europe) and bring this functionality out of novelty status.

The S3 will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, with this expandable upto a further 64GB with the addition of a micro SDXC card.

Users will also be given 50GB of Dropbox cloud storage free for two years, which should see through a 24month contract.

The Galaxy S3 will be released as a 3G HDSPA+ version on May 29th in Europe, with a 4G LTE version following in countries lucky enough to have super-fast mobile broadband, in June of this year.

The Korean tech giants were keen to play down the numbers and the launch focussed on what the phone could do rather than boast about specifications or previous succeses. Of course, they could have boasted had they wished…

Figures released recently by London firm Strategy Analytics revealed that Samsung held 30% of the smartphone market, beating Apple’s 24%.

Samsung also accounted for 24.5% of the global mobile handset market, passing Nokia, who have been on a downward slide of late.

UK Retailers are currently rubbing their hands in anticipation of the May 29th launch, as the Galaxy S2 sold like hotcakes.

Some information lacking from the launch event was any solid details on pricing. However, retailers will be keen to start pre-sales so expect full details soon.

We expect the handset to be offered on contract from the £35 per month mark, with the upfront cost varying depending on which model you plump for. Those who wish to buy the phone outright rather than tie into a lengthy contract should expect prices starting around £500.

We will of course be sure to bring you any deatils of availability and pricing as soon as we find out.  Sign up for alerts about the Samsung Galaxy S3 on our deals page, or keep tuned to Omio for more news.

BlackBerry 10: RIM Preview New Keyboard And Camera Features

Research In Motion yesterday previewed features that we can expect from their upcoming BlackBerry 10 mobile software, proving that despite a year of continuing setbacks, the beleaguered mobile company still has some innovations up its sleeve.

New RIM CEO Thorsten Heins used his first BlackBerry World conference to reveal a swish new keyboard for their upcoming touchscreen handsets, as well as a time-travelling camera app that should prevent missed smiles and blinking in pictures! 

All this was shown on an early developer’s handset, that was essentially a scaled down version of their PlayBook tablet.

A new virtual keyboard may not sound like the most compelling of announcements, but for a company that holds messaging so central to it’s core identity, it is definitely important to get right.

On first impressions the keyboard looks nice and spacious, with plenty of room for even the larger thumbed among us to glide around. Each row of letters is separated, with a clear dead zone in order to minimise miss-pressed keys, that also allows space for predictive word suggestions to appear.

The new software will be able to scan a user’s previous messages in order to make word lists for predictive typing and auto-correct, something that would usually take some time to adapt to, but in this case will be available straight away after setting up the handset.

In addition to this, the hit points of individual keys will adapt dynamically to the natural typing of the user, great news for those of us who always miss the same buttons!

Lastly the keyboard software will incorporate a number of touch gestures, for instance horizontal swipes to delete entries and vertical swipes to switch from letters to numbers, or to select text suggestions.

For those of you who are quite happy with your touchscreen typing, the prospect of a time-travelling camera may hold more appeal.

Everyone’s taken a picture, only to find that someone has blinked or pulled an involuntary stupid face just as the shutter clicks.

The camera app in BlackBerry 10 will take a number of images before and after the shot, and will allow you to glide either forwards or backwards in time to get the perfect snap.

The demo previewed on stage suggested that faces can be independently manipulated, receiving a rapturous reception from the audience.

It’s a nice idea that had the ‘wow’ factor, and could save you from some spoiled photo’s, but we’re still holding out for a Blade Runner style camera software that can look round corners.

Whilst there is no indication that RIM are to ditch the physical keyboard completely – something that has been a unique selling point for the BlackBerry - it is good to see them try to innovate in a field that they have struggled to compete in, that of the Android and iPhone dominated touchscreen market.

To say that RIM have had a bad year would be an understatement. A massive loss of service in October 2011 affecting tens of millions of users saw their reputation as the last word in reliability in tatters.

Add to this a drop in market share from 10% to 5%, and shares dropping 77%, it was little surprise when co-founders Mike Lazardis and Jim Balsillie stood down as joint CEOs back in January.

New CEO Thorsten Heins recently announced a renewed focus on the business markets in an attempt to consolidate the company’s strengths and core values.

Whilst the announcement of a flashy camera app will attract some headlines, we’re happier to see the messaging interface being given some due care and attention.

For a wide range of deals on BlackBerry handsets, see Omio’s deals page.

Samsung Galaxy S3 on Vodafone – specs leak as network shouts first?

With the Samsung Galaxy S3 less than ten days away from an official ‘Mobile Unpacked 2012′ launch event on May 3rd, the Koreans are struggling to keep the proverbial cat in the bag after a flurry of tantalising leaks recently.

Vodafone have also anounced via website that they will be stocking the follow up to the Galaxy S2.

Samsung have been stoking the PR flames with a website and video at its site www.thenextgalaxy.com.

The teaser trailer for the May 3rd event is all orchestral swells and ‘nudge-nudge, wink-wink’ statements about fitting the ‘entire galaxy in your hand’.

The vid also takes a massive swipe at the competition, claiming that their new handset will ‘make you stand out from everybody else’ and showing a field of bleating sheep.

Vodafone are the first UK carrier to announce the upcoming availability of the ‘Next Galaxy handset’, which is quite clearly the S3 and are letting customers register interest, and sign up for updates on availability here.

Meanwhile the German Amazon site put a page up for the Galaxy S3 that, whilst having no images for the handset, does give a sim-free price of €599 alongside a few technical specifications.

The site, which has tellingly not been taken down, reveals a 4.7″ Super AMOLED screen, a 12MP camera and the Android’s latest ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ flavoured OS.

Previously last Friday, Vietnamese tech site and reputable leakers Tinhte posted a video showing off a phone that purported to be a leaked Galaxy S3. A scan of the system profile showed that it was running a quad-core 1.4Ghz processor.

The handset did appear to be contained in a fairly generic case, so could have either been disguised to keep the final looks under wraps, as is common practice, or an earlier prototype model, a possibility as it appears to only have an 8MP camera.

Whilst the video was soon removed at Samsung’s request, Engadget did manage to salvage a copy of the video before the takedown, which is viewable here.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 was notably absent from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year.

There were rumours of a production delay, but with increasing suggestions of an iPhone 5 being readied for July release, and the ongoing feud between the two companies, it could be that the two mobile heavyweights are gearing up for a serious head to head battle this summer.

The first match up saw Apple’s iPhone 4S beaten by the Galaxy S2, in the UK at least.

The follow up battle will be hotly anticipated and will no doubt rise to levels of hype that would make Don King blush.

Stay tuned for upcoming information on the Samsung Galaxy S3 via Omio deals page.

Sony XPERIA P Release Date and Price Revealed, Contract Deals Available Soon

The Sony XPERIA P will be released in the UK on May 7th 2012, initially sim-free via Clove for £330, and Expansys for £339.  Contract deals are available on Omio’s deals page now via buymobiles.net.  More deals will show up as the release date closes.

The Android handset is looking pretty shiny with a precision crafted aluminium unibody, and a 4” touchscreen that utilises Sony’s ultra-bright, ultra-crisp ‘Whitemagic’ technology.

Sony have also been pushing a novel yet practical use for the built in Near Field Communications, the same technology used in transport swipe ticketing, such as London’s Oyster cards.  Sony have developed Smart Tags, dongle like devices that you can hang in your car, home or office, that enable you to quickly change custom settings as you move from one area to another, which will no doubt kill those annoying scrambles to switch on bluetooth & GPS every time you get in the car.

The relatively slim 1GHz dual core processor won’t break any speed records, but may give some allowance for battery life.  The 8MP camera with Exmor R image processing should make all your snaps look gorgeous, and you’ve got a respectable 16GB of storage for pics video’s and music.

DLNA built-in will mean you can wirelessly beam video and images to compatible screens effortlessly. Full specs are available here. The handset will ship with the relatively antiquated ‘Gingerbread’ flavour Android 2.3, although Sony are promising a hop, skip and a jump of an upgrade to Android 4 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ in Q2 (so around the summer).

The XPERIA P sits in the mid-range of Sony’s NXT series of handsets, just below the more powerful Xperia S which is available now. The payoff with the XPERIA P is that you can get a great looking handset without breaking the bank!

You can bag yourself an off contract pre-order today, via Clove and Expansys. If you’re after an on-contract deal, keep an eye on the Omio deals page.

Apple & Samsung Ordered By Judge to Sit Down And Sort It Out Like Grown Ups

It could be that an end is in sight to the ongoing ugly legal fight between Apple and Samsung, a messy high profile battle that is part of the a wider ‘patent wars’ in the tech industry.  The tech world has resembled something like pub brawl at kicking out time of late, with patent rights being bought and sold as weapons for the courtrooms.  The Apple vs Samsung match up even saw Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Tab banned for a while in Europe after accusations of similarities with the iPad, and influenced a hardware re-design to the American version of the Samsung Galaxy S2.

Now Samsung and Apple representatives have been ordered to the office of Judge Joseph C Spero, who will no doubt to sit them down and give them a jolly good piece of his mind.  Both Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO will be attending, probably both looking at the floor, shuffling their feet nervously.

Twitter have even waved a white flag, calling for a patent truce and telling everyone to ‘just get along’. The Innovators Patent Agreement is a call for a non aggression pact, that would effectively mean that patents could only be invoked legally for defensive purposes.   

But why the beef? Despite the bitter slug fest in the courts, Apple and Samsung do a remarkable amount of business together.  Samsung not only provide the New Ipad’s high resolution ‘Retina Display’ but also the custom A4 and A5 microprocessors in the iPhone 4S and iPad.  Most see this as being more to do with Steve Job’s vow to destroy Google’s Android mobile operating system. 

Google and Apple used to be quite pally, but Google’s entry into the mobile market was seen as an arch betrayal by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who had simultaneously sat on the Apple board of directors as Android was being developed in secret.  Jobs afterwards vowed he was ‘willing to go thermonuclear war’ in order to sink Android, and his company since targeted high profile Android devices, such as Samsung’s also exceptionally popular handsets and tablets.

The court meeting, to be held within the next 90 days, should give us an idea about how much this vendetta lives on in the Post-Jobs Apple organisation, and hopefully draw to a close a messy chapter in the patent wars.

Samsung Announce Windows Phone 8 ‘Apollo’ Handset, Should Nokia Be Nervous?

Samsung have confirmed that a Windows Phone 8 ‘Apollo’ handset is in the pipeline and set for release later in the year.  The Korean manufacturers have previously dallied with Microsoft’s OS.  The Omnia W and Omnia 7 were previously made for Windows Phone 7.

Samsung have had a fruitful relationship with Google’s Android OS, that has brought us the current (still) UK number 1 handset: the Samsung Galaxy S2.  Samsung are clearly married to Google’s OS but they are clearly not afraid to taste a bit of Metro UI on the side.

Recent analysis has shown Samsung eating into Nokia’s sales, so Samsung’s and also HTC’s modest, yet continued support for Microsoft could make the beleaguered Finns uneasy.  Analyst Ian Fogg of IHS highlighted the precarious position that Nokia was in, as Samsung threatened its standing as the world’s number one phone manufacturer.  Nokia meanwhile, are still occupied by the release of the new Nokia Lumia 900 handset, so will probably hold back for a while before lifting the lid on future Windows Phone 8 models.

Nothing other than the mysterious Samsung handset’s existence has been confirmed, but with Windows Phone 8 development keeping Redmond’s UI workers busy until its release in the autumn, the rumor mill is pointing towards a possible launch release in October at the earliest.  We will post with any more details as and when they become available, but on our wishlist is definitely multi-core for premium app support, as well as a vastly improved resolution from the standard 800×480 available to Windows Phone 7.

Could it be that the sharks are circling for Nokia already?  Or will a multi-manufacturer melee spur on healthy competition in the market.  Either way, Microsoft will be happy for Samsung’s continued support of its OS, whose survival will be made or broken on the volume of users.

Nokia Lumia 900′s Bumpy Launch: Early Adopters Benefit, For A Change

Nokia’s big US launch of the Lumia 900, its $99 flagship smartphone, has been embarrassingly setback by a software glitch that has affected data transmission.  However in a remarkable move, Nokia have offered early adopters a $100 rebate off their next bill, effectively meaning that customers will be $1 better off for taking up the handset.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a week for Nokia.  First weekend sales in the US of the aggressively priced flagship Windows Phone handset were promising, topping the Amazon sales charts despite some mixed reviews.  Critics praised the familiar design, essentially an XL version of the Lumia 800, built around a large ClearBlack 4.3” AMOLED touchscreen, and the addition of 4G LTE data speeds.  The addition of a front facing for video calls and Skype was also welcomed, this being a notable omission from its predecessor.  However they did note a lack of multi-core processor, and relatively low screen resolution, in comparison with its major competitors.  Despite this, customers showed that their priorities lay with their wallets and snatched up the handset on-contract for a mere $99.

The celebrations were short lived however, as reports started to emerge of a significant bug in the handset causing loss of data connectivity. Nokia were swift to offer an explanation of the fault on their blog yesterday, offering either a downloadable software patch on the 16^th April or an immediate in-store exchange for an updated handset.  In a bold and clearly costly move, they have offered $100 credit to each person who buys the phone between its release and the 21^st April, effectively paying customers $1 to take up their phone on contract.  One dollar may barely get you a free lunch, or even a cheap app, but the principle stands.

It’s yet to be seen how this swift manoeuvre will sit with customers.  Will they smell desperation and run a mile, or will this give them an additional sales boost? As a third place runner behind Apple’s and Google’s Android, the key to long-term success for Nokia and Microsoft is to boost the Windows Phone ecosystem.  Any significant rise in user numbers will be supported by increased app purchase and in turn, further developer support.  Nokia’s decisive response is in stark contrast with the silence and denials from Apple over launch bugs on previous iPhone releases, so we wait to see whether Nokia have managed to pull a last-minute save with this move.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is available for pre-order now in the UK, and set for a 27^th April release date, by which time the UK handsets won’t be affected by the software glitch. The Lumia 900 is currently being offered from free on a two year contract via Phones 4u.

Check Omio’s deals page for a full list of tarriffs and offers.

CES 2012: BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Previewed, Coming 17th Feb 2012

At the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday, Canada’s Research In Motion allowed attendees to get their hands on the long awaited OS update to the BlackBerry PlayBook to the show, and gave it a street date of Feb 17 2012.  The 7” tablet was praised for its high spec hardware on release but criticized for the startling omission of a native email, contacts or calendar app, relying instead on third party solutions, or via a tethered BlackBerry handset.

RIM’s President and Co-CEO Mike Lazardis highlighted a number of productivity features that will appeal its core users. He announced that the 2.0 update would include a native unified inbox, pulling together email and social messaging alerts, as has become familiar with BlackBerry’s dedicated user-base the world over.  Additional features for email include ‘tabbed email’ allowing users to write one email whilst referencing another, advanced inbox support for multiple accounts and out-of-office controls, and full rich-text email support for control over fonts and layouts. The calendar app is an expanded version of the mobile app that allows people to see how busy their day is depending on the size of the date, useful for identifying your busy spots at a glance. Native BBM is notable by its omission however, and has been further pushed back.

If this all sounds a bit too much ‘book’ and not enough ‘play’, RIM offered the BlackBerry Video Storefront, a media portal for TV and Film downloads, whilst BlackBerry Remote allows the use of a tethered handset as, you guessed it, a remote, handy for when the PlayBook is plugged into an HDTV via HDMI.

Since its much-hyped launch early in 2011, the PlayBook has never managed to meet the expectation of hype with convincing sales figures.  Estimates put the number between 500,000-700,000 units, which makes the PlayBook a minor player next to Android tablets and the iPad. Substantial price cuts did help increase sales last year, although the effect was something more of a trickle than a flow. Its unlikely that this update will turn charming yet diminutive PlayBook into a market leader, but existing users will be pleased to see they’re loyalty rewarded with a fresh OS update and features that, whilst welcome, should really have been there at launch.

See the full press release after the break, and check out Omio’s deals page for great offers on BlackBerry handsets and the PlayBook.

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