Omio News Blog

Another picture of LG unknown handset tips up online

Renowned South Korean consumer electronics maker LG has seen a second photo appear of a yet-to-be-unveiled mobile phone, following on from last week’s leak.

We reported then, on a large, 5-inch display based phone being leaked – which is an unknown LG model that had no apparent physical buttons.

A second, less clear, image has now manifested, from that renowned Twitter leaker, @evleaks.

In the past, that Twipsters had accurately outed information ahead of a company’s official announcement, where the first picture of this unknown device was also from the same source.

On that post, the LG Optimus G2 was hinted as its name – with this new one, “Thin-bezeled LG, redux“, accompanying this Tweet.

LG is holding a press event on the 30th of May, in Macau, China.

It is thought that this could herald in either the LG Optimus G Pro, or perhaps the Optimus G2 – the successor the G, which had the same innards as the Google Nexus 4.

The G2 is believed to be the 4G handset that LG is bringing to the UK, after it missed the G Pro from its blightly line-up.

Stay tuned, and we’ll bring you more on this mysterious LG phone, as we doubt this will be the last leak of this nature.

Huawei Ascend Mate launches with the largest screen seen in a phone

Popular low-cost handset manufacturer Huawei has unveiled its Ascend Mate – which has a 6.1-inch HD display and a two day battery life.

The Ascend Mate is 6.5mm thin and has a screen-to-body ratio of 73 per cent, which is said to be the highest in the industry.

It has a 720 x 1280 IPS+ LCD screen that can be used with a glove, where the mobile is driven by a quad-core 1.5GHz Hi-Silicon processor, with 2GB of RAM, support for 32GB microSD cards and a 4,050 mAh battery.

The latter is supported by the company’s proprietary Quick Power Control (QPC) and Automated Discontinuous Reception (ADRX) smart power-saving technology.

On a single charge, it is believed to offer two-days of ordinary use with the fastest recharge time of its competitors – at 30 per cent less.

It runs from Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and has a 1-MP front facing HD camera, a rear 8-megapixel variant, with HDR features.

Huawei’s Ascend Mate will be on sale in China in February, where Omio has been informed by the company regarding a UK arrival date – “We don’t have any further details at the moment on availability, but as soon as we do, we will be sure to let you know.”

Check out the demo video of the Ascend Mate, below.

Petition starts online for Windows Phone OS to get Google apps

Internet search engine giant Google is now being petitioned by owners of handsets running Windows Phone 7 and the new Windows Phone 8 OS, for support to come to them in the form of popular Google apps.

This has been covered by an article on Microsoft mobile OS news website WMPoweruser, which notes: “To this day, Google has ignored Windows Phone users by making the controversial and arguably anti-competitive decision to not build apps for the platform beyond a very basic search app.”

“[There is now] a petition that the goal is to make Google hear the Windows Phone community and to get them on the path of making polished apps on the Windows Phone platform,” added the publication.

The partition reads – “Google Inc: Support your popular Apps (Google+,Talk, Drive ..) on Windows Phone

Because consumers exercise choice and use multitude of products from different providers. Sometimes we also pay for those services. It is discrimination against consumers if they are being forced to choose platforms based on eco-system support and not their choice. There is no denying that Windows Phone is a promising platform, but app providers like Google keeping their apps walled to Android or iOS is not helping the consumers. The rivalry between the vendors is their own and consumers shouldn’t be dragged into it.

Google has made public statements about not supporting Windows Phone platform, even to an extent of pulling support for the Exchange Activesync protocol. At the end, the consumer suffer.

Google will do great service to their users and consumers by offering some products on rival platform, notable Google Apps, Drive, Google+ and Google Talk.

Thank You.”

Mobile Phone Review Round Up: HTC 8S

Omio is now rounding up all the HTC 8S mobile phone reviews from the UK major tech titles.

This is all in order to bring you an all-inclusive and encompassing view of the opinions, from the various handset reviewers.

Pocket-Lint

Windows Phone 8S by HTC review

With the HTC 8X taking the top spot of HTC’s Windows Phone 8 collection, the HTC 8S – or Windows Phone 8S by HTC, as it’s officially known – sits a step or two down from the top. It’s an entry-level Windows Phone and comes at entry-level prices.

It’s part of that relatively exclusive club, offering the latest software from Microsoft, promising a simpler approach to smartphones, a people-centric experience, with less time faffing and more time being productive.

But can the HTC 8S stand up against the devices from Nokia, which add more on the software side, and will this relatively low-spec device give you a Windows Phone experience to savour? And will it stand up against the sort of experience you’ll get from the abundance of affordable Androids?

Verdict

The Windows Phone 8S by HTC comes in as an affordable handset for those wanting the Windows Phone experience on a budget. The quirky user experience is delivered here much as it is elsewhere but we can’t help feeling, thanks to the specs of the phone, that the 8S isn’t too far removed from the previous run of Windows Phone devices.

What you don’t get is the additional software that Nokia is pouring into its handsets to boost the offering. There is no company doing more to own the Windows Phone space, with this handset falling somewhere close to the Nokia 620, which you might want to consider as an alternative.

The HTC 8S is a nice little handset. It’s dependable without being groundbreaking, so while it might not get your pulse racing, it’ll keep you in touch.

Stuff

HTC 8S Review

A vision in ‘colour-dipped’ polycarbonate, the HTC 8S continues the sterling work of its 4.3in sibling, the 8X, in flying the flag for supremely good-looking Windows Phone 8 hardware.

Priced just £180 on Pay as You Go with Three or on contract from less than £20 a month, it could be a two-tone dream come true for anyone struggling to wrap their mitts around the 8X or its Android counterpart the HTC One X+. But does the HTC 8S perform as handsomely as it looks? And can it trounce the mid-range Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and Nokia Lumia 820?

HTC 8S review – verdict

The HTC 8S is obviously a great deal cheaper than both of those alternatives, though, and with its head-turning looks and excellent battery life, the 8S is a great choice for the budget-conscious gadget fan looking to board the colourful, customisable world of Windows Phone 8.

TechRadar

HTC Windows Phone 8S review

HTC have been a major Windows Phone player for a while now, arguably second only to Nokia in their output. With Samsung eating up much of their Android market share and Microsoft launching an exciting new version of Windows Phone, the platform is obviously going to be a key area of focus for the Taiwanese firm.

So it’s no surprise that they haven’t hung around to release some Windows Phone 8 handsets, with both the mid range HTC Windows Phone 8S and its big brother the HTC Windows Phone 8X competing for your attention.

Verdict

The HTC 8S is a good all round handset. It doesn’t do a terrible job of anything but stylish looks aside it also struggles to stand out.

Pretty much every Windows Phone is great for messaging and social networks and this is no exception, while being able to expand the storage with a microSD card is always appreciated.
Equally the performance is generally pretty slick, which combined with the stylish design gives the impression of a more premium, expensive handset than it actually is.

But it leaves us wanting more. There aren’t any particularly compelling apps included and the Windows Phone app store is fairly lightweight compared to the competition.

Web browsing isn’t great, media is fine but does nothing to stand out, the camera is pretty average and battery life could be a whole lot better.
The low number of other Windows Phone 8 options, particularly as low priced as this, will certainly give it a boost.

Looking outside of Windows Phone 8 it doesn’t seem such great value for money, but if you’re set on Windows Phone 8 and don’t want to drop a huge amount on a handset then for the time being this a good buy.

Trusted Reviews

HTC 8S review

HTC is one of the flagship phone-makers for Windows Phone 8. The HTC 8S is the mid-range model in the company’s line-up, with the HTX 8X being the flagship model. It is far cheaper than Nokia’s middle of the road Nokia Lumia 820, selling for around £220 SIM-free. It doesn’t have the giant screen and oodles of features link on the top-end phones but its keen price makes this 4-inch, dual-core mobile an excellent alternative to a mid-range Android phone.

The HTC 8S is officially called the Windows Phone 8S by HTC but HTC 8S seems to be the term most people are using so that’s what we’re going to stick with for the rest of this review.

Verdict

The HTC 8S is an attractive early entry to the world of the new Windows OS. It looks and feels great, and sells at a very reasonable price. It also has the power to make Windows Phone 8 as quick as it should be, aside from the occasional glitch. Look too close, though, and you’ll realise there are a few tasty bits you miss out on. 4GB of internal memory isn’t enough for the system to thrive on, there’s no user-facing camera and the lack of NFC will lock your out of some potentially exciting future developments in Windows Phone 8.

- Check out all the HTC 8S deals on OMIO today!

Vodafone: The Nokia Lumia 920 is coming

Mobile phone network Vodafone has announced that it will be carrying the Nokia Lumia 920, which confirms that EE is losing its exclusivity on the mobile phone.

The network unveiled this news on Vodafone Social, the Official Vodafone UK blog.

Its posting reads: “With the New Year just around the corner we thought it was about time we gave you a little update on out Windows Phone 8 plans. A few weeks back we told you about how excited we are to be able to bring a selection of the finest Windows Phone 8 devices in early 2013, and now we’ve got a new phone to welcome into the Vodafone fold too.”

“Already confirmed as heading to Vodafone in the new year are the Nokia Lumia 820, the HTC 8X and HTC 8S. They’re a stunning set of Windows Phone 8 handsets, but one more can’t hurt, can it? With that in mind, we’re donning the party hats early in light of the news that we’ll also be stocking the Nokia Lumia 920.”

“At the moment, that means we’re saying that all four of our Windows Phone 8 phones will arrive in the early stages of next year, but keep your eyes locked to Vodafone Social for a more precise release date, which we’ll bring you as soon as we possibly can”, added Vodafone.

Omio was told at a Nokia press event by EE that the exclusive deal for that network to carry the phone was to until the end of the year, with a view to revisit it in 2013.

This obviously is not going to happen now and the 920 will be available outside of the 4G part of the company, along with Orange and T-Mobile.

UPDATE: LG Optimus G – LTE Quad Core Power On Its Way To UK?

UPDATED: We have just heard from a source at LG that it aims to release the Optimus G to the European market in Q1 2013, with more details to follow later this year.

Now that the UK has a genuine LTE network on the near horizon, courtesy of EE, we can finally start realistically looking at upcoming 4G handsets without wallowing in jealous network speed envy.

LG has now announced launch plans for their latest Android handset, the Optimus G, which will be something of a portable powerhouse. In addition to a Qualcomm quad-core Krait S4 processor for advanced multitasking, and a whopping 2GB of ram, LG will be throwing in a 13MP to capture all of your magic moments in full HD.

LG is really pushing its homegrown technological innovations with this one too, so expect to see an advanced battery solution, to keep you powered up for longer than ever, alongside a newly formulated super thin touch screen.

The Optimus G’s 4.7″ IPS Plus screen will have a resolution of 1280 x 768, meaning that it will handle 720p HD video with ease, although a 15:9 aspect screen will mean some bordering with HD video. This thin screen technology means that all this squeezes into a svelte 8.45mm body. The Optimus G’s is a mere 1mm thicker than the new iPhone 5.

The only real negative we can see is that it will run Ice Cream Sandwich (still?) out of the box, so don’t get your hopes up for the latest Android Jellybean just yet.

The Korean manufacturer is aiming to release the handset in LTE markets from this October. So LG and EE, if you’re listening, now that we have a lovely super fast 4G network on the way, maybe we can play with a full speed version of your latest and greatest?

We will bring you any pricing details on the Optimus G as we receive them, but in the meantime keep an eye on Omio’s deals page for great offers on LG handsets.

Sony Xperia T Free from £26 Per Month – Exclusive To Phones4U (For Now)

Phones4U, and their affiliates Dial-A-Phone have secured an exclusivity deal to stock Sony’s upcoming HD smartphone, the Xperia T, for now at least.

Free phone deals start from £26 per month, on Orange, with a mere 250MB data plan.  The best deal we can see however is this one, £28.50 on Orange Panther with 300 minutes, 3000 texts and a more substantial 1GB data plan!

This means fans who wish to buy the handset off-contract however, will have to wait until January 2013.

A source from Expansys, our favourite off-contract phone suppliers, have informed us that they have been unable to obtain stock of the upcoming Xperia T handset from Sony due to the time-limited exclusivity deal, but said that they will be trying their best to get hold of it as soon as possible.

Of the entire range from Sony, the Xperia T is the big daddy of the bunch, with a whopping 4.6″ HD 1280×720 screen and a magnificent 13MP camera as its unique selling point. Sony keeps things ticking along with a 1.5GHz Quallcomm MSM8260-A Dual Core processor, and the phone will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for now.

The massive 13MP camera builds on Sony’s previous experience, utilising their Exmor R image sensor to get the best out of low light situations.  This snapper is also ready to shoot within one second from sleep, making it easier than ever to capture the moment. Video capture will be upto 1080p and the handset is DLNA compatible, so you will be able to wirelessly beam video’s and pictures through to compatible home hardware. One Touch sharing of files and wireless payments will be a doddle thanks to the included NFC chip too.

For a complete list of Xperia T offers, check our deal page HERE.

iPhone 5 on the 4G EE Network, should you pre-order yet?

The iPhone 5 was announced yesterday with a little less flourish that we were used to from Apple in previous years, nevertheless, interest for the latest and greatest iPhone is at an all time high, with many to be hanging on the phone on Friday 14th September, as pre-orders are taken on the big networks.

One of the touted features of the iPhone 5 will be 4G LTE compatibility, giving it super fast unto 100mbps data speeds. Only the EE network (formerly Everything Everywhere) has announced LTE so far for iPhone 5, so we asked an EE representative if they would be offering pre-orders tomorrow morning.

“No” 

but added that

“Orange and T-Mobile will be taking pre-orders from 08:01 tomorrow morning. We’ll be making it as easy as possible for T-Mobile and Orange customers to move to EE if they want to benefit from superfast 4G, when EE launches in the coming weeks.”

So it would appear that if you are an existing or potential T-Mobile or Orange customer, and you pre-register interest with either of them, you stand the best chance of using the handset at its maximum potential on 4G as a transfer or upgrade path will be in place for either of the existing EE companies. Bear in mind though, we’re pretty sure that contracts on the new 4G network will be higher than usual 3G contracts. Something to bear in mind when budgetting. 

“Customers can register their interest in EE at www.ee.co.uk, and we’ll be announcing pricing and availability for all 4G devices in due course.”

So, how fast will your iPhone 5 be?

Whilst EE will offer upto 100mbps 4G LTE, O2, Vodafone and 3 do offer what is known as Dual Carrier or DC HSDPA, which doubles the 3G speed, from 21mbps, to a maximum 42mbps where available.

DC HSDPA is more 3.5G than 4G, a stop gap measure, until the official bandwidth auctions for 4G next year. However, the bands up for auction, the 800MHz and 2600Mhz spectrum, will not be supported by this current variant of the iPhone 5 which only supports the 1800MHz spectrum. Whether Apple will release a new variant in the UK when these future networks go live, is yet to be seen.

For now though it would seem that only Orange and T-Mobile customers, or those buying a phone off contract of course, will be able to get the fastest speeds from their new shiny handset.

Those who aren’t interested in Apple’s iPhone 5 will be happy to know that the soon to arrive superfast network will be releasing a 4G version of the mighty Samsung Galaxy S3, the HTC One XL, the Huewai Ascend P1 LTE, and for fans of Windows Phone, the upcoming Nokia Lumia 820 and 920.

Register interest at www.ee.co.uk and keep an eye on Omio’s deals page for more offers…

Samsung Vs Apple Trial: New Samsung Windows Phone 8 Handsets Revealed

Samsung have inadvertently revealed two upcoming Windows Phone 8 (Apollo) handsets in the ongoing Samsung vs Apple legal battle in California.

The two phones revealed in legal documents and spotted by eagle-eyed reporters at The Verge, are codenamed ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Marco’. Both are marked for release in Q4 2012, alongside the upcoming Windows Phone 8 OS, known as ‘Apollo’.

Image via The Verge

Fan’s of Microsoft’s unique take on the mobile OS will be bolstered by the continued support of the world’s largest mobile handset.

Whilst Windows Phone 7 restricted processing to a single core and screens to a low resolution, these two new Windows Phone 8 devices will be packing dual-core 1.5gHz processors via the Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset, and high resolution Super AMOLED screens.

Details are wafer thin at the moment, but we do know that ‘Odyssey’ will have a huge HD 4.65 inch display, 8MP rear camera and NFC, whilst the ‘Marco’ will have a 4 inch WVGA screen and a 5MP rear camera.

Each handset will be compatible with the fourth generation LTE data networks in the US, and 21 Mb/s HSPA+ for anywhere like Britain that is STILL awaiting the 4G goodness.

Whilst on paper this dual-core system still lags behind quad-core handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the HTC One X, it should be noted that the Windows Phone OS is a lot less CPU intensive than Android, and so less power goes further.

As soon as we find out anything else on these two new handsets we will let you know.

ZTE Grand X Unveiled – Tegra 2 Gaming Phone For £190

Chinese manufacturer ZTE have announced the release of the ‘Grand X’ in partnership with Nvidia, Phones4U and Virgin Media UK. Their flagship gaming and entertainment oriented Android smartphone will be onsale at an eye popping £190 on Pay As You Go, and free on contract.

The 4.3” qHD touchscreen handset is run by a Tegra 2 chipset, a dual-core 1gHz CPU with Nvidia’s ultra low power 8 core graphics processor, allowing vivid console quality graphics on a mobile device. Nvidia’s own ‘TegraZone’ app-portal will allow you to download graphically enhanced versions of existing and exclusive games, for a slight premium.

In an move to lure the youthful gaming market, ZTE have enlisted the support of East London’s very own Professor Green.  During a video-presentation the chirpy rapper only needed one word to sum up the Grand X… “Cool!”.

The Grand X comes loaded with the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and unlike many mobile manufacturers, ZTE have been kind enough to leave the OS alone. This appeared to be a clean Android build, as found on Google’s Nexus handsets, so should satisfy the purists.

Our first impressions of it was that it was slightly on the chubby side, but felt solid.  The handset performed admirably, without any hint of slowdown and apps loaded super-fast. The screen was bright too, and although we only got to use it in a darkened room, we will put it through its paces in a range of conditions in an upcoming review.

Notable absences are DLNA, so no streaming to HDTV’s and no NFC, although these are technologies that haven’t really taken off as yet. The onboard memory is limited to 4GB too, so you’ll have to stump up if you want to expand it with a microSD (upto 32GB). 512MB of RAM also seems on the low side, we’ll see if this has any noticeable effects in a later review.

If you fancy getting your hands on one, ZTE will be introducing the ‘Grand Xperience’ to the public between now and the 11th September at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, close to the Olympic site and under the watchful billboards of official London 2012 mobile sponsor, Samsung.

So, the ZTE Grand X, big on gaming and small on price, will be available from August 2012, free on a 2 year £24p/m contract with Virgin Mobile, or £189 on PAYG.

Phones4U will also be stocking this model online and on the high streets. More information on their deals to follow.