Omio News Blog

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.

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.

Mobile Phone Review Round Up: Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro, Orange Monte Carlo, HP Pre 3, BlackBerry Torch 9810, BlackBerry Torch 9860, Three MiFi Huawei Wireless Modem E586, Orange Stockholm and HTC Evo 3D

Cnet.co.uk

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro review

Conclusion
Overall, though, the Mini Pro is a likeable little device. Its smaller dimensions set it apart from the competition and its slide-out Qwerty keyboard, although small, is still very useable. The speedy processor also makes it feel very fluid to use and the user interface tweaks Sony Ericsson has added over the top of Android work extremely well.

The camera is poor, however, both for snaps and videos, battery life is short, and the small screen does hamper its usability. As a result, the Mini Pro’s minuscule charms won’t appeal to everyone.

- Check out all Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro deals at OMIO today!

Reghardware

Orange Monte Carlo budget Android smartphone

Verdict
The Orange Monte Carlo is not a phone for playing games or watching video, trick call technology, slick UI and decent battery life it is worth every penny of its asking price. Yes I’d like more system storage, a glass screen and a Cortex CPU but that would make it a £350 phone not a £150 one. Less bloat from Orange would also be very welcome

- Check out all Orange Monte Carlo at OMIO today!

HP Pre 3 webOS smartphone

Verdict
Alas, despite price cut rumours, hunting down an HP Pre 3 beyond Carphone Warehouse may well be a problem, if experience is anything to go by. The review sample came through Clove Technology – a distributor that, in all the uncertainty, eventually cancelled its Pre 3 order from HP. Even so, the Pre 3 proved to be a decent little smartphone – fast, capable and easy to use. Indeed, it is shame it has no future, as the more competition we have in the smartphone market, the more likely manufacturers are to innovate.

- Check out all HP Pre 3 at OMIO today!

TechRadar

BlackBerry Torch 9810 review

Final verdict

Years ago, we’d have been thrilled by an upgrade.

Going from Nokia’s 3310 to 3330 because we got WAP, from 8910 to 8910i because of the colour screen, or even an N95 to an N95 8GB just for minor improvements.

But times have changed. We don’t want updates – now, consumers demand massive changes, or else what’s the point in signing up to a contract that will probably outlive you just to get your hands on the ‘latest’ handset?

The sad fact is that updates are yesterday’s news, and this isn’t a revolutionary product, merely an evolution ("evolution" being the word RIM uses itself on the marketing literature. That speaks volumes).

If you’re obsessed with the BlackBerry Torch form factor, then we heartily recommend the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and wish you luck. But faced with the choice, we’d take the Bold 9900 anytime.

The only benefit we can see is that this now will make the original 9800 cheaper, so you could get that on a good deal.

Let’s hope Mike Lazaridis and Co up their game by this time next year. Although at this rate, we’ll not get too excited.

- Check out all BlackBerry Torch 9810 at OMIO today!

BlackBerry Torch 9860 review

Final verdict

It’s a slick package from afar, but using the BlackBerry Torch 9860 after the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation and iPhone 4 feels like going back to 2009.

There’s lots to boast about on this phone, no doubt, but we just can’t recommend it over the rest out there for anyone other than those desperately tied into RIM’s services who want a slick new all-touch experience.

- Check out all BlackBerry Torch 9860 at OMIO today!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro review

Verdict

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro’s £240 price tag is relatively high in this age of budget-busting Android phones, but you are getting a lot in the package.

Performance is good, the phone’s quick and responsive throughout, with apps installing and opening as fast as they do on today’s high-end, dual core monsters.

The screen is responsive and bright, with text and photos looking sharp.

For the money, you could get a phone with a bigger screen, but there’s nothing else that packs Android 2.3, a QWERTY keyboard and a totally smooth user experience into such a tiny bundle.

The camera is just about good enough for daily use, web browsing is excellent and Sony Ericsson’s user interface is slick and smooth in operation. Plus there’s a physical keyboard.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro pretty much has it all, as long as you can cope with the very compact format

- Check out all Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro deals at OMIO today!

Three MiFi Huawei Wireless Modem E586 review

Verdict

The Three MiFi E586 is a very handy little device, and anyone looking at getting a 3G tablet or laptop should definitely consider it before splashing out on the pricier hardware.

- Check out all Three MIFI at OMIO today!

Trusted Reviews

Orange Stockholm review

Verdict
The Orange Stockholm has it strengths, including its low price tag and pocket friendly size. However, the low resolution screen, sluggish processor and abundance of Orange bloatware means that it wouldn’t be our first choice if we were on the hunt for a budget smartphone. In fact, the San Francisco is still a much better phone than this one.

- Check out all Orange Stockholm at OMIO today!

HTC Evo 3D review

Verdict

The HTC Evo 3D is clearly a very capable handset, packing-in just about every current key feature, including of course its 3D camera and screen. As such it ranks very highly if you’re simply after a top-spec powerhouse. However, we’re just not wholly convinced. Obviously there’s the plain fact that 3D is a bit of a gimmick, and that the 2D camera quality suffers because of it. The styling and size of the phone also put us off slightly too. And finally we find HTC’s implementation of Android more and more cumbersome, with it refusing to keep things simple. Unless you’re desperate for a fully 3D future there are better alternatives.

- Check out all the HTC Evo 3D deals at OMIO today!

Mobile Phone Review Round Up: Samsung Galaxy Pro, Nokia X7, Samsung Tocco Icon, Sony Ericsson XPERIA neo and HTC Salsa

TechRadar

Samsung Galaxy Pro review

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Pro is a slippery little fish. We want to praise it for its keyboard, but berate it for its screen. Samsung could have helped matters by offering a higher resolution on the screen.

If you want a handset of this design, take a look at the HTC ChaCha or Nokia E6. But don’t forget the Sony Ericsson Xperia 10 Mini Pro which, while it is a side-slider, is teeny – or, indeed, any of the larger side-sliders that offer a more desirable, larger screen.

- Check out all the Samsung Galaxy Pro deals at OMIO today!

Nokia X7 review

Verdict

There are nice things we can say about the Nokia X7. It has good hardware design, a basically pleasing screen and good battery life. And Symbian Anna is a step in the right direction.

But we just aren’t sure where Anna is headed in the long term, and that alone could make the Nokia X7 a blind alley. And it doesn’t do anything supremely well.

If you are a Nokia fan and want a top quality camera you should be looking at the Nokia N8.

If you want a superb physical keyboard, then the Nokia E7 is worth your attention.

Great social networking integration? Go Android instead, with something such as the HTC Sensation.

With those bases covered, it’s tricky to see precisely where the Nokia X7 fits in.

- Check out all the Nokia X7 deals at OMIO today!

Cnet.co.uk

LG Optimus Me P350 review

Conclusion
You might have expected LG to better the Optimus One with the LG Optimus Me. Sadly, the Me is inferior in all but a few areas. The screen is smaller, the processor isn’t any faster and the camera’s still mediocre. Check out the Samsung Galaxy Fit, HTC Wildfire S and Optimus One before laying down your moolah.

- Check out all the LG Optimus Me deals at OMIO today!

Orange Rio II review

Conclusion
The Orange Rio II improves over its predecessor with a neater design, 3G and an updated operating system. Issues such as poor battery life, no Wi-Fi, unresponsive touchscreen and a generally slow processor take the edge off its performance, but you have to remember it’s costing you well under £100.

If you’re considering a BlackBerry 8520, but begrudge spending over £100 for a phone that lacks 3G, we’d recommend you seriously consider the Rio II. It’s cheaper and in many ways provides a superior experience.

- Check out all the Orange RIO II deals at OMIO today!

Pocket Lint

Samsung Tocco Icon review

Verdict
Overall, the Samsung Tocco Icon isn’t a massive step up from the Tocco Lite, but the inclusion of a capacitive touchscreen is certainly a compelling reason to buy if you liked the original phone. The compact chassis, slick design and ease of use also add to the package, while the features such as the straightforward audio player and the sneaky fake call function may appeal to some.

While the screen is large, the resolution isn’t great and that combined with the fact that there’s no 3G connectivity means that web browsing isn’t brilliant, although it is just about usable. Likewise, the social networking offering is very basic. What you really miss out on, however, is all the fun that you’d get opting for an entry-level Android phone with much more potential.

If your budget is tight, then the Samsung Tocco Icon offers you a reasonable touchscreen experience for your cash.

- Check out all the Samsung Tocco Icon deals at OMIO today!

Trusted Reviews

LG Optimus 3D review

Verdict

There’s plenty to like about the Optimus 3D, including its fun 3D features, fast processor and beautifully bright and vivid screen. However, problems with displaying 3D images on the screen and the phone’s short battery life mean that it’s not the must-buy handset that many were expecting.

- Check out all the LG Optimus 3D deals at OMIO today!

Reghardware

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Android smartphone review

Verdict
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo has much of the cool technology sported by Sony Ericsson’s top-notch Xperia Arc but at a fraction of the price. It’s not as slim, but if you can put up with the bulk, it’s really a bit of a bargain.

- Check out all the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo deals at OMIO today!

Vodafone Smart Android smartphone review

Verdict
Though it runs Froyo and has a capacitive screen, the Vodafone Smart has been ruthlessly built down to a price. Despite that, for talking, e-mailing, texting, navigating and social networking it’s up to the job. Yes it falls down when faced with more demanding tasks, but a £75 mobile will never be the gaming or multi-media platform that a £400 1GHz Snapdragon handset is. The Orange SF is a better phone but then it’s twice the price and still doesn’t support Adobe’s Flash player

- Check out all the Vodafone Smart deals at OMIO today!

HTC Salsa Android smartphone review

Verdict
The HTC Salsa is a solidly built smartphone with a good screen, reasonable camera, fine UI and an emphasis on social networking, thanks largely to its clever Facebook button. This latter will endear it to ’bookers, but otherwise it doesn’t stand out strongly from HTC’s ever-expanding range of handsets.

- Check out all the HTC Salsa deals at OMIO today!

Video Footage Of Upcoming BlackBerry Curve ‘Apollo’ Leaked

Video of the rumoured, yet still unannounced follow up to RIM’s wildly successful Curve 3G, currently being touted as the Curve 9370 ‘Apollo’, has leaked online courtesy of Vietnamese blog tinhte.vn via our friends at electricpig.co.uk.  See the video below, and a run down of what to expect from the newest BlackBerry handset.

What is apparent from the video is the new bodyshape, a smooth more rounded back, and tapered at the top and bottom, which makes the handset feel even thinner than its actual 11mm.  The 3.5 headphone socket has moved to the top, and the side has a volume rocker, camera button and a tiny tiny standby button.  Feel free to ogle it above in all its YouTube glory.

Whilst our Vietnamese is admittedly, um, non existent, an internet translation of the accompanying article does reveal some more interesting tech specs:

The camera has been improved to 5MP, with an LED flash to capture all of those late night/low light moments.  There is also a front facing VGA camera included.  The screen has also been given a pixel bump in line with the higher end BlackBerry models, up to 480 x 360 pixels, from 320 x 240.

The Curve Apollo runs the latest version of BlackBerry OS, version 6.1, and appears to run along smoothly thanks to double the memory (512mb) and a speed bump in the form of an 800MHz Marvell ‘Tavor’ processor.

Fingers crossed that RIM are slightly more cool about early footage of their handsets getting online than Apple were with the iPhone 4.  Lets just hope our guys in Vietnam doesn’t get some steel capped boots knocking at the door any time soon!

Stay posted to Omio for any more official details.  In the meantime, feel free to sign up for alerts on Omio’s deals page, so that the moment we get any indication of pricing or availability for the BlackBerry Curve ‘Apollo’, we’ll let you know!

HTC Sensation Now Available On Vodafone

Vodafone is now exclusively selling HTC’s first ever dual core Sensation mobile phone, on a £35 a month contract.

The HTC Sensation handset runs from the latest Android Gingerbread operating system, with HTC Sense 3.0, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB memory and an 8-megapixel camera that can record video at 1080p – which viewable on its 4.3-inch 540×960 touch SLCD screen.

Vodafone jointly launched Sensation with HTC, where the mobile phone network was first thought to be the exclusive carrier only now Three will be offering the handset on a contract next month.

The dual core HTC Sensation is available with Vodafone with a 900 minute anytime allowance, an unlimited text message deal along with a 750MB mobile broadband bundle.

HTC Flyer available to order

HTC’s first ever tablet is now around to order from Expansys.com, with the Flyer costing just £479.99 for the 16GB WIFI model and £599.99 for the 32GB 3G version – both SIM free and unlocked.

The HTC Flyer made is first public appearance at Mobile World Congress this year, along with 5 other new handsets from the Taiwanese mobile phone maker.

HTC’s Flyer runs from Android ‘Gingerbread’ 2.3, although the more recent spate of tablets all run the Android Android ‘Honeycomb’ 2.3 OS that has been designed solely for these products.

The Flyer comes with a 7-inch 1024×600 LCD capacitive touch screen, with a 1.5GHz processor, a 5MP camera and HTC Sense v2.1.

This tablet is just one of the plethora of large touch screen devices to arrive this year to take on the Apple iPad 2; with the Xoom from Motorola, another two Galaxy Tabs from Samsung and the TouchPad from HP – to name but a few.

Check out all of the HTC Flyer deals at OMIO here.

HTC Sensation Exclusive To Vodafone In May 2011, Other Operators From June

The HTC Sensation will be released exclusively on Vodafone in the UK and Europe in May, at least initially.

HTC’s all-singing all-dancing Android ‘multimedia superphone’, previously known to tech watchers as ‘Pyramid’, will be available a month later in June on T-Mobile and Orange according to Pocket Lint.  3 Mobile have also announced a vague ‘summer’ release period, and whilst O2 have announced their intentions to stock the handset to CNET today, they had no dates to give.

The Sensation, with its 4.3″ qHD screen (960 x 540 pixels) will take the throne of flagship handset from the popular Desire HD. It sports a smokin’ fast dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, that should keep things running quicker than your fingers can press things. Video calling will be a doddle with the front-facing VGA camera, and you will be able to capture memories with the impressive 8MP camera at the rear, in full 1080p HD video at a smooth-as-eggs 30fps. The Sensation will also include the latest version of their widely praised Sense overlay for Android OS, which adds further tweaks to streamline the user experience.

Most interestingly, the handset will come preloaded with HTC Watch, a multimedia portal for renting or buying movies and TV shows on the move. However, despite the handset having HDMI out and wireless DLNA, DRM restrictions will not allow downloaded videos to be streamed over to your massive TV/monitor.  Whilst this may turn out to be something of a deal breaker for some, many more will love the convenience of being able to watch  from a large library of content on the handsets spacious 16:9 screen.

Pricing is still unknown at this point, but we will post any news up as it arrives. Alternatively, you can sign up for information on the HTC Sensation, as we get it, on OMIO’s deals page.

T-Mobile Pulse Mini: Now Available For Under £30 on Pay As You Go!

Owning a smartphone used to either involve signing up for a long contract and handing over a large chunk of money every month, or shelling out hundreds of pounds upfront then opting for a SIM Only Deal.

How times have changed, T-Mobile are now offering the Pulse Mini for £29.99 when you buy a £10 Top Up!

This delightful little phone runs on Android and has a 3.15MP camera and full access to the Android Market.

The T-Mobile Pulse Mini also comes pre-loaded with Goggle Maps, which combined with the phones GPS capabilities, means you never need to get lost again.

Whilst it is never going to compete with the iPhones and HTC Desire HDs of this world, the Pulse Mini offers a bag load of functionality for less than a seventeenth of the price of an iPhone 4!! Click here to see T-Mobile Pulse Mini Deals.

LG Optimus 3D – Sim Free Pricing Details, Release Date

LG’s showstopper at MWC 2011, the LG Optimus 3D is available SIM-free for pre-order via Expansys.com for £514.99.  The handset is currently listed for release on the 25th April 2011.

On top of being an already feature packed 1Ghz Android phone, the Optimus 3D’s real selling point is it’s 3D tech credentials.  With two 5MP camera’s at the rear, capable of shooting 720P high definition 3D video and pictures, this sci-fi handset is going to set the expectations for 3D technology for years to come.  The future is here people!

Whilst a lot of the ‘meh factor’ surrounding 3D up until this point has been down to the goofy (and sometimes expensive) glasses, naysayers will be happy to hear that the Optimus 3D has a revolutionary new 4.3″ screen that can switch at an instant from super crisp 2D, to extra-dimensional 3D before your unbelieving eyes.

There has also been issues surrounding the lack of watchable 3D content.  This is soon to change however with Youtube releasing a dedicated 3D channel, enabling users to view and share 3D content on the fly.  At this very moment, the producers of You’ve Been Framed are clearly rubbing their hands at the prospect of a raft of freely available family calamity videos.  People falling over has never looked so real!  LG are also chucking 3D games into the mix

The Optimus 3D will soon be joined by Nintendo’s 3DS handheld console, due out in March, as the only two ways to play 3D games on the go, an application that I think has always made more sense than 3D films.  Both units will share the sci-fi glasses-free screen and dual camera’s, so love it or hate it, 3D content is here to stay… for now.

Be one of the first to get your hands on the Optimus 3D SIM-free on Omio’s deals page.