Omio News Blog

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.

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.

Applications for the Windows Phone 7 hits a new height

Microsoft’s Windows Maketplace has just reached 9,000 items, made up from applications and games and there’s still 100 apps being submitted each and every day.

There’s more than 32,000 developers writing these apps, where the software tools have been downloaded more than a million times to date with cut and paste just being rolled out to the new version as well.

When the mobile Windows Phone 7 software store launched for the platform there was only 445 apps, where this huge increase is down to the uptake from the likes of Samsung, HTC and LG manufactured handsets.

Check out the latest Windows Phone 7 deals at OMIO today!

iPhone FaceTime video calling now possible over 3G

Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices can now use the FaceTime video-calling feature over 3G, by using the latest Skype messenger and voice software – which now has video capabilities built in to the new version.

The iPhone FaceTime video calling can still only be used through a WIFI connection, where the new version of Skype for devices running iOS 4 and above can be used to get around that limitation and for the very first time.

Video calling isn’t limited any more to just Apple to Apple devices either, as Skype can also be used to call a computer or laptop running Skype – where a webcam and the Apple front-facing camera can both to used for the callers to see each other over video.

Check out the full range of great offers on the Apple iPhone 4 and Apple iPad at OMIO.

Microsoft sells 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 mobile phones

The head of Windows Phones has announced they have sold 1.5 million new handsets, running the latest Windows Phone 7 OS and in just 6 weeks!

Microsoft has shifted that large, large figure to retail outlets where the number between that and what’s actually sold might slightly differ but there won’t be the same number of unsold returned devices as there were with the Microsoft Kin. 

Windows Phone 7 has undoubtedly had a big impact for Microsoft, since the handsets went on sale on October 21st in the UK.

Microsoft threw their full weight at the launch, along with the various mobile manufacturers who all had phones only appearing on one particular network apart from Samsung – who has a handset appearing on three four mobile phone networks.      

Check out of full range of Windows Phone 7 handset deals at OMIO.

Microsoft link

Android Users To Outnumber iPhone Users By Christmas

Two recent reports suggest that Google’s Android platform is fast overtaking the mighty iPhone in terms of popularity.

The first report to suggest this trend actually comes from a Google-owned source, AdMob, so can be taken with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, AdMob’s reports states that there will more Android users than iPhone users by the end of 2010.

The other report to suggest this trend is perhaps more compelling however as it hails from independent telecoms analyst Ovum. Ovum believes that by 2015 Android will play host to 26 percent of all app downloads, while iPhone will see just 22 percent. That would be a huge swing from last year’s figures of 14 percent for Android and 67 percent for iPhone.

Source: PocketGamer

LG Mini GD880 – New Browser Supports HTML 5

LG has confirmed the Mini GD880 will support HTML 5 in their new “Phantom Browser”, the first time it’s been reeled out by the Korean Manufacturer.

The new HTML mark-up language is being hailed by many as the future of the web, with Steve Jobs recently citing this as the reason why Apple aren’t bothering to make the iPhone and iPad Flash-compatible.

LG reckon that their Phantom browser is much faster and more stable than other mobile browsers, allowing up to 10 windows to be open at the same time and although it’s not an Android phone (the Mini still runs LG’s proprietary S-class OS) it stills supports a range of Google’s apps such as Gmail, Maps, Calendar, Latitude and Buzz.

Other specifications we know of so far are a 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, FM Radio a 3.2”touchscreen and a 3.5mm jack.

A neat additional feature is Air Sync – which updates all of your phone’s data to a PC, over-the-air, so even if you misplace the handset, you can get access to all your essential files.

The LG GD880 Mini is on sale later this month across Europe.

Source: Gizmodo

HTC Hero Gets Date For Android 2.1 Update

The HTC Hero has a set date for it’s Android 2.1 firmware update – the 16th of April.

The update, codenamed Froyo, means that the phone will be up-to-date with the the recently released HTC Legend and soon to be released Desire.

Froyo? Apparently it’s an abbreviation of frozen yoghurt (I thought that was ‘froghurt’…oh well) and follows HTC’s dessert-based naming conventions (Cupcake, Eclair, Donut and so on).

New Features

The Froyo updates allows you to use multiple email accounts, plus there’s a Quick Contacts feature and Exchange support.

Also, the camera gets a polish, as does messaging and the virtual keyboard.

Lastly, the updated browser supports HTML 5.

——————–

N.B: If you are a 3 Mobile customer, then you will have to wait another week, as your update isn’t coming till the 22nd of April.

——————–

Via TechRadar

*Correction* HTC Not Getting Eclair Update

Last week we reported that the HTC Tattoo was in line for an update to it’s operating system –  from version 1.6 to 2.1 (Eclair). Well, according to official words from HTC, “currently there are no plans to update the HTC Tattoo with Eclair”. Well, that put that straight.

Samsung Revealed As Second Windows Mobile 7 Partner

Eagles eyes over at IntoMobile have picked up on a previously unheard of Samsung manufactured Windows Phone 7 Series handset.

The revelation came during Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore‘s demonstration of the Window’s Phone 7 User Interface at this week’s MIX 10 conference in Las Vegas.

MIX 10 is a 3 day conference for web designers and developers looking for innovation in web sites.

No mention was made of the handsets name or specs but, after LG, Samsung will be the second manufacturer to partner with Microsoft over their new operating system.

We were impressed by what we saw of Windows Phone 7 at last month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with it’s data-centric approach to mobile communication, so it’s nice to see other manufacturers picking up on the new OS.