Omio News Blog

App Store To Get iPhone 3G S Exclusive Games? Someday…

Much has been made of the new iPhone 3G S, and its many improvements in the speed of running apps, games and programs.

Most of the heavy lifting to make the 3G S a super-gaming platform is done by the new Samsung PowerVR SGX graphics unit, a powerhouse when it comes to running fast and smooth 3D games.

Problem is, not all iPhones have that chip, which will result in a bit of fracturing of the userbase into the haves and have-nots.

What does that mean? Well, as the vast majority (well, everyone) is a have-not before the June 19th release, it’s all gravy. Developers like ng:moco (for whom we have to thank for Rolando) have  announced their lack of plans to create games specifically for this new iPhone, but there will come a time when the format reaches a natural limit, and the clamour for that next leap in graphics and gameplay will become impossible to ignore.

The 3G S will be ready and willing to support that. For now? It will definitely be a case as is common with computers, the apps will work on both formats, but perhaps at ‘minimum spec’ on the iPhone 3G and with enhanced graphics or reduced load-times on the newest hardware.

By hook or by crook, Apple will convince us all to upgrade at some point. That killer title which will inevitably be ‘only possible with the power of the 3G S’ might be the breaking point for the gaming community…

What about you? Will you be getting an iPhone 3G S, are you happy with the 3G, or will you simply sidestep Apple altogether? Vote on our Omio poll!

Source: Gizmodo

“iPhone Video” : The Name Of The New iPhone?

Not to be outdone by UK retailers revealing the new iPhone coming in 16 and 32GB flavours (thanks, Carphone Warehouse inventory!), the infamous “anonymous tipster” revealed that the support website for US network AT&T will add an ‘iPhone Video‘ tab to the original iPhone and 3G versions.

Does that mean that the latest iPhone will be dubbed the iPhone Video? It does fit in with the numerous leaks regarding the latest iPhone camera being beefed up from 2 to 3 megapixels, the addition of an autofocus lens, and more importantly the ability to record video.

Other touted features include a compass to make for even better GPS stuff, and possibly a snazzy new OLED screen.

Also, the name iPhone Video does fit in with that quitessential Apple style of factoring the salient appeal of each device into the model names.

Simple, yet effective.

Whether this iPhone Video rumour is true or false, we really don’t have long to wait now until the Apple Conference, and hope to be seeing an avalanche of iPhone truths in the coming days!

UPDATE: A new image shows the support page with the iPhone Video pictured, complete with ‘V3′ tag…leaky facts are stacking up!

Source: Electric Pig

Omio On Carnival Of The Mobilists!

The Easter holiday may be over, but the party atmosphere continues as an Omio blog post has made it onto the Carnival of the Mobilists!

What is the Carnival, you ask? Well, each week, the cream of commentary on the mobile phone industry gets compiled on a different site for all and sundry to peruse.

This week, our post on whether networks ought to fear the advent of mobile VoIP has been selected to appear on Chetan Sharma’s Always On Real Time Access blog.

Other great reads include Martin Sauter’s piece on revolutionary gaming platform Zeebo, and Judy Breck’s article on Sprint’s new stat-heavy marketing push!

Of course, take a peek at this week’s Carnival here!

Apple App Store Reaches 25,000 Apps, Now Has More Programs Than Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile. Been around nine years, has had 20,000 third party applications developed for the platform.

Apple App Store, 8 months and 25,000 applications as of March 5th 2009.

It has taken less than a year, according to stat-tracking site 148Apps, for the Apple iPhone to have more applications than the original smartphone platform of Windows Mobile. With around 6,000 of these being games (and what feels like a billion iFart apps), it shows consumers like to play just as much as work… This just goes to show just how dramatic a shift in development the existence of the iPhone and App Store has been to the market at large, with even bedroom coders getting a chance at fame and fortune due to the hallowed iTunes Top 10 charts.

However, this phenomenon is showing little sign of trailing off. If anything, iPhone application numbers are increasing more steeply than ever.

With 500 million apps downloaded and an approximate calculation of 23 million units sold, it is safe to say that both the App Store and the iPhone/3G have been quite successful.

At least the other manufacturers are recognising that it isn’t just competitive to have an App Store of their own, but a necessity to even be considered a worthy alternative in the eyes of consumers to the all-encompassing device. With 2009 seeing the rest of the industry coming round to touch phones in a huge way, it remains to be seen what Apple will do this time to keep five paces ahead of the rest of the pack.

Source: CNN Money

iPhone 3G In Japan: They’re Giving Them Away!

Japanese network Softbank will be lowering the cost of the Apple iPhone 3G as low as 0 yen (£0), in an attempt to court the cost conscious shopper between now and May.

From tomorrow, any new sign-ups to a 24 month contract will get the 8GB model of the Apple iPhone for free as opposed to the original 23,040 yen (£163) price. The 16GB version will see it’s price plummet from 34,560 yen (£245) to a bargain 11,520 yen (£82).

The iPhone has seen relatively muted success in Japan as opposed to the clamour seen in the West and China recently, but any Western device that could wrestle the grip homegrown handsets have on cool kids there can be considered a huge victory.

Concessions like the 1 Seg tuner allowed Japanese shoppers to add familiar functionality like mobile TV to their iPhones, making them a match for the best Sony and Sharp had to offer…

iPhone 3G one step closer to launching in China

The 3G iPhone took a step closer to being launched into the Chinese market today, Chinatechnews.com reported.

The development could see the world’s best selling smartphone move into the world’s biggest market as early as May 2009. Ovum, a British consultancy firm, have been quoted as saying that China Unicom, the nationwide GSM and CDMA mobile provider, and Apple are close to finalising the move.

Rumours have been bouncing back and forth about this for a while. Even though China Mobile started early on with their Apple negotiations, the two sides failed to reach an agreement and at the beginning of the month China Unicom even reportedly sent a negotiating team to the US to make some headway on developments.

But if this latest update is true, and it seems to be, iPhone domination isn’t far off.

iPhone Games And The App Store Phenomenon : The Interview

An excellent insight into Apple’s way of revolutionising mobile gaming is up on video games site Kikizo, with an interview with the Vice President of iPod and iPhone product marketing Greg Joswiak.

With almost 6,000 apps available (of which 1,500 are games) and over 200 million apps downloaded, Apple recognises this as being big business.

Insightful comments regarding pricing, little developer start-ups versus the big boys like EA and how he percieves the iPhone is a ‘magical object’ are within.

Check out the full interview here.

Apple Allows (Some) Third Party Browsers Onto App Store

How times have changed. Not long ago, there was much consternation, pitchforks and gnashing of teeth at Apple’s medieval rules governing App development and iTunes DRM, and now your music can be set free (for £0.20 a track, naturally) whilst third party browsers are now free to roam wild on the iPhone!

Here is our pick of the best:

Incognito – Lets you browse…incognito. No mopping up your search history after visiting Rick Astley’s Wikipedia page! £1.19, but can you put a price on privacy?

Webmate – Allows quick and simple proper tabbed browsing, where links are queued up to be viewed later. Check out this iPhone Webmate browser video to get a better idea! Available for £0.59.

A step in the right direction, but still a step short of getting the browsers we really want on the iPhone. Opera and Firefox variant Fennec are both champing at the bit to be unleashed on Apple’s baby, perhaps this relaxation of Apple’s ‘copying existing iPhone functionality = bad’ app rule could see those browsers arrive sooner rather than later.

iPhone nano Revealed?

Posted on Macrumors is a very interesting early Xmas present for Apple fanboys, allegedly depicting the iPhone’s successor – the iPhone nano.

Shown next to its big brother for scale, the iPhone nano seems to be…a smaller iPhone 3G. Not exactly what the world has been clamouring for (I think the iPhone is a perfect size), but a sleek little iPod sized mobile, offered for free on a super cheap tariff, available to all networks?

Just a sales serving suggestion, but it sounds good to me!

The usual suspects to confirm Apple rumours are also coming out of the woodwork, in the form of accessories. There are tons of iPhone nano-sized case images doing the rounds, and that is how new iPods always get found out ahead of time, why should this be any different?

Well, we’ll have to wait for the Steve Jobs-less MacWorld swansong in January to find out the truth…Macrumors is erring on the side of caution by not slapping an ‘official’ sticker on these photos!

Pharrell Williams : “I’m A PC…Only Not.”

He’s a super producer, super recording artist and now a super fashion designer (Season 8 BBC/Ice Cream Lookbook here), so Pharrell Williams was obviously a cool choice for Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” response to Apple’s campaigns. Also because that craziness with Bill Gates and Seinfeld really didn’t catch on.

Watch the new advert here:

All good, yes? Well, except the fact that Pharrell is known for being a pretty big Apple fan:

Gold plated iPhone big. He upgraded after getting bored of his gold plated BlackBerry 8800…obviously.

Guess they must have gone to him after those insanely successful Hewlett Packard ads, but it’s just embarrassing to pick someone who was so firmly entrenched in the Apple camp when it came to mobile phones.

Who knows? Perhaps he’s traded it in for a platinum HTC Touch HD! Or not.