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.

LG ‘Still On Board’ With Windows Phone 7, Will Focus On Android Devices

Flying in the face of recent speculation that the Korean manufacturer would be turning its back on the Windows Phone 7 operating system, LG has spoken out to the contrary with Pocket-Lint.

“None of it is true. Korea Herald is showing its speculative side again,” said an LG spokesperson to the site.

“We are still on board with Windows Phone, but right now, we’re focusing on Android because that’s where the demand is.” Can’t argue with that rationale, especially with the closeness (and subsequent success) between Finnish phone maker Nokia and Microsoft’s mobile platform with its Lumia range of devices.

In stark contrast, the LG Optimus 7 failed to stand out amidst a crowded Windows Phone launch in Q4 2010, releasing few devices since that have run on the fledgling OS.

Rather than scrapping their Windows Phone…phones, LG state that they will still be bringing out handsets on a range of platforms:

“Regardless of which OS, LG is committed to offering consumers as wide a choice as possible.”

With recent handsets – including an attractive reboot of the LG Prada handset – not quite garnering the traction expected, their mobile division posted a 14% drop in year-on-year revenues whilst the company as a whole turned a profit for the first quarter of 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Flash Sale From Three UK, £25 Per Month

UK network Three have stuck up a quick sale on the evergreen Samsung Galaxy S2, offering the handset with 500 minutes, 5000 texts and all-you-can-surf data for just £25 per month and a £29 up front cost.

With the offer ending at midnight on the 30th of April, there’s a little while left to jump aboard the Android train…just before the heavily-rumoured Galaxy S3 pulls into the station.

Grab the deal here.

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.

HTC Sensation XE ‘Lite’ Edition Scraps Pack-In Beats Headphones, Lowers Pay Monthly Cost

Wow, that was quick.

Mere weeks after Taiwanese manufacturer HTC said they would cease packing Beats by Dre headphones in with future devices, UK handset retailer BuyMobilePhones has already taken stock of revamped HTC Sensation XEs sans in-ear audio goodness.

The image above shows the new official HTC Sensation XE packaging (right) alongside the original Beats by Dre edition of the sizable smartphone, with the vendor dubbing it the ‘Lite’ edition and shaving a few quid off the monthly cost in the process.

You can see that the ‘Beats Audio’ branding – nor the headphones – are anywhere to be seen on the box, whilst the custom Beats wallpaper pictured on the Sensation XE has now been replaced with a stock Sense swirl of colours.

Word from BMP is that the device within is physically identical to the original XE and is still boasting Beats technology hardware-wise, just not shouting about it so loudly this time…also that this leaner package is available now.

It is all but certain the original HTC Sensation XE bundle is being phased out for this new cost-effective model to buoy a phone maker facing tough financial times, as well as stiff smartphone competition from the likes of Sony and Samsung.

The HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio is still available for free from £18.50 per month on various networks, but the canny retailer has also created some canny custom bundles by combining the stripped-down ‘Lite’ with pricier Beats Solo or Beats Studio headphones…effectively sweetening the deal for Android-loving audiophiles.

Despite word that recent corporate shuffles – CFO Winston Yung (said to have been instrumental in HTC’s $300m majority stake investment in the ‘Beats’ brand) being sent off into corporate development – have nothing to do with a costly foray into accessory territory, such a swift cost-cutting exercise does illustrate plans to shift the company into a stronger direction for 2012.

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.

LG Optimus L3 White Now Available On T-Mobile, Free From £10.50 Per Month

Those on the lookout for a stylish entry level handset could do a lot worse than the LG Optimus L3, just landing on T-Mobile in a fetching white hue for free from £10.50 per month.

Tagged for an April arrival, the L3 is the first in the Korean manufacturer’s trio of ‘L-Style’ devices to turn up on shelves. These phones are pegged by LG to offer a design identity which marries feature-phone aesthetics to smartphone sensibilities.

The Optimus L3 is admittedly an attractive device – particularly given the competition – and the boxy blower promises a tasty Android Gingerbread experience, 3.2-inch TFT LCD touchscreen display and a healthy 11 hours of talktime.

An incredibly affordable handset for one boasting WiFi hotspot and quad-band functionality, expect to see its bigger brethren - the L5 and L7 – to arrive later in the month/early May.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Launch Date Confirmed For May 3rd

It’s official. The biggest phone on the block – the Samsung Galaxy S2 - is set to see its sequel launch in London on May 3rd. 

Invites were given out to mobile industry movers and shakers (ourselves excluded), with the tagline ‘Come and Meet the Next Galaxy’.

With the Galaxy S2 ruling the smartphone roost for the best part of a year, all eyes are on the Korean manufacturer to see oif they can hold onto the smartphone crown in 2012.

Check out everything worth knowing about the Samsung Galaxy S3 so far on uSwitch!

Samsung To Topple Nokia As World’s No.1 Mobile Manufacturer?

Independent polls conducted by Reuters and Bloomberg have analysts pegging Korean manufacturer Samsung to have outsold Nokia in the mobile phone stakes for the first time, ever.

With Reuters reporting predictions of 88 million mobile sales for Samsung (92 million according to Bloomberg) versus 83 million for the ailing Finnish phone maker in the first quarter of 2012, it shows that the volume of feature phone sales in the developing world – a sector that has buoyed Nokia for 14 years – has been seriously eroded.

A recent ‘disappointing’ first quarter performance for the company according to CEO Elop – including a 50% drop in smartphone sales compared to Q1 2011 – saw 15% wiped off Nokia’s share price before the end of trading.

“After 14 years as the largest global mobile phone maker, getting knocked off the top spot will come as a bitter blow to Nokia,” said Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight.

With the Samsung Galaxy S2 soon to have stayed the UK’s most popular mobile phone for a whopping 12 months according to uSwitch’s Mobile Tracker, the Korean handset maker has managed to leverage the Android mobile platform to create a range of highly successful devices at a variety of price points.

Quarterly earnings for Samsung to be revealed on April 27th look certain to confirm this.

However, with a continued focus on Windows Phone and early Lumia 900 sales looking strong Stateside, Nokia seem to be on the right track towards alleviating the situation.

However, the competition is simply performing far better. Nokia’s priority moving forward is likely to be keeping up with the mobile Joneses, rather than regaining the smartphone crown…