Omio News Blog

O2 Recycle Offers Cash For Old Gadgets, From Cameras To Sat-Navs

O2 has launched a new recycling service today, but with a bit of a twist…

In addition to the usual selection of last season’s phones that can net up to £200 in cash, O2 Recycle will accept almost any gadget, from handheld games consoles to sat navs, MP3 players to digital cameras.

In a simple five step process, anyone — whether an O2 customer or not — can search the database for the right product, and get an instant pricing of what it’s worth. Payment once the item is shipped off (by freepost, how kind!) is in the form of a cheque or bank transfer within 5 days.

With a BlackBerry Bold worth £132 and a working condition Apple iPhone 3G netting £165, a dusty handset rattling round in that ‘old phones’ drawer could be worth a pretty penny!

————————————————————–

Want to know how much your phone is worth? Check out our recycle mobile phones page!

————————————————————–

Gadgets? Not so much, with a 1st generation Sony PSP apparently worth a mere £2.00…

On the condition that it can still turn on, with a working screen and battery included, the full value can be redeemed. A gadget missing a battery or with a broken screen can still net up to 25% of the recycling value, so all is not lost!

Powered by eco-friendly recycling firm Redeem, conscious folk can be safe in the knowledge that their busted gadgets will be refurbished and sent to the developing world, or disposed of safely and without harm to the planet.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Unveiled: Refinement Over Revolution

After shaping up their touchphone game with the BlackBerry Storm2 last week, Canadian manufacturer Research In Motion have turned their hand to rejuvenating their ‘hero’ handset with the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

Taking many cues from the street-savvy ‘Curve’ range of BlackBerry phones, the Bold 9700 has eschewed the iconic trackball, instead going digital with an optical trackpad as well as inheriting the 8520‘s sleek lines and angular keys.

The keys are one thing that does remain, with a sculpted full QWERTY keyboard and 2.44″ high resolution display now fitting in a small, lighter and prettier shell weighing a mere 120g.

The chrome accenting and leather(ette) rear also maintain that air of style and smart phone superiority that the Bold 9000 introduced to the BlackBerry range a year ago.

Multimedia features are now BlackBerry mainstays, and the Bold 9700 comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and image stabilization, 2x digital zoom and a flash for night-shooting.

A 3.5mm headphone jack has thoughtfully been shunted to the top of the device, whilst the gorgeous TFT screen makes light work of a range of video formats.

Check out the full BlackBerry Bold 9700 features!

Changes abound under the hood too, as the Bold 9700 runs on the new BlackBerry OS 5.0, meaning faster browsing, easier e-mail management and a cleaner user experience. 2GB of memory are provided by a bundled card, whilst an ample 32GB of memory can be added as required.

The new BlackBerry App World is also compatible with the Bold 9700, meaning a whole host of games, applications and additional software can be purchased and installed, directly from the device.

Whilst not sporting drastic esoteric changes like the LG BL40 New Chocolate, nor a huge design change to appeal to a new demographic like the Storm2, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 certainly ticks all of the boxes for those desiring a sleek, all-in-one messaging device.

Perhaps subtlety is the new bold?

Limited Edition BlackBerry Bold Commemorates Selfridges Centenary

It’s been 100 years since Harry Gordon Selfridge said to himself “let’s make shopping more fun for the ladies!” and opened up his world famous London department store to luxury-starved housewives, enjoying unrivalled success ever since.

What better way to commemorate this than releasing a limited edition BlackBerry Bold, painted up in the famous Selfridges yellow livery?

Ten limited edition handsets will feature this Pantone 109 revamp which includes fancy new QWERTY keyboard styling, individual numbering and a price tag of £1000.

It is from Selfridges, dahling!

Oh, and whilst you’re there picking one up, why not pop in to David Clulow on the top floor for some designer sunglasses and say hello! I hear they have some of the world’s best opticians in there…tell ‘em Ernest sent you!

Source: TechDigest

Celebs Twitter About Their Top Phones

Shaquille O’Neal, NBA star and literal man-mountain, loves his Twitter, and his phones. He talks about the two non-stop. The ultimate object of his affection; his G1 phone. It’s what he uses to access Twitter.

Lots of famous faces are using the micro blogging site to chat about how much they love their phones.

John Mayer, his BlackBerry Bold and Twitter. It’s a beautiful combination. Mayer’s huge in the States but he’s better know over here via the gossip mags and for his affiliation with one Miss Jennifer Aniston. He’s also a huge gadget fan. He had a Bold way, way before anyone else did in the States and BlackBerry went as far as to sponsor his last tour.

Did I mention he’s also a pretty successful singer/song writer?

Mayer’s twittering habit got so excessive that Aniston and him almost split up over it, allegedly.

The man, the legend, MC Hammer. What is there to say, really. Aswell as having an iPhone app in his own incarnation, “Hammer Time”, he is the proud owner of 3 phones and an avid “Tweeter”.

The great and good are sending their random thoughts and musings out into Twitter land but there are some faces you wouldn’t expect to see doing that kind of self promotion on the site.

Even after 14 reincarnations the Dalai Lama is a big Twitter user. His Holiness (HH) likes the new medium a lot apparently. David Lynch has an account too. There have  been shouts that it’s an impersonator but his tweets are too odd, not be him. He’s not walking backwards into velvet-clad rooms or anything but he often delights his followers about his thoughts on the transience of the clouds or how he hates republicans.

Slingbox Coming Soon For BlackBerry Phones!

Watching TV on your fancy new phone just got a lot easier, with the announcement of a SlingPlayer beta coming as soon as December 30th to all entirely non-geeky, casual, cool and media friendly BlackBerry handsets!

Support will initially be available for the new Curve 8900, the Pearl Flip 8220, BlackBerry Bold, the BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry Curve 8320, and the classic 8120. What of the touchscreen wonder of the BlackBerry Storm? Surely that huge screen is prime real estate for some streaming action!

This service will allow all Slingbox owners to catch their fave shows on the go, wherever they are able to catch a 3G or wireless connection.

Already available for Windows Mobile and Symbian handsets, the SlingPlayer is one of those programmes that becomes indispensable once installed! Watching On the Buses whilst on the bus – classic.

Source: Electric Pig

BlackBerry Javelin/Curve 8900 Coming To O2 In January!

Disappointed with the dilution of the BlackBerry brand with ‘casual’ handsets like the Storm 9500 and the media playing Bold 9000?

Well, the hardcore ‘CrackBerry’ handset previously known as the BlackBerry Javelin is about to break cover!

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY handset from RIM to date, similar to the Bold in terms of software and operating system but with a snazzier 480×360 screen and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

It does lose the Bold’s 3G connectivity, but makes up for it with wi-fi, GPS and a full HTML browser…and by being a nice redesign of the Curve range.

BlackBerry Curve pre-registration is on the O2 site from today, can be pre-ordered from December 22nd and is available to buy in January 2009!

Apple iPhone 3G Outsells All Windows Mobile Phones In Q3 2008

Okay. We’re as surprised at this as you all are.

Apple with their single handset, the iPhone 3G, has managed to outsell all of the Windows Mobile powered mobile telephony machines during the third quarter of 2008. Worldwide. Globally. Everywhere.

Just…take a moment to let that sink in. All those touted iPhone killers. The Samsung Omnia. The HTC Touch Pro. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. Put together. Outsold by the iPhone.

Other interesting changes in the smartphone landscape have been witnessed, including Nokia experiencing their first year-on-year sales decline, and BlackBerry shifting 81.7% more mobiles than this time in 2007. Well, the holy trinity of the BlackBerry Storm 9500, Pearl Flip 8220 and Bold all in Q3 must have had a great deal to do with that increase in sales.

What is also intriguing is the shift in operating systems, seeing Symbian’s share of the pie dipping below 50% of the market. Could it be because they were relatively late to the touchscreen party, forcing many to switch to WinMo or go it alone? Either way, the double whammy of the touch Symbian-rocking 5800 XpressMusic and the Nokia N97 will go some way to redressing the OS balance in 2009!

Love Hate to say it, but I was right about the iPhone’s software strategy for the 3G! From that announcement of the new iPhone in tandem with 2.0 and the App Store, it was clear that it wasn’t about megapixels or CPU speed but rather simple usability, freedom of choice and customer satisfaction.

Now the sales speak for themselves.

Reevoo’s Top Mobile Phones Of 2008!

Consumer site Reevoo is a treasure trove of interesting information, particularly regarding what people really think of all sorts of electrical items once the honeymoon is over, thanks to some genuniely impartial reviews.

Well, this time they’ve cast their objective eye towards mobile phones, and based on feedback have compiled a list of the top mobile phones for 2008! A lot of the usual suspects turn up, but there are still a couple of big surprises in there…

Here we go, in no particular order (aside from ascending):

5. Sony Ericsson K660i

The Sony Ericsson K660i is an impressive handset, and been a real mainstay on Omio with loads of competitive 3 mobile deals! Even though it was initially released in 2007, the K660i’s has managed to see off a lot more spec-heavy competition to secure the fifth spot in 2008.

Positive comments on this phone from Reevoo include:

“…good storage…”

“A very good looking phone, good display/menus, easy to use, great music player, easy to use browse the web.”

“Great call sound quality (always good for a phone and lacking on my old “high end” mobile) and great battery life.”

A reliable, decent, mid-range handset with a raft of features. No surprise that the K660i sits high atop the tree!

4. Samsung F480 Tocco

Touchscreen glamour at a fraction of the price of the phone that shall not be named? Surprisingly, as our Samsung Tocco Pink review highlighted, it is much more than a cheap iClone. Funky widgets, a bright and breezy interface and responsive touch control has meant the Tocco has sold in droves, and garnered some very positive comments:

“Widgets are real cool, useful and fun way to use the phone, the picture quality from the camera is brilliant, design is fabulous – will always go for touch screen now over traditional buttons.”

“Easy to use,touch screen is fantastic,speed is very good,photo quality is very good.”

“Easy to use, good haptic technology feedback from the touch screen, excellent camera, fair battery life, smart, compact, stylish.”

The only issue people seemed to have was a lack of Wi-Fi connectivity for cheap internet on the go, but all in all the right choice for Samsung fans on a budget!

The podium finishers follow!

Read more…

BlackBerry Storm Gets Vodafone Makeover For UK Launch

The BlackBerry Storm is still not officially announced, and yet details and images rain from the sky on a daily basis.

Today’s shower from Pocket-Lint is a few pictures of just how Vodafone-d up the Storm may be when it makes an appearance on our shores in what is a packed October for phone releases.

Not much to say apart from that it still retains what is now officially this season’s touchscreen phone look of black and metallic piping (slimming, you see), and has a big clock on it. Nice.

Still very much a BlackBerry at heart with the below shot of an Excel spreadsheet being deftly navigated with the touchscreen interface. Yeah, we’ll believe that when we see it, those things are tough to navigate at the best of times, without a keypad taking up more than half the screen!

Very much looking forward to that super high resoultion screen for videos and the like, though.

More news as we get it!

BlackBerry 8220 Flip Phone To Be Revealed Next Week

One of the last big events of the year, the CTIA Wireless IT 2008 Expo in San Francisco is from the 10th to the 12th of this month, and rumour has it there will be a few surprises from the big manufacturers…

First story broken early is from RIM with a reveal of the other new Blackberry, the 8220 ‘Kickstart’, which is said to be their last big announcement for 2008. A video from Crackberry shows they already had a good fiddle, and have come away suitably impressed.

The very slim form factor, the external screen for notifications of e-mails and the updated firmware are all very exciting! Watching this video, it seems the 8220 will nestle comfortably amongst the BlackBerry 9000 Bold and forthcoming ‘Storm‘ as phones which actually look nice whilst retaining that e-mail deterity they have become famous for.