Omio News Blog

RIM Exec: Software Bugs On Smartphones The ‘New Reality’

I hate bugs. I also hate patches, fixes and ‘title updates’ on XBox Live that are compulsory, yet tell me nothing about what is being fixed. I hate glitches on mobile phones, where little features like making and receiving calls or using the web make it break.

So when an executive of RIM, co-CEO Jim Balsillie in fact, mentions in a Wall Street Journal article that glitches and bugs on smartphone firmware are ‘the new reality,’ I become upset.

RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry Storm, a handset with a reputation as being a bit buggy from early adopters and a raft of fixes and updates to make it slick and functional, should not be perpetuating this mentality.

The “push it out the door, we’ll patch it later” mentality is the worst affliction to hit the games industry now that consoles have hard drives and internet access to accommodate updates. Some publishers pressed for time to meet deadlines and quarterly shedules release sub-standard product, in the knowledge they can plug gaps in quality later on. To see the same happen to mobile phones is a travesty, one which consumers should not be asked to put up with.

After missing the original October launch date, the BlackBerry Storm was launched on November 21st, just in time for the highly popular ‘Black Friday’ shopping period in the US.

Despite over half a million sold in that first month, issues with the handset are almost certainly indicative of a rushed release, with a lot of disgruntled owners as a result. Updates are often bundled in with new features, like a virtual touch screen keyboard on the fabled T-Mobile G1 ‘Cupcake’ fix, but is little solace for those lumbered with a brick until the manufacturers see fit to release an update.

Unofficial leaked ROMs and homebrew fixes may placate the very vocal tech-savvy crowd, but what of the casual consumer waiting patiently for an over the air update for their shiny new phone?

One that has every chance of not coming out at all if the LG Viewty or Sony Ericsson P990 are any indication…

The Future Of ShopSavvy : More Power To The Consumer

Upon the initial unveiling of the apps being created on Android, there didn’t seem to be that much cause to loosen my kung-fu grip on the iPhone, until I saw a demo of one in particular…

GoCart. Just the potential of having such a robust shopping comparison system in my pocket when pottering around the shops rocked my world. Check it.

Specifically built for Android, GoCart allowed users to scan the barcode of any product using the phone’s camera, subsequently searching both online and local stores (using GPS to figure out your location) for the best prices.

Built by Texas-based mobile application devs Big In Japan, GoCart was good enough to earn $250,000 as a Android Developer Challenge winner for their efforts, and are currently seen as a standard bearer for the benefits and flexibility of creating for an open-source platform.

A name change to ShopSavvy and many cosmetic as well as technical updates later, it has become one of the most downloaded programs on the Android Market. This video depicting 2 minutes of scanning best illustrates how successful (and useful) the service has become!

Since the success in the US, a localised version of Shop Savvy for European currencies and stores was released on January 15th, making the app a truly transatlantic success.

So ShopSavvy is a success, but what of the future of the G1′s prime comparison engine? Well, if a chance e-mail discussion with co-founder of Big In Japan Alexander Muse is anything to go by, tons.

Future iterations of Shopsavvy will incorporate:

- improved location data (i.e. combining wifi/gps/celltower) to determine your exact location.
- ability to include easter eggs for certain items (retailers can offer specials to ShopSavvy users) when scanned in certain stores.
- we will be including the ability to instantly pay for items with ShopSavvy.
- we will be allowing users to submit prices, retailers, pictures and reviews.
- our iPhone version will be released (US only for now).
- additional product information will be included for items (i.e. food allergy and health info).

Wait, what? Instantly pay for items? Easter Eggs? iPhone version? Believe it or not, this only takes us to March 2oo9 in their plans…

These are some fairly seismic changes to an already robust application! The ability to offer easter eggs and vouchers for products transforms the use of ShopSavvy into a money saving program in itself as opposed to merely a facilitator. Imagine time or location specific offers causing hordes of T-Mobile G1 owners pouring into your local store to scan a bargain…ShopSavvy has the potential to make cheap deals fun!

The development of detailed product information, new merchants and user reviews will be a great weapon in the face of shop staff who are often economical with the truth when trying to make a sale…

“What? Wi-Fi? Has it got Wi-Fi? Has this one got Wi-Fi? Um…yes? Yes. Yes, yes it does.”

All these things in the palm of a shopper’s hand will make money saving a matter of course, and guaging my exact location via GPS  becomes more important than ever during this recession. If I can get this thing cheaper next door, I want to know about it!

The biggest change…ShopSavvy on the iPhone. If it has seen successful thus far, then it is bound to run things on the massive stage of the App Store. However, there was word on the Big In Japan blog back in October 2008, suggesting that the iPhone’s SDK might prove difficult to work with…

I posed the question to Alexander and was met with this cryptic response:

“On the Apple stuff – you may be surprised…”

Has Apple helped them overcome the hindrances they felt would prevent them from creating the ‘REAL ShopSavvy experience’ on iPhone? Money is always a great motivator, and the potential to be a success for Big In Japan, Apple, and a victory for the consumer should be reason enough to see an excellent conversion of ShopSavvy soon enough!

The only downside is that Google must be sad to see another one of their ‘exclusive’ apps defect to the dark side…

Cheap T-Mobile G1 Deals STILL On Omio!

Since everyone is going nuts over these T-Mobile G1 price cuts despite the fact we covered them way back on November 25th, when they happened, we thought we would remind you!

Good news for those who were wanting to purchase a T-Mobile G1, but thought the £40 monthly line rental was a little on the steep side to take the plunge…

T-Mobile thought so too, and have released a raft of new tariffs to make the G1 an even more appealing prospect!

There is now a Combi 25 deal, offering 300 cross network minutes and 600 texts with Web’n’Walk Plus and a free G1 for only £30!

One step up from that is a Combi 30 deal, offering Web’n’Walk Plus, unlimited texts and a free G1 for only £35!

If you want a bit more variety in your usage, there is also a Flext 30 deal offering unlimited internet and a mixture of up to 700 minutes and 1400 texts with a free G1 for only £30!

All these deals and quite a few more are now available on Omio including 12 month contracts and high-end packages, so have a look and see if there’s a T-Mobile G1 tariff right for you!

Oh, and T-Mobile say that it is cheaper in reaction to other recent handset launches, not poor sales. So there.

Virgin : Mobile Internet For 30p A Day

As phones like the T-Mobile G1 and Apple iPhone 3G have shown, getting quality internet on the go proves to be a determining factor for consumers’ choice both handset and mobile network.

Virgin Mobile have certainly gone on the offensive to court these savvy shoppers, offering an awfully competitive mobile internet offer.

For a flat rate of only 30p per day, Virgin Mobile customers on SIM-only, prepay and pay monthly contracts can enjoy ‘unlimited’ web access on their phone. This new deal begins from the 8th of December, and people will only be charged on the days that actually use the service.

However, the definition of ‘unlimited’ shifts once again as the small print shows that there is a actually a 25MB limit, but as long as you aren’t going download crazy it seems a reasonable restriction given the low price.

Virgin Mobile Head Graeme Oxby had a real grasp of consumer mindsets when outlining the new deal: “As handsets get smarter and faster, mobile web usage has increased significantly and more customers than ever are using their handset to connect them to the internet when they’re not at home. By providing unlimited access at a highly competitive rate, we are giving all our customers the opportunity to use the internet on their phone, without having to worry about racking up huge bills or working out complicated price structures.”

We welcome that move entirely. A more transparent, realistic pricing structure for mobile internet is something sorely needed on all networks.

Source: Trusted Reviews

HTC Helped By Magical Elves To Design Touch Diamond?

We were the first to champion HTC’s change in direction and subsequent rise to power in recent years, all started by the striking looks of the (then) revolutionary HTC Touch Diamond.

The faceted surface and minimalist design were heralded as a breath of fresh air, and were justly claimed by HTC as the brainchild of their ‘Chief Innovation Officer’ Horace Luke.

Okay, maybe not claimed…but this video led us to believe that was the case!

Except San Francisco design agency One & Co claim on their site case studies to have teamed up with HTC to come up with the Diamond’s unique shape:

“[The Touch Diamond is] a flagship smartphone that establishes HTC as a global leader and harkens a new era for the mobile internet. The design is both modern and clutter-free to allow a strong focus on the innovative interface. The rich materials and diamond-like surfacing convey its power and sophistication creating an instantly recognizable icon.”

So…who made it? Was it the work of HTC’s own personal Jonathan Ive, or did the bright minds at One & Co help to turn the fortunes of the Taiwanese manufacturer around? With recently upscaled shipping figures from 2 to 3 million of the Touch Diamond, whoever came up with it did a good thing.

And judging by the gorgeous design of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, the T-Mobile G1 (ish) and the HTC Touch HD, they don’t need One & Co any more…

Source: MSMobiles

Cheap T-Mobile G1 Deals Released on Omio!

Good news for those who were wanting to purchase a T-Mobile G1, but thought the £40 monthly line rental was a little on the steep side to take the plunge…

T-Mobile thought so too, and have released a raft of new tariffs to make the G1 an even more appealing prospect!

There is now a Combi 25 deal, offering 300 cross network minutes and 600 texts with Web’n'Walk Plus and a free G1 for only £30!

One step up from that is a Combi 30 deal, offering Web’n'Walk Plus, unlimited texts and a free G1 for only £35!

If you want a bit more variety in your usage, there is also a Flext 30 deal offering unlimited internet and a mixture of up to 700 minutes and 1400 texts with a free G1 for only £30!

All these deals and quite a few more are now available on Omio including 12 month contracts and high-end packages, so have a look and see if there’s a T-Mobile G1 tariff right for you!

Facebook On Android? Sooner Than We Thought…

Funny how things work out. We recently reported on the animosity between Facebook and Google, which resulted in the lack of a dedicated Facebook application for the T-Mobile G1 handset.

As it turns out, Next Mobile Web people have been beavering away developing an app imaginatively titled ‘fBook,’ which rejigs the Facebook mobile site to add picture uploading and push mail functionality.

Truth is, it is a Facebook app rather than the Facebook app, so the stalemate continues…

Source: G1 News

Facebook On Android? Not Any Time Soon.

In a playground fight writ large, Facebook has privately ‘dissed’ Android by not developing a version of their insanely successful social networking site for the platform.

Rumour has it that Google is still bitter at the Californian company after it pulled their hair at lunchtime chose Microsoft as a major investor and advertising partner, and they retaliated by kissing Facebook’s boyfriend creating the Open Social network.

So, according to TechCrunch, Facebook has no intentions of even entertaining the new system powering the T-Mobile G1, preferring to let the community do their work for free using APIs.

One of the Facebook sources was heard to have called Android ‘vapourware‘, whilst another commented: “Android sucks, it doesn’t matter.”

Real mature, guys. Just kiss and make up, you know you love each other really! Well, you both love money, and there is quite a bit to be made with Android in the future as more manufacturers pick it up.

Android Market Open For Business, Paid Apps In ’09. See The UK Android App List!

Where my apps at? Here they are!

The Android Market has launched in tandem with the release of the T-Mobile G1, and has already got new owners downloading games and programs with glee. Well, a weather app and PacMan.

The developers will be able to add their copious wares to the Market on the 27th of October, once they have crossed Google’s palm with $25 they will become official creators, allowed to upload titles but also legally accountable for any naughty apps they may produce.

The great news for devs and consumers alike is that paid applications will be allowed onto the service from early 2009! This means that the big boys as well as enterprising individuals will get their feet wet in Android once the service becomes a financially viable prospect. This means a higher standard of titles all around (hopefully), but also a lot more ‘I Am Rich’ garbage too.

So just how much money can be made from a great idea on Android? Try 70% of app revenue! So the developer gets the lion’s share of profits, whilst the rest goes on admin and carrier fees and not a bean for Google. Poor guys.

Of course, the Android Market is still classed a Beta. It’s Google. With their Gmail beta sailing into its 64th year, expect the full version of the Marketplace around when the T-Mobile G6 lands and we’re all drinking space cola, wearing our shiny space suits.

Thankfully there will be tons more apps ready for the UK release, and Pocket Lint has provided us with this handy cut-out-and-keep guide, separaed by type :

Read more…

T-Mobile G1: Where My Apps At?

If there was one thing people were foaming at the mouth at regarding the T-Mobile G1, it was the ability for the Android Marketplace to provide a plethora of interesting and exciting applications to tailor the user experience and blah blah…

Well, we’re getting an idea of what will actually be in the Marketplace come launch day (30th October in the UK), and it makes for some slim pickings. Most noticeable in their absence? The big name companies making money off pledging their support to Android and the G1.

AlleyInsider notes the dearth of decent games, recognisable web radio players like Pandora or Last.fm, and FACEBOOK! Anyone who has been within looking distance of a computer in the last couple of years knows the value of social networking software, and Facebook has been downloaded like crazy off the App Store.

The G1 does have a selection of applications ready for launch, including a scaled down version of MySpace on offer. Unfortunately if you aren’t 12, a wannabe popstar, or the product of a massive record label’s effort to ‘connect’ with fans, you don’t have a MySpace account.

When vendors are allowed to actually…vend on the Marketplace (free apps only at the mo!), then Android and the G1 will explode. Until then, it isn’t worth the time nor the effort for developers or manufacturers to create exciting and fun things that take advantage of it. We really don’t want to see the Marketplace become a desolate wasteland of garbage ad-sponsored games, weather apps and scientific calculators.

The G1 looks like a phone that could thrive off the back of some innovation, and nothing stimulates innovation like cold, hard cash. Google knows that better than anyone.