Omio News Blog

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 Hacked To Run Android

Whilst we are all on tenterhooks waiting for Sony Ericsson to release their first Android handset, the XPERIA X10 (week 13 on Vodafone, release date fans!), eager folk on XDA Developers have managed to get one of the latest builds of Google’s open source firmware to run on the normally Windows-powered XPERIA X1.

Android 2.0.1 is shown in the below video, running surprisingly happily on a heavily modified version of the XPERIA X1 with the lion’s share of core functionality making the leap intact!

Step-by-step guide here but be warned, it isn’t for the faint of heart…our advice is just to wait for Sony Ericsson to do it for real.

Source: Android Community

UPDATE: Sony Ericsson XPERIA Pureness Revealed: “A Work Of Art Rather Than Technology”

The XPERIA line was always proposed as a showcase product range for Sony Ericsson, a place where their design bods get to flex their creative muscles and manufacture the most inspiring and innovative handsets on the market.

Whether we have seen the result of that innovation in the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 and recently unveiled X2 is up for debate, but the artistic flair is definitely strong in the new XPERIA ‘Pureness,’ a handset touted as “a simple design phone which brings together beautiful craftsmanship and the concept of ‘talk, text, time – a holiday from technology.”

Whatever that means, the Pureness aims to exemplify Sony Ericsson’s new brand mantra of make.believe in a device that is equal parts art installation and mobile phone, with a transparent screen and light-up keypad.

With a November release date, specification details are thin on the ground, but when a phone takes aesthetics in such a brave new direction, we think it doesn’t matter quite as much. See it in ‘fluid motion’ below!

UPDATE: GSMArena has some pictures of the handset in the flesh! Whilst the Pureness still impresses, it is still just another mobile phone. The transparent screen is some cool tech, albeit fairly traditional in terms of a Sony Ericsson user interface (in German).

Going back to monochrome, non-touch displays though? Not sure if that’s the right side of cutting edge design for many…especially if the rumoured price of €699 (£610) bears any truth.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2, More Pics!

Whilst we might be salivating at the prospect of the Rachel/XPERIA X3 after seeing it appear on Expansys, let’s not forget that there is also a Windows Mobile powered XPERIA X2 in the offing…

More images have leaked of the luxurious smart phone, set to erase any disappointment felt about the ambitious original.

The specifications of the X2 scream evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but are still placing the device firmly in the leading pack of next gen devices. A 3.5″ WVGA display and 8.1 megapixel camera are nice on paper, but the images show off an attempt at a more finger-friendly keyboard and a cleaner, yet buxom form factor.

We are also glad to hear that the underutilised Panels seen on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 will be getting a welcome refurb, with innovative features like PS3 Remote Play (also coming to the Sony Ericsson Aino) becoming a fixture.

A slightly more competitive price point and a Q3 release, we could see this handset doing big things. We are yet to hear anything official regarding when and how much, but there are rarely leaked images without an announcement around the corner…

Source: Boy Genius Report

Silver Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 Spotted!

Well, we’ve seen the black version of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 already, why would it not come in a silver model like the original?

First impressions of the device in a new hue? To use the classic Dudley Moore quote from Crazy People (originally to describe a Volvo): “It’s boxy, but it’s good.”

It looks like you could cut glass with that angular form factor, but the XPERIA X1 hardly had supermodel curves…

It may look like an olde worlde PDA, but with a 3.5″ OLED screen, faster processor and custom race-tuned Windows Mobile 6.5, we expect great things from this remodelled smartphone device!

Source: BGR via Pocket Lint

Stream Music From iTunes To BlackBerry And Windows Mobile Phones With Didiom

If you have an iPhone, chances are you have dabbled with the charms of Simplify Media, an App which allows you to enjoy crystal clear streaming of an entire iTunes library from a PC or Mac over Wi-Fi or 3G networks. That’s all well and good, but what of all those BlackBerry and Windows Mobile users who aren’t praying at the Apple altar?

A really impressive solution has arrived in the form of Didiom, a program which allows wireless streaming of iTunes from a PC to a mobile phone…for free!

With support for Windows Mobile phones from the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 to the HTC Touch Pro as well as Blackberry Curve and Pearl devices, Didiom is a fully featured service which allows playlists, full navigation and even cover art for all of your titles on your handset.

Not enough music on your home computer? Well, Didiom has got you covered with the ability to download over 1 million DRM-free songs directly through your mobile device. The novel feature is that a choice is offered between purchasing a larger, CD-quality file for playback on your PC, or a cheaper single download only for playback on your phone. So the program offers an interesting dual-purpose in the form of a streaming service as well as a music download portal.

Have a look at the Didiom demo here, and download the Didiom software for your PC/BlackBerry/Windows Mobile device here!

BBC iPlayer For Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson C905 And Xperia X1 Coming Soon!

The roaring success of the BBC’s online portal continues unabated as they announce the expansion of the iPlayer to even more mobile devices.

Now the Samsung Omnia and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 can be expected to receive the iPlayer, which will now also offer live television and radio broadcasts alongside the original ‘catch-up’ service.

The Sony Ericsson C905 Cybershot phone will also be added to the roster of supported handsets by the end of the week. Of cource, the current service offered to the Apple iPhone and the Nokia N96 will continue, with the N85 also getting its first taste of TV On Demand action.

Jon Billings, head of the BBC’s mobile technology, said of the development of the iPlayer to cater for the Xperia et al:

“These phones have been selected as they hit our requirements of Wi-Fi and 3G support with great browsing and media playback experience, and its also great to broaden our platform support out to Windows Mobile smartphones as well as our first feature phone offering on the C905″.

All of this is amidst the one year anniversary of BBC’s iPlayer service on 12th December, where the festivities will be huge Q&A sessions will all those involved in its development and success, as well as some kind of Flickr party! Sounds nice.

All this leaves ITV’s clunkier Catch Up service playing, well, catch up! A brand change to ‘ITV Player’ is on the cards…wonder why?

Source: Pocket Lint

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.

HTC Purchases Design Company Responsible For Touch Diamond

Those ‘magical elves’ that helped HTC come up with the Touch Diamond‘s unique bevelled back? Seems like HTC were so impressed that they bought the whole company!

San Francisco design firm One & Co., who has developed products for such high-profile companies as Nike and Microsoft has been scooped up by the Taiwanese manufacturer for an undisclosed sum, with One & Co continuing to work with other companies.

The design of the Touch Diamond has been a watershed moment for HTC, with the great success of that handset being mirrored by the keyboard-toting sequel, the Touch Pro as well as the recently released Touch HD.

In such a competitive market, the way a phone looks or feels to use as just as important as the technology under the hood, just look at the success of the Apple iPhone!

HTC themselves are often the go-to guy for designing handsets for other manufacturers, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (classy looker) and T-Mobile G1 (‘nice personality’) were both theirs, and the acquisition of One and Co. can only cement their position as creator as some of the most aesthetically pleasing handsets on the market.

HTC Chief Innovation Officer Horace Luke said of the buyout:

“Design is key, it is why you love or hate something. Integrating iconic design into HTC products is an inspiring and dynamic challenge that requires a unique combination of consumer insight, creativity, innovation and an appetite to take risks; attributes that embody One & Co.”

Let’s just hope they don’t keep the best designs for themselves…

Source: CoolSmartPhone

The Mobile Phone Keyboard Olympics

Apparently there’s something going on in London in 2012 that’s costing a whole bunch of money and has got a lot of people all excited.

Alas, the Omio budget doesn’t stretch to Olympic sponsorship, let-alone building our own velodrome. Anyhow, who wants to watch a bunch of men chase each other round-and-round on bicycles, when you could stay in and watch our own Ernest Doku go thumb-to-button with greatest phones on the planet?

We lined up 6 of the best smartphones: the Apple iphone; the Samsung Omnia; the T-Mobile G1; the HTC Touch HD; the HTC Touch Pro (win this in our Touch Pro give-away) and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. We gave Ernest a set text to type – twice on each handset – so that we could take an average time.

Want to see what happened when Ernest got typing? Check out the video…

More details of the contest after the jump

Read more…

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Panels Control New Saab, Puts Gadget Lovers In Cruise Control

It may have taken 11 years, but finally an Ericsson handset allows you to control your car remotely, a la James Bond’s awesome car chase in Tomorrow Never Dies.

Whilst it may fall short of allowing you to fire missiles and powerslide around Brent Cross car park (it really is!), the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 can connect via Bluetooth to the Saab 9-X BioHybrid car, with a dedicated panel on the phone’s touchscreen interface offering control over tons of features.

Shown off at last week’s Paris Motor Show, quite a few things can be handled via the Xperia, including locking/unlocking the car, opening the boot, switching lights on and off, and controlling the seat settings!

Check out the future of automotive technology below:

Barring the Audi TT, the conceptual nature of the 9-X means it will never see the tarmac, and we will probably never get to try out this kind of interactivity in the real world. Still, Q would be proud at that gadgety goodness Sony and Saab have managed to get going with Windows Mobile…

The Saab 9-X looks real nice, couldn’t they just fit one little rocket launcher on it?

Source: WMPowerUser