Omio

A Peek Into Nokia’s Future

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Unwired View has come across some funky top secret patent designs, providing some insight as to where Nokia’s head is at with regards to the future of handsets. The answer? A little bit of touching, and a whole lot of swivelling.

The first is a handset that has a screen that rotates through 90 degrees to reveal the keypad, much like the Nokia 7373, or the classic Motorola v70. However, swivelling the hinge in the other direction reveals a nifty little touchpad to make illegible notes on with a stylus!

The second offers a novel reimagining of the d-pad with a scroll bar curved around the Nokia mainstay of a central button, and all of it touch sensitive. It has movement across two axes as well as in a circular fashion around the menu, as illustrated in the central shot.

The final mockup tackles the problem of viewing media comfortably on a small handset, with the simple idea of swivelling out the bottom half of the device to create a stand.
All exciting as well as practical innovations, but bear in mind that these are little more than concepts so don’t hold your breath quite yet…

N-Gage Games On Lockdown

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Oh Nokia, you tried so very hard to be down with the kids with your cool, hip N-Gage. However, in recent days it seemed that a change was coming with the wise decision to drive the brand as an application rather than malformed handsets, but now All About N-Gage has reported on a move straight from the ‘Taco phone’ era.

Apparently citing security reasons, Nokia have decided to lock any game purchased from the Showroom down to the IMEI number of the handset, with no chance of transferring titles over. Ever. If you upgrade, wave goodbye to all those games. That makes sense moving from a Nokia to a Samsung, if you got another Nokia though, it should be fine right? Right? Oh no, that’s the end of Snake 2008 if you decide to get that slick new N95.

This is true of the old style mobile games, but with Nokia attempting to convince consumers of N-Gage as a legitimate console platform, this is a move that has resulted in raised the blood pressure of mobile gamers the world over. And you don’t want a mob of rabid gamers on your hands, they’re the worst kind.

With the fruits of the iPhone’s foray into gaming soon to be on iTunes and the apparent slickness of titles on the way like Trism and Raging Thunder, Nokia needs to appease the masses, or that lead they currently enjoy in the marketplace will become smaller and smaller.

Source : AllAboutNGage

AT&T gets Record Number of Texts for American Idol

By Peter RosscloseAuthor: Peter Ross Name: Peter Ross
Email: peter.ross@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: Raised by wolves, in the darkest of woods, Pete eventually left the pack. He emerged into the world blinking and half feral with one true dream: to write about mobile phones on the Omio blog.See Authors Posts (37)

This year’s American Idol saw AT&T beat its previous record number of text messages by almost 14m. 78 million people texted their votes which resulted in a victory for David Cook (no me either). With his fleshy face and piggy eyes he looks like a younger floppier, emo Ricky Gervais.

Texting has become more popular in the US recent years, partly in due to AT&T introducing voting by text in 2003 which helped popularise texting in the US. Before then, texting was used mostly by the youth market. But what is the enduring appeal of Idol that makes 78 million people text in? Is it the humiliating auditions, the performances, the human drama or even Paula “I don’t have a drinking problem Abdul” slurring her way through the judging section.

The real question is, will AT&T beat its texting record for next year’s series and will David Cook still have a record contract?

Source: Mobile Crunch

Viva La Mobile Revolución!

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

President George Bush announced on Wednesday that Americans could send mobile phones to relatives in Cuba, in light of Castro lifting his ban on ownership of high-tech products and relaxed US sanctions.

However, don’t start lighting your cigars just yet… Apparently only certain unlocked phones will be able to work effectively, and even the call charges of 50¢ per minute prove too costly for many. Mobiles available for purchase within Cuba cost about $120, and another $120 to activate on a functional GSM network. With an average wage of approximately $20 a month, aid packages from friends and family in the US will be the only way most Cuban citizens will ever get their hands on a shiny 2310.

”Cubans are now allowed to purchase mobile phones, DVD players and computers and they have been told that they will be able to purchase toasters and other basic appliances in 2010,” Bush said during a White House function.

Wait, what? Toasters in 2010? By then we’ll be in our flying cars, sporting shiny suits with robo-spouses becoming self-aware and trying to kill us, and Cuba’s getting toasters? DVD players and mobile phones given priority over frivolities like ovens and fridges? Seems like another nation is being introduced to some real consumerism…

Source : The Guardian

3: Everyone’s Lucky Number

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

The mobile phone network 3 has just inked a deal with mobile gambling firm Probability, allowing them to hard-code a link to their ‘Ladyluck’ service on around 2 million new handsets. Upon clicking the link, the user is then sent to a mobile portal where they can register and subsequently partake in completely random and skill-based digital renditions of casino games including bingo, roulette, and blackjack. A spokesman for Probability (who may well have been wearing a hat made of money) stressed the value of the deal, primarily for converting large numbers of new gamblers from approximately half of 3’s current UK customer base.

Source : LSE.co.uk

Live Anywhere: “Calm Down, It’s Coming.”

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Way back in the mists of time, we were promised what was essentially Xbox Live for mobiles, then going by the name of Live Anywhere. It promised unparalleled levels of functionality including the sending of messages, queuing up downloads, as well as sharing of Friends Lists and Achievements between mobiles, PCs and Xbox. Well, that was two years ago. The sun is still far from setting on Live, and players are getting restless…

Finally, news! Well, not news, but a sliver of information. Microsoft’s VP of Global Marketing, Jeff Bell, reminded us all of what we don’t have during his talk at the Electronic Gaming Summit yesterday. “Live Anywhere is not abandoned, it’s just not easy to do.”

Not easy to do, Jeff? Then you need to have a chat with the boys at 1337pwn.com. Their application can already reside on your (slightly jailbroken) iPhone, Blackberry, as a widget on the Mac and even directly through your own fair browser. It also allows players to view all current Xbox Live activity of their friends, send messages through a link to Xbox.com, view rankings of the most popular Xbox Live titles, and compare Gamerscores on individual titles with all your friends at once. If you aren’t giddy at the thought of all that, then you are quite literally without a 360.

Only thing missing is friend requests… Why is it not implemented? Ask Jeff. The current state of play is that they can pull all types of information from Microsoft accounts, but not make any changes to them. Hence, no adding friends. Det Ansinn, the application’s creator, said of the situation, “You would think that Microsoft would be pushing towards more social networking features, but they appear to be on a conservative feature track at the moment. I was optimistic when they released the ‘friend of a friend’ and bio functionality in the last XBL update. However, not much has happened since then.” Get a move on Microsoft, there’s people doing it for free already! Well, 1337pwn’s got a nice line in t-shirts and mugs, but hardly about to float on the Stock Exchange, are they?

Source: Kotaku

Bluetooth is Open to Hacking

By Peter RosscloseAuthor: Peter Ross Name: Peter Ross
Email: peter.ross@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: Raised by wolves, in the darkest of woods, Pete eventually left the pack. He emerged into the world blinking and half feral with one true dream: to write about mobile phones on the Omio blog.See Authors Posts (37)

Here’s a riddle how do you eaves drop on a BlueTooth call? Well most people on handsfree are usually shouting their heads off, so it’s actually hard not to listen to them. However there is a way listen to both sides of the conversation through hacking into the Bluetooth. I wouldn’t be too worried as it seems incredibly difficult to pull off and requires equipment that the average Joe probably wouldn’t have access to.

Source:5min.com

BlackBerry Bold vs. the iPhone – Clash of the Who-Gives-a-Craps

By Kate CrowleycloseAuthor: Kate Crowley Name: Kate Crowley
Email: talk@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: Kate's interest in mobile phones began when she realised she was supernaturally adept at Snake 2. She was less good at Battleships and, frankly, we shouldn't even mention Pipes.See Authors Posts (206)

The above video is doing the rounds on the gadget blogs. It’s a side-by-side comparison of the BlackBerry Bold and the iPhone courtesy of the iPhone blog. This should be good, right? A comparison between perhaps the most innovative handset ever and the new brainchild of the Smartphone kings was certainly on my wishlist last Christmas. If you said, “Yes, Kate, I believe this should indeed be good”, prepare yourself for a disappointment. The video blows.

The first problem is that they’re comparing the soon-to-be-obsolete first generation iPhone with a BlackBerry Bold that isn’t even final spec. Another problem - the guy doing the review is nauseating. To say that the Bold resembles the iPhone is silly. The iPhone is one big screen. If a handset uses a completely different OS then how can it resemble the iPhone? It’s not as if Apple invented the concept of a black rectangle.

All the review reveals is what we already knew – the iPhone and the BlackBerry bold are targeted at completely different markets. If you want a touchscreen phone and are interested in multimedia, get an iPhone. If you want a physical keyboard and are interested in multimedia, get a BlackBerry Bold.

Spoiler alert: the BlackBerry Bold wins, but will this be the case in 2 weeks?

Presenting the Dior Phone.

By Peter RosscloseAuthor: Peter Ross Name: Peter Ross
Email: peter.ross@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: Raised by wolves, in the darkest of woods, Pete eventually left the pack. He emerged into the world blinking and half feral with one true dream: to write about mobile phones on the Omio blog.See Authors Posts (37)

Yet another ridiculously over priced phone has been released. The newest entrant to the luxury phone market is Christian Dior phone and this piece of crap will set you back $5,500. The phone has a very sophisticated red patent-leather design and does include touch screen and a camera but does this warrant the price tag? The only innovative feature is that it comes with a second miniature MyDior phone, that connects to the main phone. This is basically a glorified BluTooth headset.

With $5,500, on Pay As You Go you could buy 552 Samsung C300, 110 Motorola RAZR V3 or 36 HTC Touch . Hell you could even buy me for that much. But for the whopping $5500 price tag you can get one nice looking phone with pretty basic features.

Source: Mobile Crunch

Veptu : Imitation is the sincerest form of profiteering

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Can’t afford six grand on a gold iPhone, or not this season enough to sport the new Dior? You could do worse (or could you?) than blowing a far less substantial load on a knockoff luxury phone. Though China’s ‘inspirations’ were once limited to brilliant products like the Vii (yes, the Vii), their talents have spread to appeal to the more fashion than financially conscious with Veptu. Suspiciously similar in name and design to Nokia’s pricey offshoot, they are (allegedly) gold-plated, yet pay far more attention to specs than most luxury retailers with a TFT display, a 1.3/2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and video/music playback. You can’t blame them for attempting to cash in, with Dolce and Gabbana selling €200 million worth of gold Razrs, the posh mobile market is big business. Whilst decent handsets in theory, whether the quality of the workmanship will match their handcrafted and laser-cut parents is debatable. But who cares? The lights in the Ivy are a bit dim and no-one will really be able to tell as you amble down Bond Street. However, if you lose a couple of diamonds braying a bit too loudly into it, don’t blame us.

Update : Would you like to be the official worldwide distributor for Veptu? $12,000 and their site is yours! Arguably, if you had 12 grand to waste, you probably would have bought a real Vertu…

Source: Crave