Omio

Slingbox Coming Soon For BlackBerry Phones!

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 (565)

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!

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 (565)

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

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 (565)

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!

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 (565)

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 the rest of this entry »

BlackBerry Storm Gets Vodafone Makeover For UK Launch

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 (565)

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

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 (565)

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.

Blackberry Makes Headway In Consumer Market

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 (565)

Good news for Blackberry, their assault on the casual buyer market is actually working! Sales of handsets handsets to consumers (as opposed to Johnny Salaryman) have soared to 40% globally, up from 29% a year ago. Also, they state that 60% of their sales between April and June have been to the ‘casual’ user.

RIM began this shift by offering funky new colours for the appealing Blackberry Pearl, and has continued apace by positioning the Bold/9000 and upcoming Storm as multimedia devices rather than the virtual shackles to the office they became famous for…

Managing to make the Blackberry enticing to anyone beyond the tech geek and city boy is not to be sniffed at, and expanding their consumer market share to 3% from almost zero in a mere nine months is a sign that changing their doctrine to preach to the masses was definitely a Good Thing.

Judging by the amount of showoffs with the Bold on the town this weekend, their share of the market can only get bigger!

Source: Mobile Today

iPhone 3G vs. Blackberry Bold - Web Browser Battle!

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 (565)

Welcome to a new head-to-head, pitting the iPhone 3G’s web browsing capabilities against the snazzy new Blackberry Bold. The results are pretty damning, with the iPhone 3G rendering the pants of the Bold, which showing sites really prettily but really slowly.

Performed by Mobile Computer Mag, they race through a few of the usual test sites like the BBC News site to see if Safari really is that fast. Which it is.

RIM lovers avert your eyes for the Slashdot page loading comparison, the results are pretty graphic.

Only problem,  it seems like the Bold was hamstrung by being on 3G/Edge a bit whilst the iPhone is flying the Wi-Fi skies…hardly fair now, is it? They do prove at the end that it was on Wi-Fi, but the difference is so much we find it hard to believe. We’re conducting our own highly scientific tests here, the results of which will be up pretty sharpish…
Source: Gizmodo

EISA Awards, Gongs For HTC And Sony Ericsson

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 (565)

A European Imaging and Sound Association Award is recognised amongst the mobile phone community as an impressive plaudit, recognising those handsets which break new ground in the field of multimedia functionality. This year was no different with very deserving winners, although not necessarily those one might expect…

The best music phone went to the Sony Ericsson W980, a justifiable winner through being the perfect combination of looks, functionality and audio support. 8GB of storage with that Walkman touch that Sony gives the W-series phone makes for a handset offering a better aural experience than even the iPhone 3G.

Read the rest of this entry »

Blackberry Bold On Orange From Saturday!

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 (565)

Despite all the noise surrounding T-Mobile and their September launch of the Blackberry Bold, The Inquirer has announced that Orange will in fact be bringing the new multimedia handset from RIM as early as the 16th of August, which is this weekend!

With the phone coming for free, and the tariffs starting at a competitive £45 per month on consumer as well as business deals, Orange are aiming straight for the people who might have otherwise been distracted by the iPhone 3G…

The Carphone Warehouse may not have been as quick to bring the phone to market, but they certainly know how to put up a good offer with a free Bold on a £40 month tariff, plus unlimited data from the 21st of August.

The first 3G handset from Blackberry is sure to sell like hotcakes, and they have been very clever to try and stem the tide of businessfolk turning to other phones, as well as bring new fans in with the increased media functionality.

What have the other networks got in store for the Bold? Well, despite all three having shown off the phone in various forms, they all seem strangely quiet with regards to a release date…

Review coming soon…