Wouldn’t be a proper comparison if we didn’t pit it against the iPhone 3G! What the office present from design guru Emilio’s mum lacked in 3G connectivity and apps, it made up for with raisins and buttery cakey goodness.
Biggest. Panettone. Ever.
Merry Xmas From Omio!
Source: Image courtesy of Robin Landy, Panettone Cake from Emilio/Emilio’s Mum
If you are feeling particularly filled with the joy of Xmas, you might consider purchasing an Apple iPhone 3G for that (very) special someone.
But how? The scars of purchasing your own mobile phone are still very fresh in your mind. Sitting in that uncomfy chair for hours whilst sales staff triple-check and photocopy all of your precious documents, the cold sweats of the credit check…could you really go through that for someone else?
Well, Apple has had the sense to remove all of the headaches and confusion by offering iPhone 3G Gift Cards in all of their retail stores. All you do is purchase this (far more wrappable) card and then your intended can pick up a brand new iPhone from the Altar of Apple whenever they like!
Trust me, it’s far easier for the perma-happy Apple Store Specialists to teach Aunt Maude how to download Podcasts than trying to show her yourself… You can even book an appointment with a Specialist, so they can set aside as much time as needed to explain to Auntie that the iPhone doesn’t actually need buttons!
The reason for these gift cards isn’t entirely in the spirit of Xmas, as Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu expains they are as much a shrewd business move for Apple as anything:
“The good news about these gift cards is that Apple gets to collect the revenue up front, which improves cash flow. The bad news for Apple’s Q1 earnings is that it can’t recognize the sale of an iPhone until the customer activates it. “The risk here is that the customer will likely activate post-Christmas,” writes Wu. “Therefore revenue and units won’t likely be recognized until the March quarter.”
Either way, the few who have held out from buying a iPhone for themselves might receive a present under the tree that they didn’t quite expect!
To make a short story shorter, the website iPhone Toolbox is a frankly amazing repository of the best free iPhone wallpapers.
From Jack Bauer getting results in 24 to a dog with cool glasses, they have absolutely everything to give your iPhone 3G a touch of bespoke class.
There is also an impressive iPhone mockup that appears whilst you hover over the pics, giving you a nice idea of what it’ll look like on your phone!
Simply download the iPhone wallpaper you like the look of, move them into your Pictures folder using iTunes, and sync away!
Almost three months ago to the day, Omio reported a story in which UK’s advertising authority ordered Apple to remove an iPhone 3G ad from TV screens due to bigging up the device’s internet capabilities far more than was actually true.
Well, guess what?
The UK’s advertising authority has ordered Apple to remove an iPhone ad from TV screens again! Why? It was due to bigging up the device’s internet capabilities far more than was actually true!
17 people (who most certainly do not work for rival device manufacturers eager to push their wares in the same ad space) have complained about the ad that replaced their last banned one, which focused on the internet working “really fast” on the iPhone.
With web pages popping up on iPhone immediately whilst a disclaimer states that “network performances vary by location,” many thought that you would have to be hanging from a Wi-Fi mast to be getting that kind of speed!
In its adjudication statement statement issued this morning the ASA stated: “Although we acknowledged that the majority of viewers would be familiar with mobile telephones, we considered that many might not be fully aware of the technical differences between the different types of technology. We also noted the ad did not give an explicit indication of a comparison with the older 2G iPhone.”
The ruling? Once again, “the ad must not appear again in its current form.”
The ASA reported that Apple claimed to be comparing 3G to 2G in relative rather than absolute speed terms, obviously it was not enough to convince advertising overlords that was the case…
Witness the shocking banned ad below!
Source: Mobile Entertainment
Despite both the phone and gaming industries claiming the Apple iPhone 3G as a watershed moment in mobile entertainment, truth is (according to Touch Arcade’s tests) that the iPhone is outmatched by the new iPod Touch as a plaything for the rich and restless!
Word is that whilst the iPhone 3G might be swift, the new iPod Touch has recently undergone an upgrade under the hood, now running at 532MHz as opposed to the 412MHz the old chipset ran at.
What does this actually mean when playing your games? Well, the apps are said to load faster on the 2nd generation iPod Touch, and also run smoother…
See their highly scientific test below, it rivals Omio’s recent mobile phone keyboard comparison in terms of compelling viewing!
So…the rankings after that test were as follows:
Arguably the most iconic device in mobile phone history is now available on Mobiles.co.uk!
The Apple iPhone 3G, the device which brought together the most technologically advanced iPod ever seen, a robust and fully featured mobile phone and internet services including e-mail, web browsing and local Wi-Fi will be available from right now on the Mobiles.co.uk site!
Available with either 8 or 16GB of internal memory, the iPhone 3G offers a groundbreaking user interface in a multi-touch device which makes every option available at the swipe of a finger.
This makes Mobiles.co.uk only the third UK retailer (after O2 themselves and Carphone Warehouse) to stock the iPhone 3G, and they will be offering speedy service and free postage and packing using Royal Mail Special Delivery!
Mobiles.co.uk has been around for over 13 years on the web, was the first mobile phone web site in the UK and won Mobile Awards Online Retailer of the year 2007 and Mobile News Awards Best Online Retailer 2007 & 2008. So they certainly have the pedigree to stock such a prestigious handset!
The tariffs and deals are already up on Omio, so have a look at the iPhone 3G handset page and take the plunge! These glowing iPhone 3G reviews from Omio users ought to convince…
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):
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!
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!
Seeing as the HTC Touch HD is now out on Orange, it’s a perfect time to see just how much that glorious 800 x 480 screen handles things in comparison to the humble HTC Touch Pro.
Thankfully, PocketNow have saved us a lot of the trouble and put up an excellent screen battle! Obviously the Touch HD comes out on top in terms of the screen being larger, wider, and crisper, but the contrast on the HD ‘pops’ a little less and loads certain programs a tad slower.
Check it out here.
I was totally on their side that it comes out on top overall…until they decided to poke the bear and bring out the iPhone for a screen resolution test. Yes, the iPhone’s resolution is lower (’only’ 480 x 320), but the Amazon site arguably scrolls much smoother and looks ‘whiter’ on it than the HD.
Yes, I am horribly biased.
An online site in the Netherlands offering the Holy Grail of unlocked iPhone 3Gs fell off the web yesterday, with the company’s owner doing a runner with over €700,000 (£548,410) of hard scammed money.
The website iPhonehelpdesk.nl was set up in the early days of July, taking advantage of the increased excitement leading up to the phone’s launch. As the Dutch iPhone 3G is locked to T-Mobile and a 24 month contract, people were only too happy to stump up the cash in the hopes of getting a SIM unlocked handset as promised by the site’s owner Robert van Zanten.
However, despite their claims that they had a small initial order of iPhones, sales staff apologised about ‘a serious delay’ and stated many orders would not be processed. This was understandably met with outrage from disappointed shoppers, who got a lot more unhappy as things took a turn for the worst.
The website went offline, the phone and e-mail services went unanswered, and the iPhones were still nowhere to be seen. Some ‘lucky’ customers received the ultimate insult of first generation iPhones…locked to US carrier AT&T and therefore practically useless.
The co-workers left behind said the plan was to acquire the handsets from Italy which would have been genuinely unlocked, but his plan had seemed to fall through and he got a little bit scared about not fulfilling orders. Fair enough, but then why had the funds been systematically deposited in small amounts to numerous accounts, and then withdrawn from different locations just before his big disappearing act?
Sounds like some premeditated theivery, and the Dutch police seems to agree. They are following leads regarding van Zanten absconding to Russia with his girlfriend.
The investigation continues.
Source: The Register
Another touchscreen phone we are keeping a close eye on is the Omnia, as the Touch Diamond’s direct competition Samsung hasn’t disappointed. This beefed-up Tocco now has Windows Mobile support to make it a lot more useful than the pretty, yet slightly vacuous F480. But it did look a tad dull…
Not any more as the easily impressed amongst us have spied this picture of a new back panel! The ‘Snow White’ edition will be limited to the 16GB Omnia (iPhone 3G much?) and has been earmarked for a far-eastern release, with other territories to follow once the phone is actually available there. Fair enough, and the reviews have been favourable, so roll on White (sort of) Omnia!
Can’t shake the feeling that this smacks of ‘Malibu Stacy’ syndrome… That episode of the Simpsons where the kids go wild over the same old Malibu Stacy doll with a new plastic hat? Maybe it’s just me.
