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Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 On Vodafone Site, October Release

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 (461)

What a day… An embarrassment of riches as each manufacturer’s best handsets are given some real time to shine. With nary a fanfare, in the Vodafone business shop brazen and bold stands both the Samsung Omnia and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. Yeah, the Nokia N96 is posted up there too, just chilling.

Samsung’s baby is already loved up with Orange, so a ‘coming soon’ for that does little for us. But the Xperia X1 is just too awesome to ignore. Despite it having only a 3 megapixel camera and being triband (frowny face for the international jetsetter like myself), the phone is too gorgeous (those panel icons are joyous!) and so long in the works that we thought we had imagined it in a fanciful dream.

To see it up on a site, with a concrete month attached to it - October no less - fills us with glee and heightened expectation. Once again Play.com was on the money, finding out the correct time of release with some blend of arcane magic and detailed manufacturer shipping information.

Now, to watch the promo film over and over in my underground lair…hurry up stupid October!

Source: Vodafone

Samsung Omnia / HTC Touch Pro Double Whammy!

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 (461)

A highly prolific day for the guys at the::unwired, bringing us news on two hotly anticipated phones in quick succession. The Samsung Omnia gets an exhaustive review, whilst the keyboarded-up Pro edition of the HTC Touch Diamond gets a five minute hands-on job.

Positive impressions too, the Windows Mobile-powered Omnia seems like the 5 megapixel super-Tocco that it sets out to be with the increased memory size, TV-Out and 3.2″ touchscreen making for a more refined experience than the slightly sluggish precursor. Have a look at their video of the user interface in action, watch out for the classy landscape to portrait flip. Nice.

As for the Touch Pro, the Diamond design gains a physical keyboard but loses 4GB of memory, which is a fair trade if looking for a proper smartphone to send out reams of texts and e-mails from. Also, HTC are certainly listening to the consumer, taking the early negative criticism (glossy back, slow firmware) onboard and making the necessary adjustments to make the Touch Pro a winner. It may have a big ole’ butt to stash that keyboard away, but it looks like a very appealing handset in Arne’s well manicured hands, and much smaller than imagined.

Both excellent phones, both coming a lot sooner than expected with provisional late August/early September releases. Looking forward to it. Unsure of which seems the best? Have a look at the two adjacent with our Omio Compare tool, interesting which has the better specs…

Clash Of The Touchscreen Titans

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 (461)

It’s tough at the top, but even tougher just below that. GSMArena has a good look at the HTC Touch Diamond and the Samsung Omnia, pitched head-to-head.

They may not be the current belles of the touchscreen ball with everyone taking it in turns to praise the iPhone 3G, but comparing the handsets to each other allows their merits to come to the fore. And to be honest, these are the most likely contenders to take the number two spot.

Results? Both nice, but neither feels as good as the iPhone, mostly due to Windows Mobile sluggishness. What a shocker! Have a look at their site for a blow-by-blow review of the Pocket PC pugilists and have a look at our Omio Compare to see how the combatants stack up.

“What about the HTC Touch Pro?”, I hear you not say. Well, the Slashgear vid of the handset shows it as…having a fuller figure. Yes, it has a full slide out keyboard, and it is pretty good at covering the bases that the Diamond slept on, but in a world of waif-like phones that bad boy looks bulky.

Rest assured, we’ll give them all the Omio going over in an alleyway near their releases.

A Tale of Two iPhones : Differences Between iPhone And iPhone3G

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 (461)

In light of the unofficial release of the o2 Pay As You Go pricing for the iPhone 3G, we thought it would be a good time to see if the young pretender has what it takes to wrestle the crown from the current champ.

o2 was kind enough to briefly display prospective numbers for the iPhone 3G on their site, which was at the expected price point of £300 for the 8GB and fifty quid more to double up on memory. These were promptly yoinked unceremoniously off the page, perhaps they were testing the waters to see industry reaction?

Using our patented Omio ‘Compare Phone’ feature, we stand the iPhone 3G next to its predecessor to see what magic the Apple camp has weaved in the past year.

See the iPhone Comparison in Depth.

More detailed analysis follows…

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