Omio

Sony Ericsson Xperia Panels On The HTC Touch HD, HTC TouchFLO on the Xperia!

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 (491)

I suppose, as we covered the fact that the exclusive Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Panels could be modified to work on an HTC handset, that we should cover more recent developments in the crazy topsy-turvy world of XDA Developers!

Firstly, they managed to get the Xperia X1 running the slick TouchFLO user interface, popularised by its use on the HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro handsets. Check out the video below!

Then, they managed to get the Xperia’s Panel interface modded to run on the new humungous screen of the HTC Touch HD! Truth be told, it may be a tad buggy but the Panels seem to run a little bit smoother than on the Xperia itself! Looks pretty creamy on the super high resolution screen of the HD too. Watch the vid below!

Who would have thought that they could get Windows Mobile handsets to run Windows Mobile software? Not me, that Windows is a cruel mistress, wild and unpredictable…

HTC Helped By Magical Elves To Design Touch Diamond?

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 (491)

We were the first to champion HTC’s change in direction and subsequent rise to power in recent years, all started by the striking looks of the (then) revolutionary HTC Touch Diamond.

The faceted surface and minimalist design were heralded as a breath of fresh air, and were justly claimed by HTC as the brainchild of their ‘Chief Innovation Officer’ Horace Luke.

Okay, maybe not claimed…but this video led us to believe that was the case!

Except San Francisco design agency One & Co claim on their site case studies to have teamed up with HTC to come up with the Diamond’s unique shape:

“[The Touch Diamond is] a flagship smartphone that establishes HTC as a global leader and harkens a new era for the mobile internet. The design is both modern and clutter-free to allow a strong focus on the innovative interface. The rich materials and diamond-like surfacing convey its power and sophistication creating an instantly recognizable icon.”

So…who made it? Was it the work of HTC’s own personal Jonathan Ive, or did the bright minds at One & Co help to turn the fortunes of the Taiwanese manufacturer around? With recently upscaled shipping figures from 2 to 3 million of the Touch Diamond, whoever came up with it did a good thing.

And judging by the gorgeous design of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, the T-Mobile G1 (ish) and the HTC Touch HD, they don’t need One & Co any more…

Source: MSMobiles

The Future Of Nokia Phones Leaked Online?

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 (491)

You may think that Nokia are foolish not to have entered the touchscreen or the megapixel arms races, but rest assured they have some dynamite handsets lined up for next year!

Someone has managed to sneak a look at Nokia’s crystal ball in the form of the ‘Roadmap’, which shows the entire range of phones that have been knocked up in their R&D labs since 2007, projecting well into 2009. Being a nice person, they have also given it to Engadget so we can all have a Mystic Meg at what Nokia are up to!

Looking at it in detail, there is so much diamond dust to speculate over in here! The presence of the ‘Tube’ and the ‘Lumiere,’ which became the 5800 XpressMusic and N96 respectively, lend this list some legitimacy.

What about into the future? Well, we have picked out some of the best-specced devices (with suitably ‘covert’ codenames), sure to get Nokia fans’ blood pressure up when they are eventually announced!

Click on below!

Read the rest of this entry »

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Set For October 17th Release Date on Vodafone?

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 (491)

The ads have started (on the London Underground anyway), the official site is up, all the questions have been fielded, all that was left unknown was a concrete release date for Sony Ericsson’s super smartphone, the Xperia X1.

Well, thanks to CoolSmartPhone, the latest release date is said to be the 17th of October on Vodafone. Pushed back from a release on business tariffs from the 6th of October, we’ve been waiting for the longest time (to quote Billy Joel) and can’t wait to see whether the panels are as slick as we saw at the launch event, or have been given some sort of Voda-firmware facelift…

The 17th will see the phone go live to purchase on the website, as well as enter Vodafone’s high street branches. Is it an exclusive in the vein of the BlackBerry Storm, or will all networks see a piece of the Xperia?

Maybe a move to red side is in order…

UPDATE: Xperiancers has a good video of how the real deal Xperia looks and feels, pretty slick for the old Windows Mobile!

UPDATE: On the way home, saw a sexy ad on those Tube video screens, confirming that the Xperia was indeed due on another network, namely O2. Cheers, Kragom!

Source: VodaForum/Xperiancers via CoolSmartPhone

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 (491)

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

Xperia X1 Beaten To Market By SongLive X1

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 (491)

You have to appreciate the Chinese enthusiasm. Not prepared to wait for the official release of the Xperia X1 from slowpokes Sony Ericsson, Engadget has noted those industrious folks just went ahead and made the SongLive X1. More proof that handsets don’t have to take months of research, development and rigourous testing to get to market. Promotional images as a ’source’ and some imagination, all you need.

As much as it looks similar to the real deal, it falls a tad short when looking at the feature set. No longer a touchscreen, the 3 inch display loses quite a lot of appeal. However it replicates the slide-out mechanism, folding out to create an impressive portable TV complete with a retro car aerial for reception. The shady-looking 5 megapixel camera seems more like a pinhole for looking through, rather than having any actual technology there…

Looking at the retailer page, the blurb for the SongLive X1 is as follows:

‘The most recommended feature of X1 is its auto horizontal function. We just push the screen, it can become horizontal as our habbit <shrug>! Through it is not a smart phone (no disagreements here), its functions will make you satisfactory. Dual sim dual standby dual bluetooth dual camera and (what, no dual?) TV, even its NES simulator (finally, Duck Hunt and Bible Adventures on the go!) all give you a good choice.’ Choice? Certainly. Good? Not so much.

The saddest part? We’re a little bit tempted to stave off the Xperia hunger pangs… Pretty sure that when/if the X1 arrives, it won’t be under £80.

More mugshots of the great impostor after the break…

Read the rest of this entry »

Are You XPERIA-nced?

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 (212)

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 has been getting Windows Mobile fans and Sony Ericsson fan in a tizz since it was announced a few months ago. Now models have been released for Joe Public to hold and to love and to review. Now it’s time to present the initial findings for this potential iPhone killer (I haven’t said that in ages so please cut me some slack).

The handset has a beautiful screen. Boy Genius Report reckons it’s the best screen they’ve ever seen on a Windows Mobile device. It helps that the screen is an 800×480 VGA screen, but SE have done themselves proud. It has crystal clear resolution and unfazed by sunlight, which Samsung would do well to take note of.

The XPERIA has some issues with speaker volume, which could be off-putting if you plan to use the handset as a media device. Obviously this problem carries over to the speakerphone. However, call quality is crystal clear. The person BGR called said it sounded like they were using a landline, which is high praise indeed.

It’s packed to the gunnels with connectivity: it has HSDPA, WiFi and GPS. Web browsing has been described as “abnormally fast” using both WiFi and HSDPA.

Now what of its appearance? The XPERIA is not the smallest handset around, but it makes up for this in quality of build. The handset isn’t your standard slider phone, but the mechanism is incredibly smooth. Could it even be as high quality as the iPhone?

The XPERIA is great to use. BGR are extremely complimentary about it – they say it’s the best Windows Mobile device they’ve ever used. With the keyboard hidden, the handset allows access to all the necessary shortcuts via buttons on the front. Slide the keyboard open and you can do everything a (rational) heart desires on a mobile phone. A qualm for some has been the XPERIA’s lack of directional keys on the keyboard. This shouldn’t be an issue though; the handset has a brilliant optical joystick. It’s easy to use and shouldn’t take much getting used to.

One downside could be the keyboard itself. The keys are flush with the keyboard and don’t give great tactile feedback when pushed. Obviously they can’t be bouncing around all over the place with a dirty great sliding mechanism above them, but it’s still disappointing to hear.

So, keyboard aside, the initial feedback on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 sounds good. Will it be the best Windows Mobile device ever to roam God’s green earth? Is it better than the iPhone/HTC Touch Diamond/IBM Roadrunner? As more reviews and information are released, we’ll let you know.
Source: Boy Genius Report

Quite Possibly The Hottest Threesome Ever

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 (212)

WMExperts have piled up the unholy trinity of super-hyped smartphones for your viewing pleasure. The iPhone doesn’t look quite so sleek with the HTC Touch Diamond riding it like a cheap slag. The Sony Ericsson Xperia has a QWERTY keyboard, so we’ll forgive it its inflated waistline.

The question is, which one would you most like some alone time with?

The Sony Ericsson Xperian with HSDPA, QWERTY and more

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 (212)

Finally Sony Ericsson has answered mine and most probably most of the general publics dreams, the Xperian X1 has it all. This will definitely be an iPhone killer, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel camera, HSDPA and more.

The Xperian X1 will run the Windows Mobile operating system and will squeeze as much multimedia out of it as possible. It will have DVD quality video playback on the 3″ wide VGA display, FM radio, stereo bluetooth (A2DP). The connectivity of this handset is second to none, with WiFi, A2DP bluetooth, UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA and microSD memory expandability. Sony Ericsson have strangely gone with this format of memory for a yet unknown reason, which could mean that their future high end handsets may also use this format of memory. The Xperian X1 has many methods of input, be it the touchscreen, arc-sliding QWERTY keyboard and 4-way key and optical joystick, so you will be spoilt for choice.

The Xperian should be shipping in “selected markets” in the second half of 2008.

Source: Sony Ericsson