Omio

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 (491)

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 »

Ericsson: 20 Megapixel And Hi-Def Video Recording Cameraphones By 2012

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 think that the battle of the cameraphones is hot right now with the Sony Ericsson C905, LG Renoir, Samsung Pixon and the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 all vying for 8 megapixel supremacy?

In as little as four years we could see 20 megapixel snappers with full HD video capture as the norm, according to Ericsson! Just imagine the quality of YouTube gig uploads…and You’ve Been Framed will never be the same when I see 1080p cameraphone clips of an old lady fall off a trampoline. Can’t wait!

The slide from a recent press conference regarding the future of mobile technology also predicts insanely high XGA screen resolutions of 1024×768 (as opposed to the iPhone’s 480 x 320), and 1Ghz CPUs! That’s more powerful than my computer at home…

We would say that it was all the stuff of fantasy, if Engadget hadn’t rightly noted that there are already phones knocking at the doors of these specifications…in the Far East of course. 10 megapixel camera phones…in 2006? 1024×480 resolution 3 inch touchscreen phones?

The Japanese must find our excitement at phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 very quaint, as they order sushi and watch high definition cable TV on theirs…

Nokia Top For Research & Development Spending, Where Are The 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 (491)

Say what you like about Nokia lacking truly eye-catching designs and playing the ‘wait and see’ game as far as touchscreen handsets go, they are still the biggest spenders in the business when it comes to research and development.

On the 2008 Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, Nokia placed fifth amongst companies which hinge on innovation like Microsoft, Pfizer and Toyota with a spend of €5.3 billion.

They were also the highest placed company based in the EU, beating out Volkswagen and even Daimler-Benz.

Comparing phone companies, Nokia left the rest languishing with Samsung in 12th place, Sony at 24th, Motorola 27th, and Ericsson in the 28th position.

We just hope all that money was spent researching the touchscreen N-series handset rumoured set for an ‘08 release, as opposed to wooden phones and touchscreens made of water. Concepts are all well and good, but they need to be innovators as opposed to playing catch-up in aesthetics to whippersnappers like Apple.

Source: Cellular News

Sony Ericsson Presents: James Bond In Quantum Of Solace

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)

If the plethora of Sony Ericsson product placement in Casino Royale wasn’t quite enough for you (Sébastien Foucan’s T68 cameo brought a tear to my eye…), be glad to know that there are plenty more coming your way on October 31st when the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace comes out.

Pretty much every major character in the movie has some cellphone enjoyment, but we are ensured that it will not be jarring or distracting from the film’s events in any way.

The following handsets will be getting top billing:

C902 in Titanium Silver - only the best for Bond, James Bond.

W350i in Graphic White - for the obligatory Bond love interest. She’s clearly a big fan of music on the go…

G700 in Mineral Grey - M (Judi Dench) can’t run MI6 without that 3G connectivity and touchscreen!

G700 - Mathis may have betrayed Bond, but it doesn’t mean that he has a poor choice in mobiles! Also the phone for the big baddie of the piece, Villiers.

W910 -The handset of choice for the CIA (apparently). Perhaps music shake control was a necessity for the spies in Langley.

G900 -Another Sony smartphone for new character Green.

W707 - this handset may have sadly been cancelled, but it will live on for all eternity on celluloid as the phone of new character ‘Elvis’.

What, no Xperia? It took nearly as long for the X1 to come to market as this movie took to make, so it could have easily snuck in there… I guess that nice limited edition boxset needs to sell some more C902s.

Sony phones and James Bond are actually quite a good fit, as this new ad shows!

The Sony Ericsson W595 : Shake It Baby!

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 latest mobile to be added to 3’s increasingly attractive stable is the new Walkman handset from Sony Ericsson, the W595.

The phone manages to straddle all sorts of multimedia fun by letting you take high resolution snaps with the 3.2 megapixel camera, listen to mucho music with 2GB of space - changing tracks with a flick of the wrist thanks to SensMe technology - and it even lets you immortalise your latest cinematic efforts with a one-touch upload to YouTube function.

It’s easy on both the eyes and pocket coming in at £129.95 on Orange Pay and Go, and for free on a 500 minutes/unlimited texts contract for £25 a month with 3.

Get into the groove with the W595!

LG KC780 - 8 Megapixels And Proud Of It!

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)

Amidst all of the fanfare regarding the new breed of 8 megapixel cameraphones like the Sony Ericsson C905 and the Samsung i8510, comes a great little number under the radar from LG…

The KC780 will be released in the UK at the end of November, and is a powerhouse as far as snapping photos is concerned. A veritable waif at 13.9 mm thick, the KC780 is a slider handset with a 2.4″ QVGA screen, Bluetooth v2.1 and all sorts of PC connectivity that turns it into a wireless webcam!

It may not have 3G connectivity, but it is still certainly a handset for the snap happy crowd to consider this Xmas.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Panels Control New Saab, Puts Gadget Lovers In Cruise Control

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)

It may have taken 11 years, but finally an Ericsson handset allows you to control your car remotely, a la James Bond’s awesome car chase in Tomorrow Never Dies.

Whilst it may fall short of allowing you to fire missiles and powerslide around Brent Cross car park (it really is!), the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 can connect via Bluetooth to the Saab 9-X BioHybrid car, with a dedicated panel on the phone’s touchscreen interface offering control over tons of features.

Shown off at last week’s Paris Motor Show, quite a few things can be handled via the Xperia, including locking/unlocking the car, opening the boot, switching lights on and off, and controlling the seat settings!

Check out the future of automotive technology below:

Barring the Audi TT, the conceptual nature of the 9-X means it will never see the tarmac, and we will probably never get to try out this kind of interactivity in the real world. Still, Q would be proud at that gadgety goodness Sony and Saab have managed to get going with Windows Mobile…

The Saab 9-X looks real nice, couldn’t they just fit one little rocket launcher on it?

Source: WMPowerUser

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1: Confirmed On Orange And O2 At Carphone Warehouse

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)

Sony Ericsson’s biggest new handset in many years, the Xperia X1, will be in Carphone Warehouse in the next couple of weeks, available on the O2 and Orange networks.

The device will hopefully be on £45 per month tariffs for free! The slightly more pricey option is to buy the handset on prepay for £600.

Kinda know why they weren’t so eager to shout the cost of from the rooftops, 600 quid is some serious money! Considering the bells and whilstles in the Xperia, it sounds about right.

The big question, is it wise to release such an opulent phone at a time when most manufacturers are focusing on cheap and cheerful solutions like the LG KP500 and Nokia 5800?

Source: Mobile Today

T-Mobile G1 vs. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Review : Battle of the Text Machines!

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 at Omio are more likely to get raw footage of a unicorn fighting a dragon, but lucky Dutch folks at Jouw Mobiel have managed to get their hands on the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X1! It’s a pretty detailed Xperia review (translated via Google), frequently comparing it to the similarly specced HTC Touch Pro.

They came away fairly impressed with the head-turning form factor and sturdy construction, but think that the keyboard hasn’t enough give on it, and that the panel interface is underwhelming after the sexy TouchFLO offered on the HTC device. Could the delays to the Xperia’s release date make it seem dated when compared to the LG Renoir and Windows Mobile brother-in-arms Samsung Omnia?

Thankfully not, as the phone is far more luxurious, more like a fancy PC than merely a mobile. It does have a lot of flashing lights and gimmicks to distract…but underneath is a very powerful machine, more than capable for either business or pleasure.

As if that wasn’t enough, they decide to chuck in a quick T-Mobile G1 and Xperia X1 comparison! Hardly a fair fight, but they focus on the internet and e-mail capabilities to see the best phone for surfing on the go. Our favourite translation? “The Xperia X1 is a true piece of art in comparison to the dusty look of the T-Mobile G1.” Dusty? That’s a bit harsh, but we know what you mean!

Just seeing two awesome forthcoming handsets occupying the same space is enough to excite us immensely!

Source: CoolSmartPhone

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