Omio

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.

HTC Purchases Design Company Responsible For 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 (565)

Those ‘magical elves’ that helped HTC come up with the Touch Diamond’s unique bevelled back? Seems like HTC were so impressed that they bought the whole company!

San Francisco design firm One & Co., who has developed products for such high-profile companies as Nike and Microsoft has been scooped up by the Taiwanese manufacturer for an undisclosed sum, with One & Co continuing to work with other companies.

The design of the Touch Diamond has been a watershed moment for HTC, with the great success of that handset being mirrored by the keyboard-toting sequel, the Touch Pro as well as the recently released Touch HD.

In such a competitive market, the way a phone looks or feels to use as just as important as the technology under the hood, just look at the success of the Apple iPhone!

HTC themselves are often the go-to guy for designing handsets for other manufacturers, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (classy looker) and T-Mobile G1 (’nice personality’) were both theirs, and the acquisition of One and Co. can only cement their position as creator as some of the most aesthetically pleasing handsets on the market.

HTC Chief Innovation Officer Horace Luke said of the buyout:

“Design is key, it is why you love or hate something. Integrating iconic design into HTC products is an inspiring and dynamic challenge that requires a unique combination of consumer insight, creativity, innovation and an appetite to take risks; attributes that embody One & Co.”

Let’s just hope they don’t keep the best designs for themselves…

Source: CoolSmartPhone

The Mobile Phone Keyboard Olympics

By Robin LandycloseAuthor: Robin Landy Name: Robin Landy
Email: talk@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: See Authors Posts (19)

Apparently there’s something going on in London in 2012 that’s costing a whole bunch of money and has got a lot of people all excited.

Alas, the Omio budget doesn’t stretch to Olympic sponsorship, let-alone building our own velodrome. Anyhow, who wants to watch a bunch of men chase each other round-and-round on bicycles, when you could stay in and watch our own Ernest Doku go thumb-to-button with greatest phones on the planet?

We lined up 6 of the best smartphones: the Apple iphone; the Samsung Omnia; the T-Mobile G1; the HTC Touch HD; the HTC Touch Pro (win this in our Touch Pro give-away) and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. We gave Ernest a set text to type - twice on each handset - so that we could take an average time.

Want to see what happened when Ernest got typing? Check out the video…

More details of the contest after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

Not Everyone Loves The HTC Touch Pro…

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)

In the US, where the HTC Touch Pro has just been rejigged and released as the HTC Fuze, it has gone down just as swimmingly as on this side of the Atlantic.

Cnet went with 3.5 out of 5 stars, whilst CrunchGear branded it “the best phone we’ve seen from HTC yet.” Probably because they will never clap eyes on the Touch HD, according to HTC themselves.

However, not everyone loves the Touch Pro.

This handset will be America’s first experience of the TouchFLO interface which envelopes Windows Mobile on HTC devices, and cult gaming website Penny Arcade has ventured into mobile phone review territory for the first time with the Fuze, whilst finding a very eloquent way of describing the experience:

“More like ButtFLO.”

It descends into a pretty scathing review of the HTC Fuze, and the TouchFLO interface in particular, with some very valid points which HTC seem to not have rectified since our Touch Pro video review.

The funniest part, however, is when it descends further into a slanging match between the site’s co-founders as to how best capture the essence when insulting the device. Read their ‘unique’ HTC Touch Pro/HTC Fuze review here.

Oh, and happy birthday Penny Arcade!

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 (565)

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

Nokia E72 And E75 Video Demo!

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)

Quick! Have a look at the new promotional video for Nokia’s unannounced E72 and E75 business handsets!

Watch as they use the power of connectivity to build a building! And is that a proper Flash website running on the high res screen? Be still my beating smartphone heart!

They have definitely taken a leaf out of the Touch Pro hidden keyboard handbook, but retaining those slimline E71 and E66 looks.

As long as it makes that noise like drawing my sword every time I open the slider = SOLD.

HTC Touch Pro Video Review: Part 2

By Robin LandycloseAuthor: Robin Landy Name: Robin Landy
Email: talk@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: See Authors Posts (19)

Maybe the HTC Touch Pro was starting to look like it was all sweetness-and-light. Actually, it’s got almost as many problems as an EastEnders* publican.

In part 2 of Omio’s exclusive video review, we’ll be taking a look at some of it’s downsides.

*For readers from outside the UK: EastEnders is an interminably gloomy British soap-opera whose characters’ dispositions perpetually fluctuate between moribund and psychotic. The show’s public house - ‘The Queen Vic’ - has been the dismal venue for a significantly higher number of beatings, burnings and shootings than the national average.

HTC Touch Pro Video Review: Part 1

By Robin LandycloseAuthor: Robin Landy Name: Robin Landy
Email: talk@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: See Authors Posts (19)

Had enough of of our HTC Touch Pro coverage yet? No. We didn’t think so. Here’s part one of our exclusive review of this beast-of-a-phone.

Don’t forget to keep your questions coming in our forums.

HTC Touch Pro vs. iPhone - Text 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)

Our lovely new HTC Touch Pro has been put through its paces all afternoon, and one of the most exciting things about it is the nice 5-row QWERTY keyboard! It’s nice, but is it better for texting than the current undisputed champ of the Apple iPhone?

All mobile lovers want to know who will win the battle of the touchscreen and tactile titans… And if you can’t see our stock text clearly enough in the vid, it went as follows:-

“Here is some text, set by omio.com to test the keyboard of the HTC Touch Pro against the keyboard of the Apple iPhone 3G. To make it more fun, here are a few numbers 2 4 6 8 and an @ sign and a smiley :-)”

The results of our highly scientific tests may shock you, but probably not.

14 seconds…I admit to being the official text athlete for the iPhone, and I apologise for the shocking performance! If I didn’t fluff the first line, I would have bested the Touch Pro with ease! Truth is still that the Touch Pro’s keyboard is a far more enjoyable experience when it comes to typing than the iPhone’s monolithic display.

More serious vids of the interface, texting and the keyboard, and a review to follow once we’ve calmed down a bit…

P.S. Yes…we know that it wasn’t quite an iPhone 3G in the battle, just forgot to amend it as the owner had disappeared when it was time to text!

HTC Android Handset Spied On Interweb

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)

Seems like the rumours that HTC will in fact get a handset running the new Android platform by the year’s end may have some credence after all. A rather unexciting shaky-cam video has been put up on the Youtubes of a nice white phone running Google’s software, but doing very little with it!

The exciting bit is the shock reveal of keyboard behind the screen Sidekick-style, making an otherwise vanilla mobile a tad more exciting! Word is that this is the HTC “Dream,” another beauty from the makers of the Touch series including the Pro and the Diamond. No official announcements have been made, but the May unveiling of Android featured demos on a fairly similar phone to the one in the vid.

It looks like the Opus Dei quality code of secrecy surrounding Android is beginning to crumble. Guess you can’t deny the very developers you wish to court access to the newest builds, and expect them to keep quiet about it…

Source: Register Hardware