Omio

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 (17)

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 »

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 (461)

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 (461)

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 (461)

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 (461)

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

HTC Still Cool With Windows Mobile After Cosying Up To Android, Considers Systems “Complimentary”

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)

Just as we had predicted in our T-Mobile G1 blowout, HTC chief Mr. Chou’s carefully worded Android compliments were to keep both camps happy, an opinion reiterated in an interview with DigiTimes.

HTC has released numerous handsets running on Windows Mobile, and Chief Marketing Officer John Wang has gone on record to allay any fears that the Taiwanese manufacturer would stay faithful to any one operating system after having used Android in their phone for Google/T-Mobile. The floosy.

“Windows Mobile and Android handsets form separate ecosystems with their own merits and advantages. The former provide users with high performance, interoperability and a large library of applications, while the latter gives handset design companies and developers more flexibility.”

HTC have been flitting from company to company for years spreading joy and nicely designed handsets to the highest bidder (including the Xperia X1 for Sony Ericsson), why stop now?

Source: The Register

New Xperia X1 Site Up, Johnny X Still Forgetful

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)

With Sony Ericsson’s new Xperia X1 getting a lot of press over the “will they, won’t they” Android chatter, it seemed like a good time for them to overhaul the main site. Which they have.

The new, brighter site offers a Sony-slick runthrough of the panels, Google Maps, and exactly why we will all be in left behind in the dark ages without one! Check the new Xperia site here!

Also, if you haven’t been keeping up with the adventures of our favourite Xperia-toting viral amnesiac Johnny-X, now’s a good time to play catch up over here! 4 episodes in, no let up of the generally oppressive atmosphere…unless the shock twist is that he’s a bouncy castle tester in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, it’s going to get even darker before he discovers the truth!

Pretty good though, and cool to see a company blow their marketing budget on truly impressive cinematography instead of parties and pretty ladies. If you Sony folks want to hold a pretty lady party however, you have my e-mail address…

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Battery Has The Power Of Hercules! Well, A Day At Least…

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)

Possibly the second most frequently asked question people ask me about the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 after “what’s the deal with those panels?” is the battery life.

At the Sony Ericsson event, despite spending enough time playing with it to give my Xperia X1 impressions, senior product manager Magnus Andersson was a little bit cagey about the details.

When put on the spot about the panel switching speed, his reply was a defensive “fast enough,” the price was never explicitly mentioned, and the battery life was constantly being compared to that of a small computer rather than other smartphones.

Well, a post on the Xperiancers blog goes some way to addressing the lattermost issue, with a sort-of in depth post about the handset’s battery life.

Apparently, a special project christened ‘Hercules’ was hatched in order to solve the juice draining issue that annoys so many mobile phone users. Magnus mentions that the new battery is 1500mAh, which is ‘large’ in common parlance.

Proof that the Xperia will not be the phone to use nuclear fission to run forever is at the end, where he admits to usually charging it overnight. So does that mean we will have to keep our panel fiddling down to a minimum to last the day? Guess that might be the trade off for having so many active screens running in tandem…

UPDATE: They have just updated the site with an exhaustive Xperia Q&A, and covered almost all the topics that we were still in the dark about! Battery life is said to be “all day,” the launch date of 30th September is cemented (although it could be a while before retailers get it on shelves), and it will come in both silver and sexy black!

Good news all round, and we’ll be sure to get you an equally exhaustive Xperia X1 review when it is released!

The T-Mobile G1, The Good And The Bad

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)

Okay, the dust has barely settled, let’s analyse the good and bad things that came out of the T-Mobile G1 launch in an easy to digest supplement. Come on, it’s one of your five a day!

GOOD

- Out in 2008 in the US and UK. They told you so!
- Looks a bit less ugly than we’d been led to believe.
- $179. Cheap as chips. Using the patented $=£ exchange rate for electronics, we still may get off light in the UK!
- 3G and Wi-Fi. A bit of a given, but to make the most of the web-based stuff, we need lickedy split internet connectivity.
- Amazon MP3 Browser. Cheap music? No DRM? Connects to the web/Youtube for related content? Yes.
- Android. It’s an open platform for people to make new apps every day, manufacturers can shape the interface of a handset as they see fit, the App Store Marketplace will be bustling, and it could be the birthplace of really impressive stuff!
- The Small Stuff. Coming out post-iPhone has helped them fix some stuff. Nicer interfaces with all the widgets, pull down menus, more robust Google Maps and search mode for the entire phone.

The bad side of the G1 after the clicky!

Read the rest of this entry »

HTC Goes Handset Crazy With Touch HD, Viva and 3G

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)

Well played HTC. No fanfare, no leaked shaky-cam footage, they just calmly updated their official site with a triumvirate of touchscreen handsets, sat back and watched the blogosphere implode.

The HTC brand has been doing very well redoubling their efforts to penetrate the market, and these three new phones bring their range up to date in fine fashion.

The HTC Touch Viva seems to be the new entry level handset for HTC, a clean and simple design whilst providing a slight variation on TouchFLO 3D for the user interface. It is a 2G quadband handset, and whilst not having the horsepower of the other two, is still an impressive looking device.

The HTC Touch 3G is…well, just like it sounds. A truer successor to the original Touch than the Viva, the Touch 3G offers HSDPA connectivity as well as a 3.15 megapixel camera. The 2.8 inch touchscreen has handwriting recognition and the TouchFLO interface, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as GPS, and comes in at a svelte 96g.

The HTC Touch HD seems to be the jewel in the crown, with specs which take the device on a direct collision course with recent successes like the Samsung Omnia.

A huge 3.8 inch WVGA touchscreen, auto-rotate to work in widescreen as well as upright, a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, and the inherited TouchFLO 3D experience from the Touch Diamond and Pro give this phone an impressive pedigree.

Flourishes like the slim design, a second videocall camera, and the Xperia-matching resolution of 800×480 pixels make this a real handset to watch in the coming weeks.

The only problem is no word about pricing and availability of the trio of touchscreen lovelies, but with spy shots of the HD already out and about, they could be here sooner than you think…