In another blow to the already fledgling Blackberry OS, Facebook owned WhatsApp has revealed that by the end of 2016 it will withdraw all support for its software from the Blackberry platform.
The announcement came shortly after WhatsApp celebrated its seventh birthday and recently crossed over 1 billion users worldwide. The company in its official blog said, “As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use”
The company also revealed that WhatsApp will withdraw support for the once popular Symbian S40 and S60 platforms along with Android 2.1 and 2.2, as well as the Windows Phone 7.1 devices by the end of the year.
WhatsApp’s developers decision to take this step makes sense considering the push the company is making towards providing a streamlined service to its user base across the multiple platforms it offers its services on.
Yesterday, we heard reports that the upcoming 4-inch iPhone that was being called the iPhone 5se so far, would, in fact, be known simply as the iPhone SE, dropping the ‘5’ in the title. The reason behind this being that Apple did not want the new iPhone to cause confusion for the customers, since we’re already in the sixth generation of iPhones. Today, first live shots of the iPhone SE have surfaced online.
Alleged iPhone SE next to iPhone 6s
The images give us our first look at what the front of the iPhone SE could look like. The differences from the iPhone 6 are very apparent. The 4-inch device clearly brings back the 5th-gen iPhone to mind with a squarish frame, which also confirms that the 3D Touch feature will not be present. You’ll notice the two-element integrated screen (for 3D Touch) is absent in the iPhone SE (marked in yellow cross).
The iPhone SE may not come with 3D Touch but it is likely to include the iPhone 6s’ Live Photos feature that creates a 3-second GIF-like video just before taking a picture. Furthermore, popular Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo expects the iPhone SE to feature a 12MP rear camera rather than an 8MP module as earlier expected.
Kuo added that the handset will fall between $400 to $500 and will be available in two variants – one with 16GB of internal storage and the other with 64GB. Lastly, the iPhone SE will pack a 1642mAh battery, and will be equipped with Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The iPhone SE along with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be unveiled at an event on March 22.
Chinese smartphone maker, Vivo, which is slated to unveil to the world its latest flagship offering, the Xplay 5 with 6Gb of RAM, according to leaks reveal could well be unveiling another smartphone at the launch event on 1st of March. Possibly a ‘lite’ variant of the Xplay 5.
GFXBench shows an unnamed Vivo phone bearing the model number PD1522A being benchmarked on its website.
The PD1522A, comes equipped with the Snapdragon 652 paired with 4GB of RAM.The handset comes with a 5.4-inch QHD display and a 16- megapixel rear camera, and an 8 MP front camera with 128GB of storage, as well as Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on board.
The phone’s specs do pale in comparison to the Vivo XPlay 5, but they still are pretty impressive compared to rest of the market offerings. If prices right, Vivo could have a serious challenger for the market on their hands.
The future of HTC is currently in a very precarious state. Among all the well established mobile brands currently in existence, none of them have had a dry spell as bad as HTC of late. The company has had a series of disappointing launches ever since the launch of the One M9. Both that and the One A9 failed to please its fans.
Of late, we’ve heard a lot about HTC’s upcoming flagship device, the One M10. We’ve seen a lot of renders and heard a lot about its rumoured specifications that have been quite coldly received. One of the reason could be that the One M10’s design language (from what the leaked images tell us) is going to be a lot like the One A9, which was criticised for its apparent iPhone-like design. Secondly, the specifications aren’t too hot, especially coming off the MWC 2016 where the likes of Samsung, LG and Xiaomi blew the audience away with gorgeous phones, next-gen specs and at least one brand new technology, mostly in the camera department.
Vive VR
HTC was present at the MWC as well, but did not unveil its flagship as many had hoped. Instead, the company unveiled some mid-range Desire phones and presented its Vive virtual reality headset. HTC has lately been promoting the Vive VR a lot and everything seems to be about that. It’s understandable that HTC would look to its VR technology to help save a dying company which is why the company has recently stated that it is deeply involved in mobile VR solutions that might end up in future HTC flagship phone.
HTC demoed its Vive VR ecosystem at the MWC and also revealed the pricing which stands at $800 and will go on sale in April. The Vive VR may be a great new product from HTC that is entering a very nascent virtual reality market with only a handful of competitors (think Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift). But is its focus on VR potentially hurting its flagship smartphones?
HTC One M10 Render
Last month, HTC CEO, Chairwoman and co-founder Cher Wang said that VR is now more important to the company than smartphones are. But VR technology alone may not help save the company for long. If it needs to survive, it needs to bring out a flagship device that will once again captivate the audience as it once did with the One M7. HTC has stated recently that the One M10 will have a “very, very compelling camera”.
When HTC announced the UltraPixel technology with the One M8, fans were expecting a camera that would deliver some spectacular photographs. But the One M8 failed to deliver. The company went back to the traditional megapixel with the One M9 which again wasn’t well received, not when the market is incredibly tough with the likes of Samsung, LG and Apple.
It is now rumoured that HTC will once again use the UP technology in the One M10. But if the company has managed to learn from its mistakes, the UP technology could be exactly what HTC had intended. The rear camera is rumoured to sport a 12UP module with OIS and autofocus while the front still is unknown.
But “compelling camera” aside, how about a brand new design that at least brings back the BoomSound speakers? We’ll just have to wait and see what HTC plans on revealing in April. This year will indeed be the deciding factor for the future of the company.
The recently concluded Mobile World Congress, despite its tag of being the biggest Mobile Phone Expo in the World was witness to a host of other technological advancements. From innovative technologies that promise to charge your phone in 15 minutes, to modular attachments for phones, Mobile World Congress, 2016 had it all.
But more importantly for the tech enthusiast inside all of us, Barcelona bore witness to number of bots from the future which could pretty soon be helping us in our daily lives. So without further ado, here is the list of the top bots on display at the Mobile World Congress, 2016.
Pepper the Human-like Robot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJwNoaCN0TY
“Pepper,” the humanoid is programmed to be a home-helper and business assistant. The bot can dance and hold a conversation as well as act as a reminder system; it also has a tablet that can access the internet and operate apps. But it’s most salient quality is its ability to read people’s emotions and react in kind.
Aldebaran, the french based parent company of “Pepper” hopes to make the humanoid capable of caring for the elderly, a growing population around the world with little support. The humanoid robot speaks and interprets 20 languages. “Pepper” also comes with a set of gestures such as high-fives and fist bumps but can also be equipped with more such gestures through customization.
Making all this work is the tech hidden Inside Pepper’s little head. Pepper boasts of four microphones, two HD cameras (in the mouth and forehead), and a 3D depth sensor (behind the eyes) which helps it to pick up on speech patterns and facial expressions, and to use these cues to recognize the emotional state of anyone Pepper interacts with.
Sony Xperia Agent
The Xperia Agent as Sony intends it to be is a mix of a watchdog, butler, and an assistant which can be controlled with your voice, gestures, and more. This bot is essentially a smart hub equipped with a rotating camera, a two-way microphone, a speaker system, a projector, and Wi-Fi so that it can perform a wide range of tasks, including information retrieval, message delivery, and even automated control of your home appliances for you.
Xperia Agent can do tasks like recognize when you walk into your house, and then automatically turn on your lights for you, play your favorite playlists, and tell you about the calls you missed. The project is still under development, but upon its completion, the Xperia Agent is to possess a more of a natural, human interface you can have a conversation with.
Sharp RoBoHoN
Sharp’s new RoboHon look like a cross between “Pepper” the Robot and a Lego figure. RoboHon is a small robot phone that is 8 inches tall and can take calls, read emails, and be of great help snapping pictures of you and your friends at your the next house party.
RoboHon is majorly controlled through voice commands and unlike Pepper isn’t adept at gestures and understanding human emotions, but it does come with a small touchscreen on its back for tasks that are more complex. It is possible to ask the RoboHon questions. It connects to the net to find answers and speaks instead of showing a result on a screen.In addition to answering questions, the uber cool droid can be asked to dance and it responds ‘look how good I am,’ before showing some smooth robotic moves.
Starship Technologies Delivery Bot
Move aside humans, future of pizza delivery is here! This delivery bot that goes by the name of Starship is an autonomous delivery robot from Starship Technologies, that can drive on footpaths, and sideways and hopefully in the future will do most of the delivering for you. Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, the brains behind this project want the Starship to become a common thing for our cities as they see huge potential in the idea to help small suburban businesses by making low-cost deliveries with almost no added infrastructure.
Starship can reach maximum speeds of 6.5 KM/h and has a capacity of carrying weight of 10 KG. But the what works in the Starship’s favour is that it seems inherently safer than the delivery drones and autonomous trucks that Amazon and Google are planning for us. Starship’s onboard cameras and AI help it avoid running into objects, and the robot will even move out of the way of nearby pedestrians.
The recently unveiled Galaxy S7, and S7 edge are all but ready to break records for Samsung upon launch. First of them being the number of units manufactured in the first three months following its announcement.
According to reports from a Korean media outlet, Samsung is reportedly preparing to manufacturer a total of 17.2 million Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge units by end of April this year. This will break its previous record set by the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge which sold roughly 15.8 million units in its first three months after launch followed by the Galaxy S4 which sold just over 15.2 million units in its initial months.
In what will also come as welcome news for consumers who found it hard to get their hands on the S6 edge in the initial months, the company has reportedly changed its ratio of S7 and S7 edge manufacturing to use a more balanced 6:4 ratio which it predicts will help it meet the demand of the S7 edge devices when they finally hit the markets. Good move Samsung!
We don’t think any phone has received as much hype and speculation regarding the name as much as the upcoming 4-inch iPhone has. in today’s news, it looks like the mini iPhone has undergone another name change. The upcoming 4-inch iPhone will now be called iPhone SE, dropping the number – a first for an iPhone since the first came out back in 2007.
Over the past few months, ever since talks about the 4-inch iPhone began, there have been a lot of names attached to the device. Initially, it was rumoured to be called the iPhone 6c, seeing as how this device comes following the iPhone 6 line and would borrow elements from the iPhone 5c. Soon fter, it got another name change and was called the iPhone 7c, seeing as how it would lead up to the iPhone 7 and might feature some next-gen specifications.
Lately, the name everyone stuck with and was thought to be the final name was the iPhone 5se, which stood for a ‘special edition’ of the iPhone 5s. However, it looks as though Apple may drop the ‘5’ in order to simplify things, since bringing back a ‘5’ variant after the iPhone ‘6’ lineup makes little sense and would only confuse the customers.
From what the rumours so far suggest, the iPhone SE will come equipped with an A9 chip found on the iPhone 6s. It will pack 1GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, but the most interesting thing about the phone is its 4-inch display and its design which is said to mimick the iPhone 5s except for a few crucial changes like adding some curve around the edges.
Other features include an 8MP camera, always-on “Hey Siri” feature, Live Photos, all taken from the recent iPhone 6s. Pricing strategy of the phone should see us paying over Rs 30000 for the 16GB variant of the phone. The iPhone SE will launch along with a 9.7-inch iPad Pro variant at an event on March 22.
The Mobile World Congress is over, and the 4-day event saw some exciting innovation in the world of technology. There were new, next-gen smartphones unveiled, virtual reality and 360-degree cameras and more. While a lot of focus was given to flagship smartphones and VR technology, there were those that went quietly into the background. Here’s looking at some of the coolest technologies that may have gone unnoticed.
Project Tango
Last month, Google and Lenovo announced plans of a partnership to build and sell the first smartphone that can make use of the former’s take on 3-D Augmented Reality technology. Google likes to call this tech fondly as ‘Project Tango’. At the MWC, Google and Lenovo showcased Project Tango to an eager audience.
This tech will help support smart devices figure out space and motion just like humans do, allowing the devices to understand their surroundings in a 3-D view, and track their path as they move through them. Using ‘Project Tango’, a device can map the dimensions of the room, essentially projecting it on the screen in a 3-D form.
Project Tango Development Kits were earlier launched to help developers create apps to better use this technology. Future uses of Tango could be apps that use 3-D augmented reality technology to help you decide how a piece of furniture will look in your room. Several interactive games could also be made using ‘Project Tango’. Possibilities, in all honesty, are endless.
FlexEnable Flexible Bracelet
Secretly, we all wanted to see displays that are curved and rollable. Indeed, this is where technology is heading to next and FlexEnable has perhaps raced ahead to bring us a screen that you can wrap around your wrist. The company showcased a prototype device of its flexible bracelet.
The device uses plastic transistors to achieve the kind of bend that it does, creating what the company calls OLCD (organic liquid crystal display) screens. FlexEnable says that these displays can achieve the same resolution as normal LCDs only brings some flexibility to it. The display cannot flex and bend at will and will require OLED displays for that to happen, but this prototype is just a peek of what flexible displays in the future could look like.
Epson Moverio BT-300
Epson has quickly grabbed the empty space left by Google in the augmented reality glass department. At the MWC, Epson unveiled its Moverio BT-300 AG glasses. It comes equipped with an OLED display which projects an image in front of the eyes that feels around 80 inches in size. All of this is powered by a Intel Atom X5 processor and Android 5.1.
The glass comes with 6 hours of battery life after which the display will stop working and will simply act as any other pair of spectacles.
LG Rolling Bot
LG unveiled not only its modular flagship G5 smartphone but also its ‘friends’. The company revealed a bunch of accessories and modular features for the G5 among which is this Rolling Bot that acts as your rolling home surveillance.
The Rolling Bot has an 8MP camera, speaker and laser that can be controlled via the home’s Wi-Fi through an app on the G5. The company says that the Rolling Bot is designed to keep your pets busy while your out, keep a check on them using images and videos from the camera. The speakers on the bot let you communicate with you pet as well. Price and availability are yet to be announced.
Xperia Ear
Sony may not have wowed its audiences with its smartphones at the MWC, but it did bring some pretty cool smart accessories to the floor. Sony announced three big innovations in the form of peripherals: a projector, a life-blogging camera, and an in-ear personal assistant. The best amongst the three, the Xperia ear. It is a tiny Bluetooth-connected ear piece which acts like a voice-controlled personal assistant which can take calls, send messages, get traffic updates or check the weather and even help you finding your way around the city. Step ahead towards the future we say.
The earpiece is comfortable and discreet and is compatible with Sony’s own software while also being equipped with the power to use Google Now helping users take advantage of Android’s ever-expanding voice control functions.
LG India has announced that it will launch the recently unveiled LG G5 in the country in the next quarter. The phone come with a set of innovative modular accessories that add to its functionality.
Speaking about the launch of the device, Mr Amit Gujral, Marketing Head – Mobiles, LG India, said,
We are really happy to see all the positivity around the LG G5 ever since its global unveil at the MWC. In fact, in a survey conducted in Korea the LG G5 topped consumer preference leaving its closest competitors trailing far behind. We hope to make this available to users in India very soon and are optimistic that consumers will love its revolutionary design and features.”
Coming to the phone, the LG G5 sports a 5.3-inch QHD display (1440×2560 pixels) and features an always-on display technology much like the one found on the new range of Galaxy S7 devices. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded using a microSD card.
The LG G5 comes packing a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear camera, with the former featuring a 78-degree lens and the other with a 135-degree wide-angle lens. The front of the phone houses an 8-megapixel camera. Other features of the LG G5 include a 2800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.
Connectivity options on the phone include 4G LTE, USB Type-C port compatible with USB 3.0 standard, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The LG G5 will come running Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box and will be available in Silver, Gold, Pink, and Titan colour options.
Vivo, a popular Chinese smartphone brand had earlier announced a March1 launch of the XPlay 5 – the first smartphone to sport a 6GB RAM. It was only a matter of time before leaked images were leaked showing off the design of the phone before the launch event.
Recently, the alleged Vivo Xplay 5 posed for the camera, giving us a glimpse of what the handset may look like when it’s officially available. Live shots reveal a real unit which is a definitive proof of the Vivo XPlay 5’s design.
Details about the specifications are scarce at the moment but from what is known, the XPlay 5 will come with a Snapdragon 820 processor along with 6GB of RAM. As for the rest, it is expected that it will sport a dual curved display, which brings a certain Samsung model to mind. The live image shows a beautiful design of the XPlay 5 with a metal body and the curved sides.
Not much has been revealed about the phone as Vivo has kept it under wraps. The handset is expected sport 6.0-inch QHD with 1440×2560 pixel resolution. Other likely features are a 6MP primary camera on the rear side, 8MP snapper on the front and a massive 4300mAh battery.
Ever need that morning, afternoon or midnight caffeine fix but find that the coffee is all over? Or have you just grown tired of waiting in line at your favourite coffee shop? Coffee is an addiction that is embraced by the world and it was only expected that technology would make it easier to get your daily caffeine dose without having to face the above-mentioned problems. Enter Joule “caffeine bracelet”.
This new bracelet delivers caffeine straight into your bloodstream via a process called “transdermal administration”. All you need to do is strap on the bracelet, and the skin will absorb the caffeine. This may not leave coffee stains on your teeth but it may stain your skin.
There are a couple of reasons why the makers of Joule, backed by a well-funded Indiegogo campaign, decided to create a caffeine bracelet. Firstly, the skin is said to absorb caffeine a lot faster than by drinking it. Secondly, the bracelet will provide you with a regular dose of caffeine at regular intervals so as to prevent the body from crashing. Lastly, the video below will make you want to buy the bracelet even if you ignore everything we just said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNndA7uzcwc
Is this caffeine bracelet healthy or just borderline insane, we don’t know yet. But it sure does sound cool.
We’re less than a month away from the next Apple event that will see the launch of (at least) two new products – the iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3. Now, while we have a good amount of knowledge about the iPhone 5se, there’s very little that we know about the iPad Air 3 apart from rumours that it will sport the latest A9X chipset along with the iPhone 5se.
Latest rumours doing the rounds suggest that the new iPad is merely a 9.7-inch variant of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It will be powered by the Apple A9X SoC, carry quad-speakers, and contain 4GB of RAM, similar to that seen in the iPad Pro. In other words, the iPad Air 3 will, in fact, be an iPad Pro, only smaller.
iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will support the Apple Pencil and a smaller version of the Smart Keyboard using the magnet-based Smart Connector seen in the 12.9-inch version. The new, smaller iPad Pro will be available in the same color options as the larger model (Silver, Gold and Space Gray). It also will be available in Wi-Fi (32GB and 128GB) and Wi-Fi+ Cellular (128GB) just like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
From what these new reports tell us, it seems that Apple is beginning to blur the lines between its various tablet models. We could be seeing a new iPad that borrows the USP from the Air, Mini and Pro, combining it into one light, small, and powerful tablet. If this is the case, then the upcoming 9.7-inch tablet may just see the end of the Mini and Air, eventually.
However, the iPad Mini is still Apple’s most affordable tablet among the three, so it may not kill that off just yet unless it manages to price the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro right. It is also unconfirmed whether the smaller iPad Pro will fall under 440 g in order to fall under the ‘Air’ category as well. It begs one to question whether the iPad Air ($499 – $799) will be appealing once a more powerful iPad Pro with the same size and weight enters the market and is priced closer to the former.
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available in Silver, Gold and Space Gray and will also be available in Wi-Fi (32GB and 128GB) and Wi-Fi+ Cellular (128GB) just like the 12.9-inch Pro. The new iPad Pro and iPhone 5se will be announced at a press event on March 22.
HTC has been busy finishing up and polishing its upcoming flagship device, the HTC One M10. So much so that it refused to unveil the device at the MWC along with other heavyweights like the Galaxy S7 and LG G5. This, however, may be an interesting play on HTC’s part in order to see what its competitors brought out first. We can all agree that the MWC saw Samsung, LG and Xiaomi unveiling flagships all with new camera technologies. And it looks like HTC plans on doing the same with the One M10.
According to HTC’s Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang, the One M10 will offer a “very, very compelling camera experience.” This statement comes following the MWC 2016 that saw some groundbreaking new innovations in camera technology. Chang is confident about the One M10’s camera “after seeing what’s going on in the market.” He further agreed that he experienced other new handsets unveiled at the MWC 2016, including the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5.
When HTC announced the UltraPixel technology with the One M8, fans were expecting a camera that would deliver some spectacular photographs. But the One M8 failed to deliver. The company went back to the traditional megapixel with the One M9 which again wasn’t well received, not when the market is incredibly tough with the likes of Samsung, LG and Apple.
It is now rumoured that HTC will once again use the UP technology in the One M10. This may be a huge gamble on the part of HTC to back its camera technology. But if the company has managed to learn from its mistakes, the UP technology could be exactly what HTC had intended. The rear camera is rumoured to sport a 12UP module with OIS and autofocus while the front still is unknown. If HTC wants to be a contender in the camera department, knowing that Samsung has upped its camera specs in the Galaxy S7, then nothing short of 5UP for the front and some absolutely spectacular images that compliment a Quad HD AMOLED display will be accepted by fans.
In order to wow the mass, the One M10 will need to come with some truly redefined features and design language. HTC is well aware of the competition now post MWC and will no doubt be busy for the next few weeks until the April launch to tweak and perfect its flagship device.
The iPhone 5se has become one of the most talked about upcoming phones these days, and one of the worst kept secrets of the industry as leaks ranging from design schematics to internal hardware have already leaked on the Internet.
But, that said and done, for the ones who are waiting eagerly for it, the wait has just gotten a bit longer. New reports coming out of South Korea suggests that the phone’s launch has been pushed back a week now, and it will now be unveiled at an Apple even event on 22nd March, 2016.
For the one’s who don’t know, the iPhone 5se will come equipped with an A9 chip found on the iPhone 6s. It will pack 1GB of RAM, but the most interesting thing about the phone is its 4.7-inch display and its design which is said to mimick the iPhone 5s except for a few crucial changes.Pricing strategy of the phone should see us paying over Rs 30000 for the 16GB variant of the phone.
The Mobile World Congress 2016 is at an end now and the 4-day event has seen some incredible new technology with groundbreaking advancements. On the smartphone front, some spectacular flagship devices and other phones were on display with next-gen specifications and technology. Here’s looking at the best new phones with new technology that were unveiled at the MWC this year.
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
It was at MWC’s Unpacked event on the 21st of February that saw some of the biggest technological unveilings. The unpacked event saw Samsung unveil its flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The next Galaxy devices come promising spectacular design language and next-gen performance and specifications.
The 5.1-inch S7 Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. Two SoC configurations are offered – one being the new Exynos 8890 and the other being Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820. The device comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as well as a MicroSD card slot this time around and the battery is 3000mAh. A fingerprint sensor is housed in the home button.
The S7 Edge comes with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. A Snapdragon 820 processor powers the device along with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and 3600mAh battery pack.
New Technology – The Galaxy S7 brought with it a brand new Dual Pixel technology for its rear camera. The Dual Pixel, essentially, is an improvement or a natural evolution from the Phase-Detection Auto-Focus technology used by many other smartphones. Firstly, Samsung downgraded from 16MP found in the S6 to 12MP in the S7. The decision to do this was to focus more on quality rather than quantity. The 12MP sensor brings 56% bigger individual pixels with1.4um pixels as compared to the S6.
To understand Dual Pixels one needs to first wrap their heads around PDAF. PDAF traditionally uses less than 10% the total number of pixels equipped with focusing photodiodes and uses it strategically in the sensor area to focus on a subject. This requires more time for focusing. Dual Pixel, on the other hand, uses a 100% of the pixels for extremely precise and fast focusing. Using the whole of the pixels also allows more light in.
LG G5
LG G5
Undoubtedly, the award for the most innovative new smartphone has to go to LG for its modular G5 handset. LG went ahead of Samsung at the Unpacked event and quite surely ‘dropped the mike’ on stage with its spectacular G5 flagship. The G5 has a full metal body and comes with impressive specifications but the what sets the phone apart from its competition is the fact that it comes with modular attachments which for now can be utilised to enhance the camera and battery of the phone.
On the specifications front, the LG G5 comes packing a primary 5.3-inch QHD LCD display with 3D Arc Glass on top. It also has a cool Always-on feature that lights up the display for access to important updates. The phone’s construction is full metal unibody and is powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable by upto 2TB with microSD cards.
New Technology – Next-gen specifications aside, the G5 is and will be about its modular design. The modular nature of the phone exists for what LG calls ‘G5 and Friends’, that are modular attachments to enhance the camera and battery of the phone.
Most interesting of the lot was the LG Cam Plus module which can be attached to the G5 through the battery slot giving the user “comfortable grip and convenient control of a DSLR” for better imaging and also adds to the battery of the phone taking the capacity up to 4000mAh.
Next is the Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play module. This is a Hi-Fi DAC audio player which is perfect for audiophiles. It can also play high-definition audio files encoded in 32-bit at 384KHz.
Xiaomi Mi 5
Xiaomi yesterday unveiled its own flagship Mi 5 following Samsung and LG and still managed to impress all. The Mi 5 comes packed with top-of-the-line specifications and a pretty attractive design language with a 3D glass or ceramic back option, all at an impressively low price of RMB 1,999 (approx. Rs 21,000) for the base model.
The device sports a 5.15-inch Full HD IPS display, a 1080p resolution, ultra-bright 16-LED backlighting with 2.5D curved glass on the front and Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It is powered by the Snapdragon 820 chipset and Adreno 530 GPU. No surprises there. It packs 3GB of RAM and up to 32GB of flash storage, while the Pro variant features a 4GB RAM and 128GB flash, however, there is no MicroSD card slot to be seen. Both variants feature a fast LPDDR4 RAM for a snappy user experience.
New Technology – The Mi 5 comes with a 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor with PDAF, DTI image enhancement and a new 4-axis OIS technology. It is in the 4-axis OIS that Xiaomi really delights itself. The rear camera promises to capture great images and videos with superior focus. This holds true thanks to its new OIS technology that uses 4-axis rather than the traditional 2-axis that most other smartphones currently use.
The 4-axis OIS basically gives you more stability under shaky conditions. While traditional 2-axis OIS can work around rotational movements, the 4-axis can handle transversal as well, because shakiness comes in all directions.
The 4-axis OIS technology corrects shake in close shots and can capture accurate movement in distant shots as well. All of this translates into smoother, sharper and blur-free images and videos even in low light. Check out some of these camera shots to know just how well the Mi 5 camera works under various settings.
Cat S60
As big name brands set themselves to launch their latest and greatest phones at the Mobile World Congress 2016, a brand which makes relatively niche products, Cat, stole the limelight with an offering that might not give any of the flagships a run for their money in terms of specs, but lacks behind none in terms of innovation.
The Cat S60 is a 4.7-inch 720p display device powered by Snapdragon 617 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 4G LTE connectivity. It also comes with a 13MP main camera, 5MP front camera. A massive 3,800mAh battery powers the device.
New Technology – The Cat S60 comes with two very unique features – a FLIR thermal imaging camera and the first waterproof rating to a depth of 5 meters for up to an hour on this rugged phone.
The handset features a military-grade thermal imaging C2 camera module from FLIR. This is the same technology used in the Intel-powered Daqri smart helmet, enabling the Cat S60 to show temperature changes.
The sensor is the smallest of its kind, and can measure surface temperatures from a distance of up to 100ft. It can see through obscurants such as smoke, and is aimed at building professionals, utility workers, and outdoor sport enthusiasts.
