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What to Expect From the Mobile World Congress 2014

The GSMA Mobile World Congress is a combination of the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry and a conference featuring companies representing device manufacturers, technology providers and more from across the world. The GSMA Mobile World Congress will start from 24th February at the Fira Gran Via venue in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Companies like, Sony, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, LG, Huawei etc. plan to showcase their next generation technology. To name few of them:

Acer:

Acer plans to officially launch two new smartphones, Liquid Z4 and Liquid E3. The Acer Liquid E3 has a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Sporting a 13 MP primary camera with LED flash and a 2 MP secondary camera.

On the other hand, the Acer Liquid Z4 has a 4 inch display. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz Dual-Core processor and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Sporting a 5 MP primary camera(f2.4 lens), LED flash and a VGA secondary camera. We will share more details, which should be available soon.

HTC:

HTC will introduce a mid range device, the Desire 8, sporting a 5.5 inch display and a 13 MP camera on the back and a 5 MP front shooter. HTC is also rumored to launch its first wearable device at the MWC, alongside the rumors of the M8. However, it is believed that HTC will not launch the M8 at the MWC 2014.

Huawei:

Huawei will launch the MediaPad X1 along with a new wearable device TalkBand B1. The MediaPad X1 is priced at $399, while the wearable device is priced at $99. We will bring you more information soon.

LG:

LG has teased their upcoming mini smartphone, the LG G2 Mini. LG G2 Mini will feature a 4.7 inch qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, which is considerably low than what we have seen on the LG G2. The LG G2 Mini is powered by 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and Snapdragon 400 or Nvidia Tegra 4i chipsets, depending on what variant you choose(LTE/3G). Furthermore, the G2 Mini will feature 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage which will be expandable via MicroSD card. Stay tuned for out hands-on with this device.

Nokia:

Nokia is rumored to launch its first ever Android smartphone, named Nokia X. Rumoured specifications of the alleged Nokia X include a 4-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854 FWVGA pixels; a 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor; 5 MP shooter and the device is believed to run on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Sony:

Sony is rumored to unveil a new Xperia flagship codenamed Sirius or the Z2. No confirmation for the specifications yer, but it is rumored to sport a bigger display, dual speakers, 4K video recording, a 20 MP rear camera and a microSD slot. Alongside, the new flagship device, we have also seen leaks of the new tablet, the Xperia Z2 Tablet. We will have to see what Sony brings to the table, stay tuned for more.

Samsung:

Samsung is expected to launch the newest member to its Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S5 at the MWC 2014 today. The device is rumored to come up with a 2K display, fingerprint scanner and run on Android 4.4 KitKat. Alongside all these features, Samsung might also launch a revamped UI. Samsung will also launch the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo, more information coming soon.

ZTE:

ZTE has confirmed the launch of two new devices the 6 inch Grand Memo II LTE and the Firefox Operating System based Open C. However, the company has not shared more details yet, but you can expect it very soon. Stay tuned for out hands-on!

While these are some of major launches to take place at the Mobile World Congress starting today, we also have other companies who might take over the show with other products. Companies like Jolla, Tizen, Mozilla, Panasonic and Facebook have alot to share and talk about.

The MWC starts today, and we will keep you updated with all the latest happenings of the event.

February 24, 2014
Google Announces Project Tango, a 5 inch Android Smartphone that Can Map the World Around You

The goal of Project Tango is to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion. The device is a 5 inch Android prototype smartphone equipped with 3D sensors and other components to track motion and map the surroundings around you.

Google has 200 devices that they are preparing to give out to developers who want to build mapping tools, games, and new algorithms that can take advantage of the technology on the prototype smartphone, and these developer editions will ship by 14th March 2014 as planned by Google.

Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group is the brains behind the project Tango. By now, you might have got an idea of what exactly is Project Tango, now lets see how it works:

The device in the Tango project will work by using a motion tracking camera and a sensor built into the backside of the prototype android smartphone. Once the smartphone is moved around, the sensors will detect everything in front of them, and as a result it will build a 3D map of the surroundings using the data captured.

The Project Tango is capable of doing more as per ATAP, while they emphasize this on being at an early stage, they also believe developers will do wonders with this prototype. Project Tango is result of one year research from ATAP, they worked with universities, research labs, and industrial partners spanning nine countries around the world to harvest research from the last decade of work in robotics and computer vision, concentrating that technology into the prototype smartphone.

This project comes from Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects team, the same team which was associated with Motorola but Google decided to keep them, while they let go Motorola. We will keep you updated with all the latest happenings related to the Project Tango, however, you might want to watch the video below to know more:

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe10ExwzCqk”]

[Project Tango]

February 21, 2014
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Launched at a Price of 36,990 INR

Sony launched the little brother to its flagship Xperia Z1, the Xperia Z1 Compact at the CES 2014. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact was expected to launch in the Indian market in the month of March, but the company has unvieled the device today at a price of 36,990 INR.

The Xperia Z1 Compact has powerful specs when compared to other devices in its category — like the HTC One mini, LG G2 Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini — as it comes with a 4.3-inch display (1280 x 720 resolution), 2.2Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage and a 2300 mAh battery.

What makes it something to consider is that it continues the lines of bringing “the best of Sony” into every product as it sports a 20.7 MP rear-facing camera with the f/2.0 G Lens, plus a 2 MP front-facing camera, NFC, HD Voice and Qi wireless charging and LTE connectivity. Overall dimensions are 144.4 x 73.9 x 8.5mm and weighs in at 140 grams.

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact will be available in white, black, lime yellow and pink colors. However, the only disappointment is the price, as for this price tag, users can easily purchase the Xperia Z1 itself. What do you think ?

February 20, 2014
LG G2 Mini Unveiled With Mini Size and Features

Recently, LG teased the mini version to the LG G2 on its Facebook page, but no other information was available. However, the company has now unveiled the smartphone sharing all the details ahead of the official launch.

LG G2 Mini will feature a 4.7 inch qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, which is considerably low than what we have seen on the LG G2. The LG G2 Mini is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor and Snapdragon 400 or Nvidia Tegra 4i chipsets, depending on what variant you choose(LTE/3G). Furthermore, the G2 Mini will feature 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage which will be expandable via MicroSD card.

The LG G2 Mini is equipped with an 8 MP primary camera along with a 1.3 MP secondary camera. The device is packed with a 2440 mAh battery, which should last a complete day. However, with these specs the device seems to be targeted at the mid-range segment of the smartphone market.

The device will be available starting March in most of the markets and will be available in Black and White color options. LG G2 Mini justifies its name with not only the size it offers, but also the features it is packed with, a smaller screen with lower resolution when compared to the G2, a less powerful processor than the G2 and even more.

Meanwhile, LG is geared up for the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona as the company has alot to share:

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd2nZIj4nd0″]

February 20, 2014
Facebook Acquires WhatsApp: Here is Everything You Would Like to Know

The big news for today is from Facebook, the company has agreed to acquire the most used instant messaging service all around the world. Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 Billion and the WhatsApp team will now work with Facebook.

With the mission of connecting people around the world, Facebook has taken another initiative to make that possible. “Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. We do this by building services that help people share any type of content with any group of people they want. WhatsApp will help us do this by continuing to develop a service that people around the world love to use every day” – Mark Zuckerberg

450 Million people across the world use the WhatsApp application out of which 70% are active every day. If facts are to be believed, the users to this application are growing(currently adding more than 1 million new registered users per day).

Jan Koum, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO, said, “WhatsApp’s extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide. We’re excited and honored to partner with Mark and Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world.”

WhatsApp as a brand will be maintained, its headquarters will still remain in Mountain View, CA. Jan Koum(WhatsApp co-founder and CEO) will join Facebook’s Board of Directors and WhatsApp’s core messaging product and Facebook’s existing Messenger app will continue to operate as standalone applications.

[toggles behavior=”toggle”]
[toggle title=”More Details”]Upon closing of the deal, all outstanding shares of WhatsApp capital stock and options to purchase WhatsApp capital stock will be cancelled in exchange for $4 billion in cash and 183,865,778 shares of Facebook Class A common stock (worth $12 billion based on the average closing price of the six trading days preceding February 18, 2014 of $65.2650 per share). In addition, upon closing, Facebook will grant 45,966,444 restricted stock units to WhatsApp employees (worth $3 billion based on the average closing price of the six trading days preceding February 18, 2014 of $65.2650 per share). As of February 17, 2014, Facebook had 2,551,654,996 Class A and B shares outstanding plus approximately 139 million dilutive securities primarily consisting of unvested RSUs. The Class A common stock and RSUs issued to WhatsApp shareholders and employees upon closing will represent 7.9% of Facebook shares based on current shares and RSUs outstanding. [/toggle]
[/toggles]

Why did Facebook Acquire WhatsApp ?

WhatsApp as an application has more than 315 Million active users each day. Facts say that the number of messages sent through WhatsApp is approximately the same as the total number of SMS traffic throughout the world. Not only here in India, but in countries like Brazil, Mexico and South Africa; WhatsApp is the most used messaging service.

WhatsApp team’s intentions of keeping the application ad free still remains, so we will have to see what change does Facebook brings to this app for generating revenue. For now, WhatsApp’s core messaging product and Facebook’s existing Messenger app will continue to operate as standalone applications

February 20, 2014
Micromax Canvas Knight an Octa-Core Smartphone to Launch Soon

Micromax was rumored to launch a couple of devices this year, starting from the Canvas Splash to the Canvas Knight. Micromax Canvas Knight was leaked sometime back and now the company has released an 11 seconds teaser of this phone.

This phone was leaked by MMX newscaster last month itself, and now a the company has also teased a video(below), hinting the official launch should not be away.

Talking about the specs, the Micromax Canvas Knight will supposedly be powered by a 2GHz variant of MediaTek’s newly fabricated MT6592 chipset featuring eight separate Cortex-A7 cores. The screen on the device is expected to be a 5 inch Full HD display. The device sports 16 MP primary camera with by an LED flash with a 5 MP front shooter. Furthermore, a 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB on board storage fill out the flash memory department of the spec sheet. The (supposedly) dual SIM device runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and packs a 2350 mAh battery unit in a frame measuring just 7.3mm in thickness.

While, this information is not complete, we will bring you the latest once we hear more. Stay Tuned!

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjJTXTUvAg4&feature=youtu.be”]

February 19, 2014
Gionee S5.5 is Just 5.5mm Thick With a 13 MP Camera, 5″ Display and More

After the success of the Gionee Elife E6, the company is expecting even more with the latest flagship Gionee Elife E7. While this happens, Gionee is also planning to launch a new smartphone in the market.

Gionee as a company has a clear mindset, which is to be the top most smartphone company in just few years. The company recently also launched the GPad M2 and S4 in the Indian market. However, as the Mobile World Congress 2014 is approaching and all companies have plan to launch a new product, so does Gionee. The company is expected to launch the S5.5 at the MWC next week.

The Gionee S5.5 will sport a 5″ display with an undisclosed resolution, 1.7 GHz Quad-Core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 13 MP rear camera, and 5 MP front shooter. The Gionee S5.5 is the slimmest smartphone yet, measures 5.5 mm. Retaining the slim structure, the devices manages to be equipped with a 2300 mAh battery. We will keep you updated when we hear more from the company, stay tuned!

February 19, 2014
BlackBerry Messenger Now Available For Android 2.3 Gingerbread

BlackBerry shared its plans to bring the BlackBerry Messenger on Android 2.3 Gingerbread on 28th of January 2014. Previously, the application was only available for the Android version Ice Cream Sandwich and above and now starting today BBM is also available for Android 2.3 Gingerbread users.

Ever since the availability of BlackBerry Messenger on other operating systems, the company has seen a tremendous response from the users. Now, after the availability of he BBM app for Gingerbread users, the app will be downloaded by more users. Gingerbread takes 21 percent of over all Android platforms, and BlackBerry mentions in the blog that they are expecting lot of more downloads for the app after it is made available for Gingerbread.

[BlackBerry]

February 19, 2014
Samsung Galaxy S5 Will Be Equipped With a Fingerprint Sensor

Samsung’s flagship for this year, the Galaxy S5 is all set to launch on 24th February. However, following the tradition we have some leaks ahead of the official launch.

Sammobile has confirmed that Samsung will be using a fingerprint sensor on the home button of the Galaxy S5. If these reports are correct, Samsung will launch the Galaxy S5 with a fingerprint sensor on the home button which will work with a different technique. Probably different from what we have seen before.

In the report from Sammobile, the sensor on the Galaxy S5’s home button will work when users will swipe their finger from base to tip across the button, and access will not be granted if their hands are wet. Furthermore, their real-time fingerprint will appear on the screen as they swipe. The Galaxy S5 is said to keep 8 fingerprints, all to perform different actions like to launch an application.

We will have to wait and see what Samsung puts on the table during the launch at the Mobile World congress. We will bring you all the action from Barcelona.

[Sammobile]

February 18, 2014
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo Launched in India At a Price of 40,900

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note 3 Neo in India at a price of 40,900 INR. The company has also launched the Galaxy Grand Neo at a price of 18,450 INR along with the Note 3 Neo. The device will be available by end of this month while the Galaxy Grand Neo is already available in India.

The Galaxy Note 3 Neo sports a 5.5 Inch Super AMOLED HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The Galalxy Note 3 Neo is powered by a hexa-core processor dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex A15 + quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex A7. Galaxy Note 3 is packed with a 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable upto 64 GB. This new member in the Galaxy series sports an 8 MP primary camera with LED flash and BSI sensor, and a 2 MP secondary camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo has preloaded apps like ChatON, WatchON, Screen Mirroring, S Voice, S Health, Group Play, Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air View, Story Album and S Translator and more. The S Pen comes with Air Command and Easy Clip feature, and also supports Multi Window and S Note.

This new device shares some of the features seen on the Galaxy Note 2, the 2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage, screen resolution and the cameras. However, this comes with the look and most of the features seen on the Galaxy Note 3.

February 18, 2014
HTC Desire 8 To Launch on 24th February

HTC Desire 8 was leaked sometime back, and now it is confirmed that HTC will launch this product in the market on the 24th of February 2014.

The post from HTC’s Weibo showcases a Desire 8 screenshot, and the second image shows the Sense UI highlighting the date and time: 10 am, 24 February, which will be in Mobile World Congress 2014. The Desire 8 is rumored to sport a 5.5 inch display with an unknown resolution. The HTC Desire 8 will be equipped with 13 MP camera, as per the rumors and will not sport an Ultra Pixel camera.

The launch is not away, we will bring you all the latest updates from the Mobile world Congress in Barcelona.

February 18, 2014
Micromax is rumored to Launch a Waterproof and Dust proof Smartphone called Splash

Micromax has just launched the Canvas turbo mini, but this time it seems that the company is planning to try something different. If rumors are to be believed Micromax will soon launch its dust and waterproof smartphone named as splash.

The rumored Micromax Splash was leaked by MMXNewscaster, which states “Micromax Splash (unconfirmed) First IP67 certified Waterproof (1m for 30 mins) and Dust proof phone.” No other information is available yet, but we can assume that this smartphone will be packed with some mid range specifications.

The leaked image which you see above does not tell much about the phone but shows a 5 MP camera at the back along with LED flashlight. We will have to wait and see if and when Micromax will launch this product in the market.

[Source]

February 17, 2014
Apple and Google Will Now Reject Games With ‘Flappy’ As a Tittle

Ever since the demise of Flappy Birds, App store and Play store are fully loaded with look a-likes of this game. However, it seems that Apple and Google are avoiding this to happen.

After the extinction of Flappy Bird, we can see numerous games playing around the same name. Like Flappy Tappy, Flappy Pig, Flappy Bird and alot more, we even did a video showing top 5 alternatives to Flappy Birds. Ken Carpenter, from studio Mind Juice Media, tweeted that his game Flappy Dragon was rejected by Apple, with the company telling him “we found your app name attempts to leverage a popular app.” Here is what showed up:

22.2: Apps that contain false, fraudulent or misleading representations will be rejected
22.2
We found that your app, and/or its metadata, contains content that could be misleading to users, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.
We found your app name attempts to leverage a popular app.

It seems that Apple and Google are a little too late trying to get rid of the clones for Flappy Birds. However, Not only Ken but many other game publishers have gone through this issue.

[TechCrunch]

February 17, 2014
Gionee GPad M2 Launched in India, Priced at 10,999 INR

After the launch of the Gionee Elife E7 and the Elife E7 mini, Gionee has launched two new smartphones in the Indian market. The GPad G4 and the GPad M2, priced at 18,999 INR and 10,999 INR respectively.

The GPad M2 sports a 5? FWVGA display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. The device is powered by a Quad core 1.3 GHz Cortex A7 processor with a Mali 400 GPU. The Gionee GPad M2 is packed with a 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage which is expandable upto 32 GB.

This GPad is equipped with a 8 MP camera unlike the 13 MP on the G4 but it does do HD video recording. The front camera is a 2 MP shooter. The Gionee GPad M2 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean as is packed with a giant 4200 mAh battery. This Dual SIM device supports features like Face Unlock, OTA, Game Zone, Video Player, OTG Support (Only to use as a power bank)

February 17, 2014
Gionee GPad G4 Launched in India, Priced at 18,999 INR

After the launch of the Gionee Elife E7 and the Elife E7 mini, Gionee has today launched two new smartphones in the Indian market. The GPad G4 and the GPad M2, priced at 18,999 INR and 10,999 INR respectively.

The GPad G4 sports a 5.7″ HD LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.5 Ghz Quad-Core cortex A7 Processor with PowerVR Series5XT GPU. The Gionee GPad G4 is packed with a 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage.

The Gionee GPad G4 is equipped with a 13 MP primary camera with AutoFocus and LED flash(Full HD video). The secondary camera on the device is a 5 MP shooter with Full HD images. This Dual SIM, Dual Standby device is powered by a 3200 mAh battery and as claimed by the company should give a 14 hours of talktime on 3G.

This new device comes with features like Smart Gesture, Face Unlock, OTA, Game Zone and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The GPad G4 will be available in Black and White Colors.

February 17, 2014