GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL.......................... Launches, Reveals & Excitement From Mobile World Congress

Launches, Reveals & Excitement From Mobile World Congress

After CES, it’s the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona or MWC that serves as a global launch platform for all the big names from the consumer electronics space. A round-up of several new launches at MWC, most of which are expected to reach our shores by mid 2014

Samsung’s MWC Blitz Galaxy S5 & Three Smartwatches As expected, Samsung took the wraps off its latest Galaxy S5 smartphone. Rather than an all-new phone, the S5 features several improvements compared to the S4 including a better 16MP camera with faster autofocus, fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor (a first), all powered by a 2.5Ghz quad core Snapdragon processor. Three new smartwatches also made their debut: Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit. The Gear 2 range now features interchangeable straps and is powered by the company’s own Tizen OS. The Fit features a curved OLED screen and is focused towards fitness. The Galaxy S5 will be making its way over here in April for an estimated Rs 49,990.

An Affordable Trio Lenovo S660, S850 & S860 Lenovo may be a top PC company but it’s taking Android smartphones very seriously too. The company announced three new smartphones, starting with the S660 (4.7-inch, 1.3Ghz quad core, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 8MP/0.3MP cameras), S850 (5-inch 720p LCD, 1.3Ghz quad core, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 13MP/5MP cameras ) and the flagship of the range, S860 ( 5.3-inch 720p LCD, 1.3Ghz quad core, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8MP/1.5MP cameras and 4,000mAh battery). Lenovo also announced the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+, a 10.1-inch multi-mode Android tablet with 1080p display, 1.6Ghz quad core processor, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB storage and 9,000mAh battery.

More the Merrier SanDisk’s 128GB microSD With everything going HD and beyond (Ultra High Def), people are running out of storage space on their devices faster than ever. 64GB was the largest capacity micro SD card available till date — SanDisk decided that users needed more and comfortably doubled that to 128GB — all in a chip smaller than your fingernail. Most of the new devices coming out this year (such as the new Samsung Galaxy S5) already include support for this 128GB card. Note that this is also a class 10 card, able to read/write twice as fast as ordinary micro SD cards. It should be priced between 10,000 to 12,000.

Androids with a Twist Nokia’s X Series Nokia still enjoys a fair amount of brand recall, especially in emerging markets. It’s no wonder then that they announced a new range of entry-level smartphones powered by Android. That being said, these are not your usual low-cost Android phone – instead of the Play Store and the usual Google services, they come with Microsoft services like Outlook mail, Here Maps and OneDrive instead. The X and X+ have 4-inch screens while the XL has a 5-inch screen. They all offer 3G with dual SIM support and are powered by dual core processors. Expect sub 10,000 prices for the X when it launches in April.

Tablet on a Diet MediaPad X1 Huawei has really gone to work, redefining what a 7-inch Android should be like. Billed as the thinnest, lightest and narrowest 7-inch Android tablet around, the MediaPad X1 is just 7.18mm thick, has a bezel size of only 2.99mm and weighs 239 grams. The device is narrow enough to be comfortably held in one hand by most users. Despite the diminutive size, Huawei has packed in a large 5,000mAh battery, a 1920 x 1200 pixel 7inch IPS LCD, dual cameras (13MP rear with LED flash + 5MP front) and 16GB (expandable) storage, all powered by a 1.6Ghz quad core processor and 2GB RAM. Huawei expects users to keep it as a primary device, so it also includes the ability to make phone calls. In an interesting twist, you can use the X1 to charge another device, thanks to the large internal battery. It should be priced between 25,000 to 30,000.

Mid-range Monsters HTC Desire 816 & 610 Not to be left behind, HTC announced the new Desire 816 and 610 at MWC. While the Desire is mid-range, the 816 will be at the top of that range with a 5.5-inch display, 1.6Ghz quad core processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage (expandable, with 128GB card support), front stereo speakers (BoomSound) and a nonremovable 2,600mAh battery. It also has a 13 MP f2.2 rear camera & 5MP front camera, all in a device just 7.99mm thick. The Desire 610 has a smaller 4.7-inch qHD display and is powered by a 1.2Ghz quad core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory (expandable to 64GB).

Design Déjà vu HP Pavilion x360 Taking inspiration from the Lenovo Yoga range of tablets, HP’s new Pavilion x360 is a touchscreen Windows convertible laptop with a hinge that can rotate 360 degrees. As you can imagine, this lets you use it as a laptop, tablet, stand or a ‘tent’. In tablet mode, the keyboard gets disabled to prevent accidental input. It has an 11-inch 1366 x 768 pixel screen, Intel processor, 500GB hard drive, three USB ports, HDMI out and has a starting price of just 25,000 (estimated prices at time of launch).

Vast Improvements Xperia Z2 & Z2 Tablet Rather than introduce completely new devices, Sony decided to drill down and improve their flagship devices in every way possible. Both remain water proof as before and feature similar designs. The Z2 smartphone offers ultra HD (4k) video recording even though it uses the same 20.7 megapixel camera as its predecessor. The screen is slightly larger (5.2-inch instead of 5) and it offers better contrast and colours. It will be offered in multiple colours including black, white and purple. The Z2 tablet is even thinner & lighter than before, features the same size 10.1-inch screen but improved internals — 2.3Ghz quad core with 3GB RAM. Storage is 16GB, but it can be expanded via micro SD. Like before, the Z2 tablet will be available in WiFi and WiFi + 3G/LTE versions.


Larger & Smarter LG’s G Pro 2 Expected to launch in March this year, LG’s new flagship G Pro 2 is like a larger version of the G2. It has the same back-mounted buttons and a new ‘metal mesh’ back panel which provides better grip and is resistant to fingerprints and smudges. The screen is a 5.9-inch 1080p unit while hardware includes the capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core processor, 3GB RAM and improved camera. LG says that the G Pro 2 offers 20 per cent more effective optical image stabilisation and 30 per cent louder sound compared to the G2. Sadly though, it does not inherit the self healing properties of the LG G Flex. A new software enhancement is the Knock Code security feature — rather than just double tap to wake the device up, you can have a secret knock pattern that wakes up and unlocks the device in one go.

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