Behold Virtual reality (VR) lovers: HTC today unveiled its Vive Consumer Edition at Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona. The complete VR kit, which includes two wireless VR controllers, room scale movement sensors, and a headset featuring an inbuilt camera and phone has been priced at $799.
The SteamVR-powered HTC Vive has been making waves since March last year, when the Taiwanese company revealed its plans to manufacture VR headsets in association with game publisher Valve. The $799 price tag may have come as a downer for some, as its rival – the Oculus Rift – is available for $599 and begins shipping in April as well. Both headsets require a gaming PC to function fully.
However, HTC and Valve justify the headset’s higher price by saying that Vive is a complete kit to provide a total immersive experience. Unlike the Occult Rift, the HTC Vive comes with wireless VR controllers and movement sensors. It also has the ability to take calls and send texts.
“Enabling you to stay connected to the real world without exiting the virtual world, Vive Phone Services demonstrates the ability to combine both realities without losing touch of either. By allowing you to receive and respond to both incoming and missed calls, get text messages and send quick replies, and check upcoming calendar invites directly through the headset, it creates a hybrid reality opening up a whole new world of possibilities for both consumers and businesses.”
-HTC
If you can wait a bit more, Sony has plans to launch PlayStation VR headset sometime in the first half of 2016. The VR headset will be compatible with Sony’s popular PlayStation 4, which costs just $350 instead of gaming computers that will set you back by $1,000. But if your heart is set upon the HTC Vive, the pre-orders for the headsets start from 29th February at 10 a.m. ET, while the shipments will commence in early April. And if you hurry up, you will get two games bundled with the kit for free: Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives by Owlchemy Labs and Fantastic Contraption by Northway Games.
The leaking of Samsung’s newest Galaxy phones has increased to an annoying rate leading up to this moment. Yes, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are finally a official (thank goodness). Now, I think it’s no surprise that this refresh is way more evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not interesting. Samsung still has some tricks up its sleeve. Let’s run through it!
So we’ve heard that the standard S7 and the edgy one were gonna differ in screen sizes, and this did turn out to be the case. The Galaxy S7 will remain with the same 5.1″ screen size as its predecessor. Here are the main specs:
Display: 5.1″ QHD (2,560 x 1440 pixels, 577 ppi) Super-AMOLED
Chipset: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core processor, Adreno 530 graphics) and 4GB of RAM
Storage: 32GB base internal storage with microSD card support (up to 200GB)
Cameras: 12MP Dual Pixel (f/1.7) rear and 5MP (f/1.7) front camera
Battery: 3,000mAh capacity battery
Software: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with TouchWiz UI
Unfortunately, Samsung has yet to adopt USB Type-C on the Galaxy S7
Unlike the Galaxy S6, Samsung renewed its partnership with Qualcomm and stuffed the cutting-edge Snapdragon 820 SoC under the hood (instead of Samsung’s home-brewed Exynos chipset). Coupled with 4GB of DDR4 RAM, we have all the beastly power you’d want. More power but cooler device, due to a new internal cooling system.
Despite being the same size as the Galaxy S6, Samsung managed to boost the battery capacity to match the Note5‘s 3,000mAh. That’s great, because poor battery life was a common complaint among S6 users. On the other hand, the primary camera had a reduction in megapixel count. But don’t despair, it’s not all about megapixels. And we now have a smaller camera hump.
Samsung put a large focus in low-light performance, with a f/1.7 aperture lens. That is also supplemented by larger pixels (30% larger than the iPhone 6S Plus), to let in more light. Auto-focusing speed also got a big boost. Samsung says the camera module has Dual Pixel, which utilizes all of the camera’s pixels for focusing (essentially gives the camera two eyes to help resolve the focus).
Another criticism over last year’s model was the exclusion of the microSD expansion. Fortunately, Samsung listened and threw it back in. Additionally, water resistance makes a return as well (introduced on the Galaxy S5, but dropped on the S6); a IP68 rating claims 30 minutes submerged in 1.5 meters of water. It looks like Samsung is trying to make amends with users that it had let down last year.
Something new is Samsung joining the Always-On Display club, so that you can always see your valuable notifications without touching your phone. Battery life will be minimally impacted due to the efficient AMOLED technology.
You can probably guess that most of the specs from the vanilla Galaxy S7 will apply to the S7 Edge. The biggest difference (aside from those sexy curved edges) is the larger stature. The screen on the S7 Edge is a significant 0.4″ larger, at 5.5″. It now bridges the gap pretty well between the Galaxy S and Note lines (which leads to assume that there won’t be a S7 Edge+ this time around).
But the larger display isn’t the only goodie you’ll get if you spring for the S7 Edge. The extra space allowed for a considerably larger 3,600mAh battery (compared to the 3,000mAh capacity in the standard Galaxy S7). That may make this a tough choice for folks who prefer the smaller variant.
All other specs are a spitting image of the S7:
Display: 5.5″ QHD (2,560 x 1440 pixels, 534 ppi) Super-AMOLED
Chipset: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core processor, Adreno 530 graphics) and 4GB of RAM
Storage: 32GB base internal storage with microSD card support (up to 200GB)
Cameras: 12MP Dual Pixel (f/1.7) rear and 5MP (f/1.7) front camera
Battery: 3,600mAh capacity battery
Software: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with TouchWiz UI
You can probably imagine that the Edge’s slide-out shortcuts feature got some improvements. You’ll get quick access to apps (more apps now from a wider panel) as well as tasks. Also, Samsung generously opened up the edge SDK for developers, so we should be seeing it grow with third-party additions.
Will you buy one?
No one can really deny these two are beastly handsets. But has Samsung done enough to convince you to jump on-board? It may be a negative point that the Galaxy S7 is for the most part a spitting image of last year’s model. Some (including myself) didn’t find the usability of the fragile design as flattering as the pretty look. At least Samsung has thought about that in some sense, by incorporating water resistance.
Samsung’s two new handsets will drop on March 11th. The color option will be: Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium, and White Pearl. To entice buyers, it’s going to include a free Gear VR when you preorder. Let us know in the comments below what you think about the S7 announcement.
HTC’s three new Desire phones appear to be trying to make some waves aesthetically where they don’t in the hardware arena; the new 530, 630 and 825 (what, no 830?) come in four different stylings influenced by “Streetwear,” with a multi-colored speckles (which they call “Micro-Splash”) on a solid background of either white, blue, black or red.
While I, personally would have prefered to see them go a bit bolder with the designs – perhaps some legitimate street art in the vein of Banksy, for instance – it is refreshing to see a company go away from the Black/White (and recently, Rosegold) color scheme that has become so prevalent in the mobile world.
Desire phones have historically been mid-range at best, and therefore priced a bit lower than you’d find with flagship models. As such, those looking for a budget phone might be inclined toward these stylized designs because they have a unique aesthetic when compared to other budget phones from the big companies. It’ll be interesting to see if it pays off the HTC.
Lenovo said it was going to keep producing budget and mid-range phones when it bought Motorola and it is. At Mobile World Congress Lenovo is showing off its latest Android smartphones – the VIBE K5 and K5 Plus. With deeper competition across Android budget devices, Lenovo is looking to make a splash with the K5 Plus with a price of just $149.
Main features:
Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor
5″ full HD IPS display
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos
2GBÂ RAM
16GB memory expandable via microSD
Dual SIM for GSMA networks
13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
If the K5 Plus is too much phone for you, or is a little out of your price range, Lenovo is also offering up the K5 at $129 and it also comes with great specs.
The K5 will come in two colors, Champagne and Silver, with a plastic and aluminum build.
Main features:
Snapdragon 415 octa-core processor
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos
2GB RAM
16GB memory expandable via microSD
5″ HD IPS display 1280 x 720
Dual SIM for GSMA networks
The main difference between the two phones is the display. While both are HD quality, the K5 Plus has the better resolution with full 1080p HD. Both phones are a bargain with the K5 being priced at $129, and the K5 Plus being priced at $149 it is hard to find better built phones in this price range.
OPPO may not be among the world’s top selling mobile brands, but the Chinese manufacturer has been known to release devices with unique features such as rotating camera sensors (the OPPO N3) and VOOC Flash Charging technology. The wired quick charging technology used in many OPPO devices is capable of charging 70% battery in just 30 minutes. Now, the company looks set to launch a new wireless charging standard at Mobile World Congress 2016.
According to the press teaser for its MWC event on Tuesday, OPPO will be unveiling a technology that is going to “Wow the world!” While the teaser doesn’t reveal much, sources say that OPPO is likely to announce the next generation of its popular VOOC Flash charging. Considering the popularity and scope for improvement in wireless charging options available today, it’s very likely that the announcement is related to a VOOC solution for wireless charging.
While this technology sounds like an exciting prospect, the speculations are based on just a teaser. However, the teaser mentions a “groundbreaking power solution,” which adds fuel to the fire. We’ll have to wait unit February 23rd for the official confirmation, when the company is holding a press conference in Barcelona.
ZTE has added another device to its ever expanding lineup of smart projectors. The company announced the Spro Plus portable smart projector, the follow up to the popular Spro 2. The Spro Plus features an 8.4″ AMOLED touch screen, 2K display, and a 12,100 mAh battery. ZTE will also offer the Spro Plus in WiFi only and WiFi + LTE versions.
To help you keep your picture straight, the Spro Plus will have improved vertical and horizontal keystones, as well as Laser Auto Focus to negate any blurry images. And, the Spro Plus projects a huge image too. Placing it only about 2.4 meters away from whatever you’re projecting on will get you an 80 inch image.
The Spro Plus comes with two 4 watt speakers in its JBL audio system. During your Skype conversations your associates will be able to hear you crystal clear due to the Harman sub-miniature microphones.
The ZTE Spro Plus will be available starting this summer.
Today at the LG G5 event at World Mobile Congress, LG revealed its latest flagship and all the goodies that come with it. The metal and glass clad uni-body sports an unusual feature – a modular bottom tray that allows extensions and additional components to be used with the phone.
The tray slot can accept a unique variety of modules specially designed for the G5.
‘Friends’ is basically a range of these modules and accessories that can be used in junction with the G5 in everyday situations. The modular design offers a potentially endless assortment of unusual and unique add-ons that will be built internally at LG and by third-party developers who are being encouraged to use LG’s module software.
Such add-ons include the LG Cam Plus, a bulky modular piece which gives you extreme control over the camera while giving you good one-handed grip. There is also an extra 1,100mAh battery built into this unit. Another one is a 32-bit DAC by Bang and Olufsen which gives you unprecedented ability to listen to high-quality audio.
‘Friends’ is not only about modules. It’s also about accessories that connect to the phone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and the audio jack.
Take the LG Rolling Bot, for example. It is an awesome assistant robot (BB-8 style) that you control through the G5. It has a live camera that feeds directly to your phone through your Wi-Fi, enabling you to remotely monitor your house, with the ability to use speakers and a microphone. Particularly useful for talking to pets while you’re on holiday.
The LG 360 Cam allows you to record in 360° in while simply moving the camera around like you normally would, and you can live-stream it to the G5 while you use it. It records in 2K with 5.1ch surround sound.
The LG 360 VR, which LG claims weighs one third of your standard VR set, offers a premium VR experience with a whooping 639 pixels per inch on the display.
Headset wise, the LG Tone Platinum uses Bluetooth to deliver HiFi audio to your ears without cables. It utilizes Harmon Kardon Platinum grade hardware to ensure the best possible sound.
There is also a wired H3 Bang and Olufsen Play headset that only works on Android. It should be capable of pumping out some delicious audio along with the DAC module!
It is all these accessories and devices that together make up Friends, your companion to your G5.
“We wanted something fun and exciting,” Ramchan Woo, vice president of smartphone product planning for LG in told reporters. “The mission of the G5 is to wake up the play instinct. Smartphones are all the same…. The customer looking for a phone thinks ‘I’ll just buy the cheaper phone’.”
And it is that very statement that drove LG to create something new, unique and different: the G5 and Friends.
LG has taken the wraps off its new LG G5 smartphone. The G5 will have amazing new features. You’ll be able to add modules to expand the functionality of the device like the ability to control a drone, listening to high def audio with a B&O DAC, and expanding the battery life, among others.
But, when can you get your hands on it? Here’s everything we know about who is carrying the device, and when you can buy it. We’ll keep updating this list as details become available.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile has yet to release anything on its plans to carry the LG G5
Sprint: Sprint’s ever expanding network will be offering the LG G5 as well. We don’t have an exact date but, “Device pricing and availability date will be announced soon”. You can check out Sprint’s LG G5 page here.
USCellular: US Cellular will be carrying the G5, but release details haven’t been shared yet. US Cellular has let us know that it will be sharing its timeline “in the coming weeks”
England
O2: O2 has confirmed that it will be selling the LG G5 and will stock it “in the coming months”
EE: The LG G5 will be coming to “Europe’s most advanced digital communications company”. Customers will be able to pre-order on March 17.
Vodafone: Vodafone has joined the fray and announced that it will also offer the LG G5. Details have yet to be released on when you can buy it.
Three: Three has yet to release any statements on the LG G5 at this time.
LG’s new flagship smartphone, the LG G5, is now official. If you stay updated with Android news and rumours, you have probably already been bombarded with the leaked designs and specifications that have been popping up everywhere on the Internet. No more need for speculation anymore, as we now know the final specifications for one of 2016’s most anticipated flagships. Boy, does this phone seem like a beast.
Coming with almost the same specifications as we predicted, the LG G5 brings incremental changes compared to earlier LG flagships. Based around a smaller 5.3″ screen, the metal build brings a new breath of air to LG’s flagship line with some worthy new features. The LG G5 measures 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm and weighs 159 grams.
Moving away from their past designs, the G5 has the volume and power buttons back on the side of the phone. We haven’t seen this since the original LG G. The fingerprint scanner now sits below the camera where the buttons used to lie on previous iterations. Somewhat familiar of the Nexus 6P, the build is mainly aluminum.
The 5.3-inch Quad HD Quantum display has again been improved upon. Not specifying anything major, LG just mentioned that it is more battery efficient as compared to previous versions. Â There is also a built-in “Always On” display which offers extended use of the screen. It is part of the main screen, and only uses a third of the display area which helps conserve battery. Think of it as Motorola’s Ambient Display, expect with added functionality.
If you remember the overheating issues that plagued the Snapdragon 810, LG wisely decided to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 SoC in the LG G4. Thankfully, things have improved on Qualcomms side, and the G5 is proudly using the Snapdragon 820, which is also currently the best in the market. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC  naturally is 64-bit. Unfortunately, we do not know of the specific configuration that it sports at present, so stay tuned to be updated.
The Snapdragon 820 SoC is paired with 4GB of memory and should provide a premium amount of performance, at least on paper. It also comes with 32GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card slot that can take up to 2TB.
LG unfortunately went for a smaller 2,800mAh battery, for reasons we can’t quite put our finger on. They also did not elaborate on expected battery life and efficiency, although the claimed battery life never lives up to the expectations anyway. Thankfully it is removable.
The G5 sports a dual camera at the back, consisting of one 16-megapixel and one 8-megapixel shooter. The cameras sit on either side of the sensors and LED flash, one with a 78-degree standard lens and another with a 135-degree wide-angle lens (the 8MP), which LG says is “the widest available on any camera”. The G5 comes with an 8-megapixel front camera, which has slight improvements over the G4’s.
Perhaps the most prominent feature of the flagship, the G5 offers a nifty tool that institutes a modular design. This is basically a tray which can be ejected from the bottom of the phone. It houses the battery and can be used to add extra modules onto the device. This includes a camera module called LG Cam Plus, which offers a nifty handle and balance point for improved hand-held photography, as well as convenient hardware buttons for shutter release, zoom and flash toggle. There is also a 32-bit HiFi DAC made in partnership with Bang and Olufsen. We can’t wait to see how well this works.
Software wise, the LG G5 comes with Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 under the hood, with LG’s own UX interface . We did not get a peek at what it looks like, so we do not expect it to be radically different as compared to the UX 4.0 on the G4.
LG did not comment or specify on launch dates or prices, although we expect the phone to be available shortly is major markets. Stay updated on availability on AG.com. What do you think about the G5?
Amongst all the Galaxy S7 and G5 leaks, it’s refreshing to see something else pop up to feast our eyes on. This time, it is a Xperia device revealed by infamous leakster Evan Blass through Twitter.
Dubbed the PP10, not much is known about the device.With either a metal or brushed plastic build, it takes the normal design cues that we’ll expect to see from a Sony device. Judging by the average-looking camera sensor and LED flash, we doubt that it is a high-end device, but rather a budget or medium-range offering. The standard layout can be observed with all the volume and power buttons.
Interestingly, the lock screen software seems a tad different than what we’re accustomed to, hinting perhaps that Marshmallow comes pre-installed.
Sony does have a slot tomorrow at Mobile World Congress, but we don’t expect to see anything fancy or groundbreaking. Perhaps this is one of the things that will be revealed, along with a few other products.
[/double_paragraph][double_paragraph]
[/double_paragraph] [/row]
[/double_paragraph][double_paragraph]
[/double_paragraph] [/row]
Today at the LG G5 event at World Mobile Congress, 
audio jack.
The LG 360 Cam allows you to record in 360° in while simply moving the camera around like you normally would, and you can live-stream it to the G5 while you use it. It records in 2K with 5.1ch surround sound.
