Monthly Archives: February 2013
News from MWC – Day 2
As the sun rises on day 2 of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, we bring you the latest technological advances being shown off
Asus
The latest devices announced by Asus are the Asus Padfone Infinity and Asus Fonepad, building on the one device, multiple function ecosystem they created with the original Padfone.
By using the handset to power the tablet, Asus are aiming to convince consumers that they can ditch their plethora of devices in favour of a more adaptable single piece of kit.
The new Padfone Infinity handset features a 5″ Super IPS screen with a 441 dpi(getting close to phablet territory on its own), a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, Android 4.2 and a 13MP camera with LED flash.
The pad increases the screen size to 10.1″ with a 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution, 1MP front-facing camera and a micro USB 2.0 port. The device is also LTE compatible. It’s expensive though, coming in at a cool 999 euros, but when you consider the cost of buying a high end tablet and phone separately this price is pretty much in line.
ZTE
The big news from ZTE is the announcement of the world’s first Firefox OS handset, the ZTE Open.
The Firefox web browser has been growing in popularity over the past few years, with users preferring its flexibility and in-built security features to the default Internet Explorer on most computers. While Google joined the mobile OS race long ago with Android, Firefox has remained largely computer based. The question is, have they left it too late to join the fiercely competitive market already filled with some big players?
The ZTE Open features a 3.5″ screen, 256MB RAM, Bluetooth, GPS and a 3.2MB camera currently, but is still being developed.
ZTE also announced the Grand Memo, a rival to Samsung’s very popular Galaxy Note series. Featuring a 5.7″ HD TFT screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 13MP camera, 1080P HD video and LTE compatibility, the ZTE Grand Memo may prove to be a well-speced, more affordable contender to the phablet market.
More coming soon…
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News from MWC – Day 1 Updated
We’re following the news from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to bring you the highlights on the future of mobile technology
Nokia
So far, we’ve seen four new handsets from the Swedish phone giant; two low end candybar designs (301 and 105), and two mid range Lumia handsets running Windows Phone 8 (Lumia 720 and 520).
Designed for new and emerging markets, Nokia are hoping to target countries where LTE is not yet up and running with affordable but functional devices following in the Lumia vein.
President and CEO Stephen Elop has also announced that the Windows Phone 8 app store has now passed 130,000 apps, duplicating the more popular ones from the Android and iOS operating systems. This increases the appeal to those thinking about making the switch to WP8, however they are still a way behind the more established platforms, each boasting over 700k at last count.
LG
So far, LG have announced a number of new Optimus handsets in their various series; the G, Vu, F and LII.
Their new flagship handset, the LG Optimus G Pro, is a 5.5″ IPS 1080p displayed high powered Android 4.1 handset, featuring a 1.6GHz Snapdragon Quad-Core Processor, a 13MP rear camera and a 2.1MP front-facing camera.
The slightly smaller F series have been revealed to include the 4.7″ LG Optimus F7 and the 4.3″ LG Optimus F5. The F7 features a 1.5GHz processor and 8MP camera, while the F5 includes a 1.2GHz processor and 5MP camera. LG are targeting customers with a device at every pricepoint in the market.
LG also featured the lower end L7 II, L5 II and L3 II, each slightly smaller than the last with specs to match. All compare favourably to their price point in the market, but it seems LG are very much playing the Goldilocks game; there will be a handset that’s ‘just right’ to match each customer’s budget and requirements.
Sony
We’re eagerly anticipating the pending launch of the new Sony Xperia Z, but now Sony have treated us to a look at their latest tablet, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z.
It’s got some great specs, weighing in far less than their last versions, a 10.1″ full HD screen powered by Sony’s BRAVIA engine and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB RAM, bringing the Sony Xperia Tablet Z in line with its peers. NFC technology and the ability to use the device as a remote control for your TV are some nice little features, but will they be enough of an edge to make up ground against the giants of Apple and Samsung?
For a hands on look courtesy of our friends at Pocket Now, CLICK HERE
More to Come…
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Moody’s Downgrade – What it Means
Britain has lost it’s coveted AAA credit rating – but how will this affect UK business?
Over the weekend, credit reference agency Moody’s announced the UK’s official downgrade from it’s gold standard AAA credit rating to AA1, indicating that sluggish grown is predicted for the UK economy in the coming months.
While a lesser credit rating is never welcomed, this may not be as worrying as it at first seems.
What does this mean?
The credit ratings of countries determine how much interest they will need to pay on the money they borrow, and are an indication of how much of a risky proposition they are to lenders. While we did have the highest rating (AAA), we were at the time still judged to be unstable. Despite now being downgraded to AA1, the economy has stabilised, although growth is predicted to be poor.
Effects on the Markets
The biggest effect the downgrade may have is on the currency markets, which is likely to weaken the GB Pound against the US Dollar. As oil is sold in USD, this could mean that petrol prices rise yet again, putting further pressure on motorists and the transport industry.
However, the weaker Pound will also make the UK a more attractive supplier to other countries as costs would be slightly reduced, meaning it could lead to an increase in exports and investment.
The Stock Market is unlikely to be much affected as the downgrade is a possibility that has been planned into their forecasts following a warning over a year ago that it may happen.
George Osborne
Since taking up the position as Chancellor following the general election in 2010, Osborne has been dedicated to maintaining the UK’s AAA credit rating, vowing to do anything in his power to keep it. This announcement is going to be a huge blow to him, and emphasises his critics’ calls that his austerity plan is not working. However, Osborne takes a different view, believing that the downgrade shows that he needs to refocus on decreasing the budget deficit to get the UK back into shape. He will be under considerable pressure to regain the top rating as quickly as possible.
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Sony Xperia T – Experience HD
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