mwc2015
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LG G5 already has a touch-enabled Quick Cover
There's still over a week left before LG launches its newest flagship phone, but we know two things for certain: First, the G5 has an "Always On" display, and second, you will be able to get a Quick Cover case for it. The Korean company has announced that it's releasing a touch-enabled case for (in its own words) a "smartphone that does not officially exist" yet. LG says the cover is wrapped in "a unique film with a glossy metallic finish" for a luxurious feel. Also, you'll be able to take calls and control the alarm settings through its semitransparent mesh material, without having to open the case.
Hold the phone: MWC had more than just handsets
While the term "mobile" has always meant more than just smartphones, this year's Mobile World Congress really highlighted how diverse the category can be. After all, the star of the show was arguably the HTC Vive, and the only mobile-related thing about it is that it's made by a company that also makes phones. Indeed, VR headsets were the surprise hits at this year's Mobile World Congress, as were smartwatches from the likes of LG, Pebble and, yes, even Huawei. Whether it be VR headsets, wearables, tablets or even electric vehicles, it's clear that we can expect more than just phones from Mobile World Congress from now on. Relive some of our favorite non-phone highlights from MWC in our gallery right here. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Samsung's new Gear VR is smaller, sharper, but still not for everyone
The HTC Vive might've stolen some of Samsung's thunder, but it bears reminding that the latter did announce a new VR headset earlier this week. Sure, the Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is only slightly different from the original Note 4 edition, but even minor tweaks can spell big improvement. It's smaller, lighter, has a wider focus margin and there's a new strap design that promises to make the headset much more comfortable than before. I had a chance to give it a spin earlier this week and I also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, to get his take on the new hardware, possible future updates and, of course, his opinion on the HTC Vive.
Daily Roundup: Best of Mobile World Congress, 'Rock Band 4' and more!
Mobile World Congress wrapped up today and we share our picks for the best smartphones we found in Barcelona. In other news, Harmonix is getting the band back together with Rock Band 4 and a spinning chair might make virtual reality feel more real. All this and more can be found in today's Daily Roundup.
The best smartphones from MWC
The 2015 edition of Mobile World Congress is coming to a close today and, as much as we'd like to stay longer in lovely Barcelona, it's time to say goodbye. While this year's event may have seemed a little underwhelming, we did see major announcements from HTC and Samsung -- two companies battling it out for Android smartphone supremacy. But that wasn't it: BlackBerry, Microsoft and Huawei also unveiled new handsets, though perhaps not as exciting as the One M9 or Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Regardless, let's take a look at the mobile devices that stood out at MWC. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Ubuntu's answer to Android is finally here, but it still needs work
At long last, the first Ubuntu phones are here. It's been more than two years since Canonical first showed off its Linux-based mobile platform, and fans have been clamoring for consumer devices ever since. The Ubuntu Edge never made its ambitious $32 million crowdfunding target, and the first handsets from BQ and Meizu were delayed last year. But finally, it's all starting to come together. BQ has started selling its "Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition" in Europe and Meizu shouldn't be too far behind with its modified MX4.
After Swype, HTC taps China's TouchPal for new Android keyboard
Tech-savvy users may have already come across TouchPal when trying different keyboards on Android and iOS 8 (and maybe even Windows 8), but it looks like a whole lot more people will be introduced to it soon. According to the Shanghai-based keyboard developer, HTC is replacing Nuance's Swype with TouchPal as its new default input engine on upcoming Android devices -- including the recently announced One M9 -- around the world (unless requested otherwise by operators). While HTC wouldn't officially comment on this, an internal source close to the matter verified TouchPal's announcement, though it didn't go into detail as to what prompted the move.
HTC's design lead on the One M9, criticism and the promise of VR
The story of HTC's recent fortunes is one of the more bizarre tales in modern technology. What other company releases award-winning flagship after award-winning flagship, only to see revenues and market share drop? For a while, HTC's phones truly stood out in terms of design and build quality (since 2012 there's been the One X, the One M7 and the One M8). The One M9 represents another iterative step forward for HTC, in a product cycle that has (debatably) seen rivals Apple and Samsung make huge leaps forward. But it's not all doom and gloom. Even if the M9 is being mooted as a potential miss, the Vive, its new virtual reality headset, is perhaps the biggest hit of the show. I sat down with the man at the heart of everything HTC does, chief designer Claude Zellweger, to discuss the company's direction, the M9 and its entry into VR.
HTC's Vive made me believe in VR
I am in the Matrix. Or rather, I am in that same expanse of infinite white space that was also Neo's training grounds in the movie. Hexagonal tiles appear underneath, randomly rising and falling around me. With trepidation, I step forward, slowly walking across the field of unstable tiles, trying to get a feel of this strange new land. Suddenly, I come up against a grid wall. It seems the space isn't so infinite after all. I was, of course, not in the Matrix. Instead, I was in a stark, windowless room inside the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. On my head was the HTC Vive. And for the next 20 minutes, I was about to have a virtual reality experience unlike any I've ever had.
Relaxing with Runcible, the circular 'anti-smartphone'
The Runcible is both the strangest and most intriguing device that I've seen at Mobile World Congress this year. It offers many of the same capabilities as a smartphone, but it looks like a trinket you would find in a trendy vintage store. That's by design, though: Its creator, Monohm, wants the circular gizmo to challenge the now ubiquitous smartphone experience, which is increasingly defined by a relentless stream of notifications. Aubrey Anderson, the company's founder and CEO, describes the Runcible as a "quieter" gadget that can help people relax and live in the moment, while still staying connected online.
You can unlock this smartphone with the blood vessels in your eyes
Tired of punching in numbers or swiping strange patterns to unlock your smartphone? Fingerprint and facial recognition have been tried before with varying levels of success, and now ZTE thinks it can offer something better. The company's Grand S3 smartphone in China is getting a feature called "Sky Eye," which lets you swap Android's traditional lockscreen methods with your eyeballs. It uses a biometric authentication called "Eyeprint ID" by EyeVerify and, of course, we had to check it out for ourselves.
Daily Roundup: Day 2 of MWC, Pebble Time Steel and more!
Find out what's new during day two of Mobile World Congress, get the details on the new Pebble Time Steel and learn how Microsoft will unite Windows 10 devices. All this and more can be found in today's Daily Roundup.
Nokia's N1 tablet is an iPad mini with Android
The Nokia N1 tablet has quite a few people excited here at Mobile World Congress. If you're unfamiliar with Nokia's return to devices, it's a very familiar-looking Android tablet that you could buy today if you lived in China for just $250. This is the first time we've had the chance to play with one, and it's actually quite impressive.
The biggest announcements of MWC 2015 so far (part 2)
After the glitzy, high-profile announcements of Sunday, Monday's march to the convention center is a more business-like affair. There's still lots to see though, including announcements from a bunch of household names, and a dancing robot. Jump in the gallery for more. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Taking the plunge with BlackBerry's cheap Leap
BlackBerry spent a long, long time courting the world's business buffs, and for a while its phones were corporate icons as much as they were communicators. Now the folks in Waterloo are making another play for all the "young, mobile professionals" out there... or at least ones that don't give a lick about what's ticking away inside their phones. See, the Leap is BlackBerry's latest attempt at clawing into youngsters' pockets and it comes bearing a few familiar-sounding parts from years past. That might not be a dealbreaker considering the Leap'll cost you only $275 without a contract, and you know what? The thing actually makes a pretty good first impression.
Pebble introduces a premium Steel version of its color smartwatch
It's only been a week since Pebble introduced Pebble Time, its second-generation color smartwatch, and there's already a new version of it up for grabs. Today at Mobile World Congress, the company has just announced Pebble Time Steel, a premium all-metal iteration of the Time. Indeed, the entirety of the Time Steel -- from the bezel to the buttons -- is made out of stainless steel and is available in silver, black and gold finishes. It has the same dimensions as the Time, but is about 1mm thicker. That isn't so bad, especially since the Time Steel apparently has a longer battery life of up to 10 days instead of seven. As if that wasn't luxurious enough, when you buy a Pebble Time Steel, you'll get two straps: a stainless steel band plus a leather one.
BlackBerry will release a curved-screen slider phone later this year
BlackBerry's recovery relies on the company's reinvention as a software and services business, which has enabled its hardware designers to go a little bit wild. At Mobile World Congress, BB's handset chief Ron Louks just pulled out a prototype of a handset that looks like the holy union between the Leap and the Passport. There's no name for the device just yet, but the company describes it as a "dual-curved, all-touch display with a keyboard," with that latter component situated on an old-fashioned slider beneath the display.
BlackBerry aims at young professionals with the low-cost Leap
We're here at BlackBerry's cozy MWC press event waiting anxiously for CEO John Chen (or anyone, for that matter) to pull back the curtain on the oft-rumored BlackBerry Leap. So far, all we've gotten is a recap of progress to date and some security-minded endeavors, but surprise, surprise -- the $275 Leap just popped up on BlackBerry's global devices site for all to see.
Google OKs pre-installing Waze on Android devices
Next time you buy an Android phone, you just might find Waze among its pre-installed apps. See, it's now part of Google Mobile Services, or what you call the list of Android apps that manufacturers and carriers can install before shipping devices out to buyers. If you recall, Mountain View snapped up the navigation app back in 2013, and it remained separate from Google Maps. In Google's and Waze's announcement at the Mobile World Congress, spokesperson Julie Mossler wrote: "If a leading telecom pre-installs Waze in his handsets, a large percentage of the population would immediately have access to blocked roads, dangerous intersections traffic and more in real time."
Google won't force Android encryption by default (update)
Not too long ago, Mountain View was trumpeting that new gadgets with Lollipop would have encryption turned on by default, but, as Ars Technica reports, that isn't the case. The Nexus 6 handset and Nexus 9 tablet offer it, but third-party devices aren't cropping up with the feature turned on out of the box. Specifically? The new Moto E, with Ars saying that Samsung's Galaxy S6 demo units at Mobile World Congress lack it, as well. Update: Google has issued a statement about the change, confirming to us that it is the result of "performance issues" on some hardware. The full statement is included after the break.