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Guests at the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong can use this smartphone for free
I've found fruit baskets, chocolates, even a bottle of Honig wine in my hotel rooms over the years. Never a smartphone -- until today. Last month, the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong installed handsets in each of its 381 rooms. Guests can use the phone throughout a stay, with unlimited data (and tethering!), and calls to Hong Kong, the US, UK, Australia, China and Singapore included for free. It comes with Facebook, Instagram, Skype and a handful of travel applications pre-installed, and once you type in your Google credentials, you can add any other apps you want. Then, when you're ready to check out, simply tap the "clear data" button to wipe your personal info and return the device to its original state, so it's ready for the next guest.
TCL launches 5-inch 1080p Idol X (S950) smartphone with 6.99mm thickness, ultra-thin bezel
In a world obsessed with body image, we knew it wouldn't be long before our smartphones would start embarking on fad diets. The latest to show off its lack of curves is TCL's China-centric Idol X (S950), which can squeeze into a 6.99mm-thin pair of jeans. Just like the Alcatel version we saw at MWC, this handset comes with a 1080p display, which is bordered by an equally svelte 1.7mm bezel. Internals-wise, Android 4.2 is running on a quad-core, 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6589T chip, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. On the imagine front, the phone has a hefty 13.1-megapixel primary camera and a two-megapixel front-facing lens. Despite those heavyweight specs, the unit is marked up for a reasonably cheap 1,699 yuan -- $280 to you and me.
Alcatel Idol X hands-on (video)
Alcatel converted its One Touch Idol line from a duo to a trio with today's launch of yet another set at Mobile World Congress: the Idol X. While not quite as thin as its 6.45mm-thin Idol Ultra sibling, at 7mm thick with a tiny 2.4mm bezel, it is definitely about as small as a 5-inch set can get. The Idol X's giant 1080p IPS display is fantastic to look at and Jelly Bean is snappy driven by a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 1.2GHz CPU. Like many of Alcatel's other sets, the range of configurations varies by market as we'll see both 13- and 8-megapixel variants -- both with 1080p front-facing cameras -- and dual- or single-SIM options, with the single variety getting a bonus microSD slot. While the Idol X is not equipped with LTE it does have 42 Mbps HSPA+ connectivity, quad-band GSM and offers dual-band UMTS in both 900MHz/2100MHz or 850MHz/2100MHz frequencies. Alcatel's all about mass market; it isn't chasing the likes of Apple or Samsung, but rather is quite happy to simply make "devices for people." So while 2012 marked its first foray into smartphones, judging by what we've seen so far in 2013 from them it seems they've nailed affordability while maintaining a surprising amount of quality -- a great combination. Pricing and availability remain a mystery, but until we find out more, go ahead and join Myriam after the break for a quick video tour.
