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LG’s V30S ThinQ is the AI-fueled phone the V30 should’ve been
In the midst of a tricky fiscal year, LG decided to run with a new strategy: cook up interim smartphones to sell between its major flagship releases. The plan was based in part on the surprising success of phones like the X cam, and since the company needed to try something different, it pressed on with its experiment. And lo, the LG V30S ThinQ was born.
We're live from MWC 2018 in Barcelona!
Spring season is right around the corner, and that means it's time for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world's biggest phone show. This year, you can expect to be introduced to Samsung's next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S9, as well as a slew of other handsets from big-name companies like BlackBerry and Nokia. Yes, you know you love BlackBerry and Nokia. Of course, we'll likely also come across a bunch of other tech products, such as wearables and others things that could be revealed at the show -- Facebook has a press conference, for instance. We're on the ground for the next week, which means you need to keep your eyes peeled to the site so you won't miss a thing from MWC 2018.
Samsung Galaxy S9: What to expect from Unpacked 2018
Samsung is primed to unveil its latest flagship, the Galaxy S9. Fortunately for anyone desperate to hear what's coming on February 25th, there's been no shortage of leaks and renders before the big day. It's not good news for the secret-keepers at Samsung but gives us plenty of threads to pull at ahead of the big reveal in Barcelona. How will the Galaxy series fare against the latest trio of iPhones? Can it best the talking-poop emoji?
Google Assistant will get support for Routines 'in the coming weeks'
Today's Google Assistant is much, much more capable than the version that first debuted on the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Don't expect that progress to slow anytime soon, either: Google laid out some new plans to improve the Assistant just in time for Mobile World Congress, and they extend far beyond just teaching it more languages.
LG updates its cheap K-series phones with new hardware
After renewing its high-end mobile push through 2017 with new G and V series phones, LG is taking another shot at the low-to-mid range with these K-series devices. The new K8 and K10 (with three sub-models that vary in RAM, built-in storage and color) will debut at MWC 2018 next week and pack specs that match their slots in the lineup. The metal-framed 5.3-inch K10 claims a 13MP rear camera snagged from the G6, but with only a single lens, to go with its 8MP front camera and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S9 on February 25th
Samsung has started sending out invites for the Unpacked event this year, where it will take the wraps off the Galaxy S9. The date? February 25th. Its upcoming flagship phone will make its debut at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, just like what DJ Koh, the Korean conglomerate's mobile chief, promised at CES. The teaser Samsung posted on Twitter hints at the S9's "reimagined camera." While the company didn't say anything more than that, one of the phone's rumored features is a variable aperture camera.
AI continued its world domination at Mobile World Congress
Silicon Valley investor and web pioneer Marc Andreessen said in 2011 that "software is eating the world." The explosion of app ecosystems seems to prove his point, but things have changed dramatically even since then. These days, it might be more accurate to say that "AI is fueling the software that's eating the world," but I've never been very quotable. In any case, it's impossible to ignore the normalization of artificial intelligence at this year's Mobile World Congress -- even if a resurrected 17-year-old phone did end up stealing the show.
The makers of the most stylish Windows Phone embraced Android
Last year, at CES, I fell hard for a chubby, round Windows Phone called the NuAns Neo. Who could blame me? The two most notable Windows Phones at the time -- the Lumia 950 and 950 XL -- were drab, unimaginative-looking slabs. The Neo, with its friendly design and swappable back plates, was quirky enough to give me the kind of frisson that comes with seeing something totally out of the ordinary. Alas, Trinity, the company behind the phone, tried and failed to launch the Neo around the world by way of a Kickstarter campaign. The demand just wasn't there. Feedback from potential buyers told Trinity CEO Tetsushi Hoshikawa that they would've backed the campaign -- or bought a Neo in Trinity's native Japan -- had it run Android instead. You can probably guess what Hoshikawa did next.
Real watch hands on a smartwatch face actually makes sense
One of the biggest complaints about smartwatches today is that they don't always display the time, since their screens go to sleep after a while. Several companies have tried to alleviate the issue by offering always-on displays, but that comes at the expense of battery life. Swiss startup MyKronoz has come up with a creative solution by sticking actual watch hands on the face of its latest smartwatch called the ZeTime. And, after spending some time with a unit here at MWC 2017, I'm surprised by how effective it is.
Netflix learned how to stream good video on bad connections
This morning, a gaggle of journalists and I huddled around a table full of smartphones, watching a clip from Netflix's Stranger Things. There was plenty of grain and blockiness to be sure, but it was sufficiently -- even perfectly -- watchable. The kicker: That surprisingly decent video is what Netflix told us to expect on a 100 kilobit/second data connection. That's a fraction of a fraction of the LTE speeds we're used to in the US but something that's all too common in other parts of the world.
Mastercard app enables credit-card-free bar tabs
One of the most worrying things about going to a bar is the possibility that the credit card you handed over to open your tab with might get skimmed, or worse, stolen. Mastercard has a new digital payment tool that will let you open a bar tab through an app so you don't have to hand your credit card over to the bartender. Instead, showing them a 4-digit number (at least, during our demo) on your phone is all you have to do. You can pay for your orders from the app and leave after you're done, without having to sit around and try to catch the bartender's attention.
Motorola's Alexa mod is just the start of an important AI plan
Motorola might have lured people to its MWC press conference with the promise of new phones, but the real talking point came toward the end of the event. After hyping a pair of midrange devices and some fun Moto Mod concepts, the company confirmed that it's working with Amazon to bring Alexa to Moto phones. While the first steps of Motorola's Alexa partnership are now well-known, it's the stuff that Motorola later told Engadget about its plans that seems most exciting.
Huawei is considering cell towers that wirelessly charge drones
Huawei's big news at MWC was, of course, the P10 handset and a new watch. The company does have its fingers in other pies, though, and one of those is the drone game. Far away from the exhibition halls where all the smartphones are on display is an area called "Innovation City" (it's more of a hamlet, but we'll go along with it). Here, Huawei is demoing a number of quirky ideas, one of which is a grand plan to help solve the short battery lives of drones -- and it's as curious as it is clever. In case you were worried, that's a scale model of a cell tower above. The plan isn't to have mega drones.
Roborace unwraps its driverless electric car
The team behind Roborace has taken a big step toward introducing a fully driverless racing competition. At a press conference in Barcelona, chief executive Denis Sverdlov and chief designer Daniel Simon revealed the final design for its track-ready "Robocar." We've seen images of the vehicle before, but they were merely renders; a hint of what the company was working on. The unveiling of a real car, all curves and carbon fiber, is our best evidence yet that the futuristic motorsport will actually happen.
Jolla's Android alternative is coming to Sony Xperia phones
If you're a fan of Jolla (a mobile platform that's part Linux, part Android and loosely based on Nokia's MeeGo project), good news. The company has announced it will be releasing an official version of its Sailfish operating system for a number of Sony Xperia handsets. The news came from the firm's press event at MWC this morning, and adds a big-name brand to the currently mixed list of devices that the plucky (persistent?) mobile software has officially been ported to.
Huawei's fancy Porsche Design watch is rather ordinary
Huawei's Watch 2 is getting a limited edition version, courtesy of Porsche Design. While we've already strapped on the company's basic Android Wear device, the VIP version was behind glass in a corner of one of several Huawei booths here at MWC. (This company takes Mobile World Congress very seriously.) While there's no price, Huawei's last collaboration with Porsche Design on its Mate 9 smartphone resulted in a limited-run phone that cost four times the price of the muggle version. (The standard Huawei Watch 2 will hit retail for roughly $350, so multiply that a few times.) However much it does eventually cost, you'll get a thick leather strap with red stitching, as well as a specially engraved ceramic chronograph bezel. Other than that, it looks a lot like the original Watch 2, albeit made for Asia's gui zu (one-percenters). If Apple can do it, why not Huawei?
The Morning After: Monday, February 27 2017
Welcome to your Monday. The world's premier mobile show, MWC, kicked off over the weekend, and the biggest launch might have been a 17-year-old dumbphone. Yes, as rumors suggested, Nokia (well, the company that now owns its phone branding) has resurrected the 3310. That was just the start, however.
Ricoh's next camera can stream live broadcasts in 360
Ricoh makes one of the best, simple 360-degree cameras out there. It's gradually added better picture quality, more video skills (and cheaper models) to its Theta series, but the company's taking its tech in a different direction with a spherical video camera capable of live streaming 2K at 30fps. The stitching takes place in real-time and the product is unmistakably for creators and media types. This is the Ricoh R Developer kit, and you can preorder one now.
Samsung's Gear VR returns with a motion controller
While there was no shortage of new Samsung hardware the company's MWC showcase, the event also included a new Gear VR headset on display, along with a new controller. Adding motion input (as well as a few more buttons) lets you navigate and interact with VR content without having to paw at the headset's buttons like with previous iterations. In addition to a clickable touchpad, there are trigger, home, back and volume keys. The controller also has an accelerometer, gyrometer and magnetic sensors built in. The new hardware will work with the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, and Note 5, as well as the Galaxy S6 series.
The next wave of Moto Mods turn your phone into a gamepad
Motorola is teaming up with Amazon for an Alexa smartphone mod, but that's just one of a several new hardware add-ons set to become available for compatible Moto phones. The next wave includes a Moto-made battery extender (rather than the third-party options that are already on sale); a new charging adapter that connects to mods, allowing charge them separately from the phone; and a wireless charging back for even more juice options. Finally, there's a gamepad that packs in four speakers, lights and some preloaded games. Even more intriguing, however, were the concept accessories also on display at MWC this weekend.
