Mobile World Congress 2015 just kicked-off in Barcelona, Spain, with a pretty notable set of initial announcements from the industry’s major players.
The event which is scheduled to run from March 2-5 will see industry heavyweights in the mobile space compete for consumer attention as they show-off what they’ve been working hard on bringing to market, over the last 12-months.
HTC One M9
Getting the ball rolling was smartphone and tablet maker HTC. Described by Engadget as the company’s “worst kept secret” of 2015, as expected the company showed-off its long speculated HTC One M9.
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor, this new model of HTC’s flagship smartphone gets rid of its dual camera setup for “a single big 20MP sensor,” reports Stephen Schenck.
“BoomSound gets a little boost with the One M9, now using Dolby tech for simulated 5.1 surround sound,” he says. Meanwhile, HTC is bringing back its ‘Dot View’ technology for the One M9, with four colors that complement the One M9 itself: “Silver, Gunmetal, Pink, and Gold,” the report notes.
The new handset will go on sale, later this month.
HTC’s new and flagship smartphone was in fact somewhat of a side announcement, this year. With Apple gearing up to show-off all of what its smartwatch is capable of to the world’s media, next week, it appears HTC also wants in on the game.
And so, alongside the announcement of the One M9, the company also unveiled a new smart-band it’s calling the HTC Grip. “The sensor-packed band includes premium features like GPS reception,” Schenck reports.
Just as with other smart band offerings currently on the market, and Apple’s upcoming entry with the Apple Watch, the HTC Grip will have one of its main focuses rooted in health and fitness, as it enables users to measure time, distance and speed. “And the more desire you put in, the more your training gives back. Track every minute, mile and rep,” HTC says.
“Then claim your reward in everyday victories.”
Availability of the smart band is unknown at this time, but you can sign-up to be notified as to when it becomes avaialble for purchase over on this page.
Samsung S6 Edge
Also notable were the announcements Samsung had to make.
Long having a love-hate relationship with Apple, and considered out of the company’s biggest (if not its main) competitor – the firm yesterday pulled the wraps off its next-generation smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
“The Galaxy S6 Edge uses the feature to provide a quick way to stay in touch with select contacts, and to alert owners to important information,” reports BBC News, adding that the device will be sold “for a higher price than the standard S6, which otherwise has the same specifications.”
The device will arrive in two flavours, one of which will offer users a display that curves around either side of the smartphone. “Changes include making the TouchWiz user interface simpler to use by cutting the number of pop-up messages and introducing a metal frame and glass back instead of the plastic styling of earlier models,” reports Kelion.
Designed as a premium upgrade to its popular Galaxy 6 smartphone, the new entry has its focus around a new redesign that uses a metal construction that Samsung says ‘will not bend’ (likely a dig at Apple following the issue of iPhone 6 bendgate), in addition to upgrades to its cameras – with the front-facing module being bumped to a full 5-megapixels, and the rear sticking at 16MP, and support for wireless charging with support for two of the industry’s rival standards.
As for the benefits of a curved display?
“The first is called People Edge, which provides a quick way to bring up calls, texts and other messages from five acquaintances of the owner’s choosing,” Kelion explains. “Each person is assigned a different colour, which the phone’s edge flashes when it rings, providing a hint of the caller’s identity even if the device is face down.”
Meanwhile, the second benefit of this slightly curved screen – a specific aspect of the new redesign that Samsung is focusing its marketing efforts on, involves what’s referred to as the “Information Stream.”
This, Kelion notes, “displays the time, weather and selected notifications on the curved part,” allowing for easy access to this information at the exact point in time that you require it.
The handset will launch in 20 countries starting April 10. Pricing for both models of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is yet to be announced.