T3 India

MWC 2017

MWC 2017: The week that was

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With the Mobile World Congress 2017 coming to an end yesterday, we witnessed a lot of interesting announcements and launches. For convenience, below is all the news covered throughout the 4 day period:

01) Nokia 3310 returns with some modern updates
02) And here is the rest of the Nokia lineup
03) Moto G5 and G5 Plus officially announced
04) LG G6 detailed, drops modular support
05) No smartphone announced by Samsung but here’s the Galaxy Tab S3
06) Samsung Galaxy books come pre-loaded with Windows 10
07) Gionee A series makes selfies a focal point
08) Huawei P10 and P10 Plus make changes, retain Leica lens
09) Huawei Watch 2 and Classic announced
10) Nubia brings lite version of N1
11) The final handset to be designed by Blackberry is the KEYone
12) Sony Xperia Touch brings us one step closer to Minority Report
13) HPE and Tata Comm team up to roll out largest IoT network in India
14) Panasonic CF-33 is the latest toughbook from the company
15) The HP Pro x2 is a rugged hybrid with a Wacom pen
16) First Gigabit smartphone is real and it’s from ZTE
17) Lenovo refreshes convertible range with Yoga 520 and Yoga 720
18) Presenting a laplet from Alcatel
19) Sony and the new Xperia quartet
20) Lenovo Tab 4 series will cater to both office goers and kids
21) Nokia and Airtel working together to bring 5G to India

MWC 2017: Nokia and Airtel working together to bring 5G to India

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Towards the end of the MWC 2017 in Barcelona came interesting news for India related to 5G networks. Nokia and Airtel are teaming up to bring 5G standard and Internet of Things (IoT) to the country by laying out a strategic road map for it. They also aim to build on 4G to provide the highest level of quality and reliability with regards to cost effectiveness, operations and power.

The 5G network promises tangible improvements in terms of network latency, peak data speeds and even introducing new features like network slicing. This will also let operators support growing number of consumers and ever increasing IoT devices with proper Quality of Service (QoS). It will also have the added benefit of laying the foundation for smart cities, connected vehicles among other things.

Both companies will be leveraging Nokia’s 5G FIRST end-to-end 5G solution which includes AirScale radio portfolio and AirFrame data centre platform to demonstrate 5G capabilities. The government is said to be making moves to adopt 5G network at a quicker pace in India.

MWC 2017: Lenovo Tab 4 series will cater to both office goers and kids

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Lenovo unveiled their latest Tab 4 series at the MWC consisting of 4 tablets. The series includes the Lenovo Tab 4 8 (pictured above), Lenovo Tab 4 10, Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus and Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus with the number indicating the screen size.

The Standard variants are powered by Snapdragon 425 SoC, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB storage, 2MP front and 5MP rear camera with a 1200×800 resolution display. The Plus versions make use of Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3/4GB RAM, 16/64GB storage, 5MP front and 8MP rear camera with a 1200×1920 resolution display. They are further equipped with a fingerprint sensor and a reversible USB 2 Type-C port with the back sporting a premium dual-glass design. The Tab 4 8 series runs on a 4850mAh battery while the 10 series have 7000mAh backup.

Lenovo is further offering them in two separate packages. The Kids pack includes a protective bumper, 3M stickers for screen protection and a blue light filter to cut down on harmful emissions. On the other hand, the Productivity pack allows users to convert their tablet into a proper 2-in-1 hybrid with a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. This mode will also feature a taskbar, fast app switching and multiple windows support.

The series will go on sale towards the end of Q2 2017 with no word on availability or pricing.

MWC 2017: Sony and the new Xperia quartet

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Sony announced four new smartphones in their Xperia range at MWC 2017 in Barcelona. All the devices are updated successors to the older models released early last year.

The Xperia XZ Premium is the flagship device boasting a Triluminous HDR display with 4K resolution powered by the latest hardware. The rear camera makes use of Sony’s Motion Eye camera system based on its 1/2.3″ Exmor R5 CMOS sensor providing five times faster scanning and data transfer. Super slow motion videos can be made at upto 960FPS. The front camera uses a 1/3.06″ Exmor RS sensor.

The Xperia XZs is the smaller 5.2″ variant based on last year’s Xperia XZ using a Triluminous display. The Xperia A1 and A1 Ultra are similar to the older Xperia XA in design but come with a few changes. Both share similar specs with the A1 being a more pared down version of the A1 Ultra. The main focus of the A1 Ultra are the cameras. The rear camera comes with f/2.0 aperture and Exmor RS image sensor with hybrid autofocus, 24mm wide angle lens and HDR mode. The front camera is equipped with f/2.0 aperture, front flash, 23mm wide angle lens and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS).

Sony will also be launching a variety of accessories which includes a Quick charger, Bluetooth Headset with speaker and matching Style cover stands. No word yet on when the range will be hitting locally.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium Specifications:
Display: 5.46″ IPS LCD, 2160p
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
GPU: Adreno 540
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 64 GB (expandable upto 256GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Nougat v7.1
Colour: Luminous Chrome, Deepsea Black
Size: 156x77x7.9mm
Weight: 195 g
Camera: 19MP rear, 13MP front
Battery: 3230mAh

Sony Xperia XZs Specifications:
Display: 5.2″ IPS LCD, 1080p
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
GPU: Adreno 530
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 32/64GB (expandable upto 256GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Nougat v7.1
Colour: Black, Warm Silver, Ice Blue
Size: 146x72x8.1mm
Weight: 161 g
Camera: 19MP rear, 13MP front
Battery: 2900mAh

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Specifications:
Display: 6″ IPS LCD, 1080p
CPU: Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20
GPU: Mali-T880MP2
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 32/64GB (expandable upto 256GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Nougat
Colour: White, Black, Gold, Pink
Size: 165x79x8.1mm
Weight: 188 g
Camera: 23MP rear, 16MP front
Battery: 2700mAh

Sony Xperia XA1 Specifications:
Display: 5″ IPS LCD, 720p
CPU: Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20
GPU: Mali-T880MP2
Memory: 3GB RAM
Storage: 32GB (expandable upto 256GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Nougat
Colour: White, Black, Gold, Pink
Size: 145x67x8mm
Weight: 143 g
Camera: 23MP rear, 8MP front
Battery: 2300mAh

MWC 2017: Presenting a laplet from Alcatel

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At the ongoing MWC 2017, French company Alcatel introduced a 4G enabled 2-in-1 hybrid. Dubbed the Alcatel Plus 12, the company refers to the device as a laplet (LAPtop+TABlet).

The Plus 2 sports an 11.6″ FHD IPS LCD powered by 1.1GHz Intel Celeron N3350 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage (32GB eMMC+32GB microSD) expandable upto 128GB via microSD, 5MP front camera and a 6900mAh battery. Sporting a premium brush effect finish, there are multiple ports on the device which include USB Type C, USB Type A, micro-HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The entire package weighs just under a kilo at 990 grams.

The device is aimed at business users which comes pre-installed with various productivity applications. Running on Windows 10, it makes full use of features like Windows Hello biometric identification, Cortana AI for voice searches and Ink for jotting down notes and annotations.

No word on a price or release date yet.