Here's A precap from the Mobile World Congress 2015

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BY Unknown 20:00 0

Here's A precap from the Mobile World Congress 2015

The Mobile World Congress is one of the biggest events in the mobile industry and it's about to start this very Sunday.

As usual, the event is held in sunny Barcelona, where key industry players will present their latest products.

With so many product announcements happening in a few short days, it's bound to get confusing, so we though we'd come up with this cheat sheet to help you follow your favorite brands.

MWC 2015 at a glance

DEVICES	PRESS CONFERENCE	DATE
LG Watch Urbane LTE CONFIRMED	N/A	SUNDAY MARCH 1
	Over March 1, 11:30 Barcelona
Huawei Ascend P8CONFIRMED	Over March 1, 13:30 Barcelona / 07:30 New York
HTC One M9CONFIRMED HTC One M9 PlusRUMORED HTC PetraRUMORED	38 mins, 14 secs March 1, 16:00 Barcelona / 10:00 New York / 23:00 Taipei.
	38 mins, 14 secs March 1, 16:00 Barcelona / 10:00 AM New York
Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge CONFIRMED Samsung Z1 and Z2 UNLIKELY Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 RUMORED	3 hours, 8 mins, 14 secs March 1, 18:30 Barcelona / 12:30 New York
Lumia 635RUMORED Lumia 1330RUMORED Lumia 640 RUMORED	17 hours, 8 mins, 14 secs March 2, 8:30 Barcelona / 02:30 New York	MONDAY MARCH 2
BlackBerry Z20 RUMORED	N/A	TUESDAY MARCH 3
Sony Xperia M4 AquaCONFIRMED Sony Xperia Z4 TabletCONFIRMED	No event	NO EVENT SCHEDULED
Meizu MX4 (w/ Ubuntu Touch) CONFIRMED	N/A

Samsung

The largest smartphone manufacturer is preparing to blast through MWC with a flagship duo in the face of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Dubbed "Galaxy Unpacked 2015", the event is scheduled for March 1, and for what we know so far, the focus will fall on smartphones.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 AND GALAXY S6 EDGE

According to the latest pieces of evidence, the Galaxy S6 will house a 5" QHD Super AMOLED display and set benchmarks on fire with an Exynos 7420 chipset with an octa-core CPU and 3GB of RAM. At the back, there's a 16MP camera with dual LED flash. Samsung is also equipping the Galaxy S6 with a touch-operating fingerprint sensor, which is a major update over the previous, swipe-based one.

The Galaxy S6 Edge on the other hand will pack a curved display. The latest leaked photos indicate that the phone's display is curved on both the left and right sides. In terms of specs, it's believed to be identical to its regular brother, but nothing is confirmed just yet.

SAMSUNG Z1 AND Z2

Samsung usually has one of the largest booths at the MWC floor and it's likely that we'll see the Samsung Z2. The handset pioneers Tizen OS and has already sold over 100,000 units in India and Bangladesh. Rumor has it that the Samsung Z2 is in the works already, but it's unlikely a prototype will visit Barcelona.

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S2

Recent chatter about the company's tablet line-up includes the Galaxy Tab S2 - a successor to the company's Super AMOLED line-up of slates that debuted last year. Rumor has it that the tablet will be thinner than the iPad Air 2, which measures 6.1mm.

While we don't have our hopes too high up to see the tablet at MWC 2015, it'll certainly be nice. If the rumors are true, we should expect the new Tab S tablets to come in 8" and 9.7" options.

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_unpacked_2015_event_is_on_march_1-news-11025.php

HTC

Samsung won't be alone in the announcement of flagship smartphones as HTC is expected to put up more than a decent fight with the debut of the One M9. The successor to one of the most beautiful smartphones launched in 2014 promises to fix all the One M8 issues, while keeping all the awesome stuff like aluminum build and front stereo speakers.

HTC ONE M9

Current evidence points that the HTC One M9 will rock a Snapdragon 810 chipset with an octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM and a 20.7MP camera, which replaces the unsatisfactory 4MP UltraPixel snapper of the One M8. However, this same UltraPixel camera is anticipated to take place at the front as a secondary camera.

The One M9 display will remain unchanged at 5" with 1080p resolution. Expect a 2,900mAh battery and a microSD card slot on board as well.

HTC ONE M9 PLUS

A larger, phablet-like version of the One M9 dubbed the One M9 Plus is possible to make an appearance, too. While details are scarce, we've seen evidence pointing at a 5.5" Super LCD3 display of QHD resolution - a first for an HTC smartphone. Additional rumored specs of HTC One M9 Plus include Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 20.7MP camera, and Android 5.0 Lollipop. A leaked press image from last month points at fingerprint scanner as well.

While it's not yet confirmed, it's not out of the realm of possibility to see a fingerprint scanner as well. The company isn't expected to out any mid-range smartphones, but the recently announced Desire 626 is certainly going to be on display at the company's

HTC PETRA

The HTC Petra is the codename for the company's wearable device. It's expected to be a fitness and sport accessory with IP57 certification. The wearable will communicate with smartphones over Bluetooth though it should have its own GPS receiver. The screen will be a flexible 1.8″ PMOLED with 160 x 32 resolution. The whole thing will weigh just 23g, but pack enough battery to last three days.

Microsoft

Microsoft will balance its MWC 2015 presence with both hardware and software announcement, as the company has been focusing on opening up its software services for both Android and iOS.

LUMIA 635

The Redmond-based company is likely to launch an updated version of the Lumia 635 with a bump in RAM. While the rest of the specifications are expected to remain unchanged, we're open to seeing more updates under the hood of the device.

LUMIA 1330

Joining it could be the successor to the Lumia 1320 - the Lumia 1330. Sporting the model number RM-1062, the upcoming device is tipped to pack Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, 1GB of RAM, and 5.7" 720p display, and 32GB of onboard storage. The device's main camera is said to be a 14MP PureView unit, coupled with a 5MP front-facing snapper.

Sony

Sony is experiencing rough times in its mobile department, but nevertheless, the company is going to have a solid presence at MWC 2015. We're in for a smartphone and a tablet launch, namely the Xperia M4 Aqua and the Xperia Z4 Tablet.

SONY XPERIA M4 AQUA

There's not much information regarding the Xperia M4 Aqua at this point. We can deduce that the phone will be IP68 certified like the M2 Aqua before it. The M4 Aqua will also run with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.

SONY XPERIA Z4 TABLET

In the tablet space, Sony is preparing the ultra-thin Xperia Z4 Tablet, which leaked out a few days ago to sport a 10" 2K display (2048 x 1080 pixels). A leaked description on Sony's Xperia Lounge app points to "the latest ultra-fast processor", which could be the octa-core residing in the Snapdragon 810 chipset.

We'll know everything about the two products on Monday, March 2 when the company will be holding its press conference. More details and, hopefully, a live stream to come.

Huawei

Huawei is preparing a wearable and a smartphone for its MWC event on March 1.

HUAWEI ASCEND P8

The company is likely to reveal the Huawei Ascend P8. It's going to be powered by Huawei's latest Kirin 930 chipset, which is the first to be made using 16nm process technology. It will sport a 5.2″ Full HD screen as well as dual cameras from the Honor 6 Plus (the device might even get an upgrade to dual-13MP main cameras), and will pack a 2600mAH battery.

The smartwatch, which hasn't had its name leaked yet, will sport 4G LTE connectivity and is destined to rival the Samsung Gear S.

LG

LG WATCH URBANE LTE

LG seems to skip on smartphone announcements at this year's Mobile World Congress. The company will focus on showcasing its Watch Urbane LTE instead and we can't wait to feel its premium traits.

Acer

Acer will not be skipping on announcements in Barcelona and the company has teased new phones and a wearable for MWC 2015. Specifics are a mystery at this point, but from the teaser image the company shared, we're in for some good looking devices.

Meizu

MEIZU MX4 UBUNTU

Meizu will be showcasing the MX4 running three different operating systems - the traditional Flyme 4.0,the new YunOS, and the much anticipated Ubuntu Touch. This is the second Ubuntu Touch smartphone after the BQ Aquaris and with more powerful hardware, the Meizu MX4 should run it a lot better.

BlackBerry

BLACKBERRY Z20

Finally, BlackBerry is making an appearance at MWC 2015. The company is holding a press conference in Barcelona, but virtually nothing has been leaked so far. There were indications later last year that the company will launch the BlackBerry Z20, which will slot in between the Z3 and Z30.

BlackBerry Z20 features Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 with 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU and 2GB of RAM. A 5" 720p touchscreen, 8MP main camera, 2MP front-facing snapper, and 2,800mAh non-removable battery are also tucked into the device's 9.5mm thick body.a

Microsoft jumps the gun on the Lumia 640 and 640 XL news post

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Microsoft jumps the gun on the Lumia 640 and 640 XL news post

The Lumia 640 has been popping up in various rumors throughout the past month or so. The Windows Phone handset was rumored to make an appearance at MWC 2015 and even though you never know untill it official, the upcoming unveiling of the smartphone is beyond any doubt now.

The company's official news center jumped the gun earlier today and released an article for the device, confirming its existence. This is a substantial lip up on Microsoft's part, but what makes it particularly juicy is that the article also refers to another, previously unknown phone, dubbed the Lumia 640 XL.

According to a previous leak the Lumia 640 is allegedly a dual SIM smartphone that sports integrated digital television (DTV) and supports 3G and Bluetooth 4.0. Judging from the XL moniker, we can only assume that the other device will be a larger version of the handset, just like the Nokia XL was to the Nokia X.

The article itself was naturally quickly taken down, but thanks to Google's helpful web crawlers a cached version is still available, sowing the article's title and original URL. The leak does not really disclose any info about the two devices, but it does proclaim their existence and definitely elevates expectations for Microsoft's Barcelona event, set for tomorrow, March 2, at 08:00 GTM+1.

Exclusive: Gionee Elife S7 leaks ahead of launch at MWC

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Exclusive: Gionee Elife S7 leaks ahead of launch at MWC

Gionee will be announcing the Elife S7 at MWC tomorrow on March 2. But before that, we have some exclusive images of the upcoming slim smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer.

Gionee Elife S7 is said to be 5.5mm thick, which is about the same as the S5.5 but slightly more than the S5.1. It is said to be running on a 64-bit processor, although whether it will be a MediaTek or Qualcomm chipset is not yet known. Also, as you can see from the images, the phone is running on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

   

Other than that you can expect a 13 megapixel camera and a 5.0-inch display with 720p resolution.

More details when the phone is officially announced tomorrow.

Windows 10 to bring USB OTG functionality

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Windows 10 to bring USB OTG functionality

Microsoft is slowly but steadily catching up to Android, and is planning to bring USB OTG capabilities along with Windows 10. The feature has been supported on Google’s OS since its 3.1 version, and by now has become virtually ubiquitous.

The official announcement will take place at the Windows Hardware Engineering Community event, which will be held a couple of weeks from now on March 18-19 in Schenzhen.

A dedicated briefing will detail the usage scenarios of the new functionality. The wired connectivity will allow your Windows smartphone to interact with USB peripherals or set up an external display for you laptop, both using the new USB Type-C connector.

USB Dual Role specifies the power supply source of the link between the two connected devices, with the OTG A-device being the source and also the initial host. The host/peripheral relation can be exchanged at a latter stage.

Alternate mode support is also in the works, offering MHL, Thunderbolt and DisplayPort connectivity over the same USB Type-C port. Adding to that, a Power Delivery protocol will enable devices to supply/draw up to 100W of power over USB.

Acer Liquid M220 is a €79 entry-level Windows Phone

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Acer Liquid M220 is a €79 entry-level Windows Phone

Acer announced three Android smartphones and one Windows Phone device at a pre-MWC event today in Barcelona. The Windows Phone 8.1-powred Liquid M220 is an entry-level device with a 4" display and a dual-core processor.

Acer Liquid M220 features a 4" WVGA screen, runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM, and offers 5MP rear camera, 4GB expandable storage and dual-SIM functionality. It also sports a 2MP front snapper and a 1,300 mAh battery.

  Acer Liquid M220

The Liquid M220 runs on Windows Phone 8.1 by default, but it will be updated to Windows 10 once the new OS kicks off later this year.

Acer Liquid M220 will become available in the EMEA markets starting this April at €79. It will come in two flavors - Mystic Black and Pure White

Acer outs a pair of Liquid Z phones and Liquid Jade Z

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Acer outs a pair of Liquid Z phones and Liquid Jade Z

Acer has just lifted the curtains of its MWC 2015 Android line-up of smartphones. The trio of phones includes a pair of Liquid Z devices and the Liquid Jade Z.

Starting off with the Acer Liquid Jade Z, which is the higher tier offering from the company. Featuring a 64-bit MediaTek CPU, the phone is built around a 5" 720p display. Acer uses a new Zero Air Gap technology on the unit, too, in addition to a Gorilla Glass 3 layer for protection.

  
Acer Liquid Jade Z

The Acer Liquid Jade Z is LTE-ready and weighs 110 grams and its body is 7.9mm thin. Visually, the phone is reminiscent of the Liquid Jade S, which isn't a bad thing at all. At the back, there's a 13MP snapper with LED flash, while a 5MP front-facing camera takes care of video chatting and selfies.

The Liquid Z220 packs a 4" display, while the Liquid Z520 has a 5" - both with WVGA resolution (233ppi and 186ppi pixel densitym respectively). Under the hood, the Liquid Z520 packs a Snapdragon 400 with a quad-core CPU and 1GB of RAM, while the Liquid Z220 makes do with a Snapdragon 200 chipset with dual-core CPU.

Acer Liquid Z550

The two differ in the main camera department, as the Liquid Z520 has an 8MP camera with LED flash, while the Z220 has a 5MP shooter, again coupled with an LED flash.

Acer has packed the Liquid Z520 with DTS studio sound speaker at the back.

Acer Liquid Z220

In terms of pricing, the Liquid Z220 and Liquid Z520 will launch in March and April, respectively. The Liquid Z520 will retail for €109, while the Liquid Z220 will be €89. The Acer Liquid Jade Z will be out in March with a €199 price tag.