Posts from: MWC 2014
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Benchmarking the Androids from MWC 2014

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We managed to do a few field tests while at the MWC, including several benchmarks. We collected them all into one post to make it easier to compare several of the more interesting new devices from the Cognress.

The set of phones spans the whole spectrum, from expensive flagships to affordable entry-level phones. Read more »

Some of the most popular Android apps are available on the Nokia X, here’s the list

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While handling the Nokia X phones we installed a couple of benchmarks from Nokia’s app store and it dawned on us that it will be interesting to find out just how rich the app store is on what is basically Day 1.

We opened Google Play Store on one of our standard Android phones and checked the Editor’s Choice and Top Free sections, then we searched for those apps on the Nokia’s. Read more »

Nokia X and XL camera samples

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The new Nokia X line of phones slot between the Lumia and Asha families and tout affordability as one of their key features. Still, the Nokia XL has a 5MP camera with a 1/4″ sensor, the same setup as the Lumia 520 (no 720p recording though). The Nokia X has a 3.15MP camera with a smaller, 1/5″ sensor.

We snapped photos with both for an early glimpse of what those cameras can deliver. Read more »

Nokia X and XL benchmarks

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Nokia X is a brand new platform but its app store felt acceptably full, considering it launched just a couple of days ago. There we found a couple of the usual benchmarks we run (there’s also the browser-based SunSpider) so we decided to find out how the Nokia X and XL stack up against the competition.

The Nokia X prioritizes affordability over performance, Nokia made it clear that Lumia is its top performer. Read more »

Where is Nokia going with this Android thing? [Editorial]

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Today at the Mobile World Congress 2014, Nokia has come up with its first foray into the Android world by announcing not one, but three Android devices, the X, X+ and XL.

The three smartphones run a heavily customized version of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). AOSP is all Android but without Google’s service baked in. Instead, Nokia has added its own services and Microsoft’s, too.

A promise of a full-featured 4-inch budget Android phone for 89 euro should be enough to show you Nokia is dead set on undercutting pretty much all smartphone competition out there. That would have been all fine and dandy if Nokia’s Devices division was not on its way to a full acquisition by Microsoft – one of Google’s biggest adversaries in the mobile space.

So we can’t help but ask ourselves, where is Nokia going with all this? Read more »

Samsung Gear Fit wristband is official with a 1.84-inch curved Super AMOLED display

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After yesterday Samsung unveiled the new duo of Gear smartwatches, today the Koreans announced a new addition to the Gear family called Fit.

As its name suggests, the Fit is aimed towards fitness enthusiasts and is a wristband with a 1.84” curved Super AMOLED display. It packs a resolution of 432 x 128 pixels and alerts you of incoming notifications. Read more »

Tizen-powered Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo hands-on

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Tizen OS was thrown into the fray at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona right away as Samsung announced the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches.

The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are pretty similar devices but the Neo omits the 2MP camera, for a reduced weight of 55g. The Gear 2 will weigh 68g. Read more »

LG L40 hands-on

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LG L40, a.k.a. Optimus L4 III, is the last and most compact of the new LIII series. It will be available next month in dual and triple SIM versions.

The L40 packs a 3.5″ IPS HVGA display with 165ppi density. It is powered by the Snapdragon 200 chipset with a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor, Adreno 302 graphics and 512MB of RAM. Read more »

LG L70 hands-on

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LG L70 is actually the third generation LG Optimus L7. It seems LG has decided on shortening the LIII series, which is actually a good thing.

The L70 looks a lot like the LTE-enabled F70, it is even built around the same 4.5″ IPS WVGA display. Read more »

Sony Xperia M2 hands-on

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So, the Xperia M2 is the leaked Xperia G that was supposed to challenge the Moto G.

Here’s a quick video demo of the Xperia M2 along with our initial impressions of the device. Read more »

Nokia XL hands-on

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The Nokia showroom floor at the MWC 2014 is chock full of people eager to see Android running on Nokia hardware. We’ve managed to get cozy with the Nokia XL for a minute and we’re now going to tell you all about it.

The Nokia XL features a 5″ IPS LCD display of WVGA resolution and it’s bad at all even though we’re used to seeing FullHD resolution on this sort of screen sizes. Read more »

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet hands-on

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Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is the successor of the popular Xperia Tablet Z. Just like its predecessor, the Z2 Tablet is water and dust resistant. It has upgraded water endurance though it can now go to a depth of up to 1.5 meters for a duration of 30 minutes.

The Xperia Z2 Tablet looks exactly like the Tablet Z – it is based on the OmniBalance design philosophy, which was introduced a year ago by the Xperia Z smartphone. It’s a really sleek design that scales impressively well to tablet size. Read more »

Nokia 220 and Asha 230 hands-on

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Nokia made the most headlines with the Android-powered X line of devices (X, X+ and XL) but did push the boundaries of affordability with the Nokia 220 and Asha 230. Both feature dual-SIM versions as well.

We got to spend some quality time with the 220 and Asha 230. The 220 starts at an insanely-low €29 while the Asha 230 starts at €45. Both devices we handled at the Mobile World Congress were yellow in color. Jump after the break for the impressions and images. Read more »

Sony Xperia Z2 hands-on

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Sony unveiled its first flagship for 2014, the Xperia Z2 smartphone. It revamps last year’s Z1 with a bigger screen, 4K video recording, stereo speakers, a lighter body plus a number of changes under the hood.

We got a chance to handle the device at the MWC grounds. Read more »

Sony unveils stereo microphone accessory for its Xperia gadgets

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When talking about smartphone camera quality, the main focus is the video quality, but quality audio often draws big attention. Sony released an unusual accessory – a stereo microphone you plug into your phone or tablet.

The Stereo Microphone STM10 is the type of add-on we’re more used to seeing on prosumer cameras. Read more »