February, 2014

• 24 February

  With Galaxy S5, Samsung hopes substance wins over sizzle

  

  BARCELONA, Spain — Gone was the glitz and glamour of last year’s Samsung Galaxy S4 launch. Gone was the showy venue of Radio City Music Hall; in its place was Barcelona’s International Convention Center, more in the vein of a typical product launch, if a little larger. Related stories Best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 …

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• 24 February

  Broadcom aims to double Wi

  

  BARCELONA, Spain — Broadcom announced a new networking processor Monday that brings a faster flavor of the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard to mobile phones. The BCM4354 system-on-a-chip supports the 2×2 MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) technology, which can transfer data faster on a single frequency by using two transmitting antennas and two receiving antennas. The technology — at least when a …

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• 24 February

  SwiftKey’s fast

  

  It’s true, Nokia’s getting in on the Android game, and it’s bringing the best keyboard on the Android platform along for the ride. SwiftKey, hot on the heels of releasing SwiftKey Note for iOS users, has announced that its predictive keyboard is available for the Nokia X — and whatever other Android-powered phones may use the Nokia Store in the …

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• 24 February

  Nokia reveals the Nokia X ‘Android’ phone

  

  Previously codenamed Normandy, Nokia has used its MWC conference to unveil the Nokia X family — a range of phones that’s technically running Android, but with more than a few tweaks. The Nokia X at MWC. (Screenshot by Nic Healey/CNET) Described as a “three way mashup” the Nokia X isn’t just the smartphone itself, it’s also the name of the …

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• 24 February

  Panasonic debuts 5

  

  BARCELONA, Spain — Sporting a 5-inch HD display, a quad-core processor, and LTE capabilities, Panasonic’s latest two Toughpad tablets feel more like rugged smartphones than slates. The FZ-E1 runs Windows Embedded Handheld 8, while the FZ-X1 is an Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) device. Panasonic Toughpad tablets look a lot more like beefy smartphones (pictures) +13 more See all photos Like …

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• 24 February

  Fujitsu smart glove points to a good day at work

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Fujitsu smart glove works smarter, not harder 1:13 BARCELONA, Spain — It was just another day at the plant — until disaster struck! Fortunately it’s in situations like this that Fujitsu’s prototype Intelligent Glove combines augmented reality, NFC and wearable technology to save the day. When something goes wrong in the factory, on the oil rig, …

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• 24 February

  Samsung Gear Fit takes on dedicated fitness trackers

  

  Samsung may have shown the Gear 2 and Gear Neo before the start of MWC 2014, but it certainly kept the Gear Fit up its — ahem — sleeve. The Gear Fit. (Credit: Andrew Hoyle/CNET) More fitness tracker than smartwatch, the Gear Fit has a thin and curved design, with a Super AMOLED 1.84-inch screen with 432 x 128 resolution. …

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• 24 February

  Is the Samsung Galaxy S5 a genuine step forward?

  

  opinion It’s not the smartphone that many people were hoping for, but is the Galaxy S5 still a winner for Samsung? The S5’s integrated fitness app. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) Looking back on the list of rumoured specs for the Galaxy S5, it’s amazing how far off base they were. Metal body, 2K-res screen — at 5.25-inches, no less — and …

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• 24 February

  Samsung unveils Galaxy S5

  

  As expected, Samsung has shown off its next Galaxy flagship phone, the S5, at its Unpacked event at MWC. (Credit: Andrew Hoyle/CNET) At the jam-packed event hall in Barcelona, Samsung abandoned the Broadway-style skits of the S4 launch, opting for a full orchestra and a more restrained and sombre presentation. Sadly, the S5 didn’t get many of the rumoured features …

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• 24 February

  Tight on memory? SanDisk microSD cards hit 128GB

  

  BARCELONA, Spain — Those whose mobile phones or tablets are maxed out with photos, apps, and videos will be delighted to hear that flash memory card maker SanDisk announced a new microSD card with 128GB capacity. The company announced the new card, along with more modestly sized alternatives down to 8GB, at the Mobile World Congress here, where it’s showing …

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