As the world watches a showcase of mobile devices, the Mobile World Conference 2014 (MWC) surprises us again. This year, the MWC was held in Barcelona from Feb. 24–27, and lots of trending brands released their latest phones, tablets, and wearable devices on the congress, including Samsung, Nokia, BlackBerry, and more.
Samsung unveiled its new flagship, the Galaxy S5. It looks pretty much the same as the Galaxy S4, and the hardware is also similar, except for a larger 5.1-inch 1080p Amoled screen and a 16 megapixels rear camera.
The Galaxy S5 is equipped with a fingerprint scanner and a heart rate sensor, which enhances security, health, and fitness respectively. The Galaxy S5 will be launched in April.
Moreover, Samsung also introduced its latest smartwatches. The Gear 2 ditches Android and uses Tizen, an open-source operating system, which not only extends battery life but shows a sense of independence. It comes with a 2.0-megapixels camera and a heart rate sensor, and is compatible with “dozens” of Samsung smartphones. A music player is added, as well as the Health 3.0 app.
The Gear Fit is another newly released Samsung wearable device. The appearance is attractive and completely different from the Gear 2, but has less functions.
Nokia was another focus of this year’s MWC, as it unveiled the Nokia X series for the entry market. Both the Nokia X and X+ are equipped with a four-inch screen and a heavily modified Android system. Thousands of Android applications will be available on the new X series, including BBM, Skype, and OneDrive instead of Google’s cloud. The Nokia X is launching immediately for about $136, and the Nokia X+ will land in Q2 for about $151.
Waterloo-based company BlackBerry is expected to launch a new five-inch, all-touch device Z3 in Indonesia this April. Pictures indicate the four corners of the Z3 are sharp, unlike the current flagship Z10 and Z30. BlackBerry will also launch a new QWERTY device Q20 in the second half of this year.
