This year’s edition of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona has been wrapped up. Unsurprisingly, there was less activity on the final day of the event. Here are some of latest announcements, including few other noteworthy ones that we have not yet talked about.
ZTE shows off SDN demo
On Thursday, ZTE Corporation demonstrated its new elastic software-defined networking (SDN) technology for the first time at the MWC. The SDN uses an IP radio access network (RAN) as well as operation and maintenance (OAM) system.
The solution is designed to help operators deal with the challenge of handling increasing mobile data traffic, as they strive to roll out 4G connections on large scale.
The company also announced a partnership with China Mobile to produce an integrated software-defined networking solution (iSDN) technology for next-gen Softnet Architecture for Mobile (SAME).
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge claims top device
It is usual practice for the best device unveiled at the MWC to be chosen on the last day of the event. The honour of best device for this year’s event went to the new Galaxy S6 Edge – meaning the Samsung flagship tops all handsets, tablets and other devices announced at the event.
The award for the curvy Galaxy S6 Edge makes it the second straight year that a device from its Korean maker emerged winner. The Samsung Gear Fit won the award last year.
HTC to switch to TouchPal keyboard on newer devices
Indication has emerged that future Android devices from HTC will no longer be fitted from factory with the Swype keyboard that many users have become accustomed.
Chinese firm TouchPal announced in Barcelona that its keyboard will now accompany newer HTC devices, possibly including the recently-launched One M9, according to Engadget. The new keyboard uses gesture-based input like its Swype rival.
Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X unveiled
Huawei is increasingly making its name by pushing out smartphones with great features at affordable prices. The brand has just unveiled two devices at the MWC, namely: the Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4x.
The Honor 6 Plus is the plus or upgraded version of the previously-released Honor 6, featuring a 5.5-inch IPS-Neo, full-HD (1080p) display, 13MP main camera with dual lens and a 1.8GHz, octa-core processor. The Honor 4X is a mid-range smartphone also with a 5.5-inch HD display, 13MP rear camera and a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz.
Rambus introduces Lensless Smart Sensor
The name of this company might not ring a bell. Rambus is the company behind the RDRAM (Rambus DRAM) and XDR DRAM, which is provided in PlayStation 2 and 3. It was again at the MWC this year to show off its latest solid-state Lensless Smart Sensor (LSS).
The minuscule sensor is designed for Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets and comes with improved power efficiency.
Nokia N1 Tablet unleashed
Ordinarily, one would have thought Nokia was done releasing mobile devices after its acquisition by Microsoft. Wrong. The Finnish company has unveiled a new low-cost tablet called Nokia N1.
Nokia ditched its own OS to run the new device on the latest Android 5.0 (Lollipop) – a stock version at that. The Nokia N1, which flaunts an aluminium unibody design, features a large 7.9-inch display with 1536 x 2048-pixel resolution.
It is powered by a quad-core, 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor clocked at an impressive 2.3GHz, backed by PowerVR G6430 GPU and 2GB RAM.
Archos unveils three tablets, including 256GB model
Archos has raised the bar in the tablet segment by unveiling three new devices at the MWC. One of these is Archos 94 Magnus tablet, which crams in 256GB internal storage space and features a 9.4-inch display and 1.5GB RAM. The other two are Archos 101 Magnus tablets, including a 10.1-inch Plus version.
The Archos 101 Magnus Plus has better features and comes with a powerful 7000mAh battery.