Barcelona results: the brightest trends with the MWC 2017
The revolution in smartphones, super-capacious batteries, the emerging nostalgia for old tubes and driving from a smartphone. Here are some of the main trends noted at the International Mobile Technology Congress, held in Barcelona.
Crave for details? They are under the cut!
The International Mobile Congress, held in Barcelona in Spain, is an extremely curious event, where you can see not only new smartphones from almost all known and not so famous brands, but also get acquainted with technologies that make the world a better and more interesting. However, smartphones are in the first place in terms of interest. And this is understandable - today, the smartphone is the most advanced and relevant personal device, which brings together communication and entertainment functions. Therefore, we begin with them.
')
The main trend of this year, oddly enough, is not increased at times processor performance or memory capacity. Unfortunately, today there is no sharp jump. But a very substantial breakthrough was observed in the cameras for smartphones. And there is even something truly revolutionary. In addition to cameras, the developers did not ignore the problem of nutrition. And, interestingly, they began to look more and more actively not only into the future, but also into the past. But first things first.
Almost all leading manufacturers showed models with cameras created in collaboration with a well-known photo brand. For example, the partnership of Huawei and Leica presented the P10 smartphone with a dual camera and a two-time zoom of the main camera to the world.
Such a camera can easily compete even with mirrorless system cameras, the demand for which, by the way, has noticeably decreased. And all because of the improvement in the quality of shooting smartphones, which even experts from DxOMark began to award top marks.
Little main camera? Huawei also has a Leica camera built in front, so selfies lovers can boast pictures that any glamorous fashionista with Apple's smartphone would envy.
Not far behind Huawei and Oppo. And the reason for that is the fivefold optical zoom! The company presented the camera Oppo 5x Dual Camera Zoom. True, this is a prototype, which is not known when it appears in a real smartphone. But this does not detract from its merits and causes an increased interest not only among ordinary users, but also third-party producers.
To begin with, the Oppo 5x Dual Camera Zoom is a truly revolutionary product that can revolutionize the look at cameras in a smartphone. The developers have managed to create a "periscope" lens, in which the lenses and the sensor are located in a horizontal plane, and the image of them from the lens is transmitted using a special mirror. The thickness of this design is only 5.7 mm, which allows you to place it in most modern smartphones. In this case, the camera has a real optical 5x zoom! Thus, two questions were decided at once: how to fit the zoom lens into a thin smartphone without parts protruding beyond the dimensions and freeing up space for an optical stabilization mechanism? This is also a dual camera. Next to the usual lens is a wide-angle, with which you can shoot interesting panoramas.
Wide-angle cameras in the range presented and Korean LG. The company developed the success of last year’s G5 and V20 flagships using wide-angle shooting.
In the new LG G6 installed two 13-megapixel module: normal and 120-degree. But, the company is not the flagship one. In the middle segment, she also showed a smartphone with a wide-angle camera, but already frontal.
The future owners of the LG K10 can take selfies, in which their subscribers in social networks will see not only the faces in the whole picture, but also the background of what these faces were taken.
But Sony decided not to flirt with users of wide-angle lenses. But their flagship XZ Premium boasts a “rapid-fire” camera shooting at up to 960 frames per second!
This is not in every specialized video camera. Why do you need it? For example for shooting sports events, animals or children. Yes, anywhere you can find the use of this function, which allows you to immediately take a series of shots, from which you can choose one of the most clear or most interesting, depending on the requirements.
Another trend MWC-2017 - the struggle for autonomy. Yes, so far the vast majority of smartphones can work on one charge of not more than one light day. Some fall short of the day, but it is still very small. Unfortunately, here too, manufacturers are hampered by the capabilities of modern batteries and the laws of physics. Well, it is impossible to make a tiny battery that will work for at least two or three days. Yes, and we must admit that with the current power consumption of the element base of smartphones, the use of lithium-ion batteries is a dead end. What to do? Wait for the developers of new miniature low-cost batteries? Yes.
Photo: fonearena.com
But in order not to be bored while waiting for these new products, some companies are ready for experiments. For example, the record for battery capacity on the MWC-2017 is the Oukitel K10000 Pro, which has a battery of 10,100 mAh. If we consider that on board the device is not the most voracious processor, then you can believe that such a smartphone will easily live without recharging for three days of active use. It is clear that there is no question of any record dimensions here, and the thickness of the smartphone is already 13.8 mm. But the emphasis is on the duration of the battery life. And the Oukitel K10000 Pro is equipped with a quick charge function, with which the smartphone can be charged in just two hours. What is not a compromise, but rather an effective option?
But what if you want a thinner smartphone and a longer battery? Unfortunately, so far. But manufacturers are looking for workarounds, which is Meizu's Super mCharge super-fast charging technology. But here, formally, no magic. The technology is based on increasing the charging current, which allows filling a smartphone battery up to 80% in 20 minutes. Of course there are fears that this will adversely affect the durability of the battery. But if the owner is important that his gadget was charged in the shortest possible time, then compromises are unnecessary. In addition, Meizu said that empirically the company's engineers were convinced that the regular use of their technology reduces the battery life for some very short time. Well, let's see.
Paradoxically, some high-profile premieres were not absolute novelties, but turned out to be devoted to the revival of the once popular models. The loudest event was the return of the legendary Finnish phone Nokia 3310. Once it was one of the most popular mobile phones due to its durability, “long” battery and simple ergonomic interface. And now the Nokia 3310 is found among people for whom calls are important, and not Internet functions. And in February 2017, Nokia, ignoring the global demand for high-performance smartphones, suddenly announces a “revival of the legend”. And the attention of the press and visitors was immediately attracted to this simple “dialer”. True, with a restyled one for the sake of a modern “hipster” fashion with appearance, with different color solutions of the case and a better screen than before. Yes, another camera appeared there. Very modest, but now she is there. Who needs this phone, which can practically nothing but calls and SMS, at a time when you can buy an inexpensive smartphone for the same money ?! Hard to say. Apparently, most likely, it will be needed by those for whom the telephone is primarily a telephone, and not a multifunctional combine with hundreds of possibilities.
An example would be Eugene Kaspersky, head of Kaspersky Lab. In his speech at the MWC-2017, he showed the audience the Sony Ericsson C510 phone, which he is still actively using. This is the usual "dialer", worn from regular long-term use. But still quite working. And not only Kaspersky carries such a “dialer” in his pocket. The potential audience of push-button phones is still quite large. Therefore, the updated Nokia 3310 will definitely find its buyer. And if he is still nostalgic for the “signature” melodies and the snake, then in the near future we will see a lot of people talking on the Nokia 3310.
By the way, not only Nokia was noted in the nostalgic trend. Blackberry was also spotted there.
True, the company did not revive some of their half-forgotten hits, but approached the “nostalgia” more practical. BlackBerry KEYone is a completely modern smartphone with three gigabytes of RAM, the Android 7.1 Nougat operating system, the latest USB Type-C port and other chips. But! The appearance of the smartphone is classic for this company, with a keyboard under the screen. However, the keyboard here is not mechanical. Its surface is sensory, allowing to make "thumbing" gestures. In general, it turned out quite an interesting and organic device for those who have to type large amounts of text on a smartphone.
This is another trend of Barcelona. One way or another, but almost all automakers are working on creating models with autopilot functions. In this field, not only the leading automotive giants, but also companies such as Google and Apple have already noted. Everything goes to the fact that soon autopilots will become commonplace. To date, in the American Pittsburgh and in the capital of Malaysia, there are already fleets that fully exploit drones. And in this sense, it would be logical to control such vehicles using a smartphone or tablet.
For example, the car shown at the exhibition Robocar incorporates a high-performance Drive PX2 platform, created by the computer company known in the computer industry Nvidia. The same platform is used by dozens of other automakers, including Tesla.
The car body is equipped with 18 ultrasonic sensors, two speed sensors and six specialized cameras that allow you to fully control the situation around the car. And it is quite natural that such a “gadget” can and should be controlled using the owner’s mobile device - this is both logical and ergonomic.
However, if the Robocar is a kind of "gadget", then Peugeot Instinct is a very advanced thing. In autopilot mode, the concept is able to adapt to the current mood of the driver, hide the usual control mechanisms inside the panel, leaving only one 10-inch display with a voice chatbot accompanying it. The latter will help not only to quickly launch a movie with Netfix, but also to order movie tickets for the user.
Well, that's exactly what many companies see the very near future, when people will be surrounded by a lot of practical gadgets of any format and size.
What technologies and gadgets presented at the MWC did you notice?
Crave for details? They are under the cut!
The International Mobile Congress, held in Barcelona in Spain, is an extremely curious event, where you can see not only new smartphones from almost all known and not so famous brands, but also get acquainted with technologies that make the world a better and more interesting. However, smartphones are in the first place in terms of interest. And this is understandable - today, the smartphone is the most advanced and relevant personal device, which brings together communication and entertainment functions. Therefore, we begin with them.
')
The main trend of this year, oddly enough, is not increased at times processor performance or memory capacity. Unfortunately, today there is no sharp jump. But a very substantial breakthrough was observed in the cameras for smartphones. And there is even something truly revolutionary. In addition to cameras, the developers did not ignore the problem of nutrition. And, interestingly, they began to look more and more actively not only into the future, but also into the past. But first things first.
Cameras in smartphones
Almost all leading manufacturers showed models with cameras created in collaboration with a well-known photo brand. For example, the partnership of Huawei and Leica presented the P10 smartphone with a dual camera and a two-time zoom of the main camera to the world.
Such a camera can easily compete even with mirrorless system cameras, the demand for which, by the way, has noticeably decreased. And all because of the improvement in the quality of shooting smartphones, which even experts from DxOMark began to award top marks.
Little main camera? Huawei also has a Leica camera built in front, so selfies lovers can boast pictures that any glamorous fashionista with Apple's smartphone would envy.
Not far behind Huawei and Oppo. And the reason for that is the fivefold optical zoom! The company presented the camera Oppo 5x Dual Camera Zoom. True, this is a prototype, which is not known when it appears in a real smartphone. But this does not detract from its merits and causes an increased interest not only among ordinary users, but also third-party producers.
To begin with, the Oppo 5x Dual Camera Zoom is a truly revolutionary product that can revolutionize the look at cameras in a smartphone. The developers have managed to create a "periscope" lens, in which the lenses and the sensor are located in a horizontal plane, and the image of them from the lens is transmitted using a special mirror. The thickness of this design is only 5.7 mm, which allows you to place it in most modern smartphones. In this case, the camera has a real optical 5x zoom! Thus, two questions were decided at once: how to fit the zoom lens into a thin smartphone without parts protruding beyond the dimensions and freeing up space for an optical stabilization mechanism? This is also a dual camera. Next to the usual lens is a wide-angle, with which you can shoot interesting panoramas.
Wide-angle cameras in the range presented and Korean LG. The company developed the success of last year’s G5 and V20 flagships using wide-angle shooting.
In the new LG G6 installed two 13-megapixel module: normal and 120-degree. But, the company is not the flagship one. In the middle segment, she also showed a smartphone with a wide-angle camera, but already frontal.
The future owners of the LG K10 can take selfies, in which their subscribers in social networks will see not only the faces in the whole picture, but also the background of what these faces were taken.
But Sony decided not to flirt with users of wide-angle lenses. But their flagship XZ Premium boasts a “rapid-fire” camera shooting at up to 960 frames per second!
This is not in every specialized video camera. Why do you need it? For example for shooting sports events, animals or children. Yes, anywhere you can find the use of this function, which allows you to immediately take a series of shots, from which you can choose one of the most clear or most interesting, depending on the requirements.
Full tank
Another trend MWC-2017 - the struggle for autonomy. Yes, so far the vast majority of smartphones can work on one charge of not more than one light day. Some fall short of the day, but it is still very small. Unfortunately, here too, manufacturers are hampered by the capabilities of modern batteries and the laws of physics. Well, it is impossible to make a tiny battery that will work for at least two or three days. Yes, and we must admit that with the current power consumption of the element base of smartphones, the use of lithium-ion batteries is a dead end. What to do? Wait for the developers of new miniature low-cost batteries? Yes.
Photo: fonearena.com
But in order not to be bored while waiting for these new products, some companies are ready for experiments. For example, the record for battery capacity on the MWC-2017 is the Oukitel K10000 Pro, which has a battery of 10,100 mAh. If we consider that on board the device is not the most voracious processor, then you can believe that such a smartphone will easily live without recharging for three days of active use. It is clear that there is no question of any record dimensions here, and the thickness of the smartphone is already 13.8 mm. But the emphasis is on the duration of the battery life. And the Oukitel K10000 Pro is equipped with a quick charge function, with which the smartphone can be charged in just two hours. What is not a compromise, but rather an effective option?
But what if you want a thinner smartphone and a longer battery? Unfortunately, so far. But manufacturers are looking for workarounds, which is Meizu's Super mCharge super-fast charging technology. But here, formally, no magic. The technology is based on increasing the charging current, which allows filling a smartphone battery up to 80% in 20 minutes. Of course there are fears that this will adversely affect the durability of the battery. But if the owner is important that his gadget was charged in the shortest possible time, then compromises are unnecessary. In addition, Meizu said that empirically the company's engineers were convinced that the regular use of their technology reduces the battery life for some very short time. Well, let's see.
Forward to the past!
Paradoxically, some high-profile premieres were not absolute novelties, but turned out to be devoted to the revival of the once popular models. The loudest event was the return of the legendary Finnish phone Nokia 3310. Once it was one of the most popular mobile phones due to its durability, “long” battery and simple ergonomic interface. And now the Nokia 3310 is found among people for whom calls are important, and not Internet functions. And in February 2017, Nokia, ignoring the global demand for high-performance smartphones, suddenly announces a “revival of the legend”. And the attention of the press and visitors was immediately attracted to this simple “dialer”. True, with a restyled one for the sake of a modern “hipster” fashion with appearance, with different color solutions of the case and a better screen than before. Yes, another camera appeared there. Very modest, but now she is there. Who needs this phone, which can practically nothing but calls and SMS, at a time when you can buy an inexpensive smartphone for the same money ?! Hard to say. Apparently, most likely, it will be needed by those for whom the telephone is primarily a telephone, and not a multifunctional combine with hundreds of possibilities.
An example would be Eugene Kaspersky, head of Kaspersky Lab. In his speech at the MWC-2017, he showed the audience the Sony Ericsson C510 phone, which he is still actively using. This is the usual "dialer", worn from regular long-term use. But still quite working. And not only Kaspersky carries such a “dialer” in his pocket. The potential audience of push-button phones is still quite large. Therefore, the updated Nokia 3310 will definitely find its buyer. And if he is still nostalgic for the “signature” melodies and the snake, then in the near future we will see a lot of people talking on the Nokia 3310.
By the way, not only Nokia was noted in the nostalgic trend. Blackberry was also spotted there.
True, the company did not revive some of their half-forgotten hits, but approached the “nostalgia” more practical. BlackBerry KEYone is a completely modern smartphone with three gigabytes of RAM, the Android 7.1 Nougat operating system, the latest USB Type-C port and other chips. But! The appearance of the smartphone is classic for this company, with a keyboard under the screen. However, the keyboard here is not mechanical. Its surface is sensory, allowing to make "thumbing" gestures. In general, it turned out quite an interesting and organic device for those who have to type large amounts of text on a smartphone.
Auto and smartphones
This is another trend of Barcelona. One way or another, but almost all automakers are working on creating models with autopilot functions. In this field, not only the leading automotive giants, but also companies such as Google and Apple have already noted. Everything goes to the fact that soon autopilots will become commonplace. To date, in the American Pittsburgh and in the capital of Malaysia, there are already fleets that fully exploit drones. And in this sense, it would be logical to control such vehicles using a smartphone or tablet.
For example, the car shown at the exhibition Robocar incorporates a high-performance Drive PX2 platform, created by the computer company known in the computer industry Nvidia. The same platform is used by dozens of other automakers, including Tesla.
The car body is equipped with 18 ultrasonic sensors, two speed sensors and six specialized cameras that allow you to fully control the situation around the car. And it is quite natural that such a “gadget” can and should be controlled using the owner’s mobile device - this is both logical and ergonomic.
However, if the Robocar is a kind of "gadget", then Peugeot Instinct is a very advanced thing. In autopilot mode, the concept is able to adapt to the current mood of the driver, hide the usual control mechanisms inside the panel, leaving only one 10-inch display with a voice chatbot accompanying it. The latter will help not only to quickly launch a movie with Netfix, but also to order movie tickets for the user.
Well, that's exactly what many companies see the very near future, when people will be surrounded by a lot of practical gadgets of any format and size.
What technologies and gadgets presented at the MWC did you notice?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/402135/
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