All the talk in the technology news has been centred on the Mobile World Congress currently taking place in Barcelona which comes to an end on the 5th March. Major technology giants were present and showing off new product ranges and technologies that set them apart from their competitors.
Ford e-bikes
A lot of recent technology talk has been involved with driverless cars which make this a good chance for Ford to promote their “e-bike”. The electric bicycle is part of a plan to extend Ford’s environmental footprint beyond their cars.
There will be two models, for commercial and courier use, which will be linked to a smartphone app in order to help the navigation system. With no set release date it will be interesting to see how this plan unfolds and whether the product is successful because it may set a precedent for the driverless car.
Interested? Find out more about the products here.
Gaming headsets are on trend
Facebook last year bought out Oculus, a goggle-like headset which gives users a virtual reality feel, specifically for the gaming market. Competing in this sector, Sony and HTC premiered a new range of gaming goggles at this year’s MWC, their products called Project Morpheus and Vive respectively.
The machines will give users a 3D feel of a gaming environment, taking us one step closer to making a game feel like reality. Whereas the HTC products are prepared for and expected to be sold later this year for the online gaming service, Steam; Sony headsets for their own brand, PS4 and looking at a 2016 release date.
Keep an eye out for news from Microsoft and Samsung, who are also bringing out versions of headsets.
Interested? Follow the respective links to find out more about the Sony and HTC products.
Ikea has made phone charging furniture
Ikea is tackling the issue of short smartphone battery. It is generally agreed that users find it hard to get through a day with their phone without losing a significant amount of battery charge. With the use of smartphones increasing, Ikea has unveiled furniture fitted with wireless charging spots for mobile devices.
The Home Smart range includes furniture such as lamps, bedside tables and coffee tables. They will also include charging pads. The Ikea products are still incompatible with many iPhone and Samsung models; however, the Swedish brand will sell charging covers for these models.
Interested? Find out more about the products here.
Blackberry takes big steps into the smartphone market
Blackberry has previously brought out all touchscreen phones, but with their newest model “Blackberry Leap”, the Canadian company have shown their intention to become rivals with their smartphone competitors. Due to the sales of Blackberry falling every year since 2011, the company’s Chief Executive has made a U-turn on his intent to keep the phone “very keyboard-centric”.
Entering a crowded market will be difficult for Blackberry, whose sales have dramatically dropped from 51.5 million handsets in 2011 – to 18.6 million in 2013 – to 7.9 million last year. They are therefore looking to compete with mid-range product lines most likely from Nokia and Sony.
Interested? Find out more about the product here.
Samsung to bring out a curved phone
The Samsung Galaxy, regarded by many as the iPhone’s biggest competitor, is set to bring out two versions of the model later this year. One of which, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, will have a curved screen and be sold at a higher price than the standard model because the company consider it to provide a faster way to stay in touch with contacts and alert owners to information.
The new S6 will also have fingerprint sensors that will be able to detect through metal. Both models go on sale on 10 April in the UK and 20 other countries. Is a curved screen really necessary? Samsung seems to think so after a year which has seen a dip in their share price.
Interested? Find out more about the products here.
Sony and Microsoft target mid-range phone market
Microsoft and Sony have decided to hold off unveiling their latest premium phones at the MWC. Microsoft will wait until they release the Windows 10, while Sony is currently focusing on “broadening their customer base” and expected to reveal a new high-end product sooner rather than later this year.
This is recognised as a shrewd move by both because the mid-range market is quickly becoming the most competitive mobile environment. Furthermore, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 is receiving the most mobile attention at the MWC; Sony and Microsoft have avoided being overshadowed.
They have added snazzy features to make them stand out in the market. Whereas the Sony M4 Aqua is waterproof, Microsoft’s Lumia 640 can hold two sim cards at the same time. And if these weren’t enough to choose from – LG, Motorola and ZTE have all unveiled new mid-range items.
Interested? Click to find out more about the Sony M4 Aqua and Lumia 640.
Tablets are not the future, are smartwatches?
They might not be direct competitors, but as a technology trend and an item which one may spend disposable income on, this may a future development. The sales of tablets globally have not only slowed down, they have decreased throughout 2014. If this continues, it is predicted that PCs and smartphone sales will increase.
Huawei and LG, using Android wear, were the two companies promoting their new product lines. With Apple releasing their watch in April, accompanied by a big budget marketing campaign, the sales in this sector could really rise. By bringing a lot of attention into this sector, the Android watches should benefit too.
Interested? Click to find out more about Huawei and LG watches.