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This week Barcelona, Spain, is playing host to the Mobile World Congress (MWC), a huge annual trade show for the mobile industry. The short and skinny: The next year, and next generation, of mobile devices looks good.

Breaking News has a list of 11 eye-catching devices from the show. Among them are:

  • The HTC One M9 , which, while retaining the looks of its predecessor, contains a new and improved operating system and more advanced hardware.
  • The HTC Vive , a virtual reality headset that can work with 3D gaming, social media, and anything else that’s better done “beyond the room you’re in.”
  • Samsung’s newest smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge , which feature new metal casing, wireless charging, and new security add-ons.
  • The Panasonic Dropcam , a wireless, 4G-connected smart camera that records in five-, 10-, and 15-second bursts following motion sensor activation.
  • The Blackberry Leap , which is aimed at businessmen who need a cheaper, but still functional, smart phone alternative.

Have you seen coverage of anything else at MWC that caught your eye?

22 Spice ups
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Not yet looking for new smart watches, i am hoping for a new moto 360

1 Spice up
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Two of them looked pretty cool! Check out the LG Urbane smartwatch and Huawei Watch .

2 Spice ups
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Ya i saw those and they are on my radar, i have the Samsung Gear S as of now, but i have been a big fan of the moto 360, just didnt want to buy it yet until the next version came out. I rather have a 2nd Gen device since its always better

1 Spice up
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That’s like calling the Toyota Yaris “aimed at young people who need a cheaper, but still functional, car alternative”.

Neither are an alternative, they are what they are, the Blackberry Leap is a smartphone… or is Blackberry trying to down-play the fact that they’re running a lackluster OS on dated hardware who’s major feature is being able to run apps from their competitor natively…

Three words: Pebble Time Steel

:wink:

2 Spice ups
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As far as Smart Watches Pebble just came up with something new. A wrist band that is more than just a way of attaching the watch to your arm:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-time-awesome-smartwatch-no-compromises/posts

Still waiting on an indoor/outdoor Dropcam that doesn’t require a case. My Logitech Alert cams are reaching EOL after only 2.5 years and for some reason they have tripled in price since I purchased them.

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I want a smartwatch but I am going with the pebble because of battery life. I love the look of the Moto 360 and each of the ones Aaron W linked to but I don’t want to have to worry about my watch dieing during the day.

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To be fair the Moto does last a very usable 8-9 hours or so, it’s not like we’re talking it kicking the bucket during lunch, but on the way home from the office, so you know, useful :wink:

Also, regarding MWC, Ikea’s showing was probably the most interesting.

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That is nice but since I have my full time work plus my business on the side I am usually not home till 9:00 pm, maybe later and I leave at 6:30 am so hence my dilemma, stylistically I prefer the Moto 360 but functionality and battery life dictate moving towards the pebble.

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@Paragraph - Who need better hardware, when OS is not optimized for it? Today mobile CPUs are only numbers, MOAR gigahertz, MOAR cores (almost the same as resolutions in phones - who need 4K in 4,5" phone?)

I own BlackBerry Q5 - and even if specs are “outdated” - system is very snappy, without any lags (BB OS 10.3 FTW). Android apps are slower, but it’s acceptable for me.

3 Spice ups
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Am I the only one who roots his phones on here…LOL…

2 Spice ups
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I will be excited for the HTC One M9 if they release a Windows Phone version like they did with the M8.

1 Spice up
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The Huawei watch is awesome. And it actually looks like a watch, not some block on your arm.

1 Spice up
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Oh I completely agree, I’m not asking blackberry to feed into the 4ghz 16 Core 128bit nonsense that everyone is chasing now, but the 1.5ghz Dualie that was in the Z10 wasn’t exactly snappy then, even if the OS was “optimized” for that hardware, and it’s still not any better. Perhaps the Q5 works a bit better due to the smaller screen, I’m not sure, but when I was using the Z10 I was less than impressed, it felt sluggish in the same way picking up an S4 would be now, you know it’s working “fine” but you’ve had better and you want better from it. (and frankly it’s because Blackberry OS is very memory hungry and generally bloaty…)

The unfortunate reality here is that they needed the economy phone option, how many carriers are subsidizing their hardware? As far as I know it’s only Verizon in the US. If you compare out of pocket here, that puts the Leap firmly in Flagship (on contract) territory, a market they can’t compete with.

Ultimately:

The “Cult of Blackberry” firmly divided into two parts back in 2007. Those that love the iPhone and those that love the Keyboard. Blackberry lost it’s market share the same way the Motorolla Razr lost it’s when the Blackberry went mainstream, in order to really survive they need to keep the keyboard where it is and cater to those who really only think blackberry is “better for business” because of the keyboard.

Just my $0.02

1 Spice up
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When do you charge your phone, one thing that people keep saying is battery life but to be fair when you get home dont you charge your phone, the moto 360 comes with a wireless charger so its just a matter of dropping it on the charger next to your night stand or wherever you charge your phone.

Just my 2 cents :slight_smile:

1 Spice up
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Nothing has really tickled my fancy. The S6 is a disappointment with no external battery or SD card. I guess the 1 thing that has me saying WOW was Sandisk’s 200GB sd card.

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I agree with most about battery life, I am looking for ward to my next phone with wireless charging. Cut the cord I say.Phone, text and note taking when I get a big idea is all I need. Maybe a game or 2.

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This is like the automobile market…stalled out…now we accessorize…old models…and make Hundais look like Hondas

1 Spice up
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Nothing interesting thus far in this round. The only hand I’m waiting to see played is the new flagship Lumia (whenever Microsoft gets around to it I guess) and whether or not it’s any good. =P

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I want a Galaxy S6 Edge because it looks premium, it brings out the superficial in me. I am ignoring the fact that it doesn’t allow for SD card expansion or have a removable battery or have waterproofing or etc…