CAT’s latest S60 smartphone went official earlier this week, and it is beyond interesting. It is the first smartphone to offer unseen before water resistance – up to 5 meters deep, but it is also the first smartphone to pack a thermal camera.

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Tablets didn’t kill PCs, they made them stronger. In fact, PCs like the Huawei Mate Book became the best tablets around. This is a hybrid device – the tablet holds all the smarts, the keyboard lends support but can be detached when not needed.

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Microsoft planned a rather modest presence at MWC 2016, without any spectacular announcements or technology demos, like many of its competitors. Still, the US giant was kind enough to bring the recently-announced Lumia 650 to the venue, which gave us the perfect opportunity for a first hands-on…

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As previously scheduled, Oppo held its MWC press conference today, but sadly no new handsets were unveiled at the Barcelona venue. Still, the Chinese giant did not disappoint the eager crowd and brought a couple of interesting new technologies to showcase.

Besides Super VOOC charging technology, which we already covered, the OEM also unveiled its latest inovating in mobile photography – SmartSensor Image Stabilization.

Oppo claims that this is not only the first sensor-based image stabilization technology on mobile, but also the smallest stabilizer in the world. In essence, the technology is similar to the one seen in many sensor-based mirrorless cameras, just shrunk down to size.

While this may make it sound pretty straight-forward, it’s quite advanced. Current OIS systems typically rely on a system where the lens moves to compensate for vibrations, generally through the use of spring mechanisms. In contrast, the new system moves the sensor itself around through a voltage-driven sensor drive.

Oppo claims that this breakthrough tech has quite a few advantages over the optical-based ones. For one, it is a lot faster with movements taking as little as 15 milliseconds, as opposed to 50ms in OIS. It is also a lot more precise and able to correct vibrations as little as 0.3 μm, which is about a third of the size of a typical mobile sensor pixel. Also, whereas lens systems only work on two axes, Oppo’s SmartSensor can make corrections to the pitch, yaw and roll axis. Last, but not least, it offers reduced power consumption.

Just like the impressive Super VOOC technology, this all sounds very promising, but, sadly, there was no word as to if and when we might see the technology make its way into actual…

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Microsoft had a small presence at the MWC, mostly to show off the new Lumia 650. It’s hard to pin down where this phone belongs – it combines a premium metal frame and OLED screen with low-end specs.

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Oppo held a special press event today at the MWC in Barcelona and announced a new Super VOOC charging, which will be utilized by future Oppo headsets. Unfortunately, they don’t have a product to utilize it just yet.

The Super VOOC is capable of recharging a 2,500 mAh battery in just 15 minutes. It can also achieve about 45% of charge in 5 minutes.

The new VOOC charging works over both microUSB and USB Type-C ports and requires the new Super VOOC Flash Charger plug, a new special cable, and a connector made from high-quality military-grade materials. Oppo will be adding support for Super VOOC in its upcoming smartphones, once the technology is ready for mass production.

The Super VOOC charges at 5V but is capable of directly transmitting the power to the battery without any voltage conversion. This way they are able to achieve up to 97% of charging efficiency.

And here is more about the process:

VOOC Flash Charge added an intelligent MCU chip (flash core) in the adapter in order to achieve revolutionary voltage open-loop and multi-stage, constant-current charging.

VOOC Flash Charge creatively changes circuit topologies, meanwhile creates an all-side, five-level protection technique from the adapter to the interface as well as the device, securing the safety as well as the speed.

Because of the difference in charging mechanism and efficiency, the temperature of a smartphone using VOOC Flash Charge remains significantly lower during the charging process than a phone using a high-voltage solution. VOOC Flash Charge-enabled devices will heat up by a maximum of only 3.3 degrees Celsius.

Because temperatures can be regulated so effectively during charging with VOOC Flash Charge, the smartphone can safely be used during the charging process. For instance, you can Flash Charge your smartphone while surfing the Internet, watching videos, or playing games.

Finally, you should know that if you decide to use a competitor’s fast charger with an Oppo smartphone capable of Super VOOC, it will revert to regular slow charging “due to the temperature spikes caused by quick charging and screen brightening simultaneously.”

The Super VOOC is still experimental technology, but the company hopes to implement it in Oppo smartphones in the near…

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge definitely caused a stir yesterday, but even after the show, Samsung still had quite a bit more to show fans at its spacious MWC booth.

Samsung Lens case

Besides a slew of typical accessories, the Korean giant also unveiled its official take on external lenses for its new flagship models. The concept is not new, but seeing it done in an official accessory and with a huge emphasis on quality is quite a different experience.

You can find our initial impressions of the Lens case, as well as samples in the review…

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Microsoft-owned Skype has announced that its Qik video messaging service – which was launched back in 2014 – will be shut down in March. The company said the last day the service will be available for use will be March 24.

The Skype Qik app allowed users to record and send 42-second videos either to a single recipient or a whole group. In addition, users could also record 5-second videos, dubbed Qik Fliks, that can be stored and used as canned responses.

Skype explains that since the app was launched, “we have learned that many of you are already doing these things in Skype, and as a result, we migrated some of Qik’s most used features into the Skype app you already know and love.”

“We’ve enabled video messaging in Skype and fun features such as filters, to make your messages even more personal. To send a video message in Skype today, simply look for the video message icon in the media bar.” And that’s the reason the company thought it’s time to pull the plug on…

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While we already know that Samsung’s newest flagships will go on sale starting March 11, the date has now been officially confirmed by the company’s mobile chief Koh Dong-jin. He also revealed that the flagship will be available in 60 countries in the first wave of its global launch.

“The Galaxy S7 is slated to go on sale in 60 countries on March 11. We expect its sales to surpass shipments of the previous model, the Galaxy S6,” Dong-jin said on the sidelines of the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Estimates say around 38 million S6 units were shipped last year.

Commenting on S7’s features, he said, “We tried to add as many features as possible (to the Galaxy S7) that were discontinued in the previous models.” He, however, said that more work needs to be done at the hardware level. “Although there are still things to overcome in terms of hardware, I believe it is not a big…

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Given that vivo’s upcoming flagship – the XPlay 5 – will be made official on March 1, it isn’t surprising that teasers and leaks related to the device are now coming thick and fast. We already know that XPlay 5 will be the world’s first smartphone to come with 6GB RAM. Plus, it will be powered by SD820, and feature dual-curved display.

Now, a few alleged renders of the handset have leaked online, giving us what could be the first look of the phone.

Looks beautiful, isn’t it? Meanwhile, vivo is continuing with its teaser campaign, revealing key specs and features of the XPlay 5. The latest teaser from the company reveals that the device will feature Hi-Fi 3.0…

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