Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 02-25-2014

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MWC 2014: Pop goes the Alcatel with new tablet and phone offerings Feb 25th 2014, 15:17, by Marc Chacksfield Alcatel has announced a slew of new phones and tablets, with the hope that its Pop range is colourful enough to rise above the rest of phones released at this year's MWC. First up is the Alcatel OneTouch Pop Fit, which is a phone that you can wear. And by wearing it, Alcatel means you can strap it to your wrist. Like a watch but it's a phone. Crazy. The Pop Fit screen is a mere 2.8-inches, it comes with a 2MP camera and NFC compatibility. A dual-core 1GHz CPU will make sure it keeps chugging along as you, well, chug along trying to get fit with a phone tied to your wrist. As it is for fitness fantatics there's 32GB of space to store pumping music, the RunKeeper app pre-installed and GPS activity tracking on board. Pop pop If fitness isn't your thing then speed might be. The Alcatel Pop S3 offers quad-core processing, Full HD video recording, a 5MP camera and a 4-inch screen – as well as 4G/LTE connectivity. And if you don't like the idea of a 4-inch screen, the Pop S7 has similar specs but offers a 5-inch qHD IPS, while the Pop S9 offers a whopping 5.9-inch screen and ups the camera functionality to 8MP. If you want to go for a full seven inches then the Pop 7S is a tablet that boasts a quad-core processor and prides itself on being a mere 8.9mm thin. And now for the colours. So many colours - all currently blinding eyes in the Catalan sun. The Pop range comes in Red! Hot Pink! Slate! Fresh Turquoise! Flash Yellow! The importance of being Idol Finally, if you want style over speed over stupid marketing fluff about strapping a phone to your body like it's a new thing, then the Alcatel Idol 2 and Alcatel Idol 2 Mini are the 'droid phones you are looking for. Coming complete with a 5-inch 720p IPS display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 8MP camera, Android 4.3 and 4G, the Alcatel Idol 2 brings both premium design and smart styling, according to Alcatel. This means that it has a metal design that's available in white, slate, cloudy and chocolate shades. Chocolate shades? That sounds like the worst invention in the world, given that chocolate melts in the sun. All handsets will be released kicking and screaming into the wild soon. Find out what else is popping at MWC 2014 Opinion: The shows must go on: why we need a buoyant MWC Feb 25th 2014, 15:00, by Patrick Goss From never-ending orchestras to tapas, from giant stands to guerrilla pitches, Mobile World Congress is certainly a spectacle, and with the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony's Xperia Z2 it can certainly lay claim to being one of technology's most relevant shows. Apple's decision to make announcements far from the madding crowd, eschewing shows for tightly controlled events with no chance of noise from anywhere else disrupting their polished showcase, has sparked many copycats. 2013 saw Microsoft launch the Xbox One at a solo event, as did Sony with the PlayStation 4. Samsung's Galaxy S4 was given (controversially) dancing girls and jazz hands and Apple's iEvents were present and accounted for. Even HTC got in on the act with the One. This year has seen something of a shift - with Samsung bringing its Unpacked event back, if not into the physical halls of MWC, then at least within the Barcelona city limits. The more cynical may suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S5 and its back-to-basics innovations sat easier in among its appears rather than standing alone to be shot at but that shouldn't take away from the show. It's showtime From a journalist's point of view the status of the big shows versus smaller events for big products remains a big discussion point. In truth, feeding on the hype of those individual events brings big advantages; allowing us to focus on a single brand's wares and that focus allows excitement to build in a way that a big show simply does not allow. But the shows ARE important as well, allowing us to see the innovations from the chasing pack and giving the smaller names a chance to shine and for them to flourish the need for the big boys to save some of their announcements for these mass-events is paramount. The sheer scale of Mobile World Congress allows for a fantastic view of the state of affairs in the world of phones - a snapshot of what's roasting hot and what's indisputably not. Samsung may well feel that, should the S6 be a little more innovative, that Unpacked should be pulled back out of its MWC wrapper in 2015. But the presence of a big, big flagship phone from Samsung has enlivened MWC, especially in harness with Sony's impressive looking Z2 and the talk-of-the-town Nokia X. A taxi driver on the way to the Congress suggested that he'd been told the show brings in €350 million to this beautiful Catalan city, and although it's not always wise to listen to cabbie facts, it's clear that a show of this magnitude in Europe brings a good deal to the technology world. Keep up to date with MWC 2014 here MWC 2014: MWC 2014: Imagination Technologies talks about MIPS and raytracing Feb 25th 2014, 14:24, by Desire Athow We swung by Imagination Technology's booth to check out the company's latest announcements. It has introduced two new GPU parts, the PowerVR 6XT and the 6XE. The first is geared towards performance with clock speeds of up to 600MHz while the latter is optimised for power saving. The 6XT delivers console-like quality (at least compared to the previous generation) according to a spokesperson for the British company. Raytracing coming to PowerVR He also added that the transition from Series 5 to Series 6 is likely to be swift as an increasing number of hardware partners have already licensed the solution and look to roll it out first in high end devices and then across their entire portfolios. The next version of PowerVR however will go even further and will integrate raytracing, a property that will allow users to benefit from even more life-like renderings in games and other computer-generated images. Uses of raytracing however go beyond gaming with user interfaces and augmented reality likely to benefit from this leap in picture quality. Imagination Technologies also demoed a new hardware solution that allows 4K encode and decode and will be available for Series 5 and 6. An update on MIPS As for MIPS, the processor company purchased by Imagination last year, our interlocutor mentioned some of the challenges met. Red tape and previous nervousness about the future of MIPS as an independent entity ranked quite high. But the future of MIPS is now more secure than ever. Imagination has more than double the headcount of its processor business and promises to deliver a faster product cycle starting with the successor to Warrior. We caught up with Novoda's CEO, Kevin McDonagh to talk about the company and its vision for 2014. Novoda is best known for its work with Tesco on its popular Hudl tablet; it helped create the grocery app for the supermarket giant as well as the launcher screen. We talked extensively about the Nokia X, something Kevin is particularly pleased with. Nokia could become like Amazon and have a differentiated Android offering with a significant following. Kevin also mentioned that he was at MWC to look for partners to develop Android ecosystems beyond the traditional platforms (mobile, entertainment) with a very clear focus on the RTOS market (Real-Time operating system). He reckons the traditional RTOS market is ripe for disruption, just like the smartphone market was before Android landed and mentioned the opportunity offered by system-on-chips with Android baked in. Obstacles to market entry, licensing fees and overtly protective players mean that it is difficult to have serious innovation and a fast evolving ecosystem. All this could change though if Novoda and other players get their ways. What else is going on at MWC 2014? MWC 2014: PayPal and Samsung let Galaxy S5 owners shop with a finger tap Feb 25th 2014, 13:30, by Alex Hamilton PayPal and Samsung have announced a deal that will let shoppers buy goods in stores using the Galaxy S5's biometric fingerprint scanner. It means that Galaxy S5 owners will no longer have to memorise passwords or login details in stores that use PayPal's mobile payments system. According to Samsung, using fingerprint authentication instead of traditional methods will make for a safer and more seamless mobile shopping experience. PayPal is the first global payment company to support Samsung's biometrics technology and aims to provide a secure wallet in the cloud for users in brick-and-mortar stores to access. Security and convenience The only user information that would be shared between the phone and PayPal would be an encrypted key used to identify the customer's fingerprint, the online merchant says. Samsung's big rival Apple debuted fingerprint technology on its iPhone 5S in September last year, and the HTC One Max and certain Motorola phones also have their own renditions of the technology. While Samsung has beaten its rivals to the punch in releasing retail payments, Apple's version of the tech can't be too far behind. Check out the TechRadar Pro Mobile World Congress 2014 hub page MWC 2014: The Yotaphone's electric paper screen goes full-touch, still crazy Feb 25th 2014, 12:46, by Kate Solomon Remember the Yotaphone? You do, it was the one with a screen on the front and a screen on the back. While the first generation's LCD display was a touchscreen affair, the power-saving electronic paper display on the other side wasn't, merely giving you an at-a-glance hub of notifications, the time and calendar reminders. But the new Yotaphone 2's electronic paper screen is a full touch one, so you can open and respond to notifications using the low-energy screen rather than the more battery-hungry one on the other side. Bing! The 4.7-inch EPD also rocks higher resolution and greater pixel density than its predecessor and comes with a built-in light for reading in the dark. This is one time where the internet really fails to capture the true excitement of a phone throwing multiple screens at a problem. The idea is that the always-on electronic paper display (EPD) uses less power than you firing up the AMOLED screen on the other side to check for messages. Using just the EPD, you're looking at upwards of 50 hours' battery life from a full charge. Other adjustments to the device include upgrading the LCD screen to an AMOLED display. The colour screen is also bigger (5-inches), and the handset is powered by a quad-core 800 series Qualcomm processor. Other features include wireless charging and NFC. If all this sounds good to you, then we're sorry to report you'll have to wait until Q4 2014 (October - December) to get hold of the new Yotaphone in Europe or Russia - the US and Asia will have a further three-to-four month wait on their hands. But if you've already invested in a first-gen YotaPhone, you'll get a "significant discount" on the new device. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loOJElFfbXU 10 things you need to know about the Yotaphone BlackBerry lifts lid on BES12, goes big on security and reliability Feb 25th 2014, 12:00, by Stu Robarts Blackberry has used MWC 2014 to announce the latest version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Service, called BES12. Part of its "secure and private mobility solutions for enterprises", BES12 will allow organisations to create "enterprise-grade applications" for use on Blackberry devices. The company's new EZ Pass program will provide free migration to BES10 for customers. The Canada-based mobile maker is hoping that a renewed focus on security, productivity, communications and collaboration will help to rejuvenate its fortunes, in particular within its traditional business market. Two tiers BES pricing and licensing has been updated to offer just two tiers - Silver and Gold. Silver, at US$19 (around £11/AUS$24) per user per month, provides device, application, email and security management for BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices. Gold, at $60 (around £36/$AUS72) per user per month, offers a higher level of security for organisations in regulated industries, like government, financial services and healthcare. Subscriptions will be available on an annual or rolling basis. The firm has also announced the eBBM Suite, an enterprise-class solution aimed at providing secure and reliable real-time mobile messaging for regulated industries. New strategy "We have engineered a new strategy to stabilize the company and restore our customers' confidence in BlackBerry," said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. "The announcements made during Mobile World Congress demonstrate that BlackBerry is looking to the future and bringing solutions to market that matter most to our customers." Elsewhere, the firm has launched two new smartphones. The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone is an all-touch version of the BlackBerry 10 aimed at the Indonesian market and the Q20 is a device featuring a QWERTY keyboard. Check out the TechRadar Pro Mobile World Congress 2014 live coverage MWC 2014: The Samsung Galaxy: a history of the S series Feb 25th 2014, 12:00, by David Nield Galaxy i7500 to Galaxy S2 When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5, the world sat up and took notice, simply because it's one of the most anticipated phones for 2014. But how did the South Korean giant become so influential in the mobile phone market? Lest we forget, it was a no-hoper just a few years ago, spraying out demi-smartphones that were met with shrugs and derision in equal measure. Then Android emerged, Samsung decided that enough was enough, and it decided to take the plunge and become a fish in Google's pond. The Galaxy i7500 - where our journey begins - was by no means a smash hit, and the Galaxy S did little to improve the situation. It was with the S2 that Samsung really began to get its act together, and even though last year's S4 fell a little flat, the buzz that remains is proof that Samsung is still the only major player that can take on Apple in terms of overall mobile handset sales, and that it's truly become a shark in the Android lake. Galaxy i7500 The month is April, the year is 2009, and Samsung debuts an Android 1.5 Cupcake phone that we described at the time as "run of the mill". The key specs Screen: 3.2-inch OLED, 320 x 480 pixels Battery: 1500mAh CPU: 528MHz, 128MB RAM Key features: One of the early phones to run Android Internal storage: 8GB OS: Android 1.5 Price at launch: £499 Packing a 5-megapixel camera, the i7500 sported an OLED 3.2-inch screen that offered a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, and made use of a conventional D-pad — how mobile technology can change in the space of five years. The device weighed in at 116g, which is a little lighter than today's Nexus 5. Under the hood the handset had a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU and an Adreno 130 GPU powering the display, a setup which we found to be laggy on occasion. The i7500 had 8GB of built-in storage and 128MB of RAM (absolutely paltry by today's standards but not so bad for 2009). Despite a relatively large 1500mAh battery, battery life was disappointing: during heavy use it only lasted 3-4 hours, and the handset had to be charged at least once a day. An underwhelming start for the Galaxy range then, and definitely room for improvement. Android was still in its infancy, and Samsung was still finding its feet: in October 2009, HTC was the only other manufacturer making mobiles running Android. The price was off-putting too, with the i7500 originally costing £499 to buy SIM-free. Galaxy S The next Galaxy handset appeared a little over a year later, in June 2010. The D-pad was gone, and the Galaxy S had a far more recognisable shape and style to it, with the now ubiquitous back, home and menu buttons in place. The key specs Screen: 4-inch Super AMOLED, 480 x 800 pixels Battery: 1500mAh CPU: 1GHz Cortex-A8, 512MB RAM Key features: Stronger TouchWiz overlay, front-facing camera Internal storage: 8GB / 16GB OS: Android 2.1 Price at launch: £449 The display was bigger (spot the emerging trend), offering a 480 x 800 pixel resolution across 4 inches of Super AMOLED screen real estate. The S originally appeared with Android 2.1 Eclair and bowed out with 2.3 Gingerbread. The RAM was boosted to 512MB, 8GB and 16GB storage options were available, and a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor kept everything running. A PowerVR SGX540 GPU was in charge of graphics, and the handset tipped the scales at 119g. Android had added support for a forward-facing camera, so the Galaxy S included one, as well as a 5-megapixel shooter around the back. The battery was again a Li-Ion 1500mAh model, and again the phone struggled to get through a working day without a recharge. The 2.3 Gingerbread update did wonders in this department though, almost doubling its lifespan. "There are a few faults, but on the whole it's a cracking bit of kit, and you really could do a lot worse," concluded our review at the time, and Samsung now had a foundation it could build on. In 2010, the SIM-free price for the Galaxy S was £449. Galaxy S2 The S2 was the first Galaxy phone to cause a significant splash in the mobile handset pond. The key specs Screen: 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus, 480 x 800 pixels Battery: 1650mAh CPU: dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9, 1GB RAM Key features: Blazing fast internals, strong camera, brilliant screen Internal storage: 16GB / 32GB OS: Android 2.3.4 Price at launch: £499 It brought along with it an improved Super AMOLED Plus screen that was expanded to 4.3 inches, a faster dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a superior Mali-400MP GPU. The Galaxy S2 debuted in April 2011 with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and would eventually get as far as 4.1 Jelly Bean, a sign of its prowess and longevity. In terms of storage space, 16GB and 32GB models were available. In our review of the phone, its thinness and lightness (116g) came in for praise, as did the display, responsiveness and 1080p video recording capabilities. The camera had been bumped up to 8 megapixels and now had a flash, while the 1650mAh battery was good for almost two days of average use — a target that many of today's phones would love to be able to stretch to. At launch, SIM-free prices for the S2 hovered around the £500 mark. After the moderate college radio success of the Galaxy S, Samsung finally had a chart-topping hit on its hands: within five months, it would shift 10 million of its S2 phones. Here's what we thought at the time: "If you're after a one-word summary of the Samsung Galaxy S2: awesome. We've were waiting for a phone to set a benchmark among the dual-core breed, and we found it in the Samsung Galaxy S2." Galaxy S3 to Galaxy S5 Galaxy S3 After a brief Google-sponsored detour to make the Galaxy Nexus, Samsung returned to its own flagship phone in the shape of the Galaxy S3 in May 2012. The key specs Screen 4.8-inch Super AMOLED, 720 x 1280 pixels Battery 2100mAh CPU quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A9, 1GB RAM Key features Smart Stay, Android Beam, Pop up Play - all about the software and screen Internal storage 16GB / 32GB / 64GB OS Android 4.0.4 Price at launch: £499 It was the second home run for Samsung in a row: the S3 arrived to almost universal acclaim, and we called it "the best smartphone around right now" in our original review. Again, the screen was bigger: the Super AMOLED display grew to 4.8 inches at a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, and the weight grew to 133g as well. The heavy lifting was done by a quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, while the Mali-400MP GPU showed up again alongside 1GB of RAM. The S3 originally came with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and was at the same £500 SIM-free price level as its predecessor. As on the S2, an 8-megapixel camera was around the back, though various software optimisations helped to create slightly better photos. In terms of storage, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB options were available. Not even battery life could spoil the S3 party: the 2100mAh battery was good for eight hours or so of heavy use, which placed it very favourably amongst the other handsets of 2012. Speed, design, battery life, display, responsiveness, bundled features... the phone scored highly in every department. Galaxy S4 And so to Samsung's current flagship phone until the S5 replaces it this April. The key specs Screen 5-inch Super AMOLED HD, 1080 x 1920 pixels Battery 2600mAh CPU quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A15, 2GB RAM Key features Air gestures, Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Drama Shot, Infra red remote, humidity sensor Internal storage 16GB / 32GB / 64GB OS Android 4.2.2 Price at launch: £600 The Galaxy S4 arrived in the world in April 2013, offering users a whopping 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel Super AMOLED screen, an upgraded 13-megapixel camera, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and a 2600mAh battery that typically lasts at least the length of a day. The specs of last year's model remain impressive: a quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A15 CPU, a PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage. It weighs in at 130g and offers a slew of sensors to track your eyes, measure humidity and more besides. You can currently pick up a SIM-free S4 for around £400, though it was closer to £600 at launch. Despite a high TechRadar review score, and sales of 40 million units in the first six months, Samsung is reportedly disappointed with the S4's impact on the market. As far as we're concerned though, the phone was a success, if not on the same level as the S2 and the S3. Galaxy S5 So, onto the latest iteration of the Samsung Galaxy family: the S5, and it's powerful while remaining a little underwhelming. The key specs Screen 5.1-inch Super AMOLED HD, 1080 x 1920 pixels Battery 2800mAh CPU Quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801, 2GB RAM Key features Waterproof, Super fast autofocus, heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner Internal storage 16GB / 32GB / 64GB OS Android 4.4.2 Price at launch: £TBC In February 2014 the Galaxy S5 was launched unto the baying public, and delivered in a number of stable ways. Gone were the theatrics and the pointless sensors, to be replaced by a heart rate monitor, a blazing fast autofocus and a fingerprint scanner. The main specs were up again: the CPU was faster at 2.5GHz, the screen was larger as a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED HD option, the camera boosted to 16MP and the battery now rocking up at 2800mAh. On top of that Android 4.4.2 was included to make things look a lot slicker and the overall interface was overhauled to make things like the lock screen much clearer and generally improve the flow through the device. The fitness elements were boosted through S Health 3.0, which brings the most holistic tracking app ever for your fitness, according to Samsung, while most other elements stayed the same - although the rubberised back is a lot a grippier. We're still awaiting a price, but chances are it will be the same as before, hovering around the £500-£600 mark depending on your spec choice. Our hands on: Samsung Galaxy S5 review found that the "Galaxy S5 has a great camera, strong screen, impressive packaging, a waterproof casing and a blazingly fast engine pumping things along. "But it doesn't have an amazing camera, incredibly battery life, stunning design or genuinely innovative feature, and that cause a few people to wait and see what the competition brings." ...and so there you have it: a complete walk down the Samsung Galaxy memory lane. Are there any particular handsets that you have fond memories of? Or are there specific innovations that you'd like to see Samsung offer next time around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Analysis: Microsoft needs to stop worrying about Android and learn to love the Nokia X Feb 25th 2014, 11:36, by Max Slater-Robbins On Monday, Nokia unveiled three new phones at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The phones - the X, X+ and XL - run a "forked" version of Google's Android OS, similar to Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet which leverages the groundwork of Android, overlaying their own custom services on top. The phones are priced conservatively, starting at €70 for the Nokia X and topping out at €109 for the 5-inch Nokia XL, the most high-end phone in the lineup. They are clearly aimed at emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, Asia and South America where Android, and Windows Phone to a lesser extent, are starting to find some commercial success. Praise of Nokia's use of Android may be short lived, however, due to the $7.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft of Nokia's devices business, which will be finalised in the coming weeks. Google and Microsoft are not on the best terms, with Microsoft launching their 'Scroogled' adverts attacking Google services for alleged invasion of privacy, amongst other contentions. Embarrassment of riches Nokia launching a new range of Android phones that are aimed at the potentially profitable emerging markets is unlikely to fill Microsoft executives with joy. Joe Belifore, VP of the Windows Phone division at Microsoft, claimed the relationship between Nokia and Microsoft was "terrific" but added that Nokia will "[do] some things that we may be less excited about." A source who spoke to Business Insider called the phones "embarrassing". At an event also held at MWC, Microsoft unveiled new features present in Windows Phone 8.1 specifically designed for low-end phones in order to make the OS more appealing to emerging markets, as well as dropping the price of Windows to OEMs who wish to incorporate the OS. At first glance it would seem that Microsoft's most logical course of action is to simply kill off the 'X' line once the acquisition finalises. Nokia's engineers and designers can focus wholly on Windows Phone, adding services and features that are not currently available, creating a better experience for users, and by extension making the OS more attractive. However, the 'X' line could potentially catch: Nokia's hardware is attractive and Android offers services and apps that are not available on Windows Phone currently. Nokia's Android "fork" even looks like Windows Phone, with a tile-based design as well as other nods to Microsoft's design vision. Those who have seen the Nokia X have said it is similar in almost every way to the Nokia Lumia 520, and it's unlikely the average consumer will look too closely when purchasing. Android experimentation Indeed, Microsoft could actually benefit from Nokia's experimentation with Android, especially as all profits from device sales of the 'X' range go to Microsoft without having to spend money on building the features Android has and Windows Phone lacks. And there is the little fact that Microsoft actually makes money from Android due to patents, so in some ways the link up is beneficial to both companies. The nice hardware and funky colours of the 'X' range combined with a distinctive operating system and low price could create a market winner, all without Microsoft writing a single additional line of code for Windows Phone. Jumping into bed with Google is unlikely to please Microsoft executives, but the deal benefits them more than it benefits Google. Nokia described the 'X' range as a phone of "Android platform, Nokia experience and Microsoft services" and in a world where Microsoft's services are it's future, having hardware that supports that is no bad thing. Opinion: Why the Galaxy S5 will never get pulses racing Feb 25th 2014, 10:09, by Patrick Goss There's clearly a lot to be liked about the new Samsung Galaxy S5 - a phone that the Korean company was quick to tell us has been built to answer some of the complaints about 'eye-popping' gimmicky innovation that beset its predecessor. But, for those of you who were wondering just why Samsung chose to eschew a solo show for its Unpacked unveil, instead offering up a sister event to Mobile World Congress, the S5 provided the answer. This is a solid device - better camera, bigger battery, waterproof - but if you were to use the brand new pulse monitor on those assembled in the audience I think you'd soon find the real issue. It's just not all that inspirational. Gimmick Let's put this in context - I was quick to roll my eyes at some of the crazy innovations that were thrust at the Galaxy S4 last time around. And those that own an S4 know that rolling your eyes at the device gets you in all kinds of trouble, But I did appreciate the effort; for every cynical guffaw coming from the assembled journalists there is a genuine nod of gratitude that the company is at least trying something . Nobody wants a curved television, for instance, but when you see that curvy tech appearing in the far more interesting Gear Fit band it makes you appreciate the innovation that is going on. A bigger battery and a better camera are nice - but they aren't especially interesting. Sony beat Samsung to the punch on waterproof a significant time ago, and Knox is the recycling of phone tech - we all know it's worthy and we should do it but the less we have to think about it the better. You could argue that the real excitement was in the companion devices, but even though the fitness wearable is fast becoming a 'thing' in tech, it's clearly not something that is going to be propping up Samsung's profit margin for some time. Greatest? Even as I write this, a few hours after the big reveal some media is asking if this is the greatest smartphone of all time. And maybe it is. Right now - ahead of the iPhone 6 and new HTC One. It's a long jumper adding an extra millimetre to their personal best, with the two biggest rivals looking gleefully on and strapping on their running spikes. It's a skier putting in a perfectly competent safe run to take an early lead, fully in the knowledge that he can go harder next time but it's a good idea to get a safe marker down early on. It's solid, not spectacular: I'm not underwhelmed, but I'm not overwhelmed - which I suppose makes me merely whelmed. And that's a shame from a company that is perfectly capable of blowing us all away. MWC 2014: Samsung Galaxy S5: What it means for business Feb 25th 2014, 10:05, by Désiré Athow The hands-on is out and the comparison (with the S4) is in. The Galaxy S5 is now firmly on our radar as consumers but what does it offer for businesses and enterprises globally? Well, unfortunately not a lot we have to admit. Samsung has been playing it safe with the S5, opting for a safe upgrade path, and an understandable stance after what has appeared to be a cycle of major hardware upgrades happening over the first four generations. Download Samsung Kies 2.6.1.13 for Windows The only major business-focused hardware improvement is a new biometric feature, a finger scanner that can be used for m-payment authentication. Samsung has signed an agreement with Paypal and it is likely that this might encourage other mobile manufacturers to follow suit. What is of interest to us though is that Samsung already announced its commitment to sort out its software. More than half of the employees assigned to its R&D division work on software and that is likely to rise. KNOX event tonight And now that hardware is sorted (and kind of downplayed), it does make sense for Samsung to up its game and provide potential business users with market-leading applications. Short of a full-on BlackBerry acquisition, Samsung is gradually building the momentum around its KNOX entreprise service offering. There have been a number of announcements involving the Global Enterprise Mobility Alliance (GEMA) as well as Citrix and ZScaler. The big one though is happening tonight as none other than Samsung Electronics' President and CEO, JK Shin, will host a dinner and press conference to talk about how Samsung's products and solutions can help "businesses enhance their processes, empower workforce and lead your company forward in a rapidly changing environment." I wouldn't bet against this event including news about KNOX and the Samsung Galaxy S5. Check this out for all of the latest business news from MWC 2014 MWC 2014: Plucky young Android maker Kazam announces octa-core phone line-up Feb 25th 2014, 09:33, by Kate Solomon If you're after an octa-core phone and you don't fancy shelling out Samsung or HTC money, new player Kazam might have the answer. It's launching two octa-core Android handsets over at MWC 2014, the Kazam Tornado 2 5.5 and the Tornado 2 5.0. The top-end Tornado 2 5.5 comes with a 1.7Ghz octa-core processor, a 5.5-inch IPS touchscreen and a 13MP camera on the back, 5MP on the front. Twister If the Tornado 2 5.5 is a Twinkie, then the 5.0 is a Twinkie with a bite taken out of it: its specs are much the same other than a smaller screen size (5-inches) and the cameras both take a dive to 8MP on the back and 2MP on the front. Strangely, Kazam has decided to launch its highest-spec handsets with Android 4.2 - that's not even the latest version of Jelly Bean, let alone Kitkat. It was a while since we heard anything from Kazam, the mobile-phone making upstart that promised to shake up the phone market in November 2013 before disappearing completely. But earlier this month it confirmed that its range of Android handsets would be hitting the UK in Q2 - that's sometime between April and June. There's no detailed release information for the two Tornadoes just yet, other than that they will go on sale across Europe. If you do decide to invest in a Kazam phone, it leaves you only one question to consider: who you gonna call? We ain't afraid of no MWC 2014 - find out what's going down in Barcelona here MWC 2014: Blackberry CEO admits BB 10 is difficult to learn Feb 25th 2014, 09:22, by John McCann It's something we raised in our initial reviews of the Blackberry Z10 and Q10, if you're not familiar with Blackberry 10 you may struggle to figure out how to use it at first. Speaking during a press briefing at MWC 2014, Blackberry CEO John Chen admitted: "it took me a while to get used to Blackberry 10, but once I got used to it I loved it. "The key is it took me a while to get used to it. For most consumers if they get to our new phone and it's not intuitively obvious they get a little shy and they don't want to continue using it. "I think that's the number one thing Blackberry did. We did not do enough to educate the market about the interface [when Blackberry 10 launched]." I'm all out of love Chen also revealed that the firm's first Blackberry 10 QWERTY keyboard smartphone - the Q10 - wasn't as well received as they had hoped. "Virtually everyone we speak to loves our keyboard," Chen explained "so we gave them the Q10. People didn't love it as much as we thought though, as they missed the trackpad and hard navigations keys 'belt' above the keyboard that were on the old Bold and Curve ranges." Blackberry is addressing this issue with the launch of the Q20, which brings back the "belt" above the keyboard - but we'll have to wait and see if it's enough to swing people back towards the Canadian firm. MWC 2014: Blackberry launches 'classic' Q20 smartphone Feb 25th 2014, 08:02, by John McCann Canadian smartphone manufacturer Blackberry isn't quitting the handset game just yet with the introduction of not one, but two new devices at MWC 2014 in Barcelona. The headlining handset in the Blackberry Q20, a phone which CEO John Chen likes to call "the classic", as it harks back to the design of the firm's popular Bold range. It brings back the "belt" (including a small trackpad and hard nav keys) above the QWERTY keyboard, a feature Chen revealed users were disappointed not to see on the Q10. The Blackberry Q20 has a 3.5-inch display, a strong business focus (there may be some consumer appeal too) and will arrive alongside the new BES 12 enterprise system towards the end of the 2014. BES 12 expands device integration across various platforms; Blackberry 10, BB OS7, iOS, Android and now Windows Phone. Jakarta = Z3 The much rumoured Jakarta handset has also been confirmed as the 5-inch Blackberry Z3, with a release date set for April in Indonesia and then a further rollout in the rest of South East Asia after that. Initially the fully touchscreen Z3 will arrive as a 3G device and sport a price tag of under $200, however Blackberry plans to move a 4G variant into wider markets later this year. Developing... Stephen Elop set to run Microsoft's Xbox, gaming, devices and entertainment unit Feb 25th 2014, 05:41, by Chris Smith Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will take charge of Microsoft's hugely important Devices and Studios unit, according to a purported leaked internal email. Elop, who was thought to be in strong contention for the CEO position at Redmond before losing out to the eventual choice Satya Nadella, will still be given a pretty substantial remit within the new Microsoft. The Devices and Studios department oversees the Xbox One games console, devices like the Microsoft Surface and (soon) Nokia smartphones, as well as the first-party gaming and entertainment studios. The somewhat major news comes via the current leader of the division Julie Larson-Green, who is moving on to a new position within the Applications and Services Group. In good hands? In an email sent out to her team, obtained by Geekwire, Ms. Larson-Green wrote: "I'll remain in role leading the DnS organisation in the interim until the Nokia deal closes and Stephen Elop makes his transition to Microsoft. We've been meeting regularly throughout and are making a lot of progress, ensuring our teams are ready for the Day 1 close and beyond. "You are all in great hands with Stephen and already we've shared a lot with him and his LT from Nokia regarding all of the fantastic people, teams and products in DnS. I also know many of you are looking forward to welcoming the Nokia team and working more closely with them." The as-yet-unconfirmed appointment puts Elop right in the centre of the action at Microsoft as head of, arguably, the company's most important division going forward. Initially, there is sure to be some scepticism regarding Elop in charge of Xbox given that last year it was rumoured he planned to sell the gaming division if he became CEO. Of course, we await official word from Microsoft on the scope of Elop's new role. We've reached out to the company for comment and will update this story if and when a response is forthcoming. The forgotten man: How Stephen Elop missed out on becoming Microsoft CEO Is BlackBerry branching out into in-car tech? Feb 25th 2014, 05:02, by Chris Smith When was the last time you heard of anyone dropping anything in favour of BlackBerry? Quite a while ago, probably. Well, it appears Ford may be on the verge of waving goodbye to Microsoft's Windows and and empowering BlackBerry to create its in-car Ford Sync technology. Bloomberg reports the multi-year Ford/Microsoft partnership is coming to an end, with the automaker preferring BlackBerry's QNX operating system for the next generation Ford Sync system. Ford Sync allows drivers to hook their smartphones, make hands-free, voice activated calls, have text messages read out, control entertainment content and other third-party apps via the AppLink tech. N-Sync with BlackBerry Ford's rationale, according to the report, is that BlackBerry's service is preferable on account of it being cheaper, faster and more flexible for Ford's purposes. Bloomberg's sources claimed the deal with BlackBerry is complete, but hasn't yet been made public yet. The news comes at a time when BlackBerry looks to capitalise on its valuable services and shift away somewhat from the hardware business. Taking the front seat in all new Ford vehicles going forward would be a pretty decent start as the company seeks to find some way to stay afloat in the new era. Did you know TechRadar has an entire section dedicated to car tech? Sony SmartBand fitness tracker arriving in March with Lifelog app in tow Feb 25th 2014, 04:31, by Chris Smith Sony's shift from SmartWatch to SmartBand fitness tracker will reach the public next month alongside an accompanying mobile application, the company confirmed at MWC 2014. The Sony SmartBand SWR10, announced last month at CES, is the first gadget to be powered by Sony's new Core fitness tracking technology. Sony is taking fitness trackers to scary new levels with Core The launch in 60 countries will also see bring the Lifelog app for Android, which promises to track not just your exercise routines, but also the places users visit, the songs they listen to, and books they read. The Lifelog app, which connects to the SmartBand via NFC or Bluetooth, will present the info in a neat interface and will also help out with recommendations for future entertainment content. Core strength Going back to the SmartBand, which is yet to be priced, it is designed to be worn 24/7 and is fully waterproof - a la the company's most recent Xperia smartphones. The independent, removable Core module means it can also be detached and carried in a pocket rather than worn. Can Sony's entry into the burgeoning fitness tracker world match high profile entries from the likes of Jawbone, Nike, Adidas, Fitbit, Fitbug and more? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Check out the 10 best health and fitness accessories for your smartphone BBM to collide with Facebook Messenger on Windows Phone later this year Feb 25th 2014, 03:55, by Chris Smith BlackBerry has confirmed its ever-popular BBM platform will spread its wings to a new platform later this year when it joins the Windows Phone fray. On day one of MWC 2014, the company announced it will also support the new Nokia X Android/Windows Phone hybrid. BlackBerry said the Windows Phone expansion comes as a response to demand from users following the rollout on Android and iOS late last year. Currently, the company is hard at work on the new apps and said the Windows Phone version will arrive sometime this summer. BBM vs FBM The rollout comes just 24 hours after Microsoft announced Facebook Messenger would be arriving on Windows Phone in the near future. During that event Microsoft promised a host more high profile apps would arrive to plug the gaps. It seems like BBM and Facebook Messenger will be the first of many. Still in deep with Android? Check out our Samsung Galaxy S5 hands on MWC 2014: Meet the privacy-minded Blackphone, an encrypted Android smartphone Feb 24th 2014, 23:00, by Kevin Lee Geeksphone is out with a new privacy promising smartphone that aims to subvert all NSA spy rings in the world. Dubbed the Blackphone, it's an unassuming little 4.7-inch Android smartphone. Geeksphone hasn't divulged the exact resolution of the screen but its been listed as a HD IPS display. Android users will also find the same specs they've come to expect on handsets including a 2GHz Quad Core CPU backed up by 2GBs of RAM, 16GBs of storage, LTE, HSPA+, and a 8-megapixel camera. But underneath this glossy screen Silent Circle, a security and encryption software developer, has done some serious Android OS tweaking to secure it into a new platform called "PrivatOS." Digital Fort Knox With a mix of secure applications and Android modifications, PrivatOS gives users more insight and control over how third party applications are doing with their data. Silent Circle's solutions drill down to replacing some of the basic communication apps to offer encrypted VoIP calls and silent texting. Meanwhile, the stock Android app has been replaced with Silent Contacts to block apps from scrubbing your virtual phonebook. Additionally the Blackphone comes with SpiderOak, a plan for 5GBs of "zero-knowledge encrypted data backup." Users will also be able search their musings on Google and Bing with the Disconnect search provider, which routes internet queries through an anonymous VPN client. The bottom line fees However, in order for Silent Circle's applications to provide all this peer-to-peer encryption goodness, both devices receiving and sending information need to be enrolled in the service. Even the Blackphone itself comes with two years of service for all the encrypted apps. For everyone else not using a Blackphone, the software company has the encrypted apps available for download for iOS and Android devices that come with paid subscriptions. Blackphone buyers are given three additional one-year licenses to Silent Circle's security suite they can hand out to their friends. Once the terms are up, Silent Circle users can continue paying to use the suite for US$10 (about AU$11) per month, buy a Blackphone themselves, or go back to regular phone calls and text messages. Of course the Blackphone can also call out to unsecured connections like their calling up the local Dominos and anyone else unlikely to enroll in Silent Circle's secure network. You can order the Blackphone today for US$629 (about AU$695), and it's expected to ship in June. Stay tuned for our hands on with this privacy-protecting phone. For a little more security, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the latest phone to have a fingerprint scanner. Meet Geeksphone's privacy-minded Blackphone, an encrypted Android smartphone Feb 24th 2014, 23:00, by klee Geeksphone is out with a new privacy promising smartphone that aims to subvert all NSA spy rings in the world. Dubbed the Blackphone, it's an unassuming little 4.7-inch Android smartphone. Geeksphone hasn't divulged the exact resolution of the screen but its been listed as a HD IPS display. Android users will also find the same specs they've come to expect on handsets including a 2GHz Quad Core CPU backed up by 2GBs of RAM, 16GBs of storage, LTE, HSPA+, and a 8-megapixel camera. But underneath this glossy screen Silent Circle, a security and encryption software developer, has done some serious Android OS tweaking to secure it into a new platform called "PrivatOS." Digital Fort Knox With a mix of secure applications and Android modifications, PrivatOS gives users more insight and control over how third party applications are doing with their data. Silent Circle's solutions drill down to replacing some of the basic communication apps to offer encrypted VoIP calls and silent texting. Meanwhile, the stock Android app has been replaced with Silent Contacts to block apps from scrubbing your virtual phonebook. Additionally the Blackphone comes with SpiderOak, a plan for 5GBs of "zero-knowledge encrypted data backup." Users will also be able search their musings on Google and Bing with the Disconnect search provider, which routes Internet queries through an anonymous VPN client. The bottom line fees However, in order for Silent Circle's applications to provide all this peer-to-peer encryption goodness, both devices receiving and sending information need to be enrolled in the service. Even the Blackphone itself comes with two years of service for all the encrypted apps. For everyone else not using a Blackphone, the software company has the encrypted apps available for download for iOS and Android devices that come with paid subscriptions. Blackphone buyers are given three additional one-year licenses to Silent Circle's security suite they can hand out to their friends. Once the terms are up, Silent Circle users can continue paying to use the suite for $10 (about £6/AUS $11) a month, buy a Blackphone themselves, or go back to regular phone calls and text messages. Of course the Blackphone can also call out to unsecured connections like their calling up their local Dominos and anyone else unlikely to enroll in Silent Circle's secure network. You can order the Blackphone today for $629 (about £377/AUS $ 695) and it's expected to ship in June. Stay tuned for our hands on with this privacy-protecting phone. For a little more security, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the latest phone to have a fingerprint scanner. MWC 2014: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5S Feb 24th 2014, 20:54, by J Rogerson If there's one company which can stand up to the might of the iPhone it's Samsung, and the new Galaxy S5 should be enough to strike fear into Apple's core. The iPhone 5S sits at the very top of the market and it's tremendously popular. However, it's a 2013 phone and Samsung's come into 2014 all-guns blazing by both improving on what it achieved with its Galaxy S4 flagship and even taking some features from the 5S itself. Both phones will exist at the top of the market as direct competitors, at least until the iPhone 6 arrives. The biggest differentiating feature is the operating system that each uses, but the Galaxy S5 is newer and that can count for a lot. Screen The iPhone 5S has a 4-inch 1136 x 640 IPS LCD display with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. It's a great screen, but we've seen better and the Galaxy S5's 5.1-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 415 ppi display certainly falls into the better camp. Design If there's one thing Apple knows, it's design. The iPhone 5S's two-tone aluminium and glass back looks great. Our only real complaint is that it's much the same design as we saw on the iPhone 5. Unfortunately the Samsung Galaxy S5 just can't compete here, as it's still rocking a plastic back like its predecessor. That said it has an attractive perforated design and feels fairly solid. OS This is probably the biggest difference between the two phones. The iPhone 5S runs iOS 7, which is slick, intuitive and takes some of the best ideas from Android to create its Control Centre while remaining just as easy to use as iOS of old. The Samsung Galaxy S5 runs Android 4.4 KitKat overlaid with the company's TouchWiz interface. It's arguably not as intuitive or good looking as iOS 7 but as its Android it's a lot more customisable and open. Battery While the iPhone 5S doesn't have bad battery life its 1560 mAh juice pack isn't great either. It can potentially last for weeks on standby but actually using the thing sees it drop far faster than the likes of the HTC One or LG G2. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to fare better, as it has a far bigger 2800 mAh battery and also includes a powerful battery saver mode, which can bring the power usage down to the absolute minimum when activated. CPU The iPhone 5S uses Apple's dual-core 1.3GHz 64-bit A7 processor and 1GB of RAM. That 64-bit chip ensures that it's far faster than previous iDevices and stands up well to high-end Android phones too. On paper the Samsung Galaxy S5 should be quite a bit better as it has a 2.5GHz quad-core Krait chip and 2GB of RAM, but until we've put it through its paces we won't be able to say for sure. Features Aside from the 64-bit processor, the biggest selling point of the iPhone 5S is probably its Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Just rest your finger on the home button and it will unlock the phone and it can also be used to replace your iTunes password, so tedious password typing is a thing of the past. The M7 motion co-processor is pretty cool too as it allows the phone to double as a fitness tracker, registering all your movements without draining the battery. The Galaxy S5 takes a leaf out of Apple's book by including a fingerprint scanner of its own. It also has a heart rate monitor and an improved S Health app, making it similarly useful for fitness fanatics, a download booster which combines 4G and Wi-Fi for extra speed and it's IP67 certified dust and water resistant. Camera The iPhone 5S is one of the best camera phones around, thanks to an 8-megapixel snapper which comes close to the sharpness of the Galaxy S4 and the low-light performance of the HTC One, along with a 'True Tone' flash, which does a great job of reproducing colours accurately. The iPhone 5S can also shoot video in 1080p and has a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has far more megapixels - 16 to be precise. It's also very fast, as it can take pictures in just 0.3 seconds, allows you to alter the focus of a shot after taking it and it has a real-time HDR mode, which shows you how HDR will affect a picture before you take it. It can shoot videos at up to 4K and it has a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, so on paper at least it should out-snap the iPhone 5S. Security The biggest security feature of the iPhone 5S is the aforementioned Touch ID scanner. It works really well, though it's not actually any more secure than a pin or password as there's no way to disable them as an alternate option. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has the standard Android security features, such as a pin, pattern or password but like the iPhone 5S it also has a fingerprint scanner. Both phones embed them into the home button, but while with the iPhone 5S you just rest your finger on the button, on the Galaxy S5 you have to swipe it down. It works well enough but seems less accurate than Apple's one and still requires you to press the home button first to wake the screen up. Verdict The iPhone 5S is still a fantastic phone. We're hoping for and expecting a redesign on the iPhone 6, but in the meantime it's a handset for Apple fans to be proud of. However, its competition just got a lot tougher thanks to the Samsung Galaxy S5. Both are top-end handsets, aimed at users who want the best phone around or just have money to burn, but, on paper at any rate, the Galaxy S5 sounds a little bit more impressive and is likely to be a tempting prospect for all but the biggest Apple fans. Other than the operating system the only real reason to plump for the iPhone 5S instead is the screen size. The Galaxy S5 is ideal for video and web browsing, but the smaller screen on the iPhone 5S makes it more pocket friendly and easier to use one-handed. Check out the other happenings at MWC in our regularly updated guide. MWC 2014: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Feb 24th 2014, 20:40, by J Rogerson The Samsung Galaxy S5 is finally here, taking its place at the top of Samsung's range and arguably as the face of Android itself. There's been a lot of anticipation and hype, almost too much to live up to, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 is almost a year old and has faced incredibly stiff competition from the likes of the HTC One and the LG G2. Samsung is no longer the only big name in Android and the need for a shiny new flagship has never been greater. That doesn't mean the Galaxy S4 is now redundant; it's still a great phone and still at the higher end of the market, if anything this will just open it up to new buyers. It's sitting at around $700 SIM free, and that price is likely to drop further once the S5 is in shops, which itself will probably cost closer to $1000 than we'd like. So before running out and buying the latest and greatest, read on to see just how it stacks up to the S4. Screen The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5 inch 1080 x 1920 Super AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. In our review we said the Galaxy S4 had the best display you could find on a smartphone and it's certainly still up there. The Samsung Galaxy S5 marginally ups the size to a 5.1-inch Full HD display and it's still Super AMOLED, so not a massive change. In fact if anything it's slightly less sharp as that extra 0.1 inch brings it down to 415ppi. Design One of the few aspects of the Galaxy S4 that we weren't so thrilled by was its design. While Sony experimented with glass and metal and HTC put everyone to shame with its aluminium unibody HTC One, Samsung stuck with plastic. It feels solid enough and the faux-metallic band around the edge gives it a touch of class but it just doesn't seem as premium as the competition. The design has changed a little in the Galaxy S5. It's still plastic sadly, but this time the look is more industrial than inspired by nature and it feels more solid in the hand. At 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm and 145g it's slightly bigger and heavier than the Galaxy S4, which is 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and 130g. OS The Samsung Galaxy S4 already runs the latest version of Android (4.4.2 KitKat), so the two phones are identical in that sense. They also both use Samsung's TouchWiz interface and while the notifications bar and lockscreen have been changed for the Galaxy S5 on the whole they're not drastically different. But what changes there are seem to be for the better. For example, the notifications screen gives you quick access to more settings. Battery The Galaxy S4 has a 2600 mAh battery which gives it an above average amount of juice. We found that with medium to low usage you'll still have around 50% battery at the end of the day and even with heavy usage it should easily last you till you get in from work and can attach it to a charger. The Galaxy S5 has a slightly bigger 2800mAh battery, and Samsung claims its better too, supposedly surviving up to 10 hours of web browsing or 12 hours of video. Obviously until we've put it through its paces we won't know for sure how true that is. If nothing else though it has an Ultra Power Saving Mode which shuts down all none-essential features and makes the display black and white to maximise its battery life. CPU The 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM packed into the Galaxy S4 ensure it's slick and powerful, but it's since been topped by newer, faster processors, such as the 2.5GHz quad-core Krait processor found in the Galaxy S5. The S5 still sticks with 2GB of RAM. Features If anything the Galaxy S4 has feature-overload, with the likes of Air View, Air Gesture and Smart Scroll all sounding exciting on paper, but feeling a bit gimmicky in practice. The new features added for the S5 sound rather more useful. The long rumoured fingerprint scanner made the cut. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is also IP67 certified dust and water resistant and has the ability to combine Wi-Fi and 4G to increase the speed of downloads. Fitness seems to be a big focus for the Galaxy S5 too, as Samsung's added a new version of its S Health app to the phone and the camera flash can double as a heart rate monitor if you leave your finger on it for around 8 seconds. Camera The 13-megapixel snapper on the Galaxy S4 is capable of taking great shots, but it's likely to be bettered by the 16-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S5. Aside from upping the megapixel count, the S5's camera also allows you to change the focus of shots after taking them. It can also take pictures in just 0.3 seconds and it's able to show the effects of HDR in real-time, so you can see how a picture will look before you take it. The Galaxy S4 can shoot 1080p video, but the Galaxy S5 again trumps it with its ability to shoot 4K footage, and even the front-facing camera gets a little better, up from 2 megapixels on the S4 to 2.1 megapixels on the S5. Security The Galaxy S4 has the standard security features that we've come to expect from Android phones, such as a choice of a pin, password, pattern or face unlock. The Samsung Galaxy S5 adds to the options with its fingerprint scanner which is on the home key. You just slide your finger downwards to use it. Not only can it be used to unlock your phone, but it can also provide access to private data and replace passwords. Verdict The Samsung Galaxy S4 is undeniably still a great handset, but it looks set to take more of an upper mid-range position in Samsung's line-up now, making it a phone ideal for those who want a good all-round performer without paying top end prices. The S5 meanwhile takes its place at the top of the range with the expected specs boost alongside a host of new features which make it a phone to be reckoned with. If you want the latest and greatest, this is it. The Galaxy S5 wasn't the only big reveal at MWC today, the Sony Xperia Z2 made an appearance too. In Depth: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Feb 24th 2014, 20:40, by J Rogerson The Samsung Galaxy S5 is finally here, taking its place at the top of Samsung's range and arguably as the face of Android itself. There's been a lot of anticipation and hype, almost too much to live up to, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 is almost a year old and has faced incredibly stiff competition from the likes of the HTC One and the LG G2. Samsung is no longer the only big name in Android and the need for a shiny new flagship has never been greater. That doesn't mean the Galaxy S4 is now redundant; it's still a great phone and still at the higher end of the market, if anything this will just open it up to new buyers. It's already down to around £350 SIM free and that price is likely to drop further once the S5 is in shops, which itself will probably cost at least £500. So before running out and buying the latest and greatest, read on to see just how it stacks up to the S4. Screen The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5 inch 1080 x 1920 Super AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. In our review we said the Galaxy S4 had the best display you could find on a smartphone and it's certainly still up there. The Samsung Galaxy S5 marginally ups the size to a 5.1-inch Full HD display and it's still Super AMOLED, so not a massive change. In fact if anything it's slightly less sharp as that extra 0.1 inch brings it down to 415ppi. Design One of the few aspects of the Galaxy S4 that we weren't so thrilled by was its design. While Sony experimented with glass and metal and HTC put everyone to shame with its aluminium unibody HTC One, Samsung stuck with plastic. It feels solid enough and the faux-metallic band around the edge gives it a touch of class but it just doesn't seem as premium as the competition. The design has changed a little in the Galaxy S5. It's still plastic sadly, but this time the look is more industrial than inspired by nature and it feels more solid in the hand. At 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm and 145g it's slightly bigger and heavier than the Galaxy S4, which is 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and 130g. OS The Samsung Galaxy S4 already runs the latest version of Android (4.4.2 KitKat), so the two phones are identical in that sense. They also both use Samsung's TouchWiz interface and while the notifications bar and lockscreen have been changed for the Galaxy S5 on the whole they're not drastically different. But what changes there are seem to be for the better. For example, the notifications screen gives you quick access to more settings. Battery The Galaxy S4 has a 2600 mAh battery which gives it an above average amount of juice. We found that with medium to low usage you'll still have around 50% battery at the end of the day and even with heavy usage it should easily last you till you get in from work and can attach it to a charger. The Galaxy S5 has a slightly bigger 2800 mAh battery, and Samsung claims its better too, supposedly surviving up to 10 hours of web browsing or 12 hours of video. Obviously until we've put it through its paces we won't know for sure how true that is. If nothing else though it has an Ultra Power Saving Mode which shuts down all none-essential features and makes the display black and white to maximise its battery life. CPU The 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM packed into the Galaxy S4 ensure it's slick and powerful, but it's since been topped by newer, faster processors, such as the 2.5GHz quad-core Krait processor found in the Galaxy S5. The S5 still sticks with 2GB of RAM. Features If anything the Galaxy S4 has feature-overload, with the likes of Air View, Air Gesture and Smart Scroll all sounding exciting on paper, but feeling a bit gimmicky in practice. The new features added for the S5 sound rather more useful. The long rumoured fingerprint scanner made the cut. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is also IP67 certified dust and water resistant and has the ability to combine Wi-Fi and 4G to increase the speed of downloads. Fitness seems to be a big focus for the Galaxy S5 too, as Samsung's added a new version of its S Health app to the phone and the camera flash can double as a heart rate monitor if you leave your finger on it for around 8 seconds. Camera The 13-megapixel snapper on the Galaxy S4 is capable of taking great shots, but it's likely to be bettered by the 16-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S5. Aside from upping the megapixel count, the S5's camera also allows you to change the focus of shots after taking them. It can also take pictures in just 0.3 seconds and it's able to show the effects of HDR in real-time, so you can see how a picture will look before you take it. The Galaxy S4 can shoot 1080p video, but the Galaxy S5 again trumps it with its ability to shoot 4K footage and even the front-facing camera gets a little better, up from two megapixels on the S4 to 2.1 megapixels on the S5. Security The Galaxy S4 has the standard security features that we've come to expect from Android phones, such as a choice of a pin, password, pattern or face unlock. The Samsung Galaxy S5 adds to the options with its fingerprint scanner which is on the home key. You just slide your finger downwards to use it. Not only can it be used to unlock your phone, but it can also provide access to private data and replace passwords. Verdict The Samsung Galaxy S4 is undeniably still a great handset, but it looks set to take more of an upper mid-range position in Samsung's line-up now, making it a phone ideal for those who want a good all-round performer without paying top end prices. The S5 meanwhile takes its place at the top of the range with the expected specs boost alongside a host of new features which make it a phone to be reckoned with. If you want the latest and greatest, this is it. The Galaxy S5 wasn't the only big reveal at MWC today, the Sony Xperia Z2 made an appearance too. MWC 2014: Samsung CEO: Galaxy S5 not about eye-popping technology Feb 24th 2014, 20:10, by Matt Swider As Samsung pulled back the curtain on the Samsung Galaxy S5 at MWC 2014, it pulled back on its ambitions to deliver needless technology that only seemed cutting-edge. "Our customers do not want eye-popping technology, or the most complex technology. Our customers want durable design and performance," said Co-CEO JK Shin. "Our consumers want a simple, yet powerful camera. Our consumers want faster and seamless connectivity. And our customers want a phone that can help them stay fit." Samsung hit on these points with the introduction of its newest Samsung Galaxy smartphone, which focuses on design, camera, connectivity, staying fit and lifestyle as its key tenants. Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 Samsung is certainly used to including all of the bells and whistles with its flagship smartphones. That was precisely the song and dance of last year's Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiling. The company's Broadway-styled unveiling revealed features like Smart Stay, Smart Pause and Smart Scroll that weren't all that smart in the end - they didn't work 100% of the time. Shin signaled that his company is responding to customers who want innovation without such over-the-top technology. It has left much of the features that smartphone owners have deemed extraneous to its new Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit fitness band. Perhaps the only unconventional Samsung Galaxy S5 feature unveiled today was its ability for users to take their heart rate directly from the back of the new phone. Samsung had to fit in one "world's first," it would seem. Whether or not this proves useful to Samsung's Android phone audience should be determined starting on April 11, when the Galaxy S5, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit launch to the world. Not left behind: Samsung to upgrade original Galaxy Gear to Tizen.

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