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Vava Dash Cam review

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Before setting out to create a dash camera, Vava asked consumers what they would like in the perfect camera. The result of that feedback comes in the form of the Vava Dash, which was launched as a Kickstarter campaign in January 2017. Vava director Jeh Lin said that the company utilized the Kickstarter platform because it “loves the instant community feedback and suggestions on new features.” The campaign currently has over $200K in backing; we got an early example of the Dash to see what makes this camera so special.

Unboxing and components

Unlike many Kickstarter campaigns, the team at Vava is an established business with popular products like the Vava Voom Bluetooth speaker. This maturity shows in the slick product packaging and overall quality of the Vava Dash components. Within the attractive packaging, you will find the puck-shaped camera body, a 32GB MicroSD card, 14-inch USB cable with inline GPS module, magnetic swivel mount, 12v car charger with built-in 2,300mAh power bank, and the Snapshot button.

The camera body is lightweight black plastic, 2.5 inches in diameter and 1 inch in height. The camera itself records at a resolution of 1,920 × 1,080 (1080P) at 60fps. The 140-degree field of vision is one of the lower we have seen but seems to work well for in-car footage. An important design element of the Vava Dash was the ability to swivel the camera 360 degrees to capture the inside of the car when necessary. Therefore, the windshield suction mount attaches to the camera through a magnet and can be rotated to face the outside or inside of the car by hand. According to Vava, the idea to face the camera inside the car came from the popularity of videos like James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke.

On the road

You can power the camera through a regular USB charger or using the included Vava charger and power bank. The power bank is one of the more innovative items we have seen and allows the camera to work in standby mode for up to 30 days.

This is a big improvement, as many dash cameras need to be hardwired into your car’s electronics to get a parking mode, or standby mode, to work with the car off. When in standby mode, the Vava Dash will only record once the G-sensor is triggered by an accident or intruder. In our testing with the power bank charger, the Vava Dash was always recording regardless of whether the vehicle was powered.

Once the car is on and moving, the Dash enables its regular driving mode to capture your trip. The Vava Dash will continue to capture each segment of your drive in 3-minute increments and overwrite older data when the card is full. In testing, the Vava Dash mount had some issues with vibrations and would occasionally come loose during journeys over rough roads. The problems weren’t as bad as we saw in the Waylens Horizon, but it does take a moment to get it secure. According to Vava, the loose mount is a “known issue in this early mold and Vava will be updated long before the final units are shipped to backers.”

Video quality when driving at night and day are on par with what we have seen from competing 1080P cameras, with only slightly less detail for things like license plates. However, the video angle and clarity are perfect for recording the interior of the car.

Snapshot clips of video or photos can be saved using a Snapshot button that can be mounted inside the car. The Snapshot videos are only 20 seconds, but allow you to grab a specific instance of your drive for reference later. The system will also sense accidents through the G-sensor and make sure to automatically save those clips as an emergency recording. This will ensure important footage is not over-written without the driver having to act.

Vava mobile app

An important component to using the Vava Dash is the Vava mobile application for iOS and Android. The Dash unit has a Wi-Fi connection that allows the mobile app to quickly transfer and display video and data from the camera.

The application can show what the camera is recording and also allows you to save Snapshot photos and videos. A main focus of the Vava team was to make sure it was easy to see your media and share it out to your social channels. Using the mobile app, you can edit and then download video clips to your phone then share them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram in seconds. This feature should come in handy for those that want to share their own “Carpool Karaoke” with the world. The built-in GPS helps to create trips in the “Travel Log” section of the app. You can then give names to the trip in the “Driving Journal” and give a cover photo. This is a nice feature for those who want to keep track of their adventures or simply log their driving miles.

Our Take

Early backers purchased the Vava Dash for only $100 and the backer price now sits at only $120. At that price, it’s still one of the most affordable dash cameras on the market. The Vava Dash may also be the new camera to beat when it comes to balancing innovation and affordability.

Is there a better alternative?

Budget dash cameras from a company like Vantrue will have much better video quality, but they lack the user friendliness and features of the Vava Dash and Vava mobile app. And other cameras offer alternative features you might appreciate; consider, for example, the Thinkware X500D, which features a speed camera alert, forward collision warning system, and lane departure notifications to mimic built-in systems on today’s most advanced vehicles. It’s also more expensive, and may be more camera than you need.

How long will it last?

The video quality meets minimum standards to compete with any of the latest cameras on the market. Also, Vava seems to value customer suggestions and the Vava mobile app should have frequent updates. You should expect it to last for several years — at which point dash cams will likely have improved, and you’ll want something new anyway.

Should you buy it?

Yes. We’re bearish on Kickstarter projects, which too often seem to end in failure, lost money, and angry consumers wondering what happened. But Vava is a big company, and we’re willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Assuming the final project fixes the few quirks we found, and delivers all of the innovative features we liked, this dashcam is will be worthy of joining you on the daily commute.

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February 27, 2017 at 11:27AM

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If a bezel-less future is what you want, let Ulefone’s F1 be your guiding light

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Xiaomi’s Mi Mix might not have been the perfect smartphone, but its near bezel-less screen that took up almost all of the front of the device gave us a small and satisfying glimpse into the future of what is possible with smartphone design. Fellow Chinese manufacturer Ulefone hopes to make that same impression with the F1, which was announced just as Mobile World Congress began getting off the ground.

At first blush, the F1 looks strikingly similar to the Mi Mix in that the top and side bezels have been reduced to almost nothing. Because of this, the front camera needed to be moved to the bottom bezel, so pictures taken with the F1 might look up your nose a bit more than you would like.

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That does not mean the fingerprint sensor was shifted to the back, though, as is the case with the Mi Mix. Instead, you will find the F1’s fingerprint sensor below the display, and as an added bonus, it doubles as the phone’s home button. Furthermore, whereas the Mi Mix exorcises the earpiece, it appears as if the F1 retains it. Finally, Ulefone confirmed that the F1 sports a dual-camera setup, but did not say what resolutions the cameras shoot at. By comparison, the Mi Mix only features one main camera.

Under the hood, MediaTek’s 2.5GHz octa-core Helio P25 and 6GB RAM run the show, while the sizable 128GB of native storage should be more than sufficient for most folks’ needs.

Unfortunately, Ulefone did not yet divulge other details, such as the screen size and resolution, battery, and connectivity options, among other details. The company also did not reveal how much the F1 will cost or when exactly it will be available, though the phone will launch sometime during the second half of 2017.

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February 27, 2017 at 11:27AM

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Score $150 off this Asus 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop for a limited time

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Gaming laptops can come with so many bells and whistles the final price of the machine can be staggering. If you’re looking to invest in a gaming laptop, but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, look at a more affordable option such as this Asus 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop currently marked down to only $800 on Amazon.

More: The Best Gaming Laptop You Can Buy

This Asus gaming laptop packs power and portability within a slick, clean design. Complete with an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M graphics the machine is robust, and able to handle power-heavy gaming without slowing you down. The graphic card has Nvidia Optimus Technology that automatically tweaks the GPU to either turn up the graphics power or slow it down to a battery-boosting efficiency level, to perfectly adjust to what you’re doing. The powerful graphics card also boasts Asus Splendid Technology, which uses four preset modes that enhance the display of the notebook panel and deliver stunning visuals.

To ensure the gaming laptop stays fast and efficient, this model features an upgraded cooling system with independent copper fans dedicated to cooling the CPU and GPU. The unique cooling system keeps temperatures low to prevent overheating and ensure system stability when playing processor-intensive tasks games. In addition to the dual fans, the machine uses Asus IceCool Technology, which is an internal layout that keeps palm-rest surface temperatures consistently at below body temperature to make the machine comfortable to play on for hours. Other comfort features include a smart gesture multi-touch pad that gives you finite levels of accurate and intuitive fingertip inputs to make using the machine just feel more natural.

If audio is an important part of your gaming, you’ll be more than satisfied with this model thanks to the Asus SonicMaster that delivers perfectly pitched sounds. It includes a professional codec for precise sound performance, an optimized amplifier to deliver louder volumes, larger speakers and resonance chambers for powerful audio output, and deeper bass, and signal processing that fine tunes the hardware to filtering noise and improve clarity.

All this power is packed into a clean metallic design with a classy gray metallic cover and a hairline-textured finish. The gaming laptop is less than an inch thick and designed with well-rounded edges producing minimalist lines that set it apart from other competitive models. Tech specs include 8GB memory with 512GB solid state storage, 15.6-inch full HD anti-glare display with 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and gigabit dual-band 802.11AC for ultra-fast Wi-Fi. The machine comes with an Asus 1-Year Accidental Damage Protection Warranty, which protects your purchase with coverage for damages such as liquid spills, electrical surges, and accidental drops. 

The Asus 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop normally retails for $950 but is currently marked down to $800 on Amazon, giving you a $150 or 16-percent discount for a limited time.

$800 on Amazon

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February 27, 2017 at 11:27AM

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Hook + Gaff’s watch is so multifunctional, rugged James Bond should wear one

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For a true outdoorsman, any gear taken off the beaten path must be able to perform rain or shine, hot or cold, as well as be multifunctional. Hook + Gaff’s new Sportfisher II Moonphase watch has the perfect blend of fashion and function, and is so durable James Bond should wear one. Assembled right here in the U.S., and touting the tagline “built for the boat,” this watch was designed for aquatic adventures — above or below the surface.

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Hook + Gaff founder Michael Sims fells that outdoorsmen and gentlemen are often one and the same, but said no watch was suited to a rugged yet refined lifestyle. Having an engineering background, as well as a love of the outdoors, he took it upon himself to develop a company that could forge something strong enough for sporting adventures, yet stylish enough to exude a classic aesthetic appeal.

“I believe the uniqueness of what we are doing at Hook + Gaff is found through designing for functionality and durability first, and it makes all the difference in the world,” Sims said. “Our brand logo and overall look of our watches are both easily identifiable at a glance — that is what’s going to propel us as we grow.”

For starters, the watch contains a moon phase dial. The moon has always played a major role in man’s movements and daily existence, from the ebb and flow of tides to nocturnal animal activity.  Now, your next wilderness photography shoot or moonlit night hike can be planned for the perfect conditions.

The Sportfisher II is constructed of lightweight titanium, encasing a Swiss quartz movement that is extremely shock absorbent and so light that you can fish, surf or kayak all day without realizing you’re wearing it — until you need to look at the time, that is. Titanium is a low conductor of heat, and is comfortable to wear on the hottest of days. The crown is uniquely placed on the left side of the watch face to avoid irritation during active angling or paddling situations.

The glass is scratch-proof sapphire crystal, paired with a screw-down crown and case back that keep this watch watertight to 200 meters. The 100-percent rubber strap means you can sweat in it, dive with it, fillet a fresh catch, and simply rinse it off. The Sportfisher II gets clean and does not retain the odor of the lake or break down from saltwater, as is the case with many other straps.

“We listened to feedback from captains, charter guides, hunters, and others in the industry, and we designed a watch to meet their everyday needs,” Sims said. “We enjoy the design process and figuring out what can make a watch more functional, durable and more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.”

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February 27, 2017 at 11:27AM

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Porsche Design’s sleek 2-in-1 Windows 10 PC boasts detachable keyboard

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During the Mobile World Congress 2017 show in Barcelona, Spain, Porsche Design Computing revealed the Book One 2-in-1 device sporting Windows 10 Pro. What is notable about this device is that it not only includes a detachable keyboard, but the peripheral features a patented hinge that provides 360 degrees of rotation so that the screen can be adjusted to theater mode, tent mode, tablet mode, and so on.

“In keeping with the traditional design philosophy of Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the well-crafted hinge and its stainless steel cog wheels are inspired by the transmission of a sports car,” the company said on Monday.

More: Die-hard PC gamer gets ‘Doom II’ up and running on a Porsche 911 dashboard

The Book One is sleek and elegant sporting a “Pure Silver” milled aluminum housing covered by a matte anodized surface finish. The Porsche Design branding resides at the top of the tablet and along the bottom edge of the screen. Based on the information provided by the specs, the keyboard needs to be connected for the tablet battery to charge.

Here are the hardware specs:

The 2-in-1 Book One device comes packed with a digital pen created by Porsche Design and manufactured by Wacom. Optimized for Windows Ink and housed in anodized aluminum, the peripheral provides a function key, a delete key, and a pressure sensitivity of 2,048 points. It can be stored away in the magnetic holder built into the right side of the tablet.

As for the detachable keyboard, it includes a secondary built-in battery that, when combined with the tablet’s battery, provides up to 14 hours of standard use on a single charge. The peripheral consists of full-sized keys with a dimmable backlight, a Microsoft-certified precision touchpad supporting multiple gestures, and a USB Type-C power port that charges the battery in under two hours. The built-in “VarioGear” hinge appears to “plug” into the tablet so that the keyboard can create a laptop form factor with a 360-degree screen rotation while still being able to separate from the tablet unit.

Based out of Ludwigsburg, Germany, Porsche Design is widely known as a premium brand that brings the principles and “spirit” of Porsche to lifestyle products. These include sunglasses, watches, jackets, and even external hard drives designed for LaCie and Seagate.

The Porsche Design Book One will be available in April for $2,495.

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February 27, 2017 at 10:56AM

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Facebook TV app lets you watch videos and live-streams on a Samsung Smart TV

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You can now tune into Facebook videos from your friends and global live broadcasts on your TV — if you own a Samsung Smart TV.

On Monday, the South Korean electronics manufacturer announced that the social network’s much-touted new app is exclusively available on its lineup of Smart TVs at launch. Facebook also plans to bring the app to Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

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Samsung describes the Facebook video app as a new way to enjoy a mix of personal and public broadcasts on the biggest screen in your home. The app is available on all of the company’s 2015-2017 Samsung Smart TV models, including its new QLED TV range.

“It is a pleasure to bring the world’s social network to Samsung Smart TV users, as well as continue to see the value of Samsung Smart TV, as a platform, growing,” said Sangsook Han, vice president of the visual display business at Samsung Electronics.

Users can access the app by logging into their Samsung Smart Hub and downloading it, after which they will be required to enter a one-time Facebook login. The app offers videos shared by your network of Facebook friends, along with clips from Pages, top Live Videos from around the world, and recommended content based on your interests.

Facebook is currently busy ramping up its video offering. The company is reportedly in advanced talks to bring Major League Baseball games to its new app and desktop and mobile video tab. It also recently secured a deal with Univision to broadcast 46 games from popular Mexican soccer league Liga MX.

Last week, the web giant revealed how it plans to incentivize publishers (including Live video creators and media companies) to create more visual content using ad revenue-sharing. For viewers, this will essentially result in having to sit through several potential ad breaks during longer live and pre-recorded broadcasts on the Facebook app.

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February 27, 2017 at 10:56AM

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Amazon’s Alexa is coming to Yamaha’s MusicCast products starting this fall

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Amazon’s Alexa voice-powered assistant is continuing to gain traction and it’s only thanks in part to the companies devices like the Echo and Echo Dot. The speed that Alexa is being adopted by other hardware manufacturers is a big factor in how quickly it is catching on. Now Yamaha is joining the club, as it announced on Monday that it is bringing Alexa voice control to its MusicCast audio-visual products.

“MusicCast is the most versatile and powerful wireless multiroom audio system on the market, and the integration with Amazon Alexa makes it even easier to control,” Yamaha Corporation of America AV division general manager Bob Goedken said in a statement. “Telling Alexa to play your music and hearing it synchronized throughout your home with Yamaha sound quality is an extraordinary experience.”

More: Yamaha amps up its MusicCast offerings with new speakers, amplifiers, sound bar

The feature will launch on more than 40 MusicCast-enabled products beginning this fall via a firmware update. At the same time, an Alexa Skill that adds MusicCast commands will arrive on Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, including the Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. Once both the MusicCast product and your Amazon products are updated, you will be able to control both music playback and other functions using only your voice.

Yamaha first launched MusicCast in 2015 via the WX-030 wireless speaker. Since then, the wireless multiroom technology has been included in AV receivers, soundbars, streaming amplifiers and more. The company even added a pair of products in 2016 that let you use your older speakers, receivers, and other audio gear in your MusicCast setup. No matter where in your house you would like to add a MusicCast-enabled product, the only two things you need are a power outlet and strong enough Wi-Fi signal.

More: Multiroom wireless speaker shootout: Which entry-level Wi-Fi speaker is best?

Outside of the fall launch window, Yamaha has yet to share any specific launch information. For more information on how you will be able to use Alexa and Yamaha’s MusicCast products together, see the company’s website.

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February 27, 2017 at 10:28AM

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Panasonic Toughbook CF-33 is the Windows 10 2-in-1 that can go anywhere

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The Windows 10 2-in-1 market is full of options fitting just about every possible user need, from tablets that convert to notebooks, notebooks that convert to tablets, convertibles with 360-degree flip-around displays, and more. Now, Panasonic has updated its Toughbook line of rugged devices with a new Windows 10 2-in-1 of its own.

Toughbooks are known for being designed to withstand the most punishing users and environments, and the new Toughbook CF-33 appears to be a fitting new member of the line. Panasonic introduced the machine at Mobile World Congress 2017 and Microsoft highlighted the new machine in a post on its Windows blog.

More: CES 2017 proves 2-in-1s are becoming the new normal

The Toughbook CF-33 is a tablet with a detachable keyboard, sporting a 12-inch display with a very Microsoft Surface-like 3:2 aspect ratio that provides more vertical screen real estate. The display’s resolution is QHD (2,160 x 1,440), which works out to a relatively sharp 216 pixels per inch and it offers an extremely bright panel at 1200 nits so it can work well under bright sunlight.

Of course, the display is also a 10-point touchscreen, and Panasonic implemented technology that works with gloves, and the IP55 digitizer pen fully supports Windows Ink. The tablet portion weighs 1.527 kg by itself, and the entire machine when assembled weighs 2.761kg.

Other specifications include seventh-generation Intel Core processor, 2-megapixel webcam up front and 8MP rear camera with Windows Hello support, and a 4G LTE option. Connectivity is provided by USB 3.0, HDMI, ethernet, and headset ports and a microSD card reader. Finally, the Toughbook CF-33 has twin hot-swappable batteries to enable long battery life without the need to shut down when plugging in a fresh battery.

Panasonic hasn’t yet published all of the specifications for the U.S. market, but the Toughbook CF-33 is expected to arrive in May priced at $4,099 for the tablet and keyboard combination and $3,499 for the tablet by itself. The machine will arrive in Europe sometime in the second quarter of 2017 for 3,552 euros for the combination and 2,992 euros for just the tablet.

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February 27, 2017 at 10:28AM

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Take a stroll through Google’s Android Global Village at Mobile World Congress

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Mobile World Congress — for some it’s the trade show to watch for all the latest smartphone news, and for others, it’s the place to collect an unnecessary amount of Android pins.

We took a tour of Google’s Android Global Village here at MWC in Barcelona, where the company is showcasing its latest technology. For example, there are yellow phone booths on both ends of the space, each staffed by a Google employee with a Pixel smartphone. If you ask about the booth, they’ll launch Google Duo, a video messaging app, to call each other and showcase the strong video call quality.

More: Check out Google Assistant running on a variety of Android smartphones

There’s also a Daydream and Tango station, where people can put on the Daydream View VR headset and escape reality, or use Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro to decorate a room in augmented reality. A log cabin stands in the center, sheltering a cozy living room that’s packed with a TV, speaker, Nest thermostat, and more. All of the devices are controllable via Google Chromecast and Google Home.

The tradition of collecting pins is as strong as ever this year — just head over to the main information booth to get a map of all the pin locations at Mobile World Congress. There are three tiers you can win — gold, silver, and bronze — and you get a prize if you collect all the pins in at least one of those tiers.

One of the best stations is the switchboard, where you can grab a pair of headphones and plug a cable into one of many jacks to get different songs streaming from Google Play Music.

More: Google is shutting down Spaces, its experimental group discussion platform

This year’s Android Global Village seems consistent with last year’s message of “be together, not the same,” thanks in part to the inclusion of various Android smartphones. In fact, it almost feels as though the Pixel is hardly present.

We’ve only managed to grab about nine pins on the first day of the show — leave us a comment if you managed to collect them all.

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February 27, 2017 at 10:28AM

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DT Daily MWC Day One: Sony XZ Premium, Alcatel’s modular phone, and the Gionee A1 Plus

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Mobile World Congress 2017 opened its doors today, following the busy press day on Sunday. We were ready for news from Sony, Alcatel, Gionee and others.

Sony’s big new release is the Xperia XZ Premium, a 5.5-inch Android 7.0 Nougat smartphone in a shiny and really gorgeous chrome-colored body. Its standout feature is a 4K resolution screen with HDR, just like your TV. Compared to previous Sony phones, it looked super with improved contrast in key spots. The 19-megapixel rear camera, with unusual 960fps at 720p video recording, gives a super slow motion effect. The phone is out in late spring, and we’re waiting for price and release details.

More: Oppo’s 5X camera uses a prism to take incredibly clear pictures

Modular phones haven’t really caught on yet, but that hasn’t stopped Alcatel from announcing the A5, which is augmented by modular components that replace the back of the phone. What can you get? A speaker with a kickstand, a unique customizable LED lighting system, and a battery pack. We do know the A5 will be sold in the U.S., but Alcatel is keeping quiet about when it will launch and for how much.

Gionee isn’t the best known Chinese smartphone manufacturer, but that may change with the A1 Plus. It has an astonishing 20-megapixel selfie camera that recreates the fashionable bokeh blurred background effect. It also has a dual-lens rear camera, a 6-inch screen, and an equally massive 4,550mAh battery. No, it’s not likely to be released in the U.S., but it’ll be out in other regions in April, at a price of 500 euros.

All the big announcements from Mobile World Congress have now happened, but the show itself has only just started. That means we’re ready to discover all the cool products hiding out on the show floor for the remaining days, so join us again tomorrow to see what we found.

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February 27, 2017 at 10:28AM