1. NOKIA 3310
One of the biggest surprises at this year’s Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona was not a new smartphone or tablet; it was the revival of one of the most successful cellphones ever released by Nokia. The candy-bar shaped Nokia 3310 was originally released in September 2000 and sold for $90. And it sold and sold—a total of 126 million units worldwide. The 2017 3310 has the same essential shape and design, but it’s now available in more, brighter colors, and it’s going to sell for €49 ($51.75). It isn’t only cheaper, but it has 22 hours of talk time and a month of standby time, far exceeding the original battery time. There’s a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, a headphone jack, FM radio, and an MP3 player. The 2.4" screen has a polarized layer for better sunlit viewing, and it’s available in both single-SIM and dual-SIM versions. There’s 16MB internal storage and a MicroSD card slot that will support up to an additional 32GB. The 2G connectivity provides calling and texting but no email. The 3310 will be marketed as a second phone and in emerging markets. And it does have the original distinctive Nokia ringtone, for those who remember it. www.nokia.com
2. BLACKBERRY KEYONE
A second comeback at the Mobile World Congress was BlackBerry’s KEYone, a high-end fully Android BlackBerry with a unique physical keyboard. Below the 4.5" scratch-resistant display is a full QWERTY keyboard that can be configured with up to 52 shortcuts. And along with the ability to click-type, the keyboard has sensors that enable swiping over the keys to flip among screens and do other actions. There are two cameras, 12 megapixel and 8 megapixel, access to over a million Android apps, and preloaded BlackBerry apps including keyboard, hub, calendar, contacts, note, device search, and so on. GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC (near field communication, a wireless connectivity technology) are built in. There’s 32GB internal memory and up to 2TB expandable with a MicroSD card. www.blackberrymobile.us
3. SONY XPERIA XA1
Also debuted at Barcelona were two midrange Sony X smartphones, the Xperia XA1 and the XA1 Ultra with the larger 6" screen. Both feature a borderless design maximizing the edge-to-edge screens, premium cameras, and octa-core processors. The 5" HD curved glass screen is 720 × 1,280 pixels, and the 6" screen of the Ultra has 1,080 × 1,920 pixels. The rear camera for both offers 23-megapixel high resolution with a bright F 2.0 lens. There’s fast hybrid autofocus and a lapse of only 0.6 seconds from launch to capture. The front camera on the XA1 is an 8 megapixel 23 mm. wide-angle lens that will take selfie group shots, and the XA1 Ultra has a 16-megapixel front camera with Optical Image Stabilizer and a smart selfie flash designed to naturally illuminate faces. www.sonymobile.com
4. LENOVO MIIX 320
The Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 320 is a 2-in-1 laptop with a detachable keyboard that lets you use it as a 10.1" tablet. Priced within range of a Chromebook ($199), it runs full Windows up to Windows 10 Pro. It’s very lightweight at 2.2 lbs. with keyboard attached and only 1.2 lbs. in tablet mode. Battery provides up to 10 hours of local video playback, and there are 128GB of on-board memory. Ports include 2 USB 2.0 and a USB type C 3.0, along with a MicroSD slot. The front camera is 2 megapixel and the rear is 5 megapixel with autofocus. The 802.11ac Wi-Fi is three times the speed of standard Wi-Fi, and there’s Bluetooth 4.2. www.lenovo.com
April 2017
