MWC gadgets
Gadgets at the Mobile World Congress
BARCELONA — Alongside announcements from big companies, there are dozens of startups trying to push their products at the Mobile World Congress each year, usually under the umbrella of smaller shows such as Showstoppers or Mobile Focus Global.
The shows always provide a nice overview of mobile trends, off-beat gadgets and yet-to-become mainstream technology — and this year was no exception. In nearly seven hours of browsing through countless companies' stands, Mashable found quite a few that caught our eye (although many of these products already debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas).
Similar to last year, waterproof gadgets and rugged cases seem to be a big trend. Standout companies include: Australia-based Cygnett, which makes fashionable iPhone, iPod and Galaxy S III cases, Lifeproof, which makes everything-proof gadget cases, and Kyocera, which showcased their nearly indestructible Android phone called Torque.
'We're very good at making cheap Android phones, and we're good at making rugged gadgets. Now we've connected the two," Kyocera said. At its stand, the company featured a rugged iPhone case that costs around $70. Their Torque phone, equally rugged, costs $99.
Audio gadgets are also popular this year. Jabra showed us their Vox in-ear earphones, which feature a unique magnet-equipped cord that prevents them from getting tangled inside your pocket. The company also had the Revo corded and wireless headphones, both constructed from an aluminum frame and memory foam ear cups.
Zagg showcased a unique two-in-one speaker system that has a large module and a small one. Users connect their phone to the smaller module, which is battery-powered and has a speaker, via Bluetooth. To get a louder sound, they can plug the smaller module into the larger one. At 249 euros, the Origin portable speaker is not exactly cheap, but it's definitely versatile.
And if all that's not enough, Olloclip exhibited its 3-in-1 iPhone camera lens (now also supporting the iPhone 5), which quickly and easily adds fish-eye, wide-angle and macro capabilities to your iPhone camera.
So, there you have it: With a few hundred dollars to spare, you can add some serious audio and video features to your iPhone or iPod touch (most manufacturers also support the Galaxy S III, but few venture further into Android-land) — not to mention protect them from almost anything.
Check out photos of 10 gadgets at the Mobile World Congress that can supercharge your phone in the gallery, above.
View the Original article
Gadgets at the Mobile World Congress
BARCELONA — Alongside announcements from big companies, there are dozens of startups trying to push their products at the Mobile World Congress each year, usually under the umbrella of smaller shows such as Showstoppers or Mobile Focus Global.
The shows always provide a nice overview of mobile trends, off-beat gadgets and yet-to-become mainstream technology — and this year was no exception. In nearly seven hours of browsing through countless companies' stands, Mashable found quite a few that caught our eye (although many of these products already debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas).
Similar to last year, waterproof gadgets and rugged cases seem to be a big trend. Standout companies include: Australia-based Cygnett, which makes fashionable iPhone, iPod and Galaxy S III cases, Lifeproof, which makes everything-proof gadget cases, and Kyocera, which showcased their nearly indestructible Android phone called Torque.
'We're very good at making cheap Android phones, and we're good at making rugged gadgets. Now we've connected the two," Kyocera said. At its stand, the company featured a rugged iPhone case that costs around $70. Their Torque phone, equally rugged, costs $99.
Audio gadgets are also popular this year. Jabra showed us their Vox in-ear earphones, which feature a unique magnet-equipped cord that prevents them from getting tangled inside your pocket. The company also had the Revo corded and wireless headphones, both constructed from an aluminum frame and memory foam ear cups.
Zagg showcased a unique two-in-one speaker system that has a large module and a small one. Users connect their phone to the smaller module, which is battery-powered and has a speaker, via Bluetooth. To get a louder sound, they can plug the smaller module into the larger one. At 249 euros, the Origin portable speaker is not exactly cheap, but it's definitely versatile.
And if all that's not enough, Olloclip exhibited its 3-in-1 iPhone camera lens (now also supporting the iPhone 5), which quickly and easily adds fish-eye, wide-angle and macro capabilities to your iPhone camera.
So, there you have it: With a few hundred dollars to spare, you can add some serious audio and video features to your iPhone or iPod touch (most manufacturers also support the Galaxy S III, but few venture further into Android-land) — not to mention protect them from almost anything.
Check out photos of 10 gadgets at the Mobile World Congress that can supercharge your phone in the gallery, above.
View the Original article
