Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone maker, rounded off a busy day of device launches on Sunday in Barcelona ahead of the opening of the Mobile World Congress, with the unveiling of its flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+ phones.
The South Korean company’s new smartphones, launched yesterday evening, contain variable aperture camera systems for enhanced low-light performance, alongside super slow motion video recording capabilities.
The S9 and S9+ allow users to create their own 3D AR Emojis for use across messaging platforms, a nod to the Animoji feature introduced last year by arch-rival Apple.
“Not only do the Galaxy S9 and S9+ enable consumers to shoot great photos and videos anywhere, it’s a smartphone that’s designed to help them connect to others and express themselves in a way that’s unique and personal to them,” said DJ Koh, Samsung’s president and head of IT & Mobile Communications Division.
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Such features come on top of an otherwise largely-unchanged smartphone designs, in line with predictions of an “evolutionary” launch made by industry analysts Ovum.
“The S9 and S9+ are refined versions of the models from last year,” said Abbas Jaffar Ali, managing editor of TechRadar Middle East.
“Samsung seems to have addressed most concerns from the S8 and S8+ along with making it faster and with a camera that looks to be the best ever seen in a smartphone.”
Preorders for the S9 and S9+ open on Monday, with the devices expected to go on sale in the UAE in mid-March.
Five Nokia devices were launched on Sunday by HMD Global, which acquired the rights to the legacy smartphone brand in 2016.
These included a rebooted version of the Nokia 8810 feature phone, which featured prominently in 1999 sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix, the Nokia 1, a budget device that will run the newly launched Android Go operating system for lower-spec smartphones, and premium flagship Nokia 8 Sirocco.
LG unveiled its V30S ThinQ handset, an updated version of its V30+ handset with added AI capabilities for improved imaging and voice recognition functionality. The handset is slated for launch in the UAE later in the year, with exact dates yet to be determined.
China’s Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone maker, did not unveil any new handsets yesterday, its P20 device due to be launched at a separate event in Paris in March. The vendor yesterday its MateBook X Pro laptop and three MediaPad Android tablets.
Sony is expected to round off the major launches of Barcelona on Monday with the widely anticipated XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones. Abu Dhabi-based cybersecurity provider DarkMatter is due to hold a press event Monday, where it will launch its secure Katim phone, discuss its holistic approach to tackling cyber threats and will highlight the use of big data analytics to help telcos drive incremental revenues.
Mobile World Congress is expected to attract over 108,000 visitors between its opening today and its conclusion on Thursday. Keynote speakers at the event include Softbank Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra, Ajit Pai, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, and World Bank president Dr Jim Kong Ying.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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Results
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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MO
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed