Switched on: Top picks from the geek-vent

The biggest geek-vent just concluded last week, all attention is obviously on the coolest tech coming out of the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Here are some of my top picks:

LG wants in on the ‘phablet’

Not to be outrun by Samsung’s hugely successful Note and Note II, the other South Korean company introduced the Optimus G Pro, its hybrid smartphone and tablet offering with a 5.5-inch screen. While very similar to the Note II, it’s lighter and offers a number of perks to stand its own. Our favourites are the QMemo with its own button, which turns the screen into a notepad so you can use your fingers to scribble, and the dual recording, through which you can record a video using the back and front camera at the same time. Live commentary anyone?

Nokia goes mid-range

We all saw this coming. After the high-end, high-specs Nokia Lumia 920, the company introduced two more Windows Phones with the same genes but at lower price points — the Lumia 720 and 520. To be available later this year for approximately Dh1,200 (720) and Dh670 (520), the two new Lumias feature most of the 920’s (Dh2,300) goodies but slightly downgraded. And like the 920, they also come in some bright attractive colours.

There are plenty of these on the market right now, especially in the form of chest straps. But the guys behind the Kickstarter project Mio Alpha says their wrist-worn heart rate monitors are unlike anything you’ve seen before. With clever use electro-sensing technology made by Philips and light beams that track the volume of blood under the wrist, the result is an accurate monitor that’s comfortable to wear and accurate. Charged via an USB, the Mio Alpha works with a number of fitness apps including MapMyRun, Wahoo, Endomondo, Runkeeper on the iOS and select Android phones. Priced approximately Dh730 and available in two colours, the Mio Alpha currently only ships to the US and Canada. Time to call those relatives up? Go to alphaheartrate.com

Yes, you read that right. The company known for manufacturing heavy machinery is making a smartphone. Well, it’s actually made by a UK company called Bullitt Mobile and branded the Cat B15, but it comes with the company’s rough and touch image. Think dust and water proof, an aluminium and rubber body so you won’t break your heart when you drop it and get this, the ability to use it with wet (or dirty) fingers. The Android-powered Cat B15 will be available in the UK later this month for about Dh1,900.

For the chic geek: en&is

What is it?

The guys behind Italian company en&is think that, despite the market being flooded by speakers of all shapes and sizes, there’s still a market for a good old megaphone with a futuristic twist. By the looks of it, this one is already a great conversation starter.

What’s special about it?

en&is was started by two Italian entrepreneurs: Enrico Bosa, an interior designer, and Isabella Lovero, a jewellery designer. Bringing their knowledge together, the two have been making edgy but practical products since 2004, basically every thing from funky lamps to music docks, and designed for some of the biggest electronics companies.

The Megaphone is their pet product. Based on the classic megaphone, the centrepiece is a ceramic horn, designed to amplify sound. No power required: Just place your iphone at the end of the horn and what you get is a cool, gramophone-like sound. The future sounding like the past in the present. The horn is comes with a wooden stand — so the vibrations are lifted off the surface — turning your set into something of an artwork.

When is it available and for how much?

The Megaphone comes in a variety of high gloss colours, the gold version is now available in the UAE at wamli.com for Dh2,991.