CNET at MWC 2013: Huawei press conference live blog
Join CNET as Huawei introduces new smartphones at MWC 2013.
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Hi folks, we're here at Huawei's press conference! The Wi-FI is a little shaky as always, so bear with us.by Luke Westaway
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by Sarah Tew -
We got a quick hands on with the Ascend P2 prior to filing in for the press conference here...
by Sarah Tew -
I've gone hands-on with the Ascend P2 already. It feels very light, and responsive thanks to its quad-core chip. The display is 720p though, rather than 1080p.by Luke Westaway
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Hi folks, I'm moderating this afternoon. Stephen Shankland, who'll be bringing you the news this afternoon, says Huawei is rebooting its WiFi network. Fingers crossed!by Nick Hide
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Huawei is playing some very soothing music. If we fall asleep will someone give us a poke in the ribs?by Luke Westaway
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Only my fisheye lens could capture how large this hall is...
by Sarah Tew -
Huawei may not have great networking, but it has a great venue. The Casa Llotje de Mar is the former stock exchange of Barcelona -- very classy. Now it's just used for events for the most part. The building managers must have a sweetheart deal with the people who make those ham canapes.by stephen.shankland
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As you can see in Sarah's photo, the room is very... red. Projections of stars and space are scrolling across the stage...by Luke Westaway
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Though the spooky red lighting makes me think perhaps we might actually be in Dante's Inferno.by stephen.shankland
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The CNET team nabbed some sweet seats in the 3rd row.
by Sarah Tew -
Something to keep you amused while we wait: Huawei's amazingly patronising video on how to pronounce its name.by Nick Hide
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by Sarah Tew -
I just performed a network speed test. I'm maxing out at 5.4 kilobytes per second. Mostly it's a quarter of that, though. Eeps!by stephen.shankland
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OK, we're on! The music is perking up. It's kind of a sound and light show so far.by stephen.shankland
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Huawei -- that's wah-way, don't forget -- is a bigger deal than you might think. The Chinese company leapfrogged Sony to become the third biggest maker of phones at the back end of last year. It's miles behind Samsung and Apple, but still.by Nick Hide
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We have "a very full program today," to match the very full Wi-Fi routing table and a very full room. "Imagine a life without limitations. Huawei Device welcomes you to a world of endless possibilities," says our MC.by stephen.shankland
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by Sarah Tew -
I'm excited for the event! :)by Kamran Mackey
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by Sarah Tew -
For those of you not expert in marketing this is somewhere between Branding 101...by stephen.shankland
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and Cliche 101.by stephen.shankland
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by Sarah Tew -
OK, a bit more substance to the aspirations here: 2013 is year Huawei is going to shift from ODM without brand to OEM with a brand -- "shifting the focus from feature phone to smartphone, from low-end to mid-high-end."by stephen.shankland
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Whew, we've got some high-powered rhetoric now: "Boundless energy, determination, the spirit of making the impossible possible...ambition in life to drive for progress."by stephen.shankland
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by Sarah Tew -
"We define our brand: 'Make it possible," says Huawei's Director of Global Brand Marketing, Amy Lou.by stephen.shankland
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by Sarah Tew -
OK, here's the Huawei phone brand-name decoder table: Y = affordability, G = value, P = fashion, D = technology.by stephen.shankland
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by Sarah Tew -
by Sarah Tew -
by Sarah Tew -
Sorry for the intermittent updates folks, the Wi-Fi at the event is crumbling under the weight of people actually trying to use it. You're getting a good flavour of the marketing tosh from Sarah's photos though.by Nick Hide
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"We are moving from feature phone to smartphone, from entry tier to middle tier and high tier," Yu says.by stephen.shankland
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Huawei is talking a LOT about its progress in the market. "We are growing very fast." Giving off ambitious vibes.by Luke Westaway
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Ascend P2: "The world's fastest smartphone."by stephen.shankland
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Quad-core processor, Yu says.by stephen.shankland
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150 megabits per second network speeds, compared to 100Mbps for iPhone 5 and 20Mbps for iPhone 4S.by stephen.shankland
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The P2 uses LTE Cat-4 generation networking.by stephen.shankland
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by Sarah Tew -
"World's fastest" is quite a big claim, but it's tough to find apps that push the limits of even last year's high-end phones. Do we really need more speed?by Luke Westaway
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"We can make a phone with good radio performance," Yu says. Apparently Yu
thinks Apple isn't so clever, judging by the comparison he's bringing up.by stephen.shankland -
Now the fashion pitch: "fashionable, elegant."by stephen.shankland
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Currently on stage is Richard Yu, Huawei's Consumer Business Group CEO.by Nick Hide
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It's like a swimming pool with a waterfall, Yu tells us.by stephen.shankland
