The space is being used to develop new ways to help clients to provide better services to their customers with tec such as Virtual Presenters, using AI Avatars and Augmented Reality. 

The facility will be staffed by more than 50 data scientists with a team of developers and collaborate with the Likewize Global Centre of Excellence giving the UK-based team access to a global team of 200 developers. 

The prime location, set within Bristol’s tech community, allows for easy collaboration with complementary local businesses. It will aim to attract trainee graduates from the region’s universities.

“With technology playing such a central role in modern lives, it is vital that digital customer experiences are as effective and painless as possible” said Andy Morris CEO Europe at Likewize (main pic).

“We already solve a customer tech problem every three seconds on average, and last year we resolved over 10 million customer issues using our technology, We are uniquely placed to drive future innovation based on the insights from these millions of customer interactions. 

The Likewize Innovation Labs will enable the continuation of this pioneering innovation, bringing exciting developments not just to Likewize, but to the wider industry.”

HMD Global and Nokia have announced its decision to withdraw from Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona citing fears over the outbreak of coronavirus.

HMD Global said in a statement: “MWC Barcelona has always been a key event in our annual calendar and we were very excited to showcase our new products to our partners, customers, media and fans.

“However, the health and safety of our employees, customers, and stakeholders is our highest priority.

“We believe the prudent decision is to cancel our participation at Mobile World Congress and want to express our sincere thanks to the GSMA and other authorities for their tireless efforts to address the challenges resulting from Covid-19, and they have our full support as they move forward.”

Nokia has also followed firms including Ericsson, Vivo, and Sony in pulling out of the annual event.

In a statement released earlier today they said: “While the health and safety of our employees is our absolute priority, we also recognize that we have a responsibility to the industry and our customers.

“In view of this, we have taken the necessary time to evaluate a fast-moving situation, engage with the GSMA and other stakeholders, regularly consult external experts and authorities, and plan to manage risks based on a wide range of scenarios.

“The conclusion of that process is that we believe the prudent decision is to cancel our participation at Mobile World Congress.”

Avenir Telecom is aiming to range Energizer mobile phones in a massive retailer or operator this year as it looks to ship a quarter of a million devices in the UK by the end of 2020.

The target was outlined by mobile industry consultants and Our Perspective directors Roy Taylor and Jason Kemp, who are in charge of UK sales on behalf of Avenir.

Last year, Avenir announced a shipment target of 500,000 devices globally by the end of 2020. In the UK, it has sold around 50,000 Energizer mobile phones since sales began in April.

Volume
Since entering the UK last April, Our Perspective has struck ranging deals with the large independent retailers Get Connected, Go Mobile and Buy Mobiles.

“2019 is about how we can build from our initial success,” says Kemp. “We want to get anoperator or massive retailer on board to reallydrive up volume: that will be the next step forthe Energizer brand.”

He adds: “It has been challenging trying to get buyers to try a non-established name, but we’re looking to change that this year.”

Taylor says: “We are targeting to sell 250,000 devices by next December. There’s a lot of entry-level devices in our portfolio, so there’s big volume.

“Around 2.5 million feature phones are still sold every year and there’s plenty of space for us to sell in. Having KaiOS will be key to us shipping volume.”

Avenir Telecom unveiled 26 Energizer mobile phones at MWC, encompassing smartphones and eight feature phones powered by the KaiOS operating system.

Within the portfolio, the spotlight was firmly on the foldable Power Max P8100S and Power Max P18K Pop, which features an 18,000mAh battery.

£999 foldable
Our Perspective said the P8100S would retail for around £999, making it the market’s cheapest foldable phone when it launches in October.

The 8.1-inch device packs a 10,000mAh battery and features dual rear 48MP and 12MP cameras, a 24MP front camera, the Snapdragon 855 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage.

Housed inside the 40mm thick Power Max P18K Pop is not only a big battery, but also a pop-up front camera that snaps at 16MP. The main camera runs a triple-lens set-up, shooting at 12MP, 5MP and 2MP (depth sensor).

Other features include 128GB of internal memory, a 6GB RAM, a Mediatek Helio P70 processor, 6.2-inch screen and USB Type-C. The device will arrive in the UK in September.

Doro unveiled services at the Mobile World Congress as it ramps up its services proposition in a bid to offset the downturn in mobile phone hardware affecting vendors globally.

The new products are centred around care services for the over-65s market.

Doro managing director for UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand Peter Marsden told Mobile News: “If you talk to any
manufacturer, the market is down by roughly 28 to 30 per cent. We’re down but not that much, as our speciality in the senior part of the market is still constant.

“We’re not shipping as much as last year and the year before, but we’re selling more higher-value products. Some bigger and new manufacturers have come in and taken market share as well.”

Apple, the world’s second-largest vendor, marked down its Q1 2019 revenue from $93 billion to $84 billion due to the downturn.

Despite market trends, Marsden confirmed Doro will launch new smartphones and feature phones in the second half of this year.

Last year, Doro acquired telecare company Welbeing, setting the groundwork for services products in the UK. The company already runs services in its native Sweden and in Norway. It is looking to acquire more Europe-based call centres to expand its services and is seeking third-party partnerships to offer concierge services that could include cab bookings and car breakdown aid.

One of its new services is ‘Response by Doro’, a subscription service priced at £15 per month. This notifies a network of trusted contacts or Doro’s call centre when a user who finds him or herself in an emergency presses the assistant button on the company’s handsets. If these contacts are unavailable, Doro call centres can send help. All its future devices will be compatible with the service, in addition to those that currently support it: the 8035, 8040, 7060 and 7070.

On the hardware front, Doro showcased its ‘SmartCare’ IoT devices. These comprise a 4G-connected hub, two door latches and four heat and motion sensors. They will cost £249 with a £15 monthly subscription service that will recognise and inform trusted contacts and the call centre of irregular patterns of activity and accidents. A ‘Pro’ version of Smart Care will be sold to councils for senior users who are wholly dependent on support.

With another service, ‘Check-up Calls by Doro’, the company can check up on seniors on the behalf of relatives if, for example, family members are away on holiday. Daily reports are sent through the app.

“There are up to 12 million seniors in the UK, which is a massive market,” says Marsden. “We’re super-strong in our niche, taking a 95 per cent market share, but we’re now able to talk to a wider audience. Services will be aimed at sons and daughters of seniors, and we’ll be making them aware of what Doro is.”

LG has unveiled its first 5G handsets at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the LG V50 ThinQ 5G and the LG G8 ThinQ.

The LG V50 ThinQ 5G  has a 6.4-inch QHD+OLED FullVision Display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It also offers surround sound with DTS:X technology.

The camera has Video Depth Control to keep moving subjects in focus, and depth analysis with Dual FOV technology.

It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and runs on the latest Android 9 PIE OS.

It has a 4,000mAh battery, and a new Vapor Chamber heat-dissipation system, which is more effective than conventional heat pipes to keep internal temperatures low and support sustained apps processing performance. So far the only colour announced for it is black.

Additionally, LG announced an optional Dual Screen accessory. The 6.2-inch OLED display offers multitasking by allowing multiple apps to run at the same time, and can be used as a dedicated controller for select games.

Furthermore, LG will partner exclusively with EE for the device’s UK launch, which will coincide with the operator’s launching of 5G sites in 16 UK cities later this year. The first six of those to receive 5G will be London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester. 

LG G8 ThinQ
LG’s other announcement was for a more mid-range smartphone – the G8 ThinQ (above).

The manufacturer claims that it is the world’s first smartphone with palm vein authentication, made possible through infrared sensors and the ToF Z Camera.

Face Unlock security is improved as the Z Camera sees objects in 3D, meaning 2D facial images won’t be recognised.

The handset will also come with Air Motion, which will enable users to take calls, screenshots and switch between apps without needing to touch the phone.

Like the V50ThinQ5G, it runs on a Snapdragon 855 chipset and the Android 9.0 PIE OS. It will come in red, black, and blue.