t e c h n o l o g yTUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2014

NEW YORK: The cheapest smartphonesdon’t have all the gizmos of Apple orSamsung models, but I’m impressed by howmany features you do get for roughly a thirdof the price.

Processors are slower, yet that’s not sonoticeable for basic tasks such as email,Facebook and weather checks. Video andaudio are also enjoyable, as long as I’m notexpecting the same performance I get onhigh-end phones. Batteries don’t last quiteas long without a recharge but I still gotabout seven hours of streaming video onHulu. Do I really need the nine to 12 hours Ican get with an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy?

Because you spend so much time withyour phone, there’s a case for having thebest. But those come with a price tag start-ing at about $650 (unless you agree to atwo-year contract, in which case you end up

paying higher service fees for voice, text anddata). So consider how you use your phoneand what features will remain most impor-tant to you over the next year or two. Beforeyou break the bank, here are three solidphones that cover the basics:

ZTE Nubia 5S Mini (Android, $280)The Nubia is a slim, light device with a

4.7-inch screen - the same as the iPhone 6. Itlooks sleek and is comfortable to hold.What’s the catch?

The Nubia’s display measures 1,280 pixelsby 720 pixels, well short of what you get onthe latest iPhones and top-end SamsungGalaxy devices. That resolution is adequatefor 720p high-definition video, not thesharper 1020p. The camera is OK for takingeveryday shots; pricier models deliver betterfocus and colors and take nicer low-lightphotos with the flash off.

However, the front camera for selfies is 5megapixels, better than the typical phone.(The rear camera takes 13 megapixel shots,which is common.) And it comes with 4Gconnectivity and 16 gigabytes of memory.

Motorola Moto G (Android, $180)Motorola has a $129 Moto E phone, and

you get a good device at that price. But I’vefound photos to be subpar, especiallybecause the camera has a fixed-focus lens,meaning it doesn’t compensate for how faraway your subject is. Given how much peo-ple use the camera on their phones, I recom-mend spending another $50 for the Moto G.

The latest Moto G model has a large 5-inch screen that is covered with Corning’sGorilla Glass for durability, something morecommon in pricier phones. The Moto G’sback is curved, which could contribute to abetter grip. Like the Nubia, its display is1,280 pixels by 720 pixels.

The rear camera is 8 megapixels, thesame as the iPhone, though shots weren’t asgood. The front camera is 2 megapixels.

The Moto G’s main shortcoming is the lackof 4G LTE cellular connectivity. You’re stuckwith the slower 3G network. LTE is availablefor last year’s Moto G model, but that screenis only 4.5 inches and the camera’s resolutionisn’t as good. The Moto G also starts with just8 gigabytes of memory, when many smart-phones are starting to offer 32 gigabytes.

Microsoft Lumia 635 (Windows, $179).This 4.5-inch device doesn’t feel as sleek

as top-end Lumia phones such as the Iconand the 1520. But it’s better than the $79Lumia 530, which feels like a bar of soap, giv-en its bulk and smaller screen. It’s worth get-ting the 635 instead, especially as some car-riers and retailers are offering substantialdiscounts to bring its price close to the 530’s.

The 635 has a 5 megapixel rear camera,no flash and no front camera. It performedbetter than the Nubia and the Moto G in lowlight. Just don’t expect shots to match whatthe 20-megapixel Icon produces. The displayresolution is lower than on the Nubia andthe Moto G, and the built-in storage is againjust 8 gigabytes. But the 635 does have 4Gconnectivity. —AP

Three cheap smartphones

to consider LONDON/MADRID: Britain’s BT Group is in earlystage talks with Spain’s Telefonica on a deal tobuy UK mobile operator O2, with two sourcessaying it has also begun negotiations with EE asit seeks a return to the British consumer mobilemarket. Both Telefonica and BT confirmed theywere in talks after Spanish website ElConfidencial reported that O2 could be sold in

return for a 20 percent stake in BT as part of a“strategic alliance” to strengthen the two groups.

BT also said it was in talks with another Britishmobile operator, which two sources close to thematter identified as EE, owned by Orange andDeutsche Telekom. “We have received expres-sions of interest from shareholders in two UKmobile network operators, of which one is O2,

about a possible transaction in which BT wouldacquire their UK mobile business,” BT said.

“All discussions are at a highly preliminarystage and there can be no certainty that anytransaction will occur.” Telefonica has said that O2remains core to its business but has not ruled outasset sales to meet a target to reduce debt to lessthan 43 billion euros ($54 billion) by year-end.

A deal would bring O2 back into the BT fold,having been spun off from the former Britishtelecom monopoly in 2001 and then bought byTelefonica eight years ago. BT, which leads theBritish market in broadband, is already workingon a complicated plan to get back into consumermobile using a combination of its own airwaves,in-home receivers that route calls over its fixed-line network, wifi hotspots and fill-in capacityrented from EE.

A Telefonica executive did not rule out a saleof O2 at an industry conference last week, sayingthe company would have to “evaluate itsoptions” if more of the market moved tobundling fixed and mobile telecoms services.

UBS analysts put O2’s value at nearly 10bnpounds yesterday. “We value O2 UK at 12 billioneuros (9.6 bln pounds) compared to a BT marketcap of 31 billion pounds,” they said in a note toclients. “An integration would be a sound strate-gic move for both companies in our view, giventhe complementary nature of their operationsand their seemingly very good commercial fit.”

O2 accounted for 14 percent of Telefonica’sglobal sales in the first nine months of the yearand 10.5 percent of its core earnings. DeutscheTelekom and Orange, which put plans for an ini-tial public offering of EE on ice this year, had noimmediate comment. Shares in BT rose to a nine-week high after the talks were revealed yester-day and were trading up 2.8 percent at 390.5pence by 1101 GMT. Telefonica shares rose 0.9percent to 12.58 euros. Orange gained 1.1 per-cent to 13.86 euros, with Deutsche Telekom up1.2 percent at 13.32 euros. —Reuters

BT in talks to buy UK mobile operator

This undated combination image shows a frame grab of the mobile application, Uber(left) and Lyft (right). North Carolina has become a prime market for the smartphone-based car services Uber and Lyft and is likely to join a push around the country toregulate the fast-growing businesses. —AP

By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: “We are seeing that photogra-phers and videographers across theworld are now shifting to 4K technologysimply for the fact that it gives four timesthe resolution of full high definition,” saidMohammad Akbar Hussain, Manager,Field Support Team, Audio VideoProducts Department, PanasonicMarketing, Middle East. Easa Husain Al-Yousifi & Sons Co is the official distributorof Panasonic products in Kuwait.

Speaking at a digital imaging seminarorganized by Panasonic MarketingMiddle East and Africa (PMMAF) for pro-fessional videographers and photogra-phers in Kuwait at Marriott CourtyardHotel yesterday, Hussain said 4K technol-ogy will enable the videographer to cap-ture the sharpest video footage and editit without fear of losing quality. The semi-nar provided a platform for Kuwait’s pro-duction house videographers and profes-sionals who got a firsthand opportunityto explore the features and advantagesof the innovative imaging solutions fromPanasonic.

Hussain introduced Panasonic’s flag-ship models - the Lumix DMC-GH4 andfull-HD camcorder HC-MDH2, though thekey highlight was the HC-X1000 cam-corder that expands Panasonic’s growinglineup of 4K solutions. Hussain said overthe last few years there has been a majorshift in the digital videography worldwith a strong interest in higher resolutionimages. It began with the advent of HDand now 4K is gaining traction as morepeople have become aware of the possi-bilities it offers.

Outlining the benefits of 4K’s cutting-edge technology, he said with 4K, onecan achieve the ultimate clarity and dis-play. “Shooting in 4K helps differentiateyou from the others. Shooting in 4Kopens up much more exciting possibili-ties for editing in post-production,” hesaid. “Now we are introducing 4K cam-

eras so that consumers are able to maketheir own 4K videos and enjoy the con-tents in 4K quality,” he explained.

“We have a range of products thatoffer 4K and HD capabilities and givemuch more control in post-production.Resizing, cropping, stabilization, andsmaller grain (less noise) all benefit fromincreased resolution. We also foresee theeducational sector like schools and uni-versities benefiting from our expansivelineup. This seminar is one of the effortsfrom us towards informing our con-sumers about our innovative lineup,” hesaid.

Ultimate resolutionThe HC-X1000, Lumix DMC-GH4 and

HC-MDH2 were made available for first-

hand touch and feel. The HC-X1000 offerssemi-pro features inside a small, hand-held body while still offering the profes-sional look of a more complex shouldermount broadcast model. Featuring aLEICA Dicomar lens alongside a new sen-sor and Crystal Engine Pro 4K, the HC-X1000 produces stunning, lifelike imagesin Ultra HD 4K resolution which is idealfor shooting high quality documentariesand events in 4K and Cinema 4K formats.

According to Hussain, the superb 4Krecording capabilities offered by the HC-X1000 also provides a lot more flexibilityin the editing suite. “4K allows you tocrop your composition and choose theperfect frame, as well as zoom 200 percent while maintaining HD quality; turnstationary footage into panning shots; tilt

and level the footage; or easily stabilizeyour film,” he said.

The DMC-GH4 is a firmware toenhance the performance and controlla-bility of the camera, featuring the latest4K photo mode that encourages a newway of photography first proposed byPanasonic. It encourages users to capturespur-of-the-moment, high resolution, 4Kphotos by cropping out a designatedframe from a 4K video. With the newfirmware for DMC-GH4, it is easier to get4K photo by using the dedicated mode.Furthermore, 4K video can be recordedcontinuously with Loop Rec functionwhich keeps on saving 5 newest 2-minute video files before you pressrecord. “This means users can patientlywait for the perfect photo opportunity to

come along for as long as they wantthrough keeping the camera recording,”he explained.

The HC-MDH2, on the other hand, isequipped with the SimultaneousRecording function which allows record-ing on dual memory devices while a 5-Axis Hybrid function OIS & Level ShotFunction thoroughly suppresses blurringand tilting. With greater advanced shoot-ing performance design and operability,photographers can shoot still photos in20 megapixel resolution and videos inFull HD or in Standard Definition format.Moreover, the LCD is positioned with themost suitable distance from the photog-rapher enabling him/her to spot certainspecial moments that need to be cap-tured in peripheral vision.

Panasonic showcases latest

4K innovations in KuwaitSeminar spotlights changing trends in digital imaging

KUWAIT: Mohammad Akbar Hussain showcases Panasonic’s Full-HD camcorder the HC-MDH2 during the digital imaging seminar. —Photo by Joseph Shagra

BRUSSELS: EU lawmakers will likely vote onThursday on a motion proposing the break-up ofGoogle and other Internet technology companies,increasing political pressure on the bloc’s antitrustregulators to take a stronger line on the group. Theparliament has no power to dismember a firm. Butthe vote, underlining widespread concern amongEU politicians about American dominance of theInternet industry, would be a significant publicchallenge to Google’s business in Europe.

Andreas Schwab, a German Christian Democratlawmaker at the European Parliament, andSpanish liberal Ramon Tremosa unveiled a draft oftheir resolution last week, saying separating searchengines from other commercial services wouldensure a level playing field for rivals in Europe. Theconservatives, liberals and socialists, who com-

mand a large majority of the parliamentary seats,will work out a joint motion on Tuesday andexpect to debate the issue in parliament onWednesday and vote on it on Thursday, Tremosa’saide said yesterday.

European politicians and some competing com-panies have complained that Google’s dominanceallows it to promote its own services at rivals’expense, and attacked it on a range of issuesincluding its tax and privacy policies. Google hasregularly said it faces fierce competition in a con-stantly-changing market. The parliament’s proposalto the commission, if passed, would put pressureon new EU Competition Commissioner MargretheVestager to take a tougher line than her predeces-sor in resolving complaints against Google.Vestager’s predecessor, Joaquin Almunia, held four

years of investigations, triggered by complaintsfrom rivals including Microsoft. German publishinggroup Axel Springer has also complained aboutGoogle’s market power.

The European Commission has never orderedthe break-up of any company for anti-competitivepractices. Kurt Lauk, the head of the pro-businesswing of Germany’s conservative party CDU, whichis also Schwab’s party, criticised the proposal tobreak up Google.

“Instead of exploiting the opportunities of theWeb, some lawmakers in the European Parliamentare nursing their phobias,” he told Saturday’s edi-tion of German paper Handelsblatt. “ThreateningGoogle and other large Internet companies whoare in fierce competition with each other, is a los-er’s debate,” Lauk was quoted as saying. —Reuters

EU lawmakers to vote on Google

break-up motion on Thursday