Huawei, the Chinese communication company which was kicked out of bidding for Australian Federal Government contracts for the supply of services to the National Broadband Network, has taken it out on Australian journalists by refusing them entry to a CES press conference for the launch of their new smartphone.
When I arrived at the press confrence today at the CES show, Huawei officals refused us entry to the offical event.
One female Huawei offical told me that “Australia is not relevant. You are a market that does not welcome Huawei”.
Prior to leaving for the CES show where Huewei was making an appearence on the offical press day, we approached Huawei Australia to register for the press event.
Huawei, who is struggling to be taken serious by carriers like Optus and Telstra and have been forced to sell a lot of their phones at retail stores, is fighting to gain traction with its low-cost handsets.
At the press event in Las Vegas today, the Chinese Company launched its new Ascend Mate, calling it “the world’s biggest smartphone” with a screen that measures a whopping 6.1 inches diagonally. What they failed to reveal is whether Telstra will range the device.
The Company has also launched the Ascend D2, a smaller phone with a range of impressive specs.
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The Ascend D2’s screen featured 442 pixels per inch, a higher resolution than the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5, which has 325 PPI. The phone also has a high screen-to-frame ratio of 0.693, a 13-megapixel camera, and better quality speaker phone capabilities for hands-free calls.
The D2’s battery life is also pretty impressive: 2,000mAh Large battery. The battery on this phone typically lasts for 2 days; the iPhone 5 lasts for one. The Ascend D2 is also dust and water resistant.
The larger, Ascend Mate, new challenger in the so-called “Phablet wars,” features a huge screen measuring 6.1 inches diagonally and is slightly bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Note. It’s battery life is even longer than the Ascend D2 and Huawei also touted its “magic tough” technology, allowing users to effectively touch the phone’s screen when wearing a glove. Great for cold countries.
The Ascend Mate also integrates a new navigation service into the phone using augmented reality.
