BARCELONA, Spain — To revive interest in smartphones, Samsung and LG are improving their cameras and embracing the nascent world of virtual reality.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg joined Samsung at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain, to announce that their companies are teaming up to push VR in mobile phones and social networking.

Virtual reality "is now mainly used for gaming, but that is quickly changing," Zuckerberg said. "That is why Facebook is investing so much in VR, so we can deliver these social experiences."

Samsung's new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge promise better photos under low-light conditions, in part with sensors that capture more light. Both will work with the USD$100 Gear VR headset that Samsung released last fall. And Samsung will now make a 360-degree camera for everyday folks to capture and share VR images.

VR is still in its early days, with much of the interest coming from hard-core gamers and tech pioneers. Samsung wants to make it easier for everyday people to create VR videos — so that friends will buy VR headsets to view them.

LG will also have its own VR headset and 360-degree camera, while the main camera on its upcoming G5 smartphone will have two lenses — one for standard shots, and another with a wider angle to capture more of what's in front of you.

Sunday's announcements at the Barcelona show come as worldwide smartphone growth has slowed, particularly for high-end devices such as Samsung's S and LG's G series. Many consumers have turned to lower-cost Android devices that sport features considered top of the line just a few years ago.

Phone makers used to guarantee upgrades by making phones bigger and bigger — but phones can't get much bigger for one-handed use. In fact, the new LG phone is shrinking to 5.3 inches, from 5.5 inches last year. Samsung's Edge is getting bigger, at 5.5 inches, but because the sides curve like a waterfall, the phone won't be much wider. The main S7 model is staying constant at 5.1 inches.

With size out of the equation, phone makers have to innovate elsewhere.

"Their problem is that phones from two to three years ago are still in use," said Ian Fogg, head of mobile analysis at IHS Technology. "VR is essential. It is a smartphone-industry initiative to drive consumers to upgrade."

That's been particularly important for Samsung, as its chief rival, Apple, largely matched Samsung on size, while boosting the iPhone camera's resolution to 12 megapixels from 8. The iPhone has also gotten better at low-light shots, even surpassing some stand-alone, point-and-shoot cameras in performance.

"Having seen everything the smartphone can deliver, at Samsung we have other ideas," said D.J. Koh, the head of Samsung's mobile business.

In a few months, Samsung will start selling its Gear 360 camera, a device with front and back lenses to stitch together 360-degree videos for VR devices and apps. Samsung phones will come with apps for viewing those videos on the Gear VR and sharing them with friends.

Samsung's phones will see improvements, too, particularly in the camera.

Realizing that the megapixel count alone doesn't necessarily translate to quality images, Samsung is reducing resolution in the new phones to 12 megapixels from 18. That allows individual pixels on the sensors to be larger, thus capturing more light. The new cameras also allow the camera's aperture to open wider, letting in more light. Together, the shutter needs to stay open for a shorter time, reducing the blurring that sometimes mars indoor and night shots.

Samsung also says its new phones will have a faster focus, which it says will improve performance at low light.

And for the selfie camera, Samsung is turning the screen into a flash, similar to what Apple introduced last fall.

Samsung is restoring the ability to add storage, but the battery won't be replaceable by users, something Samsung had allowed before last year. Instead, Samsung is increasing the battery capacity in both models, though the Edge's larger screen and other new features in both models, including an always-on mode, will sip away power.

The new phones will start shipping March 11, with advance orders to begin this week. In some markets, including the U.S., Samsung is including a Gear VR headset for free to those who order ahead of time. Prices will vary by carrier and region. In the U.S., AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are offering the regular version for USD$650 to USD$695 (23,000 baht – 24,800 baht) and the Edge version for about USD$100 more. Verizon hasn't announced prices yet.

LG, meanwhile, designed the LG 360 VR headset to work with an LG smartphone that's attached by a cable. With Samsung's VR device, the smartphone is inserted at eye level and becomes the headset's display, increasing the weight on the head. LG's version has built-in, lighter displays in the headset's eyepieces.

For the G5 phone, an optional attachment will function as a camera grip with physical buttons to take shots and control video recording. It's part of LG's new modular approach to design; you'll be able to pop out the phone's bottom and swap in new hardware features.

Prices and release dates for the LG phone and accessories from both companies have yet to be announced, though the LG phone is expected in the U.S. in April.

Neither VR system will be as powerful as full-fledged VR devices coming this year. HTC said Sunday that a consumer version of the Vive will start selling in early April for USD$799 (28,500 baht), with ordering to begin Feb. 29. A personal computer is required and sold separately.

VR isn't limited to high-end devices: On Saturday, Alcatel announced a mid-range Idol 4S — with packaging that can be folded into VR headset.

Story: Anick Jesdanun, Joseph Wilson / Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR — Australia warned Sunday that terrorists may be plotting attacks in and around Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city.

The Australian High Commission in Malaysia said in a travel advisory that there was an ongoing terrorism threat in Malaysia, noting that authorities there have arrested a number of people allegedly involved in planning attacks, including against entertainment venues in Kuala Lumpur.

"Terrorists may be planning attacks in and around Kuala Lumpur. Attacks could be indiscriminate and may target Western interests or locations frequented by Westerners," the commission said in the advisory, which was posted on its website.

Malaysia has raised its security alert level following the Jan. 14 attacks in Jakarta that left eight people dead.

In response to Australia's warning, Kuala Lumpur police chief Tajuddin Mohamad Isa told the English-language newspaper The Star that security has been stepped up in the past few months and that there was no indication of an attack.

Since 2013, Malaysia has arrested more than 150 people with suspected links to the Islamic State group. Last month, a 28-year-old Malaysian man was detained just hours before he planned to blow himself up at an entertainment outlet in Kuala Lumpur.

The travel advisory also urged Australians to avoid travelling to Malaysia's eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, famed for its dive sites, due to a high threat of kidnappings by Philippine rebels.

It said Australians should exercise "normal safety precautions" when in Malaysia overall.

A Malaysian Foreign Ministry official said Sunday that foreign missions are at liberty to provide their own assessment of the security situation in the country.

The official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said "it is nothing to be alarmed of," noting that the terror warning also acknowledged Malaysia's efforts in strengthening its security presence in high-risk areas.

Story: Eileen Ng / Associated Press

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GENEVA ― The Sepp Blatter era at FIFA is set to finally end Friday when soccer's scandal-scarred world body picks a new president after nine months of crisis.

An election meeting designed to give FIFA a fresh start with a new leader could yet be overshadowed by its criminally corrupt past.

Voters return to Zurich this week unsure who is the next target of federal law enforcement agencies in the United States and Switzerland, who have sent FIFA into meltdown with waves of arrests, extraditions and guilty pleas.

Swiss prosecutors could decide this week is best to meet key witnesses in their widening case. Many soccer officials are making possibly their last working trip to Switzerland until May 2019, when the next scheduled FIFA election should be held in Zurich.

At the last election in May, Blatter won a fifth presidential term two days after FIFA's favored five-star hotel in Zurich and its own headquarters were raided. The pressure of criminal investigations soon forced Blatter from his beloved FIFA in his 41st year on the payroll.

Now, leaders of FIFA's 209 member federations visit the tiny Swiss city again to elect a successor for the now-banned 79-year-old who has been president since 1998. The winner will be just the fourth elected FIFA chief in more than 50 years.

Two front-runners have emerged in a five-candidate contest: Asia's soccer leader, Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, and Gianni Infantino, the Swiss general secretary of European governing body UEFA.

The other candidates are: Former FIFA vice president Prince Ali of Jordan, who lost to Blatter in May; former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France; and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale, once an inmate of Robben Island prison with Nelson Mandela.

Infantino acknowledged that police could hit FIFA for the fourth time in nine months.

"They know what is best for their work to be done in the most efficient way," Infantino told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "If I'm elected president of FIFA, what they can count on (is) not 100 but 200 percent with me to clean and to put anyone in jail who has done anything bad for football."

The three previous strikes ― arresting seven men, including two FIFA vice presidents, on May 27; interrogating Blatter and former protege Michel Platini on Sept. 25; arresting two more FIFA vice presidents on Dec. 3 ― were on days that FIFA's discredited executive committee met. It meets again Wednesday.

Sheikh Salman suggests government agencies have tried to influence FIFA politics. That view is shared by Blatter and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed the U.S. wants the 2018 World Cup taken from his country.

"Choosing the time and place during an election or an (executive committee) meeting," Sheikh Salman told the AP this month of previous police raids, "I think this raises a lot of doubts on why, and leave people a bit suspicious on the intentions."

The Bahraini royal was "absolutely" sure FIFA did enough since May to deserve being left in peace this week.

FIFA also hopes so, and aims to persuade the U.S. Department of Justice that it is a victim of systemic corruption and should not be indicted.
 

The Vote

So, on Friday, the 209 members can also vote through wide-ranging reforms to restructure FIFA. These would dilute the president's authority, empower FIFA's staff and increase oversight by independent experts.

If FIFA was indicted, it would join 41 soccer and marketing officials, plus marketing agencies, who have been charged or pleaded guilty so far in the sprawling U.S. case. Blatter, who cannot be extradited from Switzerland, is a confirmed target.

American investigators have focused on bribery in North and South America valued at USD$200 million for awarding commercial rights for continental competitions. They also alleged cash-for-votes paid through a FIFA account linked to 2010 World Cup host South Africa.

Swiss prosecutors began by searching for money laundering in the 2018-2022 World Cup bid contests won by Russia and Qatar. Liaising with American counterparts, they went far beyond that brief to target all FIFA business.

Last September, a Swiss criminal case was opened against Blatter for mismanagement of FIFA money. It led FIFA's ethics committee to ban both Blatter and Platini for eight years. Verdicts in their appeals are expected Monday.

Even if barred from the election hall, Blatter has been an election factor taking calls from voters seeking advice, he told a French radio station this week.

"Vote with your conscience. Vote for who you find good," said Blatter, who has criticized Infantino in interviews. They were born in neighboring villages in the Valais region.

Infantino's campaign has tempted voters with more: Expanding the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams to increase FIFA's USD$5 billion tournament income; bigger annual grants to national and continental bodies; new money for small regional groups.

Salman's manifesto is closer to Blatter's thinking though he promises a hands-off leadership style.

Still, there is genuine warmth between the favorites.

"I get along very well with him," Sheikh Salman said of Infantino. "He's a great guy."

Infantino has not directly criticized the sheikh, who led Bahrain's soccer federation during Arab Spring protests in 2011.

Prince Ali did attack, saying Sheikh Salman cannot gain respect because he failed to protect Bahrain national team players who were detained for attending pro-democracy events. They later alleged torture by security forces.

In a potentially tight race, one theory has Prince Ali's voters holding the balance of power.

A plausible scenario sees Sheikh Salman and Infantino with significant support in the first-round ballot, yet short of up to 140 votes needed for outright victory, and maybe fewer than the 105-plus tally which could persuade rivals to concede ahead of a second vote.

A late campaigning opportunity was in Manhattan on Sunday, at the draw for Copa America Centenario. That 16-nation tournament is central to bribery allegations in the DoJ indictment.

By Wednesday, the election show is in downtown Zurich where FIFA will also open its USD$200 million museum this week.

Perhaps police and Blatter will join them.

Story: Graham Dunbar / Associated Press

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