MWC

Nokia is planning something at Mobile World Congress next month in Barcelona, Spain. Of that I'm sure.

Usually the pre-trade-show teasers hint at one thing or another, but this one is frustratingly detail-free. If there's something we journalist types abhor, it's a lack of news clues.

Nokia did e-mail the press with invitations to a press conference on the show's opening day, February 27, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. local time. CNET will be there to cover it.

There are only a few reasons why a company would call a press conference, and … Read more

With Mobile World Congress bearing down on us next month, Android-related leaks continue to surface.

Such is the case with an oft-rumored Samsung Galaxy S II successor. If history is any indicator, then we should expect to see Samsung announce a followup device to last year's wildly popular Android smartphone.

And why not? It was at Mobile World Congress, after all, where Samsung unveiled the last two iterations of the handset.

So what would go into a new Galaxy device? If Eldar Murtazin is to be believed, then we are in for even more cutting-edge hardware.

Now, before I … Read more

HTC has begun sending out press invitations to a February 26 event that takes place on the literal eve of Mobile World Congress.

After essentially skipping out on Las Vegas and CES altogether, we should be in for a real treat next month. Details for at least three Android handsets and one tablet have already emerged with perhaps more on the horizon.

You may recall, HTC had six devices on the agenda for the show last year including the Flyer tablet. Judging by the early rumors, the company may not reach that number for the 2012 event, but it is … Read more

Fujitsu announced the BroadOne LTE femtocell today, a networking gadget that when connected to broadband can support up to eight 4G devices.

Femtocells are small network devices that augment larger-scale mobile phone base stations, something that's very handy in areas with poor network coverage. The BroadOne LTE also supports Wi-Fi networking like a conventional wireless router.

Fujitsu isn't selling the device directly to consumers, but will offer it to carriers who may choose to do so. The device will be available in the second quarter.

"When installing the LTE Femtocell, there is no need for mobile carriers … Read more

Chinese phone maker Huawei may have one of the first press conferences at CES next month, but it's at February's Mobile World Congress show where the company intends to impress.

Earlier today, Huawei circulated the teaser e-mail above (border my own), promising to announce the company's "fastest and most high-performing" smartphone to date.

That doesn't tell us much about the processor, the screen size, or even the operating system of this forthcoming wonder phone, but I suspect it'll at least have a dual-core processor, a 4-inch screen, an 8-megapixel camera, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich--that last one since Huawei hasn't yet released a device on the Windows Phone platform.

As much as I appreciate the heads-up, Huawei's timing, just weeks before CES, is a little curious. It makes sense for Huawei to announce a high-impact device on a more global stage where the company has a markedly higher market penetration, but at the same time, it's just cast a shadow on anything it'll announce at CES.

Huawei hasn't been as successful breaking into the market as HTC, but the company stated in fall its long-shot ambition to become one of the top five wireless vendors in three years.… Read more

Another Mobile World Congress is in the bag, and as the CNET crew leaves Barcelona we can take stock of the mobile madness that was. It was my fourth year attending the show, and I can report that 2011 was one the busiest I've seen, with a ton of new smartphones and tablets. It was a lot to handle, but Bonnie Cha of CNET Reviews; Ariel Nunez of CNET TV; and Maggie Reardon, Stephen Shankland, and Elinor Mills of CNET News were along for the ride.

As with any trade show, Mobile World Congress offered a series of satisfying devices and a couple of instances where companies fell short. Here's the report from Barcelona as we saw it. And don't forget to check out Maggie's insights in her Ask Maggie column. … Read more

After a less than perfect start to its Android efforts, Sony Ericsson has hit the ground running in the new year. The company already has introduced four new smartphones since January and CEO Bert Nordberg told CNET at Mobile World Congress that Sony Ericsson is aiming to be the No. 1 Android player in the world.

That's a lofty goal for any company, but especially for Sony Ericsson. Can it really put the Xperia X10 and its software problems behind it and start anew? And, more importantly, what are the tools it needs to claim that top spot?

Given … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--There are many reasons why I love Barcelona: the food, the wine, the art, the architecture--and of course, the mobile phones.

You didn't know Barcelona was a hotbed of activity for the mobile industry? Well, for a week every February, the GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile) Association hosts the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest trade show and conference for the mobile industry. And the funky city on the Mediterranean is flooded with anyone and everyone in the mobile industry.

I've been lucky enough to attend the show for the past five years. And this year, I … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Though we've seen enough new smartphones from Mobile World Congress to last us a while (or at least until next month's CTIA), we used the last day of the show to check out what ViewSonic and its trio of parrots had to offer.

The company that has brought us so many displays is making a further push into the mobile space after debuting its ViewPad 4 last month at CES. Though the ViewPad 4 blurred the distinction between phone and tablet, the company's new device in Barcelona is firmly in the smartphone camp.

The ViewSonic V350 … Read more