mwc

Spotify finally finds an automotive home

BARCELONA, Spain--Internet music service Spotify gained more than 10 million users in Europe before its U.S. launch in July of 2011. But despite all the fanfare, no automotive integration had been announced. That all changed today as Ford welcomed Spotify integration into its Sync AppLink stable.

Spotify joins automotive standard Pandora, along with music apps Slacker, Mog, Rhapsody, TuneIn, IHeartRadio, and the Amazon Cloud Player among music apps integrated with Ford's Sync AppLink feature. AppLink gives drivers control over app on their smartphones using the car's interface, including voice command.

For Sync AppLink integration, apps must be … Read more

LG shows off LTE-powered F7, F5 budget phones at MWC 2013

BARCELONA, Spain--LG is betting heavily that 4G LTE is enough of a draw for consumers with its new F family of smartphones.

The F7 and the F5 represent a new line of Android phones for LG, sitting in between the lower-end (and 3G only) L series and the flagship G line of smartphones. The F series was intended to address the growing demand for 4G LTE phones, particularly in markets where LTE is just starting to get lit up.

While no price was given, LG intends to go after budget-conscious customers who don't want to sacrifice a high-speed wireless … Read more

LG's L series go Jelly Bean, but offer few surprises

BARCELONA, Spain--LG did its best to spread its new devices around at Mobile World Congress. It hit the top of the market with the Optimus Pro G, it went midrange with the Optimus F5 and F7, and it aimed a bit lower with the Optimus L7 II, L5 II, and L3 II.

Like the L-series handsets that LG introduced last year, their designs won't stand out and they deliver no surprise features. Also, all of the phones are 3G-only, which sets them apart in an increasingly LTE world.

Inside, they're all running Android Jelly Bean, which I appreciate … Read more

Cat B15 Android phone aims to be forklift-tough

BARCELONA, Spain--Cat (yes, the same Cat of industrial forklifts, tractors, and mining equipment) has announced its latest rugged smartphone, the Cat B15.

Rocking Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a grooved rubber back, and hard angles, the Cat B15 is aimed for construction and industrial workers. Made of hardened rubber and aluminum, I really liked the Cat B15's shape and in-hand feel even in my bare hands. It's thick and durable, and raised yellow buttons along the side and top are both tactile and visible.

Dust flaps around the headset jack and charging port help keep it waterproof … Read more

How MasterCard plans to transform mobile purchases

BARCELONA, Spain--The hype around mobile payments is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the coming transformation for how people purchase goods and services.

That's according to Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer for MasterCard, who spoke with CNET about his company's vision.

While at the Mobile World Congress conference, MasterCard unveiled its MasterPass system, which addresses not only mobile payments, but also all forms of digital transactions. MasterPass is designed for purchases made in stores, online, or on the phone.

"It's a foundation for moving to a world beyond plastic," McLaughlin … Read more

Intel talks new chips, partners at Mobile World Congress

A year ago, Intel's CEO took the stage at Mobile World Congress to tout new partnerships and talk up the benefits of Intel's mobile chips.

At that time, the Santa Clara, Calif., semiconductor maker's presence in the smartphone market was essentially nonexistent. Today, Intel has 10 phones shipping in 20 countries (though not the U.S.), and it keeps improving its power consumption and performance.

While that's good progress, Intel still has a long way to go, as the company readily admits. It hopes the new chips it's officially launching today at MWC 2013 will … Read more

AT&T, General Motors to sell 4G LTE-connected cars next year

BARCELONA, Spain--General Motors cars rocking their own 4G LTE connection will hit the road next year.

AT&T and GM's OnStar service unit struck a deal to bring millions of connected cars to the market, starting with the 2015 fleet, which comes out late 2014. GM said most Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac cars will get wireless connections.

It's the latest win for AT&T, which has been particularly aggressive in going after the connected car business, a lucrative one in which the company believes it can eventually generate a billion dollars in revenue. Furthermore, the … Read more

Samsung confirms Galaxy S4 to launch March 14

BARCELONA, Spain--Samsung Electronics will unveil its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, on March 14, CNET has confirmed.

Samsung is set to send out invitations this morning to a "Samsung Unpacked" event in New York for next month, CNET has learned. While the invitation contained little details, CNET has confirmed with a high-level executive that the Galaxy S4 will make its debut there.

After the blockbuster success of the Galaxy S3, anticipation has surged for the successor to the Galaxy S franchise. The Galaxy S3 last year emerged as a true rival to Apple's iPhone, even seeing … Read more

Geeksphone Peak: The best way to try Firefox OS (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--If you're going to try Firefox OS, try it on the Geeksphone Peak.

This smartphone, with a 4.3-inch 960x540-pixel multitouch screen and a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, is the best way so far to experience Mozilla's browser-based operating system. Mozilla debuted Firefox OS today at Mobile World Congress, signing up an impressive array of mobile network partners and mainstream phone makers LG Electronics, ZTE, Alcatel, and Huawei.

But it's Spanish startup Geeksphone that had the nicest hardware with the Peak. It's for developers, not mainstream buyers, and it showed off Firefox … Read more