mwc2012

BARCELONA, Spain--Samsung is back with another Wi-Fi-only device we like to refer to tongue-in-cheek as a Galaxy S phone without the phone. Indeed, the Galaxy S WiFi has most of the makings of a more entry-level Android smartphone, from the version 2.3 Gingerbread OS to the 4.2-inch WVGA screen (480x800-pixel resolution) and the 1GHz processor.

There's a 2-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA lens on the front, and all the usual Samsung apps and hubs. As long as the price is right, I could see this as a second device for parents to give their … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--If you, like me, are still trying to figure out what the Samsung Galaxy Note with its S-Pen stylus is really for, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet is refreshingly simple as a large slate with a clear purpose.

Leaked before its official announcement at Mobile World Congress, the Galaxy Note 10.1 has the potential to offer a true tablet experience that goes beyond the usual.

That throwback S-Pen stylus has finally found a calling, thanks to improved "pen" hardware and apps that, at least in my demo, seemed carefully considered (I'll know … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--While the HTC real stars of the evening are undoubtedly the HTC One family of Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphones--the One X, One S, and One V--we did learn something new that will interest HTC Vivid owners on AT&T.

The carrier issued a press release promising enhanced audio and compatibility with Beats Audio accessories "in the coming weeks." All it will take is an over-the-air update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0.

Beats Audio, a trademark HTC bought and developed for its smartphones, promises distortion-free sound, better bass,and improved … Read more

Just a few months after its first suite of Creative apps debuted on Android, Adobe makes good on shipping its flagship Photoshop Touch for iPad. The app, which is as close to identical to the Android version as is possible given the platform differences, is available on iTunes for the same $9.99; it requires an iPad 2 running iOS 5. Adobe says the iPadification of the rest of the Touch apps is under way.… Read more

HTC finally has an answer to Apple's AirPlay.

The latest incarnation of the HTC Media Link is a small box that allows you to stream music, photos and videos straight to a TV from an HTC phone using a three-finger swipe.

Media Link will also support full mirroring, allowing you to stream whatever is being displayed on your phone to your TV. That could potentially allow for streaming video from premium video sources like Hulu Plus or HBO GO, although that hasn't always been the case with Apple's competing AirPlay streaming standard, which allows apps to block full-mirroring. … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Just as Mobile World Congress was set to begin, Orange announced a new Android smartphone powered by an Intel Atom processor.

Code-named the Orange Santa Clara, the handset will launch later this year in France and the United Kingdom. At that time, Orange also will reveal pricing and the phone's official name.

Outside of the processor, which is pretty cool by itself, the Santa Clara brings a lot to the table. The candy bar handset measures 123mm long by 63mm wide by 9.99mm deep and weighs 117 grams. The 4.03-inch display has 600x1024-pixel resolution and shows … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Mobile World Congress is one of the biggest technology trade shows on the planet. Focusing solely on mobile phones, it's also a smartphone-lover's dream. So far the first day of the MWC definitely delivered.

The two overarching themes of the day: the ramp-up to phones with more powerful quad-core processors, and the continued march toward Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). In other words: Android phones are getting better hardware and newer software. Of the three major phone makers to unveil products, only one didn't jump on the quad-core bandwagon. … Read more

In Greek mythology, Pegasus was a winged horse that was very handy when it came to slaying monsters. Huawei is hoping its Pegasus smartphone sculpture at Mobile World Congress 2012 will help slay some competitors.

As the Chinese manufacturer pulled the wraps off what it calls the world's fastest smartphone, the Ascend D Quad, it also unveiled this striking statue outside the MWC venue in Spain. … Read more

Perhaps it's because it has a chin like the old HTC Hero, or maybe it's because the phone has a smaller 3.7-inch screen. Whatever the reason, the new HTC One V didn't launch at Mobile World Congress with splashy plans to land on a U.S. carrier.

The HTC One V is the third announced handset to run ICS, but unlike the HTC One X, which boasts a fire-breathing quad-core processor, the One V will ship with a slow single-core CPU. That said, the phone will come with Google's latest and greatest Ice Cream Sandwich OS, aka Android 4.0. … Read more