mwc2012

HTC gets serious with its 'One' smartphone series

BARCELONA, Spain--Remember the Chacha or Salsa? Yeah, few do.

They were among the several smartphones unveiled by HTC at last year's Mobile World Congress confab. The two, which stood out at the conference for their integrated Facebook button, barely made a dent with consumers with they hit the market.

But with another year comes renewed focus on the business. HTC today debuted just three smartphones under its new "One" series. While not a dramatic reduction in the number of devices, the intent is clear: pour a lot of resources into fewer devices with the intent to push … Read more

'HTC One' brand, Sense 4.0 hearken new phone strategy

BARCELONA, Spain--What do HTC's three Mobile World Congress smartphones have in common? Quite a lot, actually.

Besides sharing similar names, the HTC One X, HTC One S, and HTC One V are all Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) smartphones that also include the toned-down Sense 4.0 interface, HTC's Beats Audio enhancement software, and a new image-processing chip that takes over camera and video tasks.

At a meeting in San Francisco before Mobile World Congress, HTC described to CNET its goals for the "One" brand. HTC wants smartphones falling under this umbrella to shine … Read more

HTC adds One S to lineup, coming to T-Mobile (hands on)

Thankfully HTC went big at Mobile World Congress with its quad-core HTC One X smartphone. Sadly, the next handset to fill out the company's new lineup, the One S, runs a less splashy Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU. Still, if today's phones are any indication, that will remain plenty fast.

The One S is decently equipped in its own right; it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has integrated Beats audio technology. Its large 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen shines, as does HTC's latest version of the Sense UI. The One S has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a sharp 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter. … Read more

AT&T's HTC One X won't be quad-core (and here's why)

BARCELONA, Spain--HTC's newest flagship device, the HTC One X, sounds like a killer phone on paper--Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, huge HD screen, and a quad-core processor. But that's only if you get the global version.

The U.S. version of the device, which is bound for AT&T within the next 60 days, will add LTE capabilities (the global version stops at HSPA+42 support), but will lose its chance to claim the title of America's first quad-core device.

The trade-off for network speed is processing power.

Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor holds … Read more

HTC One X is HTC's quad-core, ICS, Beats Audio powerhouse (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--If it's a quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone you want, then add the HTC One X to your list. Just announced today at Mobile World Congress, the One X is the flagship phone in HTC's new "HTC One" family of devices.

The One X features Android 4.0, the most up-to-date (and coveted) version of the Android operating system, topped with a revamped version of the HTC Sense interface, Sense 4.0. Unlike the buttonless Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the One X features three touch-sensitive buttons below the display, for back, Home, and pulling up recent … Read more

Have no fear later this year if your phone drops in the drink

BARCELONA, Spain--Later this year, some people should be able to buy mobile phones you can take into the shower.

So forecast two companies specializing in waterproof coatings for electronics, HzO and Liquipel, that are showing off their technology here at the Mobile World Congress. There's a certain shock value to seeing high-end Apple and Samsung phones swimming in the drink, but if the companies get their way, you might be able to read an e-book in the bath fearlessly without having to put your iPad in a Ziploc bag first.

Phones with Liquipel coatings "should be on the … Read more

Sony shows off stylish new Xperia P and U

At Mobile World Congress today, Sony unveiled two new Android handsets to complement its Xperia smartphone line. The Xperia P and Xperia U both run dual-core CPUs and sport the snazzy design found on the Xperia S. The devices are expected to ship this week in Spain; they'll also feature NFC chips and strong multimedia capabilities.

According to Sony, both the Xperia U and Xperia P will offer lots of entertainment prowess and connect to the company's Sony Entertainment Network. Powered by Bravia graphics, Sony also claims the two handsets will smoothly display content such as Web sites, HD movies, and games better than any of the manufacturer's previous phones.

There are differences between the two new Xperias, though.… Read more

LG leans on high-end specs in smartphone push

BARCELONA, Spain--LG is banking that the consumer need for speed will drive sales of its mobile devices, a bet the company hopes will pay off with a larger foothold in the smartphone market.

The company's product lineup for Mobile World Congress, which was announced throughout last week, illustrates its increasing use of high-end components. The phones include Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core chips, high-resolution and 3D displays, better battery life, an embrace of the latest Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android, and the ability to tap into the super-fast 4G LTE network.

The devices on hand today were the … Read more

Huawei: Our Ascend D Quad is world's fastest smartphone

Surprise, surprise. It turns out the first quad-core smartphones to be announced at Mobile World Congress aren't powered by Nvidia's vaunted Tegra 3 chip. Instead, Huawei's D Quad line will feature quad-core silicon specially made by Huawei called the K3V2.

Huawei Chairman Richard Yu took the stage at the MWC show in Barcelona, Spain, to tout the impressive abilities of the company's flagship model, the Ascend D Quad. Other internal hardware includes a big 4.5-inch 720p HD screen, Dolby 5.1 surround sound audio, plus an 8-megapixel rear- and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. … Read more

More Nokia Lumia 610 details leak

BARCELONA, Spain--In the run up to Mobile World Congress, Nokia has barely hinted as to what it would bring to the show. A Windows Phone device is an obvious guess, of course, but that leaves us to wonder just how many handsets the company will unveil and whether it will stop at Microsoft's OS.

On Thursday, we learned a bit more when Reuters reported that Nokia would use Barcelona to show a budget-friendly Windows Phone 7 handset called the Lumia 610 and a global version of the Lumia 900, which Nokia announced last month at CES. Reuters didn't … Read more