2012

If you've been eagerly waiting for a gluttonous helping of Ice Cream Sandwich, prepare to tuck in. The new Acer Liquid Glow smartphone is the latest in what is sure to be a parade of devices running Android 4.0 announced at Mobile World Congress.

While I'm not exactly sure why this phone is called Liquid Glow, Acer does say the gadget is targeted at, "today's fun-seeking, social-networking youth." I suppose that's apparent from the Liquid Glow's three snazzy hues; Sakura Pink, Alpine White, and Cat's Eye Black. Funny, I thought cat's eyes were wildly colored. … Read more

Over the last month, CNET has written a lot about an upcoming trade show called Mobile World Congress. And over the next week, we'll be writing even more about it.

If you've never heard of the event before, I don't blame you. Indeed, Mobile World Congress doesn't have the same name recognition that CES commands in the United States, but for the wireless world, it's almost as big and just as significant. Each February, folks from all corners of the industry and around the world meet in Barcelona, Spain, to make deals, demonstrate the latest technologies, and show off the latest and greatest phones and tablets.

This will be my fifth year at the show, which begins Monday in Catalonia's Gaudi-obsessed capital city. Though a possible transit strike threatens to make getting around a little difficult, there's guaranteed to be a (metric) ton of new devices, from the very fancy to the strictly functional. It will be a massive amount to cover, but CNET will have a large team on the ground, including editors Jessica Dolcourt, Roger Cheng, Maggie Reardon, and Stephen Shankland. And thanks to CNET TV producers Jamie Yee and Mark Licea, the new handsets will get their star turns on video.

Android avalanche So what exactly will we see?… Read more

Mercedes-Benz is making Apple the core of the A-Class' infotainment system by integrating iPhone applications and functionality--namely Siri--with its electronics system.

The Drive Kit Plus integrates the iPhone with the vehicle's electronics platform. It works in concert with Mercedes-Benz' Digital DriveStyle App to display iPhone applications on the infotainment system screen and let the user access the app using vehicle controls or voice commands.

What applications the users can integrate and control will be up to Mercedes-Benz. The free app will add Twitter, Facebook, and Aupeo Personal Radio (which is like Pandora for Europe) to the vehicle's infotainment … Read more

UnThreat Free AntiVirus 2012 is a free antivirus software solution from AVSoftware. It uses the popular, well-received VIPRE antivirus engine, and offers basic protection from viruses, Trojans, rootkits, malware, adware, and other threats, including e-mail protection and antispyware protection. UnThreat Free is based on a premium tool that includes a firewall and other extra features. The freeware omits those and other bells and whistles, and it doesn't need them. Its chief recommendation is the VIPRE engine, which has tested well against a variety of threats and has generally been available only in premium AV software, until now.

When our … Read more

With all the new phones being announced from LG, we're wondering if the company is going to have any surprises left to show at Mobile World Congress.

We already heard about the LG 4X HD and the Optimus Vu. But recently, the manufacturer unveiled two more new phones for the South Korean market: the Optimus LTE Tag and the Optimus 3D Cube.

The LTE Tag will sport a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and a 5-megapixel rear camera with flash. It will also have a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The device will run on a … Read more

Avast continues to stay on top of the feature game by introducing bombastic top-shelf features to its security suites, while more subtly debuting an alternative source of revenue to the paid upgrade.

Available exclusively from Download.com today, Avast Free Antivirus 2012 (download), Avast Pro Antivirus (download), and Avast Internet Security (download), the Czech security company gives its free users a useful batch of improvements, while keeping the paid upgrades competitive for those who an extra zing. Also worth noting is that Avast has modularized several new security components in an Avast Market.

Avast did not update its Mac or … Read more

Chinese phone company ZTE plans to make a big splash at Mobile World Congress with a Windows device and a slew of Android handsets.

ZTE isn't exactly a household name, at least in the U.S. The smartphone maker aims to change that by dropping an as-of-yet unannounced handset running Microsoft's Windows Phone software along with eight advanced Android devices described as "multi-core." … Read more

Nokia may finally offer a peek at its new Lumia 610 and 900 phones early next week.

Sources told Reuters that the mobile phone maker will show off both Windows Phone handsets in a news conference scheduled for Monday at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain.

Little is known about the 610 except that it's supposed to be a budget-friendly phone, cheaper than some of the other Lumia handsets. The Lumia 900 has gotten most of the buzz so far, with proud parent Nokia demonstrating the device at last month's CES.

Nokia's first LTE-based … Read more

Samsung announced today that its Galaxy S II has sold quite well over the past 10 months.

According to the company, it has sold 20 million Galaxy S II units (Translate) since the device's launch last April. To put that figure into perspective, Samsung announced last July that it reached 5 million Galaxy S II unit sales 85 days after its launch.

Samsung's Galaxy S II was widely celebrated among reviewers and consumers alike, who liked the device's 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, and 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. The Android-based handset also comes with … Read more