Mwc2012
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ZTE PF112 hands-on
ZTE's other handset launch of note at MWC this year was the PF112 (pictured at right next to SGS 2.) First take away here was the 4.5-inch 1028 x 720 HD display which was really bright and clear -- and again we were a little shocked by the dichotomy in build quality of the sets we're seeing from ZTE. Quad-band GSM radios, triple-band HSPA+ were on hand as well as an 8 megapixel rear-facing cam, all the wireless connectivity one could ask for and even an FM radio thrown in for good measure. Housing quality is fine, bezel size about on par with its neighbor in the pic above and fit and finish also looking sharp. Follow the break for some more pictures of this Android 4.0 device.
AT&T announces global coverage via a single SIM at MWC, makes dual-wielding a thing of the past
Tired of switching out those SIM cards when you travel abroad? AT&T is about to relieve that burden. At MWC, the company has announced a new platform that offers global internet, WiFi, satellite and Ma Bell network coverage via a single SIM. In addition to the hardware, the new tech offers worldwide diagnostic, monitoring and alert / response features for management purposes from AT&T Control Center -- backed by Jasper Wireless. Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Segments notes "Lessons learned by market leading manufacturers suggest that a single carrier supplier with a single SIM solution is often preferred over working directly with multiple regional wireless carriers." Coverage for globetrotters will be provided in more than 200 countries via hundreds of carriers to keep you connected -- with a few less components in tow. If you're looking for a few more details, hit the full PR below to read on.
Nokia 808 PureView first sample shots -- feast your eyes (update: GigaPan them!)
This is it. Here's an exclusive first look at some sample shots taken with Nokia's freshly minted 808 PureView imaging powerhouse -- and wow, just wow! The collection contains photos taken at different resolutions in various conditions that show exactly what the 41-megapixel camera is capable of. Feast your eyes in our gallery below -- we'll have a ZIP file with the original pictures for you to download shortly. Also, stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Damian Dinning, program manager for imaging at Nokia. Update: Our very own Andy Yang of Engadget Chinese slapped a few of these shots on GigaPan for your zooming pleasure -- check it out after the break. You can also grab the originals (a 31.8MB download) from Nokia Conversations.
Xperia U, HTC One X and One S coming to Orange UK
Orange, the only cellular network that's also one of your five-a-day has announced that it'll be releasing Sony's Xperia U, HTC One X and One S to smartphone demanding Britons in the second quarter of the year. Depending on your point of view, it's either fantastic or terrible that the network bagged the white edition of Sony's handset as an exclusive, but it's going to tempt some of you to the citrus-side of the force. There's no word on pricing, but we'd expect them to cost something we've heard called "money." While you wait for them to arrive, why not decide on which handset you'd rather purchase by reading our splendid hands-ons with each of the handsets? Xperia U / One X / One S.
Lumigon T2 hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
We've been waiting for Lumigon to get around to launching its Android opus for a while now. Fortunately, MWC is precisely the right kind of place for a new company to catch the eye of the mobile press. With Ice Cream Sandwich and Bang and Olufsen involvement, we had to take a look at the Lumigon T2 for ourselves. First impressions are after the break, with a video run-through of the stainless-steel lined phone thrown in for good measure.
ZTE 910 hands-on at MWC 2012
ZTE's LTE FDD, CDMA, EVDO-enabled N910 -- we've also seen it referred to as the N91 -- also popped up at Mobile World Congress, so we gave it a quick once over. The spec sheet isn't bursting with this set but it does pack an 800 x 480 display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, a 1080p capable front-facing lens, WiFi, Bluetooth, and of course its running Android 4. The N910 is a pretty thick handset as its posterior is a rounded affair, though, it feels hollow, and is impossibly light. Unfortunately for us -- and you -- it refused to power on during our brief visit, even after 10 minutes or so of charging. We will swing back around and see if we can't capture a bit of video, but until then the following gallery will have to do.
Panasonic Eluga hands-on (video)
Well, Panasonic wasn't lying. Turns out, the company's Eluga smartphone is, as promised, quite elegantly designed. The stunning handset, which made its debut at this year's Mobile World Congress, isn't racing towards the finish line with Google's latest OS or even top shelf internals. Rather, this Android device places a heavy emphasis on style, durability and display tech much to the delight of our overloaded mobile-senses. We spent some quality time with device at the company's booth, so click on past the break to get the rundown on our initial impressions.
Carrier IQ opens up IQCare diagnostics platform to smartphone users
Carrier IQ has announced the extension of its IQ Care platform to enable mobile operators to share the insight gained with its customers. The analytics software measures diagnostic information on your phone relating to network usage, battery life and dropped calls. Previously it's only been available to customer care agents as they remotely diagnose your phone during a support call, but the platform is now being opened up so that data can be viewable on open customer service portals. It's hoped that people will learn how to resolve network issues, the company remarking that 40 percent of smartphones are returned, only to be found not to have any faults at all. It'll launch in the second quarter of the year and you can find out a whole heap more if you head on past the break.
Samsung's Exhilarate $50 AT&T LTE phone hits the FCC
Samsung's Exhilarate was first announced back at CES as AT&T's first sub-$50 LTE phone. It also apparently meets a variety of sustainability and environmental standards, but the FCC wasn't concerned about if it was made of bamboo when it shredded the handset for the public's good. Our boys in blue lab coats were more preoccupied with the internals and despite the small on-contract cost of the device, it's certainly packing some hardware. Beneath that 4-inch super AMOLED display are GSM, WCDMA, LTE Bands 4 and 17, HSPA, GSM, GPRS and EDGE modems as well as the GPS, NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi modules we expect all self-respecting handsets to carry. Given that this emerged from Washington this morning, we can imagine this to start arriving in stores very shortly.
Qualcomm's Gobi modem chipsets combine 84Mbps HSPA+, LTE-Advanced
Multiple goodies on a single chipset? Yes, it's Qualcomm again, this time spreading word at MWC of its new Gobi modems. These will be the first to support both HSPA+ Release 10 (84Mbps on dual carriers) and LTE-Advanced, while two of the new Gobis (the MDM9225 and MDM9625) will additionally support true LTE Category 4 with carrier aggregation, for increased bandwidth across multiple radio channels and speeds of up to 150Mbps. The chips also boast lower power consumption thanks to their 28nm fabrication process, and are backwards compatible with older standards like GSM, EV-DO Advanced, TD-SCDMA and both FDD and TDD types of LTE. Hungry for more 3LAs? You'll find plenty in the press release below.
ZTE's quad-core Era hands-on (updated with video)
ZTE showed up to Barcelona and Mobile World Congress with briefcases overflowing with handsets, we stopped to have a peek at its newest which features a quad-core CPU: the Era. Running the Tegra 3 quad-core processor at 1.3Ghz with an Icera i450 HSPA+ modem, 4.3-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel camera that'll shoot 1080p video and all that stuffed into a 7.8mm-thin metallic housing. We'd already gotten our mitts on a couple other ZTE sets by the time we ran into the Era, and as far as build quality goes it's head and shoulders above the others. The feel in hand is sort of reminiscent of the Nexus One: outstanding balance and weight. The display quality is bright and crisp and in the short demo we saw, the 3D effects on the home screen are absolutely fluid. We're looking forward to this set, or at least a chance for a little more time to get acquainted. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
ASUS Transformer Pad 300 hands-on
Right after ASUS wrapped its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference, the hundreds of journalists present all honed in on the Padfone -- that 4.3-inch handset whose various accessories can turn it into a 10-inch tablet with a full QWERTY keyboard dock. After the crowds thinned, though, we spotted a red tablet sitting by itself in the corner. That would be the Transformer Pad 300, ASUS' new low-end slate. On paper, at least, it's a slightly emasculated Prime, with a 10-inch IPS (but not Super IPS+) display and 16GB of storage, not 32GB or 64GB. Otherwise, the key specs remain the same: a quad-core Tegra 3 chip, 1GB of RAM, Android 4.0, 1280 x 800 resolution and dual 8MP / 1.2MP cameras. (Some models will also have an LTE radio, but that's something we'll have to revisit in a full review.) In any case, we wondered if the 300 would be identical to the Prime in looks as well (those fancy press shots don't always tell an accurate story). Surprisingly, it isn't! Check out the photos below and see if you can spot the differences, and then follow past the break for some quickie impressions.
Panasonic Eluga Power: hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
Panasonic is keeping busy. Interested by the OLED screened Eluga, but yearning for a bigger screen and the chance dance along the bleeding edge of Android? Then welcome the Eluga Power. With a 5-inch LCD display and Ice Cream Sandwich already on the device, Panasonic was ready to show off its Eluga Power prototype. We had to drop by to see the phone in action and the Japanese manufacturer was more than happy to oblige. Check the gallery below, while our hands-on video and first impressions await after the break.
Nokia Lumia 610 hands-on (video)
Nokia's stand at Mobile World Congress is more of a city than a dingy old booth -- it's absolutely massive, and full of Lumias and PureViews and Ashas (oh my!). As we continue to dissect the entire thing, our adventure has taken us to the Lumia 610. This particular handset is a bit of an anomaly in the mobile world: it's getting a lot of attention not because it's an amazingly powerful and highly specced device, but rather because it's considered a low-ender. It's not too often that this kind of thing happens, considering we often treat budget phones as non-influential, but we envision a device like the Lumia 610 having a dramatic impact on the scope of Windows Phone in global market share and public exposure.Why could such a simple smartphone make waves at a show crowded with star-studded beauties like Nokia's own 808 PureView or the HTC One X? Because it's among the first to feature Microsoft's latest Windows Phone build. Contrary to our expectations coming into the show, it's not being referred to as Tango -- something that perplexed us during our liveblog of Nokia's event this morning -- but rather a minor refresh that will reach out to every Windows Phone. The update, still considered part of Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango), opens the door for devices running on 256MB of RAM and offers a few other goodies, such as allowing ringtones, videos, audio files and multiple JPEGs on one MMS. The update will also bring compatibility to Chinese mobile operators and plenty more regional availability. That's a major reason why the Lumia 610 is getting so much attention -- it may be the first Windows Phone experience for several regions that don't already have the OS.It may be obvious that the specs are nothing to write home about. Quite opposite, in fact. But that's not what Nokia's gunning for with the 610, is it? Nay, this one is ever so humble, with its 800MHz Snapdragon S1 CPU, 5MP rear AF camera with LED flash, 3.7-inch WVGA TFT display, 1,300mAh battery and quad-band GSM / EDGE / WCDMA. The build is definitely inexpensive plastic, with chrome edges and a soft-touch back. In other words, keep a firm grip on it at all times. All in all, it feels rather comfortable to hold, though. Its overall performance is precisely on par with the intended price range here. But don't just read our words about the phone -- behold with your own eyes the Lumia 610 with the help of our photos and videos below.
Fujitsu quad-core phone hands-on (video)
We've finally managed to get some time with Fujitsu's incoming quad-core handset and it's pretty close to completion. The quad-core phone's approaching its very final model, with just a bit of finishing and tightening left to do on what we're seeing here at MWC 2012. It's still water-friendly, wielding a Tegra 3 chip and brandishing a 13.1-megapixel camera. So what are you waiting for? Our impressions and video are right after the break.
Panasonic and Red Bend Software announce Android security partnership at MWC
Panasonic wants you to feel secure in its gentle embrace, which is why it's paired up with Massachusetts-based Red Bend Software to secure your cellphone's personal data. Pointing to the open nature of Android as a weakness when it comes to device security, the partnership created a safe folder isolated from the operating system that is only accessible by password or smart card. The clever part is Red Bend were able to get vLogix Mobile Linux to work as an independently virtualized OS yet run at the same time as Android runs cleanly -- with your personal data encrypted inside the ROM to prevent software reverse-engineering. The company isn't saying how it's planning to implement the feature or if it'll be generally available, but if you're looking for a safe place to store those confidential emails you should read all the gory details after the break.
Opera announces revamped Store, Mini Next and Mobile 12 at MWC (video)
Opera's crying "mobile" and letting slip the dogs of browsing here at MWC 2012 with a slew of announcements to please serious web-users. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile 12 have been released today -- the former designed to run on Java-based feature phones, now includes deeper integration to Facebook and Twitter to provide fully-featured social networking for those incapable of downloading apps. Meanwhile, Opera Mobile 12 now includes Ragnarök, the company's HTML5 parser to provide better web apps and advanced functionality as well as WebGL for Android Phones -- which now also get an infinite-scrolling speed dial front page for regularly visited websites. At the same time, it's pushing out a revamped App store based on technology acquired when Opera bought Handster back in September. It's the fifth largest app store by quantity, with 55,000 apps available, although it's currently in trouble for offering developers apps to other platforms without the developers permission. After the break we've got a short video and some PR for you to peruse, like carrion men, groaning for burial.
ASUS PadFone hands-on (video)
We're here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and ASUS just formally unveiled the shape-shifting PadFone -- just like it said it would. Even more than raw specs, what makes the phone striking are its accompanying accessories. Sure, you could use it as a standalone 4.3-inch handset, but it will also be sold with a so-called station that effectively turns it into a 10-inch tablet -- not unlike how you can slip certain Moto handsets inside the company's netbook-like Lapdocks. It will also be sold with an optional keyboard dock (just like the Prime) and -- get this -- a stylus that doubles as a receiver for when you receive phone calls. We elbowed our way to the front of a pack of voracious tech journalists, and stole a few minutes of hands-on time with both the handset and its various accoutrements. Join us past the break for some early impressions and a duo of videos.
Google: 450,000 Android Apps now available to 300 million devices
If you hadn't noticed, it's Mobile World Congress this week and Google's showing off its enormous booth packed to the gills with smiling green Androids. Andy Rubin insouciantly added that the Android Marketplace has reached its latest milestone: there are now 450,000 apps available for the platform. Other pertinent stats are that over a billion apps are downloaded every month and that 850,000 Android devices are activated each day -- meaning that there's more than 300 million of them worldwide. Of course, that's not the real story here at MWC, it's that the company have brought along a bedazzling booth for guests to glue as many false jewels to their Galaxy Nexus back-plate as their self-respect can handle.
ASUS outs lower-end Transformer Pad 300 tablet with 16GB of storage and a 1280 x 800 display
Remember when we said ASUS was adding another tablet to its stable? Let's bump that number to an even two. ASUS just announced the Transformer Pad 300, a lower-end match to the new Infinity Series (and also made a quick appearance earlier this month). Hilariously (if rapidly aging gadgets can ever be funny), the 300 is, for all intents and purposes, a watered-down version of the original Transformer Prime -- until recently the most lustworthy tablet. So far as we can tell, the only differences are that it offers different color choices (blue, white and red), a slightly downgraded display and optional LTE. Also, the back is made of plastic. Once again, it has a Tegra 3 chip, 8MP / 2MP cameras, HDMI and a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display. Interestingly, this guy has a regular 'ole IPS screen, not the 600-nit Super IPS+ panel used on the original Prime and the new Infinity tab. The 300 also comes with a fixed 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), whereas the original Prime packed 32GB at the lower end. Still, ASUS won't skimp on some things: it ships with ICS, like its brother, and promises up to 10 hours of battery life (that's 15 with the optional keyboard dock, which is an hour less than what the Infinity Series claims). No word yet on availability, so expect some further announcements in the coming months with pricing specific to different regions.
