Mobile World Congress

Mobile systems are driving toward better graphics, better voice quality and quad-core processors, according to veteran market watcher. more >>

While Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona recently was flooded with new devices, some vendors are breaking the mold with products differentiated from the rest of the competition. We decided to highlight three devices we found interesting at the show, not necessarily because they were the best and brightest, but because either through their design, hardware or software, they stood out in some way that made them different. more >>

Mediatek president Ching-Jiang Hsieh has been forging tight links with China’s handset makers, believing they will be the source of the next big wave of smartphones. more >>

Near Field Communication is a wireless connectivity technology that allows short-range radio communication between devices. Included in a small chip inside the device, NFC allows for mobile money transactions, data exchange, location tagging and wireless connections between two devices in very close proximity to one other, usually just a couple of centimeters apart. more >>

Mobile phones have become such personal devices that some would rather share a toothbrush than a handset. But as our attachment to our cell phones grows, so to do consumer concerns about data privacy and security. more >>

Augmented Reality is the process of layering computer generated graphics on top of real world environments, either directly or indirectly through a tablet or cell phone. The technology provides a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery, or in other words, it’s what the world would look like with the Internet layered on top of it. more >>

Kicking off the Microsoft event at MWC last week, president of Windows and Windows Live, Steven Sinofsky, launched the “Consumer Preview” beta version of Windows 8, before its anticipated official full version launch this coming autumn. more >>

The outlook for cellular networks is mixed with slow growth expected for LTE roll outs taking diverse approaches to keep pace with a burgeoning set of devices. more >>

Qualcomm is not worried about falling behind its competition when it comes to mobile graphics, according to a senior executive at the firm. more >>

China Mobile wants to turn computer servers into cellular base stations, using data center technologies to radically lower the cost and power consumption of cellular networks. more >>

With the mobile industry driving even more leading-edge technology into the hands of global consumers, ensuring that all stakeholders throughout the ecosystem are evolving as quickly as end-user demand is often a challenge. more >>

Police closed down significant parts of the Mobile World Congress today while students protested cuts in education outside the event. more >>

MIPS Technologies, which makes the processors that power appliances like TVs and DTV boxes has come out with its own $99 tablet running Google’s Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). more >>

The panel discussion, participated by Nokia and HTS CEOs, took the topic of “transforming the mobile experience” in the direction of how rapidly changing market dynamics are influencing the entire ecosystem, hardware design, software and app integration and the end-user integrated lifestyle. more >>

Google’s Android Booth at MWC 2012 is one of the major hotspots at the mobile show this year, attracting tens of thousands of visitors daily, most on the lookout for Google’s signature Android pins. more >>

Rather than spend a lot of time talking about Google, Android OS or even recent changes in the company's privacy policies, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt used his Mobile World Congress keynote to highlight the need for bringing greater Internet connectivity to the world's most under-served markets. more >>

Intel’s foray into the smartphone space is a “marathon, not a sprint,” according to the firm’s CEO Paul Otellini. Speaking at a company press conference on Monday, where the firm announced new partnerships with Orange, Lava International Ltd., ZTE and Visa, Otellini reminded attendees that Intel was no stranger to the mobile market, having been involved in RF for many years. more >>

Claiming the era of the big cellular base station is over, Cisco Systems joined the growing ranks of vendors rolling out hybrid systems that handle both cellular and Wi-Fi traffic. more >>

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) Facebook said it would be joining over 30 device manufacturers, carriers, and developers in an industry-wide effort to help accelerate the improvement and standardization of mobile browsers. more >>

Follow one of the EE Times reporters on his first day at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. more >>

Qualcomm and HiSilicon announced multi-mode chips and China Mobile tipped plans for a TD/FDD LTE network, steps toward the holy grail of a unified cellular technology. more >>

Just ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, MasterImage said its glasses-free 3-D screen had been selected by the mobile chip giant for a 10-inch Mobile Development Platform based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 processor. more >>

Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) are demonstrating what they claim is the industry’s first commercial-grade, production-ready time division long-term evolution (TD-LTE) small cell reference design. more >>

Word on the Barcelona street is that LG is in discussions to become Google’s next hardware partner for Nexus phones. more >>

HTC has announced its One Series of smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC), including a quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 based device and another boasting Qualcomm’s dual-core Snapdragon S4. more >>

Huawei announced high-end smartphones and tablets using a homegrown quad-core applications processor it said outperforms the competition including Nvidia’s Tegra3. more >>

A notable announcement that took those attending today's press conference by surprise was about the new Symbian camera phone that could well up the mobile phone game: Nokia's new 808 PureView, with a jaw-dropping 41 Megapixel sensor. It's expected to start shipping in May with a hefty retail price tag of 450 euro. more >>

Ericsson played the standards game for a winning hand in LTE, according to ABI Research, but they are neither first nor last to play that game. more >>

Freescale, TI and LSI are gunning for lucrative sockets in high-end base stations with new integrated 28 nm SoCs as the Mobile World Congress opens here. more >>

Ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft has thrown down the ad gauntlet to its Android competition in a campaign it is calling "Smoked by Windows Phone." more >>