We're live in Barcelona, Spain for Mobile World Congress. Stay tuned to this very page for all the news we're covering here at the event, from Android to ... something that starts with Z but is also related to Android. That's how we do.

We're here the 13th through the 16th and running like crazy in a timezone that's conveniently many hours ahead of the US, so there's a better than even chance you'll wake up to fresh new announcements for the rest of the week. Peachy, innit?


HTC announces the HTC Flyer, a 7-inch tablet with tablet-specific HTC Sense

By Sean Brunett  | Feb 15 2011 | 4:08 am  | 22 Comments


HTC has announced their entrance to the tablet space this morning with the 7-inch HTC Flyer, with an all-new HTC Sense redesigned specifically for tablets. In addition, HTC has announced HTC Watch, a new video service and HTC Scribe, digital ink technology.

The Flyer has a 7-inch screen with a solid, aluminum body. HTC claims it weighs as little as a 'paperback book', which is vague but promising. It will also sport a 1.5GHz processor that will combine with HSPA+ technologies.

The newly redesigned HTC Sense is specific for tablets and will feature a 'gorgeous 3D homescreen'. 

Along with the Flyer, HTC also unveiled it's Scribe technology, which allows users to use digital ink innovations in such functions as notes, contracts and drawing pictures.

HTC is also making a giant leap in the cloud-based video game space with their new gaming service provided by OnLive. It will allow users to transmit the service to their TVs or let them play on the tablet itself. A few titles already announced thus far are Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, NBA 2K11 and Lego Harry Potter. 

The Flyer will ship in Q2 with Android 2.4 (Gingerbread), with Honeycomb coming later. The new tablet will be heavily built on the new HTC Sense technology, which has been specifically designed for tablets. Stay tuned for more exciting info from Spain! Full press release after the break. 

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Mobile World Congress Podcast - Day 1

By Phil Nickinson  | Feb 14 2011 | 9:10 pm  | 7 Comments

Audio-only stream below

Day 1 of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is a wrap! Listen in to this cross-platform podcast as we discuss the Windows Phone 7 news, LG's Optimus 3D and Optimus Pad, some Acer hardware and more!

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Mobile World Congress 2011 - Day 1 Roundup

By Chris Parsons  | Feb 14 2011 | 9:05 pm  | 14 Comments

We're only one day into Mobile World Congress 2011 and to say that Android has thus far played a big part is a little bit of an understatement. Android has played a huge part and we're glad to be here covering it for you all at home. This is just the beginning. We'll have plenty more coming your way soon. Until then check out what you may have missed: 

Any particular announcement you all enjoyed out there? Something you were hoping would get announced and did or -- for that matter did not? Either way sound off in the comments folks and let us know what you thought the good, the bad and the just plain ugly were from today. Stay tuned for more from MWC2011. 

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Qualcomm announces next generation Snapdragon chips

By Alex Dobie  | Feb 14 2011 | 6:23 pm  | 34 Comments

 Qualcomm

Chip-maker Qualcomm has announced its next generation Snapdragon chipsets, including a beastly quad-core part by the name of APQ8064 which will run at up to 2.5 GHz. APQ8064 is based on Qualcomm's new 28nm "Krait" micro-architecture, and also includes an Adreno 320 quad-core GPU.

The manufacturer says APQ8064 chipsets will deliver up to 12 times the CPU performance of the original Snapdragon and up to 15 times the GPU performance of the original Adreno, while reducing power consumption. Qualcomm likens the performance of the APQ8064's Adreno 320 to that of the current generation of games consoles. This extra horsepower will allow the chipset to power higher-resolution displays and handle 3D playback and recording, and Qualcomm will be targeting it at next-generation mobile devices.

Other new chipsets include the single-core MSM8930 and the dual-core MSM8960. The MSM8930 includes an integrated LTE modem and will be aimed at mainstream smartphones, while its dual-core sibling will appear in "multi-tasking smartphones and tablets".

Qualcomm says samples of MSM8930 and APQ8064 chipsets will be available in early 2012, while samples of the dual-core MSM8960 will emerge in the second quarter of this year. [PRNewswire]

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LG Optimus Pad hands-on [updated with video]

By Phil Nickinson  | Feb 14 2011 | 11:15 am  | 26 Comments

LG Optimus Pad

In the realm of Android Honeycomb tablets -- and it's not like there are all that many out there yet -- things pretty much have, well, looked the same. But the LG Optimus pad brings a bit of differentiation to the burgeoning tablet market.

Start with its size -- 8.9 inches, not the 7 of the original Galaxy Tab or the 10.1 inches of the Motorola Xoom or the new Galaxy Tab 10-inch. And we're very much on the fence about the size. LG claims its the perfect compromise, and maybe it is. But to us it felt like an oversized Galaxy Tab, so far as the basic size goes. A little bit unwieldy, but the screen size is still darn nice. The 1280x768 resolution is plenty adequate.

And then there's that whole 3D thing LG's pushing. And pushing, and pushing. And the Optimus Pad, just like its Optimus 3D smartphone cousin, as on the 3D train as well, with a pair of 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 2MP shooter up front.

It's plenty fast, thanks to an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, and we didn't see much lag at all in Honeycomb or the apps, which is nice for a pre-production unit.

Hands-on video and more pics are after the break.

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Vodafone UK announces new phones and Galaxy Tab 10.1 exclusivity

By Alex Dobie  | Feb 14 2011 | 11:01 am  | 0 Comments

 Vodafone

Vodafone has announced via Twitter that it's obtained UK exclusivity for the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. No release dates or prices were made available, but Vodafone promises more details soon.

The carrier also announced that it'll be carrying the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Neo, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S II. While there was no mention of exclusivity deals for these phones, Vodafone will be stocking an exclusive red version of the Xperia Neo.

We've gotten up-close and personal with all of these devices in Barcelona over the past couple of days. Check out our hands-on coverage of the Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 10.1 for more info. [VodafoneUK on Twitter]

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Three and Orange to carry LG Optimus 3D in the UK

By Alex Dobie  | Feb 14 2011 | 10:20 am  | 2 Comments

Orange     Three

British networks Three and Orange have announced that they'll be carrying the new LG Optimus 3D when it's released in the UK later this year. Both carriers' official sites offered a run-down of the Optimus 3D's specs and features, however specific release dates and prices were conspicuously absent.

It's likely -- though not confirmed -- that other major UK carriers will also be picking up the Optimus 3D at some point in the future, however Three and Orange are first with their official announcements.

In addition to the Optimus 3D, Orange announced that it'll also be offering the Optimus Black on selected plans in the second quarter of the year.

Be sure to check out our awesome hands-on feature from MWC to find out what we thought of the Optimus 3D. [Three Blog, Orange Newsroom]

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Acer Iconia Smart Hands-on [MWC]

By Dieter Bohn  | Feb 14 2011 | 9:05 am  | 5 Comments

 

Sometimes you just want a phone that's crazy, crazy tall. Enter the Acer Iconia Smart, which sports a 4.8" 1024 x 480 screen at a 21:9 aspect ratio. Toss in an 8mp camera on the back with 720p recording and 1.3mp on the front, a unibody metal casing (but as you can see in the video below, it doesn't quite feel as awesome as other unibody phones), Android 2.3, HDMI-out, DLNA, and Acer's can't-get-no-respect-but-it's-not-bad Breeze UI and you have a phone that's pretty indicative of where Acer is in the Android market right now: an interesting underachiever that deserves a second look but is still waiting for US carrier to invite them to the dance. In other words - pricing and availability not yet known.

More photos and (a shaky) video after the break!

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LG Optimus 3D hands-on

By Phil Nickinson  | Feb 14 2011 | 8:26 am  | 19 Comments

LG Optimus 3D

We all knew it was coming -- LG was going all-in with 3D screen technology, and they've done it with the Optimus 3D. And, surprisingly, it's not horrible.

The phone itself is fairly unremarkable -- your basic black slab. It's got a 4.3-inch touchscreen powered by a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4 processor, and flipping through Android 2.2 (it'll get a Gingerbread update at some point, LG says) was plenty fast.

But 3D is what this phone is all about. And not just playing 3D videos, which was pretty cool, but recording them as well. The Optimus 2D has not one but two 5MP cameras on the rear for stereoscopic recording. And you can even see what you're recording in 3D in real time on the touchscreen display.

So how's the 3D look? It's ... different. Your eyes will have to adjust to it some, but it's not the worst thing in the world, and some content looks better than other. Battery life, we're told, is boosted by the dual-core processor. But you know how those things go -- you'll need to use it to see.

There's a handful of 3D-capable games on board, and the phone has a dedicated hardware button that takes you to a special 3D gallery, from which you access all your 3D content, including 3D content on YouTube.

You're going to have to see this to believe it, truly. We're not completely sold on the idea of 3D content, but LG certainly is.

More pics and video are after the break.

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Motorola Pro for Europe - Hands-on [MWC]

By Dieter Bohn  | Feb 14 2011 | 7:49 am  | 5 Comments

 

Close your eyes and imagine - imagine a strange and crazy world where the Motorola Droid Pro doesn't run on Verizon but instead has been outfitted solely with an HSPA/GSM radio and set for Europe. Image that the only other difference between the Verizon Droid Pro and this crazy new phone - let's call it simply the Motorola Pro - is that it doesn't have any of the custom Verizon software or the Verizon 'droid' branding. Image it still has a 1GHz processor, Android 2.2, and the same version of MotoBlur.

Imagine no more, dear reader, because the Motorola Pro is not only announced, it's real and we have the photos to prove it. What an amazing world we live in - the only way it would be amazing-er is if we had a firm launch date and price. Sadly, all we know is that it's coming to Europe and given that the hardware is here and on display and working, we have assume that it's coming soon.

A few more photos after the break.

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