We grabbed a few hours sleep after yesterdays Android landslide, and got right back into full swing in Barcelona for the first official day of Mobile World Congress 2012. While all day yesterday was spent bouncing from one venue to the next to see official press events, we got to spend a good part of the day today doing what's coolest about going to a big show like MWC -- talk one-on-one to vendors, developers, and all manner of PR people. The boys put miles on their shoe leather cruising the show floor and meeting with the exhibitors, and we get the benefit of hearing it all without the sore feet.
Hit the break, let's see what went down today.
Good morning Samsung
The Korean hardware giant once again kicked things off while all of us here back in the states were trying to get a little shut-eye, announcing the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Galaxy S Wifi 4.2. Besides having a penchant for device names with numbers, Samsung knows how to make spectacular looking devices. The Note 10.1 is no exception, and it's multiscreened way of running apps and S Pen support might make us all rethink just how we use our tablets. Just don't call it a stylus, please.
The Galaxy S Wifi 4.2 sure looks good, but with last years internals we have to wonder if it will really be "the best of Android experiences". Personally, I think buying a gently used Captivate is a better plan. Samsung, Y U NO make Galaxy S II Wifi player?
The return of the Padfone
A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away, ASUS announced the Padfone. Just like that girl on Facebook who says she looks like Angelina Jolie, we haven't ever really got a good look at it. That changed today, ASUS finally took the wraps off the phone that fits into a dock, becoming a tablet that fits into a dock, becoming a netbook that fits into Alex's hands. They also showed off a nice pair of tablets in their new Transformer Infinity series, the high-end 700 and the not-as-high-end 300. Check em both out.
Motorola was in the house, showing some love for the people of Spain -- bringing the RAZR to Spanish carrier Yoigo, and the Motoluxe and Defy Mini nationwide. Olé
Europe is getting Intel goodness as well, as Orange announced they would be bringing the Medfield-powered Santa Clara to the continent. Can't wait to see this one get reviewed!
ZTE brought out the big guns with the Era, a quad-core Tegra 3 (and no, we're not getting tired of those words yet, not at all) armed 4.3-inch beast that actually ships with Ice Cream Sandwich -- which we'll never get tired of saying. When ZTE shows up with Ice Cream Sandwich on their phones, tell me again why the big names can't do the same? Nice work ZTE.
HTC Redux
Phil spent a bit of time playing with phones from HTC today, getting his man paws on the HTC One V, which he sadly couldn't turn on because the software "wasn't ready" (Hello? ZTE?!?). He also found a Nexus One HTC One S in a new color, err, um, colorless finish, uhh unfinish, hell just take a look at it -- you will have fond memories of the original Googlephone. T-Mobile US, please?
Huawei is killin' it, flat out killing it. The Mediapad 10 looks as good as the Ascend D Quad, and either or both would look good on my desk.
Phil on the floor
Phil hustled his way across the show floor this afternoon, talking to people and telling us what they had to say. He dropped in on Carrier IQ, who has new software that everyone probably hates without knowing what it is, worked his way to meet with Canonical, who showed him what Ubuntu for Android looks like, and fondled some new hardware -- the Samsung Galaxy Beam, the Acer Liquid Glow, the hot Acer Iconia A700, and the not-as-hot T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G (no comma). Eventually, he worked his way over to the Google Android booth, and nobody has seen him since.
Just kidding, he popped in to tell us to "quit slacking" (admit it, you read that in his voice, right?) on his way back to the villa. But if he had got lost in Androidland, I think I could count on every one of you guys to help me go find him. It looks like our kind of town.
Are you ready for day two?
