Research In Motion has its work cut out for it. Apple and Samsung went from dominating the smartphone industry to completely owning it in the first quarter this year, and RIM’s struggles continued as its BlackBerry 7 smartphone lineup really started showing its age. All eyes are on BlackBerry 10 as industry watchers try to determine whether or not RIM has a real shot at a comeback, and RIM has to be especially impressive at this year’s BlackBerry World conference since its first BlackBerry 10 smartphone likely won’t even launch until some time in October. RIM president and CEO Thorsten Heins will take the stage in just a few minutes when RIM’s BlackBerry World keynote kicks off at 9:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 a.m. PDT, so hit the break to follow all the action as it unfolds and don’t forget to refresh the page for the latest updates.

8:55AM:OK everyone, we're inside and seated, waiting for the last few seats to fill up before the show starts in a few minutes.

8:58AM:According to the announcement over the PA the presentation should begin shortly. I'm going to be very disappointed if it doesn't include everyone's favorite Futurist, will.i.am.

9:03AM:It's a packed house, all of the seats are full and folks are starting to stand at the back of the room. The excitement is palpable as attendees awkwardly rock out to some generic house music.

9:07AM:We're about to get started, starting off with some users describing how they use their BlackBerry devices.

9:07AM:

9:09AM:Thorsten Heins is taking the stage and welcoming the audience - the BlackBerry People. You can also watch the conference online at blackberryworld.com.

9:11AM:Thorsten is discussing his first three months as CEO, and the outreach to customers–business, enterprise, consumer–and his own employees he's done.

9:12AM:65% of smartphone users access organizational tools daily compared to 91% of BlackBerry People.

9:13AM:Thorsten is claiming that the BlackBerry has a great camera. We're not off to a great start.

9:13AM:"55 million BBM subscribers, and the best integration of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook"

9:14AM:"BlackBerry is all about success. BlackBerry creates their success, BlackBerry empowers their success. [Users] are more productive with a BlackBerry."

9:15AM:"77 Million BlackBerry People. BlackBerry helps people save time."

9:16AM:Thorsten is emphasizing the simple interface, data efficiency for manageable bills, battery life and security. Cloud Computing is hot, and he's justly describing the BlackBerry as the BlackBerry Cloud.

9:16AM:"Everything we do now with the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 is to help simplify your life and leverage this infrastructure".

9:17AM:Thorsten is welcoming Clarence So, Senior VP, Strateg of salesforce.com

9:18AM:salesforce.com has been using BlackBerry since 1999 with the pager models, and continues to run their company on BlackBerry today.

9:19AM:Clarence is referring to the "social enterprise" as a way to encompass the various channels of communication used by customers.

9:21AM:Welcome Chuck Robbins, Senior Vice President, The Americas, Cisco.

9:22AM:Chuck is giving a rundown of the Cisco applications that are running on the BlackBerry including WebEx, Jabber and MVS. His developers are excited to begin working with BlackBerry 10.

9:23AM:Cisco is working on several applications for BlackBerry 10 including WebEx and AnyConnect, Cisco's SSL-enabled VPN. This is huge for enterprise users, the PlayBook has relatively poor VPN options.

9:24AM:"We're taking our time to be sure we get this right" - Thorsten is asking what the platform for BlackBerry 10 should be.

9:24AM:"We're making incredible progress on BlackBerry 10", fueled by acquisitions such as RIM TAT, Gist, Tungle, and QNX.

9:25AM:He's introducing the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device. It looks familiar.

9:26AM:BGR will have an extensive hands-on with the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device shortly

9:26AM:Thorsten is emphasizing that the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device is not final hardware, it's a vehicle to get BlackBerry 10 into the hands of developers.

9:27AM:"It's critical that we get this into the hands of developers around the world so they can begin getting their content and applications to you".

9:27AM:RIM is doing a great job of reaching out to developers, and pre-release alpha hardware is a great way to generate excitement and enthusiasm.

9:28AM:This is definitely a new RIM. I can't say that anyone is missing the old familiar faces.

9:29AM:Vivek Bhardwaj, Head of Software Portfolio at RIM is taking the stage with Thorsten.

9:31AM:Vivek is showing off the the new Glance gestures that will be part of BlackBerry 10.

9:31AM:Emphasis on full, true, background multitasking.

9:32AM:"You just flow through [the feeds]. You have a flow across all of your applications".

9:32AM:Active and agile.

9:33AM:"This is why we invented push, and this is why we all love BBM". Someone is still a little bitter about the NTP patent lawsuit.

9:34AM:We're about to get a demo of the new keyboard in BlackBerry 10. Spoiler, flick gestures.

9:36AM:Two-thumb typing is key, but what if you need to type with one hand? A not so subtle shot at massive Android devices like the Galaxy Note.

9:36AM:As you're typing the autocomplete words pop-up on the keyboard, and you can flick them up into the main screen.

9:38AM:"Never miss a magic moment" – the camera allows you to go back in time!

9:39AM:"It's all about agility and being nimble" – Thorsten is reminding everyone that this is just a preview and there is more to come.

9:40AM:The keypad is adapting, and will adapt to your fingers, your style of typing. Just another reminder that the iOS autocorrect is utter shot.

9:41AM:The intent and objective of BlackBerry 10 is to build the next mobile computing platform. It's an engine, not just a smartphone OS.

9:42AM:Thorsten is showing off the connected QNX car with TVs, telemetrics and two other things I didn't catch.

9:43AM:60% of cars on the road are running QNX. Marketshare calculations will get very interesting in a few years.

9:43AM:Reliability and security are definitely important if my car's OS can be updated remotely.

9:45AM:The entire company is laser focused on delivering BlackBerry 10 on time, and exceeding customer expectations. And Thorsten is committed to keeping everyone up to date on the progress of BlackBerry 10 development.

9:45AM:Another quick peek at BlackBerry 10.

9:47AM:"Have a great BlackBerry World and let's rock and roll this!"

9:48AM:We're welcoming VP of Global Alliances and Business Development Martyn Mallick to the stage.

9:49AM:"RIM is 100% committed to application partners on [RIM's] platform". BlackBerry 10 is meant to be seen as proof of that commitment.

9:50AM:More emphasis on BlackBerry 10 as a platform. This is in line with their emphasis on developers and developer relations.

9:50AM:Platform, Tools, Distribution.

9:51AM:Performance, security, integration. The platform excels on tablets, smartphones and in cars.

9:52AM:RIM is building a set of core tools for native development and HTML5 and making them available to partners. Who are the partners though? Developers? Carriers? Alliance members?

9:53AM:Distribution - applications can be distributed in multiple ways. Mobile Fusion (formerly BES) allows direct distribution within the enterprise. App World allows global distribution, and supports multiple payment methods including credit cards, PayPal and carrier billing.

9:53AM:App World also allows enterprises to have their own tab in the store, similar to the carrier tabs found in Android Market.

9:54AM:It should be obvious by now the themes of the conference - Enterprise and Developers.

9:55AM:Jonas Norberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Pacemaker is joining Martyn on stage to discuss using Cascades to develop an application for the PlayBook.

9:56AM:Cascades allowed Pacemaker to easily connect their new interface to an incredible amount of legacy C++ code.

9:58AM:The Pacemaker DJ application will be available tomorrow at their booth on Wednesday between 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM EDT, for free. Attendees of BlackBerry World will be among the first in the world to have this app before it launches in June.

9:59AM:Candemir Orsan from Occipital is on the stage. Occipital created the Red Laser app for iOS, as well as 360 Pano, my personal favorite app for creating panoramic photos on my iPhone.

10:00AM:Candemir says his team was able to build a demo of 360 Pano for BlackBerry 10 in only 7 days.

10:02AM:For anyone wondering if the 360 Pano app for BlackBerry 10 uses the still camera or the video camera, it's the still camera. The entire audience was treated to a slew of shutter sounds as Candemir took the panoramic picture.

10:03AM:"Rovio launched Angry Birds Space a few weeks after it came out for iOS". Great, but why did it take them about 10 months to launch Angry Birds for PlayBook after Mike Lazaridis announced at BlackBerry World in 2011?

10:04AM:An enthused developer from Gameloft is taking the stage to discuss developing games for BlackBerry 10.

10:06AM:Gameloft is bringing 11 games to BlackBerry 10. Perhaps former Senior Director of Global Developer Relations Mike Kirkup didn't fully kill the platform by pushing game development for the PlayBook over everything else.

10:07AM:We're joined by Michael Schade, Co-Founder and CEO of Fishlabs. 70 million downloads of Fish Labs games to date. Another successful company with two founders, and only a single CEO.

10:09AM:Schade is demoing Galaxy on Fire 2 HD. I think he might have inadvertently leaked the next Samsung Android phone.

10:10AM:This is the most high-definition version of the game available. It actually looks like it'd be fun to play.

10:11AM:Brian and Mark from pixelmags are on stage to talk digital publishing.

10:12AM:The pixelmags ethos is "You create, we deliver". Publishers upload content to the CDS - Content Delivery System - and pixelmags handles the distribution to the desired channels.

10:13AM:Pixelmags is focusing on branded applications, so if a user downloads the Esquire application, it's actually a pixelmags app.

10:13AM:Pixelmags is releasing a News Stand application on BlackBerry 10. Every BlackBerry 10 will get 10 free minutes every month to read anything they want on the News Stand.

10:15AM:Users can upgrade to unlimited viewing for $9.99 per month whenever a data connection is active, or a mobile offline plan for $14.99 per month.

10:17AM:Nick Barnett from mippen is on stage, touting the performance of the BlackBerry app platform. BlackBerry downloads account for 70% of all downloads of apps created with the mippen application generator.

10:18AM:Mippen is releasing a BlackBerry App Generator in beta today, you can sign up at www.blackberryappgenerator.com

10:19AM:Mippen allows anyone to build a native app in less than 10 minutes. I'm glad to see the focus on quality apps remains.

10:21AM:Whoops, Titanium just showed an iPad in their demo.

10:23AM:Jeff Haynie, Co-Founder and single CEO of Appcelerator is on stage to talk about their Titanium development tool.

10:24AM:Haynie, "After talking with customers it's clear that they want BlackBerry. BlackBerry is definitely one of the top three platforms we support". So you're saying it's #3?

10:26AM:Embracing the cross-platform application generation tools is a giant shift for RIM. Several years ago there was a marked distaste for them, with RIM Developer Relations members being quite cold to developers using those tools.

10:26AM:App submissions are up 226% in the past year, and PlayBook app growth is up 240%.

10:28AM:"It's really important that we don't focus too much on consumer or just enterprise. We're seeing the industry beging to focus on enterprise, and we welcome that..."

10:28AM:RIM is looking to the partner community to make the platform a success. Developers, developers, developers?

10:31AM:Robin Bienfait, RIM CIO is taking the stage. I've had the honor of walking in late to a briefing she was running and having her interrupt her presentation to call me out for it.

10:32AM:"By next time this year for BlackBerry World, we will offer three solutions for Mobile Fusion"

10:33AM:Mobile Fusion will be available on-premise, hosted and managed, or fully in the cloud. In about a year. What was it Thorsten said about delivering in a timely fashion?

10:35AM:Alan Panezic, VP of Product Management at RIM is introducing Stephen Rollins, VP of IT at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

10:36AM:Martha Stewart has two BlackBerry devices - one for email, and one for a phone. That's different.

10:37AM:Mobile Fusion has been out for about three weeks, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have had it fully in production for over a week.

10:44AM:Panezic says that securing enterprise data on at-rest for third-party devices is on the roadmap. For those of you keeping score, that's a shot at Visto, owners of the NTP patents, and Good Technologies who offer a secure email and PIM client for iOS and Android.

10:44AM:And we're done, thanks!

Research In Motion’s annual BlackBerry World conference kicks off Tuesday morning and new president and chief executive officer Thorsten Heins will take the stage to greet the thousands of show goers in attendance. Heins’s company has a daunting mountain to climb as its struggles continue, and this year’s show may be RIM’s most important to date as it looks to attract enough interest from developers and users to tide it over until its next-generation smartphone platform launches. RIM’s first BlackBerry 10-powered smartphone likely won’t be released until some time in October, but developers will get their first taste of a smartphone running PlayBook OS, the basis for BlackBerry 10, when RIM hands out thousands of prototype smartphones at the BlackBerry Jam conference that will run alongside BlackBerry World in Orlando, Florida. Will RIM make enough of a splash to instill faith in developers, users and investors that it can successfully re-enter a market not just dominated by, but completely owned by Apple and Samsung?

Bookmark this link, which will go live shortly before the event begins this morning, and make sure to head there for our live coverage of RIM’s keynote! Coverage will begin just before 9:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 a.m. PDT.

Summer is fast approaching and if the past two years have taught smartphone fans anything, it’s that Sprint and HTC are preparing to launch a new flagship smartphone. The EVO 4G burst onto the scene in 2010 and raised the bar for Android smartphones around the world. While the handset’s successor, the EVO 3D, was unable to recapture the magic brought about by the original model, it was still a cutting-edge smartphone worthy of the EVO brand. Now it’s 2012, and rumors suggest one of the most impressive smartphones ever to be produced is coming soon to Sprint. Based on the HTC One X, Sprint’s new flagship smartphone will seemingly be chocked full of technology including a 4.7-inch high-definition display, a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, Android 4.0, Sense 4.0, 4G LTE and a gigantic battery. Will Sprint and HTC’s new EVO-branded device rock the industry like the original did two years ago? Hit the break for our live coverage of Sprint and HTC’s press conference, which is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. PDT.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out our hands-on preview of the HTC EVO 4G LTE!

5:28PM:Ok guys - we're seated and the crowd is finally starting to settle in. The presentation should begin in the next few minutes.

5:32PM:Here we go, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is on stage

5:34PM:Mr. Hesse is talking about Sprint's Network Vision. Better data speeds, better 3G and LTE

5:35PM:"This new EVO will be the first U.S. phone to use an enhanced voice technology"

5:35PM:The technology is called "HD Voice"

5:36PM:HTC's president Jason Mackenzie has taken the stage.

5:38PM:"We are proud to introduce HTC EVO 4G LTE exclusively from Sprint"

5:39PM:The EVO is just what customers want, "an amazing camera with incredible sound"

5:40PM:"HTC has always been serious about design, this year our phones not only will look great but also feel great in a customers hand"

5:41PM:Jonah Becker, HTC EVO 4G LTE's lead designer, has taken the stage.

5:42PM:Becker is speaking about the passion and dedication HTC brought to the new EVO.

5:43PM:A video is playing showing HTC engineers crafting the new EVO

5:45PM:Becker: "Red accents make it clear it's an EVO"

5:46PM:"The new EVO is a multimedia power house...the hardware is a passage to your content."

5:47PM:"We brought back the kickstand and its absolutely perfect"

5:49PM:Sprint and HTC are both pushing the camera's fast shutter speed and crisp images. The f/2.2 lens will let in more light than any other smartphone.

5:50PM:EVO will also let you do video and photo mode at the same time.

5:51PM:Meno, a professional photographer, is talking about the EVO's incredible camera in a short video.

5:52PM:The still images in the video look stunning...

5:55PM:The EVO 4G LTE will feature Beats Audio technology, as all other new HTC handset do

5:56PM:Beats Audio was only briefly mentioned, we are watching a short video about "HD Voice" now

5:57PM:There will be a live demonstration of HD Voice during our hands-on time.

5:58PM:The EVO 4G LTE will be available in the second quarter for $199

5:59PM:Pre-orders will begin May 7th

6:00PM:And that is all she wrote, folks - be sure to check out our hands-on preview of the HTC EVO 4G LTE!

Mobile World Congress has been a roller coaster ride so far this year. The week kicked off with a bang on Sunday with both Sony and HTC unveiling their latest and greatest smartphones, and the HTC One X was definitely the star of the show. Things were up and down on Monday and Tuesday however, and the show actually got pretty slow for a while there. Our time in Barcelona isn’t up just yet, however, and Microsoft chose today to unveil the latest version of its next-generation operating system, Windows 8. The technology giant released a preview version of Windows 8 last September, but we’re sure plenty has changed over the past five months. And beyond checking out all the new features Microsoft has undoubtedly baked into its new OS, we might finally get a better idea of when devices carrying the platform will finally launch. Microsoft’s Windows 8 press conference is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern / 6:00 a.m. Pacific (3:00 p.m. local time in Barcelona), so hit the break for our live coverage of the event!

UPDATE: Don’t forget to check out our full review of Microsoft’s Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which is now live!

8:49AM:Hey folks. We're in line #2 here at Microsoft's Windows 8 Consumer Preview event. Let's see what they've got for us!

8:52AM:Upbeat music, lots of folks waiting around, and free breadsticks. Great.

8:54AM:This 4-on-the-floor drumbeat is driving us a little crazy...let's go, Microsoft!

9:01AM:Annnnd we're in. Microsof has a bevy of devices on display, all running....Windows 8!

9:03AM:As anticipated, we've got TVs, tablets, desktops, laptops, and more, all in a line

9:07AM:Ok...fake afro-beat music is a bit better but still suspect. We're 7 minutes behind schedule. * mins behind schedule and we're calling it fashionably late:)...

9:12AM:As a side note, this Catalonian sun is not helping keep any of our fellow blogger's and press folk's BO at bay...this room does not smell great.

9:14AM:We're beginning to think that the devices themselves might begin presenting...we haven't seen a single representative from Microsoft go anywhere near the stage yet. Wonder what's keeping em!

9:16AM:Of note, while we wait, there are a total of 13 different devices on stage, all of varying size and shape. Mostly tablets, with one of the largest TVs we've ever seen sitting behind it.

9:18AM:"The show will begin shortly" says the announcer...

9:20AM:lights down...er, lights yellowed...seems like it's finally go time

9:21AM:Lot's of thank you's now going on stage, thank you's to press, devs, etc...you're welcome!

9:22AM:Steven Synofsky hitting the stage now

9:23AM:Looks like we'll have immediate downloads of the beta software available following the release, fyo

9:23AM:"Windows 7 most successful Windows of all time"

9:24AM:Talking now about the compromises necessary with today's stratified mobile vs tablet vs desktop world, speaking to how complicated and unnatural the trade-offs are

9:25AM:Now speaking about how the form factor should drive consumer choice, not the set of compromises that one is willing to make. Microsoft is aiming for

9:27AM:Choice is the key word here, folks. The unified operating system experience is intended to allow consumers to decide what type of device best fits their life, and not have to worry about power management, crippled OS, etc

9:27AM:Every subsystem of Windows 8 has been re-engineered for touch and more

9:28AM:100,000 code changes since dev preview went live

9:28AM:Consumer preview is vastly different from initial dev version. They're calling it "complete" hmmmm

9:29AM:"Beautiful, modern, fast, fluid." It's a generational change in Windows. Stressing revolution vs. evolution of product here, but that it won't be a massive paradigm shift for current Windows users

9:30AM:They're calling Windows 8 a "super fun experience", which seems cute. That said, we're happy to see that they're stressing an enjoyable consumer experience over raw power, specs, and things that might appeal to power users

9:31AM:The notion of scaling is key, with a single OS that is scalable across multiple screen sizes, device type, etc. And having a functioning app-eco system that works together. Apps talking to apps, as opposed to apps functioning as an island in and of themselves. Apps enriching apps...

9:31AM:Pretty sure he's said

9:32AM:Pretty sure he's said "apps" over 59 times. Now stressing that everything is cloud connected, with integrated backups and online support. Also speaking about the current version of the Metro design language, which is design from the ground up with scaling in mind

9:33AM:Now we've got Julie Larson-Green and Antoine Leblond hitting the stage, windows program manager and windows web services manager, to walk us through the app and OS experience

9:34AM:No

9:35AM:Everything will be demonstrated using a prototype device. The device itself was designed from the ground up for usability. She's sitting in a chair, looking pretty damn comfortable, using the dev device. Nice touch.

9:36AM:The device is completely customized for each user, with a familiar lock screen, start screen, app environment, etc on each device that contains your profile info. The home screen adapts to provide the most frequently used tiles in the most convenient locations, etc

9:37AM:She's scanning in and out of home screens now. "fast and fluid" are the key terms, and everything is moving really really well. It's pretty impressive!

9:40AM:Xbox live is integrated from the ground up. We also have casual gaming for things like cut the rope and angry birds, etc etc...

9:40AM:Windows Explorer is killing it right now. The experience is moving so fast, and it actually looks like it's making internet browsing dare we say...fun? This is awesome to watch. Seriously, folks

9:40AM:Video and music stores are built into the preview as well

9:41AM:Now we're looking at a cookbook app. Nothing revolutions, but it does illustrate the beauty of the Metro style across app dev as well

9:42AM:We now have a demo of app switching using gestures. Left thumb flicked left slides back and forth through apps. This is, again, really fast. Really well implemented. We can also bring up a full task switcher by flijing up

9:43AM:Now we're on to social networking implementation. The "people" app function as a centralized hub for all of your social networking accounts. You can also pin this to the start screen with, of course, a live updating tile

9:44AM:Demonstrating multitasking now. We can place IM into a side window dock, while keeping video or any other app running in the foreground. Everything can be dragged around in real time. Awesome!

9:45AM:Nothing overlaps on top of anything else. It just switches back and forth laterally. That way you don't have 400 windows on top of one another. It's clean and efficient, a nice change from existing OS multitasking

9:45AM:The "charms" bar keeps frequently accessed info, like contacts, text, etc...and this is accessible from any app, regardless of where it originated. Apps talking to apps talking to apps...

9:46AM:Ok tablet demo done, on to laptop demo

9:46AM:He's talking about scalability, etc etc

9:47AM:We're looking at non-touchscreen devices now, with mouse and keyboard interface demos

9:47AM:CTRL-ALT-DELETE is a thing of the past!! All you need to unlock is the "enter" key. Ha!

9:47AM:Be sure to check out our Windows 8 Consumer Preview review, which just went live! http://www.bgr.com/2012/02/29/welcome-to-the-post-post-pc-era-a-review-of-microsofts-windows-8-consumer-preview/

9:48AM:Everything looks super fluid (notice a theme here...) and navigation seems pretty intuitive

9:49AM:Gestures haven't been replicated for mouse use, but 4 hot corners are used for specific "gesture" stuff. The corners are the navigation hot spots. Mouse to bottom left goes to start screen, bottom left to task switcher, etc. Seems smart to us, but we wonder how sensitive this thing is

9:50AM:Zoom in, zoom out, it all works as you might expect. And all home screens and tiles can be easily manipulated and re-arranged.

9:51AM:Task switching via hot corner is pretty...hot. We're impressed, though again...sad to see ctrl-tab go the way of the DoDo

9:52AM:

9:52AM:Kindle app, Weather app, Stocks app, etc...all Metro, all awesome.

9:53AM:The home screen is the new windows key. Hitting Windows button brings you directly to the home screen.

9:53AM:This is cool Start typing "USA" and it immediately brings you to an app list, listing USA Today as the top option. Immediate app search and launching.

9:54AM:Sharing between apps is so easy. The charms bar allows you to drop images from web to wordpress, wordpress to twitter, email to facebook, etc. The base app stays in the main screen, and the destination app comes up in the side bar. Drag, drop, post, boom. This is amazing

9:54AM:All existing Windows 7-compatible apps will work on Windows 8

9:55AM:Ok, now we've got Word coming up!

9:56AM:Office seems to work super well here, but it does just look like another Windows 7 app. We'll have to wait for a Metro version of Office to get super sexy, but at least everything will work out of the box

9:57AM:You can also manage tasks in real time, allowing you to pause tasks that need lower priority, etc

9:58AM:Metro and basic desktop functions to allow old apps work side by side. That's pretty cool, and it definitely illuminates how much cooler Metro is, but we're glad to see the desktop survive the transition

9:59AM:Ok. Now we have touch plus mouse plus keyboard. All three inputs can be used together. This is the marriage of input methods that we've been waiting for. And it looks like touch will probably become the predominant method...

10:00AM:All bookmarks, pins, apps, etc...all of these things travel with you from machine to machine, so your tablet looks like your phone looks like your laptop.

10:01AM:Now we've got a demo of the Skydrive app that allows access to documents from the cloud across all your devices. Skydrive is also working behind the scenes to sync your personlized data, profile pic, contacts, app data, etc

10:03AM:Universal search is pretty cool. Search for Harry Potter and it brings up results from the video store, web, flixter app, etc

10:04AM:Antoine is back to talk about the Windows App Store

10:04AM:The store ahs been designed for ease of access...well, that's good to know....we've got rankings, lists, etc. And then categories. Nothing revolutionary here folks, but we suppose that's not a bad thing

10:05AM:Find app, click on app, read about app, install app. Done

10:05AM:All apps in the store will be free during the preview period. Smart move!

10:06AM:Now he's talking about dev relationships, and how excited devs are to be working with the new software. "The best economics of any major app store..."

10:07AM:Large devs are on board, but they're trying to attract individual devs too. They're announcing the winner of the first apps contest...

10:08AM:Sorry 8 winners, not 1.

10:09AM:Cool. More pounding music...

10:11AM:Now we're talking wrapup stuff. "fast fluid beautiful. Okay, okay, we get it!!!

10:12AM:Now we're talking about how apps need to be brought up to spec. The OS is there, stable, ready to go. But apps need to catch up. This all makes sense. We're being cautioned not to list, review, or categorize apps, with an eye to the fact that this preview is intended to spurn further development

10:14AM:Get ready for some hardware previews, guys!

10:16AM:Okay okay, here we go. We've got Michael Angiulo to demo some new hardware!

10:17AM:We've got a demo of Windows-on-ARM, which was first announced at CES last year. Speaking to a power profile that allows support from smaller processors, like phone chips, tablet chips, etc. Low power state gives access to background tasks while sleeping, and doesn't give huge power spikes when waking to access information lost while in dormant mode

10:19AM:We've got Tegra 3, Snapdragon 5, and other stuff. This is great stuff

10:21AM:All apps are chip independent, so all apps will work on ARM, x86, etc. This makes a seamless consumer-facing experience. It's all about consistency here, ad this applies to drivers too. Printer drivers, etc will work across the board. Input devices are the same, storage devices, etc. This is revolutionary in the PC world

10:23AM:Windows 8 had to smaller overall to work on these lower power mobile processors, which should make it FLY on desktop-grade systems.

10:25AM:Ok, now on to Ultrabook stuff. We've got an Intel Next-Gen Ultrabook here, and it looks pretty...Ultrabooky. We've got 5 more on hand, ost with Ivy-bridge processors, touchscreens, etc. We've got an Acer book starting up in 8 seconds. Whoa!!

10:26AM:It's also super super thin. Approaching, if not exceeding, Macbook Air levels. This thing also has a motorized port cover. Cool touch, we suppose.

10:27AM:Alright, now we've got an HP Envy with Beats Audio, etc. Gorilla glass cover is amazing, and we're seeing some really really fast performance here.

10:28AM:And now on to Samsung, again with insanely fast performance. He's demonstrating processor adaption, with cores starting and stopping based on performance almost instantly.

10:28AM:Apps don't need to be opened or closed, because they don't use any processor power or memory when dormant

10:30AM:We're on to networking improvements, which speaks to the need to simplify connectivity due to the increased portability of Windows 8 devices

10:31AM:"Cost-based network switching" gives intelligent switching from 3G to Wi-Fi based on pre-defined preferences and profiles

10:32AM:Annnnd now the Lenovo Yoga, a convertible touchscreen-enabled laptop, is up to bat. Cool device, with a convertible screen

10:34AM:Side note, but the Microsoft Mouse is 30 years old today...

10:35AM:They're talking now about how Microsoft 8 will force a re-imagination of input methods, etc.

10:36AM:Ok, now we see why the ungodly large TV was there. It's actually a fully-functional Window 8 PC. It's really a giant Microsoft Surface, build out of Gorilla Glass. It's 82". The largest in the world. And it's running so quickly, so beautifully.

10:40AM:Ok, cool. No we're looking at how NFC inclusion allows seamless transfer of audio from internal speakers to wireless speakers. Walk in room, have music transfer from your headphones to your home stereo.

10:43AM:Alright, we've seen demos of image transfer technology, audio transfer, video editing, and...wait for it....a USB drive being connected to a Windows 8 desktop in Real Time!! Microsoft, this is great, but you had us an hour ago with the app demos. This is getting a little long in the tooth...

10:46AM:Allllllright!! Looks like we've actually hit the end point now. This has really ushered in the era of touch PCs for the consumer environment. The coolest part is that the transition is a metered one, allowing you to choose input method, from touch to keyboard to mouse, based on the usage case.

10:50AM:Now we've got a roadmap. Today, consumer preview available in English, German, Japanese, French, and Simplified Chinese. Visual Studio 11 Beta is available for devs, and preview apps are included with the store today. Beginning "really soon" we'll see updates and drivers. Stressing dynamic consumer preview, with many changes along the way. ceBIT will see enterprise features unveiled. The next milestone will be the Release Candidate, RTM, and General Availability. Preview is live already, with downloads from 70 different countries.

10:51AM:That's it guys! Thanks for tuning in and be sure to check out our full review of Microsoft's Windows 8 Consumer Preview!

It may seem odd that Microsoft is hosting a media event at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show this year that will focus on its upcoming desktop operating system, but it couldn’t be more appropriate: Windows 8 is a complete acknowledgement from Microsoft that the future is mobile. Mobile doesn’t have to mean limited, however, and the Redmond-based technology giant’s next-generation OS is its first attempt to marry a touch-focused mobile platform with the robust desktop operating system that made the company famous. We saw the Developer Preview of Windows 8 several months ago, and now it’s finally time to see how much progress Microsoft has made since then.

Bookmark this link, which will go live shortly before the event begins tomorrow morning, and make sure to head there for our live coverage of Microsoft’s press conference! Coverage will begin just before 9:00 a.m. EST / 6:00 a.m. PST (3:00 p.m. local time in Barcelona).

In less than one quarter with just two smartphones on the market, Nokia managed to take the top spot among Windows Phone vendors in the fourth quarter of 2011. Microsoft’s mobile platform still accounts for just a small fraction of Nokia’s smartphone sales, but the Finnish vendor is in the early stages of a transition that will eventually see Symbian devices eliminated from its portfolio. The Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 started things off, and Nokia revealed the Lumia 900 during the Consumer Electronics Show, a flagship device that BGR exclusively reported will launch on AT&T next month at a very aggressive $99.99 price point. Nokia is rumored to have at least two new devices that will be unveiled during today’s press conference — the entry-level Lumia 610 and a high-end camera phone expected to be the international version of the Lumia 900 — and we’re on hand to bring you all the news as it breaks. Hit the jump for our live coverage of Nokia’s press conference, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 a.m. EST / 11:30 p.m. PST (8:30 a.m. local time in Barcelona).

2:21AM:Annnnd we're inside. This has been a seamless process thus far. We've even got power outlets and a chair. Thanks, Nokia!

2:23AM:Nokia has done a great job of providing a comfortabel space for bloggers and press. Croisant? Don't mind if we do.

2:28AM:Let's just hope the hands-on demos are as organized as the actual press conference. Sony, we're looking at you....

2:34AM:Alright folks, this music is beginning to wear on our ears just a bit. Let's get moving!!

2:35AM:Annnnd we've got the lights dimming. We're off!

2:35AM:Cue random video montage of Nokia-related imagery in 5,4,3,2...

2:37AM:We've got Nokia wrapping up the last year, giving a bevy of stats about internet usage and media consumption of the last year. 6.9 trillion text messages sent over the last 12 months. Lol

2:38AM:Noting that at last year's MWC, Nokia outlined a new strategy, no new devices, but a clear vision for the future. They seem to have met the key goals they set forth, including a focus on design and LBS

2:39AM:They've penetrated over 100 worldwide markets, with Lumia presence in over 31 markets from 50 operators. Noting the re-entry in the North American market with T-Mobile.

2:39AM:The Lumia 800 is the #1 smartphone in Russia. Great?

2:40AM:Call us skeptical, but these seem like pretty dubious stats. Let's see if they have any more impressive stuff to pull out before the actual unveiling

2:40AM:Windows Phone apps are up 3x from last year. Emerging markets are a key factor in this growth.

2:41AM:Alright, now we've got Mary McDowell, the exec VP of mobile devices. Looks like we're gonna be heavy on feature phones. The Nokia 202, 203, and 302. These are all ASHA devices

2:42AM:The 202 and 203 are both touchscreen phones

2:43AM:The 202 is a multi-sim phone, the 203 is a single sim phone. They are both Nokia Life phones, which provides access to the Nokia LIfe suite of "mobile life improvement" tools, targeted at folks with a smart-ish phone but no data plan. Today will mark te launch of Nokia Life.

2:44AM:Nokia life delivers content over SMS, including info about agriculture and local news, life skills, and info for young people to develop knowledge about healthcare and entertainment. Sigh....

2:45AM:It also includes a language learning program called "Learn English" to provide gratis English lessons in 16 local languages across the globe. Images and other media can be easily shared via Nokia Life as well, which includes seamless integration with the Nokia contact list

2:45AM:Interesting, sure, but definitely not the most cutting edge stuff here. Let's hope they've got some more fireworks on hand...

2:46AM:Nokia Life is bundled with 40 free games, courtesy of EA. This amounts to 75 Euros worth of free games.

2:47AM:The phones will be priced close to 60 Euros and will be available in the ext 6 weeks

2:47AM:The Asha 302 is targeted at the "Hyper Social" set, those that visit Facebook over 4 times per hour. It includes out of the box push support for Facebook and Twitter.

2:49AM:The 302 includes a cloud-accelerated browser and support for web-apps, which delivers a "smartphone type" experience on the phone. Decent way around the lack of app support, but Apple seems to have proven the lack of interest in web apps...

2:49AM:The Asha 302 includes Microsoft Exchange support

2:51AM:We've got a demo up now of the Exchange support. nothing groundbreaking but everything seems to work quite well, and to have Exchange support on a feature phone is a pretty impressive feat. Still, can we really imagine execs using something like this, especially with growing enterprise access to iPhone? The Asha 302 will be priced around 95 Euro.

2:52AM:Alright. Mary out, Steven back in. Let's see where we're headed now. New Lumia, anyone?

2:53AM:Good. Now we've got some smartphone stats, noting the intro of the Lumia 900 on AT&T in the States.

2:54AM:The Lumia 900 will now be available in April in Canada. The Lumia 900 will also be expanding into further worldwide markets. The lack of LTE worldwide was an initial boc,, but we now have a Lumia 900 without LTE. DCHSPA version will allow worldwide adoption. Same handset, new radios.

2:56AM:Same display, same processor, same battery, same media options, same Nokia signature experience, including Nokia Drive. Great. Let's relaunch more devices, shall we? Granted, we've got a new release of Nokia Drive, including full offline support. We also have the launch of Nokia Reading, that includes access to news, books, audio books, and more. All available offline

2:57AM:All of this Nokia Reading content is localized. It includes a newstream feature, that pulls personalized feeds and topics into a personalized digital magazine. A la flipboard. This all updates live onto the WM livetile.

2:58AM:Now we've got Terry Meyerson, head of the Windows Phone Division at Microsoft, to talk about video calling.

2:59AM:Now we've got a demo of Skype for Windows Phone, which marks the launch of the beta providing video calling from Windows Phone.

3:00AM:Windows Phone will launch in China with Lumia, and other Windows Phone models. This definitely seems far more impressive for Microsoft than it does for Nokia, though it's still quite a feat on both sides.

3:01AM:System requirements have officially been lowered, to support 256mb of memory and lower spec chipsets. This should help to allow more comprehensive penetration for Windows Phone.

3:02AM:Annnnd here we go. The Nokia Lumia 610!

3:04AM:The most affordable Lumia yet. The perfect intro of the LUmia line to a younger line. Beveled aluminum design, with built-in social networking support. Etc etc. Standard Windows Mobile feature support. None of this is too impressive, but it is a good looking phone.

3:05AM:XBox Live support is included, of course, and it comes pre-loaded with Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, and Nokia Music. This also includes new Nokia Transport, door-to-door underground, tram, and train directions in over 500 cities in 46 countries. Nice!

3:05AM:Frequently used routes can be pinned to the home screen and are updated in real-time. That's actually pretty cool.

3:06AM:Lumia 900 is priced at 480 Euro in Q2, the Lumia 610 comes in at 189 Euro and will ship in Q2. That's a pretty big price differentiation!

3:08AM:Now we're talking about further support for Symbian. We've got something coming....the Nokia 808 PureView. "A Revolution in Smartphone IMaging"

3:08AM:a 41 megapixel sense. Whoa

3:09AM:7 pixels are condensed down to 1, allowing amazing zoom capabilities. We've got some demo images now, and of course, they look incredible. We'll see how real-life stuff works out, but hey...that's a lot of pixels!

3:10AM:All images can be compressed down to compact size for sharing services.

3:10AM:Pureview will be launched across the Nokia line in the future

3:12AM:The Pureview 808 also provides stereo audio recording, which is a bit of a rarity amongst smartphones. Each handset also comes with Monster-spec headsets and surround sound capability.

3:12AM:Now we've got Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon demoing out of the phone. Sound is great, video is great. Great. This all actually looks pretty cool.

3:13AM:The 808 will be available out of contract for 450 Euro, and will ship in May

3:14AM:Annnnnd we're out. Thanks, Nokia!

HTC has a lot to prove at this year’s Mobile World Congress trade show. The Taiwan-based smartphone vendor had a huge year in 2011, firmly establishing itself as one of the leaders in the smartphone space. Toward the end of the year, however, stiff competition from Apple and Samsung caught up with HTC and the company ended 2011 with a whimper instead of a bang. HTC has promised that change is coming, however, and it looks like the vendor plans to deliver. BGR exclusively revealed details surrounding the mid-range HTC Ville and the high-end HTC Edge/Endeavor last November, and at that time we said both smartphones would be unveiled at Mobile World Congress. Will HTC indeed take the wraps off these two sleek smartphones on stage at today’s event? Does the vendor have any other devices in store at this year’s show? HTC’s press conference is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. EST / 11:30 a.m. PST (8:30 p.m. local time in Barcelona), so hit the break for all the news as it unfolds.

2:20PM:Ok guys — we're making our way through the line now. Since people are still making their way over from the Sony event, HTC's press conference might start a few minutes late.

2:34PM:We're inside and getting settled now, but people are still moving in so it will be a few minutes yet. Stay tuned...

2:41PM:Sony definitely killed HTC in the appetizer game. That said, things in here seem a lot more organized and well structured than the Sony event, so hopefully things will be a bit smoother this time around

2:54PM:The room is filling up. Just a couple minutes until we get off the ground. Let's go!

3:08PM:There's currently a video montage of eggs, bread, subway stops, and ceramic dishes playing on the giant screen behind the stage. Curious choice of imagery

3:09PM:Sony went with Pumped Up Kicks as their entrance music, HTC with...elevator music. Sigh. Still, we should be starting things off pretty soon now

3:11PM:Lights down, here comes Peter Chou!!

3:12PM:Turns out all of the aforementioned images were personal shots from Peter Chou's HTC phone. Whoops!!

3:13PM:"Your phone is the most personal and intimate device that you own" - Peter Chou, pulling out all the stops! Talking now about the importance of eye catching design

3:13PM:The HTC 1 has been officially announced!

3:14PM:"The one phone you will need, the one camera you will need, the one that will allow you to enjoy all of your music" talking about the HTC One

3:15PM:Latest version of HTC Sense, Sense 4, has been announced now as well. The key areas of innovation are the camera and sound processing ability

3:16PM:Talking now about how integral the camera on a mobile phone is to people's lives. "45 billion photos uploaded to Facebook just last year"

3:17PM:HTC introduces ImageSense technology, a suite of camera features that improve the lenses, software, UI, etc to provide "perfect shots every time." Hmmm, we'll see about that - it's quite a lofty promise.

3:18PM:He just used "Just Do It" in reference to taking shots...pretty sure that's been used before...

3:19PM:Camera startup time is now 0.7 seconds. That's insanely fast. Sony was advertising 1 second

3:20PM:The camera autofocuses in 0.2 seconds, which is faster than the blink of an eye. And continuous shooting is improved significantly. No word on how many FPS, but it looks pretty fast

3:22PM:Low light performance has been improved with image sense as well, or so they claim. We have yet to see a camera phone that truly performs well under low light conditions, so we'll have to see it to believe it. Chou notes, however, that the lens itself is an F/2.0 lens, which is ridiculously fast. Most camera phone lenses only stop down to f/4.0. The lens also collects 44% more pixels than the average camera phone sensor.

3:25PM:The flash strength is adaptive and adjustable as well, which is pretty cool. Haven't seen this yet in a camera phone to the best of our knowledge. Awesome! HDR image correction is built in as well, so they're claiming that washed-out photos will be a thing of the past. Comparing HDR iages with the iPhone 4S, and the difference is pretty striking. The HTC One looks markedly better than Apple's offering. Again, we'll see how it pans out in real world conditions, but the samples are quite promising.

3:26PM:Simultaneous video and photo is available! This is some innovative stuff, especially in the camera phone space. Generally this sort of feature is reserved for full-sized DSLR shooters. The demo shows how easily this is accomplished, and it looks pretty cool.The video interface has a camera button built right in that snaps Hi-Res shots in the middle of video shooting without interrupting the moving picture. Awesome again!

3:28PM:There's a wall of sample images on the screen now, and the color reproduction is insane. This is some pretty cool stuff.

3:29PM:HTC Sense 4 includes an expanded partnership with Dropbox support out of the box. HTC One purchase includes 2 years of a 25GB Dropbox account. Whoa!! Think about how much iCloud costs...ha. Now we know why Dropbox has been beta testing their photo upload chops!

3:30PM:And HTC MEdia Link allows streaming to any HDMI-equipped TV. No proprietary cable needed. The Sense interface allows one-touch external streaming. This is cool. It also supports mirror mode.

3:32PM:Alright. Imaging stuff done. Now we're on to the audio processing side of things. Chou just sang a line of "Hey Jude". Touching

3:33PM:Chou is now talking about the "Authentic Sound" experience. Talking up their partnership with Beats by Dre. Beats has been integrated into Sense 4. This is a ground up thing, allowing processing of all audio that flows through the handset. Internet, mp3, movies, games, etc. All of it is processed by the Beats algorithms.

3:34PM:Music access has been simplified in Sense 4 and on the HTC One. It doesn't require a PC connection save for the initial sync. Following that, anything can be synced wirelessly. This INCLUDES iTunes sync. Good on them for this one.

3:36PM:Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, and more are all integrated into Sense 4. This is huge. The "Music Hub" includes customizable access to all of these services, and allows you to download and sync offline for Spotify and others. This is cool stuff

3:37PM:Sense 4 includes access to worldwide streaming radio, which connects to their new "completely new car experience". There is a wireless stereo clip accessory that allows streaming to the car system.

3:38PM:Allllright. Looks like Sense 4 has been summed up pretty well. "Amazing camera and authentic sound"

3:39PM:Now we've got a video montage of "actual HTC users" experiencing the HTC one. Forgive us, but these "actual users" are way more attractive than most of the HTC customers we've seen on the streets of NY...just sayin...

3:40PM:Annnnd there we have it. The HTC One X has hit the screen. And folks are clapping, Jobs-note style. Well done, Chou

3:42PM:NVDIA Quadcore, with Qualcomm Snapdragon LTE version available. This thing has the requisite 4.7" HD screen, customized for brighter color and better viewing angles. A white exterior. "A true superphone".

3:44PM:And now the two other "members of HTC One". The HTC One S is a "supersexy smartphone". Their thinnest phone yet. And the HTC One V!

3:50PM:Each of the phones in the One lineup will make use of Corning's Gorilla glass. The One X is made entirely of polycarbonate like Nokia's Lumia 800, and the other two phones are made of unibody aluminum.

3:59PM:Sorry guys, having some technical difficulties. These phones will launch globally in April, with the One X hitting AT&T and the One S hitting T-Mobile here in the U.S. No word on U.S. availability for the One V.

4:00PM:And this is going to be a massive launch for HTC... 144 carriers around the world will carry HTC One smartphones.

4:02PM:And that's it folks! Be sure to check out our hands-on looks at each of HTC's new One-brand smartphones coming up shortly.

Mobile World Congress doesn’t officially get started until tomorrow, but a handful of technology giants couldn’t wait that long to kick off the show. Among them is Sony, formerly Sony Ericsson, and it looks like the struggling smartphone maker could have quite a show in store for us this year. Sony Ericsson posted a €247 million loss in the fourth quarter as its smartphone market share continued to decline. Now that the former joint venture is wholly owned, Sony is planning a renewed attack on the smartphone space that will likely be fueled by Ice Cream Sandwich and deeper integration with Sony’s wide range of consumer electronics devices. We’re certainly in store for a few new Xperia phones at today’s event, but will they offer the differentiation Sony needs to make a dent in today’s market? Sony’s press conference is set to kick off at 1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST (7:00 p.m. local time in Barcelona), so hit the jump for all the action as it breaks.

11:34AM:Just pulled up into the line. Not a ton of folks here just yet but the queue is certainly growing!

11:38AM:Sony picked a beautiful venue for their event. The Palau San Jordi is amazing

11:39AM:Now if only they'd let us inside...

11:50AM:Still waiting here in line. Let's go, Sony!!

12:10PM:Annnnd we're in!

12:12PM:Appetizers all around. Lots of folks milling about, and there don't seem to be nearly enough seats...

12:13PM:Entrance music is not good, but we'll give Sony a pass for now

12:15PM:We're gonna party with some stuffed olives and wait for this thing to get moving

12:20PM:Sony sure knows how to keep a crowd in suspense though, again, the olives are a nice touch. Let's hope the new Xperia announcement(s) can top these Tapas

12:27PM:This room is turning into the press-conference equivalent of a clown car. How many people do they expect to cram into this space??

12:40PM:Don't worry, we haven't left you! Still waiting on Sony to get this thing moving

12:46PM:Tick, tock, tick, tock...

12:54PM:"The presentation will begin in 10 minutes..." ok...some progress!

12:56PM:5 minutes and counting...

1:00PM:The lights have dimmed! We're off!

1:02PM:This video intro certainly took a cue from Epcot Center. Cue motion sickness pills...

1:02PM:Bert Nordberg CEO and President on stage now

1:04PM:Stressing that this is the first press conference as Sony

1:04PM:Kazuo Hirai taking the stage

1:05PM:They're welcoming Sony mobile as part of the "One Sony" team

1:06PM:Hirai is talking up the strength of the digital imaging and gaming divisions, and noting that they're going to be leveraging this experience into their Experia line

1:07PM:"Working tireless to deliver a unique user experience"...buzz words are awesome, aren't they?

1:09PM:He's talking now about the integration of Sony Entertainment network content into their hardware line, in addition to the integration of their imaging and gaming knowledge. Looks like they're getting ready to unveil some gaming-centric handsets

1:09PM:Annnd we're back to Bert Nordberg!

1:11PM:Xperia users will continue to have exclusive access to the Video Unlimited service, allowing cross-platform content delivery

1:11PM:

1:11PM:Additionally, beginning today, Sony will offer access to Music Unlimited for Xperia users

1:14PM:2012 recap: Xperia NX Launch in Japan, Xperia Acro HD, and the Xperia Ion launched at CES as the intro of the Sony Mobile brand to the US. Announced today, the Ion will be available outside of the US in the Summer of 2012. The Xperia has begun shipping around the world, available now in Sony Stores across Europe

1:14PM:Announced today are the Xperia P and the Xperia U!

1:15PM:These two handsets are part of the Xperia NXT series. The S is the big daddy, the P the middle pup, and the U is the baby

1:16PM:Sony is stressing their minimalist design approach to the nxt series, emphasizing the transparent bar at the bottom of each handset

1:17PM:Imaging technology will allow capture of 2D and 3D images, Xperia media players, and advanced gaming features

1:17PM:The two new handsets will, of course, feature dual-core processors

1:18PM:"The Xperia S is the smartphone that lets you experience everything in HD"...

1:20PM:Talking now about the integration of Playstation suite gaming features into the Xperia line

1:22PM:The Xperia P features Sony's new "White Magic" display technology, that theoretically provides adaptive display brightness that should provide better outdoor viewing experience. It features fast-capture technology that allows for 1 second camera start-up time. It also allows for tv connectivity via the additional smart dock station. This should allow for HD content mirroring on a tv screen. It also allows for a wireless mouse and keyboard connection, a la the Motorola Atrix Dock...when will these guys learn...

1:23PM:This new Smart Tags feature is actually cool, allows you to include certain applications and such into profiles, that give you a set of actions or macros to define by profile. IE profile 1 includes bluetooth on, music app launch, etc.

1:24PM:Annnnnd now we're on to the Xperia U, the "compact baby" of the group

1:25PM:Features personalized transparent element colors. You can change the illumination on the strip based on what app you're using, what photo is on screen, etc. I.E. a yellow-hued photo will change the strip to yellow. Cool, we suppose, but useful? Hmmmm....

1:26PM:Both new handsets launching Q2 of this year

1:27PM:Sony plans to launch their largest brand advertising campaign ever. "Engaging consumers in new and engaging ways". They really are stressing the "story" of these handsets, the "inspirational nature of the handests", etc etc

1:27PM:Annnnnnnnd we're done!

With the biggest consumer electronics show of the year behind us, it’s now time to shift gears and and get ready for the biggest wireless show of the year: Mobile World Congress. This year’s show is shaping up to be a big one, with brand new devices on tap from HTC, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Sony and more. Samsung, the world’s top Android vendor, oddly doesn’t have an event planned for this year’s show, though it likely has something to do with the delayed launch of its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone. We still expect Samsung to have a number of new devices on hand though, possibly including the high-definition tablet BGR exclusively revealed in December. HTC will undoubtedly be one of the stars of this year’s MWC provided it still plans to announce the HTC Ville and HTC Edge/Endeavor we scooped last year, and Nokia should have some new devices in store as well. LG, ViewSonic, ZTE and other companies have already started announcing new phones, and we’ll definitely be taking a closer look at them next week as well. To start things off, BGR will be providing live coverage of three press conferences starting Sunday afternoon into early Monday morning. Here’s the schedule:

• Sony press conference: Sunday, February 26th — 12:00 p.m. EST / 9:00 a.m. PST (6:00 p.m. local time in Barcelona)
• HTC press conference: Sunday, February 26th — 2:30 p.m. EST / 11:30 a.m. PST (8:30 p.m. local time in Barcelona)
• Nokia press conference: Monday, February 27th — 2:30 a.m. EST / 11:30 p.m. PST (8:30 a.m. local time in Barcelona)

Feel free to bookmark the links above, which will go live shortly before each event kicks off. We’ll also be providing hands-on looks at all of the devices announced during each press conference, so be sure to tune in!

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave his last CES keynote on Monday night and while it did mark the end of an era, things are just starting to heat up here in Las Vegas. We’ve got a big day in store that will be packed full of hands-on looks at all of the great devices unveiled during this year’s show, but Qualcomm is kicking things off on Tuesday with the opening keynote for day 1. Qualcomm subsidiary Qualcomm Atheros made several announcements Tuesday morning which included the unveiling of the Skifta Media Shifting Platform, a new wireless content streaming solution, and we’ll likely hear more about them during the keynote. What else might Qualcomm have in store for us? The keynote kicks off at 11:30 a.m. Eastern / 8:30 a.m. Pacific, so hit the break for our live coverage.

11:26AM:We should be getting started in just a few minutes. It looks like the last of the crowd is settling in.

11:31AM:We're told the keynote will begin momentarily.

11:35AM:The lights are dimming, which means this awful music should be ending shortly.

11:37AM:President and CEO of the CEA Gary Shapiro is taking the stage now.

11:39AM:He's talking about "the cause of innovation" and the "health of the global economy."

11:40AM:Shapiro is discussing how innovation helps create jobs and how he has traveled the world discussing innovation. "Every nation wants to be innovative, global leaders share the same desire they want to grow their economies and they want to improve the lives of their citizens."

11:41AM:Twitter helped power the Arab Spring. Broadband and mobile devices enabled global support for the spread of democracy in the middle east.

11:42AM:We're going over all that happened in 2011. Pandora and Spotify showing how music can be monetized, Steve Jobs's passing and more.

11:43AM:"2012 will be marked as a turning point in how innovation is used to solve problems around the world."

11:45AM:Our badge holders are made from recycled materials from last years show. Neat.

11:47AM:Shapiro is basically going over all of the areas of the show floor, from green products such as electric cars to health products and more. Qualcomm's CEO should take the stage shortly.

11:50AM:He's briefly touching on IPv4 moving to IPv6 and spectrum shortage and he hopes we find solutions so that no one is left behind.

11:52AM:"It's your internet and it's your government." Lots of clapping about Shapiro's suggestion that we sign the Declaration of Innovation petition.

11:53AM:"Innovation is CES and it is the pulse of our show."

11:54AM:We're touching on Qualcomm now so we assume CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs should be taking the stage soon.

11:56AM:Paul's passion helped create one of the world's first smartphones. Qualcomm then created an entire ecosystem that allowed for the launch of the world's first app store.

11:57AM:Alright he should be taking the stage and moment now there's a weird crowd on the stage now putting on a bit of a tron-like performance.

11:57AM:Kind of creeped out

11:59AM:Too early in the morning for this kind of techno blasting

11:59AM:Qualcomm chairman and CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs is taking the stage now.

12:01PM:Qualcomm's been in the consumer electronics business for more than 25 years creating mobile tech for phones, tablets, eReaders and more.

12:02PM:"Our mission is to push the boundaries of what's possible in mobile. We invested more than $3 billion in innovation during the past few years and those investments helped drive the 3G revolution. Today, our investments are laying the groundwork for the next generation 4G networks. We've shipped more than 7 billion chipsets worldwide, that makes us the #1 provider of silicon for wireless."

12:03PM:"There are more than 6 billion wireless connections worldwide."

12:03PM:Unlike most speakers, Shapiro is cool with us playing with our phones in the audience.

12:04PM:1.2 billion people access news on their mobile devices, that's 3x the circulation of all newspapers.

12:04PM:In 2011 mobile revenues for the wireless industry reached approximately $1.3 trillion, almost 2% of global GDP.

12:05PM:"the internet changed the world, but mobile is having an even greater impact."

12:05PM:"Modern life is becoming mobile-centric and no where is this more relevant than in emerging countries."

12:05PM:Emerging markets are expected to contribute over 50% of global GDP by 2015. They will be one of the biggest drivers of growth in the years ahead.

12:06PM:2/3 of internet users in emerging markets access the web using their mobile phones. In India, mobile broadband connections surpassed fixed connections. In Indonesia Internet cafes are seeing a hit to their business because their customers are accessing the internet on their mobile devices instead.

12:07PM:More than 1.4 billion new 3G connections are expected in the emerging regions over the next four years.

12:08PM:We're seeing a quick clip of people using their mobile devices around the world. It's kind of inspiring.

12:11PM:Qualcomm.com/CES has the video clip if any of you out there want to watch it.

12:13PM:Jacobs is talking about how Qualcomm works with emerging markets to help people launch their own businesses. Qualcomm provides these people with a package, including a phone, to help them get started. The penetration of mobile phones has increased so much since the start of the project that Qualcomm now has to add data connections. There are over 9000 entrepreneurs now serving more than 1 million customers. More than 47% who stay in the program after 4 months have doubled their income. 100% are profitable and more than 80% are owned by women.

12:16PM:In emerging countries mobile is huge for helping people escape property. Qualcomm Snapdragon is the most advanced and first all-in-one processor on the market. It includes graphics, processing, audio, GPS, and wireless 3G/4G tech all on one chip.

12:16PM:Before Snapdragon devices needed to have multiple chips to have all of those features.

12:17PM:Snapdragon processors now power 300 devices worldwide and 350 more are in development. That includes high-end and low-end products. "Our goal is to enable better phones for every market for the best price possible. We're proud to support the broadest range of mobile operating systems in the industry."

12:17PM:Snapdragon is now creating a lot of buss in the mobile gaming sector and we're working with the top gaming companies. We launched an app called Game Command (like TegraZone) and it offers games that are optimized for Snapdragon.

12:19PM:A mixed martial artist is on stage now to help promote gaming on Snapdragon. CES attendees can visit the Qualcomm booth to try to challenge gamers in a new title called Fight Game Heroes.

12:20PM:In addition to gaming, Qualcomm is working with Android partners on other fronts, including creating more affordable devices in emerging countries. Qualcomm is providing a blueprint for those manufacturers so they can make the phones cheaper, but still also help them stand out against other devices. By 2015 half of all smartphones will ship to emerging countries.

12:21PM:Qualcomm is playing a leadership role in Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. Right now every single Windows Phone device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop is now taking the stage.

12:22PM:"Over the last year we have been working in close partnership with Qualcomm," Elop said. "One element of our strategy supports opportunities and growth in emerging markets. The first key pillar in our strategy is a focus on increasing our lower-priced mobile business."

12:22PM:"We believe for many people, their mobile phone will be their first experience with the internet."

12:23PM:Nokia is helping entrepreneurs around the world with its handsets and it believes it can push it further with Qualcomm's Snapdragon technology. "Nokia is a gateway to the world."

12:24PM:"Windows Phone offered an alternative to patterns that are all too common in other ecosystems. In October we introduced the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800, the first "real" Windows Phones. Nokia Lumia has opened the Windows Phone gateway to the world."

12:25PM:"Yesterday, at CES, we announced our intentions to spread the Lumia brand to North America." It will launch the Nokia Lumia 900 n AT&T and the 710 on T-Mobile. The 800 and 710 will also be available on Telus and Rogers in Canada.

12:26PM:Elop is covering some of the specs of the Lumia 900 now, which we've already covered so be sure to read more about it on the homepage! We'll also be bringing you a hands on in just a few hours once the show floor opens.

12:26PM:"Nokia understands developed markets. Nokia also understands emerging markets. With Qualcomm we will address the unique needs of partners around the world."

12:27PM:"Our latest S4 series Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets will set the bar higher" - Paul Jacobs

12:28PM:"Snapdragon S4 will power your TV, your ultra compact notebook," as well as smartphones. The devices based on S4 Snapdragon processors will be on the market early this year. There are more than 20 manufacturers on board and 70 device designs already in the pipeline. Windows 8 will also support ARM and Snapdragon, and Qualcomm sees that as a great opportunity to "flex its muscles."

12:29PM:"Windows 8 is Windows reimagined and together with the S4 processor it's going to enable instant-turn on PCs... metro style apps will be kept up-to-date all the time, and it will do that while conserving battery life. That is something that we in the mobile industry know a lot about."

12:30PM:"Our leadership with Snapdragon is enabling us to work with PC manufacturers to deliver the lightest and thinnest PCs that are always on. Today, for the first time ever, you're going to see Windows 8 running on Snapdragon S4 and running on an AT&T 4G LTE network." Sweet we're pumped to see that.

12:31PM:We're seeing a brief demo of a Windows 8 tablet running on an S4 Snapdragon processor. Looks pretty swift and the mobile broadband option allows for 4G LTE through AT&T. "And, by the way, no fan." Wow. Lots of applause there.

12:32PM:Jacobs is now discussing how Qualcomm is investing heavily in the connected home and how it's working with consumer electronics manufacturers to create devices, like home appliances, that all talk together using HiFi technology.

12:33PM:Qualcomm and Lenovo have the world's first Android-based Snapdragon powered TV and it will first launch in China. It's here today. Liu Jun, senior vice president of Lenovo is taking the stage now.

12:34PM:Jun says Lenovo believes that all the new devices will be connected and powered by the cloud. "We are transforming Lenovo from a leading personal computer company to a leading personal internet device company."

12:34PM:"This year, we are bringing you the world's first Snapdragon based TV, the Lenovo smart TVs."

12:36PM:The TV looks pretty awesome, although its display looks pretty small from our seats. It has its own smart UI and application platform. From the main menu you can access internet applications and users can gesture to switch screens. No keyboard is required, the device has integrated voice control embedded in the remote. Pretty awesome looking technology. During the demo someone searched Ocean and it found a clip and then said "play video" and the clip started. Lots of applause.

12:36PM:The TV runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and has a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It can run the latest applications and can run console quality games. We're getting a demo of a racing game now.

12:38PM:Instead of needing a console you can just run an Android game on the television. We're looking at a Gameloft title called Asphalt Adrenaline 6. The graphics actually look decent even though they are blown up on the TV screen. Curious how the controls work, though..

12:38PM:"What we have seen today is just a start." - Jun

12:39PM:The TV will be on exhibit here so we're going to check that out for sure later today.

12:40PM:Jacobs wants to touch on education now, beyond the confines of the classroom.

12:40PM:"We think the eReader is the next mobile device to revolutionize the classroom."

12:41PM:"We believe to be truly effective, eReaders must deliver both text and video and have to be usable indoors and out." QUalcomm's Mirasol technology addresses all of those issues. It uses bio-mimicry which is inspired by the way a butterfly uses its wings to create power."

12:42PM:Jacobs is introducing a new eReader from a Chinese partner called Hanvon CAT eReader. It has more than 150,000 titles and 100 Chinese newspapers. More than 90% of the content is in color, it clearly runs Android given the controls at the bottom of the device. It looks neat but we're not overly blown away. It will be available next month in China.

12:43PM:500 million children in India lack adequate schools. Even with funding it will take too long to build brick and mortar schools, so mobile devices can help children learn now instead of waiting for infrastructure to be built.

12:45PM:Qualcomm has partnered with Sesame Workshop in India to help children in the New Delhi area. It helps prepare kids for school by delivering mobile material to their phones. Vuforia, another technology, uses the camera's cell phones and uses 3D graphics to overlay 3D graphics on top of the real world objects. It reminds us of augmented technology stuff. It's already used by 17,000 developers on 400 smartphones and tablets and is used in 300 Android and iOS devices. Sesame Workshop uses it and the president and CEO H. Melvin Ming is taking the stage to talk more.

12:46PM:"Qualcomm's Vuforia offers an exciting new dimension for mobile experiences" - Ming. "We're working together with Qualcomm to maximize learning on the platform." Now we're watching Rover Monster demo how it all works and I'm scared.

12:48PM:We're looking at a Sesame Street playset that allows children to use Sesame Street play pieces and when a camera is pointed at them from a tablet or smartphone they come to life. Similar to what we've seen with other augmented reality applications but this should be fun for kids.

12:49PM:Basically the tablet makes the playset come to life using Qualcomm's Vuforia technology. Qualcomm has a focus on empowering its partners to create intelligent toys.

12:51PM:Grover is rambling about something now.

12:52PM:Ok Paul Jacobs is back on the stage. "As you just saw, we're working hard to drive Augmented Reality to the next level. Qualcomm's tech is the first to recognize multiple 3D objects at the same time and it works at any angle, a full 360 degrees."

12:53PM:Qualcomm is also focused on healthcare and is working on new tools to help medical professionals treat patients. Qualcomm's light division launched a new innovative health solution that captures and delivers medical data and deliver it to any database formrom any wireless device. It's investing $100 million to help capitalize new developments in this field.

12:54PM:Dr. Eric Topol, the chief academic officer of Scripps Health just took the stage, he has a new book out that's being released here at CES. "We're preparing for a consumer healthcare revolution," Topol says.

12:56PM:One device allows users to view a cardiogram on their smartphone. It's called the Alive Core and you can simply put your finger on the back of a device and the cardiogram starts popping up on the screen. Pretty amazing stuff, maybe I can save money on my EKGs. "You can send it to your Facebook friends or your doctor," he joked, but he said he actually used it on a flight to diagnose a heart attack and save a life on the plane.

12:57PM:Now we're seeing a watch that shows all of its wearer's vital signs. In shows blood pressure (non invasive), respiratory rate, oxygen in the bloodstream, temperature and the heartbeat. "It's like an ICU on the wrist." It can change hospital beds to monitor beds, and when it's in the home and on the mobile front, it means you can look at your phone. "A culture of cybercondriacs could be created."

12:58PM:400 million diabetics in the world, over a billion pre-diabetics. The biggest problem is controlling blood sugars. We've never had continuous sugar levels being reported on a phone, but he's showing a product that allows a user to view their glucose level ever minute. It's a widget on an Android phone, pretty awesome. When the app is open you can view trends by hour, every 6 hours and more. We're honestly pretty impressed.

1:00PM:We're headed to an era where we can carry a DNA sequence on our cell phone and know which drugs we will react positively or negatively to.

1:01PM:Apparently heart attacks begin to happen a week or two ahead of time, and there's technology that will soon allow users to be alerted ahead of time through their smartphone. "It's about digitization of man."

1:03PM:"The Qualcomm Foundation is pioneering new health technology," - Paul Jacobs, "and to do this, we're partnering with the X Prize Foundation. CEO Dr. Peter Diamandis is on the stage now.

1:03PM:X Price Foundation wants to drive medical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.

1:05PM:X Prize originally had a $10 million competition to challenge teams to take 3 people into space twice in two weeks.

1:05PM:Now X Prize is offering prizes in life sciences, environmental areas and more. We're not sure how this relates to Qualcomm right now other than the two are partnered.

1:06PM:Ok, he's announcing the Qualcomm Tri Quarter prize to bring the health technology from Star Trek to life. Sounds like they should be talking to the doctor who just took the stage before the X Prize CEO.

1:08PM:It's a $10 million purse, open to teams anywhere on the planet, and the goal is to revolutionize healthcare so we can have everything in the palm of our hands. The winning team has to be able to diagnose themselves without using a doctor or going to a physician and it has to be easy and fun to use. "If we can make this happen, we are going to drive an era of healthcare abundance so that anyone with a mobile device will be able to have healthcare in the palm of their hands."

1:10PM:"We're only at the beginning of what's possible for mobile," - Paul Jacobs. "We're shipping more than a million chips every single day. We're excited about these trends we've talked about this morning. Whether you're from a developed country or a developed country at the end of the day we're all living in mobile countries. There are incredible opportunities ahead in this age of mobile."

1:10PM:"We hope you think of Qualcomm as your partner on that journey. Mobile is transformative. It powers us. It inspires us. At the epicenter of all that is you." That's all! Thanks for joining us everyone!

It’s the end of an era. Microsoft announced last month that this year’s Consumer Electronics Show keynote will be the company’s last for the foreseeable future. The show definitely won’t be the same without Microsoft’s chief executive officer Steve Ballmer kicking things off with his unique brand of charisma, but all good things must come to an end. According to reports, Microsoft won’t have anything big to announce at this year’s keynote. Instead, Ballmer will recap the strong year Microsoft had in 2011 and discuss the company’s core consumer-facing products moving into 2012 including Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox and more. Mr. Ballmer always puts on a show, however, and we’re sure he’ll toss in a few surprises to keep things interesting. The keynote kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Eastern / 6:30 p.m. Pacific, so hit the break to follow all the action — and Ballmeresque yelling — as it unfolds.

8:54PM:Alright we're all seated and ready for Steve Ballmer to take the stage. Hopefully we hear some interesting news, although Microsoft did say earlier that it could just be a recap of the year. There's country music playing but we're not sure who it is.

8:55PM:Googled it for you, it's Scotty McCreery: Better than that. Not bad if you're a country fan.

8:57PM:We should be getting under way in about 30 minutes or so, enough time for you to order Dominos. Unfortunately we can't leave our seats to find a water fountain.

9:10PM:General admission is still filing in, we're just sitting here listening to the music.

9:14PM:Should be kicking off in about 20 minutes or so.

9:20PM:The music is still blaring but it looks like the people have slowly stopped flooding into the room.

9:27PM:We're being told to take our seats so this should be kicking off shortly.

9:29PM:And the lights are lowering!

9:30PM:"This place about to blow" is blaring over the speakers.

9:31PM:President and CEO of the CEA Gary Shapiro is taking the stage. "Welcome to the 2012 CES."

9:34PM:"In 1995 Bill Gates took to the CES stage for the first time to speak to the CES workshop, a small workshop. Bill walked into the Hilton by himself with his head buried in a book. He made some remarks, and then I fielded written questions from the audience. Bill said this revolution would be social. That was in 1995. In 1998 they launched a new concept, the CES keynote. We invited Bill [and others] to become the first CES keynoters. For 14 years Bill and his successor have taken the stage. As you've heard, Microsoft is taking a break from the keynote stage is 2013. As a company, Microsoft uniquely changed the world and productivity, more, Microsoft keynotes drew press. Microsoft took a risk on us early and we both benefitted. In the technology world we recognize change is the only constant. For CES and Microsoft to be fresh, innovative and enticing we agreed to a pause."

9:35PM:"We have nearly doubled in size since the first CES keynote. I offer gratitude and good will to Microsoft." He's comparing Microsoft to the founding fathers of this nation. "I would be shocked if a Microsoft leader does not return to this stage again in the next few years. Please join me in welcoming the CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer."

9:36PM:Ballmer is on stage now and Shapiro is giving him a photo album highlighting Microsoft and CES together. Aww.

9:37PM:We hope this isn't just a history of CEA and Microsoft together..

9:37PM:There's a weirdo techno mashup of Bill Gates making announcements on stage. The Rock has a few appearances. It's weird.

9:39PM:Ryan Seacrest is taking the stage. "Thank you for that one scream over there." Might have been Corey.

9:40PM:He's thrilled to be here, not sure if the audience feels the same way.

9:40PM:We're going to talk about and hear what's next for Microsoft and the tech industry. Seacrest is promising Microsoft's latest gear so hopefully we hear some new announcements.

9:41PM:Seacrest is asking what we can expect. "Tonight I have a tremendous show, frankly," Ballmer said. "We have a chance in the next year to raise our game and product line to the next level across phones, tablets, TVs and the Xbox. The heart and soul of that will be our feature attraction tonight, the metro user interface.

9:41PM:"when you said Metro you looked at me in a strange way" - Ryan Seacrest.

9:43PM:We're starting with Windows Phone. This is a weird interview format where Seacrest is interviewing Ballmer. "We took a different approach than everyone else and we have a unique experience," Ballmer said. "If you take a look at it, the other phones all make the sea of icons the sea of applications the view of the world. What we've done is Windows Phone is have a better way by taking your people... and we put them right out there in front of you. It puts people first."

9:44PM:"It all gets put together for you right on the screen." Basically we're going over what we already know about Windows Phone as a mobile platform, nothing really new here.

9:45PM:Derek Snyder the Windows Phone product manager is on stage now. He's explaining the variety of features available from various Windows Phone vendors. And he's showing us what Windows Phone software looks like. Not sure why we're going over all of these features again.

9:50PM:Sorry internet trouble real fast there

9:54PM:The Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 will also launch in Canada on Telus and Rogers

9:56PM:Ballmer and Seacrest are going over the Lumia 900, which we'll bring you a hands-on of shortly. Nokia just announced it an hour or so ago so be sure to check out our live coverage of that on the BGR.com homepage.

9:56PM:Ryan Seacrest seems to like the phone.

9:57PM:Seacrest is playing with the HTC Titan II also and sounds somewhat excited about it. Now we're going to discuss Windows PCS.

9:58PM:Ballmer said there are now 1.3 billion Windows-powered machines in use today.

9:59PM:Windows is the most popular smart device around, Ballmer said.

10:01PM:There's a short clip of the latest Windows 7 powered devices playing.

10:01PM:Ballmer said change is the essence of this industry. Two things are constant. 1: Things change. 2: People don't want to compromise on what they have today. They want the best of what they have and the best of what they want.

10:01PM:We see a couple of the new ultrabooks rolling through the video.

10:03PM:Chief marketing officer for Windows Tami Reller is discussing the benefits of Windows 7. This is really just a recap of everything Microsoft has done this year, we suppose. Hoping something more exciting comes later in the keynote.

10:06PM:We're seeing a demo of how metro UI can be used on larger devices such as touchscreen monitors and laptops or tablets. There's a lot of swiping, natural touch-based gestures similar to what users do with their Windows Phones. It looks solid.

10:06PM:An NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip is powering the demo device.

10:08PM:We're seeing a demo of the Windows Store and cut the rope. Neat, but it's hard to be impressed after seeing so many stores lately.

10:11PM:We saw a quick look at the Windows 8 app store but it's hard to be impressed after we've seen so many new ones proliferate the market.

10:13PM:We saw a quick look at the Windows 8 app store but it's hard to be impressed after we've seen so many new ones proliferate the market.

10:14PM:The live tiles remind us a lot of Windows Phone 7.5 tiles but there's a cool zoomed-out feature that lets you see all of your tiles in one place.

10:16PM:Sorry for the multiple entries we're running into internet problems here with multiple devices.

10:16PM:We're looking at some new thin and light notebooks that will surely hit the market this year.

10:18PM:Samsung Series 9. Spectre from HP with the glass lid. A few devices that were unveiled today during CES that should be in consumer's hands soon.

10:18PM:Ballmer said that, by the time this keynote is over, more than 25,000 users will have adopted Windows 7.

10:19PM:A choir is taking the stage singing gospel-style music.

10:20PM:We're being told to watch the LSU game I think.

10:20PM:Oh it's a Tweet Choir. We get it.

10:21PM:Kind of wish we were talking about an Xbox 720 or something instead.

10:22PM:That was entertaining.

10:23PM:Now Seacrest is talking about the Xbox. "Did you expect to go from ground 0 to a household name a decade ago?" Ballmer says he was bullish and patient and that it represents the best of its NDA and Microsoft is really proud of the gaming console.

10:24PM:Ten years later we're the world sales leader. We have over 66 billion Xbox users. perhaps the most amazing things is we have over more than 40 million xbox live subscribers tuning in on a regular basis. Some for games, increasingly it's really an entertainment hub."

10:24PM:"Did I expect it 10 years ago? No. But I bet on it 10 years ago."

10:24PM:Now we're going to see an overview of the new Xbox software. This is all just a big recap..

10:25PM:But Ballmer does promise something "even more different" so maybe we'll get lucky.

10:25PM:18 million Kinect Sensors shipped over the past year.

10:26PM:Greg Davison from Microsoft's Xbox team is taking the stage to show us what's new from Xbox (the software update that landed in December).

10:26PM:We're going to see Kinect's voice controls. These are all features that are already available to all Kinect and Xbox owners.

10:27PM:We just saw a demo for searching for Harry Potter using Kinect. It works well.

10:30PM:Now we're seeing how a Lumia 900 with the Windows Xbox Companion can be used to control the Xbox. We've tried this at home with a different device and it actually works quite well.

10:31PM:Comcast Xfinity on Demand's library will soon be launching on Xbox. There's also a new News Corp partnership that will bring The WSJ, Fox content, and IGN to the Xbox video library.

10:32PM:Fox will add Family Guy, The Simpsons, House and more. The new content should be available in 2012.

10:32PM:"We're working with some of the best known creative artists and production companies to create..

10:33PM:Sesame Street Kinect TV just took the stage to demo two-way TV. Are there any kids in the audience?

10:34PM:Microsoft took the current episodes from Sesame Street to turn them into fully interactive experiences. You can use your voice to interact with the show.

10:35PM:They are "watching and playing" Sesame Street. Elmo introduced a move of the day "throw" anda number "4". Now when elmo spills his coconuts children can act and pretend to throw coconuts at Elmo to help him collect them again. You have to see it to understand it better, but the concept is cool.

10:37PM:Now Elmo is taking the stage. Same sort of interactive demo going on.

10:38PM:In this demo the young girl is part of the Sesame Street show and she's interacting with the virtual objects around her.

10:39PM:"The number of things you can do with interactive entertainment, video interactivity together..it's going to be amazing." - Ballmer

10:39PM:"Just as Kinect revolutionized entertainment, we'll see it revolutionize other industries. Education, healthcare and many many more."

10:40PM:Kinect is coming to Windows on February 1st. Pretty big news there folks.

10:40PM:Microsoft is working with more than 200 companies including United Health Group, Toyota, Mattel, American Express, Boeing and many more.

10:41PM:Microsoft Office 2010 is the fastest selling Office version in the history of Office.

10:42PM:We're just going over a few of Microsoft's other projects. Skype users have used more than 300 billion minutes in the last year.

10:42PM:Bing has a 30% market share in combination with Yahoo in the U.S.

10:42PM:The final question: What's next? "Windows 8 is what's next!"

10:43PM:There's nothing more important at Microsoft than Windows.

10:44PM:Metro will be huge for Microsoft across all of its platforms. In 2012 what's next? "Metro Metro Metro!"

10:44PM:"And of course, Windows! Windows! Windows"

10:44PM:That's all folks thanks for joining us!

Nokia recently announced its first Windows Phone for the U.S. market late last year — T-Mobile’s Lumia 710 — but the Finnish vendor has a lot more in store. Today, we finally get our first glimpse at Nokia’s flagship smartphone that is set to launch on AT&T in the near future. The Lumia 900 or Ace, as it is rumored to be named on AT&T, reportedly shares the same look and feel as the Lumia 800 but it packs two big new features: 4G LTE, and a bigger form factor along with a larger display. Are the rumors right? Does Nokia have any other surprises in store? Hit the break for our live coverage of Nokia’s press conference.

6:01PM:Ok we're seated pretty close to the front for this one. Looks like we're going to get started soon. Ready for what's in store? Our bets are on the Lumia 900.

6:02PM:We're going to talk about Nokia's re-entry into the U.S. wireless market for about a half of an hour and then it will break into a Q&A. Stephen Elop is taking the stage.

6:04PM:Elop is going over the global markets that Nokia currently has a presence in. The second pillar of Nokia's strategy was to focus on its smartphones ( the first was having a global presence). Elop said Nokia decided to adopt Windows Phone to help achieve that effort.

6:06PM:Today the Lumia is available around the world and on January 11th this week it will begin selling the Lumia 710 here in the U.S. on T-Mobile (be sure to read our full review!).

6:06PM:Elop is going over how great the Lumia 800 and 710 are be want to hear more about Nokia's new products.

6:07PM:Nokia will push head with the sales and marketing of its phones to be "successful in this war." He's talking about battles and wars, clearly Nokia wants to fight Android and iOS and fight hard. "So today, I am very pleased to introduce the third device in the Lumia product portfolio, the Nokia Lumia 900."

6:09PM:It's Nokia's first 4G LTE smartphone and it will land exclusively on AT&T. (Sorry Verizon fans!)

6:09PM:It will initially launch in black and cyan. It ahs a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display.

6:10PM:It has Carl Zeiss optics for high quality images as well as a front-facing camera.

6:11PM:Nokia's Kevin Shields is coming up to give us a demo. "It has a bold, beautiful and balanced design...It was our focus in the U.S. market to really allow us to give birth to the Lumia 900."

6:12PM:Like the Lumia 800, Lumia 710 and Nokia N9 it has a polycarbonate shell.

6:14PM:We're going over how great the cameras are on the Lumia 900. We've typically been impressed with the lenses but we'll reserve our full judgement until we actually play with one in person. Hopefully we'll be able to do that soon.

6:15PM:"The front has an F 2.4 aperture lens for letting in as much light as the back camera on nearly every other smartphone out there." This should allow for some pretty solid front-facing video chats.

6:17PM:We're going over the People card and live tile stuff now, including built-in Facebook chat. These are features available on other Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) devices, too. Nokia Drive, however, is also included and it's a solid option for voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation.

6:19PM:Nokia will continue to innovate of ESPN Sports Hub to deliver more features to its users throughout the year. In addition, Nokia has created a panoramic view for the CNN news application. Nokia worked with CNN on iReporter — the largest citizen journalism network in the world — and allows users to go back in time and select the image that they want to submit for their iReport.

6:19PM:"We feel like the Lumia 900 really stands out from the smartphone crowd. Thank you."

6:20PM:Microsoft's Steve Ballmer is taking the stage to discuss more about how the two are partnering.

6:22PM:Nokia has about 50,000 apps in the Marketplace and it's ramping up each day. Nokia "got off to a fast start. In a sense, you can say everything seems to take a long time. But we signed a contract to work together less than a year ago at this stage in the game. To go to concept and discussion to real engineering partnership to delivering the first round of Lumia devices is fantastic. The Lumia 900 is another milestone in that path.

6:23PM:'When you pick up and touch and love your Lumia... you'll find it's a fantastic system."

6:24PM:"The work we're doing will pay off for users, developers, operators and I trust our two companies. I congratulate Nokia and we look forward to exciting a lot of customers with this new product."

6:24PM:Stephen Elop is talking again. To share with you a little more and what it means to AT&T and the U.S., Ralph de la Vega will take the stage.

6:25PM:"AT&T will be the first carrier to deliver 4G LTE Windows Phones. We are seeing the best of Nokia's past with the best of its future. Nokia will be back in the U.S. in a very big way. The Lumia will be available in the coming months."

6:26PM:"Congratulations Steve, and welcome back!"

6:27PM:"We anticipate sales will start in the months immediately ahead. We're very excited to be partnering with Microsoft and AT&T to bring the Lumia 900 to customers here in the United States. I want to say how wonderful it is to be back in the U.S. with Nokia." Now we're moving to Q&A.

6:28PM:One question was about whether Verizon would carry an LTE phone. The answer is that Nokia isn't announcing that today but clearly they want to deliver LTE devices to as many U.S. consumers as possible, so we can probably expect that.

6:31PM:One question about how Nokia might be fragmenting its devices by offering special software (Nokia Drive, Nokia Maps, etc). "We do need some elements of differentiation within the ecosystem. We try to strike where we are doing unique experiences but don't fracture the entire ecosystem. We won't introduce different APIs that would lead to fragmentation." - Stephen Elop

6:31PM:There's no pricing as of yet but Nokia's intention is to enter the market aggressively. Hopefully that means lower-priced devices.

6:32PM:After the European launch, Nokia's focus is now on marketing and sales.

6:33PM:"We have very specific plans to move down in price point segmentation as well. We will push down with successive product introductions ahead." Sounds like we'll hear lower priced devices. "There's lots still ahead."

6:34PM:Any plans to push up to 16GB or 32GB of storage? "There's a lot of work with Microsoft how we can take care of cloud storage in a more efficient way, but we're certainly considering the requirements as we go forward."

6:35PM:"It's our intention to have broad coverage with the Lumia portfolio" and that will happen in 2012. "In the early part of 2012, there's lots more to come."

6:36PM:Lots of silly questions like where the mapping software comes from (Nokia acquired NAVTEQ a few years back, so that's where it comes from).

6:36PM:Nokia plans to take advantage of location based services within Nokia Maps to make it a differentiator in the future.

6:38PM:Will Nokia enter the tablet market? Nokia believes if it can do what it has with smartphones that it could be a possibility, but really Elop didn't give a clear answer.

6:39PM:Will 4G LTE kill the great battery life of Windows Phone and why doesn't Nokia use quad-core? "You have a high quality user experience but it doesnt require multiple cores to do that. Quad-core multicore relates to performance as well. The vast amount of time they are just using power and taking battery life down. Our hope is that we can communicate about the experience and show how people's lives are impacted by bringing their information to the surface of the experience. LTE does have power implications, you'll notice that the 1830 mAh battery in the Lumia 900 is clearly taking steps in terms of battery configuration, but also we worked with Qualcomm and Microsoft to work on the battery life. The battery life on the Lumia 900 will be very superior to other LTE devices.

6:40PM:Why no NFC? "As we've pursued the first devices we had to make priority decisions about what we could include. You can anticipate we'll include it over time. It's personally something I believe in."

6:41PM:Someone asked about Nokia's interest in buying RIM. "We clearly see an opportunity in the B to B marketplace. The Lumia products we have and planned combined with the great services from microsoft such as Microsoft 365, that combo gives us an effective collection of tools to compete with others in the business market." Sounds like a 'No." to us.

6:41PM:That's it folks! Thanks for joining us.

We saw a few new Samsung phones revealed during AT&T’s press conference Monday morning. Coming soon to AT&T’s smartphone lineup are the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD, but the South Korea-based vendor has much more in store for us at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Smartphones, tablets, computers, HDTVs and more will debut from Samsung this week at CES, and Monday’s press conference is where we’ll get our first live taste of what’s in store. The event is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 p.m. Eastern / 2:00 p.m. Pacific, so hit the break for all the action as it unfolds.

4:55PM:Ok guys, we're inside and seated and the show should start in the next few minutes. The room is absolutely packed — and when we say packed, we mean there are probably 1,000 people in a room that holds 600.

4:57PM:According to an announcement that just came over the PA, we'll be starting on time in about 4 minutes. We're not buying it.

5:01PM:Wow, looks like we're starting on time! Light are down, music is loud... Here we go.

5:02PM:"Pushing Boundaries" is the name of the event, and samsung's Boo-Keun Yoon is on stage.

5:03PM:Samsung is the world's No.1 TV brand for the sixth consecutive year. It sold 2 TVs per second last year. Samsung also sold more than 300 million mobile phones last year.

5:04PM:For the third straight year, Samsung was also the world's top refrigerator brand. "That was our past, but were here to see the future of electronics products."

5:04PM:"We must break down the walls that exist between devices." Just like we all could have guessed, Samsung is all about connected devices this year.

5:05PM:Samsung wants users to enjoy and share content across multiple devices any time, anywhere. TVs, tablets, phones and so on.

5:06PM:Samsung is updating its TV lineup and Smart TVs are the focus. Samsung's smart TVs can "listen, see, and do what it wants" and you never have to touch a control.

5:07PM:Sharing from TVs to other personal devices is also a huge focus for Samsung's new lineup. And, of course, 3D is still a big focus. There will be a lot of new 3D content as well.

5:08PM:Samsung also wants to make sure that its new TVs are smart enough to keep evolving and "getting smarter every year."

5:10PM:"We're now watching a demo video. Samsung's new TVs can be controlled by voice or using tons of different gestures. Not quite Minority Report, but very cool none the less. Users can drag menu items around and make selections just by waving and poking.

5:11PM:Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics in the U.S. is on stage now. Samsung's new lineup is all about content, services and technology. Connectivity to other devices and to the cloud are obviously a big deal as well.

5:12PM:Samsung's ES8000 LED TV is the company's flagship model for 2012.

5:13PM:It is absolutely gorgeous. "You won't find a more powerful TV." It packs a dual-core processor and it supports multitasking.

5:13PM:Users can jump from app to app just like they can on a tablet, and the app's state will be saved.

5:14PM:The bezel around the screen is very, very thin, and it's available in sizes up to 75 inches. Yes, 75 inches.

5:14PM:The ES8000 also features an integrated camera for web conferencing and more.

5:16PM:25,000 companies are now building apps for Samsung's smart TVs.

5:17PM:Samsung will be putting Media Hub on its TVs this year as well. Buy content on one device, watch on all devices.

5:18PM:Since 2010, Samsung has sold more than 12 million 3D TVs. In 2012, half of Samsung's TV lineup will be 3D.

5:18PM:

5:19PM:This year, Samsung is focusing on bringing much more 3D content to its TVs. One example is NBCUniversal's Battlestar Galactica, which will be coming to Samsung's TVs in 3D this year.

5:20PM:Angry Birds just invaded the press conference. They're hoping around the screen and, obviously, the app will be coming to Samsung's TVs this year.

5:21PM:Samsung is even adding a channel dedicated to animated Angry Birds content. Seriously.

5:23PM:Joe Stinziano, Samsung's SVP, is on stage now. Samsung held a competition recently for developers to bring apps that provide interaction between TVs and smartphones. The winner, a dev who build an app called Party Shots (drink with friends, snap pics, share on a social network) just won $100,000!

5:24PM:Samsung is introducing new signature services for 2012. The first one, Family Story, allows users to upload images and more from a Samsung device and add it to a stream on a TV. Another service provides enhanced parental controls.

5:25PM:Smart Interaction allows users to interact with Samsung's smart TVs using their voices, gestures and even their face.

5:26PM:Users can say things like "channel 2" or "play Black Eyed Peas" and the TV obeys. The TVs will also recognize users by their faces, and display each user's home page and apps automatically.

5:27PM:A new "Smart Evolution" feature in Samsung's 2012 TVB lineup will include open slots in the back of the unit that will allow users to install "kits" in the future to add new features.

5:28PM:And now, another new TV. The Samsung 55-inch "Super OLED" TV. It. Is. Gorgeous.

5:29PM:The TV is out on stage right now and even from the back of the room, we can see how gorgeous the display is. The colors are absolutely remarkable. And since it's OLED, there's no need for color filters. It also eliminates blur, is nearly borderless and is remarkably slim.

5:30PM:And despite being ridiculously thin, it doesn't skimp on features at all. A dual-core process and 3D are packed within this gorgeous set, and it also includes an integrated webcam.

5:33PM:Samsung is introducing a new feature called AllShare Play this year as well. It allows users to wirelessly share content between devices on the same network or over the internet.

5:33PM:Wireless sharing is also built into Samsung's smart cameras and camcorders this year.

5:34PM:In 2012, Samsung will deliver a full line of connected cameras and camcorders, from entry-level on up, that feature integrated Wi-Fi and sharing features.

5:35PM:Samsung will also use Wi-Fi for more than just sharing. An app on a Samsung phone can be used to control a camera remotely, for example.

5:36PM:Samsung's cameras will also be able to email photos right from the device — no need for a PC or even a phone.

5:36PM:Next up... A connected washing machine. Really.

5:37PM:The machine will use AllShare Play to do things like sending alerts when a load is done.

5:38PM:Now we're on to telecommunications. The Galaxy Note is the first device being shown. As announced this morning, the Note will feature LTE and will launch soon from AT&T.

5:39PM:The phone features a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD display, and of course, Samsung's new stylus technology "S Pen."

5:40PM:One cool feature of the S Pen: it reads pressure, so the harder you press on the screen, the thicker the line it will draw.

5:41PM:Next up, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE for Verizon Wireless, which includes 4G LTE support, of course.

5:42PM:In short, it's a Tab 7.7 with LTE.

5:43PM:Samsung's Series 9 notebook PC is up next. It's very sleek, and very familiar.

5:45PM:The series 9 weighs just 2.5 lbs and it's 0.5 inches thick. It's the result of over 30,000 hours of development and design, Samsung says. It features a single-shell aluminum body and fingerprint resistance. It also sports a backlit keyboard.

5:45PM:It boots in 9.8 seconds and the battery lasts up to 10 hours on a single charge. Wow.

5:47PM:Samsung also has two new ultrabooks to unveil that fall into its Series 5 category, and a new line of monitors that fall under the Series 9 class.

5:48PM:Tim Baxter is coming back on stage now to wrap things up. Content, services and connectivity are the keys to SAmsung's strategy this year.

5:49PM:That's it guys, thanks for tuning in!

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show doesn’t officially begin until Tuesday, but the action started over the weekend and things will really start to pick up today. LG’s press conference (11:00 a.m. Eastern/8:00 a.m. Pacific) kicked things off earlier this morning, and Samsung (5:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 p.m. Pacific) and Nokia (6:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Pacific) both have big events scheduled for later today. There’s also Steve Ballmer’s keynote (9:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Pacific) this evening and it will be his last for the foreseeable future. There’s plenty going on indeed — we’ll be covering all the big events — and right now we’re excited to be bringing you live coverage of the AT&T Developer Summit, where CEO Ralph de la Vega will be joined by CMO David Christopher, CTO John Donovan and others. AT&T’s 4G LTE service is alive and kicking here in Las Vegas and we expect LTE to be a hot topic. We also expect the company to take the wraps off of a new device or two, so hit the jump and tune in for all of AT&T’s announcements as they break.

11:58AM:Ok, we're just a few minutes from kick off and the theater here at the Palms is definitely filling up fast.

12:05PM:It looks like we're ready to go — things are starting off with a quick promo video about AT&T's developer programs.

12:07PM:AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega is now taking the stage.

12:08PM:This year's summit is once again sold out — there are close to 2,500 guests from 33 different countries in attendance.

12:09PM:Mobile gaming, "major new announcements" and plenty more are in store, de la Vega says.

12:10PM:AT&T believes the mobile experience has become a central part of users' lives, and developers play a huge role in driving that experience.

12:11PM:"What's good for developers is good for customers," and AT&T is dedicated to helping developers bring apps to market quickly and easily.

12:12PM:CMO David Christopher is now taking the stage.

12:12PM:AT&T was the first carrier to launch a developer program, and it launched 11 years before the iPhone was released.

12:13PM:"We believe applications are one of the primary reasons people buy smartphones." AT&T's developer program has had a huge year according to Christopher.

12:15PM:AT&T API Platform is the first big announcement. It utilizes HTML5 and is a set of tools and SDKs that make developing for AT&T platforms simple yet robust.

12:16PM:The new API platform is all about HTML5. AT&T thinks HTML5 is the answer to addressing fragmentation in the smartphone market. Creating a variety of native apps is difficult, while nearly every major smartphone platform supports HTML5 now.

12:18PM:Christopher is now going through the available APIs. Payments, U-verse, MMS/SMS, Location, Device capabilities and AT&T mHealth are the available APIs for now.

12:21PM:Sorry guys, having some connectivity issues. Joe Tafoya is on stage now to talk about his company Viva Vision.

12:22PM:The company had early access to AT&T's APIs and we're seeing a demo of an HTML5 app called JET that uses multiple AT&T APIs.

12:29PM:The app works with phones and tablets, and it can stream videos right from a U-verse subscriber's library over Wi-Fi or 3G.

12:31PM:99 dollars will get developers access to AT&T's new APIs for a year — that's a limited time offer and no word on future pricing

12:32PM:John Donovan, AT&T CTO, is now on stage to discuss AT&T 4G.

12:33PM:Fast and high quality broadband connectivity is crucial to the success of apps, which are becoming increasingly dependent on fast data connections.

12:35PM:AT&T made 150,000 total network improvements last year, and call retention has now surpassed 99% according to Donovan.

12:39PM:Today, AT&T is also announcing "AT&T Cloud Architect" — a solution that provides fully customizable cloud-based services on which developers can build their own solutions.

12:41PM:Developers will be able to build and scale in real time, and app environments are fully customizable. AT&T calls it the "dynamic cloud." AT&T will also offer hourly and monthly rates depending on developers' needs.

12:43PM:Jim Curry, OpenStack's "Chief Stacker" is now on stage for a quick chat.

12:46PM:AT&T added Visual Voicemail for the iPhone in 2009, which was its first network API. During that year, AT&T's network handled 300 million API calls. In 2012, that figure is expected to reach 10 billion.

12:51PM:AT&T opened three Foundry centers for development last year — one in Palo Alto, one in Plano, TX and one in Israel.

12:55PM:Jeff Bradley is taking the stage now, AT&T's SVP of consumer markets, to talk about AT&T's Power Your Future contest. Here are the finalized for the contest, which asked developers to make environmentally conscious apps.

12:56PM:AT&T gave People Power a huge opportunity according to the company's CEO. The firm's app addresses global climate change, and its goal is to address the drain of power resulting from leaving gadgets plugged in when they're not in use.

1:00PM:The app includes a reminder function that helps users unplug their devices to conserve energy, and it has an automation feature that allows users to cut power to devices from a mobile device. Energy savings can amount to as much as 10-20%.

1:06PM:ARO helping both companies better optimize their apps by minimizing traffic and reducing battery consumption.

1:10PM:ARO is available staring today at developer.att.com/ARO. The company will also open-source the ARO code later this year.

1:12PM:The new AppCenter offers a magazine-like environment that better-facilitates app discovery.

1:12PM:The beta supports HTML5 and Android from the get go (beta is available today) and more platforms are coming.

1:14PM:AT&T hosted a "hackathon" last night that called on devs to build new apps using the new APIs. Devs had just 12 hours to code, and the developers with the three best results are on stage now. They're going to pitch us their apps and the audience will choose a winner.

1:16PM:The second app is HopiChest, a personal health tracking app for kids.

1:17PM:The app allows kids to log their health history, and it features Twitter integration and a rewards system that provides motivation for kids to use the app.

1:19PM:The app lets users to monitor and compare their own sleep habits with average habits and then make adjustments to improve their sleeping habits.

1:19PM:The audience is now voting for their favorite app, and votes are being made via text.

1:20PM:The votes are being texted in, and the results will be shared in a few minutes.

1:20PM:Now AT&T's Glenn Lurie is taking the stage to discuss gaming.

1:22PM:AT&T's vision is to wirelessly connect devices and make them more valuable to customers. Gaming will play a huge role in the mobile experience moving forward.

1:24PM:The global gaming industry is estimated to to have generated $69 billion in 2011 but mobile was only a small portion of that. That is going to change dramatically starting this year, Lurie says.

1:25PM:Sony deputy president Kuni Suzuki is now on stage to discuss the PlayStation Vita, which will launch with embedded 3G on AT&T's network later this quarter.

1:26PM:Sony is committed to driving innovation and leading the charge with connected mobile devices.

1:31PM:The Vita features a vibrant 4-inch OLED display and both 3G and Wi-Fi support. It launched toward the end of last year in Japan.

1:32PM:The Vita for AT&T will launch next month on February 22nd.

1:34PM:The Vita will come with two session-based data plans. 250MB for 14.99 and 2GB for 25 per month, no contract required.

1:35PM:Ralph de la Vega is back on now, and it looks like device announcements are finally coming.

1:36PM:Before we get to devices though, the results are in from the audience poll and we're about to find out who won the dev hackathon.

1:37PM:The winner is... Action X-Ray. The dev who built it will win 5,000 and several other prizes including a featured spot in AT&T's AppCenter.

1:39PM:Ok, it's finally time to see some new devices!

1:41PM:First up... Six new Android devices! The Sony Xperia Ion, an AT&T exclusive is up first.

1:41PM:The Ion launches in the second quarter but no word on pricing.

1:42PM:Next up is the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD. It's basically a Skyrocket with the newer HD Super AMOLED Display.

1:43PM:The Samsung Galaxy Note is now official as well. Samsung's W P Hong in on stage to unveil it.

1:44PM:The Galaxy Note is a monster smartphone that features a 5.3-inch display and it will also be an AT&T exclusive.

1:46PM:The Note delivers the core benefits of a tablet, a smartphone and a user notebook. It supports finger input and stylus input as well.

1:46PM:The stylus is billed as an "S-pen." It delivers fast, responsive performance unlike any previous stylus.

1:49PM:The next three devices are all about bringing LTE to the masses. First is the Samsung Exhilerate, which is made from recycled materials.

1:50PM:Now we have the Pantech Element, which BGR scooped last week, and finally the Pantech Burst.

1:51PM:The Burst and the Exhilarate will launch for less than $50 when they launch in the coming weeks. There's also a promo that bundles the Element tablet and the Pantech Burst for just $249.99 on contract.

1:52PM:The Pantech Element is the first waterproof Android tablet and the Burst is the first truly affordable LTE smartphone.

1:54PM:The Element features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a lightweight design and 100Mbps max download speed.

1:54PM:It also supports upload speeds of up to 50Mbps. Other specs include an 8-inch XGA display and enhanced haptic feedback.

1:57PM:To wrap things up, de la Vega wants to tal about Windows Phone. People are "raving about the great experience."

1:57PM:AT&T sell more Windows Phones than any other carrier, and it will be the first to offer an LTE Windows Phone.

1:58PM:Steve Ballmer is now on stage to introduce a new phone (and yell at us, of course).

1:59PM:Ballmer says AT&T has been a tremendous partner for Microsoft, and the first batch of LTE phones on AT&T will be available "very soon."

2:00PM:Windows Phone is all about connecting to other people and to the important information in people's lives.

2:05PM:Aaaaaand after a hell of a canned Windows Phone sales pitch, it looks like we're almost ready to see some new devices.

2:06PM:Nope, now we've moved on to a canned Windows 8 sales pitch.

2:07PM:Windows 8 beta is just weeks away, and it will be released in February.

2:07PM:Ok — de la Vega is back to announce the carrier's new Windows Phones.

2:08PM:The HTC Inspire 4G was AT&T's best-selling Android phone last year, and the first new Windows Phone announcement comes from HTC's Peter Chou.

2:09PM:Microsoft and HTC have had a close relationship for more than a decade, and Windows Phone is the latest step in the companies' relationship.

2:11PM:And finally, the device — the HTC Titan 2.

2:12PM:The phone looks exactly like the Titan, which Chou says people have loved thus far. The Titan II does improve things in certain areas though... How does a 16 megapixel camera sound?

2:13PM:"The Titan II is packed with advanced technology," Chou says.

2:14PM:The Titan II is a showcase of HTC's design and innovation, Microsoft's software, and AT&T's "incredible" LTE network.

2:16PM:Chou says the Titan II is his personal device. "Steve [Ballmer] loves to talk blah blah blah blah" Chou said, "but the OS is so smooth. The crowd loved the blahs — Steve, not so much.

2:16PM:Now coming on Stage, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

2:17PM:There is a big shift going on in the mobile industry, from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems.

2:19PM:In October, Nokia unveiled the Lumia 710 and the Lumia 800. "The first real Windows Phones." Nokia will announce "more details" about Nokia's U.S. reentry strategy this afternoon. The company's first LTE phone will be unveiled later today, and it'll be an AT&T device.

2:21PM:Nokia is big on developers according to Elop. It looks like he recognizes the lack of apps on the Windows Phone platform — though it is growing, of course — and Nokia is going to be very proactive in wrangling devs.

2:22PM:"We will enter the North American market in a big way," Elop says, and now we're wrapping things up.

The Consumer Electronics show is always a massive event for the home entertainment industry, and 2012 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet. Hundreds of companies will showcase thousands of products, but among the companies that managed to generate some real buzz ahead of the show, LG really looks like it has some gems on its hands this year. The company previewed its new nearly borderless 55-inch OLED HDTV last week and it has a few Cinema Screen 3D models with just a 1-millimeter bezel surrounding its gorgeous display panels. LG surely has plenty more gear in store for us — including at least one smartphone and next-generation Google TV devices — so hit the break to watch all the action unfold in our live coverage.

11:05AM:Alright we're here and seated, huge line lots of people. President of LG Electronics USA is on the stage going over the year and LG's ability to increase its revenues by nearly 8% during a difficult economy.

11:05AM:LG had record breaking US sales last year, especially in LG TV with its LG Cinema 3G line.

11:07AM:In mobile phones, US says it is continuing to grow its U.S. business, including the first dual-core smartphone, a glasse-free smartphone and a trueHD device with an IPS display. "We advanced our US brand to an all time high and led the industry in consumer satisfaction."

11:07AM:LG increased sales of energy star rated products by 30%

11:08AM:"Despite the challenging business environment in 2011, life is still good at LG and the best is yet to come." LG will focus on its core product categories. "Today we invite you to experience the latest LG innovations.. As we have said before, LG is committed to building a future with innovative products."

11:10AM:Master of Innovation Dr. Scott Ahn is taking the stage to give us a taste of LG's newest products. "I have a lot to talk about today, and I hope we agree that it has been worthwhile getting up so early." He will go over smart TVs, smartphones and smart appliances and how the tech is tied together across each product category.

11:13AM:"We have been able to create thinner panels, unlike some of our competitors," with unique LED technology. The Cinema Screen Design allowed LG to create thinner TVs without sacrificing picture quality. It has just a 1.0mm bezel and 28mm thickness. Last year LG introduced a new way to interact with TVs with the Magic Remote. This year LG will use voice recognition for text input.

11:14AM:In addition to voice recognition, we are introducing a 3D gesture interface using a 3D camera. Sounds a lot like what the Microsoft Kinect offers.

11:15AM:LG's smart TV will be the first in the industry to feature Intel WiDi technology.

11:16AM:"We now support more than 80 countries and offer more than 1,200 applications. Since the start of the smart TV revolution, we have felt that industry chipsets have held us back from providing high performance and powerful solutions on our TVs. After a few years of development we are announcing our own chipset, the L-Line, it features a dual-core ARM architecture. This will be applied to our premium line this year."

11:18AM:2D to 3D conversion has also been improved. 3D depth control and 3D zooming will also be added as new features to LG's TVs this year. For single user viewing, we've created 3D monitors and laptops. Before we move on to the next product category, I'd like to introduce another new product.

11:18AM:So, this year at CES we will be showcasing our own series of Google TVs with the latest Google TV software. Our technology coupled with the Google TV platform will form the basis of future relationships with Google. Now, let's move on to the smartphones.

11:19AM:As you've probably heard, we've invested heavily in LTE during the past few years. We believe this gives us a form foundation for future growth in today's competitive mobile industry. We have launched the Optimus LTE smartphone (Nitro HD on AT&T), this smartphone is currently our flagship model and it's the first to integrate the true HD IPS display.

11:21AM:We are introducing the first enterprise smartphone with VMWare Verizon mobile manager. It will be discussed more during Mobile World Congress next month.

11:23AM:Last year, we introduced smart diagnosis and another of appliance-related technology. Now we're giving it a new name, smart manager. Users can record food items stored in the refrigerator with voice recognition or by scanning receipts with a smartphones. The fridge can download the full inventory.

11:24AM:LG is introducing blast chiller which allows you to quickly chill soda or any other warm can of soda in less than 5 minutes. Sounds awesome.

11:26AM:I'd like to unveil one final product.

11:26AM:Well, your enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed. This year we have a much larger version for you. This is our 55-inch OLED TV. At just 4mm thin and weighing only 7.5 kilograms it's the world's thinnest, largest and lightest OLED TV.

11:27AM:The picture quality is super. It is really capable and 100% compatible with other LG 3D glasses.

11:28AM:Now three speakers are taking the stage to discuss a detailed US product launch schedule. Tim Elessi from Home Entertainment in the U.S. is on stage.

11:29AM:Good morning everyone. It's hard to believe another year has passed since we introduced Cinema 3D technology. We were a lone voice in discussing passive technology but we were armed with consumer research that showed a strong preference when compared to active shutter glass. We had the confidence to create a marketing campaign about passive technology.

11:29AM:95% of the market is using active shutter glasses (3D) and more consumers are adopting the technology.

11:33AM:LG is going over design and sound technology that currently exists in its models and is encouraging CES attendees visiting the booth to check it out first-hand which, of course, we will be doing.

11:34AM:"For the second year in a row at CES, LG is showcasing its home appliance technology. This year we have Ellis Mass, LG's director of home appliances."

11:38AM:LG is discussing custom wash cycles for washing machines and an awesome technology that allows users to use their fridge to follow a diet, follow its inventory and more all from a touchscreen or from their smartphones. Another homebot device can roam the house with a build-in camera. "We're quite excited to expand our line of super capacity of french door refrigerators." A four-door version will be available this year. Each model will have the blast chiller, which we discussed earlier, which chills a can in 5 minutes or a bottle of wine in 8 minutes.

11:39AM:Today LG is unveiling a turbo wash ultracycle feature for its washing machines. It cleans clothes faster so you can get more out the door quickly. In 2012 LG will add its largest capacity washer available. It anticipates that all will meet the DOE Energy Star standard.

11:40AM:Tim O'Brien the vice president of marketing for mobile phones is taking the stage.

11:42AM:We feel really good about what we accomplished in 2011. Globally we introduced the world's first dual-core processor in a smartphone. The first glasses-free 3D smartphone and now the first HD IPS display on a smartphone. Looking ahead we will focus on the high-end LTE market. The first device is the LG Spectrum exclusively for Verizon. 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgradeable to ICS. It has an 8-megapixel camera, 1.3MP front-facing and can record video in 1080P HD Video.

11:45AM:The Spectrum has a 4.5-inch display with a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. It will launch exclusively on Verizon Wireless by the end of this month, although pricing was not discussed.

11:48AM:ESPN will exclusively provide HD video for the LG Spectrum in partnership with Verizon. Stuart Scott is on a video talking about the phone. Kind of cheesy.

11:49AM:HD video will be included in ESPN's Score Center application on the Spectrum.

11:50AM:"We think this device is the ultimate mobile trifecta. Incredible hardware, LG LTE and the most coveted HD content." The spectrum will launch on January 19th for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

11:51AM:We just saw a brief commercial LG will be airing in partnership with ESPN and Verizon Wireless. We're winding down now and hope to get hands-on with the device as soon as possible. Thanks for joining us!

12:26PM:AT&T now has more than 3.6 million U-verse subscribers, and the U-verse APIs AT&T offers allow devs to build apps that will interact with U-verse services and stream media, control accounts and more on iOS, Android or on other platforms.

12:29PM:PacketVideo is an example of a company making use of the U-verse API. The firm's CEO is now on stage demoing its app, Twonky Video, which allows users to stream and share YouTube content and now, thanks to AT&T's APIs, it can stream videos from U-verse as well.

12:31PM:AT&T is working with a number of partner companies during the development of its APIs, including Microsoft, Heroku, StackMob and others.

12:36PM:As AT&T continues to roll our its LTE network, maintaining fast and reliable service across both HSPA+ and LTE is a huge priority.

12:38PM:AT&T also offers differentiated cloud solutions to consumers and businesses alike. AT&T is dedicated to working with businesses to create custom cloud-based enterprise solutions, but the company understands that developers have different needs than enterprise and AT&T announced "AT&T platform as a service" to address developer needs.

12:42PM:AT&T is also announcing that it is formally joining the OpenStack community. The carrier has already dedicated thousands of hours to OpenStack projects, and it is excited to continue its work more formally.

12:43PM:AT&T is the first carrier to join the OpenStack initiative.

12:45PM:AT&T is now going to walk us through its API roadmap.

12:49PM:AT&T is planning on adding new network APIs for speech-to-text this year, along with advertising, contacts, "storage as a service," about a dozen more.

12:50PM:AT&T's goal is to address the global market, and it intends to ensure that its tools are interoperable across a as many international networks as possible.

12:55PM:And the winner is... People Power.

12:59PM:People Power's winning app was an open source solution that helps users manage their power consumption, and it lets companies offer branded versions to their customers.

1:05PM:Execs from Pandora and Zynga are now on stage to discuss AT&T's testing and optimization tool, ARO.

1:11PM:AT&T is also announcing a new HTML5-based app distribution platform that will be included in its next-gen AppCenter.

1:15PM:The first app is a social app that let's users share images and notes about their sports injuries via various social networks. No, seriously.

1:18PM:The third and final app is Sleepbot, a mobile and web app that helps people improve their sleep habits.