Intel on Monday detailed a number new products and partnerships during the company’s Mobile World Congress press event. “We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world.” said Intel CEO Paul Otellini. UK service provider Orange will launch an Atom-powered smartphone based on the Z2460 reference design. The device will feature a sleek body that will enable “rich entertainment experiences [to] Orange services, including Orange TV, Daily Motion, Deezer, Orange Wednesdays and Orange Gestures.” The handset is scheduled for a late summer launch and will be available in the United Kingdom and France. Read on for more.

Intel has partnered with Lava International to offer smartphones in India. Like Orange’s device, the XOLO X900 is based on Intel’s reference design and will be the first Atom-powered smartphone to reach the Indian market. The device will be available in the second quarter and will support major Indian cellular networks. In an agreement similar to the previously announced partnership with Motorola, Intel also announced a multi-year partnership for smartphones and tablets with ZTE. The Chinese manufacturer’s first Intel-powered device is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012.

In addition to Intel’s Atom Z2460 “Medfield” processor, the company announced the Atom Z2580 CPU that will feature an advanced multi-mode LTE/3G/2G solution and will double the performance of the Z2640. To address the growing low-end market, Intel revealed plans for the Atom Z2000 processor as well. The company will begin testing both chipsets in the second half of 2012, with consumer products carrying the Z2580 and Z2000 expected to launch in first half of 2013.

Lastly, Intel has entered into a multi-year alliance with Visa to “develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries.” Intel’s smartphone reference design has been named the first handset to be certified for Visa payWave mobile payment system.

Intel Expands Smartphone Portfolio: New Customers, Products, Software and Services

Announces Smartphone Device Engagements with Orange*, Lava*, ZTE* and Visa*

Discloses Range of New Smartphone SoCs and Communications Products

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 27, 2012 – Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini today detailed a number of announcements and plans aimed at expanding the company’s smartphone product portfolio and customer ecosystem, including strategic new engagements with Orange*, Lava International Ltd.*, ZTE*, and Visa*.

“We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world.” said Otellini.

Otellini made the announcements during an Intel news conference at Mobile World Congress. He also highlighted the company’s plans to expand its smartphone SoC and communications product roadmaps for the performance and value smartphone market segments.

New Smartphone Customer Engagements
Building on strategic engagements with Motorola Mobility Inc.* and Lenovo*, Intel detailed new device relationships with Orange, Lava International Ltd. and ZTE.

Yves Maitre, Orange senior vice president of Mobile Multimedia and Devices, joined Otellini to discuss a new Orange smartphone based on the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 reference design. Housed in a sleek body, the design enables rich entertainment experiences and Orange services, including Orange TV, Daily Motion, Deezer, Orange Wednesdays and Orange Gestures. The Orange smartphone will be available in the United Kingdom and France later this summer.

Intel also announced plans to enter the high-growth market for smartphones in India through an alliance with Lava International Ltd., one of the fastest-growing Indian mobile handset companies.Vishal Sehgal, Lava co-founder and board director, announced the launch of XOLO Smartphone by Lava. The XOLO X900 is based on Intel’s smartphone reference design and will be the first Intel technology-based smartphone in the India market. The device will be available from top retail outlets early in the second quarter of 2012 and will support major Indian cellular networks.

Similar to its previously announced partnership with Motorola Mobility, Intel also announced a multi-year mobile device collaboration across smartphones and tablets with global handset maker ZTE. Mr. He Shiyou, executive vice president and head of the Terminal Division of ZTE, discussed how his company’s alliance with Intel will enable ZTE to move faster and create unique and differentiated products for wireless operators. He also announced that ZTE’s first Intel-powered mobile device is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012.

Expanding Smartphone SoC and Communications Roadmaps
Building on its ecosystem engagements, Intel announced plans for three new smartphone SoC products that expand the company’s portfolio from the performance-to-value market segments.

Extending the leading performance and energy efficiency of the Intel™ Atom® processor Z2460, formerly codenamed “Medfield,” Intel announced that the platform will now support speeds up to 2GHz.

Intel also announced the Atom™ Z2580 processor that doubles the performance of the Atom processor Z2460, and features an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G solution. Intel will sample the Z2580 in the second half of the year with customer products scheduled in the first half of 2013.

Addressing the growing handset opportunity in emerging markets where consumers look for more value at lower prices, Intel disclosed plans for the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2000.

The Z2000 is aimed squarely at the value smartphone market segment, which industry sources predict could reach up to 500 million units by 20151.The platform includes a 1.0 GHz Atom CPU offering great graphics and video performance, and the ability to access the Web and play Google Android* games. It also supports the Intel® XMM 6265 3G HSPA+ modem with Dual-SIM 2G/3G, offering flexibility on data/voice calling plans to save on costs. Intel will sample the Z2000 in mid-2012 with customer products scheduled by early 2013.

Building on these 32nm announcements, Otellini discussed how the Atom™ processor will outpace Moore’s Law and announced that Intel will ship 22nm SoCs for carrier certification next year, and is already in development on 14nm SoC technology.

In 2011, Intel shipped in more than 400 million cellular platforms. Building on this market segment position, Intel announced the XMM 7160, an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G platform with support for 100Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink, and support for HSPA+ 42Mbps. Intel will sample the product in the second quarter with customer designs scheduled to launch by the end of 2012.

Intel also announced that it is sampling the XMM 6360 platform, a new slim modem 3G HSPA+ solution supporting 42Mbps downlink and 11.5Mbps uplink for small form factors.

Building Better Experiences on Intel Architecture
Intel’s strategy is to create and enable engaging, consistent, aware and secure user experiences across a range of mobile devices.

An emerging trend is the use of mobile devices to enable secure online and retail commerce. Otellini welcomed John Partridge, President, Visa Inc., who announced a strategic multi-year alliance to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries.

The effort includes collaboration across a range of Visa mobile services and Intel® Atom™-based smartphones and tablets to deliver compelling and secure user services. As a first step, Partridge announced that Intel’s smartphone reference design is now certified for Visa payWave* mobile financial transactions. This means that customer products based on Intel’s smartphone reference design will have time-to-market support of Visa mobile services.

Building on its collaboration with Google, Intel continues to work closely with ISVs to help ensure the majority of Android apps run on Intel Atom processor-based devices. Otellini discussed how Intel has all the right tools and expertise to support the robust mobile application developer ecosystem.

HTC made no mention of Windows Phone during the company’s Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference on Sunday, instead focusing on its Android-powered “One” smartphones. HTC most certainly has not given up on the emerging platform, however —the vendor’s chief product officer Kouji Kodera has confirmed that the company plans to launch a new Windows Phone once Microsoft releases the “Apollo” operating system update, reports Pocket-Lint. “For Windows Phone we haven’t decided on the branding yet, but you will see a new range of Windows Phones from us when Microsoft release their new Apollo operating system,” said Kodera. HTC was previously a big player in the Windows Phone platform, however the company has has slowed things down recently while Nokia’s Lumia phones have gained ground.

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Corning announced on Monday that the first shipments of Gorilla Glass 2 have been sent to the company’s partners. Corning’s second-generation of Gorilla Glass is 20% thinner than the original without sacrificing performance or strength. “Corning’s new glass composition, Gorilla Glass 2, enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity, providing an ideal solution for the newest, most sophisticated smartphones, tablets, and personal computers,” Corning’s global director of marketing and commercial operations, David R. Velasquez said. The company expects the first Gorilla Glass 2-equipped devices to be available in April or May. Corning Gorilla Glass is used by more than 30 major brands and has been featured in more than 600 product models, spanning over 600 million units worldwide. Read on for the company’s press release.

Corning Delivering Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 for Next Generation Consumer Electronic Devices

CORNING, N.Y., February 27, 2012 – Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) today announced the first shipments of Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 to key device makers who plan to utilize the glass in new consumer electronics devices planned for release in 2012.

“Corning’s new glass composition, Gorilla Glass 2, enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity, providing an ideal solution for the newest, most sophisticated smartphones, tablets, and personal computers,” said David R. Velasquez, global director, Marketing and Commercial Operations, Corning® Gorilla® Glass.“

Since we launched Gorilla Glass 2 just last month at CES, we’ve qualified the glass with more than half of our current customers, and have shipped our first orders to customers who plan to start production and release product in the first quarter this year.”

Corning Gorilla Glass 2 is the next generation of the widely accepted damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices, enabling up to 20% reduction in cover glass thickness without sacrificing the performance consumers have come to expect from the world’s most widely deployed strengthened cover glass.

Introduced in 2007, Corning Gorilla Glass set the industry standard for damage-resistant cover glass. Today it is the most widely deployed cover glass, used by more than 30 major brands and has been designed into more than 600 product models, spanning over 600 million units worldwide.

Corning will demonstrate the new glass performance at the Pepcom event, MobileFocus Global, on Feb. 27, in Barcelona, Spain.

On Sunday, HTC announced the One X at the company’s Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference. The handset features a quad-core 1.5GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, a beautiful 4.6-inch 1,280 x 720-pixel high-definition Super LCD2 display, an amazing 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, Beats Audio and Sense 4 atop Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. During our hands-on time with the device the quad-core Tegra 3 processor was an absolute monster, and it helped the One X zip around ICS with no lag whatsoever. The One X is set to arrive on AT&T’s 4G LTE network by the end of April, however it will not include NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chipset when it does. Instead, it will sport a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. As for the cause of the down-grade, the Tegra 3 chip wasn’t LTE-compatible when the handset entered production several months ago according to CNET.

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Huawei on Sunday announced the new Ascend D quad smartphone at Mobile World Congress. The company bills the handset as “the world’s fastest quad-core smartphone,” with its 4.5-inch 720p HD display and Huawei’s own K3V2 quad-core 1.5GHz processor. The smartphone features an 8-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Huawei also introduced the Ascend D quad XL and the Ascend D1 smartphones. The Ascend D quad XL boasts a massive 2,500 mAh battery, but otherwise it’s the sames exact smartphone as the Ascend D quad. The Ascend D1 runs a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU and has a 1,670 mAh battery. The Ascend D quad series will be available in China, Australia, Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America, and the Middle East in the second quarter of 2012, with the Ascend D1 to be made available in April. Pricing and more specific information surrounding launches aren’t yet available. Read on for Huawei’s press release.

Huawei Introduces the World’s Fastest Smartphone: The Ascend D quad

With Huawei’s proprietary quad-core chip and power management system

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 26, 2012 /CNW/ – Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today introduced the world’s fastest quad-core smartphone, the Huawei Ascend D quad. Powered by the Huawei’s K3V2 quad-core 1.2GHz/1.5GHz processor and boasting the most compact design among 4.5-inch smartphones, the Ascend D quad expands the realm of possibilities for consumers with an Android 4.0 operating system and Huawei’s proprietary power management system which provides up to 30% in energy savings.

“We’ve listened to people’s top demands from smartphones: speed, long-battery life, high quality visual and audio capabilities, and a compact, lightweight handset. The Huawei Ascend D quad exceeds these expectations,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device. “In January at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas, we achieved a world record for the world’s slimmest smartphone with the Huawei Ascend P1 S. We are proud to once again introduce a world-first at the 2012 Mobile World Congress with the Ascend D quad, the fastest smartphone.”

The Ascend D quad is an entertainment dynamo with its 4.5-inch 720P high definition touchscreen, and the industry’s most powerful 32-bit true color graphic processor. Its PPI 330 screen providing crystal clear display even under direct sunlight, is complemented by its Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and Audience earSmart™ voice technology for an experience which excels across the senses. Its 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and 1080p full HD video-capture and playback capabilities enables you to record your special moments in clearer, richer detail.

The Ascend D quad comes with an 1800mAh battery, which lasts for one to two days with normal usage. The smartphone’s prowess is enhanced by Huawei Device’s proprietary power management technology which provides a longer battery life of up to 30% compared to industry average by adjusting power consumption according to usage needs. It also ensures higher chipset performance and efficiency by maintaining a low chip temperature.

Measuring 64mm narrow and 8.9mm slim, the Ascend D quad is proof that good things do come in small packages. With an ultra-thin frame, the lightweight and compact smartphone’s 4.5-inch touchscreen seems to vanish into the edge, creating an “infinity” feel and allowing an exceptionally narrow body.

In addition to innovative hardware design, the Ascend D quad also has outstanding software design. In addition to its Android 4.0 operating system, the Ascend D quad optimizes the user experience, ensuring greater ease of use.

As part of the Ascend D series, Huawei also introduced the Ascend D quad XL and the Ascend D1 smartphones. The Ascend D quad XL comes with a 2500mAh battery which provides two to three days of normal usage. With the same specifications as the Ascend D quad, the Ascend D quad XL measures 10.9 mm slim. The Ascend D1 runs on a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU and has a 1670mAh battery.

The Ascend D quad series will be available in China, Australia, Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America, and the Middle East in Q2 2012. The Ascend D1 will be available in the above markets from April 2012.

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!

Samsung on Sunday unveiled the Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and it’s definitely not the high-definition tablet we’ve been waiting for ever since BGR revealed the device in December. The new 10-inch tablet leaked last night and now the underwhelming details are official. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) features a 1GHz dual-core processor, a WXGA 1,280 x 800-pixel PLS TFT display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, a front-facing VGA camera (a downgrade from the original Galaxy Tab 10.1′s 2-megapixel secondary camera), 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and a 7,000 mAh battery. In summation it’s a Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Ice Cream Sandwich and a slightly modified case. No launch details were provided. Samsung’s press release detailing the sort-of-new tablet alongside the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) follows below, but don’t despair — the Galaxy Note 10.1 is still incoming and we have a feeling this will be the HD slate we’ve been waiting for.

Samsung’s new GALAXY Tab 2 series offers optimal multimedia experiences in life

Samsung introduces its first line-up of tablets for 2012 with the launch of the GALAXY Tab 2 series, expanding the choice of tablets to customers. The GALAXY Tab 2 series includes a 7” version and a 10.1” version. Starting from UK, the GALAXY Tab 2 series will be launched in global market from March.

The GALAXY Tab 2 series is available in 3G and WiFi versions, as well as in 7” and 10.1” variants. Light and portable, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) is the ideal personal on-the-go device; while the larger GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1) is well-suited for home and family use.

The GALAXY Tab 2 series is exhibited at Samsung stand (Hall 8), Mobile World Congress 2012. For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) Product Specifications

Network	HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
Processor	1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Display	7” WSVGA(600×1024) PLS TFT
OS	Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich)
Camera	Main(Rear): 3 Megapixel CameraSub(Front): VGA for Video Call
Video	Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8Format: 3GP, ASF, AVI, MP4, WMV, FLV, MKV, WebMPlayback/ Recording: Full HD@30fps, HD@30fps
Audio	Codec: MP3, AAC, AC-3, AMR, FLAC, MID, WMA, WAV, OGGMusic Player with SoundAlive3.5mm Ear Jack
Value-addedFeatures & Services	Samsung TouchWiz/ Samsung L!ve Panel
	Samsung Apps
	Samsung Hub*- Readers Hub/ Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
	Samsung Hub Widget*- Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
	Samsung S Suggest* (App recommendation service)
	Samsung ChatON mobile communication service
	Samsung AllShare Play*
	Samsung Kies / Samsung Kies air
	GoogleTM Mobile Services- Android Market™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™,Syncing with Google Calendar™, Google Search, Google +
	Polaris document editor
	A-GPS, Glonass
Connectivity	Bluetooth technology v 3.0USB 2.0 HostWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
Sensor	Accelerometer, Digital compass, LightProximity(* Available on 3G version only)
Memory	8/16/32GB User memory + 1GB (RAM)microSD (up to 32GB)
Dimension	193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm, 345g
Battery	Standard battery, Li-ion 4,000mAh

* Availability and launching time of the services may differ by region.

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation. 

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1) Product Specifications

Network	HSPA+ 21Mbps  850/900/1900/2100
Processor	1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Display	10.1” WXGA(1280×800) PLS TFT
OS	Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich)
Camera	Main(Rear): 3 Megapixel CameraSub(Front): VGA for Video Call
Video	Codec: MPEG4, H.264. H.263, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8 Format: 3GP, ASF, AVI, MP4, WMV, FLV, MKV, WebMPlayback/ Recording: Full HD@30fps, HD@30fps
Audio	Codec: MP3, AAC, AC-3, AMR, FLAC, MID, WMA, WAV, OGGMusic Player with SoundAlive3.5mm Ear Jack
Value-addedFeatures & Services	Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve Panel
	Samsung Apps
	Samsung Hub- Readers Hub/ Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
	Samsung Hub Widget*- Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
	Samsung S Suggest* (App recommendation service)
	Samsung ChatON mobile communication service
	Samsung AllShare Play
	Samsung Kies / Samsung Kies air
	GoogleTM Mobile Services- Android Market™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™,Syncing with Google Calendar™, Google Search, Google +
	Polaris document editor
	A-GPS, Glonass
Connectivity	Bluetooth technology v 3.0USB 2.0 HostWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
Sensor	Accelerometer, Digital compass, Light
Memory	16/32GB User memory + 1GB (RAM)microSD (up to 32GB)
Dimension	256.6 x 175.3 x 9.7 mm , 588g
Battery	Standard battery, Li-ion 7,000 mAh

* Availability and launching time of the services may differ by region.

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Acer was on hand during Milan’s Fashion Week to show off its CloudMobile smartphone. The handset is equipped with a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720-pixel HD display, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, NFC, an 8-megapixel camera and Android 4.1 Ice Cream Sandwich. Acer’s upcoming smartphone will also be the first device to offer AcerCloud technology, which “enhances mobile productivity by providing seamless document management.” According to NotebookItalia, the CloudMobile is the “perfect object to show to friends.” The device is said to be extremely thin with smooth lines and rounded edges that give it “definite personality.” Acer was previously awarded a prestigious IF Design award for 2012, an indicator of quality and excellence in design within the industry. The CloudMobile smartphone is currently slated to launch in the third quarter of 2012. Read on for additional images.

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ViewSonic on Friday announced a slew of new smartphones and tablets set to debut at Mobile World Congress, SlashGear reports. The company’s Android-powered ViewPhone 4s looks to compete directly with Apple’s iPhone, featuring a 3.5-inch 960 x 640-pixel display with 326ppi, Ice Cream Sandwich, dual SIMs, a 5-megapixel camera and a VGA font facing secondary camera. ViewSonic’s two other smartphones, the 5-inch ViewPhone 5e and 3.5-inch ViewPhone 4e, will run Android 4.0, support dual-SIMs and the latter of the two will sport a 650MHz processor. In addition to the three new smartphones, ViewSonic has announced three tablets: the ViewPad G70, the E100 and P100. Read on for more.

The G70 features a 7-inch 1024 x 600-pixel capacitive IPS display, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a microSD slot, 3G, Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera and Android 4.0. The 9.7-inch E100 tablet sports 1024 x 768-pixel resolution with IPS screen technology, Android 4.0 and a 1GHz processor. Lastly, the P100 features a 10-inch 1280 x 800-pixel IPS display with a 1.6GHz Intel N2600 dual-core processor, and it runs Windows 7.

Pricing and availability are unknown at this time, however more details will be revealed at MWC.

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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!

ZTE is looking to make a big splash at next week’s Mobile World Congress, bringing eight new smartphones powered by Android and Windows Phone to the event. The company had previously announced three Android smartphones, the Mimosa X, PF200 and N910. The Mimosa X comes equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display, Ice Cream Sandwich, 4GB of internal storage, a microSD slot, a front facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear camera. The flagship PF200 will sport an unspecified 1.2GHz chipset along with a 4.3-inch qHD display, LTE connectivity, Android 4.0, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Meanwhile, the N910 comes with a 1.5GHz processor, Android 4.0, a 5-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel secondary camera. Specific details of the five remaining handsets are unknown, however ZTE says they will combine LTE and multicore processors to differentiate them, reports SlashGear. The company is looking to become one of the world’s top three handset manufacturers by 2015.

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LG on Thursday unveiled its first quad-core smartphone, the Optimus 4X HD. The handset features a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 processor with a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Optimus 4X HD will also come equipped with 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, a 2,150 mAh battery, an 8-megapixel rear camera a and 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. “LG introduced the world’s first Dual-Core smartphone exactly one year ago and today we’re announcing the next milestone,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Mobile. “But speed in itself isn’t what makes LG Optimus 4X HD unique, it’s the benefit we’re bringing to customers with the HD multimedia experience in a mobile form factor.” Even with a quad-core processor, the phone is expected have impressive battery life thanks to NVIDIA’s  ”4-PLUS-1″ design, which uses a fifth “companion core”  for low processing activities and allows the phone to save battery life. The Optimus 4X HD will make its debut at next week’s Mobile World Congress. Read on for LG’s press release.

LG’S QUAD-CORE SMARTPHONE MAKES DEBUT AT 2012 MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS
LG Optimus 4X HD Takes Desktop Performance to the Mobile Space

SEOUL, Feb. 23, 2012 – LG today unveiled its first Quad-Core processor smartphone, LG Optimus 4X HD. Combining NVIDIA’s latest 1.5GHz Tegra 3 with True HD IPS display, the LG Optimus 4X HD delivers PC-like performance in the palm of one’s hand.

“LG introduced the world’s first Dual-Core smartphone exactly one year ago and today we’re announcing the next milestone,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company. “But speed in itself isn’t what makes LG Optimus 4X HD unique, it’s the benefit we’re bringing to customers with the HD multimedia experience in a mobile form factor.”

The NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor is the world`s only 4-PLUS-1™ Quad-Core mobile processor designed for high-level multimedia performance but utilizes a fifth battery-saver core to handle less demanding tasks such as active standby and music playback. When running at full speed, the 12-core graphics processing unit (GPU) in Tegra 3 delivers a visually rich experience and console-quality game playability.

Equipped with the True HD IPS display, the Optimus 4X HD guarantees the finest viewing experience with high resolution, clarity and no color or shape distortion. The Optimus 4X HD includes 16 GB internal memory and runs on the latest version of Android OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Besides the smooth and fast performance, the Optimus 4X HD boasts a 8-megapixel BSI (Backside Illumination) Sensor camera with LED flash and advanced multimedia features to enrich the overall multimedia experience.

And LG designers made sure that looks didn’t take a back seat to performance. The 8.9mm slim and sleek smartphone features a “prism-edged” design with enhanced materials and finish.

Additional information on the revolutionary new Optimus 4X HD will be available at LG Stand (Hall 8) at MWC 2012 from February 27 to March 1.

Key Specifications:
o Chipset: 1.5GHz Quad-Core processor (NVIDIA Tegra 3)
o Display: 4.7-inch (1280 x 720) True HD IPS
o Memory: 16GB eMMC and 1GB LP DDR2
o Camera: 8.0MP BSI Sensor (Rear) and 1.3MP (Front)
o OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
o Battery: 2,150mAh

According to a purported internal Verizon memo, the LG Cayman and DROID Fighter will be heading to the carrier in the next two months, Droid-Life reports. Employee workshops are said to be scheduled to begin on March 29th and April 12th for the Cayman and Fighter, respectively, indicating releases will come shortly after those dates. With Mobile World Congress just around the corner, it is possible that both devices will be among several new handsets unveiled next week in Barcelona. For the time being, however, little is known about either handset.

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