mwc

Why you shouldn't expect an all-metal Nokia Lumia anytime soon

BARCELONA, Spain--Part of what makes Nokia phones like the Lumia 920, and the new Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, so distinctive are their bright color options. And part of what makes those shades pop is the use of polycarbonate, a type of plastic, as the body material.

Although Nokia hasn't ruled out an all-metal body, speaking at Mobile World Congress with Hans Henrik Lund, Nokia's vice president of product marketing for smart devices, makes me think that we won't be seeing metal Lumias anytime soon.

"The important part for us is that we're obsessed with differentiation,&… Read more

Mozilla CEO: Android, iOS leave lots of room for Firefox OS

BARCELONA, Spain--With another 2 billion people hooking up to the Internet in the next five years, there's plenty of room for another mobile operating system, Mozilla Chief Executive Gary Kovacs said today in a sales pitch for his new Firefox OS.

Apple and Google have led the way in the smartphone market but can't cover the whole thing, he said in a speech to thousands at the Mobile World Congress show here, though he didn't mention the companies by name.

"I find it impossible to understand how 3, 4, 5, or 6 billion people are going … Read more

How the wireless industry will connect the next billion people

BARCELONA, Spain--The price of mobile devices and services will need to come down to connect the next billion people.

That's according to the CEOs of four major companies in the wireless arena: Nokia, Qtel Group, Bharti Airtel, and Mozilla.

"As an operator, we have to package services to the lower segment of the economy," said Nasser Marafih, CEO of the Qtel Group, during a keynote address at this week's Mobile World Congress.

Qtel yesterday announced a new brand, Ooredoo, which will cover various wireless carrier brands throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Much of … Read more

Sony hopes for Firefox OS phone in 2014

BARCELONA, Spain--Under a broadened partnership with mobile network operator Telefonica, Sony Mobile is exploring support for Mozilla's new Firefox OS and hopes to release a phone with it next year.

"Our engineers are now working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential. In addition, we continue to work with our operator partners, including Telefónica, on a development project with an ambition to bring a product to market in 2014," said Bob Ishida, head of Sony Mobile Communications' Products Business Group, in a statement yesterday at the Mobile World Congress show … Read more

Seeing double: Dual-SIM Samsung Galaxy Grand features multiapp viewing

BARCELONA, Spain--Announced in December 2012, the Samsung Galaxy Grand made an appearance at this year's Mobile World Congress amid a plethora of the company's new devices, like the Galaxy Young and Galaxy Fame. According to the company, the device will be available in both single- and dual-SIM versions. Unfortunately, no availability or pricing information has been released regarding the Grand.

Design Like most Galaxy handsets, the Grand cuts a slim (0.38-inch to be exact) profile, is of a long rectangular shape with severely rounded corners, and has a wide home button at the bottom of the display.… Read more

OMG! Google's Andy Rubin worries Samsung may become a threat

Andy Rubin, who heads up Google's enormously successful Android business, can read a company's business strategy as well as anyone out there. So it's hardly a thunderbolt when we hear that Rubin frets about the day when Samung becomes so dominant that it becomes a threat.

In a Wall Street Journal post coinciding with the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona this week, an unnamed source dishes about a Google event last fall where Rubin was said to allude to the potential for trouble with Samsung sometime in the future. That's why Google acquired Motorola Mobility &… Read more

Visa's plan to spur NFC mobile wallet adoption may hit a snag

Visa's new partnership with Samsung to embed its PayWave technology directly into Samsung devices could help kick-start NFC-enabled payments around the world. But U.S. wireless subscribers may be left out of the frenzy.

Samsung and Visa announced the partnership, which is part of a new partner program for Visa, at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona today. Specifically, Samsung will incorporate Visa's PayWave mobile payment applet into future Samsung devices such as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4. Visa will also make it easier for customers to tie their Samsung phones to financial institutions and their personal … Read more

AT&T Mobility CEO says he's open to Firefox OS

BARCELONA, Spain--AT&T has cracked open the door to Mozilla's recently unveiled Firefox mobile operating system.

"I think there is room for more" operating systems, said Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility, in an interview with CNET.

When asked whether the industry could support multiple operating systems, de la Vega affirmed the sentiment: "absolutely."

Ultimately, it comes down to consumer demand, he said. If people are vocal about the desire for a Firefox phone and there's a likelihood of succeeding, AT&T will provide a device, de la … Read more

Countdown begins for Galaxy S4 reveal

Monday's CNET Update does it with stylus:

The mother of all mobile trade shows, Mobile World Congress, kicked off in Barcelona. Today's video roundup highlights the buzz over Samsung, WebOS and a new way to talk to your phone:

- Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S4 on March 14

- Visa's mobile payment program will be built into the Galaxy S4

- More on MasterCard's mobile payment plan, MasterPass

- First impressions of the Galaxy Note 8 tablet

- Samsung HomeSync to rival Apple TV

- WebOS lives in future LG smart TVs

- HP tries tablets again with the Slate 7 … Read more