MWC2013 News, Reviews and Phones

Asus Transformer Book Trio hands-on

The Transformer Book Trio display part sports an 11.6" Full HD panel, and is powered by a lowly Intel Atom Z2760 1.6 GHz dual-core processor plus 2 GB of RAM. It will come in 16, 32, or 64 GB capacities. That tablet side of things is running Android 4.2.2, and you can't use it as a Windows slate. It, however, is 304.9 x 193.8 x 9.7mm, and weighs 700g, so lugging it around won't be fun...

Asus New Transformer Pad TF701T hands-on

Asus made its New Transformer Pad TF701T official at IFA 2013, the first slate announced with a 1.9 GHz Tegra 4 processor, and we managed to get a brief hands-on time with the device...

Here's Nokia's wonderful MWC booth

The Mobile World Congress is obviously a great place where we can examine the manufacturers' latest inventions, but attending the show live is awesome for one more reason: you get to hang around the fancy booths that the various companies have set up...

HTC One wins award for best new mobile handset, device or tablet at MWC 2013

The new HTC One has a lot going for it, and a lot riding on it as well. Its build quality, updated UI and other features...

featured Interview with Nokia's Samuli Hanninen - VP of Software Program Management

MWC 2013 was a wonderful occasion for us to meet with a number of important people from the industry. One of them was Nokia's Samuli Hanninen, who is currently the company's Vice President of Software Program Management. Being in charge of Software Program Management, Mr. Hanninen turned out to be very well informed with regards to everything that's currently going on inside Nokia's software division. From the amazing PureView camera tech to Nokia's recently-introduced Here Maps, Samuli Hanninen knows a lot of stories that will surely intrigue the nerd inside you. Hit the play button to see what he shared with us during our meeting at Mobile World Congress 2013...

featured MWC 2013 wrap-up and highlights

You know how the old saying goes: time flies when you're having fun. No wonder that our long-awaited visit to Barcelona for MWC 2013 seemed so short. Oh well, at least we had a great time at the expo, got to see some hot smartphones and tablets, played with cool new gadgets, and took a whole bunch of photos...

featured Interview with Drew Bamford, HTC AVP of User Experience

At MWC 2013, we had the chance to sit down for a one-on-one interview with HTC's Assistant Vice President of User Experience, Drew Bamford. Mr. Bamford was kind enough to tell us some intriguing facts about HTC's latest software, the Sense 5 user interface, that's going to debut on the upcoming flagship, the HTC One...

ZTE Grand Memo mystery solved, multiple versions for different countries

So why did ZTE say that the ZTE Grand Memo has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 under the hood when even Qualcomm said that wasn't true? Why did ZTE promote the 2GB of RAM on the device when the company's own spec sheet showed that it has 1GB of the stuff aboard? The answer is simple, the Chinese manufacturer will have different versions of the Grand Memo for different countries...

Less color, more battery: see the $200 E Ink Android phone that lasts a week

If you don't care about HD or Full HD resolution, or even color, then the E Ink Android phone is for you. This proof-of-concept device runs on a golden oldie Android Gingerbread, and sports one of the biggest advantages of electronic ink displays - a week of battery life...

New low cost 3G smartphone uses e-ink to keep the price down

A Chinese company called Fndroid is working together with Eink to develop a 3G smartphone that would be as cheap as a featurephone and offer outstanding battery life with a display that would be easy to read in the sunlight; the phone would also be very light and could be available to consumers as early as sometime later this year...

Samsung doesn't want to wait on Google, and builds its own ticket hub Wallet

Every platform has its own version of a Wallet these days. Apple's iOS has Passbook, Microsoft's Windows Phone has the Wallet Hub, and Google's Android has Google Now (and Google Wallet to an extent as well.) Now, Samsung wants in on the game. Sammy doesn't seem to want to wait on Google to get things together and has introduced its own ticket hub called (obviously) Samsung Wallet...

LG Optimus G Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note II: first look

The LG Optims G Pro is one of the most exciting devices of this year’s MWC (quite frankly, there weren’t that many), and it is the company’s flagship…

NEC Medias W hands-on

Both displays have good color representation and decent viewing angles, and the only thing that concerns us is the 2000 mAh battery, as we don't know for how long it will power the two fairly large screens. Still, the NEC Medias W is a very unique handset that is sure to turn some heads after you, provided that you live in one of the Asian markets where it will hit shelves...

Nokia Asha 205 hands-on

The phone is all-plastic, small and light, though somewhat chubby, with a 2.4-inch non-touch display with fairly weak viewing angles, a VGA camera, and microSD card support. Connectivity is limited to 2G only, but with the new SLAM Bluetooth sharing technology you’d be able to quickly share files between devices. The dedicated Facebook button simply launches the Facebook app, but you can remap it to do something else...

Nokia Asha 310 hands-on

Nokia’s Asha lineup has been a big success in developing markets and the Nokia Asha 310 just aims to build on the solid foundation that has been laid out. An ultra-affordable feature phone with a dual-SIM and Wi-Fi connectivity support…

Rambus outs Binary Pixel phone camera tech at MWC: 'single-shot HDR and improved low-light sensitivity in a single explosure'

Rambus has been working on a very promising CMOS camera sensor tech that allows you to take ultra-high dynamic range photos with current phone cam production methods...

NVIDIA Tegra 4 gaming demo

Tegra 4 is slated to hit devices later in the year, but NVIDIA has a reference tablet with the mobile chipset platform at MWC, so we took it for a spin, trying out a few of the games that come preloaded on it...

P2i water-repellent nanocoating technology demo: phone waterboarding now possible

P2i had the newest generation of its water-repellent nanocoating on display at the MWC 2013 expo and was nice enough to demonstrate its features for us. The great part is that the 1/1000th of a human hair coating is invisible to the human eye, and doesn't change the look and structure of the object it is applied to, like a smartphone, but makes it impermeable to water...

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 theater demo at MWC 2013

The false alarm of the super powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 already being in a device, and a ZTE one of all places already rang at MWC…

featured HTC One HDR and slow motion video samples vs normal mode comparison

We shot some footage with the optically-stabilized UltraPixel camera on the HTC One in both normal and HDR modes, so you can have a rough idea about the difference the high dynamic range video makes. We also tried the slow motion mode, so you can check out the results in the slideshow inside. Bear in mind that these display HTC One units might not be completely finalized for retail appearance, so we'll wait for the final unit to place a verdict...

featured HTC One vs iPhone 5 – first look

The HTC One and the iPhone 5 are two very impressive devices. They both have this magical aura around them that makes you want to hold them, touch them and of course, own them. Most of that appeal comes from the fact that the two handsets are very well made. Aluminum is used for the construction of both smartphones, which gives them a very solid, premium feel...

featured HTC One vs Galaxy S III vs iPhone 5 picture and video samples comparison

We snapped a few photos and videos at the MWC expo with the display HTC One unit, and then the same ones with Samsung's and Apple's finest. We won't comment on the quality, as there might still be work to be done on the One before it gets in boxes and onto retail shelves, but you can judge for yourself in the slideshow inside...

featured Sony Xperia Tablet Z vs Apple iPad: first look

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is easily one of the most impressive gadgets we saw at this year’s Mobile World Congress…

Booth-y call: see the MWC expo displays of Samsung, Nokia, LG, ZTE and Qualcomm

Despite the recent trend of big phone makers to announce their flagships at a dedicated event, the MWC expo remains the largest mobile gathering for the year, with nary a company from the industry that leaves itself without presence here, be it only a stand...

featured GSMA anounced 2013 mobile awards winners: see who won for best smartphone and tablet here

The Mobile World Congress is the largest mobile show in the world and that’s why the awards given away by its organizers from the GSM Association have more value…

NVIDIA TegraZone gets 5 games optimized for Tegra 4, watch a side-by-side graphics comparison

The titles are Burn Zombie Burn, Carie: Blood Mansion, CODEX: The Warrior, Dead on Arrival 2, and RU Golf. You can rest assured there will be some breathtaking graphics in there, considering the powerful GPU inside Tegra 4...

ZTE Grand Memo vs Samsung Galaxy Note II - first look

While we were taking the ZTE Grand Memo for a spin at MWC 2013, we thought to ourselves that comparing it to a popular device of similar proportions would be a pretty good idea. Good thing we had our trusty Samsung Galaxy Note II handy! There are many similarities between the two, but a number of differences also should be noted...

Andy Rubin says Samsung's success with Android has to do with execution, welcomes Firefox OS

Considered to be the Father of Android, what Andy Rubin says is always worth a listen and what he is talking about now is Samsung's success with Android which he says can be traced back to execution; at the same time, Rubin said that he is friendly toward the open Firefox OS and says that there are certain regions where Android would be too expensive and that Firefox OS could reach those markets...

featured HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S III - first look

HTC's handset is truly a thoughtful design, and a proof that a big-screen phone doesn't have to be all-plastic to be light and comfortable to hold, but can come wrapped in premium materials with great success, too. Granted, the S III is thinner, but that doesn't really feel as an advantage, rather the HTC One feels more solid in the hand because of the extra girth, and easier to grip. The One is also more narrow and elongated, which helps operate it with just one hand and your thumb better than the S III...

featured Qualcomm: ZTE Grand Memo has Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 under the hood, not an 800

Earlier reports that the first phone to use Qualcomm's new top of the line Snapdragon 800 processor would be the ZTE Grand Memo turned out to incorrect and while ZTE later backed off the claim, it has yet to change its own web site; the speculation now is that the ZTE Grand Memo will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600...

Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD vs Samsung Galaxy Note II - first look

The Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD is one of the many Android smartphones the company has on display here at MWC 2013. Think of it as a relatively affordable alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Note II, given the fact that Alcatel's phablet also comes with a spacious display and a stylus thrown in the box. However, there are a few trade-offs that must be noted...

Alcatel One Touch Snap, Snap LTE hands-on

Alcatel is one name you are probably not used to seeing in the States, but the brand is somewhat popular on the other side of the pond…

Alcatel One Touch Idol X hands-on

There is a nice soft-touch texture on the back, which is not fond of fingerprints, but comes in a variety of jolly colors, giving the phone some cool teen spirit. The 1920x1080 pixels screen is, of course, with excellent pixel density, and everything appears as sharp as your eye can comprehend. Viewing angles are also very good, and we'd only like it to be a tad brighter...

ASUS reveals U.K. pricing and launch dates for the MeMO Pad tablets

ASUS has announced U.K. pricing for its MeMO tablets, which stands for "My Mobile, My Moment; there are two different models of the tablets including the 10.1 inch MeMO ME 301 which has 10 point multi-touch and will launch March 7th for 249 GBP ($378 USD) after taxes, and the 7 inch ME172V which will be priced at 129GBP ($196 USD) for its mid-April release...

i-Mate may be working on a Windows 8 phone (yes, you read that right)

Windows Phone 8 has the “shared core” that Microsoft has been eager to hype up, but it looks like one company might have been inspired by the Ubuntu convergence idea, and doesn’t want to bother waiting for the real convergence of Windows Phone and Windows 8. A new rumor is saying that i-Mate may be working on a Windows 8 phone, called the Intelegent,,,

Sony Xperia Z launch sales encouraging, says executive, no plans for WP8 phones in H1

Sony Mobile's Calum MacDougall, head of Xperia marketing, said in an MWC that the launch sales of its flagship Xperia Z handset are very encouraging. The phone just became available in several major EU countries, after making the rounds in the homeland of Japan...

Sony hopes to release Firefox OS phone in 2014

Sony Mobile says that through a partnership with carrier Telefonica, it hopes that will be able to release a handset powered by the open source Firefox OS some time next year; some manufacturers have already produced models running on the OS such as ZTE, Alcatel and Geeksphone while LG and Huawei have expressed an interest in the OS...

AppMachine simplifies app building with ready-to-use blocks, debuts at MWC

Since the smartphone explosion, there has been no shortage of services that promise to either let you code once and have it ported to other platforms...

Sphero ball demo: 'Part robot. Part ball. All fun.'

We had one of the funniest encounters at this year's MWC expo with a little gadget called Sphero ball, a "robotic ball system for iOS and Android." As you can see it is a little sphere the size of a baseball, that can be controlled with your phone or tablet...

ZTE V98 hands-on

ZTE proves it can make a premium-looking tablet with the 8.9mm-thin V98 we are handling here, thanks to the brushed aluminum chassis and beveled edges that make it feel solid and pleasant to the touch, and the faux chrome volume rocker, power/lock key and orientation lock button. The keys are found into the plastic part at the top, which cheapens the look down a bit, but is inevitable since there is a version with 4G connectivity and SIM card slot...

Want to offer Liquipel's nano-coating in your retail store?

Imagine being able to add Liquipel's nano-coating to customers coming into your retail store with their smartphones and you're the one collecting the big bucks while providing a much needed service to smartphone owners; Liquipel, in addition to looking to expand to other countries, has a complete turnkey package available that allows you to add nano-coating from your current retail space...

featured MWC 2013 Day 1: round-up

Wow, Mobile World Congress really heated up today with a boom of new devices getting unveiled from all sorts of places…

featured LG Tab-Book hands-on

With its top specs and slide-out QWERTY, the LG Tab-Book isn’t meant to compete with the iPad or the multitude of Android slates, but it can be a very tempting alternative to an Ultrabook, depending in the final price it launches at...

Sony Xperia Tablet Z pricing and availability info

Today has been bringing us a lot of new info about the Sony Xperia Tablet Z. We're seeing benchmarks, photo samples, and now we've got the really important information: when you will be able to buy it and how much the tablet will cost. Just be warned, Sony is aiming for this to be a premium tablet, and that means premium pricing...

featured Sony Xperia Tablet Z hands-on

One of the most intriguing devices at this year's Mobile World Congress was definitely the Sony Xperia Tablet Z. The legendary Japanese company has tried its luck in tablets before with the Tablet S and Tablet P, but even though those models weren't so bad, they failed to generate any significant buzz. But it looks like Sony isn't willing to give up. The manufacturer is back once again with a new, and this time we believe it has a much bigger chance for success...

ZTE Open hands-on

The ZTE Open is one of the first handsets running on the Firefox operating system and it brings a clear understanding of what the Firefox OS is and isn’t…

Caterpillar to launch rugged Cat B15 Android handset next month

Caterpillar is known for building rugged construction and mining vehicles and machines, and with that background of building long lasting machines that can survive through anything, Cat has started using that know-how to produce an Android model that belongs to that niche group of rugged handsets that can withstand anything...

Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD camera samples here

Alcatel announced new addition to the Scribe family with the One Touch Scribe Easy, a basic but cool and colorful effort to combine a stylus pen for scribbling directly on the display, with a large 5" screen...

Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy hands-on

The Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy is an affordable phone with stylus functionality, what Alcatel calls a "perfect canvass for capturing flashes of genius on the move”…