Mobile World Congress has officially kicked off in Barcelona, Spain and TechRadar, our sister site from across the pond, is there! Journey with us now as we give a quick rundown of this weekend at MWC 2011.
Monday, February 14 may be Valentine’s Day here in the U.S., but across the Atlantic Ocean in Barcelona, Spain, it’s the first weekday of Mobile World Congress. All of the key mobile device makers are on hand to preview their latest and greatest -- except for Apple, who historically sits out the event. Despite yet another no-show, the iPhone maker is clearly on the minds of many in attendance, especially as another wave of tablets appear incoming to rival the iPad.
Here’s a sampling of some of the things keeping our friends at TechRadar busy on Day One!
Sony Ericsson confirmed their Playstation-wearing Xperia Play handset at long last, after teasing it on Facebook only a week ago (and with many, many leaks prior to that, including a hands on by TechRadar and others).
The company also debuted a pair of other handsets less focused on gaming, including the keyboard slider-packing Xperia Pro and its touchscreen-only cousin, the Xperia Neo.
Sony Ericsson appears to be quite smitten with Google’s Android after the two hooked up last year to produce the Xperia X10 -- but software update problems caught the company by surprise, but they want everyone to know they’ve learned from the experience.
Before you go thinking that Sony Ericsson is in an exclusive Android love-fest, the company also announced at MWC 2011 that they’re still open to doing a Windows Phone 7 handset -- assuming Nokia doesn’t plaster the market with a whole bunch of them later this year, most likely.
Everyone is still talking about Nokia’s decision to hop into bed with Microsoft and churn out Windows Phone 7 devices exclusively, and CEO Stephen Elop sounds pretty dependent on the folks in Redmond to compete with Android.
Samsung kicked off MWC 2011 with a pair of big announcements, most notably the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet we told you about Monday morning as well as a sequel to the Galaxy S handset in the form of the aptly-named Samsung Galaxy S II (or S2, as it’s also known).
No one seems to know exactly what version of Android Gingerbread that ViewSonic’s ViewPad 4 will launch with, but TechRadar got to handle the “tabletphone” in person just the same.
Don’t mistake ViewSonic’s ViewPad V350 for a tablet because of its name -- this Android 2.2 smartphone does perform at least one feat of strength, which is the ability to hold two different SIM cards and switch between them with ease.
If you’re in the market for a jumbo 4.3-inch Android handset that’s rocking Gingerbread 2.3, look no further than ZTE’s Skate, which hits the U.K. market in May. What about America? Wish we could tell you…
Android 3.0 tablets are out in force at MWC 2011, and the 8.9-inch LG Optimus got a thorough handling. In an effort to separate itself from rivals like the Motorola XOOM, the Optimus can take still photos and videos in 3D. Eat your heart out, James Cameron!
Acer is tossing out a trio of tablets at MWC 2011, but this 7-inch Android 3.0 Honeycomb is probably the cutest of the three.
It’s not all flashy, wallet-busting handsets in Barcelona -- INQ has the budget market covered with a new 3.5-inch Cloud Touch, another fine Android 2.2 smartphone.
Stay tuned on Tuesday for Day Two’s thrilling events!
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(Image courtesy of TechRadar)
