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32 'Barcelona' stories February 2012 - March 2012

Google Maps for Android is MWC’s Best Consumer Mobile Service

9to5 Staff Mar 1 2012 - 10:54 am PT

The Android team announced today in a post over at Google+ that Google’s mapping service on Android won the Best Consumer Mobile Service Award at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain. For mobile users, the Google Maps mobile app, including Google’s other location and mapping offerings, is a reason alone to get an Android handset as many would not be able to get around without it. Though Apple also has a native iOS Maps app that taps into the Google Maps backend, and Google itself provides a surprisingly capable web app, Google Maps for mobile looks and works best on Android smartphones. Perhaps not surprisingly, the latest and greatest Maps features début on Android first. For example: Advanced (and free) turn-by-turn GPS navigation for driving, and walking and public transit directions with 3D views that integrate nicely with Google’s other location-based services like Latitude and Places.

In case you were wondering, the Device Manufacturer of the Year award went to Samsung, which also got the Best Smartphone award for the Galaxy S II. New features in Google’s location-based products are now introducing regularly. The latest update to the Google Maps for Android app brought improved transit navigation and more accurate positioning and indoor maps. Google has a nice interactive overview of Google Maps for newbies here.

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MWC 2012: Eric Schmidt’s keynote round-up [VIDEO]

Élyse Betters Feb 29 2012 - 11:58 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLSO8wYzk]

From robots to holographic telepresence, Google’s chairman Eric Schmidt took the time at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona yesterday to discuss where the Mountain View, Calif.-based Company is in the world and what the future holds in the technology realm.

Google’s Hugo Berro showcases Chrome for Android in the first 10 minutes of the keynote (video is above). The nugget to his presentation is that Chrome is fast, secure, and free.

“People say in Ice Cream Sandwich that we got the UI right, we got it right for the global audience, and you see the benefits when you see Chrome,” contributed Schmidt to Berro’s lecture. Upon the concluding statements about Chrome, Schmidt led the stage with an announcement that he wanted to talk about the state of the world and “the world that we all operate in, because I think getting this right—the stakes are huge.”

Schmidt mentioned the potential for growth among the millions in the world who have never played Angry Birds and “never got into the Android vs. iOS argument,” but he also hypothesized about the future. While claiming technologies like holograms, virtual reality, and self-driving cars will be commonplace “quite soon,” Schmidt described a scenario where one could “dispatch a robot”:

“…you need to go to a conference across the world for work and it’s the same time your favorite artist is playing live, in the future you’ll be able to dispatch a robot… to each venue, allowing you to experience both events… using a 3D screen and a control system”

More information is available below.

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Grab your official MWC Android app now

9to5 Staff Feb 28 2012 - 9:13 am PT

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[slideshow]

If you are not attending the Mobile World Congress 2012 show now underway in Barcelona, Spain until March 1 but want to stay on top of the latest trends in mobile, worry not as Google just released the official MWC app for Android devices. Called “Android MWC” and available as a free download from Android Market, this useful little program lets you check out Google Mobile apps featured at the show, retrieve information on the company’s featured partners and events, browse booth and partner maps, check out videos, use the Android Pin checklist to keep track of your Android pins and more.

Release notes are after the break.

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Quad-core HTC Endeavor will reportedly be announced Feb. 26

Jake Smith Feb 12 2012 - 11:56 pm PT

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We have talked about the HTC Endeavor a lot lately as a rumored Mobile World Congress announcement draws closer. However, a new report from Economic Daily News (via DigiTimes) indicates that the Endeavor will be announced by HTC on Feb. 26, just one day before MWC kicks off.

HTC will unveil Endeavor on February 26, one day before the opening of the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the paper indicated.

The HTC Endeavor will reportedly pack a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 based Quad-Core processor, 4.7-inch 720P HD screen, 8-megapixel camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The handset will also feature Beats audio experience onboard, as well the Sense 4.0 user interface that was shown off today. So, stay tuned!

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Quad-core HTC Endeavor to be announced at MWC?

Jake Smith Feb 11 2012 - 11:29 am PT

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A new device called the “HTC Edge” leaked. It was the world’s first rumored quad-core handset. Fast forward to last month, and PocketNow reported that HTC renamed the HTC Edge to the “HTC Endeavor.”

A new report from MoDaCo, said HTC is announcing the HTC Endeavor at Mobile World Conference in Barcelona in less than three weeks. If you are not familiar, MWC is the CES for phones and tablets.

MoDaCo’s sources confirmed that the HTC Endeavor will ship with a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 based Quad-Core processor, 4.7-inch 720P HD screen, 8-megapixel camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The handset will also feature Beats audio experience onboard, as well as Sense 4.0…

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Confirmed: Samsung won’t have press briefings at MWC

9to5 Staff Feb 8 2012 - 11:53 am PT

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Going the way of Microsoft and Apple, South Korean conglomerate Samsung confirmed in an email to PCMag it will not hold a news conference at Mobile World Congress (MWC). The world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry, MWC traditionally serves as a launchpad for the very latest and greatest products the industry has up its sleeve. This year’s conference runs from Feb. 27 through March 1 in Barcelona, Spain. Samsung will still attend the show, they just will not have press briefings.

In a statement last week, Samsung said it was “looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012.” The company decided to postpone the anticipated MWC launch of the Galaxy S III, opting to unveil the handset “at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.” The company also sent out invites for a press briefing on March 22 in France.

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New Samsung Android 4.0 device to be unveiled at MWC?

Jordan Kahn Feb 2 2012 - 10:47 am PT

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The image above of a mystery Android 4.0 device was posted by @eldarmurtazin (via BGR) with no details other than “Barcelona. Samsung. Press photo leaked.” We are obviously assuming Barcelona is pointing to the Mobile World Congress set to kick off later this month. While we would normally speculate this is Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S III, the company already confirmed that device will not be unveiled at MWC.

The device is clearly an evolution of the Galaxy S II design, and it could possibly be the S III. We will have to wait until Samsung’s press conference at MWC from Feb. 27 to March 1.

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Samsung delays Galaxy S III, new launch event scheduled for H1 2012

9to5 Staff Feb 1 2012 - 10:13 am PT

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Contrary to the latest rumors, Samsung will not tap the upcoming Mobile World Congress that takes place from Feb. 27 to March 1 in Barcelona, Spain to unveil a successor to the popular Galaxy S II smartphone. Instead, in an Apple-like fashion, the Galaxy S III will be introduced to the world at a dedicated event scheduled for the “first half of the year,” the company told Techradar.

According to the official statement attributed to a Samsung spokesperson:

Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012. The successor to the GALAXY S II smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product. Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world.

All told, Samsung is confident that a dedicated event rather than a trade show announcement would better convey the Galaxy S III message. According to PocketNow, the handset should feature Samsung-built Exynos 4412 chip sporting four Cortex-A9 processing cores by fabless semiconductor maker ARM Holdings, each clocked at 1.5GHz. Boasting a 50 percent faster graphics performance compared to its predecessor, the Exynos 4210 is a new piece of silicon that will be manufactured on Samsung’s 32-nanometer fabbing technology. The closest competitor to the Exynos 4412 is a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core chip that should debut in the HTC Zeta smartphone.

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