mwc2013

Spotify finally finds an automotive home

BARCELONA, Spain--Internet music service Spotify gained more than 10 million users in Europe before its U.S. launch in July of 2011. But despite all the fanfare, no automotive integration had been announced. That all changed today as Ford welcomed Spotify integration into its Sync AppLink stable.

Spotify joins automotive standard Pandora, along with music apps Slacker, Mog, Rhapsody, TuneIn, IHeartRadio, and the Amazon Cloud Player among music apps integrated with Ford's Sync AppLink feature. AppLink gives drivers control over app on their smartphones using the car's interface, including voice command.

For Sync AppLink integration, apps must be … Read more

LG's L series go Jelly Bean, but offer few surprises

BARCELONA, Spain--LG did its best to spread its new devices around at Mobile World Congress. It hit the top of the market with the Optimus Pro G, it went midrange with the Optimus F5 and F7, and it aimed a bit lower with the Optimus L7 II, L5 II, and L3 II.

Like the L-series handsets that LG introduced last year, their designs won't stand out and they deliver no surprise features. Also, all of the phones are 3G-only, which sets them apart in an increasingly LTE world.

Inside, they're all running Android Jelly Bean, which I appreciate … Read more

Cat B15 Android phone aims to be forklift-tough

BARCELONA, Spain--Cat (yes, the same Cat of industrial forklifts, tractors, and mining equipment) has announced its latest rugged smartphone, the Cat B15.

Rocking Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a grooved rubber back, and hard angles, the Cat B15 is aimed for construction and industrial workers. Made of hardened rubber and aluminum, I really liked the Cat B15's shape and in-hand feel even in my bare hands. It's thick and durable, and raised yellow buttons along the side and top are both tactile and visible.

Dust flaps around the headset jack and charging port help keep it waterproof … Read more

Intel talks new chips, partners at Mobile World Congress

A year ago, Intel's CEO took the stage at Mobile World Congress to tout new partnerships and talk up the benefits of Intel's mobile chips.

At that time, the Santa Clara, Calif., semiconductor maker's presence in the smartphone market was essentially nonexistent. Today, Intel has 10 phones shipping in 20 countries (though not the U.S.), and it keeps improving its power consumption and performance.

While that's good progress, Intel still has a long way to go, as the company readily admits. It hopes the new chips it's officially launching today at MWC 2013 will … Read more

Geeksphone Peak: The best way to try Firefox OS (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--If you're going to try Firefox OS, try it on the Geeksphone Peak.

This smartphone, with a 4.3-inch 960x540-pixel multitouch screen and a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, is the best way so far to experience Mozilla's browser-based operating system. Mozilla debuted Firefox OS today at Mobile World Congress, signing up an impressive array of mobile network partners and mainstream phone makers LG Electronics, ZTE, Alcatel, and Huawei.

But it's Spanish startup Geeksphone that had the nicest hardware with the Peak. It's for developers, not mainstream buyers, and it showed off Firefox … Read more

Samsung amps up business push with Knox security software

BARCELONA, Spain--Samsung Electronics is getting serious about attacking the business world.

The South Korean consumer electronics giant unveiled Knox, an additional layer of security software that will run as part of its SAFE (Samsung for Enterprise) initiative. Samsung is considering embedding Knox into Samsung's next flagship smartphone, YH Lee, executive vice president of Samsung Mobile, told CNET.

Samsung considers the business world to be its next avenue of growth, and has already positioned its ads to emphasize the security and enterprise-ready aspects of its products. In doing so, Samsung is going after a business long dominated by BlackBerry, and … Read more

Unspectacular Firefox OS is OK for low-end phones (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--Firefox OS is real, and it works.

Mozilla's browser-based phone technology is a credible option for the emerging markets where it'll first arrive starting in the second quarter. The nonprofit debuted the first version of the software at the Mobile World Congress show in front of 700 people curious to see how well it works.

For that mobile-savvy audience, the answer is this: not well enough. For wealthier customers, Firefox OS will have a hard time standing up to the two powerhouses of the mobile market, Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

With Firefox OS, Mozilla … Read more

Mophie unveils iPhone 5 version of its Juice Pack Air

BARCELONA, Spain--Smartphone accessory maker Mophie may have launched the Juice Pack Helium two weeks back, but the successor to its iPhone 4 and 4S Juice Pack Air case has just been revealed at Pepcom's MobileFocus Global event here at Mobile World Congress.

While the Juice Pack Air looks similar to the Helium, we're told that the Air is slightly heavier (helium floats because its lighter than air). Not that we could tell, both cases felt pretty light in our hands. The Air sports a 1,700mAh battery, and the Helium has a charge of just 1,500mAh. Both … Read more

Unnamed Powermat case for iPhone 5 to launch in spring

BARCELONA, Spain--We stopped by Powermat's booth at Pepcom's MobileFocus Global show (which happens just before the first day of Mobile World Congress) and found that the company was showing off a new prototype of a wireless charging case for Apple's iPhone 5.

Like the Powermat Receiver Case designed for the iPhone 4 and 4S, the iPhone 5 version will let you put your smartphone on a wireless inductive charger from Powermat, but it isn't quite as thick as the older model.

It does, however, have a strange design, with two gaping holes at the bottom of … Read more