Mobile World Congress

Well, well, well. Acer has already won an award for a phone that few in the mobile industry knew existed.

The electronics maker issued a press release today sharing its iF design award for the Acer CloudMobile, an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone that the company plans to launch later this month at Mobile World Congress.

Although it'll pack Android's newest operating system, Acer isn't positioning the CloudMobile device as just another Android phone. Instead, expect to hear a pitch about securely grabbing personal information through AcerCloud, an online home for photos, music, and documents more

Though last month's CES offered plenty of mobile news, committed wireless watchers know that the annual Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona is the smartphone and tablet jackpot.

This year, the fun begins on February 27 with a full afternoon of press conferences coming the day before. And though a possible transit strike is threatening to muck up the logistics of an already logistically challenged event, we're already reveling in a flood of rumors as to what devices might make their debut. Yes, some of this gossip may not pan out, but you can bet that the four more

Nvidia is one company that isn't being meek about its wares. Instead, its press invitation to Mobile World Congress shouts "quad-core" from the rooftops.

The chip-maker is properly veiling the actual products powered by its Tegra 3 processor, instead proclaiming that "quad-core firsts continue at MWC." Since the first "first" was a quad-core tablet, it doesn't take much deductive power to reason out that this show will spotlight smartphones.

LG has started dropping hints about its next Android device, an oversize smartphone known as the Optimus Vu.

Aside from its name and the fact that it features an unorthodox 4:3 aspect ratio, nothing else can be gleaned from a newly uncovered YouTube video. That's not to say, however, that there are no other details to speak of.

Microsoft will take the wraps off the consumer preview of Windows 8 on February 29 in Barcelona, a key milestone on the path toward launching the new operating system.

The consumer preview is the name Microsoft has given the beta version of the operating system. The company said in December it would launch the beta by late February.

Microsoft sent out invitations this morning to press to attend the "Windows 8 Consumer Preview." And while the invitation doesn't say anything about the debut of the preview itself, it stands to reason that it will coincide with the event.

The more

With Mobile World Congress just three weeks away, rumors continue to fly about what we might see out of big players like Nokia, LG, Samsung, and HTC.

Sony has been a notable exception up until now, but a recent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may finally offer some clues as to what the company has in store.

Filed on January 31, the application asks for a trademark on the name "Xperia Sola." Though there's no indication as to what type of device would carry the moniker, the long line of Xperia smartphones points to yet more

A raspberry, pointing fingers, flowers, and a cat? Sometimes companies plant exciting clues in their press conference invitations. And other times, you're better off putting the puzzle out of your mind.

Of this I am certain: HTC is throwing a press conference the night before Mobile World Congress officially kicks off (February 26), and I'm going.

Thankfully, there are enough rumors and leaks to guess that one device we could be seeing is the HTC Edge, which could also be the world's first quad-core phone. We caught whiff of that one back in November.

Photos of a new Windows Phone, dubbed the LG Miracle, have been revealed by Pocketnow, and boy does it look...underwhelming.

Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms with either LG or Microsoft, and I'm always excited to hear about what new phones will be sporting the Windows Phone platform.

But seriously, if it weren't for that fake lens flare up at the top right, my eyes would have just glazed over the whole picture. It looks like every other (save for the Nokia Lumias) Windows Phone we've seen so far.

As far as the more

After a less than perfect 2011 in which even HTC admits that it "tried to do too much," the handset maker is looking at the new year with a new perspective.

What should the company do to resurrect the glowing brand that helped build Android? Ask around and you'll get a variety of suggestions, from releasing considerably fewer devices to scrapping its custom Sense UI skin. Talk to HTC, however, and you'll find that it has plans of its own.

Recently, the company announced that it has formed a new internal group for creating key products to help more