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LG overhauls Android phones from top-end to low-budget

BARCELONA, Spain--LG Electronics overhauled its Android product line today, with the flagship Optimus G Pro leading the way.

The company divides its Optimus line into four categories: its G series for deep-pocketed early adopters, the F series with the mission of "4G LTE for everyone," the lower-end L series, and the Vu tablets.

The company announced the Optimus G Pro specifications last week, and now it's showing off the "phablet"-size device with its mammoth 5.5-inch screen. Soon it and its smaller Optimus G sibling will be joined by more in the line. … 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

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

Asus at MWC 2013: Join us Monday (live blog)

BARCELONA, Spain--Given what else it has had to deal with recently, Spain probably wouldn't be all that shocked if a UFO did indeed land atop Gaudi's famous Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. But rest assured, would-be tourists, that was just a teaser in a brief video Asus released over the Internet in the run-up to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Asus' Mobile World Congress press conference

The video ends with an invitation to "join Asus to embrace the metallic miracle" on February 25 at Mobile World Congress. Another tease: the company's Mobile World … Read more

Mozilla, AT&T show WebRTC phone-Web communications link

BARCELONA, Spain--Mozilla, Ericsson, and AT&T announced today they're demonstrating technology to place Internet-based voice and video calls that bridge traditional telephone services and the Web.

The demonstration, at Mobile World Congress here, uses the nascent WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) standard to set up browser-based communications between different devices.

The "proof of concept" links a Web app with a person's existing phone number and "shows how consumers can easily take and receive video calls from their mobile phones or desktop browser using WebRTC or share their Web experiences with friends or family who might … Read more

Mobile World Congress: The year's best smartphone party

As I write this, CNET writers from three countries are traveling to Barcelona, Spain, to bring you the best of the annual Mobile World Congress trade show.

If you're a smartphone fan, you probably know that Mobile World Congress (MWC) is a big deal. And if you don't know about it but still love gadgets and technology, there are very good reasons why you should care. I'll explain.

Full Mobile World Congress coverage from CNET

To put it simply, MWC is the most important wireless trade show of the year. It's bigger than CES (where, no … Read more

iDeals spots the best deals for you

We rarely shop for items in a physical store anymore; shopping online is much more convenient from the privacy of our own home. But with so many online stores, it's hard to keep up with the best deals. That's where iDeals comes into play as it aggregates deals from around the Web so you can quickly spot a buy.

iDeals has a pretty straightforward user interface. Deals automatically populate your mobile screen. Each item's picture, along with the price and where to find it are listed. There is a small banner ad across the bottom of the … Read more

Convert your videos with ease with MyVideoConverter Pro

Video converters tend to fall into one of two camps. The first is simple freeware for converting files from one or more video formats to another. The advantage of such tools (other than being free) is simplicity; the disadvantage is limited capabilities, not to mention the fact that you may need to keep a collection of them just to handle all your file types. The second type of video converter costs money. That's often the only disadvantage, since the premium converters usually handle many more file types and offer preset profiles that automatically convert files to just the right … Read more

Play music and emulate your favorite wind instrument with Ocarina

Emulating a wind instrument on your smartphone can be loads of fun. Emulating a wind instrument that was used in the popular video game Zelda is even better. With Ocarina you're able to convincingly and beautifully play many different songs on your device. In addition to being fun, this app is very addictive, too.

Ocarina installs quickly and is ready to use with no additional setup. The main screen is in a brilliant blue color, and there are five keys displayed. When pressed, these five keys emit different sounds and in conjunction with one another the key changes. It … Read more