Smartphones

As CNET News.com's Ina Fried reported earlier this week, Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Microsoft to release Windows Mobile smartphones and sure enough, the first such device was revealed at GSMA and its name is the Sony Ericsson EXPERIA X1. In the past, Sony Ericsson smartphones, such as the P1i, have used the Symbian mobile operating system (UIQ). The launch of the XPERIA line marks the debut of Windows Mobile on the company's devices. The X1 is the first in the series, and makes quite the impression.

It has a cool arc slider design (think Motorola … Read more

Sony Ericsson made a strong showing at the GSMA World Congress in Barcelona. The company announced several new models, all of which make an effort to stand out. And you can see them here in our Sony Ericsson GSMA slide show. The biggest news is its new Xperia X1. The first Sony Ericsson Windows Mobile phone, it features a full alphabetic keyboard with a unique "arc" slider design. The Sony Ericsson booth staff isn't letting the two Z1s we saw out of their hands, so we didn't get a good chance to play with it yet. … Read more

Having floated a spinoff trial balloon for its struggling mobile phone business, has Motorola reconsidered?

Motorola sent a ripple through the mobile phone industry a few weeks ago when it released a statement saying it was "exploring the structural and strategic realignment of its businesses" that "may include the separation of Mobile Devices from its other businesses." The company has lost significant market share in the mobile phone business after failing to come up with an Act 2 following the success of the Razr.

But in Barcelona on Monday for the World Mobile Congress, new Motorola CEO Greg Brown told Reuters … Read more

Updated at 11 a.m. PST with Microsoft comments and more background on Danger.

Microsoft apparently is serious about the consumer cell phone business.

The software giant said Monday that it's acquiring Danger, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based maker of the T-Mobile Sidekick for an undisclosed amount.

"The addition of Danger serves as a perfect complement to our existing software and services, and also strengthens our dedication to improving mobile experiences centered around individuals and what they like," Microsoft entertainment unit President Robbie Bach said in a statement.

Danger's Sidekick brings many of the same abilities … Read more

Texas Instruments has a new OMAP chip to set upon the world, and this time around it's eyeing more than mobile phones.

The new OMAP3440 made its debut in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2008. This is the latest in TI's line of OMAP applications processors, which are the equivalent of the CPUs inside PCs.

TI sells standalone applications processors like the 3440 to customers such as Nokia for use in high-end smartphones, but it is also talking up the potential for the 3440 as a chip for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). That's Intel's name for … Read more

In an attempt to beat the masses of handset announcements that came out today, LG announced a new candybar smart phone yesterday that not only comes with GPS but also packs full Qwerty keypad and a standard one to boot too--it's called the LG KT610.

On the front you get a small screen and standard keypad, but flip the KT610 open and you're presented with a full Qwerty keypad and medium-sized screen.

Interestingly, the KT610 runs on Symbian OS v9.2 and S60 3rd Edition Feature pack 1--the same operating system as many Nokia smartphones. The advantage of … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Prototypes of the first mobile handsets using Google's Android software debuted at the GSMA's Mobile World Congress here on Monday, and I got a sneak peek at a demonstration.

Google launched Android, an open development platform in November. Phones sporting the Android software are expected out later this year. Google also announced the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 handset manufacturers, carriers and chipmakers that have said they plan to support Android products and services.

I was one of several journalists to get a private demonstration of Android at the ARM Holdings booth here at the … Read more

Nvidia wants a piece of the exploding smartphone market, with its first major applications processor scheduled to arrive in phones next year.

The graphics chip company is showing off the fruits of its $357 million PortalPlayer acquisition with the APX 2500, its first attempt at building a true computing processor for mobile phones, said Mike Rayfield, general manager of Nvidia's mobile business unit. The APX 2500 is designed as a standalone application processor for multimedia phones where talking takes a back seat to watching videos and browsing the Web.

The applications processor in a mobile phone is akin to … Read more

In addition to the Nokia N96, the N series welcomed another addition to the family today at GSMA 2008: the Nokia N78. Like the other models in the series, the N78 has a heavy focus on multimedia. It has a 3.2 megapixel camara with Carl Zeiss optics, an MP3 player, an FM transmitter that allows you to stream tunes to an FM radio, whether it be in your car or home, and it will be compatible with Nokia's Music Store and N-Gage gaming platform. The N78 is also outfitted with GPS, and what's really cool is that … Read more