MWC 2011 - Android Community

Behold, the Google Pod [Video Tour]

By Chris Burns
on 17 Feb, 2011

We're here still at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona and we've filmed for all you non-travelers a short walkthrough of Google's magnificent presence in Building 8 of the convention. This "booth" is either the largest or one of the largest exhibits in the entire convention, and certainly many people's favorite. I'll get into a bit more about Google's tactics for going viral in the convention via creative advertising, but here we'll just take a walk through the big fat Google playground.

TI working on 720p video chat through Skype?

By James DeRuvo
on 17 Feb, 2011

Over at the Texas Instruments booth at Mobile World Congress, there's an interesting demo going on through TI's partner PathPartners showing off the HD capability of Skype through an Android handset. Using the OMAP 4 platform, PathParnters (along with Ittiam) have been able to create video calls in 720p and hope to get it Skype certified later this year.

LG Partners with YouTube for 3D sharing

By James DeRuvo
on 17 Feb, 2011

LG has announced a partnership with YouTube to bring 3D sharing via the Optimus 3D to the popular online video portal's 3D channel. Optimus 3D users will be able to upload and share recorded videos to YouTube directly from their phones. Of course, viewers will need a special set of red/blue 3D glasses to watch them, but hey, it's 3D!

NEC TouchNote spotted at MWC

By James DeRuvo
on 17 Feb, 2011

JKK Mobile has got a hands-on of the NEC TouchNote 7 inch Android laptop at Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona. Basic specs include being powered by an NVidia Tegra 2 chip, a 7" resistance touch screen at 800x480 resolution, nearly full-sized keyboard, and directional trackpad.

HTC honored with device manufacturer of the year award

By James DeRuvo
on 17 Feb, 2011

Smart Phone manufacturer HTC Corporation has been given yet another award to add to their trophy case as the GSMA honored them with their annual Device Manufacturer of the Year award. The award caps off quite a busy past twelve months for the smartphone manufacturer who has released one of the largest selections of Android smartphones in the industry including leading smartphones like the HTC Desire. HTC beat out both Apple and Samsung for the honor and previously, received the Best Mobile Phone of 2010 with the HTC Hero.

T-Mobile to carry the Galaxy Mini

By James DeRuvo
on 16 Feb, 2011

T-Mobile has announced it will carry the Samsung Galaxy Mini, a budget friendly little brother of Samsung's Galaxy. In addition, T-Mobile will carry the T-Mobile Move. Both phones will cost between $50-75 with a standard two-year service agreement.

Android Market on pace to outgrow iTunes 3-1

By James DeRuvo
on 16 Feb, 2011

According to a recent report by Lookout's App Genome Project, the number of Android Marketplace apps increased by over 125% since August, putting it on pace to outgrow iTunes apps three to one. Apple still commands a sizeable lead in the total number of apps it offers through iTunes versus AM, the gap is narrowing quickly.

"If apps continue to be developed for each platform at this same rate, said Lookout CTO Kevin Mahaffey, "the Android Market will have more apps than the Apple App Store by mid-2012."

Google to go head to head with iTunes through Honeycomb

By James DeRuvo
on 16 Feb, 2011

Chief executive officer for Motrola Mobility Sanjay Jha let it slip today that Google is arming for war against Apple's iTunes music service by launching a competitor through their Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS. It's not secret that Google has been looking to topple Cupertino's dominance in the music download business, having bought Simplify Media last Spring for that purpose. But the acknowledgment that Google is making ready a music service through Honeycomb means that Google Music is likely a done deal.

Sony Leaks S1 PlayStation Tablet

By James DeRuvo
on 16 Feb, 2011

Sony is finally getting into the tablet game with their development of the S1 Playstation Tablet. And it looks to be game centric with Playstation games, Sony music, eBooks and video on demand linked through Qriocity, Sony's proprietary subscription service in Europe.

Motorola Xoom pricing confirmed at $799

By James DeRuvo
on 16 Feb, 2011

Looks like we hit the nail on the head with the price on the Motorola XOOM a few days back. Motorola has confirmed a price of $799 unsubsidized at Verizon, with a WiFi only version coming in at $600. That puts it head to head with the other 800 pound gorilla in the category.