We’re not sure what this scene is going to be used for (or has been used for), but a good guess I recon would be BBC – judging by the inflection and intensity in the delivery of the words, of course. The best part of the experience is the pause at the end. Don’t expect this to be any award-winning sort of documentation of a once in a lifetime opportunity for footage, but if you only watch one video from Mobile World Congress 2011, let it be this one.

All this should be enough to excite you to the level you’ve GOT to be excited to for our upcoming trip to Orlando for CTIA 2011. It starts next Monday, the 21st of March, 2011, and we’ll be there for several days! This is another event in which we’ll be running around back and forth across a bunch of land through buildings filled with electronics for the greater good of our eyeballs, and we’re going to be bringing it to YOU on time and in class! Take a peek at our small but growing [CTIA 2011] portal now, and check it out 24 hours a day in a week!

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
DIY Transformers 2 Megatron tank is utterly crazy
Nintendo 3DS games detailed: Nintendogs, Steel Diver, more
AT&T Motorola ATRIX 4G on sale now

SlashPhone
Sprint to Reveal a New Phone, Suspected to be The HTC 7 Pro
BlackBerry Bold Touch Caught in Wild
O2 Getting White Xperia Play

Android Community
Advent Vega Dock now on sale: HDMI and USB
Android Community Big Fat Android Toy Giveaway #1 WINNERS
Motorola XOOM priced by Verizon: No big subsidies for first Honeycomb slate
Toshiba updates AC100 to Android 2.2 with Flash Player support
Motorola ATRIX 4G arrives on AT&T for $200
Flash Player 10.2 for Motorola XOOM “within a few weeks”
Motorola DroidX & Droid 2 get a fancy Gingerbread Port
Motorola XOOM Street Egg Ad Released
Motorola ATRIX 4G Laptop Dock Demo
Motorola ATRIX 4G HD Dock Demo
Android Toy Series 2 Secret Figure #2 [SPOILER]
VCast Music gets updated on Android
Verizon fuels sales for Motorola Mobility
Samsung Pulls Captivate Update Page After News Leaked
Motorola Roadster Review [In-Car Bluetooth Speakerphone]
Twitter lets third party clients out of the penalty box
Samsung Epic 4G to get some Froyo today
HTC ThunderBolt Rooftop Ad Released
HTC Inspire 4G Review
US Cellular offers buy one get five deal on Android

SlashGear
DIY Transformers 2 Megatron tank is utterly crazy
Apple considering 24-bit iPod/iTunes update for boosted audio quality?
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2: 12TB of super-flexible storage
SuperTalent CoreStore SSDs promise 350MB/s read & 220MB/s write rates
Verizon Motorola XOOM pricing confirmed: $600 with agreement
Palm Pre Plus webOS 2.1 update already up and running on French phone
$76 Micro Four Thirds/NEX lenses promised as China weighs in
T-Mobile readying unlimited data plan
Nintendo 3DS games detailed: Nintendogs, Steel Diver, more
Spring Design “phasing out” Alex ereader
Amazon Prime Instant Video service switched on
Toshiba AC100 Android 2.2 Froyo update arrives with Flash support
Apple looking to white iPhone 5 as touch supplier leaks
Steve Jobs says subscriptions are “for publishing apps” but confusion remains
Sony VAIO L Series all-in-one wraps touch-bezel around multitouch screen
Sony VAIO C Series: Garish looks hide decent notebooks
Palm Pre Plus gets webOS 2.1.0 update in Germany
Sony VAIO S Series: 13.3-inch ultraportable with 14hr runtime
Nokia N950 MeeGo phone named: “very elegant hardware” says CTO [Video]
Apple iPad 2 release in June after production delays tip analysts
Secusmart encryption microSD: security costs $2,700 [Video]
Apple iPad stock shortages tip iPad 2 imminent
Geohot Sony defense fund closes after rapid response
HP TouchPad tablet shipping April tip suppliers
AT&T Motorola ATRIX 4G on sale now
Motorola XOOM Flash Player 10.2 release “within a few weeks”
Lenovo ThinkPad W520 quadcore desktop replacement outed
Lenovo ThinkPad T420s, T420 and T520: up to 30hrs battery life
Lenovo ThinkPad L420 and L520 entry-level notebooks outed
Verizon Updates V Cast Music App for Android
Verizon Releases New Ad For Motorola Xoom
Apple’s New Subscription Policy Upsets Readability App
Sony 3D Dual-View Split Screen Demo For PlayStation 3

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

Pandora is looking to do more than music in preparation for its IPO. Pandora is said to be looking at expansion into talk and sports programming. The LG Optimus 3D smartphone got official Monday. The phone packs in a 1GHz dual-core processor, 5MP dual lens camera for 3D video and a 4.3-inch screen.

RIM announced a pair of new PlayBook 4G tablet models early in the week. The new PlayBook 4G models added versions for LTE and HSPA+ both with WiFi and they are set to land in H2 2011. One of the biggest announcements at MWC 2011 was the Nokia and Microsoft tie up for WinPo 7 on Nokia smartphones. Nokia claimed at the show that the decision was made the night before the show and that Intel knew before the show started.

Another smartphone to debut during MWC was the Acer Iconia Smart running Android. The notable feature is the big 21:9 aspect ratio screen that measures 4.8-inches. The HTC Desire S smartphone got official this week. The device gets a 1GHz processor, a 3.7-inch screen, and will run Android 2.4.

Intel unveiled a new high-end processor Tuesday called the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. The CPU has six cores, runs at 3.46GHz, and can be overclocked to 3.73GHz using Turbo Boost. One of the big HTC announcements at MWC was the interesting Flyer tablet. We posted up a video of the device being shown by a HTC schlep since the company wouldn’t allow us to hold the tablet.

HTC showed off a pair of new Facebook smartphones called the HTC ChaCha and Salsa. The ChaCha has a QWERTY keyboard and a 2.6-inch screen, the Salsa is a touchscreen only device with a 3.4-inch screen, and both have a dedicated Facebook button. That HTC Flyer tablet I mentioned earlier has the ability to play streaming games from OnLive. The tie up came after HTC invested $40 million into OnLive.

Rumors surfaced that Apple plans to give the next iPhone model a larger 4-inch screen. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. A soldier in Afghanistan has taken to a very cool hobby. He is building action figures out of the stuff he comes across at the base where he is stationed and they look really cool.

NVIDIA unveiled details on the Project Kal-El quad core chip early in the week at MWC. The chip would be the first quad-core chip for tablets and phones that is sampling. HTC made so many announcements at MWC that it was hard to keep up with. If you want to be sure you know all HTC has to offer we put up a recap of all the HTC announcements at MWC.

Nokia apparently won’t have Windows Phone OS on its smartphones until at least October. Nokia is waiting for a new version of the OS. Warner Brothers is going to sell movies on the App Store as apps. The two flicks to start with are The Dark Knight and Inception.

LG announced its Cinema 3D LW5700 3D HDTV that has the first certification for being flicker free. That flicker free design means that the TV will be easier on the eyes and some people that have problems with 3D images might find that they can watch without issue. The pricing on the Motorola Xoom tablet was confirmed mid-week at $799. Motorola thinks the speed of 4G makes the price justifiable.

The iPhone 4 won an award at MWC 2011 for Best Mobile Device. The irony is that the iPhone 4 wasn’t even at the show. Pioneer unveiled a new DJM-900nexus DJ mixer for club DJs. The mixer has all sorts of effects and features and will sell for about $2400 in March when it lands.

The Motorola Xoom is heading to Europe with hints at the official launch date coming by way of an interest page from Carphone Warehouse. The page hints that April is the expected launch date. Spotify has signed a deal with EMI giving the service two of the four major music labels. Warner Music and Universal are the two remaining major holdouts.

AeroViroment unveiled the prototype of a small UAV that looks like a hummingbird. The UAV has flapping wings, battery, and a video camera inside the small package and is the result of a DARPA project. The price for the LG Optimus 3D has surfaced and the phone is very expensive. The price on the pre-order page at Expansys is listed at about $835.

Google has announced that it will invest millions into celebrity YouTube channels. Apparently, YouTube is offering celebs $5 million each to start a channel to cover payroll for production and more. YouTube wants at least 20 celeb channels. Photos from President Obama’s Tech dinner have surface and it looks like the Zuck got to sit at Obama’s right hand.

The NYT has debunked the rumors that a smaller iPhone is coming, but some interesting concepts and more rumors keep surfacing. Perhaps a smaller screen device with a keyboard would work. Thanks for reading, see you next time!

Phones

When you’ve got “Mobile” in your name you’re obviously going to have more than a few cellphones on show, and MWC 2011 didn’t disappoint. Perhaps more so than any year previous, we’d already seen at least some of the key device details in the run up to Barcelona, either via leaks – like the XPERIA Play – or through pre-launch teasers – like the Optimus 3D. Absent as ever is a sense of launch immediacy: specific release dates and pricing are in short supply, and none of the major exhibitors have managed to follow in Apple’s footsteps and push a device out the door only days or weeks after its official unveil.

HTC brought one of the largest smartphone ranges to MWC 2011, with a full five handsets including two with specific Facebook functionality. The HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S are all evolutionary rather than revolutionary, building on the successful releases of their predecessors, leaving the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa to win the bulk of our phone attention.

Maybe it’s the power of Facebook and the HTC hype machine, but the ChaCha and Salsa managed to whip up interest with little more than a dedicated (and, for that matter, non-user-assignable) hardware shortcut key and a hook into an updated HTC Sense. Even without explicit Facebook endorsement – though with a glowing if generic pre-recorded recommendation from founder Mark Zuckerberg – these look to be the two social networking devices to beat, as long as HTC can follow through on its promises to hit relatively budget pricing. Don’t underestimate how much of that solid start is the handiwork HTC has already put into Sense, however.

LG, meanwhile, looked to 3D for its cellular salvation, with the LG Optimus 3D packing a pair of 5-megapixel lenses and TI’s OMAP4 processor for Full HD 1080p recording and playback. With a glasses-free 3D display it’s probably stands the best chance of market success among 3D propositions, though most people we spoke to at the show threw in the telling caveat that “you can turn the 3D off and then the screen is great!”

Samsung hadn’t been discrete about the Samsung Galaxy S II, and its Sunday reveal wasn’t helped by a significant leak of specs and live photos after, we’ve been unofficially told, a huge mailing list of vendors, carriers, PR and other contacts were sent the details late on the Friday prior to the show. Still, the promise of a dual-core 4.3-inch smartphone still managed to impress, and with the Galaxy S before it setting sales records not only among Samsung’s range but in the US Android marketplace, we’ve only high hopes for the waifish successor.

The scale of Sony Ericsson‘s launch was undermined somewhat by a seen-it-all-before feeling; over-saturation of the XPERIA Play and leaked previews of the XPERIA Neo (along with its similarities to the earlier Symbian-based Vivaz) left only the XPERIA Pro with any sense of surprise. We can’t help but be cautious over the PlayStation phone, too, with lingering questions about the usability of its touch-sensitive alternatives to regular analog sticks and whether gaming developers will jump on board Sony’s new platform. Hardware-wise, beyond the slide-out control pad there’s little to differentiate the XPERIA Play from rival high-end smartphones – it’s not even a dual-core – and much of Sony’s drive seems to center around regular Android games packing extra content on the gaming phone. Sales, though, will have to convince developers that the extra work is going to be worth it, and the NGP may not arrive soon enough to envelop the XPERIA Play in its halo affect.

Apple weren’t even at MWC, but still managed to be one of the most talked about brands among attendees (and exhibitors); the company even clinched the GSMA “best smartphone” award for the iPhone 4. There’s no doubt that the Cupertino firm is still seen as the benchmark by which rivals are judged, and on the smartphone front at least there’s not a huge amount of lateral thinking going on.

Nokia was another brand getting well discussed, despite not really having anything to bring to MWC beyond CEO Stephen Elop. We sat down with the ex-Microsoftie to discuss his play for the Windows Phone market and reaction to conspiracy theories, product differentiation and the Android menace. Word from the halls was that while the Microsoft/Nokia pairing was probably the most sensible one, there is still plenty of work to be done if either company want to turn their respective brands around.

That ambition isn’t helped by Android and the huge amount of attention the platform garnered at the show. Google had cleverly distributed Android pins around the dozens of exhibitors with Android products, leading to a baseball-card-style swapping frenzy as the rarer examples were hastily negotiated over. Android was at the top end and at the budget end, with low-cost firms like ZTE and Huawei showing exactly why Nokia is terrified of their entry-level appeal. Eric Schmidt turned up for a MWC keynote to demonstrate a new Movie Studio app for tablets, described Android as “the world’s fastest growing mobile platform” and stormed through an at-times challenging Q&A about monetization, Twitter and fragmentation.

Tablets

As at CES 2011 before it, MWC 2011 wasn’t short on slates. Android again was the primary platform of choice, with a number of 3.0 Honeycomb models to choose from. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus Pad (aka the LG G-Slate) made their respective debuts, illustrating perfectly the difficulties OEMs have in differentiating their slates when Android’s prized “Google Experience” branding demands the software itself be left alone. Samsung picked portability and LG opted for 3D, but both managed to look underwhelming when compared to HTC‘s offering.

The HTC Flyer may not have Honeycomb out of the gate – it’ll launch with Gingerbread instead, with HTC promising a subsequent update – but its combination of custom software, OnLive cloud gaming, Evernote integration, beautiful 7-inch hardware and – prompting no small amount of controversy – stylus input option made it the stand-out slate of the show. Recognizing that not all tablet users are content with on-screen keyboards and the iPad content-consumption paradigm, HTC actually delivered on the marketing hyperbole with a unique proposition that we’re genuinely excited to try come Q2.

4G

4G may now be the umbrella term for everything from HSPA+ through WiMAX and LTE, but the confusion is only just beginning. While we don’t generally cover carrier infrastructure on SlashGear, it was tough to avoid the vendors and operators each trying to convince the MWC crowds that their own implementation of 4G was the way forward. We managed to borrow one of Novatel Wireless‘ rare Dual-Cell HSPA+ (DC-HSPA+) modems, promising downlink speeds of up to 42Mbps on Telefonica’s Spanish network; stand by for our full report on just what sort of real-world performance DC-HSPA+ delivered.

Next-Gen Chipsets

As always at MWC, spend any amount of time with the chipset manufacturers and you’ll soon start looking at the imminent device releases with disdain. Texas Instruments‘ OMAP5 promises to be vastly powerful by virtue of its dual ARM Cortex A15 cores – the company reckons the dual-core SoC will be faster and more power-frugal than a quad-core ARM A9 chipset – while NVIDIA threatened to overshadow its own Tegra 2 hype with the announcement of the Project Kal-El quad-core that will, almost unbelievably, be hitting products in the second half of 2011. Qualcomm too had quad-cores to talk about, with an update to its well-known Snapdragon line (that also threw in LTE support). Ben Bajarin took the multi-core message to task in a must-read piece of analysis.

That’s only the top skimming of the news from Barcelona this week, and you can find all of our Mobile World Congress coverage by using the MWC 2011 tag. There’s also plenty more coverage over at our sibling site Android Community. It’s was a strong showing from manufacturers and vendors, certainly, but then again it needs to be: Apple is expected to unveil the iPad 2 within the next month, and the iPhone 5 will be doing its best to reshape the smartphone segment midway through the year.

What was your favorite product of MWC 2011? Let us know which gadgets you’re excited about – and which you think don’t stand a chance – in the comments!

Full specifications are unknown, but TDIA did confirm that the slate runs – or will run; it’s not clear if it’s a functional unit or not, and was shown turned off – an unspecified version of Android. TD-LTE is also being trialled in Germany, so this might not be solely a device for the Chinese market.

In fact, the Sony Ericsson slate may not be released at all; it could well only be a test device. That’s probably not a bad thing, given the bulky casing and the fact it apparently has a resistive touchscreen.

Apple has landed itself the Best Mobile Device award at MWC 2011, despite the fact that Apple didn’t attend the trade show in Barcelona. The device makers that were actually at the show can’t feel too good about losing to a company that doesn’t even show up.

Apparently the judges said of the iPhone 4, “[it has a] great screen, sharp design, fantastic materials, and phenomenal ecosystem for app developers. In a tight race, the iPhone 4 built on the success of its predecessors to set the pace for smartphones.” The Device Manufacturer of the year award went to HTC with the HTC Desire noted by the judges as highly commended.

Via Appleinsider

DoCoMo combines a glassless 3D display with force sensors and a pen with some magnets placed inside. The pen is tracked by two cameras and depending on the position of the pen, it will send a signal through the screen to the magnet at the tip of the pen. The pen will shake or even jump out of your hand depending on the program. DoCoMo’s presentation had a cartoon chameleon that tried to grab the pen with its tongue. If it succeeds you feel a vibration strong enough to shoot the pen out of your hand.

The technology is still pretty young so no information was given as to when you would see it in actual products. There was a warning from the company about how close you should get if you had magnetic-recorded cards. That’s definitely one of the issues DoCoMo needs to figure out along its path towards rolling out 3D interactivity to consumers.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Samsung sold 10 million Galaxy S phones in 2010, and they are probably on track to sell at least that many Galaxy S II phones once they are available. And Exynos is a brand new SoC, with a brand new GPU for Samsung that Samsung has never shipped. This may be risky, considering the demand that Samsung is facing in markets around the world.

NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 is nearly equivalent in CPU performance, and better in GPU and Flash performance (see the benchmarks posted by AnandTech yesterday), so it is a pretty good alternative to the Exynos SoC.

Samsung listed its own dual-core Application Processor in the Galaxy S II as not being used in all regions, which may mean that Samsung could choose to use Tegra 2 or Exynos depending on the region.

[via AnandTech]

Today, pushing the boundaries of the microprocessor for mobile devices are the likes of NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Marvell. Those companies use the ARM architecture to create their mobile chipsets. Right now, NVIDIA is first out of the gate with dual core mobile devices; their Tegra 2 processor is in devices like the Motorola Atrix 4G, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola XOOM tablet, LG Tab and G-Slate and a host of other super phones and tablets. Qualcomm’s dual-core is in the HP Touchpad and Texas Instruments dual-core is in the RIM Playbook, both products will be out later this year.

Not standing still with dual-core, NVIDIA showed me a demo last night of their latest quad-core chipset code-named Kal-El, that will deliver roughly a 5x improvement over their current dual-core Tegra 2. NVIDIA executives said that they are expecting quad-core tablets to ship in the August time frame and quad-core super phones by holiday of this year.

So the real question is why do we need multi-core microprocessors in our mobile devices. The answer is so we can create better software.

More cores mean more than just a faster overall experience with a mobile device. It means more complex software can be written. It means more visually rich graphics and multimedia experiences. It means a more compelling web experience with next generation Internet software.

Just think about how primitive the software created in the 90’s was, or what websites were like in 2000 compared to the web of today. All of the advancements with software have been possible because the industry pushed forward and created faster processors capable of running next generation software. Those processor innovations were then taken advantage of by the creative software community who utilized it and made more compelling software. Ask any software engineer and they will tell you, there is not such thing as too much processing power.

The same will be true with mobile devices. We will look back in 5,10,15 years and think how primitive apps, operating systems, and the Internet were on our mobile devices. All made possible by the innovations in the microprocessor to deliver this next generation of computing.

Multi-core in mobile devices is not simply important it is essential.

HTC, in my opinion, is in the top tier of companies that are innovating within the mobile sector. The level of thought they put into the experience consumers have with their phones is impressive and refreshing. This thinking is what led them to take another step forward and add deep Facebook integration into two of their latest devices.

Our Social Fabric
Like mobile phones, Facebook is now so deeply woven into our social fabric that it is hard to imagine a world without it. Facebook has more than 500 million active global users, 200 million of which are also actively using Facebook on mobile devices. People that use Facebook on mobile devices are twice as active as non-mobile users. From that perspective it makes complete “Sense” that HTC would integrate a service like Facebook so deeply into their mobile phone experience.

Telephony brought a paradigm shift in the way we communicate as a human race and Facebook again brought a paradigm shift in the way the Internet can be used to connect the human race. Communicating and connecting is at the core of our needs and the innovations in mobile computing continue to advance and enhance those needs.

Facebook is to Consumers what Email is to the Enterprise
If you are like me and e-mail is at the center of how you work you will relate to this analogy. I recall my first job at Cypress Semiconductor and getting set up with corporate e-mail for the first time. After about the first week I was addicted since the core of my job relied on being able to communicate with all who were tasked with my project. My email experience again changed drastically the first time I was set up with a mobile device that was connected to my work email allowing me to get email anywhere and any time.

As email is at the core of the fabric of how enterprises work so is Facebook becoming the center of how consumers connect. This is why mobile Facebook users are more active than non-mobile users. What makes the ChaCha and Salsa unique is not that they are just two new devices that allow you access to Facebook while mobile but that Facebook is an active part of the entire device experience.

The hardware and software created on these devices assume you want to do more than access the mobile version of Facebook on your device. These devices have what I would call an intelligent Facebook integration.

Consumers who use either of these devices, I feel, will have as profound a moment with this Facebook integration as many of us did the first time we got access to wireless email. If mobile Facebook users are twice as active now than non-mobile users, I would fully expect those consumers who use the ChaCha and Salsa to be even more active mobile Facebook users.

HTC may have very well just set a new bar on how consumers will begin to think about how their mobile device fits into their life. These two new devices present more than just a phone with access to apps and the mobile web. They represent what may be the start of a true mobile social experience.

The Pathpartner system uses OMAP4′s crunching abilities to compress 720p HD into something a 3G mobile network could happily handle, and the TI Blaze developer unit running the app was hooked up to an HDTV to prove the quality was top-notch. Pathpartner is in talks with Skype now, regarding getting officially certified, and hopefully that means we should see it on Android devices sooner rather than later.

Ittiam, meanwhile, were doing interesting things with four video streams, taking advantage of OMAP4′s video abilities to process four simultaneous connections. Only one “host” device need be OMAP4 based – other participants can “dial in” from other platforms – and the company sees it being useful for enterprise clients wanting to cut down on travel time to meetings, since the compression should allow it to be used over 3G connections.

The demonstration they gave was running on a development kit that looked like a finished tablet. They started by showing their latest generation quad-core chip decoding a video stream with a 1440p resolution; roughly double the resolution of 1080p and outputting video at 2560×1440 to a computer monitor set to 2560×1600.

Next they gave us a demonstration of a game, which the developer did not have permission for us to name or take photo’s or video off due to copyright’s not being finalized. This demonstration however was incredibly vibrant and visually stunning.  The tablet running Tegra 2 was delivering this game at approx. 18-20 FPS while the demo of the game on their quad-core chipset was delivering 50-55 fps.

I did get to video and take pictures of a game by War Drum Studios Great Battles Medieval, which was delivering roughly 3x improvement on the quad-core Kal-El. What was equally remarkable was that War Drum Studio CEO Thomas Williamson just got access to the quad-core development board last night and successfully ported his game for today’s demonstration.

Most importantly however was that NVIDIA executives stated that they were targeting August as the time frame for the availability of tablets running Kal-El and by holiday 2011 for super phones.   Which means we may very well have quad-core tablets and super phones in retail this year.

The HTC Incredible S, is perhaps their least appealing device with an” inside-out” industrial style. Performance and features are similar to the previous Incredible , but notable differences include an added front-facing webcam that supports HTC’s new video call app as well as Mirror app. And the device now is GSM compatible. Check here for hands-on video and images.

The HTC Wildfire S is the company’s cheapest phone but the new model seems to be a huge improvement over its predecessor. It has found its own identity now sporting a more angular chassis and also stepped up to an HVGA display from its original QVGA display. However, it lacks a front-facing webcam and therefore cannot utilize HTC’s new video call app. Check here for hands-on details and images.

The HTC Desire S is their bestselling smartphone and has a chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum. The new model’s responsiveness is similar to its predecessor, the Desire, as it still uses 1GHz single-core Snapdragon, but now has added a front-facing webcam that supports the HTC’s new video call app and Mirror app. The production model will be running Android 2.4 Gingerbread. Check here for a hands-on video and images.

The HTC ChaCha and Salsa are the two new smartphones that deeply integrate with Facebook. Of the two, the ChaCha has the better hardware. The Salsa has the bigger screen but feels like a lesser build. It’s difficult to judge the software at this point because the demo units did not seem to have final software loaded. However, they did demonstrate that the integrated Facebook buttons light up when viewing something on screen that can be shared online. Actual production units with final software won’t be available until Q2 2011. Check here for hands-on video and images.

The HTC Flyer tablet introduces the use of stylus in addition to multi-touch with more focus on note-taking and content creation. The 7-inch tablet has a slick aluminum unibody with a matte-finish plastic. The build feels more solid than the Galaxy Tab, and also feels easier to hold. The Flyer features a newly updated HTC Sense on top of Android 2.4 Gingerbread resulting in an enhanced user interface. Check here for hands-on video and images.

Other announcements:

HTC announced that they intend to partner with Qualcomm to develop multi-core devices. However, no timeline or any specifics were presented on upcoming multi-core plans.

The HTC Video Chat app made for Android was demoed as loaded on the HTC Desire S and the HTC Incredible S. The app can be used with the front-facing VGA webcams on the HTC smartphones or on the 1.3MP camera on the HTC Flyer tablet. The app features a simple interface but it is unclear for now whether it is limited to devices within its own ecosystem like how Apple limits Face Time to its own devices, or if there is more flexibility.

HTC also demonstrated their new integration with OnLive cloud gaming on the HTC Flyer.

And, an updated version of the HTC Sense was announced that supports portrait and landscape orientations as well as high-resolution displays like the 1024×600 display of the HTC Flyer.

Schmidt noted that he believes that computer science can turn fundamental transparency can help fix all the world’s problems (Wikileaks? Nah.) Memory, referring back to every bit of information we’ve got to remember, never getting lost in the world or on the map. You will never get lost, says Schmidt, and with your permission, all your friends know where you are too.

Human problems will be fixed by humans with machines, here is an age where technology is based on being good. Very warm and loving.

During the Q and A, an Australian man asks about more service and advertising – he wonders when the rest of the world will pick this market for advertising up.

Schmidt responds by saying that Australia is leading the world as far as Fiber goes. The tools and technology that’s required to create TV-level ads to a mobile audience, this is the goal that will lead to the next big frontier as far as advertising goes. Schmidt notes that this is commerce, and that these advertising business people are aiming for revenue.

Another man asks about Android, notes how Schmidt mentioned that Google wanted more developers, but that fragmentation is a giant problem for developers and that he sees this as a monster of a situation.

Schmidt notes that the App store is the center. With this central station, the Android Marketplace, everyone has an even platform. He notes that Gingerbread will be another even platform in a sense, and that the man should not worry.

Another question arises about payment.

Schmidt responds with a note about “Google Bucks” and how that’s unrealistic, but notes that NFC chips are next. This chip, in a couple of phones already, will be used for payment in the future. He notes that the UK is already implementing legal business as far as NFC goes, and that NFC is going to blow everything else away. This model, instant payment via NFC, or something like it, is the way of the future.

A lady asks a question about Twitter, how Schmidt likes it (if he wants to buy it,) and about business via mobile.

Schmidt first notes that he loves Twitter and that he likes to Tweet, basically brushing off that question. Schmidt notes that wireless capacity is not big enough to work with business and government already today.

A man asks a question about Android versions, and says there’s some confusion amongst everyday users.

Schmidt eventually gets to a rather important point: Chrome is keyboard, Honeycomb is touch. It’s also important to note that earlier in the presentation he said the following on versions of Android: “We have OS called gingerbread for phones, we have an OS being previewed now for tablets called Honeycomb. The two of them… you can imagine the follow up will start with an I, be named after dessert, and will combine these two.”

A man asks some harsh questions about Larry and Eric, if Larry should have been here instead, to which Schmidt immediately replied that his new job is essentially doing the traveling, and that Larry likes this arrangement. The man continues with a question (actually first, but answered second) about HTML5, Schmidt replying by saying that HTML5 will work on both platforms (mobile and desktop) will be a good way for further integration and flattening of the playing ground for developers.

The man asks a third question about monetization in Apps.

Schmidt notes that they’ve purchased an App developers group heavily invested in both OS and Android [what is this?]

A government man from Belgium asks a question about addresses for internet.

IPV4 addresses will soon be gone, notes Schmidt, and we’ve got to work on network address translation boxes, more items like this that only work now with IPV4 technology. We need, Schmidt says, IPV6 to move forward.

There is a question on Health Care and how Mobile will help in this problem around the world.

Schmidt notes that he feels that all of your medical info should be with you at all times – 3 and 4% of all questions on Google are medically related, thus he’d like it to be more automated (YOU ARE HAVING A HEART ATTACK.)

There’s a question on Facebook and if they’re Google’s main competitor (because of “likes” and advertising via Facebook.

Schmidt notes that Microsoft is Google’s main competitor, that their search engine Bing might be “a little too good” and we know what he means, but that Facebook isn’t quite on the same road as them.

A man asks a question on Egypt, and Schmidt immediately notes that they’re very proud of the ways Google and Facebook and other sites were used to create a positive move in the country. Schmidt notes though that devices in countries like Egypt are too expensive, their networks are too small, and that today’s smartphones are tomorrow’s feature phones, and that the future is giving devices away for essentially free to connect everyone.

There is a question on SDKs and releases to which Schmidt notes that they try to release one single phone that shows the best that can be done, and that this happens within each big release (XOOM for Honeycomb, Nexus S for Gingerbread, etc.)

A man asks a question about education and Android, how it’s not accepted in the classroom yet.

Schmidt notes that there have been moves to get mobile into classrooms for the greater good but that there is always resistance to change in education, especially where technology is concerned.

The Q and A ended with applause, and everyone went to go get a bite to eat and were all left satisfied and smiling.

It’s well put together, too, and the display – though one big, glossy, fingerprint magnet – is bright and with decent viewing angles. Three hardware buttons are under the display, for home, back and menu, while the UI itself is pure Gingerbread with no unnecessary modifications. Unfortunately it seems ZTE’s build isn’t quite up to release status yet; we saw several force-close messages in our time with the device.

As always, though, pricing will win the day here, and the Skate 4.3′s success will depend on how good a deal ZTE can cut with the carriers. Still, with the Orange San Francisco – rated as one of the best low-cost Android devices around – aka the ZTE Blaze finding favor, there’s every possibility that a rebranded ZTE Skate 4.3 could be taking on more expensive Android rivals sometime soon.

Gone is the sponginess of the S7′s screen, replaced by a reasonably responsive capacitive screen. There’s now multitouch support in the browser and other apps, and since there’s integrated 3G – along with WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth – you get Android Market access as well, which puts the S7 Slim ahead of many other low-cost slates. There’s also an HDMI output, for hooking up an HDTV.

The touchscreen is still WVGA 800 x 480 resolution, however, while rivals like the Galaxy Tab and the new HTC Flyer have 1024 x 600 displays, and Android 2.2 Froyo – even with Huawei’s skin – isn’t ideal. The software experience is little changed from what we’ve seen before, so a selection of paneled homescreens split into work, entertainment, communications, favorites and the full apps list. It’s obviously not as slick as Honeycomb.

Still, that’s why Huawei can expect to sell the IDEOS S7 Slim for under $300 when it arrives on the market in April 2011. Meanwhile,the company has a new smartphone, the X3, and a pair of new modems, the HiLink and the Mobile WiFi Smart Pro hotspot. The X3 is headed to Japanese carrier Softbank in the spring, while the two modems will launch in April and Q2 respectively.

Press Release:

Huawei Reveals Expanded Suite of Smart Devices at 2011 Mobile World Congress

Huawei IDEOS™ X3 Smartphone – Sleek, stylish design, the thinnest device in the 3.2-inch screen range on the market with latest intuitive Android 2.3 interface
Huawei IDEOS™ S7 Slim next-generation tablet now more streamlined for easier portability
Huawei HiLink for automatic, hassle-free Internet connection anywhere, anytime
Huawei Mobile WiFi Smart Pro wireless modem with intelligent routing

Spain, Barcelona, 15 February 2011: Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, introduced its latest Android Gingerbread smartphone, the Huawei IDEOS™ X3, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on 15th February. The ultra-stylish Huawei IDEOS X3 blends sleek hardware with high-performing software to help users more effectively manage their communication and social networking activities.

At the same event, Huawei also launched the Huawei HiLink, a plug-and-link data card which connects users to high-speed Internet on-the-go, the Huawei Mobile WiFi Smart Pro wireless modem, an intelligent device which automatically selects the best high-speed Internet connection available, as well as the Huawei IDEOS™ S7 Slim, a next-generation 7-inch capacitive touchscreen tablet offering a blend of style and portability.

“The IDEOS range and our latest mobile broadband solutions are intuitive, simple to use products that offer users an enhanced mobile experience integrated seamlessly across different wireless technologies,” said Mr. Victor Xu, chief marketing officer of Huawei Device. “As we move into 2011, Huawei will continue to lead the drive to provide consumers with smart mobile connectivity at the right price.”

The Huawei IDEOS™ X3 smartphone: intuitive, power-efficient, ultra-stylish
The Huawei IDEOS X3, featuring an ultra-slim exterior, is a high-performing smartphone that boasts a 3.2-inch capacitive HVGA touchscreen, a 3.2 megapixel camera and the Huawei Handset Over-the-Air and Online Upgrade (HOTA) solution for Android, which provides users easy and timely OS upgrades. It is the thinnest device in the 3.2 inch screen range on the market. The smartphone runs on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform, which features a refined user interface that makes the smartphone easy to navigate, more intuitive and more power-efficient.

The Huawei IDEOS X3 also comes standard with applications that allow users to easily manage information and seamlessly sync their various social communication channels.

Product availability:

· The Huawei IDEOS™ X3 will be available in Japan via SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp. from Spring 2011[1].

· The Huawei IDEOS™ S7 Slim will be available in April 2011.

· The Huawei HiLink will be available in Europe in Q2 2011.

· The Huawei Mobile WiFi Smartpro will be available in Q2 2011.

Schmidt continues by noting the Cloud and how we’re in an age where it doesn’t matter what machine you’re on, you can drop it and pick up another to access the very same info. He asks Google exec Gill to the stage who introduces the Nexus S uploading photos to Picasa and notes that the Motorola XOOM would be good for this as well.

He then shows off a new App called Movie Studio. This is slick a movie editor that works with still photos and movies, effects, zooms and more. Essentially it looks like a very simple movie editor (like the one on that fruit-based platform, for example, with an i in front of it.) The difference here is the simplicity in using via a touch interface. Dragging and dropping with fingers.

He then saves for YouTube, checks his channel, and uploads the video in basically an instant. Once we’re able to access the video (in a couple minutes, it seems, we’ll be able to upload it here. Very neat.

Google Video Studio for Android Honeycomb demo:

There’s also GPS, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and twin cameras: a front-facing webcam for video calls, and a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back for photography and video. Like the WiFi 5.0 it can play back 720p HD video. There’s Android Market access, an FM radio, 8GB or 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot.

Hands-on, it’s just like a Galaxy S smartphone, though of course you miss out on 3G and the camera is lower resolution. It’s quick, thanks to the 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, and Samsung preload Skype and Qik for VoIP and video calls. As a PMP, it’s a compelling device, though perhaps a little large; still, if an iPod touch is too small for you, and if Samsung price the Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 PMP correctly, this could be a solid Android alternative to the Apple media player.

WorldGSM doesn’t need to be cooled and can be set up by people with virtually no technical know-how. Each unit costs roughly $20,000 and provides up to 10 Mbps of connectivity. Each base station draws less than 50 watts, meaning solar panels can keep them running “off the grid”. The system is expandable too, allowing impoverished areas to broaden their coverage at a pace they can afford.

There are nearly two billion people online today, but billions more live in areas where the power grid itself is unreliable. But with data-driven cell phones and the WorldGSM, these folks finally have a practical option to get wired. Now, if only the unit on the show floor was working. A 10 Mbps connection sounds real nice, right about now.

Since it runs Android, and has Android Market access, there’s plenty of software out there, and a microphone – tuned, Samsung tells us, for VoIP apps like Skype – means that, as long as you have a wireless connection (or a mobile hotspot) you could feasibly use this as a phone replacement. In fact, Skype and Qik Plus are both preloaded, along with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.

In the hand, we couldn’t help but find the Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 a little unwieldy; like the Dell Streak, it can feel too much like there’s a foot in each camp – smartphone-scale and tablet-scale – and convincing success in neither. Screen quality is strong, though it’s an Super Clear LCD TFT panel rather than a Super AMOLED or Super AMOLED Plus, if a little lacking in clarity. It’s only really side-by-side that you notice any shortcomings, however.

An HDMI output, stereo speakers and Samsung’s SoundAlive audio DSP system round out the key specs. What we don’t know at this stage is pricing; that’s likely to be the deciding factor as to whether this oversized iPod touch rival can take on its Apple foe.

Video demo after the cut

By default, it consists of six panes – My Tablet, Friends, Music, Photos, Video and Web – each of which can be scrolled between horizontally, reorganized and scrolled vertically to show more content. A further “View All Applications” layout – which is portrait, not landscape – looks remarkably like an early Android homescreen; the MeeGo reps we were talking to acted quite sheepish when we pointed that out.

Friends is the social networking side, pulling in updates from RSS feeds, social networks, email accounts like Gmail, Last.fm and other sources. Music, Photos and Video are self-explanatory – each opening up into a straightforward gallery of content – while Web lists your most recently visited sites first and then has bookmarks at the bottom. Downloads from the AppUp store can be found in the All Applications view.

MeeGo tablet UI demo:

It works, in as much as it does exactly what the MeeGo team says it does (though multitouch hadn’t been enabled on this particular demo unit), but it feels spartan in comparison to rival platforms. There’s none of the sense of flexibility you get from iOS and Android: the overly-simplistic layout leaves the UI feeling more like that of a web-connected digital photo frame than a modern tablet.

Still, that could be a boon for those for whom other tablets intimidate with their complexity. Even an iPad can be a struggle for an entry-level user, and the simple swiping list system MeeGo offers might appeal. Whether MeeGo-adopting OEMs can cultivate that into a sizeable enough market, though, remains to be seen.

Video demo after the cut

Of the two, the ChaCha makes the best hardware impression. HTC may be envisaging it as a relatively affordable handset, but the matte white and silver casing feels solid and high quality, and the keyboard has decent finger feedback despite the pre-production status. The screen, too, may only be HVGA resolution, but because all those pixels are squeezed down into a 2.6-inch panel, it looks great. The bend in the chassis lets the ChaCha sit nicely in your hands as you thumb out messages.

The Salsa is a little less inspiring, though the bigger screen is likely to be eye-catching in stores. As we initially suspected, it feels very much like the Legend, if somewhat less weighty and premium in its build. The Facebook buttons on both devices light up when you’re looking at something you can share online.

HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa hands-on:

As for software, neither prototype had final software present; in fact the Salsa seemed to be showing a screenshot rather than anything else. You can see it bounce across when we accidentally thumb the display in the video above. That will have to wait until production units are ready for review, and that won’t be until sometime in Q2 2011.

The phone promises 20 to 24 hours of talk time or when used for GPS tracking the device will last up to 26 hours with MRM applications with 5-minute location interval updates. The phone has a 2MP camera with LED flash and digital zoom for job site information storage and the device can run JAVA apps.

The XP3300 can be submerged in 2 meters of water and survive and can keep going after a drop from 2 meters up onto concrete. The screen on the phone is a 2-inch unit and has 1.5mm thick Gorilla Glass over it. The housing of the device is reinforced with fiberglass and it can survive salt, fog, humidity, and thermal shock. The phone is good for 800 hours on standby and has noise cancellation tech. Pricing is unknown.

All three of the new chips use low power 65nm CMOS design and support wireless stereo music and hands free phone calls with the same headset. Key features include a ROM-based solution that needs no external memory for lower cost and less bulk. The chips have noise cancellation tech for clear audio and voice recognition for voice commands.

The voice prompts support multiple languages, the language tech is integrated into the chip, and the chips have fast charge tech that allows recharging in a few minutes. The BCM20770 is an entry-level handset with basic features. The BCM20771 is aimed at single mic mainstream headsets with SmartAudio capability. The BCM20772 is the high-end offering with all the features available.

The full cloud gaming service is integrated into the HTC Flyer. Those familiar with the OnLive will instantly recognize the same user experience that is on the PC and TV versions of the service. The noticeable difference is that virtual control pads show up as soft keys on the screen of the tablet.

Another part of the demo that stood out included Steve Perlman demonstrating the OnLive service also running on the HTC EVO 4G hooked out to a TV via HDMI out. He then used the existing OnLive controller to play the same game that was being played on the Flyer through the EVO 4G on the LCD TV.

Check the out full demo in the video:

The base station uses the MacroMAX product as the foundation for WiMax capability. The carrier can migrate the network over to LTE as they want without having to replace the hardware making an upgrade cheaper.

The compact base station is designed to be left outdoors, has MIMO capability, and advanced Frequency Doman Scheduling. That allows the base station to enable more throughput and use more of the spectrum available, which means users get more speed and better connectivity. The base station works on 700MHz to 3.8GHz frequencies.

Video demo after the cut

Generally, performance is in line with what we’re familiar with from the Verizon version of the Incredible, though the Incredible S does add in a front-facing webcam along with its GSM radios. That means HTC’s new video call app is present, along with the Mirror app. We’ve a feeling, though, that keen users will happily switch the Incredible S’ 4-inch touchscreen for the Desire S’ 3.7-inch touchscreen and Android 2.4 Honeycomb out of the box, rather than Froyo on the larger phone.

HTC Incredible S hands-on:

If HTC can push out the promised Gingerbread update in a timely manner, then the Incredible S will look a more tempting proposition; assuming, of course, you’re a fan of the industrial styling.

You don’t get a front-facing webcam, however, which means HTC’s new video call app is missing, and otherwise Sense feels pretty much the same as before. Still, this is described as evolutionary, not revolutionary, and the broader app compatibility with the extra pixels on offer should be enough to tempt in cost-conscious users.

HTC Wildfire S hands-on:

What will make or break the Wildfire S, as was the case with the Wildfire, is the pricing, and from what we’ve seen in the past the carriers will be looking to push the smartphone from free with a £20 agreement in the UK at least. US availability hasn’t been discussed at this stage, though we think North America could find a budget Android phone of this sort pretty appealing.

If, however, HTC’s ChaCha and Salsa managed to slot in at the almost-as-cheap price point that the company is talking about, the Wildfire S’ biggest competition may well be its own siblings. Packing everything the Wildfire S does, as well as the boosted Facebook flexibility, we’d probably take the social networking devices over the basic Sense phone.

The big feature of the Stone 2 is the voice control that allows for hands free communication and the voice system will tell the user who is calling as well and then calls can be answered or blocked using voice commands. The Stone 2 also has a wireless charger that recharges the headset on the go. The Freeway is a new device that is a first for the in-car speakerphone market and it will be coming to the US in Q2.

The device has three speakers that use virtual surround sound to make the conversation clearer than ever. If you have a noisy car that extra speaker will help things significantly. The Freeway has a motion sensor that turns the speakerphone on and off when it senses the door open or close making for better battery life without having to remember to turn the device off by hand. Pricing is unknown at this time.

Here at MWC 2011 Qualcomm also announced a quad core SnapDragon chipset called the APQ8064. They are yet to demonstrate quad core but have been vocal about this new chipset as a part of their roadmap.

Responsiveness is the same as the Desire too, since it’s still a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon. Qualcomm and HTC did confirm at the press conference that the two companies were working together on multi-core models, though there’s no timescale attached.

HTC Desire S hands-on

The front-facing webcam is only VGA quality, but it does what you’d expect; there’s a video chat app together with a new Mirror app that shows you exactly what the camera can can see. While the production Desire S will be running Android 2.4 Gingerbread, these demo units use Android 2.3.2; the only difference, HTC told us, between 2.3.2 and 2.4 are a few bug fixes and some application tweaks so that single-core Gingerbread phones will play nicely with apps written for multi-core chipsets.

HTC itself is describing the Desire S as evolutionary, not revolutionary, and to be fair that’s all the market needs right now. The original Desire is still selling well, and this new model will only improve that.

The dedicated Facebook button actually glows when you’re looking at something on the device which can be shared, whether that’s a photo, a link, a music track or something else. Holding it down would trigger Facebook Places, and the traditional Facebook clock widget has been updated with a friend ticker that shows their latest updates.

The HTC Salsa is less exciting, perhaps, if only because it’s so familiar to previous HTC devices. With its HVGA touchscreen it’s basically an updated HTC Legend – even the 600MHz CPU runs at the same speed as the unibody handset- and so we’re expecting much the same from it. Both will go on sale in Q2 2011.

We grabbed a non-functioning prototype last week, and came away reassured by the build quality. Hardware-wise, the Flyer feels more solid than the Galaxy Tab, with a high-quality, flex-free chassis. It’s easier to hold than the Samsung, too, with two slightly raised edges when you grip in landscape orientation. In portrait, the 122mm wide body is easily held in one hand, like a traditional notebook; that makes for note-taking using the digital stylus straightforward, though we do wish HTC had found space for a silo to dock it. Instead, you have to make sure you have the bundled pouch – which has a loop for the pen – to carry it.

The most interesting aspect of the Flyer, of course, is the new software – a freshly updated version of HTC Sense on top of Android 2.4 Gingerbread – and the way the active digitizer interacts with it. In landscape orientation there’s a new carousel desktop, which scrolls left and right with a finger-swipe. Icons float above the wallpaper, giving everything an impression of 3D. A persistent shortcut bar across the bottom of the screen gives access to the main app menu, HTC’s new Notes app, Skype, Snaptooth and an art app. There’s also a dedicated Notes shortcut button underneath the display, alongside the usual home, menu and back buttons.

In portrait, meanwhile, the carousel is more simplistic; HTC expects the Flyer to be used in this orientation – pen in one hand – more often, though at around 415g it’s still reasonable to hold it one-handed in landscape without it feeling too unwieldily.

HTC has spent a lot of time finessing the snapshot, content clipping and annotation side of the Flyer, and our demo video will show it off better than we can describe it.

HTC Flyer demo:

“A lot has been made about an individual Facebook phone, but we’re going to see multiple devices this year,” Zuckerberg explained, referring to third-party manufacturers pushing out their own interpretations. “The ones that are best are the ones that jump in and are social from the ground up.” He described HTC as “taking the initiative” with building deeper Facebook support into HTC Sense; the dedicated Facebook button on the Salsa and ChaCha allows for instant photo uploads, location sharing and more.

“We’re very happy with the direction HTC has taken” Zuckerberg continued “and we look forward to much more to come.” We’ll be grabbing hands-on time with the HTC ChaCha and Salsa as soon as the event is over, so stay tuned.

As we’ve seen on other video chat apps, the UI is simple: a preview display of your own video feed in the lower left hand corner, a full-screen view of the person you’re calling, and then basic controls for managing the call. There’s a dedicated End Call button, audio control and the option to shut off the video.

What we’re still waiting to hear is which devices you can intercommunicate between, whether you’ll need to be talking to another HTC device owner (like Apple currently limits Face Time inside its own ecosystem) or if there’ll be broader flexibility. We’ll be finding more later on in our hands-on with the new phones.

Announced earlier today, the new tablet matches the Samsung Galaxy Tab on screen size and resolution, with a 7-inch, capacitive multitouch 1024 x 600 display. As you’d expect, you generally control Android (here 2.4 Gingerbread, rather than the Galaxy Tab’s 2.2 Froyo) with your fingers, pinch-zooming, swiping and flicking around HTC’s updated Sense UI.

What’s different is the active stylus HTC has also included. It’s no plastic toothpick, as we’ve grown to hate from resistive touchscreens, and nor is it a so-called capacitive pen which mimics a fingertip for some semblance of increased accuracy on slates like the iPad. Instead it’s a truly different way of interacting with the Flyer by touch: the pressure-sensitive nib communicates its position wirelessly with the digitiser, while two barrel buttons default to erase and text-selection. To HTC’s specially-coded apps, which at launch will be the only software that supports the stylus, the nib presents as a new type of touch event, distinct from a finger.

SlashGear caught up with HTC last week, ahead of the Flyer’s launch, to talk about the new slate and the company’s plans for the segment, and user experience manager Drew Bamford was insistent that this double-control paradigm would boost, not confuse, usability. General navigation and control will still be done by fingertip, you won’t have to whip out the stylus to peck your way through tiny text menus. However, when a pen makes more sense than a finger – sketching, annotating photos and text, making handwritten notes – then the HTC Flyer gives that option.

For those used to stabbing at onscreen keyboards, that might still sound more like a hassle than a boon. HTC’s primary hurdle, then, will be convincing would-be Flyer adopters that the pen makes sense for them. There’s a world of difference between the scraping feel of a resistive stylus dragging out a jagged line on a cheap tablet, and the free-flowing liberation of digital ink. It’s here that HTC’s partnership with Evernote plays its role: a little-appreciated ability of the online notebook service is that it can recognize handwriting and thus allow it to be searched. So, if you’ve jotted down a list of names by hand on your Flyer, an Evernote search will include them in the results.

The partnership means that digital ink won’t be limited solely to the Flyer and some proprietary format, but visible across various smartphone platforms and the desktop. No conversion, no awkward synchronization to get your Flyer notes onto your computer; just boot up Evernote and there they are. Even iOS users will be able to get in on the action, though they’ll only be able to read, not create, handwritten Flyer notes.

So far, so good, but if HTC really wants to succeed then it will need to show the market that the Flyer is more than just an anomaly, that it is in fact the first step in a new breed of tablets. The company tells us that’s certainly the case, that they’re “not just dipping our toe into the water”, but it will take hardware and software to cement that. If HTC can push out new hardware with digital ink support, as well as simultaneously open up its touch drivers and export APIs so that third-party apps and services can take advantage of the active stylus and the digital notes users create, that should go a long way to satisfying those to whom even polished tablets like the iPad feel, sometimes, like big smartphones.

Many would like us to believe that the tablet wars are already won: that Apple has spent 2010 solidifying its lead and setting the benchmark against which not only are all other slates measured, but will be found wanting. To some extent that’s true, if only because it’s the nature of the industry to compare what’s new today to what led the pack yesterday. However, even with millions of sales and millions more to come, the consumer tablet market is still in its infancy. Honeycomb is likely to be a game-changer, HP is doing its utmost to make sure the webOS-based TouchPad is one too, and RIM is looking to shake up more than just the business segment with the BlackBerry PlayBook.

In that evolutionary/revolutionary hybrid the HTC Flyer is a wildcard. Yes, users and developers may take some persuading, but there are plenty of people unconvinced that on-screen keyboards are the pinnacle of tablet usability. A few more models will help bed down the technology, but even if Apple’s iPad won the first tablet battle, the war is far from over.

After a record quarter of HTC device sales, Chou said the onus is on HTC to continue to improve the Sense experience. The company has already told us that it sees the UI and software suite – which will soon be getting OnLive gaming and streaming movie servies – as an essential part of the HTC proposition.

That means that, even when devices like the HTC Flyer are updated to Android 3.0 Honeycomb shortly after its launch, HTC will still be loading Sense and it won’t be something – third-party ROMs aside – that users will be able to turn off. Whether HTC will be pushing for the same sort of flexibility with Windows Phone, now that Nokia has agreed such a deal with Microsoft, remains to be seen.

Hit the Facebook key when you’re looking at a photo, for instance, and the ChaCha and Salsa will automatically offer to upload it. You can tag people in the image, add comments, choose whether to create a new gallery or add it to an existing photo collection, and even define privacy settings. Press the Facebook button while listening to music, meanwhile, and the currently playing track will be listed on your wall along with an Amazon link to preview and purchase it. A long press of the Facebook key pulls up Facebook Places, again with various privacy options attached. It’s also worth noting that, because Sense is the engine behind all this, you can also share simultaneously with Twitter if you choose to.

The Android calendar is automatically populated with Facebook events, but HTC has also added further detail such as comments and attendees for each event. The related wall and photos are also attached. Facebook messages are included in the universal inbox, and Facebook Chat is supported with user presence indicated in the Android address book. HTC is quick to point out that this isn’t an exclusive Facebook endorsed device – there will be other Facebook-centric handsets from other manufacturers, for instance – but that the two companies have worked closely to make sure the experience lives up to expectations.

It’s all built on top of Android 2.4 Gingerbread and a new version of HTC Sense, which the company had to modify to suit the relatively small, pixel-dense display of the ChaCha. The usual row of Android buttons are touch-sensitive keys under the screen, and there’s a chin-like kink in the phone that angles the keyboard out a little. Physically, the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are based on a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 512MB of both RAM and ROM, and has both 5-megapixel front and VGA rear cameras, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. While the ChaCha gets its physical keyboard, the HTC Salsa is targeted more clearly at what the company describes as the “playful youth market”; that adds up to a harlequin collection of colors around the camera on the back, and a generally more eye-catching design.

The relatively slow processor means that HTC can keep the price down, and that means the ChaCha and Salsa should actually launch in-between the Wildfire S and Desire S in terms of cost. Exact pricing is yet to be confirmed, though HTC says operator interest worldwide has been strong ahead of the expected launch at the end of Q2 2011. We already know that Vodafone UK has signed up to the ChaCha at least, and we imagine they won’t be alone as Facebook mobile fever catches on.

Press Release:

HTC UNVEILS TWO SOCIAL PHONES WITH ONE-TOUCH FACEBOOK® ACCESS

HTC raises the bar for mobile social phones with HTC ChaChaTM and HTC SalsaTM

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announced two new phones built entirely to be social, combining the simplicity, ease-of-use and depth of HTC SenseTM with the power and connectivity of Facebook®. As part of an extended portfolio of six new HTC Sense-based devices being unveiled at Mobile World Congress, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa feature a dedicated Facebook® button for one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service that are integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience.

“HTC has always understood that different people want different things and the new HTC ChaCha and Salsa offer special new ways to experience Facebook on a mobile device,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “With more than 500 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become synonymous with the social web and we wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phones with mass market appeal.”

“We have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage,” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook. “HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.”

The Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa is context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. With a single press of the button, you can update your status, upload a photo, share a Website, post what song you are listening to, ‘check in’ to a location and more. For example, you can take a photograph of friends on your phone and upload it instantly to Facebook by simply pressing the button. Or let your friends know what song you’re listening to by pressing the button while listening to music on the phone. The track is automatically identified and shared on Facebook.

The new devices feature Android 2.4, the latest version, and use the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When you make a phone call, the dialer screen displays your friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells you if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when you receive a call from a Facebook friend. You can also use your phone’s existing contacts to help you connect with them on Facebook or personalize your handset further with a number of new, Facebook-branded widgets.

The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones make it simple to stay in touch with your friends using Facebook Chat and Messages on your phone. Your Facebook messages and conversations are integrated within your phone and appear within your text and email inboxes alongside your regular conversations.

Stay connected with the smartphone for the Facebook generation – HTC ChaCha
The HTC ChaCha smartphone is designed to provide a seamless, social experience by enabling you to stay in touch with your friends anytime, anywhere. The unique tilt design shapes the display and physical QWERTY keyboard so it is easy to view and comfortable to type. Capture special moments in crisp, High-Definition detail or video chat with your friends using the dual cameras, including a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. The ChaCha smartphone also brings the Internet to your fingertips with a 2.6-inch, 480 x 320 resolution landscape touch screen.

Your Facebook friends never felt closer – HTC Salsa
Boasting the same deep Facebook integration as the HTC ChaCha smartphone, the HTC Salsa smartphone provides a fast, high-performance smartphone experience. Capture the moment in high-resolution stills or video with the 5-megapixel camera and immediately share it with friends on the generous 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 resolution touch display. Upload your photos to Facebook at the touch of a button. For face-to-face conversations on the move, the VGA forward-facing camera enables high-quality video calling.

Availability
The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones will be available to customers globally starting in Q2 2011.

As well as working as a regular capacitive touchscreen with multitouch gesture support, the Flyer’s display packs an active digitizer. Bundled is a battery-powered stylus – it uses an AAAA battery which HTC says should rarely need replacing – that’s pressure sensitive, and allows for handwriting recognition, sketching and flowing ink in the newly adapted Sense. HTC has created a new app, Notes, specifically for stylus use, into which you can paste and annotate text and photos, and then sync them wirelessly to Evernote. Notes will also allow you to record audio in a feature called Timemark, time-linking your handwritten jottings to index points along the track so that you can skip easily to each section. They’re also linked to the calendar, so you’re offered a new note when you have a scheduled appointment, or the chance to append to old notes for recurring appointments.

That’s not the extent of Sense’s adaptations, however. HTC has completely redesigned the UI to suit a tablet’s 1024 x 600 display, with a new 3D homescreen complete with floating widgets. In landscape orientation, icons are arranged into a carousel, while in portrait orientation – which HTC user experience manager Drew Bamford tells us the company expects most users to favor, given the Flyer’s compact, notepad-scale dimensions and option of two-handed stylus use – there’s a new 3D grid of apps.

The HTC Flyer may not run Android 3.0 Honeycomb out of the box – HTC says that “soon after” launch there will be a Honeycomb OTA update, and the company assured SlashGear that the timeliness of that update shouldn’t be impeded by carrier modifications – but it still gets dual-pane apps of HTC’s own making. There’s multi-pane browsing, calendar, email and address book, and, perhaps frustrating some would-be users, even when Honeycomb arrives, like HTC’s smartphones there won’t be a way to turn Sense off (short of flashing a custom ROM, of course).

Third-party developers won’t be left out of the Flyer’s unique stylus use, with HTC hoping to quickly release the necessary HTC Scribe Technology driver to allow other apps to take advantage of the dual-mode touchscreen. HTC isn’t saying which company provides the stylus technology, though Bamford did tell us that they’d auditioned “pretty much them all” before settling on the system that best fit with the existing touch panels the company uses. To apps themselves, the nib is presented as another touch point, albeit coded as a different type, so apps can respond differently to the stylus and a fingertip touching the same controls. The finger will still reign supreme for general use, however, with the stylus not expected to be used for navigation. Finally, there’s a new content drive that will see HTC put OnLive streaming gaming and a “Watch” app for streaming movies and TV on the Flyer.

All that software magic is wrapped in a unibody chassis combining matte-finish aluminum and sturdy white plastic. There are front and rear cameras, a 4,000 mAh battery and a custom microUSB port that ensures not only backward compatibility with regular accessories but HTC’s new high-power charger. Battery life is tipped at a whopping 820 to 1470 hours of standby – that’s over 61 days – while video playback is up to four hours. The first Flyer units will have integrated HSPA+ connectivity, albeit for data only, while a WiFi b/g/n-only version will follow “pretty soon” after. There’s also Bluetooth 3.0, 32GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot.

They’ll be the first in a new range for HTC, too. “We’re pretty serious about this category,” the company told us at a pre-briefing last week, “we’re not just dipping our toe into the water.” While they wouldn’t be drawn on what sort of models are next on the roadmap, we’ve heard separately that a 9-inch slate is a strong possibility.

The Flyer will come with the stylus – that has two buttons, by default mapped to erase and text-select – and a pouch case with a loop for the pen itself. There’ll also be a range of accessories, including a second case that can turn into a stand, a desktop dock, and a Bluetooth keyboard for easier text entry. HTC isn’t talking specific pricing at this stage, but will say that it’s targeting the sort of “high end” tablets, like the iPad, that we’ve already seen on the market. The HTC Flyer should arrive globally in early Q2 2011.

Press Release:

HTC UNVEILS HTC FLYER, THE FIRST TABLET WITH HTC SENSE

Aluminum unibody design with touch and pen interaction make HTC Flyer unique

First tablet with HTC Watch video service, HTC Scribe Technology
and OnLive gaming

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced its first tablet, the HTC FlyerTM. HTC Flyer blends HTC’s trademark design language with an all-new HTC Sense user experience that has been reimagined for the tablets. Using an intuitive and innovative approach to tablets, HTC Flyer combines natural touch and pen interaction. HTC also announced HTC Watch, a new connected video service that will debut on HTC Flyer tablet, and will collaborate with OnLive Inc. to launch the first cloud-based mobile gaming service on a tablet.

“Clearly, smartphones have transformed our lives but as we observed how people use smartphones, computers and other technologies, we saw an opportunity to create a tablet experience that is different, more personal and productive,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We are progressing down a path as an industry when people will no longer be in a single device paradigm, but have multiple wireless devices for different needs; this is the direction we are moving.”

Encased in a sleek aluminum unibody, the HTC Flyer tablet exudes the iconic style and build quality HTC is known for. It is also ultra-light, weighing as little as a paperback book, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket only. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed HSPA+ wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.

HTC Sense for Tablet
HTC Sense revolutionized smartphones by placing the person at the center of the experience. HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. A unique carousel of widgets puts a user’s most important content and information at the visual center of the experience. The HTC Flyer tablet also offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5.

HTC Scribe Technology
Touch interaction lights up the HTC Flyer tablet experience, but it also offers a groundbreaking pen experience. With the new HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can rediscover the natural act of writing. HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo.

HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet transforms traditional note-taking into smart note-taking by integrating natural onscreen writing with thoughtful and integrated innovations. A feature called Timemark enables you to capture the audio of a meeting in line with your written notes, so tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording of the meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off. In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with Evernote, the world-leading notes application and service.

Streaming Mobile Movies with HTC Watch
The HTC Flyer tablet premieres HTC Watch, HTC’s new video download service. The HTC Watch service enables low-cost on-demand progressive downloading of hundreds of High-Definition movies from major studios. The intuitive, natural design of the HTC Watch service makes it easy to find the latest movie and video content, while advanced technology on the back-end enables instant playback over the HTC Flyer tablet’s high-speed wireless connection.

Mobile Gaming with OnLive
HTC takes mobile gaming to an entirely new level by being the first mobile device in the world to integrate OnLive Inc.’s revolutionary cloud-based gaming service. OnLive is leading in the home gaming market by letting people play top video games on their televisions without the need to buy expensive gaming hardware or software. When integrated fully, the OnLive service will enable customers to pipe the OnLive service through the HTC Flyer tablet’s broadband wireless to their television sets, or let them play directly on the tablet. When integrated on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can play a variety of games, including hits like Assassin’s Creed II, NBA 2K11 and Lego Batman.

Availability
HTC Flyer will be available to customers globally during Q2 2011.

That will be upgraded to Android 2.4 Gingerbread “early on” the company promises, though there’s no more specific timescale than that. What you do get is HTC Sense, an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash on the back, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel webcam for video calls. 1.1GB of internal storage, 768MB of RAM and a microSD memory card slot round things out.

The HTC Incredible S will be the first of HTC’s “evolutionary” updates to go on sale, arriving in early Q2 2011. No word on pricing at this stage.

Press Release:

HTC LAUNCHES THREE NEW SMARTPHONES WITH HTC SENSE

HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S deliver premium style, power and speed

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today unveiled three new versions of its most popular and advanced smartphones – HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S. The new smartphones continue HTC’s commitment to expanding the market for advanced smartphones while providing distinct choices in design, power and value. Each phone also includes HTC Sense, HTC’s unique customer-focused user experience that puts people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way.
“HTC developed the HTC Sense experience to bring cutting-edge innovation to our customers in simple and natural ways that just make sense – this is what HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S represent best,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “These new phones offer an exhilarating mix of style, innovation and features that extend people’s mobile experience in ways that feel personal and completely original.”

HTC Desire S
As a successor to the popular and award-winning HTC Desire, the new HTC Desire S blends stunning design with power and speed. Inspired by the HTC Legend™ smartphone’s aluminium design, the HTC Desire S is sculpted out of a single block of aluminum making it feel solid and natural in your hand. With Qualcomm’s new 1GHz 8255 Snapdragon™ processor, the HTC Desire S offers snappy performance and power. It offers dual front and back cameras, High-Definition video recording and the 3.7-inch WVGA display presents multimedia content brilliantly.

HTC Wildfire S
Building on the popularity of the HTC Wildfire™ smartphone, the HTC Wildfire S smartphone is an affordable, compact and playful device that packs a powerful smartphone experience. It enables people to maintain and build connections and friendships through popular sites like Facebook®, as well as through voice and text messaging. You can instantly tag your friends in photos before posting them on Facebook, or share your latest discoveries from the Android™ Market at the touch of a button.

HTC Wildfire S is one of HTC’s smallest phones ever – measuring just 10.13cm long and 5.94cm wide – and boasts a distinctive 3.2 inch, HVGA display.

Celebrate your individuality and choose from a wide variety of colors including black, purple and white. The phone’s home screen is fully customizable with your favorite apps, widgets and content, while a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus, expandable microSD™ memory and support for a variety of audio and video formats make a great all-around multimedia device that slips easily into any pocket.

HTC Incredible S
The alluring HTC Incredible S smartphone combines cutting-edge design with a premium mobile experience for those who dare to be different. Showing what can be achieved when engineers and designers work together to raise the bar for mobile phone design, the HTC Incredible S smartphone features a stunning, contoured body that highlights the internal hardware components of the device. Capturing and viewing video in crystal clear High-Definition has never been so easy and a bright 4-inch WVGA Super LCD display and stereo surround sound bring a vibrant cinematic experience to the palm of your hand.

HTC Incredible S also takes high quality pictures with its 8-megapixel camera with dual flash, and it easily enables videos, photos and music to be shared from the handset direct to a TV using DLNA® technology. Thanks to the HTC Incredible S’s front facing camera and video call functionality, users will constantly be able to chat with their friends face-to-face.

Availability
The HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S smartphones, will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets during Q2 2011.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.