Scalado is a leading camera and imaging technology group that has been focusing on bringing enhanced capabilities to smartphones. While they don’t currently offer their awesome Remove feature, or the Panorama you’re about to see below as stand alone apps yet — they might in the future.

Below is a demonstration of Scalado’s Panorama 360. This isn’t your average panoramic shot, instead you can shoot in any direction you’d like, as many times as you’d like, and there is no lining up or room for error. It just works! Not just left to right either, but up or down. Every direction works and it’s all handled in-app. The hands-on video you’ll see how quick and easy he takes an impressive 360 panorama shot even though it’s a boring office hallway. The live shot that follows at the end of the clip is the real treat.

Their slogan is “one click for perfect panoramas” and it really shows with the demonstration. Being able to take a full 360 degree set of photos up to 30 megapixels and then view it right on the smartphone after is pretty neat. Not only is this panorama made easy, but it also gives users a unique view where you can enjoy the panorama shots either in classic flat view, or as a virtual reality image and scroll around it as shown above.

Currently Scalado camera features are not available on the market, but are clearly ready. They are aiming to partner with smartphone manufacturers and let them offer these unique features to differentiate their devices from others on the market. We have heard they are in talks with Sony and possible HTC moving forward but hopefully we’ll see these apps available for all sometime soon. All I know is I want this kind of Panorama 360 quality on my Galaxy Nexus today!

At the heart of Qualcomm’s argument is the current nature of smartphone and tablet usage. “There’s really not enough threads in a typical smartphone use-case to warrant even a third core” Choudury believes, suggesting that in fact the same is true with notebooks and desktops. Qualcomm’s own software engineers use the same laptops to output complex code for Snapdragons as Choudury and the rest of the team use for email and browsing, he points out.

As Choudury sees it, the speed and core-count race is pretty much over in smartphone and tablet chipsets just as it has quietened down in desktop processors. Instead, Qualcomm is chasing usable refinement rather than on-paper success, he says.

“There are still so many gaps in the Android browser in terms of performance” Choudury points out. Qualcomm has been working on streamlining the connection between the Snapdragon modem and the browser, and has managed to achieve a 30-percent reduction in first page load time and a subsequent 22-percent cut in page reloads when over a 3G or 4G connection. The enhanced browser and Snapdragon performance also means devices running Qualcomm’s chips score 68-percent higher in V8 JavaScript benchmarking than Tegra 3 devices, the product exec claims.

They’re not the only improvements. The Snapdragon S4 can offload CSS Transforms processing to the GPU from the CPU as well as deliver hardware-acceleration for HTML5 canvas rendering. From Honeycomb onward, Snapdragon-based devices are capable of processing multiple in-page videos in the browser, loading them onto the GPU until it’s completely saturated; as standard, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich can only play one in-page video at a time.

Choudury had already taken one swipe at Intel arguing that the x86 chip company is still uncompetitive in its mobile plans. Qualcomm is now looking to chase them in PCs, working with Microsoft on similar refinements for Windows 8 computers that run in Snapdragon ARM chipsets. Exactly what those refinements are, he wouldn’t say.

Even with his dismissal of cores, Choudury concedes that Qualcomm is of course falling in line with the rest of the market and has a quadcore S4 in the pipeline for later in the year. In its defense, however, it is capable of adjusting the clock speed of each core independently, so that even if they’re all active, they’re not running at full speed and will thus consume less power. More on that system in our Krait hands-on coverage.

This tour will start at the front desk where you’d be lucky to find an Android pin without being extra excellent at timing and charm. Next there’s the gigantic television screen playing loops of the Galaxy Nexus floating through space, this above a cove of sorts designed by Mr Brainwash brand graffiti, this area promoting Google Music almost exclusively. Also in this room was one of two Android claw machines which anyone could win a plush Android or Android plastic toy from – these plastic toys, by the way, were part of the series just released in recent weeks by Andrew Bell and crew over at Dead Zebra, much like last year when they pre-released Series 2 via Google at MWC again.

*UPDATE: actually the graffiti in the Google Music area was done by “Graffiti4hire ltd”, a UK-based graffiti painting crew commissioned by Google to do this job specifically – check out more images of the work here in their Facebook album: [Pre-Show].

Next on the tour is the all-powerful Android device conveyer belt. If you’ve heard of an Android device and it isn’t here, there’s almost certainly something wrong with it. What Google’s done here is to show the utter power of expansion that the Android operating system has, with everything from the oldest to the newest devices up for peeking at. Then there’s a giant Android slide above the belt for those that love to look fabulously goofy as Google takes a photo of them and prints it up for you to take home.

The main bulk of this whole showing is made up of giant Android statues which hold several Android developers each. There’s developers of games, Google developers making official Google-released apps, and manufacturers along the back as well. Along the opposite wall of the belt there’s an “Android Design” wall which shows off the many strange ways you can use Android to control objects that normally aren’t associated with the mobile world, like light switches and non-mobile touchscreens with icons galore floating about.

Also along those lines there’s an Android tablet-controlled robot in the center of the room picking up Galaxy Nexus battery covers and placing them down to be bejeweled according to a series of Android-related designs that the user can choose from. These design were made by – you guessed it – Android Bell, and because so many people wanted to get their hands on one of these magical items, Google had to implement a giveaway system where people who tried the robot out were put into a hat and chosen at random to win one of their creations.

Then the biggest Android head is once again, just like 2011, home to a series of Google employees serving up Android-flavored smoothies. Everything from Gingerbread to FroYo and back to Donut. The Ice Cream Sandwich bit was then saved for actual Android-shaped Ice Cream Sandwiches which were also given away to lucky Android lovers. Great fun for all!

For an awesome full-on comparison to last year’s Google Pod, simply head back to the Android Community 2011 tour of the Google Pod narrated by yours truly, or simply check the tour out here, also in video form:

What we’re going to do here is separate everything by brand. First there’s a big set of smartphone and tablet manufacturers, then we’ve got Google, then the big processor manufacturers, Microsoft, and the rest. I should also let you know that we’re not quite done yet here, with a selection of other oddities still up our sleeves set for release over the next few days as well. Continue checking our [MWC 2012 portal] for the full pack!

One of the first events we attended was an LG booth preview, this meeting / miniature keynote had us also able to check out the full line of devices announced the week before MWC 2012 by LG. We were able to check out the full LG Optimus L-Style family including the L7, L5, and L3 in all their mid-range glory. Next we had a peek at the all-powerful LG Optimus 4X, a Tegra 3 toting next generation smartphone following up on the original world’s first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X. Another follow-up nest-generation device we got to handle was the LG Optimus 3D Max, and the LG response to the Galaxy Note, the LG Optimus Vu, a massive smartphone / tablet hybrid with a 4×3 height x width ratio.

Sony decided to doll out a couple more Xperia devices, each of them slightly unsurprising to a fine degree. We first got official word that the Xperia P existed, then got a hands-on experience with the device. We also finally got to handle the fabled Sony Xperia U in all its square goodness.

If there was one smartphone manufacturer that brought their A-game and threw it all out on the floor, drew a line in the sand, and said “let’s do this thing”, it was HTC. They both introduced and described their brand new hero line of devices, HTC One. This line of devices features high-quality sound from Beats Audio, fabulous high resolution and sharp displays, HTC ImageSense for fabulous photos inside of Sense 4.0, and a high quality overall experience in each device. The devices dropped like this: first there’s the HTC One V – the lowest spec’d device with a classic shape.

Then there’s the HTC One S international version and the T-Mobile HTC One S as well – note here right away that the HTC One naming scheme will stick around no matter which carrier these devices are on, HTC holding strong to their hero line guarantees. Plus there’s the HTC One X as well as its AT&T relative by the same name. HTC One X is the hero of heroes and comes with either an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor or a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor depending on if you get the international or AT&T version, respectively. We got hands-on looks at the HTC One V, the HTC One S, and the HTC One X as well.

Nokia was another fantastic force this year at MWC 2012, not least of all because of their awesome set of booths which both showed off their devices and provided press and brand friends an excellent place to work and relax during the week’s madness. The devices Nokia dropped were pretty neat too, starting with the Nokia Lumia 900 DC HSPA Global Edition which we also got hands-on time with. There was also the physical keyboard toting Asha 202, 203, and 302 which we also got hands-on time with right after the release event. There was but one mid-range touchscreen device from the group in the Lumia 610 (hands-on), then the giant game-changing device that rattled the whole event was the Nokia 808 Pure View complete with an undeniable 41 megapixel camera on its back – have a look at our hands on with 41 megapixels as well, and head to our Nokia MWC 2012 round-up for a different guide to the awesome madness.

Three companies that brought one device each that triggered our “must touch” sensors were ViewSonic, Toshiba, and Panasonic. For the first manufacturer it was for the ViewSonic ViewPhone 4S, complete with an ultra high-resolution display and the ability to use two SIM cards. Then there was Toshiba with their unnamed NVIDIA Tegra 3 toting tablet complete with 7.7-inches of HD display and an ultra-thin profile. Then for Panasonic we got two hands-on looks t the ELUGA device, first in a classic hands-on experience, then with the dunking of the device in the water for good fun had by all.

The folks at ZTE surprised us with several new devices including both Windows Phone and Android in a wide array of configurations. Perhaps the most impressive of these was an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor toting smartphone by the name of ZTE Era. We got hands-on with the ZTE Era as well as the Windows Phone Tango smartphone ZTE Orbit.

Samsung had a highly odd set of devices on hand for us to get hands-on experiences with including the Samsung Galaxy Beam with its cool projector top and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with its Galaxy Note abilities, S-pen (the tablet having no slot despite the silo on the original Galaxy Note,) and Galaxy Tab 10.1 stylings. For those of you looking for one solid device with no such super odd abilities on top, check out our hands-on with the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S Blaze, complete with everything you need for speedy daily living.

Two more groups that surprised us with some super excellent devices running high-powered processors were Huawei and Fujitsu. With Huawei we got hands-on with both the MediaPad 10fhd and the Ascend D Quad, a device which you’ll also see a massive amalgamation of this weekend in a post about the model they made specifically for and of this device. It’s a horse ascending into the air, all made out of the Ascend D Quad smartphone! Then there was the Fujitsu unnamed NVIDIA Tegra 3 smartphone which despite it having no finalized features just yet, seemed pretty impressive at the time.

ASUS revealed several new tablets in their now-named Transformer Pad series including the brand new 300 series as well as the high powered ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity 700 LTE. Then of course we got another glimpse of the ASUS Padfone, this time with a release date and a stylus headset!

We covered the Google keynote for the Mobile World Congress main series of keynotes, of course, it having Eric Schmidt speaking on the development of the world for countries and communities that have no access to the internet at all. He also spoke on privacy and how Google Chrome as well as Android have it and continue to allow you the control to keep yourself as private as you like. He also spoke of legal matters and there were quite a few above-average quotable moments also, especially in the Q and A section of the keynote. Schmidt mentioned Google Bucks and 3D-capable personal robots as well. Check out our round-up of the Google keynote for all of this information arranged once more.

For processor power we go to see great offerings from each of the big powerhouses, first up Texas Instruments with their OMAP 5 2x dual-core SoC as well as information on how they’ll be teaming up with Harman and iRobot for future OMAP 5 toting devices. Qualcomm took some awesome shots at the competition with the Snapdragon S4 and Gobi 5th gen while we took a look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon MDP for S4 and spoke with the team, this resulting in the note that Intel is still uncompetitive in the mobile marketplace.

Intel certainly does appear to be taking a good run at the market recently, on the other hand, here at Mobile World Congress with the Orange Santa Clara Medfield phone in all its glory. Then there’s NVIDIA, which if you simply take a peek at our hands-on with Shadowgun Deadzone multiplayer, you’ll only see a tiny fraction of what we’ll be publishing soon – and don’t forget about the massive amount of Tegra 3-toting smartphone released this past week alone.

Microsoft took each of these chipmakers and put them all in one room together with the Windows 8 Publishers Preview, having a tablet each from each manufacturer to show off Windows 8 for the consumers of the future. We also saw the preview on a wide variety of computers and saw how it all works together as you would expect it to. The app interface was incredibly fast and fluid, the shoe system worked extremely well on tablets as well as any PC with the ability to run a USB stick. You can also download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview right this second if you’d like to.

Of the oddities we’ve posted thus far, I recommend you check out the following: Skype for Windows Phone and MTV’s under the thumb Social TV for starters, then FXI Cotton Candy the world’s smallest PC to keep your sweet tooth hungry. You of course then must also view our look at the Neonode 3D touch for tablets and phones hands-on experience we’ve got along with the one vehicle we checked out: RIM’s own BlackBerry vehicle, the QNX Porsche 911 complete with BlackBerry phone and PlayBook tablet integration.

Again there is a selection of content still coming from our Mobile World Congress 2012 crew at the time of this posting, and you can catch all the action through our [MWC 2012 portal] for access to it all!

Schmidt started the presentation with Android’s Hugo Barra talking about the new Google Chrome for Android release, proclaiming Chrome to be the safest browser available. Regarding the developments on Android, Schmidt said that he didn’t mind Android “forking” by manufacturers, as he felt consumer pressure would ultimately push OEMs towards Google’s services.

He also went in depth about the state of the world and his vision that a “Global Community of Equals” would emerge due to technology and the spread of internet-connected devices. There was also talk about personal robots in this future he envisions, where the robots would represent a person remotely and let them see a 3D visual feed.

The test machines, the same S4-based tablets that Microsoft is showing off at its Windows 8 event at MWC, will run the latest versions of the MSM8960 dual-core chip. The tablets are not representative of final hardware headed for release when Windows 8 ARM is published later this year – Qualcomm is a silicon provider, not an original equipment manufacturer. In order to simulate final hardware, the test machines will include GPS and 4G LTE radios, along with the standard compliment of WiFi and Bluetooth. You can see the impressive performance behind the Snapdragon S4 chips in the latest round of benchmarks.

Qualcomm’s chips will power the first generation of Windows 8 ARM tablets and other machines, along with entries from Texas Instruments, Nvidia and Intel. According to Microsoft, Windows 8 ARM will only be sold in conjunction with final hardware, unlike previous versions of Windows sold as stand-alone x86 and x64 operating systems. Developers can create Metro UI apps or traditional desktop programs for Windows 8 ARM, but simply porting older Windows programs won’t work – they have to be rewritten for the new processor architecture. Qualcomm will be providing the loaner computers to developers through Microsoft’s Windows on Arm developer seed program, so far the only non-partner members of the public who have had long-term access to the software itself.

“Medfield is a good product in that it works” Choudury told us, “their previous devices all failed.” As the exec sees it, Intel has been forced to take the mobile chip market seriously if it wants to continue expanding, working in the opposite direction to Qualcomm’s recent steps into Windows 8 on ARM. “Just as much as we can compete in the compute market, they have to compete in the mobile business.”

Intel’s previous demonstrations of Medfield, such as its CES 2012 benchmarking results, pitted the new Atom against current-generation ARM-based chipsets, Choudury pointed out. However, by the time Z2460-based products reach the market, Intel won’t be competing with those chips, but with next-gen Krait and others.

Meanwhile, despite a few carrier and design wins, such as Orange’s Santa Clara phone launched at Mobile World Congress this week, Choudury believes Intel will encounter more issues convincing customers to put an x86-based phone at the top of their shopping list. “They’re going to struggle with the differentiation [from ARM] and historically Intel products are more expensive” he told us, with the challenge being finding sufficiently unique propositions around Medfield-based phones such as battery life or performance.

“There’s Apple to contend with in the eyes of the end consumer” too, he concluded, another company pushing ahead with its own ARM-based chip development. In short, like ARM CEO Warren East said earlier this year, Medfield may be “only roughly good enough,” and it’s unclear if that’s sufficient to take on high-profile alternatives like Snapdragon S4, Tegra 3 and Apple A5X/A6.

Okay, so it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but it is definitive proof that Windows 8 is primed up and ready for consumption. Microsoft has just released the consumer preview (i.e., the final beta) of its new platform today. The wallpapers are arguably bolder and more vibrant than anything that came packaged with Windows 7, including one of a fish that has a distinct “Metro UI” look to it.

Today’s event will no doubt have a mobile slant to it. Windows 8 will have a mobile audience in mind in a way no previous iteration of the OS has even approached. There will even be a specialized version of the software designed for tablets. It’ll look nothing like the Windows you know and love today.

[via TechCrunch]

Minimum specifications include a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM for the 32-bit version, or 2GB of RAM for the 64-bit version. You’ll need 16GB of hard-drive space for the 32-bit, or 20GB for the 64-bit, and a Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device or higher.

A multitouch display is obviously necessary if you want to try out the new touchscreen functionality, and a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 is required to access the Windows Store and to download and run applications. Snapping apps demands a slightly higher resolution, of 1366 x 768.

The download itself is between 2.5GB and 3.4GB, depending on version, and comes as an ISO that you can burn to a DVD and use to install, among other methods. We’re live at Microsoft’s Windows 8 event here at Mobile World Congress, so stay tuned for all the details.

This device is running Android 4.0.3 at the Snapdragon S4 chip at 1.5 Ghz currently, with a 4-inch 1024 x 600 display up front and 1GB of LPDDR2 inside. What this device replicates for the most part is the previous generation MDP which has basically the same specifications, including the 13 megapixel camera on the back, save for the new S4 chip inside. Have a look at our MSM8660 hands-on from 2011 for more comparisons if you’d like to compare.

What we’re doing in this first of a series of benchmarking posts is having a look at the more common benchmark apps out there for Android. These are the tests we’ve used before on smartphones and tablets alike, and what you’ll be seeing is how well the device and more importantly the processor inside it perform. The first test we’re looking at is AnTuTu. This happy little bunny rabbit tests performance in memory, CPU Integer, CPU Floating point, 3D Graphics, SD card reading/writing speed, and Database IO via a series of on-screen tests running on your device in real time. The results we’ve gotten are thus:

Compared to what we’ve gotten with the only device in our hands with a comparably new chipset, the ASUS Transformer Prime with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, results show that though the S4 does have significantly less of a high score in RAM, CPU integer, and CPU float-point, its nearly the same or better than the Tegra 3 in 2D graphics, 3D graphics, and Database IO. Take note that the Tegra 3 is running at 1.4GHz and the S4 is running at 1.5GHz, and that the S4′s total score on AnTuTu in the end is about 3,000 less than what the Transformer Prime turned up, but that having a winning combination in graphics like we’re seeing here is an interesting set of points when you consider how well the Prime and the Tegra 3 on the whole have been received in the graphics department thus far.

UPDATE: As you’ll see throughout the post here, there are several addendums that need to be made to make sure you, the reader, understand the vital information surrounding not only the S4 developer platform device, but the Transformer Prime as well. The first important point to make here about the MDP is again, as mentioned, it’s not a consumer product – but the Transformer Prime is. As such, the chipset will undoubtedly be changed in several ways which give it different results when it’s placed inside a smartphone or tablet. The Transformer Prime is, of course, a consumer product, and has therefor been optimized for both battery life and thermal constraints, this putting the Tegra 3 at a disadvantage when benchmarking.

UPDATE 2: It’s also important to note that these devices are being compared with scores from the Transformer Prime as it existed in our original review before Ice Cream Sandwich was released on it. As such, these tests are also showing a system running Honeycomb vs a system running Ice Cream Sandwich, giving a significant advantage to the MDP.

For those of you that like to compare numbers, have a peek here, with Tegra 3 on the left and the Snapdragon S4 on the right:

RAM: 2055 / 1282
CPU Integer: 3532 / 2321
CPU float-point: 2787 / 1103
2D graphics: 296 / 297
3D graphics: 1208 / 1254
Database IO: 305 / 480
SD card write: (14.2 MB/s) 142 / (6.2 MB/s) 62
SD card read: (22.4 MB/s) 191 / (30.4 MB/s) 194
CPU frequency: 1400 MHz / 1512 MHz
Total Score: 10516 / 6993

UPDATE: What we need to notice here is that because the Transformer Prime has a display resolution of 1280×720 while the MDP has a display resolution of 1024×600, the Prime is processing 66% more pixels than the MDP. As such, the scores in both 2D and 3D can be incredibly misleading if you don’t consider the fact that the Prime is doing 66% more work.

Next we’ll have a look at Vellamo, a comprehensive test created by Qualcomm of how the system, CPU, and browser perform under pressure. For more information on how Vellamo came to be created by Qualcomm and what it does, head back to our Vellamo Benchmarking System Hands-on from back in July when the system was first released, and decide for yourself whether the fact that Qualcomm developed it is reason enough to use it – or reason enough to not trust it at all. The set of tests you see in Vellamo are compiled into one by Qualcomm and made to be a non-partisan test showing how well a device can handle them. Results here have been impressive, to say the least:

For our next test we’re working with the Java port of the original Linpack, here made for Android to show off memory bandwidth and act as an FPU test. We’ve run the test six times total, three each for single-threaded and multi-threaded. Note that we’ve taken only the consistent results, finding an “inconsistent result” a couple times when running multi-threaded. This sort of situation has not been uncommon on Android devices since the app was first released though, so no worries!

The results you’re seeing here absolutely decimate not only the previous generation MDP device running Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8660 chipset, but the vast majority of the processors on devices released today. What this means is that Krait’s improvements on both cache and memory control are working their magic quite well.

Next we’ve got Quadrant Benchmarks, both Quadrant Advanced and Quadrant Professional, both of these running a set of tests including CPU, Memory, IO, as well as 2D and 3D graphics. Quadrant is one of the few benchmarks that specifically claims to test multi-core processors to their fullest as well as specifically being tuned for Android as new as 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Advanced version is made specifically for, as Aurora Softworks, the developers of Quadant, say: “Tech savvy users experimenting with custom ROMs and overclocking.”

This means the test is tuned to specifically attach itself to specific workings of the device in a way that will accurately tell them not only how well the processor is working, but how well its performing specifically based on the software and the hardware its running on. Quadrant Professional is similar, made instead for hardware vendors and game developers as well as publishers (like SlashGear) who plan on publishing results. It simplifies the results in the grid as well as comes with a license, essentially. Have a peek at these results and see what you think:

UPDATE: Again note that these two charts both show the MDP, one time running on Quadrant Advanced, the other on Quadrant Professional. Again the results showing the MDP up against the Transformer Prime are doing so with numbers taken from the original Transformer Prime review before it was running Ice Cream Sandwich. That said, one should also consider once more that the 2D and 3D subsets should take into consideration the fact that the Transformer Prime is processing 66% more pixels. Because of this, the MDP is again given a significant advantage. We’ll be running additional tests in the future to more accurately compare these two devices such as GLBenchmark 2.1 with its offscreen test specifically to show the performance at the rather common 720p. In addition, consider the fact that the MDP is running at a higher clock speed than the Prime, here at 1.5GHz vs the Prime’s 1.3 GHz – this will inevitably give a massive advantage to the higher clocked device for CPU subscore.

What we’re seeing here is an unbelievably high IO, first of all. This test shows how well the device is able to perform with internal or SD card storage. The test shows what’s the result of a set of read and write tests and, for example, overtakes the Transformer Prime with Tegra 3 by a full 3300 points. Next we’ve got 3D test showing an abnormally giant result as well, trumping the Transformer Prime by 2X. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was extremely surprised by these results thus far. Have a peek back at the full Transformer Prime review to check out any other specific points you’d like to access for benchmarks.

Wrap-Up

This is just the first of many sets of benchmark tests and tests of the device’s Snapdragon S4 SoC we’ll be performing in the near future. One thing we’re going to continue to emphasize is the idea that it’s not necessarily these numbers that matter most, it’s the performance of the machine. Not just how well the machine processes data, but how engaging, full, and satisfying the processor will make the devices it’s embedded in. Thus far what we’re seeing on this beast of a developer platform device is that whatever this S4 chip ends up landing on, it’ll be a fabulous experience – now we just need manufacturers of smartphones and tablets to bring their A-game to create some fabulous devices in the near future.

Stay tuned to SlashGear for more MWC 2012 news through our [MWC 2012 portal] and stick around for the extended future of our work with Qualcomm through, of course, our [Qualcomm portal]. Stay tuned for more benchmarks soon!

The iPad 2 was “a unanimous choice for a tablet that has defined the market and dominated sales” according to the GSMA judges, and it’s hard to argue with their justifications. Android slates gained some momentum in 2011, but even Samsung itself admitted to having dropped the ball in tablets. Now, the third-gen iPad is on the horizon, with Apple confirming yesterday that it would hold an event next Wednesday, March 7.

Still, Samsung earned some praise despite the tablet lapse, having “success across the board with progress in every category,” according to the GSMA, “and outperforming rivals in a tough market.” The company shipped over 300m phones in 2011 it announced back in December.

The Galaxy S II contributed strongly to that figure, described by the judges as “a phenomenal success around the world, this has outperformed all its Android rivals and demonstrated the maturity of the ecosystem.” It, too, has a successor in the pipeline, with the Galaxy S III expected to raise the bar for Android devices later in the first half of 2012.

What we’re seeing here is a an application platform, the QNX CAR 2 application platform which isn’t necessarily going to be brought out to the real world, but is certainly an awesome project to be working on and sitting in. You’ve got the entire BlackBerry PlayBook software stack including HTML5 and a a handful of consumer technologies, this meaning BlackBerry isn’t necessarily going to bring this setup exactly to the market, but that groups including Porsche.

This vehicle had the Porsche smartphone we’ve had a review of here [courtesy of Chris Davies] as well, proving that Porsche is certainly dedicated to BlackBerry and RIM for the long run. Have a peek at the photos above and below and stick with us this whole week for all the Mobile World Congress 2012 news you can handle – and be sure to drop us a line if there’s anything you’ve heard about and want us to check out! That portal again is [MWC 2012] for all the action this whole week!

Those of us hoping for Android@Home information, or details about Android 5.0 Jelly Bean or even Google I/O 2012 left Schmidt’s keynote disappointed. Android was name-checked – Schmidt was particularly keen to stress the activation figures – and a brief, three minute demo of Google Chrome for Android took center stage for a moment, but otherwise Schmidt grabbed the opportunity to outline his vision of the future of the internet, of connectedness-powered social activism, and the evolution of society.

Privacy, it seems, plays a huge role in that evolution, or at least so Schmidt would have us believe. The Google chairman mentioned the flexibility of privacy controls on at least eight occasions during his 35 minute keynote and subsequent Q&A session, hammering home the idea of the search giant being mindful of our inherent reluctance to be tracked and monitored.

That’s not to say Schmidt suggested private necessarily meant better. Google users not opting for anonymous browsing would get better search results and generally more satisfying services, he explained, a reference to Google’s learning algorithm that uses your track record in search and other activity to educate future browsing.

Schmidt’s stance on privacy seems, ironically, to be more akin to that of advocates than the looser internet populace. At several points during the keynote he emphasized that he is against internet tracking and monitoring. Yet the chairman has also been a regular guest of various US Congress caucuses and other groups, each concerned at the extent of the information Google has collated on each of its users, and Schmidt insisting that not only has no wrongdoing taken place, but that the search company’s best interest is always that of the user.

Perhaps the biggest hint to Schmidt’s attitude toward privacy came not from his repeated theme that Google respects it, but his dismissal of an audience question regarding the “quality” of an online experience versus its real-life counterpart. Our phones, tablets and laptops are not dominating us, Schmidt insisted; after all, we are free to turn them off entirely. We are lucky, he said, because we have the choice: either the online world, with its inherent compromises, or the real world outside of it.

Right now, broad stroke options are all we have: turn the device off or activate incognito mode, or open ourselves to monitoring and tracking. Schmidt may talk of an open internet and inalienable freedoms, but Google’s approach – like that of others, to be fair – still lacks the finesse that will truly satisfy either the US Congress or the general public alike.

Starting the event off with a product (in the form of an app,) Hugo Barra spoke of the release of Google Chrome for mobile as well as how it was sort of inconsequential that they were releasing it on a mobile platform because, as he said, “Android is a real operating system.”  Schmidt himself spent some time extolling the virtues of Chrome, calling it by far the safest browser available. And speaking on the various iterations of both Android and the Android Market, many of which are beyond Google’s control, Schmidt said he didn’t mind. “Android forking is fine,” he remarked, though he also said he though consumer pressure would push OEMs toward Google’s services.

Next the event got especially heavy with Schmidt speaking in depth about the state of the world and how we’ll eventually be a “Global Community of Equals” due to technology and the spread of internet-connected devices.Speaking on recent privacy issues from Google and the proliferation of mobile connections, Schmidt reminded those watching that they were in control - even when it means choosing not to participate, and turning the phone off.

A couple of odd bits were spoken about, perhaps foretelling the future but perhaps speaking about foregone bits of the past. First he noted that there very well may be 3D-capable personal robots on the horizon, while in the past there was an until-now not-mentioned program called Google Bucks for peer to peer mobile payments.

When an Iranian journalist asked Schmidt why Google’s apps and services weren’t available in his country, Schmidt was regretful but not apologetic, informing him that Google is complying with US trade laws. “I’m with you,” he said, “but prison is no bandwidth.” Speaking on recent Internet legislation like SOPA, ACTA and PIPA, Schmidt cautioned regulators that giving up freedom – even for seemingly good reasons – can be a one-way street.

There’s plenty more hardware to check out at Mobile World Congress – make sure to check out our MWC 2012 portal for the latest updates.

The Google chairman had been asked about the growth in Android devices, and whether that growth had been undermined in any way by the number of manufacturers using their own, customized builds of the OS. Not so, Schmidt insisted: that’s part of the open-source ethos, and something the Android team fully expected to happen.

Schmidt’s comments echo those he made in mid-January, in which he suggested there was no such thing as fragmentation, only differentiation. At the time he suggested that “differentiation is positive, fragmentation is negative.”

Whether that will continue to convince users, most of whom are still waiting for their Android upgrades to Ice Cream Sandwich, remains to be seen. Timely updates is one of Google’s manufacturing partners’ biggest challenges in 2012, something that – despite Schmidt’s jokes at Apple’s expense – iOS owners don’t really have to worry about.

“Is that true?” Schmidt asked the off-stage Google legal beaver. When confirmed, he explained that the limitations were part of the laws in the US, apologizing for Google’s inability to act differently.

“Would you take a stand about that?” Schmidt was asked, over whether Google would protest against the current laws. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Google will be making a political stand, despite the fact that he himself agrees with the idea that access should be ubiquitous. “The internet and technology are like water” he had said earlier, “they will find their way through.”

“I’m with you” he told the delegate, “prison is no bandwidth.”

From today until April 2, Samsung is encouraging developers to submit the best app they can come up with, using the S Pen peripheral. Those who are singled out as having created amazing apps will share a prize pool of more than $200,000, mostly in cash, with the grand prize winner taking home half of the entire kitty. Second prize is $50,000 and the third-place finisher will grab a cool $25,000.

There will also be 10 “Honorable Mention” winners, each of whom will receive $2,000 and a Galaxy Note. Finally, users will get to vote on their choice, and the winner of that vote, the Popular Choice Award, will be granted $2,000. “The Galaxy Note enables new and creative ways to interact with your phone through the advanced S Pen technology. We are excited to see how developers use the S Pen SDK to come up with new ways to integrate the S Pen into applications,” said Samsung Mobile president Dale Sohn.

Full details of the contest are available at GalaxyNoteSPenChallenge.com.

As Schmidt described it, the danger to internet freedom and openness isn’t in obvious shifts, but those which are sold as being small shifts and beneficial, at least in the short term. “[These are] moves that seem logical, but have the effect of Balkanizing the internet.”

Responding to a Nigerian MWC 2012 delegate during the keynote Q&A, Schmidt blamed the cost of internet access in the country, saying it is 50x higher than elsewhere and describing that as “unfair.” He described a “general strategy” of caching content and reducing the reliance on satellite links coming into the company.

“Anything that improves people’s connection to the internet is good. Anything that reduces it is bad” Eric Schmidt, chairman, Google

Asked what message he had for regulators looking to better control the internet, Schmidt said he hoped they would aim for outcomes, not look to limit the future to specific tech. “If you had to regulate, try to regulate an outcome not the technology” Schmidt said. “Don’t specify a technology in law, because it moves too quickly.”

“The unintended cost of regulation is often innovation” the Google exec warned. Initiatives are “well intentioned by often ill-defined” Schmidt said. “Don’t resort to soundbites … people need to understand what they’re winning as well as what they’re losing.”

A fellow from Germany stood up and pitched a service wrapped in a question about what Google was currently doing with mobile payment, summoning giggles from the crowd simply because such a comment is not often made at a Q and A session such as this. Schmidt responded not with a push-off, but an excellent rebuttal which went like this:

“There’s an issue with peer to peer money, that being that it’s illegal. Other than that it’s a great idea. There are some issues with peer to peer money. In most places it’s illegal. Governments don’t trust it because of issues with money laundering. There were various proposals for our own Google currency – Google Bucks. But we didn’t want to get into it due to these issues.” – Schmidt

We’ll be continuing to cover this technology should it pop up again, of course, and meanwhile keep watching the SlashGear main news feed today for more Google news and Mobile World Congress 2012 news!

As Schmidt described it, people would have access to compact telepresence robots, small enough to carry in a bag and deploy at will. They would then be able to beam back a 3D picture to a portable 3D-capable screen, part of huge mesh networks of devices talking to each other. “We can look forward to a future of essentially unlimited speed and unlimited processing power … tiny, powerful sensors will be embedded in everything. By 2020, fiber networks will be deployed in every city.”

“I think that people will experience the future in different ways. The first future will apply to the ultra-connected … those with the will and resources to embrace new technology. They’re the few … for this group the limits are only what science can develop and what society deems acceptable” Eric Schmidt, chairman, Google

When, exactly, we can expect these personal robots, Schmidt didn’t say, only that he envisaged it coming “soon.” Perhaps they’re already trundling around inside Google’s secret X Labs.

“It will redefine the relationship these people have with the world.” Schmidt spoke of Syria and the images coming out of war zones, the collapse of dictatorships, and the mobilizing (in a political sense) of communities around the world. “Smarter and more resourceful citizens are going to start demanding a better deal.” Schmidt began to speak philosophically, almost foretelling a biblical future: “The weak will be made strong, and those that have nothing will be given something.”

Google’s products are blocked in about 25 of 125 countries that Google’s products are available in currently, so said Schmidt, and this number will fall. “We need to act now to avoid this digital caste system.” We should commit ourselves to a world where everybody has the chance to be connected, so he hoped and sounded the siren call to developers and manufacturers alike. Mobile World Congress 2012 is certainly the superior place to do such a thing, let’s have at it!

However, Schmidt wasn’t only talking about Chrome’s security advantages. “If you care about speed, you should use Chrome, because it’s the fastest. And if you don’t care about security or speed, then it’s free.”

Google has come in for criticism in recent weeks, over suggestions that it used unofficial workarounds to bypass security in Apple’s Safari browser on iOS and on the desktop. Privacy watchdogs have also been frustrated at Google’s approach to user data, around its recently updated privacy polices.

Chrome for Android was also discussed, launched in twenty new countries today.

The largest mobile manufacturers out there have been strutting their stuff, most notable HTC with its new One series. But LG, Asus, Samsung and the rest aren’t far behind. While we’re not expecting anything earth-shattering from Google (they’re more likely to save the big stuff for Google IO in the summer) there should be some impressive statistics  and at least a few sneak peeks at what they’re working on.

The hall is packed with press and industry types, straining at the ears to see what Google and the Mobile World Congress organizers have to say. We’ll be updating with anything of note that comes out of the presentation. While you’re waiting, keep an eye on our Mobile World Congress portal for other breaking news.

The One X will be powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, wrapped in HTC’s new Sense 4.0 interface, and it powered by a quad-core processor. It comes with a 4.7-inch display and is compatible with AT&T’s super fast 4G LTE network. In other words, it’s the kind of phone that you’d want to show off to your friends. There is no launch date or price to confirm at this time, though.

That isn’t stopping Best Buy from taking your money, though. If you place a $50 deposit you’re guaranteed to get one when it launches, whenever that may happen to be. Of course, you can rescind your reservation at any time and get your money back. Just like most pre-orders, this is all about showing how excited you are for the new phone.

[via AndroidCommunity]

This won’t be the first time that Microsoft has displayed Windows running on the smaller, more efficient ARM platform. But with Windows 8 scheduled for a retail release this fall and the company committed to releasing WOA at the same time, development is coming down to the wire. Microsoft appears to be scrambling to get not only the software but its infrastructure ready, as the new interface and integrated Windows Store are essential parts of the all-in-one ARM devices.

Microsoft has already stated that it’s partnered with chip makers Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Nvidia to make reference designs available to manufacturers, who will sell Windows 8 ARM laptops and tablets as consumer electronics appliances (like smartphones) not traditional PCs. That being the case, Mobile World Congress seems to be a natural fit for Microsoft’s new direction. While details on the presentation are scant at the moment, we can hope to see a newer Windows 8 build and hopefully some prototype hardware from original equipment manufacturers.

[via Cnet]

LG hasn’t said why the UK isn’t getting the 3D version, but it’s likely a relatively safe assumption that mediocre sales of the original LG Optimus 3D did little to encourage the company to release the successor. That could be a mixed blessing of sorts, if our findings in our hands-on are anything to go by; the new Optimus 3D Max is thinner and generally smaller than its predecessor, but the 3D technology itself is still of questionable usefulness.

Far more handy is the power of a quadcore chip, and the LG Optimus 4X HD certainly ticks the right boxes on the spec sheet. The Tegra 3 is joined by a 4.7-inch HD display and Ice Cream Sandwich, all wrapped up in a slimline 8.9mm chassis.

More details on the LG Optimus 4X HD in our full hands-on.

“We are very happy to join fellow industry leaders on the Board of Tizen Association. Our ongoing goal is to work closely with our customers and partners to bring truly innovative handset propositions to consumers in all markets and the new Tizen ecosystem complements our existing areas of focus and provides fresh opportunity for tremendously strengthening Huawei’s brand name in the mobile segment” Glory Zhang, spokesperson, Huawei Device

As for the SDK beta and source code, that includes an updated UI framework along with web APIs that promise to make development of web applications more straightforward. For instance, web-based applications will be able to set alarms, access media contents, retrieve system information, and more.

There’s also Windows OS support for the SDK, rather than just Ubuntu as before, something which the Tizen team is hoping will kick-start adoption. Still, the organization cautions that it’s not yet ready for prime-time; “this is a preview” Tizen says, “and not yet designed for use to create production applications.”

Tizen was announced back in September, with Samsung and Intel taking the remnants of MeeGo and creating a new platform with a focus on web-app integration. Subsequent plans suggest Samsung intends to integrate its own bada platform into Tizen, while Acer and ASUS are also believed to be considering using the platform. It’s not just phones, either; tablets and netbooks running the OS are also in the pipeline, with the final release of the development environment expected in Q2 of 2012.

Huawei has already set out its stall for entry-level smartphone users, pushing ahead in its plans to storm the top five mobile manufacturers with low-cost devices. With Tizen, Huawei could well target a more affordable market without the threat of Android-related patent litigation hanging over it.

Having a look first at the Linpack benchmark, this test a Java port of the classic Linpack memory bandwidth / FPU test, Anandtech showed how advanced this newest processor is over the previous generation which sits fourth on the list, but above many of your favorite devices from across the Android gamut. Compare this device with its S4 processor to the Google Nexus S (which sits at the very bottom of the list) and there simply is no comparison to be made: this is not just a step forward, it’s a leap forward. As Brian Klug & Anand Lal Shimpi of Anandtech note:

“Occasionally we’ll see performance numbers that just make us laugh at their absurdity. Krait’s Linpack performance is no exception. The performance advantage here is insane. The MSM8960 is able to deliver more than twice the performance of any currently shipping SoC. The gains are likely due in no small part to improvements in Krait’s cache/memory controller. Krait can also issue multi-issue FP instructions, A9 class architectures can apparenty only dual-issue integer instructions.”

Next, PCmag’s Sascha Segan found that benchmarking this device aside two other comparable devices had web browsing winning out on this newest MDP by far. These tests show the performance of the MDP’s web browser up against the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 processor and the ASUS Transformer Prime with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. In regards to why these devices were chosen and how they stood up to one another, Segan had the following to say:

“It’s not fair to compare Android 2.3 devices to Android 4.0 gadgets, as browser performance really changes between the versions. … The new Qualcomm S4 chip blew out the competition on the two Web-browser-based benchmarks.”

We’ll continue to grab information as it’s released into the wild here at Mobile World Congress 2012 and abroad on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor all week and into the future – stay tuned!

The app itself is free, and will be offered with a limited selection of free content as part of the basic “Tiny Thumb” package; there’s also celebrity news and other MTV highlights. €2.99 ($4) per month (or €29.99/$40 for the year) gets you the “Super Thumb” package, with more shows and full season access.  Finally, those with MTV Mobile handset contracts – available through carrier deals in certain countries – are automatically made “Ultra Thumb” subscribers, and get free access to all the shows along with premier access to select new series a week before they air on TV.

We caught up with Michel Dupont, SVP of Viacom International Media Networks, along with Jason Warnes from digital agency partner AKQA who was responsible for building the app and cloud services to find out more. The particular elements that both are most proud of are the co-viewing and the easy connected device playback, where viewers can invite their friends – connected via Facebook – to watch an on-demand show with them at a certain time, both shows automatically synchronized to play simultaneously. Watch in landscape orientation for full-screen playback, or flip to portrait to see both the show and the IM window underneath.

As for playback on connected devices, although we’ve had DLNA and other potential solutions to placeshifting content before, the MTV system is undoubtedly the easiest we’ve tried to-date. Users simply log into a certain MTV webpage and then hit the “View On Connected Device” button, turning their phone into a remote. You can still access instant messaging for chat.

MTV Under The Thumb hands-on:

Currently, the browser-based app relies on Flash, though AKQA tells us it’s working on an HTML5 version that will play nicely with the iPad browser. There are some early glitches – viewers should be able to catch back up with co-viewed shows if they drop out of the Under The Thumb app, say to reply to an email, but that proved tricky in our demo with the service.

In the pipeline is more content and greater leverage of the co-viewing technology. One possibility is celebrity co-viewing, with one of the stars of MTV’s reality shows joining viewers for a huge communal streaming session complete with chat.

At the moment, Under The Thumb is only available in certain markets - Germany, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland – with others in the pipeline for later in the week. US launch plans are a possibility, as are versions from other Viacom divisions beyond MTV, though Dupont tells us the company has no plans to license the tech out.

Rubin went so far as to say, “[I have] nothing to do with it…. I don’t even know who’s running it.” When Rubin spoke about the Motorola acquisition at MWC 2012, he was asked if other OEMs would be disfavored while the Motorola team gains favor once the deal was finished. Rubin replied that with Android being open source it would be “physically difficult for me to advantage somebody.” I can see other phone makers becoming angry if Motorola begins to be selected to build Nexus devices over other companies.

Firms that build Nexus devices generally get access to the latest versions of Android before others. Rubin also stated that it would be up to the Motorola team to decide if the smartphones Motorola makes continue to use a skin over Android or not. That decision would be Motorola’s according to Rubin, “They’re separate from me, and I’m going to continue to do my thing.”

“I don’t even know anything about their products, I haven’t seen anything,” Rubin said. “They’re going to continue building Motorola branded devices and it’s going to be the same team doing it.”

[via The Verge]

Android 5.0 has been called Jelly Bean, but Google still hasn’t come clean with the desert it will be naming the next version of the operating system for. Jelly Bean does make sense in that alphabetically “J” is the next letter in the series. Android 4.0 is been on the market for a while now, and is doing well. Android 5.0 is expected to bring with it Android@Home.

Lockheimer certainly didn’t confirm launch date, but statements he made they seem to point to this fall. However, he did note that Google is flexible on timing. Lockheimer also talked a bit about Android Beam, which is the cool tech that allows Android devices to initiate file transfers simply by bumping the backs together. Wireless transfers are initiated by NFC tech and in the files transferred over Wi-Fi or 3G network.

“After Android 4 comes 5, and we haven’t announced the timing yet, which we’re still sorting out,” Lockheimer said. “There’s a lot of engineering work behind it still, and there’s also just the question of how to time it.”

Lockheimer added, “In general, the Android release cadence is one major release a year with some maintenance releases that are substantial still.”

[via ComputerWorld]

The two companies are working on a Samsung Car Mode Application in car solution to connect Samsung smartphones to the Toyota vehicle infotainment system. The integration will allow for a number of enhanced connectivity and multimedia capabilities inside the vehicle along with Internet services. The Car Mode Application will leverage safety using UX (User Experience) voice control tech.

UX is the voice command technology that’s embedded within smartphones and allows advanced functionality, navigation, and location-based services with voice control. Voice control has turned out to be a big deal in vehicle technology with many of the largest automakers embracing voice control technology. Samsung and Toyota plan to start the commercialization of the product in Q2 2012. One development for the solution will include a system using MirrorLink, which is apparently a rear-view mirror with voice control tech inside.

Neonode’s existing system sits on top of a display and can track two-point multitouch as well as pressure; ereaders from Sony and others already use it. The company’s argument is that pressure sensing is far more intuitive than pinch-zoom, since you can use it to zoom in and out of on-screen graphics and grip the phone one-handed. It also supports more accurate stylus input than capacitive screens, without demanding a traditional active digitizer such as in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1.

By layering several of the optical sensors into the body of the new frame, however, the new tech can track far more than just pressure – it can follow motion of two fingers in 3D space. Neonode only develops the hardware technology, not the software – that’s left up to the company’s manufacturing partners – but the possibilities hinted at in our demo video below are obvious.

Neonode 3D touch hands-on:

Neonode says its optical touch sensors are cheaper to implement than even resistive traditional touchscreens, at less than a dollar apiece, and even the new frame version should be a similar price. It’s also artificially thick in this demo implementation: the final design could be as little as 2mm thick. In short, imagine an open section on the side of a tablet, or a pull-out frame that could lift up from a slate screen or out from the keyboard, allowing you to in effect reach into the display.

The first products using the new system should be reaching the market in 2013, though Neonode wouldn’t be drawn on which OEMs have signed up to the tech.

According to Mr. Ford, fleets of these autopilot cars could be on the road as early as 2017. These autonomous cars are being looked at as more than just a convenience for drivers, they’re also being looked at as a way to reduce traffic congestion on highways and even to reduce distracted driving fatalities. The number of cars on the nation’s highways is expected to rise from 1 billion to 4 billion by 2050 leading to more congestion. Mr. Ford talked about the future autonomous vehicles at Mobile World Congress, and sees three phases to the rollout of autonomous vehicles.

Within the next seven years, he expects cars to have integrated warning systems and functions for autopilot driving in slow traffic. Between 2017 and 2025, he expects semi-autonomous driving with more interaction between cars and then by 2025, the fully autonomous vehicles will roam the roads.

“Cars are becoming mobile communications platforms. Right now, there are a billion computing devices in the form of individual vehicles out on our roads,” he said, according to the Daily Mail.

“They’re largely unconnected from one another and the network. We’ll increasingly take advantage of the car as a rolling collection of sensors to reduce congestion and help prevent accidents.

“I’m confident that we will see many of these advances on the road in this midterm period (between 2017 and 2025) because the early versions are already being designed, and in most cases, tested.”

[via Telegraph]

We’ve also got word that MasterImage is here at the conference with their technology on display as well, so you can fully expect we’ll be jumping in on that action soon as well. For now though, you’ve got this fabulous video from Qualcomm. Watch as the MSM8960 is shown off with full 3D action, both capturing and displaying, in what Qualcomm is calling the next generation of said technology. Can the chipmaking group convince us that glasses-free 3D is a viable technology for future generations?

We’ll be continuing to knock out information on Qualcomm with their upcoming S4 quad-core processor all this week and beyond, this week of course being Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona. Have a peek at our [MWC 2012 portal] for all the MWC action as we capture it, and see our [Snapdragon portal] for information on that processor line specifically. Of course also have a peek at the [Qualcomm portal] for the full Qualcomm line of hardware and software-related solutions. Stay tuned!

With Fujitsu saying the device is still months away from production and slated for a late 2012 launch we were happy to at least get some time with it. While the hardware felt a little loosely designed this early on it’s to hard to judge. The quad-core Tegra 3 under the hood is impressive with this prototype device but that is only one small part of what makes it so unique. Fujitsu’s also outfitted the phone with many top end specs to make an overall premiere device.

Along with everything else from Fujitsu this phone is both dustproof and waterproof. To make things better we have a 4.6″ high resolution display but the exact specifications weren’t available. It was extremely crisp and clear as you can see from our video experience below — although unresponsive at times.

To top things off we have a 13.1 megapixel camera on the rear and an optional fingerprint scanner too — similar to the Motorola Atrix. This sensor doubles as a proximity sensor and will automatically turn off the display when you set the device on the table. As usual the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor was blazing fast and Fujitsu had a few on demo displaying some HD Tegra games using HDMI mirror to the big screen. The performance of the device was extremely stable and quick running on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, even for a early prototype device.

Although Fujitsu is only calling this a prototype for now under the settings tab it was labeled the F12arc so we’ll be sure to look for more information soon. Overall this quad-core prototype phone definetaly had its strong points and its weak ones. With the hardware needing some minor touch-ups this will be a quality top-end phone to round off the Fujitsu lineup. We look forward to seeing more later this year.

Nokia had announced its unforeseen struggles with developing markets back in January, admitting that Symbian shrinkage was taking place at a faster than predicted rate. New smartphone buyers, it seemed, preferred budget Android phones than the menu of S40 and Nokia Belle handsets the Finns had to offer, and Nokia warned that the Symbian long-tail could be significantly curtailed.

The new Asha series may not set North American or European tongues wagging, but they’re still vital to Nokia’s line-up in financial terms. The company is targeting “the next billion” after all, and a billion sub-€100 Asha handsets still adds up.

That’s not to say Western carriers aren’t keen to get their hands on them. UK operators still have a soft spot for Nokia’s entry-level featurephones and dumbphones; one exec speaking to SlashGear recently pointed to the perennial success of affordable prepaid handsets like the Nokia C3, popular both among those looking for a straightforward talk-and-text device, and because of the relatively broad range of color options it’s available with.

Lowering the entry-point of existing smartphone platforms has also been a trend, with ZTE and Huawei delivering low-cost Android and Windows Phone devices. Both companies have ambitious plans for scale in 2012 and beyond, and while they’re not adverse to headline grabbing devices, it’s economy of scale that they’re relying on to earn them a place in the top five manufacturers rankings. Nokia too had a sub-€200 Windows Phone in the shape of the Lumia 610, notable for being the first fruits of Microsoft’s loosened grip on minimum specifications for its OS. Our hands-on play with the 610 also demonstrated that it’s equally noticeable for the quality of its user-experience, even with those truncated specs.

What’s distinctive across all the manufacturers is the advances in so-called smartphone technology, into devices more typically expected to be featurephones or less. The increasing prevalence of persistent data connections makes cloud services like the Nokia Life suite of social networking apps and tools for S30 and S40 devices more feasible, reducing the dependence on potent local hardware by offsetting the effort to remote servers. Meanwhile, we’re seeing advanced features such as enterprise-level messaging trickle down to what previously might have solely been simple call and SMS platforms.

There’s arguable a place for such devices on Western store shelves just as much as in developing markets. Operators are hunting for ways to increase average revenue per user, and driving up data revenues is one such way of doing it. Smart-device users are known for consuming more data, if only for uploading images to social networks like Facebook, and if semi-simplistic (and affordable) handsets encourage those wary of actual smartphones to do just that, it’s a winning situation for carriers.

The mobile news industry moves at breakneck pace: every day a new product – or the rumor of one – to push the boundaries in technology and capabilities. In contrast, the phone retail market moves at a glacial pace, contract users locked, for the most part, into 24-month agreements. With that in mind, it’s perhaps little surprise that Nokia, ZTE, Huawei and others have looked to translating their experience of smart-device development to markets a few steps more naive than the US and Europe. Mobile World Congress had its share of superphones, but it’s the affordable and the boundary-pushing that are big news in 2012.

For all the news from Mobile World Congress 2012, check out our full show hub.

Behind the lens there’s a 41-megapixel sensor and improved video autofocus, using a new “hyperfocal” system that promises less focus-hunting during video recording. A macro mode is offered in Creative Shooting mode, and there’s touch autofocus along with a full-auto mode for when you’d rather leave the 808 PureView to its own devices.

As for the image above, it shows just why you can’t get a full 41-megapixel image despite the raw capabilities of the sensor. There’s a choice between 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, for a maximum of 38-megapixel stills when you prioritize height. The sensor itself is around 2.5x larger than the sensor in the well-esteemed N8. More information in the white paper here [pdf].

Nokia PureView technology hands-on:

You can download the full archive of Nokia 808 PureView sample shots from Nokia here [zip link] though be warned: it’s a 31.8MB download. Still, it’s worth it to see quite how capable the PureView system can be.

This device has a 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, and a reasonably sharp and bright 4-inch WVGA display. This device has a light build, mostly plastic with a glass front, and does seem pretty quick on the flipping through of the screens. Windows Phone seems to have hit a sweet spot here if these devices can be sold for near-to-free – on contract, of course. Now ZTE just has to make sure they’ve got a massive distribution base to get the winning cut.

UPDATE: Check out this hands-on video and see how simply excellent this little beast is – pink interface included!

Have a peek at the device in-hand in photos here, take note of the quality in aesthetics, then hear this: this device does not seem to be a lower-level device. The Windows Phone build here with Tango does not seem to be loading any slower than most other devices with Windows Phone on the market today. This seems like it could be a winning strategy, in short – perhaps Windows Phone has found its niche?

Intel and Orange are talking about both battery power and photo capabilities with the Santa Clara, though both are still unproven. The promise is “leading performance and energy efficiency” though there are no actual predictions on battery life; as for the photographic abilities, that’s a common trope here at the show, and firing off ten shots in under a second might not be enough to differentiate from capable Android alternatives and others.

There’s not a huge amount of difference between the Santa Clara and the Lenovo smartphone we played with at CES, and frankly they’re not the most inspiring of Android devices around. Still, Intel is pushing strong for Medfield in phones, and it needs to set up a solid baseline if it wants to catch up with the more esoteric models running the near-ubiquitous ARM chips.

Intel Orange “Santa Clara” hands-on:

Hitting the competitive European smartphone market will be kill or cure for Intel’s ambitions. Pushing an Android device solely on the merits of a unique platform is unlikely to gain Intel too much momentum; it will need to put the phone’s abilities into context if it wants to stand a chance.