Computerworld mwc2013 News

MWC: Dropbox CEO criticises Apple cloud lock-in

(Sophie Curtis) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:32:00 GMT

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston has warned against buying into cloud services offered by mobile device manufacturers and network operators, claiming that consumers and businesses can easily become locked in.

Apple, Samsung and Google under fire at Mobile World Congress

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Mobile World Congress showed that Apple, Samsung and Google are still the smartphone industry leaders, but upstart and would-be has-been companies are fighting back.

Five smartphone and tablet trends from Mobile World Congress

(Mikael Ricknas) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:02:00 GMT

This year's MWC may have been lacking in high-end smartphone launches, but the "W" stands for "world" and lower-cost models shown this week are needed to open up the mobile-phone market to more people globally.

TD-LTE goes mainstream with a new performance promise

(Stephen Lawson) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:24:00 GMT

A version of LTE that could give consumers more mobile bandwidth for downloading content or apps is moving from the margins to the mainstream at Mobile World Congress this week.

ARM's battery-saving technology debuts in tablet, smartphone prototypes

(Agam Shah) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:31:00 GMT

ARM is promising close to 70% processor power savings with a new chip design called Big.Little, and mobile devices on display at the Mobile World Congress provided the first glimpse of how the technology works.

Second wave of Windows 8 client promotions coming soon

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:33:00 GMT

Microsoft is about to embark on a second wave of Windows 8 client hardware promotions and user education, an executive said Wednesday.

Firefox OS adds to pressure on Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 OS

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:29:00 GMT

The emergence of the Firefox OS is just one more reason that Microsoft and BlackBerry will need to sharpen their marketing savvy to sell more smartphones in 2013.

Industrial sapphire might be your next smartphone display

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:25:00 GMT

Sapphire could someday be used in some smartphone displays instead of the toughened Gorilla Glass popular today

ARM still drives design for smartphones -- 1 billion in 2013

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:55:00 GMT

ARM creates the intellectual property used in the designs used to run more than 95% of the smartphones in the world, but the company had only a small booth at the edge of Hall 6 at Mobile World Congress this week.

German engineers deconstruct smartphones to find new uses

(Martyn Williams) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:44:00 GMT

Smartphones, it seems, can do anything.

Acer moves ahead with Windows RT tablet for this year

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:05:00 GMT

Acer plans to release a Windows RT tablet this year as it looks to aggressively expand its lineup of mobile devices, including smartphones.

ARM says its smartphone battery-saving technology has wide support

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:25:00 GMT

Seven companies are expected to release chips this year based on ARM's Big.Little processor technology, ARM said at the Mobile World Congress.

NEC sees double with dual-screen smartphone

(Martyn Williams) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:57:00 GMT

Japan's NEC has come up with a different way to answer consumer demands for bigger screens on smartphones. Rather than use a single, larger display, which makes the entire phone larger, the company has fitted a second screen to its Medias W handset that folds out when needed to double the display area.

Cricket's Muve Music download service expanding outside the U.S.

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:50:00 GMT

Cricket Communications' unlimited music download service, Muve, has blossomed in the past 18 months and will soon expand in another month outside the U.S., a Cricket executive said Tuesday.

Cisco, Intucell make MWC debut eyeing bigger mobile role

(Stephen Lawson) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:14:00 GMT

Cisco's acquisition of network optimization vendor Intucell closed just three days before the start of Mobile World Congress this week, great timing for a deal that is likely to play a big role in the networking firm's mobile future.

HP says more tablets coming as it puts bad past behind

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:04:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard made some noise at Mobile World Congress show with its new Slate 7-inch tablet and then the sale of webOS assets, but the company is looking to put past distractions behind and will release more tablets in the future, the company said.

Firefox OS 'too late' to shake up mobile

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:19:00 GMT

Analysts today were skeptical that Mozilla's push into mobile with Firefox OS would meaningfully change the game.

ZTE unveils Open, its first Firefox OS-based phone

(Mikael Ricknäs) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:23:00 GMT

The first ZTE phone based on Mozilla's Firefox OS will go on sale in the middle of the year in Spain, Venezuela and Colombia, where its maker hopes to boost smartphone penetration.

Intel demos perceptual computing software toolkit

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:26:00 GMT

Software engineers at Intel are exploring new ways for computers to perceive the human voice, gestures and head-and-eye movements to supplement the traditional ways that people use the keyboard and mouse.

Samsung's next-gen NFC smartphones and tablets to get Visa's mobile payment applet

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:00 GMT

Visa's payWave mobile payment applet will be embedded in next-generation Samsung smartphones and tablets enabled with NFC, Visa and Samsung announced at Mobile World Congress.

Asus aims at tablets and phablets with Padfone Infinity, Fonepad

(Agam Shah) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:26:00 GMT

Asustek Computer is targeting both smartphone and tablet users with its new Padfone Infinity and Fonepad devices, which can be converted between the two formats.

AT&T to wirelessly connect most GM vehicles over LTE in 2014

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:19:00 GMT

AT&T Monday said it will supply LTE wireless services to most General Motors vehicles starting in 2014 in the U.S. and Canada.

Carriers hope Firefox makes OS market more competitive

(Stephen Lawson) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:17:00 GMT

Telecom carriers continue to complain about taxes, regulation and over-the-top competition, but Mozilla's Firefox OS provides a glimmer of hope to some executives speaking at the opening of Mobile World Congress.

Aruba announces controller and software for hybrid wireless networks

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:10:00 GMT

Aruba Networks announced a Wi-Fi controller today that can create more efficient pathways for wireless traffic and control more than 32,000 Wi-Fi hotspots.

Samsung bolsters BYOD management with a Fort Knox approach

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:04:00 GMT

Samsung Monday announced an improved version of its SAFE management and security system for popular Samsung-branded smartphones and tablets.

BYOD gets attention at Mobile World Congress

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 07:46:00 GMT

Helping IT shops deal with the security and management of consumer smartphones and tablets in the workplace will be a big theme at Mobile World Congress this week.

MasterCard to expand digital wallet service beyond NFC

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 07:02:00 GMT

MasterCard revised its year-old mobile payment strategy by unveiling a digital, cloud-based service called MasterPass that moves well beyond near-field communication technology used in smartphones to also support QR codes, traditional credit cards and other ways to make payments.

HP to ship Slate7 consumer tablet for $169 in April

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:52:00 GMT

Hewlett Packard on Sunday unveiled the HP Slate7, a 7-in. tablet that will go on sale in April in the U.S. starting at the bargain price of $169.

Mozilla previews Firefox OS with four phone makers and 18 operators onboard

(Mikael Ricknas) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:32:00 GMT

Mozilla previewed the first commercial build of its Firefox OS and announced several operator and smartphone rollout plans on Sunday at Mobile World Congress.

New Lenovo tablets run Android 4.2, quad-core processors

(Agam Shah) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:51:00 GMT

Lenovo has announced new 7-inch and 10-inch tablets with quad-core processors and Google's latest Android 4.2 operating system, becoming one of the few companies to offer that version of the OS in tablets.

Samsung reveals Galaxy Note 8 but holds back on price

(Agam Shah) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 02:04:00 GMT

Samsung has introduced the Galaxy Note 8 tablet with an 8-inch display, adding a new screen size to its expanding lineup of Note products.

Mobile devices will get next-gen Wi-Fi in early second half, Qualcomm says

(Agam Shah) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 21:23:00 GMT

Smartphones and tablets with the emerging Wi-Fi wireless networking technology, 802.11ac, will arrive early in the second half of this year, a Qualcomm executive said.

Cisco's small-cell move is focused, but its network aims are ambitious

(Stephen Lawson) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:02:00 GMT

Cisco's long-anticipated entry into cellular base stations will come at Mobile World Congress next week, along with the company's familiar promise of an end-to-end architecture.

ZTE set to launch Firefox OS smartphone

(Mikael Ricknäs) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:52:00 GMT

Chinese phone maker ZTE is planning to launch a smartphone based on Mozilla's Firefox OS at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.