MWC (Mobile World Congress) is only a couple of weeks away and the world’s top mobile phone manufacturers, apart from Apple, will descend upon Barcelona to show off their latest handsets. Samsung, LG, Nokia, Sony, HTC, Acer and Asus will all be on hand to show what they have planned for 2012 and beyond. Here’s what we think you might be seeing at MWC 2012.

Nvidia

While we’ve already seen the Tegra quad-core processor in the new Asus tablet we’d bet our house that Nvidia & Co will be on hand at MWC to confirmed more Tegra 3 mobile devices. Adding even more fuel the fire they’ve already sent out a press release teasing “quad-core firsts” during Mobile World Congress.

We’ve known about quad-core smartphones since CES, but anything on show was displayed behind glass – so it’s going to be exciting to get some proper face-time with the new handsets. It’s been reported that HTC and LG are both planning to unveil Tegra 3-powered devices, which are expected to feature 4.7-inch displays with 720p resolutions.

Windows 8 & Windows Phone

Microsoft revealed recently that it plans to launch the consumer preview version of Window 8 on February 29 – to coincide with their event at MWC. It’s does seem odd that Microsoft will be discussing Windows 8 at a mobile phone trade show, but it could mean Microsoft to will unveil more details on how Windows 8 will work alongside their Mobile phone operating system.

Not only will Windows Phone 8 share the same Metro style user interface as Windows 8 for tablets and PCs, but developers can reuse the same code for both operating systems. It’s not clear if Microsoft plans to discuss its Windows Phone 8 plans, but a Windows 8 Consumer Preview launch at Mobile World Congress makes it look that way.

Samsung

Its been confirmed by Samsung that the follow-up to their Galaxy S2 wouldn’t be making an appearance at this year’s MWC, but even more bizarre is the news that Samsung won’t be making a major press announcements at the 2012 show. Samsung should still have a new product or two to launch at MWC, as promised, however the usual big set-piece event is now off the table.

Their US PR team said: ”Samsung confirmed that they are not hosting a press conference at Mobile World Congress, but Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012.

“The successor to the Galaxy S II smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.

“Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world.”

Sony

The leaked shot above show the entire family of Xperia phones, but there’s also a couple of family members we haven’t seen before. According the Xperia Blog the new handsets include the rumoured Xperia Nypon and the phone in the middle of the bottom row, is thought to be the recently-announced Xperia S. We’ve had several emails about Sony’s plans at MWC, so we’re betting they’ll be bringing a host of new phones to MWC under the Xperia brand.

Blackberry

Ailing smartphone maker, Blackberry, should be at MWC with their new operating system. Once called BBX, its now been dubbed Blackberry 10 and has yet to released on any smartphone.

According to a RIM rep the company will be at MWC to show off the new operating system as well its current Blackberry 7 – which comes with new NFC and BBM capabilities. Unfortunately, it appears there still won’t be a device running BlackBerry 10 until later this year.

New reports from BGR blog are suggesting that Blackberry has cancelled the BlackBerry Colt, as well the Milan. Meaning RIM only has the BlackBerry 10 smartphone. First unveiled in London, the handset comes with dual-core 1.5Ghz, 1GB of Ram, 16GB of onboard storage and front and rear facing cameras. RIM focusing on a single device could be a good thing, but we’ve heard it won’t be ready until the third quarter of this year, which might just be too late – let’s hope they have something more concrete at MWC.

HTC

HTC has already confirmed their plans with a press conference set to take place the day before the show officially kicks off. They’re expected to show of the HTC Edge , which could also be the world’s first quad-core phone. There’s also talk of the Quattro tablet, also quad-core thanks to Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor, as well as the Ville, another Android Ice Cream Sandwich superphone, and the Primo, a more mid-range device.

We also wonder if we’ll hear of the European version of the Titan II Windows Phone we saw at CES, with its ginormous 16-megapixel camera. Let’s hope so.

MWC takes place from February 27 to March 3.

Mobile World Congress: Gaj-it’s Top Mobile Phone Predictions is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

LG said, “With tablets generating five times more traffic than the average smartphone, it’s not a huge jump to assume that tablet users need and want faster connectivity. The combination of LG’s LTE technology with the tablet form factor is a clear advantage for consumers who use a tablet as their primary consumption device when on the move.”

The tablet uses 1.5 GHz dual core Qualcomm processor and runs on Honeycomb platform. LG has also not provided any information if the tablet would be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich platform. The tablet provides SD card support for up to 32 GB. It is quite petite at 9.34 mm thickness and weighs 479 grams.  LG Optimus Pad LTE also supports High Definition Multimedia Interface.

LG is also promoting several of its user friendly features such as Web Duet, which lets you email and message and also offers search option. Its other feature Smart Movie Editor allows you to edit pictures and videos. LG Optimus Pad will make its debut in South Korea and then the company will proceed with global launch. No pricing details have been provided so far.

LG Introduces Optimus Pad LTE Tablet is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Smartphones are also gaining lead over feature phones. During 2011, handset manufacturers had started promoting smartphones over dumb phones. Samsung is clearly leading the pack, with HTC and not far behind. Even, hard-up companies like Nokia and RIM are also doing well in emerging countries in Asia and Africa. Companies like Apple are also now giving their attention to developing markets. Apple is now distributing its phones in various South American markets including Brazil.

Smartphones now have a strong foothold in the North American market. North American market showed 14 percent year on year growth for 2011. Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director of mobile devices with ABI Research said, “North America may only represent 15% of feature and smartphone units shipped globally, but due to the high proportion of high-end smartphone sales, it constitutes 40% of total smartphones sold by value.”

Smartphones to Gain Market Share in 2012 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

We’re back with our second installment of our top tech predictions for CES 2012. In this part we will be looking at computing, tablets and mobiles. We’ll cover everything from what Microsoft has planned for Windows 8, Intel-powered Ultrabooks and everything you should expect when it comes to mobile phones and tablets.

Home Computing 

Xbox 720 aside Microsoft is expected to the have more details on its new Windows 8 operating system at CES. Steve Ballmer is expected to give an opening keynote speech where he is expected to show off the tablet-friendly OS.

So far the tech world has only seen a developer preview of the new OS, with a beta expected to the ready for February – so it’s expected that Ballmer & Co will take to the stage for the last time and announce the exact date of the beta. So keep your eye’s peeled.

Other computer related news expected from Microsoft is their decision to start supporting ARM processors with Windows 8. We’re not whether they will support both desktops and tablet architecture with Arm. But, it could be that we’ll see some Windows tablets in the future with ARM processors and more traditional desktops and laptops sticking to tried and tested Intel power plants.

Intel

Intel Chief Paul Otellini is set to deliver one of the keynotes at CES, and is expected to show off some new Ivy Bridge hardware, which should be in the form of Ultrabooks, although Ivy Bridge, the follow-up to Sandy bridge, isn’t expected until later 2012.

Graphics cards-wise AMD is likely to be on hand at CES to show off their new Southern Island, 28nm graphics card, which are expect to hit retail stores by Q1 2012. Nvidia is also expected to show off their 28nm cards too, but it’s not know whether the Kepler architecture cards will be shown on the show floor or behind closed doors.

One of the main draws for many at CES will be: Ultrabooks. This is because Intel is throwing a lot of money at the manufacturers to make a line of laptops that will reinvigorate the ailing laptop market. Over the last 3 years we’ve seen an explosion of Netbooks, then Tablets and Intel now hopes the consumers will jump on board their ultra-thin Intel-powered laptops. They are essentially MacBook Air’s, but, running Windows. From what we’ve seen of Ultrabook they do make Windows laptops cool, but with a hefty price tag and increased competition from tablets they might be too expensive for hard-up consumers to stomach.

Mobile Technology

The Mobile industry tends to make its announcements at the MWC in Barcelona, but with such a competitive marketplace many companies are likely to steal a march and get some of their announcements out before the rest of the competition. Tablets will also be big business at CES, with many manufacturers making the switch from dual-core Tegra chipsets to the new Tegra quad-core chipsets.

HTC

HTC has yet to give a UK release for their Jetstream tablet – so we’re not expecting that tablet but something entirely new – known as the HTC Quattro. It’s the usual 10-inch tablet that we’ve seen so many times over the last 12 months. For us, it’s not the hardware that is keeping Google from competing with Apple, but the fragmentation of the Android OS – especially the app marketplace – which is way off the quality and reliability of Apple’s own app store.

HTC will no doubt have several mobiles on the show floor at CES, but, they tend to make their products for different markets – so many of the new handset may well be US-only for the time being. But you should expect details on the HTC Edge, HTC Ville and possibly some quad-core phones too.

Acer

Acer is expected  to show off a new tablet, which will hopefully be a bit more exciting than the rather drab Iconica A500. This time around they’re hoping that the A700 might grab some positive headlines – especially as it’s thought to come with a 1080p resolution screen.

Samsung

Samsung is expected to show off the follow-up to the Galaxy S2, it’s been the at the centre of plenty rumour-mongering – so it’s highly likely that they could unveil it at CES and once again grab a decent head start over Apple and the iPhone. It’s expected to be dramatically different from the previous version as Samsung wants to move it away from the iPhone and avoid any further legal action.

LG 

LG is expected to show off a new Android 4.0 mobile called the Optimus U1, which could be worth keep an eye out for, especially if they managed to get it out to retailers with Ice Cream Sandwich in toe before the competition.

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson might use CES to the finally officially unveil the Xperia Arc HD, which has been the subject of many leaks recently. It’s expected to come with a 4.3-inch LCD display, with an impressive 1280×720 resolution, a matte finish and for the first time the Arc will have the power to match its looks. The current Arc only has a single core, which by todays standards is like a pocket calculator.

Sony will want to make a splash at CES, they are in the process of buying the mobile company outright, so a good showing at the show would allay any fears from nervous shareholders and investors.

Nokia

Nokia is expected to unveil its next Windows Phone at a Window Phone-themed press conference, there’s no word on whether the reported Lumia 900 will make it to the UK, but the phone is expected to come with a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, better battery life and their fantastic Carl Zeiss 8 megapixel camera.

We’ll be reporting all the latest news from CES – so stay tuned from the 9-13 of January.

CES 2012: Gaj-it’s Top Tech Predictions Part 2 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

LG has announced that it will bringing the world’s largest OLED TV to the show this year. The TV, with 55 inch screen, is capable of providing infinite contrast ratio and color refiner. The South Korean company also said that the TV comes with a minimal bezel. In fact, the bezel measures only 4- millimeters wide. So, this is one gorgeous 55-inch TV with a wispy 4-millimeter plastic border.

The TV uses OLED technology, which LG claims is capable of providing LCD quality at lower price. Havis Kwon, CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company, said, “OLED is clearly the future of home TV entertainment and LG is very focused on making this exciting technology as easy as possible for consumers to embrace.” The company also added that OLED technology is capable of providing better picture quality than LCD or LED due its fast processing capabilities.

Consumer Electronics Show is set to begin in Las Vegas this month.

LG to Debut 55 Inch HDTV with Minimal Bezel is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

LG Optimus LTE and LG Prada phones would be among the first ones to get the update in second quarter of 2012. Other phone sets receiving the upgrade are LG Optimus 2X, LG myTouch Q, LG eclipse and the LG Optimus Sol. The list of phones getting update in the third quarter include names like LG Optimus Black, LG Optimus Q2, LG Optimus EX and the LG Optimus 3D.

LG has not given the exact dates since the exact timings would be different for different regions. So essentially, the time you would be getting an update depends on where you are and it also depends on your carrier. LG would be providing updates about the exact launch dates in coming months.

Android had been suffering from update fragmentation and it looks like with the launch of Android 4.0, the problem is going to get exacerbated.

LG Details Ice Cream Sandwich Upgrade Schedule for 2012 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

We’ll be bringing you all the major announcements, and they’re will be plently, but before the press conferences and show actually starts we thought give you our of our predictions.

There are expected to be some big announcements from Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, HTC and many more. Here’s what you should be looking out for over the next week.

HTC Puccini

HTC Puccini has been rumoured several times over the summer and is the second HTC Android tablet, and should be unveiled for the first time at this week’s IFA.

It will be the first 10-inch Android Honeycomb tablet from HTC and is expected to continue the trend of 1280×800 touchscreen tablets that have been released over the last few months from loads of different manufacturers.

Unlike the Flyer, the firm’s upcoming tablet is much bigger and will be clocking it at 10.1-inches, and will come with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal SSD storage and an 8MP camera with dual flash. The Puccini supports LTE 4G connectivity too.

Toshiba Excite

Toshiba’s new Excite tablet should be on show at this year’s show and is one to be excited about.

The super-sleek design is expected to replace the Thrive, which never made it to UK shores and was only on sale in the US only.

According to Notebook Italia, Toshiba is set to announce a new Honeycomb tablet sometime during IFA 2011 in Berlin. According to Notebook Italia, the new Toshiba tablet is supposed to be an ultrathin tablet and it’s going to be nice competitor to Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Sony S1 and S2

Continuing the tablet theme Sony are finally making their entrance into the tablet market with the S1 and S2.

They’ve been teased for months now and have garnered quite a bit of attention, especially with the clam-shaped S2.

The S1 tablet will be bringing Honeycomb (Android 3.2), 9.4-inch touchscreen with 1280×800 resolution, Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, PlayStation Suite, WiFi, DLNA, Qriocity media support, Adobe Flash support and the usual cameras, Bluetooth, media players, etc.

Some more of the S2 specs have also been leaked too – the leak is pegging the S2 as a dual 5.5-inch screened slate weighing in at 370g, with 512Mb of RAM, 4GB of storage, 2GB SD card and 4G connectivity.

Samsung Galaxy Q

Samsung are planning yet another tablet. But this one is a little different. It’s only 5-inches. The follow-up to last year’s 7-inch Galaxy Tab and is expected to come with a Super AMOLED screen, dual-core processor and will be running Android.

We don’t really think Sammy needs another tablet to be honest as the similarly sized Dell streak was quickly discontinued after its release – so were not sure about a 5.5-inch version of Samsung’s Galaxy tablet range.

Ultrabooks

Intel splashed the cash and spent $300 million on developing Ultrabooks this month – they’re essentially waver-thin laptops akin to the MacBook Air.

IFA is expected to be jam-packed with them so expect Ultrabooks from Lenovo, Asus, Acer in their 2011/2012 ranges.

Asus’ chairman has already spoken about his companies new Ultrabooks, Jonney Shih said that depending on the screen size and features, price will start from £552 and go as high as £1228 – depending on specs and features.

Windows Phone Mango handsets

HTC will be one of the first companies to take to the stage at IFA and it’s also the day when Windows Phone 7 Mango will be unveiled – so you expect major announcements on new Mango phones throughout today.  Expect to see handsets from LG and Samsung too.

Microsoft is hoping that the release of the Mango update later this year will boost its sales numbers. Especially as they announced that they have now reached 30,000 apps on their App store.

Mango adds more than 500 new features such as multitasking and hardware assisted Web browsing through Internet Explorer 9, will yield noticeable improvements.

IFA 2011: Our Predictions For Europe’s Largest Electronics Show In Berlin is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Google’s envy of Apple and its dominance of mobile phone market has seen the search engine company buy Motorola Mobility on Monday for the eye-watering sum of 12 billion dollars. This isn’t just an intensification of the patent war that is taking place at the moment. This could be massive shift of emphasis for Google.

Google might have the top selling mobile phone operating system, but it’s not enough for Google. They want what Apple has. Now that the dust has settled we look at the deal and ask the most important question: Is the Google-Motorola buyout a match made in heaven or hell for both companies?

Match Made in Heaven

Strike Whilst the Iron is Hot

Why would Google spend so much dough on this buyout? First, because its Android smartphone software has huge momentum and the company is looking to strike while the iron is hot. Second, because even if Google can’t leapfrog Apple to become the premier smartphone brand, it will make a heck of a lot more money by cutting out the middle man.

Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond wrote a scathing blog post in which he said the companies were “banding together” to use “bogus patents” as a “weapon to stop” innovation, citing the numerous lawsuits against Android hardware manufacturers as evidence.

Motorola’s Arsenal of 17,000 Patents and 7,500 Applications

So what does Motorola offer Google?  Well one of the main attractions is the Motorola’s arsenal of 17,000 patents and 7,500 applications. This would allow Google to protect itself and it’s partners against further legal wrangling. Not only will it bolster its patent library but also it will give Google, Motorola’s technology expertise. This could mean that Motorola can safeguard its 20,000 strong workforce.

For Google to jump into the phone hardware business would be a huge departure for Google. Previous acquisitions – from Internet video pioneer YouTube to travel-software company ITA Software – have avoided hardware. It also would undercut Google’s strategy of broad partnerships that has led Android to the top.

Google’s TV Dream Gets Closer

As part of the deal, Google will also acquire the settop box and cable equipment operations of Motorola Mobility, one of two dominant suppliers of settop boxes and equipment to the U.S. pay TV industry. Could this pave the way for Google to be a major player in the TV industry with it’s hardware and Youtube ?

The acquisition also highlights the growing importance of web and mobile players in the TV industry, and in some sense might be considered the first big deal of the tablet revolution that is transforming the way viewers access and watch TV programming.

Match Made In Hell

Problems with Motorola Patents

First and foremost, Motorola’s 17000+ patents are not filed just within this decade. Many of them are old day patents which are of no value today. It is not how many patents you actually have. It’s all about the value of those patents something that has been called into question of technology experts when evaluating the Google/Motorola deal.

Could Alienate Google Partners, HTC, Samsung and LG

While Google insisting it will continue to partner with other phone makers, and Motorola will have to compete to get first crack at the latest software as it does today. The fear is that this deal could alienate companies like HTC, Samsung and LG as they might see that previous level playing field has been distorted with the acquisition of Motorola by Google.

Push Microsoft to Partner with Nokia

The acquisition of Motorola by Google could increase the pressure on Microsoft to acquire a hardware company rather than just partnering with Nokia. With RIM and Nokia struggling with holes in their portfolios and the stock prices under severe pressure over the past year, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility these two companies could be the most obvious acquisition targets for Microsoft.

Deal or No Deal?

Not yet. The Google-Motorola acquisition still has to go through all the usual rounds of regulatory approval, both in the U.S. and abroad. Google and Motorola Mobility aren’t anticipating a long road. The two companies say they expect the deal to be closed by the end of this year or early next year.

Heaven or Hell?

A lot of this remains up in the air but there are major changes happening in the mobile phone industry and companies are coming together on both sides of a patent war. Who will win is unclear. But Google’s purchase of Motorola is a massive statement of intent. It’s looks as if the mobile phone war is going to be between Apple, Google and Microsoft. Where this leaves companies like RIM and Nokia is unclear but don’t be surprised if they are picked up as part of the this patent proliferation.

What do you think? Do you think the Google-Motorola Marriage is a match made in Heaven or Hell?  Let us know in our Facebook poll here!

Google-Motorola Marriage: A Match Made in Heaven or Hell? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Much of the growth is coming from smartphone segment, as Feature Phones saw 4 percent decline in their market share. IDC stated, “While this is not a new trend – smartphones have been the primary engine of growth for the last several quarters.” Things are not going to get a lot better for feature phones, as smartphones keep usurping their market share.

However, IDC still placed Nokia on the top of mobile phone manufacturers’ pile. Albeit, its stronghold is getting weaker. The finish phone company’s future now hinges on the success of its upcoming Windows Phone 7 series. Samsung is continuing to do well with double digit growth rate. LG has been placed third in the list, though its future projections are not very encouraging. Apple grabbed the fourth spot, but is likely to improve its standing in the coming months in a big way. It showed impressive triple digit growth rate and is likely to retain it.

Apple Tops Mobile Shipment Race is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

HTC will be launching phones with 3.8 inches and 4.7 inches displays. The phones are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm CPUs. Though, it is not officially confirmed, but these new phones are likely to be HTC Ignite and HTC Prime. The leaked photographs of the phones have been doing rounds on the Internet for quite some time.

Microsoft’s preferred partner Nokia is also expected to launch its range of Widows Mango phones by the end of this year. Apart from these front-runners, the companies like ZTE and Acer are also planning to partner with Mango. The timing of these devices could not be more appropriate, since Apple’s iPhone is also  expected to hit the market at about the same time. Market has not been kind to Windows Phone so far, let’s see if things change for better with the latest version.

Record Harvest of Mango Phones Expected in September is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com