Lenovo and Motorola may confirm Intel Medfield plans next week

Both Motorola and Lenovo are expected to announce Android devices powered by Intel Medfield chips at next week's Mobile World Congress.

First disclosed all the way back in December 2008, the Intel processor has been making some noise lately with terrific benchmark scores.

Originally posted at Mobile

Nokia teases new camera phone with snowy video

Nokia's teasing us with a snowy video designed to get viewers all hot under the collar about a new camera phone.

The video gives nothing away, but shows eerie high-resolution panning shots of beautiful icy scenes, with references made to "pure detail," "pure depth," and "pure definition."

The 22-second clip ends with the text "Get ready to capture a pure view," with what looks like a massive frozen lake. Very picturesque, but what could it mean?

Read more of "Nokia teases new camera phone with snowy video," and watch said snowy video, on Crave UK.

Originally posted at Mobile World Congress

LG's Optimus 3D Max modernizes--except for Android 2.3

LG Electronics, a second-tier smartphone maker hoping Google's Android operating system will lift its fortunes, today unveiled its new Optimus 3D Max.

The phone, like its 2011 Optimus 3D predecessor, includes glasses-free 3D display technology on a 4.3-inch display and an ability to shoot 3D videos and photos with dual cameras. This year's model is thinner, has faster 21Mbps HSPA+ networking, and supports near-field communications for tap-to-pay systems and other NFC uses such as switching the phone quickly among car, home, and work modes.

One thing that did not change is the version of Google's latest more

Originally posted at Mobile World Congress

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G to spark up T-Mobile in March

As usual, Samsung was involved in a fair number of product announcements this past CES, but the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G's debut proved the most hush-hush. T-Mobile executives announced it at a small, exclusive event to a knot of journalists, in almost the same breath as the carrier's mission statement to keep on fighting in the aftermath of the disintegrated merger with AT&T.

From such tinder comes more news of T-Mobile's Galaxy S Blaze 4G, including an official launch target--"late March"--and pricing: $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card, and with a more

Originally posted at Mobile

Living with the Samsung Galaxy Note

I've used the massive Samsung Galaxy Note as my sole handset for a week, and life is going surprisingly well.

Samsung certainly has high hopes for its unique product, which was first launched globally last summer. Here in the U.S., the device burst onto the American scene with a splashy Super Bowl Spot that depicted the Galaxy Note as having magical capabilities. I mean I can't imagine any other kind of power, save religious fervor, that can sway iPhone users to Android. This is why I had to experience the Note firsthand.

Originally posted at Mobile

LG to drop new ICS phones at Mobile World Congress

The lack of many phones running Android Ice Cream Sandwich has left a sour taste in the mouths of Android fans everywhere. Hopefully LG's three new L-Style handsets will sweeten the situation at Mobile World Congress very soon.

Originally posted at Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S II lovefest expanding to U.S. Cellular

If there remained any doubt of the lasting mainstream appeal and marketing clout of the Samsung Galaxy S II Android Gingerbread smartphone, U.S. Cellular's plan to take on the handset erases it all.

The nation's sixth-largest carrier will join T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint in offering a version of the phone that's already sold more than 30 million units worldwide.

Originally posted at Mobile

Samsung shows sequels to Galaxy Ace and Mini

At this point, there may not be any new phones left to unveil at Mobile World Congress.

This time Samsung is getting a head start on next week's wireless trade show by announcing the Galaxy Mini 2 and Galaxy Ace 2. Though we heard rumors of the Mini 2 last week, Samsung waited until early Tuesday morning to make the handsets official in a press release from the company's Korean headquarters.

As if the "2" in their names wasn't a dead giveaway, both phones are sequels to the Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Mini that we saw last more

Originally posted at Mobile

ZTE Mimosa X raises a glass to Ice Cream Sandwich

ZTE's Android efforts will continue with the ZTE Mimosa X, a mid-range Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone that we can expect to see in the second quarter of 2012...somewhere. ZTE hasn't announced a market just yet, but this is a phone we should hear more about at Mobile World Congress next week.

The Mimosa X will have a 4.3-inch qHD screen (that's a 960x540-pixel resolution) a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera, and an expandable memory slot capable of 32GB.

It will also include HD video capture and playback are also on-board, along with more

Originally posted at Mobile

The best gadget I've ever bought...will surprise you

I'm one of those Bluetooth people--you know, the guy who's always got a weird flashing thing stuck in one ear and you can never quite be sure if he's actually listening to you. But I can take the stares and the eye rolls and the mockery, because I know the rest of the world just doesn't understand what we have; my old Jabra BT8040 headset and I have been through a lot together.

In the rural area where I live, many folks don't have e-mail or any kind of smartphone yet, so I can look particularly ridiculous jogging down the road or snowshoeing a high-altitude trail with an earpiece jammed in the side of my head. But it's worth it--my Bluetooth is my window on the world.

Most of my time online is spent on work, leaving little time to follow news and podcasts or check out new music. Whenever I'm not staring at a laptop, I'm probably driving, exercising, or doing chores with my trusty BT8040 in my ear getting caught up on those sorts of things, or with friends and family on the phone. In short, I constantly hear little voices in my head in more ways than one.