Huawei: Windows Phone is still on the agenda

Huawei is still on friendly terms with Windows Phone, but Android is the true object of its affection.

Speaking with blog site TrustedReviews, Huawei Chief Marketing Officer Shao Yang said the maker of mobile devices remains "committed" to making phones outfitted with Microsoft's mobile OS. Last year, China-based Huawei launched the Ascend W1 and struck a deal with Microsoft to sell Windows Phone devices in Africa.

But that commitment isn't quite a top priority.

"Compared with Android, the priority of Windows Phone is much lower but is still one of our choices of OS," Yang said. "We are definitely using a multi-OS strategy."

Judging from Yang's remarks, a team-up between Windows Phone and Android appears to be at the top of the agenda. He said a dual-OS phone will reach US consumers sometime next quarter. Such a device could appeal to a wider range of customers, Yang said.

"With Windows Phone, one direction for us -- and one that we are now following -- is dual OS. Dual OS as in Android and Windows together," Yang told TrustedReviews. "If it is Windows only, maybe people will not find it as easy a decision to buy the phone. If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone."

Though Huawei still isn't exactly a household name, at least not in the US, it has shot past many of its rivals. Last October, research firm Strategy Analytics dubbed Huawei the third-largest smartphone vendor in the world, behind Samsung and Apple but ahead of LG and Lenovo.

California court: Drivers can use smartphone maps

Texting or chatting on the phone while driving is illegal in California, but the law seems still to be catching up with technology when it comes to other aspects of smartphone use behind the wheel.

A court of appeals has reversed an earlier court decision that ruled map reading on a cell phone was taboo under the law, according to the Associated Press. The 5th District Court of Appeal said the law currently applies only to talking and texting on mobile devices and doesn't yet have legal language for app use.

The case came about in January 2012 after Fresno resident Steven Spriggs got a ticket for checking his iPhone 4 map when he was caught in a traffic jam, according to the AP. While he was searching for a better route on his phone, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped him and fined him $165.

The panel of appellate judges ruled in favor of Spriggs, saying California law stipulates that "listening and talking" on cell phones without a hands-free device is illegal, but it doesn't specify other ways in which phone use is unlawful, according to the AP.After losing a challenge to the case in traffic court, Spriggs appealed the ticket to a Fresno County Superior Court. He lost again. Undeterred, he brought the case to the district court of appeals.

While this is a clear win for Spriggs, and he'll be able to get back his $165, the case could be appealed by the state attorney general's office to the California Supreme Court.

Firefox OS, Mozilla begins the $25 smartphone

BARCELONA -- Mozilla doubled down on its bet that low-end smartphones will give Firefox OS a place in the crowded mobile market, announcing partnerships Sunday that will bring $25 smartphones to the large number of people who can't afford high-end models like Apple's iPhone 5S and Samsung's Galaxy S5 that cost hundreds of dollars.

At the Mobile World Congress here, Mozilla announced a deal with Chinese chip designerSpreadtrum Communications that will mean Firefox OS smartphones will arrive in extremely cost-sensitive markets like India and Indonesia where people often buy phones from a bin in a store.

"We're working with them to break through the $50 barrier, which is a hard," Mozilla Chief Technology Officer Brendan Eich told CNET. "This is going to be for a set of [sales] channels in Asia that do not involve operators," the carriers that in other parts of the world dominate distribution.

One company that plans to make and promote the phones is Indonesia-based Polytron. And Indian carriers Telkomsel and Indosat plan to sell the devices.

The phones may seem small, underpowered, and short on features to people used to modernAndroid and iOS phones. But Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla Foundation, said at a press conference here that the devices have to be judged by a different, lower-end standard.

"Imagine the phone in your pocket is a feature phone. Imagine, when you go buy one of these devices, that every euro is precious to you," Baker said. Looking at "the richness and power we're able to offer to this market, you'll be astonished. Then imagine where we can go from there."

Mozilla has found a small niche in the mobile OS market by pursuing its low-end strategy, with the first phones debuting in countries such as Hungary, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and Greece. Mozilla, a non-profit organization, hopes to use the browser-based operating system to lower the barriers that today keep people locked into ecosystems linking hardware, OS, app store, services, content, and apps.

Mozilla also expanded partnerships with the Firefox OS allies it announced last year at the same show, Alcatel and ZTE. They debuted upgraded models that move to dual-core processors and add larger-screen options, bringing a little more processing horsepower to Firefox OS without raising the price.

One of those Alcatel phones, the One Touch Fire S, pushes Firefox OS to new heights a quad-core processor and support for faster new 4G LTE networks. And Alcatel also showed off an early version of a planned new tablet, the One Touch Fire 7.

Alcatel plans to sell its One Touch Fire 7, a tablet with Firefox OS.

(Credit: CNET)

Also at Mozilla's event, a new partner, Huawei, showed off its first Firefox OS phone. The Y300 comes with a 4-inch 800x480 screen, dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and Firefox OS 1.1. It's not clear yet when that model will go on sale.

LG Electronics introduced a Firefox OS later phone last year, the Fireweb, and didn't have any updates. Sony last year said it planned a Firefox OS phone for 2014, but it didn't have any on display.

Firefox OS takes on challenges
Today, Apple's iOS and Google's Android dominate the market for smartphones and tablets. Challengers like Microsoft's Windows Phone, Ubuntu Touch, WebOS, BlackBerry OS, and Samsung's Tizen have struggled to push these aside: it's hard to compete against an incumbent that's got millions of users, hundreds of thousands of apps, and few signs of the complacency that can open a door for challengers.

At the same time, though, Firefox is pushing, too. It uses the same ZRAM memory compression technique to halve its memory requirement to 128MB of memory, Eich said.Firefox OS won't have an easy time of it. There's not as much money to be squeezed from low-end markets, so developers aren't as likely to pursue it as avidly. The Spreadtrum chipset will support only 2.5G Edge mobile networks that, while common in poorer parts of the world, are too slow for a lot of modern apps. And Google is pushing toward lower-end phones, with Android 4.4 memory-saving techniques that fit KitKat into phones with 512MB of RAM.

Getting down to $25 phones means Firefox OS will provide an alternative for people who'd otherwise buy a feature phone -- a model with a few built-in apps but not much more.

So Firefox has a chance there. But in the long run, to succeed, Firefox OS will need to push up-market, and it's not clear how Mozilla will succeed there with much stronger competition.

Dual-core Firefox OS phones
Phone makers are helping to push Firefox OS toward higher-end models. The first-generation Firefox OS phones like the Alcatel One Touch Fire had single-core Qualcomm processors.

Now that's changing with a host of new models that should arrive at the same low prices. Arriving at the show are two ZTE phones and four Alcatel phones:

• The ZTE Open C has a 4-inch, 800x480 display, a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, 3G networking; 1,400mAh battery, 512MB RAM, 2GB flash storage, and 3-megapixel camera. The Spanish carrier Telefonica will sell it in Venezuela and Uruguay in the second quarter of 2014, ZTE said.
• The ZTE Open II has a 3.5-inch 480x320 display, dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 3G networking; 1,150mAh battery, 256MB RAM, 2GB flash storage, and 2-megapixel camera. Telefonica will sell this model in six countries
• The Alcatel One Touch Fire S, the company's highest-end model, has 4G LTE networking, a 4.5-inch 960x540 IPS screen, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and support for near-field communications (NFC).
• The Alcatel One Touch Fire E is a step down. It's also got a4.5-inch 960x540 screen, but not with in-plane switching, and its 1.2GHz processor is only a dual-core model. Its rear-facing camera has a 5MP resolution but its front-facing camera is only 0.3MP.
• The Alcatel One Touch Fire C is the clear successor to 2013's model. Its 3.5-inch 480x320 screen is the same size, but it now is accompanied by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. Its camera is pretty low-end, just a 0.3-megapixel model.

Tablets and more
Alcatel is also the first to push a Firefox OS tablet, the One Touch Fire 7, into the market. Electronics companies Foxconn and Via have worked on reference designs, but Alcatel is aimmig the Fire 7 at the mass market.

It's got a 7-inch 960x540 display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 0.3-megapixel front and rear cameras, a 9.9mm thickness, and 285g weight. With those specs, it looks like Alcatel plans reproduce the low-budget Firefox OS phone strategy but this time with tablets.

Mozilla itself will be selling phones, too: a reference design called the for hardware and software partners called the Firefox OS Flame.

It's got a Qualcomm 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, a 4.5-inch 854x480 screen, a 5MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing camera, 3G networking, 8GB of flash storage, NFC, a 1,800mAh battery. Unusually, it's got RAM that can be adjusted between 256MB and 1GB so developers can test different configurations.

Mozilla's main focus is on smartphones, but it's encouraging others to help push Firefox OS into tablets. Via's 7-inch Vixen 7 and Foxconn's 10-inch InFocus are available to developers who are interested in the area.

The Firefox OS ecosystem is clearly maturing. It's nowhere near the scale of Android or iOS, but the first-stage partnerships announced a year ago are deepening and broadening

Microsoft's OK with Nokia using Android

BARCELONA, Spain--Things got awkward for short moment on stage when Microsoft executives were asked about the possibility of Nokia using Android.

Joe Belfiore, vice president of operating systems for Windows, looked to Nick Parker, who runs the world original equipment manufacturer group. Parker looked back, with both wanting to defer to the other.

Finally, Belfiore spoke up, reiterating Microsoft's strong relationship with Nokia. As Microsoft hasn't yet finalized its deal to buy Nokia's device business, he couldn't add too much, but he did offer up this amusing nugget:

"Some things we're excited about, some things we're less excited about," Belfiore said during Microsoft's Mobile World Congress press conference on Sunday, eliciting more than a few chuckles. "Whatever they do, we're very supportive of them."

Parker chimed in, noting that he appreciates the competition.

"It's great to sit there and compete," he said.

Such is the unique relationship that is shaping up between Microsoft and Nokia. Nokia is widely expected to launch a smartphone running Android, a break from its prior commitment to Microsoft and Windows Phone. It's an odd move considering the company's device unit is weeks away from being folded into the company.

Nokia and Microsoft have long had a cozy partnership, particularly with devices head Stephen Elop, a Microsoft veteran poised to return to the mothership. Nokia, in turn, is responsible for a vast majority of sales of Windows Phone devices. Any growth in sales for Windows Phone is due to Nokia. It's the only company to consistently show excitement about the operating system.

But the Android move suggests that Microsoft may keep Nokia at arm's length, even after the acquisition, which is a good thing. Microsoft has to show that it is neutral when dealing with Nokia in order to balance its relationship with its other partners. On Sunday, Microsoft announced a number of new companies supporting Windows Phone, including LG, ZTE, and Lenovo, as well as iPhone-manufacturer Foxconn.

At least for now, Belfiore and Parker seem content to let Nokia work independently, although things may changes down the line once the deal closes.

2014 Huawei unveils new 4G LTE-connected devices at MWC

Chinese wireless device maker Huawei unveiled five new 4G LTE devices at the Mobile World Congress 2014 tradeshow in Barcelona on Sunday.

The company, which now claims to have ranked third in terms of worldwide smartphone shipments in 2013, is trying to make waves with its new products. These products include two small tablets, a new smartphone, the "world's fastest" MiFi, and a new Net-connected watch/fitness tracker.

With its two new tablets, Huawei has blurred the lines between smartphone and tablet. The slim 7-inch Huawei MediaPad X1 could be seen as more a "phablet" than a tablet. It comes with a SIM card slot that provides 4G LTE data connectivity as well as allows users to make phone calls and send SMS text messages.

The device also sports a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and a full HD display, making it a great device for viewing streaming and digital content. The MediaPad X1 will be available in stores in the UK later this year.

Like the Media Pad X1, the MediaTab M1 could also be used as an oversized smartphone. The 8-inch Android tablet has a SIM card slot, 4G LTE support and also allows users to make phone calls and send and receive SMS text messages. It has a 1,280x920-pixel resolution screen and comes with a 1.6GHz quad-core processor. It runs the older Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system.

In addition to the, the new tablets, Huawei also announced a new 4G LTE smartphone, theAscend G6 4G. A highlight of the new smartphone is the 5-megapixel front-facing camera, to offer better quality selfies. The 4.5-inch phone has a 960x540-pixel resolution screen, and it comes with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. The device runes Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and sports an 8-megapixel camera on the back.

Pricing and availability information were not disclosed at the press conference.

Huawei also announced what it's calling the world's fastest MiFi, the Huawei E5786. The device connects to carrier LTE networks and will provide download speeds of 300 Mbps, the company said. Upload speeds top out at 100Mbps. The MiFI supports Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and 802.11ac, and it can connect up to 10 devices to the carrier LTE network via Wi-Fi. It has a 3000mAh battery that supposedly offers up to 10 hours of use. And it also allows users to charge other devices connected to the MiFi. So if your tablet or smartphone is running low on battery, you can plug it into the MiFi and get a charge.

The Huawei E5786 will be available the second half of this year.

Huawei joined the wearable device party with the new TalkBand B1, which is a Bluetooth headband and fitness tracker in one.

The new device will cost 99 euros. It uses both Bluetooth and NFC or near field communications for connectivity. The Talkband can pop out of the wristband and be used to make a call. And then it can be popped back in. It's also water and dust resistant. It tracks sleep patterns and other health vitals. And the strap itself is a USB connector, which lets you charge it up easily. It has seven hours of talk time and two weeks standby capability. The 1.4 inch OLED screen is not a touch screen, so the device is managed using an app on a smartphone.

smartwatch Gear 2 running Tizen: Smart move for Samsung

BARCELONA, Spain -- Samsung's first move with Tizen may not be big, but it could prove to be pretty savvy.

The Korean electronics giant has been working on Tizen-based smartphones for months, but the first global product to use the open-source Linux operating system won't be a phone. Rather, Samsung on Monday will unveil a new version of its Gear smartwatch that runs the company's Tizen software rather than Google's Android operating system. Introducing Tizen to the masses via Gear may be one of the smartest moves Samsung could make. The reason? Apps.

Smartphones and tablets require app stores with millions of offerings to gain traction with users. Just look at how the lack of apps has hurt Windows Phone and Blackberry and how much money and time they've spent to boost their stores. Samsung also has offered millions of dollars in prizes and funding to get developers to make apps for Tizen.

In the case of the first Gear, Samsung has closely controlled what apps could be on the device, rather than opening the gadget up to the entire Google Play universe of apps. Before launching the device, Samsung sought out app developers and worked with them to create software that would work well with the smartwatch. While it has since opened up its mobile software development kits to developers, Samsung has kept the Gear app store invite-only.The situation is different for smartwatches and other wearables -- at least during these early days. Essentially all wearables on the market have to be tethered to a smartphone to truly work. That means they don't need to do as many things on their own aside from notifications or fitness tracking. And the small screens and overall limitations mean mostAndroid apps wouldn't work on them anyway.

"We need to make sure we're ready to go big," Curtis Sasaki, senior vice president of Samsung's Media Solution Center Americas business, told CNET at the company's developer conference in late October.

Continuing with such an invite-only model for the Tizen-based Gear could help the operating system gain more traction, particularly compared with how a Tizen-based smartphone would do. Samsung wouldn't have to worry about having millions of apps that run on Tizen. It would just need to make sure it had a curated batch of apps that worked really well with its smartwatch, and that's exactly what Samsung is doing, according to people briefed on the Gear 2.

While the developers making apps for Gear 2 sure can tell the difference between the software on the old and new devices, consumers likely won't. Samsung's version of Android on the first Gear barely looked like Android at all.

In addition, with something like Gear, Samsung doesn't need the same carrier support that a smartphone requires. Many wireless companies -- such as Sprint, Orange, and Vodafone -- are part of the Tizen Association, but there also have been some high-profile setbacks. Sprint joined the Tizen Association, quit, but later rejoined. Other carriers, such as Telefonica, have quit and never returned, and even more have expressed concerns about Tizen's progress.

NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest carrier and an early proponent of Tizen, in January scuttled its immediate plans to launch a Tizen-based smartphone. The company, which said it continues to support Tizen, made the move because of the lack of consumer demand beyond Android or Apple's iOS.

"We [had] been aiming to launch the first Tizen handset by end of March 2014," NTT DoCoMo told CNET in a statement. "However, due to changes in the current Japanese mobile market, where the growth of smartphone sales is leveling out, we have decided to postpone the release."

Tizen's future also came into question amid reports that Samsung and Google had eased some of their recent tension. Samsung reportedly agreed to pare back the bloatware on its Android devices while Google agreed to focus its attention on mobile software, not hardware. The twosigned a cross-licensing agreement, and Google sold its Motorola Mobility business to Lenovo a few days later.

Even if the two companies reached some sort of agreement about software, Samsung clearly isn't giving up on Tizen. Samsung is the undisputed king of Android smartphones, but it still needs an alternative that gives it more control over its own future. The company knows that its future growth increasingly will be tied to software and services, and it has devoted significant resources to honing its skills in those areas.

Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch hits the runway at New York Fashion Week (pictures)

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"Software is something that we're working on continuously," Samsung co-CEO Boo-keun Yoon,told CNET last year. "These days, hardware is important, but that is not enough."

Tizen's entree to the market has been anticipated for a couple of years. Most recently, Samsung planned to launch a high-end, Tizen-powered handset by September 2013, but it delayed the release by several months to the fourth quarter. The delay was partly because it wanted to improve the hardware and partly because it didn't have the apps necessary to launch a new ecosystem. Samsung delayed the phone a second time, saying in November that it would introduce a Tizen smartphone in February.

At least one Tizen phone could make an appearance this coming week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, according to people briefed on the matter. However, it's unclear when or where that particular device will be sold.

Samsung also has said it plans to push Tizen into a broad range of devices, including TVs and home appliances. Similar to wearables, the size of the app store for those products doesn't really matter.

"With Samsung, just bringing [Tizen to] phones is not enough," said Andrew Till, the head of mobile at Symphony Teleca, a company that partners with Samsung and helps companies make apps. "They have to position Tizen as a cross-industry offering."

For now, Samsung's greatest hope for Tizen -- and the way to get the operating system into consumers' homes, almost without them even knowing it -- will come through Gear. Here's hoping more people buy the smartwatch this time around.