BARCELONA, Spain–Intel has unveiled a number of new partnerships and chips as the company, which is dominant in the PC business, attempts to find the same success with mobile devices. Intel said today it is working with ZTE, Lava International, and Orange on handsets, and with Visa on a multiyear partnership to build a mobile-payment …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 1:28 BARCELONA, Spain–Forget about a smartphone you have to force to be a tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is a tablet in its own right, and in my opinion, the appropriate size for a device that makes use of a stylus for additional creative composition. Let’s back it up for a …

BARCELONA, Spain–Wireless operators need to stop locking devices and offering overly complicated data plans. That’s the message from Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn and eBay CEO John Donahoe here at Mobile World Congress. Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy Dunn and Donahoe took the stage today as part of a panel discussion about mobile payments. While the CEOs talked a …

Now playing: Watch this: Dialed In #212: Mobile World Congress madness begins 29:52 Can’t make it to Barcelona, Spain, this year for Mobile World Congress? Don’t fret, just check out the latest episode of Dialed In. We chat about all the phone news to come out so far at MWC including quad-core handsets from HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony, and newcomer …

Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar Skype acquisition is starting to pay off. The software giant today announced that Skype for Windows Phone Beta is now available. Windows Phone 7 device owners can opt to download the software directly to their device or from the Marketplace on their PC. Skype for Windows Phone Beta comes with features one might expect, including free audio and …

BARCELONA, Spain–Not everything is rosy in the wireless industry. That’s an unusual thing to say during the kickoff keynote address at Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest wireless confab. Yet that’s exactly what Franco Bernabe, CEO of Telecom Italia, said during his prepared remarks today. “I don’t want to say we’re an industry with problems,” Bernabe said. “We’re still growing …

Well, it looks like we finally get to know what that vague snow video was all about. A few days ago, Nokia released a 22-second teaser trailer hinting about something so “pure,” it mentioned the word at least three times. Now we know it’s in reference to the manufacturer’s newest device, the 808 PureView. A phone that has so many …

In addition to lowering its minimum requirements for building Windows Phones, Microsoft announced at Mobile World Congress today that it will add support for multiple attachments to SMS messages. The new functionality is part of the upcoming Windows Phone 7.5 Tango update due out this spring and includes the option to attach numerous pictures, video, and audio notes to text …

There’s no doubt that LG made a splash with its sexy and consolidated new smartphone lineup. Inside these cutting-edge handsets are coveted components such as Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor, HD displays, 3D capabilities, and even “phablet”-style functionality like arch-rival Samsung’s Galaxy Note. Take a virtual spin of LG’s slick mobile devices to see what you make of these products. …

Now playing: Watch this: Asus Padfone 1:57 BARCELONA, Spain–Asus struck a high note when it introduced the one-of-a-kind Transformer Prime last year, but that device was only the beginning. Today at Mobile World Congress, Asus finally released its long-awaited Padfone. Though the device first made an appearance last May in a promotional video, sightings of the actual device have been …