All the phones featured below are making their debut this week at Mobile World Congress, an annual technology convention held in Barcelona, Spain that’s become a showcase for the latest and greatest smartphones.

No, you won’t see any iPhones at Mobile World Congress (Apple generally shows off its latest wares at its own press events), and none of the handsets in this roundup are on sale just yet. (Unless otherwise noted, by the way, specific release dates and pricing for these new phones have yet to be announced.)

Still, the six phones below—from the likes of HTC, LG, Nokia, and Samsung—represent the new state of the art for smartphones … well, for 2012, anyway.

Click a thumbnail below to start your slideshow…

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Well, meet the Status’s evil twin: the Motorola Droid 3, a jet-black, ultra-speedy, and feature-packed slider phone that’s all business. You won’t find the Droid 3 mingling at the beach with the laid-back Status; instead, you’ll find it hanging from Darth Vader’s utility belt.

Available now from Verizon Wireless for $199 with a two-year contract, the Droid 3 comes armed to the teeth with features.

Behold its four-inch, high-resolution (960-by-540 pixels to be exact), and utterly gorgeous display.

Witness the dual cameras: an eight-megapixel one in back (which records 1080p HD video, by the way), plus another in front for video chat.

Revel in its 1GHz, dual-core processor—in other words, two processors sitting on a single chip, good for speedier, more efficient performance.

And delight in its roomy keypad, complete with five rows of keys and crammed into a shell that’s thinner than any other QWERTY slider phone in the galaxy (according to Verizon, at least).

All very impressive, and I haven’t even mentioned the Droid 3’s rarefied status as a world phone—which means it’s compatible with CDMA cellular networks here in the States and in Asia, as well as the GSM networks that are more prevalent in Europe and Africa.

Impressive, indeed—and big. While it may well rank as the world’s thinnest QWERTY slider, the Droid 3 nonetheless makes for a large, hulking phone, one that tips the scales at nearly six ounces (more than an ounce and a half heavier than the Status, and about a full ounce heavier than the iPhone 4) while measuring a half-inch thick. Believe me, you won’t forget that the Droid 3 is squeezed into your pocket.

Then there’s the Droid 3’s keypad, with keys so flat and compact that they feel almost slippery—not a desirable quality when it comes to typing.

And for all its cutting-edge features, the Droid 3 isn’t compatible with Verizon’s brand-new, 4G LTE data network, which means you’ll have to settle for (still pretty fast) 3G data speeds.

Don’t get me wrong: the Droid 3 is an eye-popping smartphone with a Formula 1-caliber engine under its jet-black hood. And if you want to fire off texts using a full-QWERTY keypad while hopping from one continent to another and shooting HD video as you go, well … the Droid 3 is a tough to beat.

It’s also big, scary, and intimidating—perfect for those who enjoy lurking around the Death Star, demanding status reports from terrified underlings.

But if you’d rather be relaxing on the lido deck, consider the sunny, satisfying Status.

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Like a lot of instant crushes, this one’s a little difficult to explain. After all, by most standards, the Status is not all that amazing of a phone.

Powered by the latest version of Google’s Android OS (always a good start) but a decidedly middle-of-the-road processor, the Status has what must be the smallest touchscreen I’ve ever seen on a smartphone.

We’re talking just 2.6 inches across, diagonally—almost a full inch smaller than the iPhone’s screen and only a fraction the size of the largest Android handsets. Checking your Gmail, reading the latest scoops from the New York Times, and watching YouTube on the Status demand sharp eyes, lots of scrolling, nimble fingers, and fair amount of patience. (Luckily, the Status comes with a quartet of arrow keys in the bottom corner of the keypad.)

Press the dedicated Facebook button to quickly share photos, videos, or interesting online tidbits with your Facebook pals.

But then we come to the Facebook button, which sits right beneath the (roomy) full keypad. Tap it anytime to post a status update, photo, or video to your Facebook wall. (The Status boasts a decent, five-megapixel camera in back, along with a so-so VGA lens in front for video chat.)

Or, better yet, press the button when you come across something on the Status’s (tiny) web browser you’d like to share. You’ll get the chance to add a message and choose a thumbnail (in the case of webpages with photos) before posting anything Facebook, and get this—the button glows whenever you come across something online that’s ripe for sharing. Kinda silly, I know…but I loved it.

I’m also hopelessly smitten with how the Status looks. Its white-and-silver design feels as light and airy as a pair of white-framed sunglasses, or a white Polo shirt with the collar up. (Sorry…it’s beyond my control.)

Then there’s the slight angle in the phone’s shell, which lets the Status hug your face while you’re on a call, not to mention, the tactile, attractive, and thumb-friendly keypad.

No, I can’t really defend my infatuation with the Status, although I can say with some objectivity that at $49 with a two-year contract, the price is right. (The phone goes on sale Sunday, July 17, though AT&T, but you can pre-order it now.)

I’ll leave you with a photo spread—er, gallery—of the Status to gaze upon. Enjoy, and let me know if a) it’s love at first sight, or b) I’ve gone off the deep end.

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The Motorola Atrix 4G sitting in its multimedia dock. You can get it for a penny, with a few strings attached.

Today’s big Apple rumor has it that the two-year-old iPhone 3GS might sell for free (with a two-year contract, of course) once the iPhone 5 arrives. But if you want a more recent, state-of-the-art handset and you’re willing to go the Android way, you can snag some pretty enticing smartphones right now, for next to nothing.

Nice, but is there a catch (or two) involved? Well, naturally.

The secret to getting a relatively new, mint-condition Android phone for cheap: Buying through a third-party wireless reseller. Three of the largest are Amazon Wireless, Let’s Talk, and Wirefly, and they sell a wide variety of phones (ranging from the older, bare-bones “feature” phones to the latest and greatest smartphones) at steep discounts.

Take, for example, the Motorola Atrix 4G, an Android phone with a dual-core processor (that is, two processors in a single chip, good for faster and more efficient performance), a razor-sharp four-inch display, and a front-facing camera for video chat. The Atrix was the toast of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show back in January, and it currently sells on AT&T for $99; now, though, you can snag it on Amazon Wireless for a penny.

The Sony Xperia Play, on sale for free—with a two-year contract.

Or consider the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, a new phone with slide-out controls for mobile PlayStation games that sells for $200 on Verizon Wireless—now available on Let’s Talk for free.

Or how about last year’s hottest Android phone: the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint, selling on Wirefly for … well, nothing.

Not bad, but what’s the catch—or catches, as the case may be?

Catch No 1.: As with the big carriers, you’ll have to sign a two-year contract to get the steepest discounts from a wireless reseller—and if you break your contract, you’ll owe a hefty fee. (Your contract will be with a carrier, by the way, not the reseller.)

Catch No. 2: Wireless resellers can afford their deep discounts because they’re paid by the big carriers for every new subscriber they deliver—but they’ll lose their bounties if a subscriber decides to dial down their rate plan before a set amount of time (usually six months or so).

HTC's Evo 4G, one of last year's hottest phone, now selling for zip.

That means if you decide to lower your rate plan in the first several months of your contract (check the fine print for exact conditions before you buy), the wireless retailer from which you bought your new phone may turn around and ask for its discount back.

Bottom line: you should only buy from a third-party phone reseller if you’re willing to pick a plan and stick with it for awhile—otherwise, any initial savings you got may disappear in a puff of smoke.

OK, but what about the iPhone? Sorry, folks: Apple doesn’t allow third-party wireless retailers to sell the iPhone. (Bargain hunters should note, however, that the old iPhone 3GS is available on AT&T for $19 with a two-year contract, so long as you settle for a used handset.)

Any questions about wireless resellers? Let me know!

Full disclosure: I’m good friends with the editorial director at Let’s Talk, but no one at the company suggested I write this story—and no, I’m not a paid affiliate for any of these companies (although you may see their context-sensitive ads running on this site).

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Details on a price tag and exact release date for the Status—which, naturally, has its own Facebook fan page—are “coming soon,” HTC says.

Known overseas as the ChaCha, the Status boasts a 2.6-inch touchscreen with a QWERTY keyboard sitting just beneath, BlackBerry-style.

Beneath the keypad: a telltale blue Facebook button, which you can press to quickly share webpages, photos, music, videos, and other online content with your Facebook pals. The phone will also display the profile picture and last status update of any Facebook buddies you happen to call.

In back, the Status packs in a five-megapixel camera, while in front you’ll find a smaller lens for video chat.

So, anyone interested in a smartphone with its own Facebook button?

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The phone will be called the Status, according to Boy Genius Report and its unnamed sources. If the handset looks familiar, that’s probably because smartphone maker HTC already revealed it—as the “ChaCha”—back in February.

Tap the Facebook button to share webpages, photos, songs, and other online goodies with your Facebook pals.

Resembling a old-style BlackBerry phone, complete with a 2.6-inch touchscreen above a compact QWERTY keypad, the Android-powered ChaCha has already been … well, cha-cha-chaing its way around Europe for a few months, but the Facebook-friendly handset has yet to land here in the States. (HTC also announced another, larger Facebook phone along with the ChaCha: the keyboard-less Salsa.)

HTC promised back in February that the phone—or its “unique user experience—would arrive in the U.S. “later this year,” but it still hasn’t confirmed a specific release date.

For its part, Boy Genius claims the ChaCha (or whatever it ends up being called) will arrive stateside in the “coming weeks.”

So, what’s so special about the ChaCha? Just beneath the QWERTY keyboard sits a little blue button with the telltale Facebook logo; press it, and you’ll instantly share the webpage you’re browsing, the photos you’re viewing, or the music you’re listening to with your Facebook pals. (Don’t worry—the ChaCha will prompt you before posting items to your Facebook wall willy-nilly.)

The ChaCha also boasts a custom widget that lets you chat with groups of Facebook pals while you’re on the go.

What do you think—any interest in an Android smartphone with a dedicated Facebook button?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAyrZiFC2V4&w=550]

Source: Boy Genius Report

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With its jumbo 4.3-inch display, front-facing camera for video chat, and access to speedy 4G cellular data networks, the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint was one of the most popular Android smartphones released last year—and unfortunately, it also ranks up there as one of the worst battery hogs. Here are a few quick tips to squeezing a little more juice out of the Evo 4G’s battery—and yes, many of these tips apply to other Android phones, too.

1. Install the Android “Power Control” widget

This handy widget gives you one-touch access to several settings that will help extend your phone’s battery life when the meter starts running low. Just tap and hold an empty space on one of your phone’s home screens (or tap the “Menu” key below the screen), then tap “Add to home screen,” “Widgets” from the pop-up menu. Find “Power Control” from the list of available widgets and tap it to install. (Note: Your phone must be running version 2.1 of Android or better to install the widget.)

Your new Power Control widget has a row of five icons: one for Wi-Fi, another for Bluetooth, then GPS, background sync, and display brightness.

Running low on battery? Just start tapping on the icons to turn your phone’s most power-hungry features off. Personally, I’d start with Bluetooth (especially if you don’t have any wireless headsets or other Bluetooth devices connected), followed GPS (a notorious battery killer), brightness (ditto), background sync (which stops your phone from automatically fetching data such as email, Facebook and Twitter updates, weather and stock info), and finally Wi-Fi.

2. Disable animated wallpapers

Who doesn’t love gorgeous, “live” wallpaper that’s continuously pulsing, twirling, or otherwise swirling around on their Android smartphone? Personally, I think they’re great; on the other hand, they’ll also do a serious number of your phone’s battery.

Swap out your dazzling animated wallpaper in favor of a boring but energy-efficient static background. From your Android phone’s home screen, tap the Menu key below the screen, select Wallpaper, then choose a new, non-“live” background.

3. Turn off 4G in spotty signal areas

One of the biggest reasons that the HTC Evo 4G in particular has such poor battery life also happens to be one of its main selling points: its support for Sprint’s speedy, 4G WiMax network, which offers data speeds several times faster than those you’ll get over Sprint’s older 3G network.
The only problem with the Evo’s 4G radio, though, is that it puts a serious strain on the battery whenever you’re in an iffy 4G signal area—in other words, the harder the Evo has to look to find a good 4G signal, the faster it’ll drain your battery.

So if you see that your 4G signal is fading and you’re running low on juice, consider switching the Evo over to a 3G-only mode. To do so, just tap and drag down the notification panel from the top of the Evo’s display, then tap the “4G” button to toggle the 4G radio on and off.

All those snazzy home-screen widgets you have set up on your Android phone—you know, the ones with the latest weather, updates from your Facebook and Twitter pals, recent email messages, and world headlines—each use a little power every time they sync themselves over the Internet. And while it’s entirely possible that you want your phone checking email every 15 minutes or so, forcing it to update your Twitter feed on an hourly basis may be a bit excessive.

4. Take charge of account syncing

Luckily, you can manage exactly how often your Android phone is updating each of your accounts. From the Android application launcher, tap Settings, then “Accounts & sync” to see all the accounts you’ve synced onto your phone. Now, just tap an account to tweak how often you’d like it to automatically updated in the background. For email, I recommend no more frequently than once an hour; for weather, stocks, Twitter, and other “news”-type widgets, I’d set them to update themselves only when they’re opened.

Thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich, it’s easy to find out which apps are hogging the most power.

Update: Have the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, or an Android phone with the “Ice Cream Sandwich” update? If so, you’re in luck.

A new “Battery usage” setting gives you much more detail on how your battery is faring, along with a list of apps that are hogging the most juice.

Just tap the Settings icon and select Battery Usage to get started.

Have more questions about preserving battery life on your phone? Got any tips you’d like to share? Let us know!

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Meet the HTC Sensation 4G, a new Android superphone that’s slated to arrive on T-Mobile later this month.

I haven’t had a chance to check out the Sensation ($199 with a new two-year contract, and after a $50 mail-in rebate) in person just yet, but the specifications sound impressive.

First, the screen: we’re talking a whopping 4.3 inches diagonally with an ultra-dense, 960-by-540 resolution. That makes the Sensation’s screen a tad smaller than the huge 4.5-inch display on the recent Samsung Infuse 4G (check out my review); on the other hand, the Sensation’s ultra-dense pixel count bests the OK-but-not-amazing 800-by-480 screen resolution on the Samsung phone.

The Sensation also comes with an impressive arsenal of optics, including an 8-megapixel camera, a dual LED flash (nice), auto focus, and 1080p-quality video recording, not to mention a front-facing camera for video chat.

Under the hood, we’ve got the latest version of Android (2.3 “Gingerbread,” which boasts support for Flash videos, a revamped virtual keypad and a spruced-up user interface) as well as the hottest thing in high-end smartphones this year: a dual-core processor, which makes the Sensation more adept at handling multiple tasks simultaneously. (“Two heads are better than one” is a good way of thinking about it.)

Last but not least, the Sensation connects to T-Mobile’s 4G “HSPA+” network, which the carrier is touting as its answer to Verizon’s high-speed, 4G LTE network.

here’s the thing: On paper, at least, the HTC Sensation 4G makes for a worthy competitor to such high-end Android handsets as the dual-core Motorola Atrix 4G, although its top-of-the-line components may be overkill for casual users. Stay tuned for a proper review once I get my hands on a test unit.

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The seven-inch, Android 2.3 “Gingerbread”-powered Flyer ($499, available now from Best Buy) will work perfectly fine without a stylus, by the way—and I should note that the optional stylus itself is an extra $80, so we’re not exactly talking cheap here.

But if you’re willing to pony up the extra cash, you’ll be in for a treat. Just take the aluminum-clad stylus and tap its pressure-sensitive tip on the little pen icon just below the screen; once you do, a little bubble will appear in the bottom corner of the display. Jutting out the edge of the bubble are a series of pencils, pens, markers and highlighters; just tap the one you want to write with and start scribbling away. You can also choose a different color, hide or trash your doodles, or undo any goofs.

Ready to put your scribbles to work? A notebook app on the Flyer lets you take notes (natch) or sketch pictures, and you can also take a voice memo as you draw. (The notebook will sync with Evernote’s handy desktop and mobile apps, incidentally.) Meanwhile, another app gives you an overlay that lets you mark up whatever’s on the Flyer’s screen at the moment—be it a website, the main home screen, the Android Market, you name it. Last but not least, you can highlight text in the Flyer’s e-book, Office, and PDF readers by holding one of two buttons on the stylus itself. (The second stylus button turns the pen into an eraser.)

Done drawing? Tap the menu button to share your sketches via Bluetooth, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Picasa, or good ol’ fashioned email.

Check out the pictures below to see the Flyer’s stylus in action.

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