Yesterday was the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain and we tackled some of the devices that made attendees stop and stare.  If you missed our MWC Day 1 coverage, click on this link: Scorching Hot Devices at MWC 2012: Nokia PureView, HTC One X and More.

Now for Day 2 at the MWC:

Android

There have been reports that the Android 5.0 will be coming out sometime this second quarter but Google vice president of engineering for mobile Hiroshi Lockheimer drops a few bombs at the MWC.

“After Android 4 comes 5, and we haven’t announced the timing yet, which we’re still sorting out,” Lockheimer said. “There’s a lot of engineering work behind it still, and there’s also just the question of how to time it.”

“In general, the Android release cadence is one major release a year with some maintenance releases that are substantial still.”

The statement suggests that the Android 5.0 would be release in Fall 2012 since the Ice Cream Sandwich was released november last year.

Lockheimer added a caveat: “Having said that, we’re flexible. The [timing of releases] is not what drives us, but what does is innovation and offering users a great experience.”

No news yet as to what the official name of the OS would be but since they are following an alphabetical, dessert theme, Jelly Bean seems right.  Or they could go with Jell-O, Jelly Rolls, Jalapeno Chocolate Cream Cake…take your pick.

SAP and VMware are also partnering with Android OEMs to provide solutions designed to prevent corporate data from being compromised when employees use their personal phones for work.  SAP partnered with Samsung to make Android devices safe for corporate use while VMware partnered with LG and Samsung to create devices that separates business from the private information.

HTC

Aside from unveiling their line of One devices, HTC entered into an agreement with Polycom, Inc. a specialist in standards-based unified communications that would bring Polycom RealPresence Mobile on select HTC smartphones and tablets in mid-2012.

RealPresence Mobile is a secure, enterprise-grade video software solution for mobile devices that extends the reach of video collaboration beyond the conference room, allowing users on the go with a mobile device to connect with other standards-based video systems including immersive video rooms, group/desktop systems, laptops, tablets, and smartphones in HD quality.

Asus

Asus unveiled the PadFone and the Transformer Pad tablet at the MWC.  The PadFone, which features a 4.3-in. Super Amoled HD touchscreen, a dual-core Snapdragon S processor, 8-megapixel digital camera and runs Android 4.0, transforms into a 3-in-1 combo of a smartphone, tablet and notebook with the PadFone Station and PadFone Station Dock.  Due out by April 2012.

The new Asus Transformer Pad line comes in three models: the Transfomer Pad Prime, the Transformer Pad Infinity series, and the Transformer Pad 300 series.  The 300 Series will run the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, use a 10.1-in. display with 1280-by-800-pixel resolution, run over 4G LTE or Wi-Fi and features a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat and an 8-megapixel rear camera that allows HD video recording. Battery life is expected to last 10 hours on a charge.  The Infinity Series, which will come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, features a 1920-by-1200-pixel, full HD Super IPS + display,4G LTE support with the Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 Krait dual-core 1.5Ghz processor, a 2-megapixel front camera for video chats and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.  The Wi-Fi version will also feature the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor.  Other features were not defined.

Waterproof Your Gadgets

At some point in your gadget-loving life, one or more of your devices bid farewell because it got wet from an accidental spilling of drinks or one of your buddies threw you in the pool while your phone is still in the pocket of your jeans.  I’ve seen people go crazy because they lost important data when their device took a dive. Why aren’t mobile devices waterproof?

Three companies showcased how devices protected with their technology can stand water torture.  P2i exhibited a thin film called Aridion that phone manufacturers can apply to phones to make them water repellant.  Motorola use P2i’s technology for the SplashGuard feature in the Droid RAZR.   HzO’s Waterblock technology, also applied during the manufacturing process, is a thin film nano-coating that provides a near-invisible layer of protection on both the inside and outside of the device.  While Liquipel offers their waterproofing technology directly to customers.  You can send your device by mail to Liquipeland and after a few days your device will be sent back to you.  The waterproofing presently costs $59.

In2Pay iCaisse4: MasterCard Certified

DeviceFidelity, Inc. announced at MWC that the patented In2Pay iCaisse4 is the first NFC-based mobile payment solution for the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 certified by MasterCard.  This means that the In2Pay iCaisse4 with In2Pay v2.8 microSD supplied with MasterCard PayPass M/Chip 4 applet combination can be given by banks or wireless operators worldwide to be used in connection with MasterCard Mobile PayPass-enabled mobile wallets.