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The Mobile World Congress 2008 (formerly known as 3GSM) has just kicked off in Barcelona, and the first bit of news to come from the event is a revealing interview with Google’s Rich Miner who talks about the new Google Android platform.

In an interview with Rory Cellan-Jones of the BBC, Miner confirms that there will be prototype Android phones and services on display at MWC, and that the phones themselves will be ready in the second quarter of 2008. He also explained Google’s business model behind Android: provide a free open platform to a new market, and pretty soon the ads will follow. If Google develops that platform, then naturally it will be Google delivering (and profiting from) the ads.

We all knew this, of course, but it’s good to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

We’ll give you pics and details of the new Google Android prototypes as we get them.

[Source: BBC News]

Sony Ericsson are rumoured to be launching a brand new range of phones at next week’s MWC. Called the G-range, we should see the new G700i Tyra model and the G900i Josephine. The G-range will focus on high-end compact phones with touchscreens, with the G700i featuring a 2 inch screen and 3.2 megapixel camera, and the G900i featuring Wi-Fi, HSPDA and a whopping 5 megapixel camera.

More leaked pics of forthcoming Sony Ericsson phones to whet your appetite, this time showing the new Sony Ericsson Bei Bei smartphone. Of course, it won’t actually be called the Bei Bei when it’s launched – like all Sony Ericsson phones, that’s just its codename, based on women tennis players. It’s also not a real picture, but a Photoshop mockup of what the real phone will look like.

Don’t let the Photoshopped image put you off, though – although a mock-up, it’s based on the actual phone itself, rather than some fan-boy’s fantasy.

Bei Bei will be a smartphone running the UIQ 3.2 user interface, the same Walkman player that’s used in the Sony Ericsson W960, radio, MP3 player (naturally), and a huge 5 megapixel camera.

Expect the Bei Bei to be on show next week at the Mobile World Congress (which is looking more exciting by the day!)

[Source: Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog, Esato]

Sony Ericsson are readying a new Walkman phone (yes, another one!), codenamed the Sony Ericsson Alona. Unlike previous Walkman phones, though, Sony Ericsson have gone for a completely new style, with three distinct music keys on the front, and the main phone keys buried inside its clamshell internals.

These pictures are annoyingly small, so you can’t see much detail. Fortunately, the guys at Esato knocked up a good Photoshop image of the phone (which you can see after the jump), so you can see what it will look like in more detail.

LG will be showing off their new LG KF510 at the Mobile World Congress next week. The LG KF510 is another LG designer phone, and it has to be said, comes with some seriously good looks. Not only does it have LG’s checkerboard keys that it’s used to good effect on several of its previous models, it’s also equipped with neat OLED display directly underneath the screen.

More details and pictures of the LG KF510 after the jump.

Not content with sitting back and watching the likes of Nokia, Samsung and co march on their turf with their new GPS phones, Garmin have hit back with this, the glorious new Garmin nüvifone, a GPS phone designed from the ground up to focus on navigation first and mobility second.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a second rate mobile phone, though. With HSDPA, a camera that provides automatic geo-tagging, MP3 player, mobile Web browser and video camera, it provides all the features of your average mobile phone, and then chucks in some superb GPS features and a giant 3.5″ touchscreen to boot!

Full details and pictures of the Garmin nüvifone over at FinderMentalism.

News of the Samsung G810 has been leaked just before next week’s Mobile World Congress (what used to be known as 3GSM), and it’s a real beauty. The G810 sees Samsung continuing its strategy of releasing top-end phones, as it actually beats the Nokia N95 for features.

Only just, though, it has to be said. In fact, when you look at the features, you get a sense of deja vu, as it seems the G810 could be the N95′s younger brother! Samsung have managed to match the N95 feature for feature, then thrown a few extras into the mix, shrunk things a bit, and extended the battery life as well!

Read on for more details of the amazing new Samsung G810 after the jump.

Hitachi have announced the new Hitachi W61H clamshell phone, the main claim to fame of which is a body that can display 95 different patterns on the back at the touch of a button. Similar in concept to Nokia’s old xPress On covers, where you could snap on a new cover to customize your phone, Hitachi’s new design, called “Silhouette Screen” is a little more sophisticated.

Rather than using physical bits of plastic that have to snapped on and snapped off, the W61H uses e-Ink technology, similar to that used in e-Book readers such Amazon’s Kindle. The whole back of the phone therefore acts as a separate display, but rather than displaying info, it simply displays a pattern.

More details after the jump.

Motorola are looking to separate their mobile phone division from the rest of the company in what some are seeing as the prelude to offloading the division altogether. According to the company’s press release, Motorola are “…exploring the structural and strategic realignment of its businesses to better equip its Mobile Devices business to recapture global market leadership and to enhance shareholder value. The company’s alternatives may include the separation of Mobile Devices from its other businesses in order to permit each business to grow and better serve its customers.”

Obviously this doesn’t mean the Mobile Devices division is for sale yet, but by separating it from the rest of the company, it makes selling it a whole lot easier.