With the Mobile World Conference (MWC) just around the corner, we reveal what will be making an appearance in the world in smartphones, apps and wireless.
The MWC is the CES of the mobile world, with all the big players in telecommunications and mobile technology like Cisco, Google, Intel and HTC stepping up to weigh in on their stance for the year. The latest trends and products will be on display, from upcoming smartphones to the latest behind-the-scenes chips and processors.
Samsung’s S5830, or Galaxy Ace (originally thought to be called the Galaxy S Mini) is rumoured to be making its debut at the Congress. Leaked product shots revealed the name change of Android 2.2 (Froyo) phone which, as the original name suggested, looks like a miniature Galaxy S. Featuring an 800MHz Qualcomm (they’ll also be at the Congress) processor and 3.5 inch display, Samsung’s latest outing will offer more petite than punch.
Apps are now ubiquitous on not just smartphones, but every other device from tablets to printers, so at this year’s MWC in Barcelona, ‘App Planet’ makes its return with over 200 exhibitors showcasing the latest apps available while giving developers new tools for the latest generation of applications.
Sony Ericsson is set to reveal its PlayStation Portable Phone – a smartphone with rich, multimedia content outside of just apps. Wireless industry researcher, Wireless Federation, report that the phone will be formally announced at the MWC and soon after released in the UK under the Orange telecom brand. The gaming handheld hybrid will be an Android-based smartphone featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
Nokia will make an appearance to fight back against its lost market share to the massively increasing Android handset crowd. Nokia will present the X7-00 smartphone, running on Symbian 3 and featuring a 4 inch HD capacitive touch screen, touting the phone as having a gaming focus with an expected 720MHz processor, four frontal speakers, 512MB graphics card and up to 450MB RAM but rumours are rumours after all.
Nokia may also be bringing out its N9 for the business class, operating on the Intel MeeGo OS atop a classy finish that houses a 1.2GHz processor, 12 megapixel camera and the QWERTY keyboard that BlackBerry and Nokia have each retained while competitors have jumped onto the primarily touchscreen bandwagon.
Products aren’t the only things on offer – they’re also finding new ways to stick ads onto your mobile screens – not surprising given the massive advertising and marketing endeavours by the likes of Google and Facebook (which has recently decided to give up mobile phone numbers of users to app developers). Conferences in the Mobile Ad Forum include topics like “How to Make In-App Advertising Work,” but consumers can feel a little at ease with other topics including the consumer-friendly “Delivering Personalised Advertising While Protecting Privacy.”
The MWC begins on February 14 and runs until February 17.
