Courtesy of the Mobile World Congress
The picturesque city of Barcelona, Spain was once again the focus of all eyes in the world of mobile telecommunications and computing when it hosted the Mobile World Congress 2014.
This year’s edition was really worth the wait, as a host of mobile companies churned out their latest products for the world to see. Companies such as SONY presented its latest smartphone and (Sony XPERIA Z1s) and tablet (Sony XPERIA Z2) with their award-winning waterproof features and updated Android OS.
Meanwhile, Samsung came out with its long-anticipated Galaxy S5 smartphone, which came with an improved version of the Samsung Gear smart wristband known as the Gear2. Surprisingly, the Gear2 did not come with an Android operating system; instead it came with a Tizen-based operating system.
Samsung’s use of Tizen OS for its Gear2 is a result of collaboration with the Intel Corporation. Especially since the processor used by the device is made by Intel, I guess we should expect some great stuff from this relationship. The Gear2 is said to be a good accompaniment for things like checking your text messages, emails, missed calls, reception of calls, and even stuff like changing your TV channels. The shocker is that a lot of the companies have taken to the trend of wearable mobile phones.
Ever since Google gave us Google Glass, many attempts and forms of wearable smart devices have come to life, such as the Gear2. And this is so because the components of the devices have become much cheaper, meaning an increasing number of people can attempt to create more of these smart devices.
Amazingly, Nokia presented a new line of smartphones not using the Windows Phone 8 OS but using…(yes, you guessed rightly)…the Android OS.
Strangely the phone called Nokia X does not at all look like an Android device, especially when you look at the user interface. This is because the Android OS was specially tweaked to suit the needs of Nokia, so the Nokia X seems to be an Android version or look-alike of the Windows Phone 8 OS. The Finnish phone company has created three variants of this brand of phones (namely the Nokia X, Nokia X+, and Nokia XL) that will be in the market by late March.
The Nokia X range of phones being presented at the Mobile World Congress 2014
Other surprises also came from Mozilla, the freeware giant that built a proper smartphone to be sold at $25, running on the Firefox OS. Ubuntu came out with its mobile OS called Ubuntu Mobile. This proves that open-source software companies are gradually gaining ground in this very competitive industry.
Ultimately the month-long event proved to be worth all the hype surrounding it as it became the platform for showcasing the skills and craftsmanship in the world of mobile telecommunications.
What was your favorite innovation to come out of the Mobile World Congress? Will you be buying any of these new devices? Share your thoughts in the comments.