MWC 2011 Review: End of the road for DVDs and Netbooks

Posted:20th February 2011-02-21
This was the first Mobile World Congress that i failed to attend because of company commitments but my friend Ville Makinnen kept me abreast on what was happening in Barcelona. From his notes, pictures and videos, the event was not just handsets and smartphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress but plenty of tablets made their way although some people’s are of the opinion tablets like Ipad and Samsung Galaxy aren’t really mobile. Mobile World Congress proved once again that this is the year of the tablet. It was further boosted with the introduction of at least five new models, and couple of manufacturers promised more releases in course of the year.
HTC was among the top attraction at the event when it launched the first phones targeted at youths and includes an actual Facebook with fewer buttons. Many analysts agree that Facebook’s focus should be integration. ChaCha is one of them and has comprehensive software integration with social networking. The two Android-based devices will run on Gingerbread with HTC hoping Facebook integration will appeal to a young generation of new consumers who use Facebook more than email to run personal and social calendars. Cloud Touch was another one unveiled as a 'Facebook phone’ by INQ.The phone offers integration with the social networking service. Cloud Q was the other one that have 'Facebook in their DNA', according to the company insider who was at the launch.
Not to be outdone, Samsung announced a larger version of its Galaxy Tab, dubbed the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 8.5mm thick and with a pristine display. The new Samsung Galaxy S II was the most stylish handset launched at the event. Jason Roberts of MOCE who was at the event claims it could be the most stylish on the market as well. It now has a 10.1-inch WXGA display, and it runs the latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. Its professional looks have clearly learnt from the strengths of the iPhone, but it also offers an impressive combination of business-friendly features with a cool-factor and multimedia and gaming capabilities. It will be powered by a dual-core processor. Some of the features include 1080p HD video recording, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, and a 2-megapixel camera on the front and has both Wi-Fi and HSPA+ support.
LG launched two 3D portable products .One of them is Optimus 3D phone and the tablet which has a 1,280x768-pixel WXGA resolution in wide screen and 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor found inside. The tablet has 1080p HD video decoding, and HDMI support will let you share your 3D video with TVs and unlike the Optimus 3D, though, you do need glasses to watch 3D video on the tablet. And as part of the Optimus Pad announcement, LG has now established a partnership with YouTube, which will let Optimus Pad owners quickly upload 3D videos for sharing. The launch of 3D phone is will now be more common on new phones and many see it as the opening in a new battle for gaming and media capabilities.
One of the most eagerly awaited announcements was made at the event when PlayStation phone was finally announced. This in my opinion is the first of several PlayStation-approved phones that will enter the market and offer plenty of options to mobile phone users and is symbol of the value of mobile video gaming by manufacturers. With all due respect to Google Android powered phones, the Xperia Play is my number one because it offers plenty of options to consumers. With major handset manufactures announcing either Android phones or tablet that is Android-based there is no doubt Google’s Android has a future. Crucial to the success of Android will be the ever growing number of Android applications developers.
Motorola’s was not to be left behind with announcement of Atrix handset. Atrix offers smartphone experience and has plugs into a media dock to stream video to your television. Motorola also announced that it will be releasing the first tablet using Honeycomb, although software is not ready. Motorola argued that it will offer greater features, including connectivity to America’s new 4G networks starting this year. One wonders what Motorola has install for the rest of the world. In conclusion, the Mobile World Congress was not only a success and confirmation that 2011 is the year for Tablets but also confirmed that the chips powering the latest smartphones are poised to replace our current cherished devices in the next decade or so like netbooks, Compact Disc and DVD players among many others.
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