Smartphones and tablet PCs stole the show at the biggest trade fair for the mobile industry.
At the recently-concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in Barcelona, tablet PCs and smartphones stole the show, with virtually every manufacturer trying to beat the benchmark that Apple’s tablet PC iPad has set. Considered one of the most important events for the mobile industry in the world, the trade fair is known to give a trailer of the technology trends that could drive the world telecommunications community.
Even as Apple was conspicuous by its absence, biggies like Korean giants LG and Samsung, makers of the BlackBerry device Research in Motion (RIM), Sony Ericcson, HTC, Viewsonic and Alcatel Lucent showed off their show-stopping tablet PC’s and smartphones.
The show-stealers
The HTC Flyer, a 7-inch touchscreen tablet PC that runs the Gingerbread Android 2.3 — Google’s operating system (OS), stood out in the crowd. It is the only tablet PC that will come with a stylus. HTC intends to have its customers use it like a pen to take notes, scribble, draw pictures or comment on web pages and photos. The tablet PC is supported by a 1.4 Ghz processor and will be available globally and in India by the second quarter of this year.
Not to be outdone, LG will incorporate 3D technology in its tablet PC, enabling 3D recording facility through two five-megapixel cameras on the device. But users will be required to wear special glasses to view the pictures or videos. LG’s 8.9-inch tablet – larger than the Samsung Galaxy Tab but smaller than the Apple iPad – is powered with NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor and works on the Android 3.0 platform. LG has confirmed that it is tying up with video-streaming site YouTube through which users will be able to upload 3D videos for sharing. The LG tablet PC can be pre-booked in Japan from March 15 and is expected to be available in India this year.
Samsung, too, has launched a newer version of its existing tablet PC range with a 10.1-inch touchscreen display. Supported by the latest Android 3.0 OS, the tablet boasts of a dual-core processor chip set, which will translate in better performance. With features like an 8-megapixel camera, it is to be seen whether Samsung’s new tablet stands out from the crowd. Motorola’s Xoom, a new Android-based tablet PC that is now available in the US, also made its debut. It’s the first device to ship with Google’s tablet-optimised Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
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Get ready for ‘smart’ devices
Korean giant LG Electronics made a mark with the LG Optimus, a 3D-display phone that does not require any special glasses to enjoy its multidimensional functions. The phone’s 3D platform allows user to record, view, as well as, share pictures and videos in 3D. To record pictures in 3D, the phone has two five-megapixel cameras and one camera in the front for video calling. Also with a 1GHZ dual-core processor, the phone offers faster performance and will come initially with the Android 2.2 version and later upgraded to Android Gingerbread.
Sony Ericsson made its presence felt at MWC with the Xperia Play — also known as the Playstation phone. Rumours of a PlayStation phone had begun with the first console. Seventeen years later, it’s finally here. Noticeably, Xperia Play comes with gaming controls that are akin to the Sony PlayStation. The phone comes with a 4-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera and an Android 2.3 OS.
The data rush
With LTE, or 4G services, being launched across the world, device makers showed keen interest in bringing products and services to leverage the high-data speeds — between 5 Mbps and 15 Mbps.
LG displayed its prowess with LTE devices, too. At a time when most countries are waiting for mobile devices to come on 4G, LG has not only showcased the 4G mobile device but also demonstrated internet telephony calls on the networks. The device, which is expected to start retailing by this year-end, can be apt for India where companies like Reliance Industries are already planning to launch LTE services. With the Indian Government looking at policy changes, it might not be long for the restriction on voice over telephony (presently, you can’t use it to make a call to a PSTN network) to be lifted.
NTT DoCoMo will also launch a simultaneous language interpretation service on its 4G network that will be available on mobile phones. The service will translate Japanese to English and vice-versa. Google developers, companies like NTT DocoMo are also said to be working on services that will provide consumers with medical diagnostic support. So sensors in your body will be able to record your blood pressure 24 hours a day and the recorded content will be monitored in hospitals that will give you advice in case there are abnormalities. The data will be collected and sent through mobile phones.