Geek Guide: Mobile World Conference review 2012

Taking place at the wonderfully picturesque Fira de Barcelona, Spain, the Mobile World Congress (MWC)’s 2012 edition recently concluded on the first of March, with over 65,000 attendants. All the major players, including Samsung, Nokia, Sony, Motorola, and HTC were part of the event in full force. The MWC is the biggest mobile industry exhibition in the world where mobile phone companies, in the presence of their bosses, flaunt their latest products. Here is our review of the showings from the big companies at the event:

Samsung

It was disappointing to note that the technology powerhouse from South Korea didn’t unveil its hotly anticipated Galaxy S III at MWC 2012, which the company says it plans to showcase at a separate event later this year. On the other hand, Samsung finally did unveil its Samsung Galaxy Beam smart phone device, which in what is an interesting gimmick, carries a pico projector for those looking to conduct their presentations on the go. Samsung also released two new Galaxy Tab 2 tablets, in two separate sized flavors. But, the device which really took the limelight was the Galaxy Note 10.1, which critics termed as the best tablet at the event.

Microsoft

Still trying to plant a firmer foothold in the mobile world, the household name from Redmond, USA was all about its new Windows 8 software this year, an operating system (OS) which is set to unify tablets, and personal computers. The software certainly created a lot of buzz, with critics claiming it to be very easy to use. Windows 8 has all the social networking features you need, is amazingly secure, runs image-editing softwares like Photoshop, and is beautifully seamless in its transition from traditional to touchscreen input. Not only that, but the OS is blazingly fast. But while signs look good, how the public takes to the software is only something time will tell.

Nokia

The former telecommunications giant, Nokia has been struggling of late. Things were really bad for the Finnish Company in 2011, after it posted a loss of 368 million Euros in quarter two, announced a closure of a factory in Romania, and fired thousands of workers. It was thus a pleasant surprise when Nokia gave a strong showing at the MWC.

The most exciting new piece of the armory was the Nokia 808 PureView, which won the ‘Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at the Mobile World Congress 2012” award. While the device does carry the unattractive Symbian OS, it sports a pulsating 41-megapixel camera, with high resolution sensors, and a top of the line lens from Carl Zeiss. The touch-free continue autofocus stands at 1080p, and the camera has a 4X digital zoom which is said to lose hardly any details. From the samples critics examined at the conference, the results are reported to be amazing.

Other devices presented by Nokia were two phones from its new Asha line of phones, and the Lumia 610 smartphone, which is shaping to be a solid entry level device.

ASUS

When released, The ASUS PadFone might not set the sales figures on fire, but it will certainly win the coolness battle. The smartphone, which carries high end specs, can be attached to an accompanying 10 inch tablet, allowing it to go from being used as a smartphone, to a tablet! But the multiple functionality doesn’t end there: Add the ‘Asus Station Dock keyboard’ to the tablet, and the device becomes a notebook!

HTC

One of the leading manufacturers of mobile phones and tablets, HTC had a bit of a lackluster year in 2011. Things changed in 2012 when they presented a line of phones that pleased the majority of their followers. At the top of the table was the HTC One X, with a 1.5GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, a gorgeous 4.7 inch Gorilla Glass LCD, a strong 8 megapixel camera, and the enticing Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS, overlaid by HTC’s proprietary Sense 4.0.

The smartphone is very slim, has a beautiful design, and for most critics, was the best new smartphone at the MWC 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2012.