Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

When looking at the reports on this year's Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, seems like we have quite a few trends starting up.

Waterproof.

Lots of waterproof devices -- not just phones, but also tablets.

Who would ever thought there would be a flood of waterproof note PCs? (or at least something close to that. Now you can take your devices, even tablets, into the bathtub with you.


Accessories.

I had actually mentioned this earlier in another blog, but we are seeing more and more accessories pop up -- "add-ons" to your smart device. Moreover, we will not only see more accessories, but more focus on fitness/health related fields.

This is the Withings Smart Body Analyzer that analyzes body mass index, body fat percentage, heart rate, CO2 levels, etc. It can transfer data to the Withings app installed on your smart device for personalized, accurate tracking and help you with your fitness goals.

Among other Withings products, there is the Wireless Scale, Activity Tracker, and Smart Baby Monitor, which are all compatible with Android.

Another accessory which I had already mentioned would come up in a previous blog was 3D glasses. Well, here they are!

Larger Screens.

Doesn't come as a big surprise, but screens are getting larger, closing the gap between smart phones and tablets.

According to reports, large screens are gaining popularity among women as they carry their device in purses instead of sticking them in their pockets. Chinese manufacturer Huawei came out on top with the largest screen -- Ascend Mate at 6 inches. The next was ZTE Grand Memo with 5.7 and following third was Korea's LG Optimus Pro at 5.5.

Tablets, tablets, tablets.

Mentioned time and time again that tablet users are expected to rise in the next few years. A wave of tablets had been displayed at MWC including Sony Experia Tablet Z, which boasts of a new design and waterproof characteristics.

Samsung came out with Galaxy Note 8.0 to rival the Apple iPad mini -- an 8 inch tablet with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS. It includes functions to aid multi-tasking, high quality voice call functions, and the intelligent S Pen that allows users to not only write directly on the screen, but convert hand-written articles into text. 

Chipping away at the Google and Apple monopoly.

Many manufacturers have jumped on other platforms, such as LG, Samsung, Sony, ZTE, and Huawei. A total of 18 operators have announced their support for Firefox OS, which offers users a friendly interface and unique functions. Among these include Telefonica, Deutsche Telecom, Sprint, KDDI, KT, China Unicom, Telecom Italia, etc. Samsung also showed off a new Tizen OS.



With a variety of devices, screen sizes, arising OS, new functions and accessories, competition is getting fierce on all ends of the market.