MWC 2012 – Day Three, Focus On Devices

Written by Dumè Siacci on Wednesday 29 February 2012

As promised, this morning I spent some time touring the booths in search of innovations. I also had the opportunity to play with the new devices and test the quality of the products. Note: it’s impossible to test all the devices at the show, so I made a selection.

Android Devices

A "real" Android robot customizes the back of Galaxy Nexus with rhinestones, at the Google booth

The vast majority of phones and tablets presented at the Mobile World Congress are Android devices. As usual with this system, there are high and low quality devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note (smartphone)

Samsung Galaxy Note

The Galaxy Note was introduced a while ago, but the way Samsung has made it popular is very impressive. Half of their booth (which is far from being the show’s smallest!) was devoted to this phone, as were a number of displays around the room. The device is responsive and interesting, but I am not fan of Samsung's custom UI for Android.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7.7” and 10.1” (tablets)

Samsung Galaxy Note 7.7" (tablet)

Two sizes of the Samsung tablet are available, and like the Galaxy Note smartphone, they are always accompanied with their stylus.

LG Optimus Vu

This is LG’s response to the Samsung Galaxy Note. I am definitely not a fan of the display format…

LG Optimus 3D

A smartphone with a 3D display, why not? However, the result isn’t extraordinary (it’s pretty hard on the eyes).

Panasonic Eluga

The Eluga is supposed to mark the revival of Panasonic on the mobile market. From my perspective, it’s definitely a failure. Panasonic uses a custom UI for Android and the phone isn't very revolutionary… The only thing worth noting is that the phone is advertised as 100% waterproof (but that seems to be the trend this year).

Huawei Ascend

The Huawei is everywhere at the show. It has an entire building and several stands placed in other buildings. The Ascend is an Android smartphone, which is interesting, but it has no real innovation in comparison to its competitors. Note that the Huawei Ascend even has a quad-core processor.

Windows Phone 7 Devices

The Nokia booth, Hall 7 (AppPlanet)

Obviously, there are fewer Windows Phone smartphone manufacturers on the market.Nokia takes the lead with its selection of Lumia phones (800 and 900).

Nokia Lumia 900

Lumia 800’s big brother, the 900 is a great phone. It has a nice feel in your hand and the screen is very responsive. The screen size is comfortable. It’s a great success.

Fujitsu under WP7

Fujitsu under WP7 (waterproof)

Like most devices made by Fujitsu, this model is waterproof. Handy if you want to make calls in the shower.

The Nokia 808 PureView

The Nokia 808 PureView with a 41 Megapixel camera

This Nokia could have been really interesting if it had been designed for Windows Phone. It seems like it will be quickly outdated with Symbian. However, it has a 41 megapixel camera. It’s difficult to see the actual quality of the photos without transferring them to a computer, but the result seems rather convincing.

The Google Booth

The Google Android booth, Hall 8

It’s probably the most original booth with different attractions and mini-booths dedicated to the developer community. We drank delicious smoothies here!

The Microsoft Booth

The Microsoft Windows Phone booth, Hall 1

Microsoft’s booth is particularly empty. Everything revolves around the slogan “Smoked By Windows Phone”. The object of the game is to compare the speed of their phone to a Windows Phone.

The Nokia Booth

The Nokia booth, Hall 7 (AppPlanet)

The Nokia booth was especially impressive this year. We sense that Nokia is clearly trying to come back into the spotlight with its Windows Phone devices.

All Kinds Of Oddities

Outside of the MWC, "Windows", "Phone", "Loves", "MWC"

The manufacturers use originality to attract attention. Here are three little oddities (among others) that make us smile : )

A Structure Made Of Phones To Present The Hauwei Ascend

The Huawei Ascend statue

“The Ascend is so fast that it flies” is Huawei’s slogan that is repeated everywhere at the show. What better way to illustrate this quote than a sculpture made entirely of phones?