At the beginning of March, what felt like the entire PR and tech media world descended on Barcelona for the annual Mobile World Congress event, which took place at the Fira Gran Via. The sheer scale of the event is testament to just how important the mobile technology sector has become to our everyday lives. Spread over eight sizeable halls MWC is where the big boys and the fledgling companies in the mobile world come together under one roof to celebrate the weird and wonderful facets of the industry, launch products and discuss all things mobile. With the notable â and permanent â exception of Apple, every big player in the game was there this year to launch their new flagship models. This yearâs event saw Samsung launch the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge; HTC launch the M9 and a new virtual reality headset and Pebble launch its new smart watch.
One of the biggest launches of the show was the release of Samsungâs new flagship phones, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Taking design cues from its predecessor, the S6 is slimmed down with rounded corners. New metal edges and a gorilla glass back distinguish the S6 from its younger brother. In addition, touch screen panels run down each side of the new Edge model. These two new touch screen edges have some nifty little party tricks up their sleeves, allowing you to easily access your favourite people in your phone book and pick up missed calls and messages with a simple slide along the touch screen side panels. The Edge will also display information whilst the phone is in sleep mode and when you receive a phone call the Edge will glow in different colours according to contact groups so even if youâre phone is face down you know who is calling (or at least whether they are friend, foe or boss). This tech is still in its early stages and we predict more and more helpful applications being added as time progresses.
HTC didnât deliver much in the way of surprises with its M9 launch – which is like the M8 but a little bit different. However the company did shock with the launch of the new HTC Vive virtual reality headset. With absolutely no leaks and no indication of what was to come this announcement came out of left field, causing a huge stir at the show. Vive is HTCâs first venture into the world of virtual reality and they have pulled no punches, partnering with PC gaming kings, Valve. Vive has laid down a serious challenge to the likes of Oculus Rift by including a whole raft of new innovative technology. Sensors on the outside of the headset track hand movements so you can interact with your virtual world and Vive can create a VR experience which spans entire rooms.
One launch that particularly excited us was the announcement of SanDiskâs new 200gb Micro SD card. Unlike some of the other announcements from the show the 200gb Micro SD card isnât the prettiest, kookiest or coolest piece of tech we have ever seen. It is, however, one of the best pieces of engineering we have seen in some time. Getting this amount of storage onto a chip the size of a thumbnail is a technological feat that cannot be understated. To put it into context, this is the same amount of storage that you would get if you combined 40 first generation iPod Classics in a package small enough to lose in your wallet.
Elsewhere we saw Pebble launch its new watches, Time and Time Steel, which will be available with open-source straps that will provide added functionality to the watch. Third-party hardware makers will be able to tinker with whatever they want, adding sensors for things such as fitness or medical tasks. The wearable market was represented throughout the show with nearly every other stand displaying some sort of smart watch and established brands like Garmin were there in full force showing off their iterations.
MWC 2015 brought us a whole host of new technology that we canât wait to get to know better over the coming year. From mobile phones to virtual reality headsets we saw some really exciting products at the show this year, reminding us just how impressive and innovative the mobile technology market continues to be.
