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Mobile World Congress Videos

Light Reading's Show Site: Barcelona, Spain  |  February 27 - March 1
Light Reedy
Sarah Reedy

MWC 2012: New Handset Makers Step Up

February 22, 2012 | Sarah Reedy | Comments (3)
   
  
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10:10 AM -- Expect new faces not features to steal the show at next week’s Mobile World Congress as different handset vendors will get a chance to grab the spotlight in Barcelona.

With Samsung Corp. forgoing its usual big press conference, Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) as absent as ever, Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) having exhausted itself talking up the Lumia at CES and a spokeswoman claiming Motorola Mobility LLC will only rehash old news, there's room for a number of other handset makers to shine. And, there are also a number of them that need to do so.

Here's what companies I'm expecting -- and hoping -- to see step up to the plate:

The handset makers will all be vying for attention at the show from a number of other, less sexy, but no less hot, categories like Wi-Fi offload, small cells and VoLTE, but amongst the handset makers, it's a battle to show the best in Spain.

Check back to our MWC site to see which companies lived up to their promise and which fell short.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile
Newest Comments First       Display in Chronological Order
joanengebretson
User Ranking
Wednesday February 22, 2012 6:02:36 PM
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I too have a strong preference for flip-phones. Not only does that design keep them from accidentally dialing, it also protects them from general wear & tear. I have one that still says Cingular when you turn it on.

kaps
User Ranking
Wednesday February 22, 2012 1:25:29 PM
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I'd like to make a plea for device manufacturers to re-consider the flip phone form factor. Instead of handheld 3D and its limited use cases, why not explore the functionality that most everyone liked (no pocket or purse dialing) and bring some touchscreen juice to it?

BlackBerry tried a flip model for a bit but it didn't last long enough for me to find one on my plan. (Think Verizon had it for a bit in the U.S., and then Sprint but it is now gone)

Anyone else out there thinking they would like a flip phone with a small but decent touchscreen and a fixed keyboard on the bottom? Add your name via the comments and I will see that Moto execs take a look. Or Samsung. Or someone.

 

SReedy
User Ranking
Wednesday February 22, 2012 10:23:11 AM
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LG announced the Optimus Max 3D today. It's not exactly what I had in mind...I don't see the value in 3D on mobile, and that seems to be what LG is betting on to differentiate. Maybe a demo at MWC will change my mind though.

The blogs and comments are the opinions only of the writers and do not reflect the views of Light Reading. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Official Mobile World Congress Site: www.mobileworldcongress.com
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