Mobile World Congress 2014, the world's largest and most glamorous trade show, opened on February 24 with big-ticket announcements from tech titans including Samsung, Nokia and Sony.
This is the place where you will find the most talked about brands in the mobile handset space come together by showcasing latest technological innovation. To cut the story short, this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) will be known for path breaking mobile devices.
Day Zero
South Korea's Samsung unveiled its next-generation smartwatch lineup on February 23. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo runs the Tizen OS instead of Google's Android mobile OS. It was surely a surprise for some.
On the same day, Mozilla announced the world's cheapest smartphone for USD $25. The company also showcased what to expect from tier-1 handset manufacturers, in respect to Firefox OS.
Talking about Huawei, this Chinese handset maker launched two new tablets, a smartphone and lastly a fitness band. The weirdest of them all, the Huawei Talkband B1, is a fitness band cum Bluetooth headset. The product will first go on sale in Huawei's native market.
We were expecting a 10-inch high-end tablet from the house of LG, but the company formally unveiled the G Pro 2 and G2 Mini at MWC 2014.
Moving on, American PC giant HP announced three new devices: HP Pavilion x360 and two Window-powered business oriented tablets.
Day 1
The world's largest mobile largest mobile event finally kicked off on Monday i.e. February 24. Some of the industries biggest names unveiled latest tech toys. Samsung's most ambitious handset, the Galaxy 5, was officially announced in a jam packed press conference. The 5-inch FHD phone is expected to be a monster hit , as per early reports.
Other than the Galaxy S5, Samsung also unveiled a crowd pulling fitness centered device, the Gear Fit. Moving on to Nokia, the Finland-based tech vendor finally announced it's much hyped Android-powered phones: Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL. Nokia says the Nokia X lineup will mostly caters to developing countries.
Sony loves to make handsome phones and the company's latest Xperia Z2 is not different. The Xperia Z2, as the name suggest, is a sequel to last year's Xperia Z1 handset. The Sony Xperia Z2 packs a large display, excellent camera, beefy processor and lastly a large battery life.
Day 2
Taiwanese giant HTC literally managed to present two show stoppers: the Desire 816 and the Desire 610. Both the devices cater to Asian markets.
BlackBerry announced its new innings in the handset business. The struggling company unveiled two new BlackBerry 10 OS powered smartphones: the BlackBerry Z3 and the BlackBerry Q20. The BB Z3 will go on sale in Indonesia for $200, followed by global launch in the near future. On the other hand, the BlackBerry Q20 will feature a 3.5-inch display and full sized physical keyboard for BlackBerry loyalist. The device is said to be launched later this year.
Good news, folks! Motorola Mobility will finally launch the Moto X in India in coming days to come. Motorola is also said to announce the second-generation Moto X and a mysterious intelligent watch in 2014. In the meanwhile, take a look at the slider below for all the key highlights at MWC 2014 so far.
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LG
South Korean giant LG is yet to make a mark in the handset business like its nearest arch rival- Samsung. The makers behind G2 have nothing much to show off at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC). However, LG's G Pro 2, in particular, is an interesting device, thanks to its beefy hardware. Other than the G Pro 2, LG G2 Mini was the star attraction at MWC 2014. LG also showcased its updated L series III handsets and F series.
Huawei
Huawei might not be a tier-1 handset manufacturer worldwide; however, the company still managed to enthrall audience with number of new devices at MWC 2014. The Huawei TalkBand B1 fitness band is similar to the Samsung Gear Fit in terms of looks. It can monitor your regular fitness related activities. The device works with Android and iOS. The product doubles as a Bluetooth earpiece. The company also unveiled two new tablets and a smartphone at the event.
Sony
Japan's Sony is slowly and gradually making its way to the top with exceptionally well built handsets. At MWC 2014, Sony unveiled two new handsets and a high-quality tablet. We think the Xperia Z2 is Sony's answer to Samsung Galaxy S5. What do you think?
Nokia
Those who are planning to buy an affordable Android-powered handset should pay attention here. At MWC 2014, Nokia announced three new Android-based handsets under Nokia X family. The Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL runs customized version of Android. Users won't be able to access Google Play Store.
ZTE
Chinese player ZTE unveiled Firefox OS-based Open C and Open II. These cheap handsets will be unveiled in the emerging markets. The company also launched ZTE Grand Memo II LTE phablet.
HTC
This Taiwanese brand is yet to unveil its second-generation HTC One 2 handset. However, the company tried to woo Chinese consumers by announcing the Desire 816 and Desire 610.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, stated that WhatsApp is worth far more than $19 billion due to its ability to connect with more than a billion people. He also spoke about how the company is aiming at creating basic web-based services like messaging, weather alerts etc that will be available for everyone.
Samsung
The Galaxy S5, a sequel to Galaxy 4, finally goes official with much hype. For the first time, Samsung managed to move away from its core traditional design philosophy. The company also announced better designed wearable devices at MWC 2014 ( Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit)
Motorola
No one was expecting something exceptional from Motorola Mobility at this year's MWC tech event. For a change, the company clarified that Motorola will release its first ever smartwatch later this year. Also, the Moto X sequel is on the cards. For Indian consumers, the original Moto X will be made in coming days to come.
