This year the Mobile World Congress felt bigger than ever. The GSM Association said it was a record year. According to their stats, there were more than 60,000 people here.
Traditionally, the Mobile World Congress has been a show dominated by European and Asian companies and news. But this year there was some very cool stuff for the U.S. market.
In fact, I’d say a growing focus on the U.S. was one of two major trends I saw here. The other big trend was a much greater emphasis on software and “ecosystems.”
So, the first trend: There’s no question, the states are gaining importance in the mobile market. Historically, the U.S. was slow to adopt new wireless technologies. The major handset makers, with the exception of Motorola, all came from Europe and Asia. The most cutting-edge network technologies, such as 3G, were deployed first in Europe and Asia.
But that’s changing. The companies that will likely have the most influence over the mobile market in the next five years are all based in North America:
Apple
Microsoft
Research In Motion
What’s more, the latest network technologies are also being deployed first in the U.S. For example, Verizon Wireless is one of the first wireless providers in the world to deploy LTE, the so-called 4G technology that most operators around the world will deploy over the next several years.
What does this mean for you, the consumer? Handset makers are already starting to adapt their strategies to this new reality. When I spoke to Sony Ericsson’s CEO in Barcelona, he told me his company, which has traditionally introduced devices in Europe and Asia, will now start launching its hottest devices first in the U.S.
This is a major shift in the market. And it’s important for U.S. consumers, because it means that instead of having to wait a year or two for some of the coolest new phones and tablets, we’ll be getting them first.
The other major trend I noticed at this year’s show is that the mobile market is now all about software “platforms,” or as Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop kept saying, “ecosystems.”
Hardware will still be important, but a great deal of the user experience will be tied to the software platform the hardware uses. This will dictate which apps and games can be used on the phone, as well as the feature sets.
As a sort of testament to the importance of mobile platforms, the GSMA voted Apple’s iPhone 4 the best mobile device of the year, even though Apple doesn’t participate in MWC. And the Google Android operating system, which has gained a great deal of momentum in the past 12 months, dominated the MWC show with a massive booth that played host to 50 of its top developers. The booth was a fun place to explore the Android platform, complete with an actual slide that you could zoom down from the second level of the booth.
So which device caught my eye at the show? The LG Optimus 3D. I’m not a huge fan of 3D, and to be honest, I’m not sure I’d want a 3D TV or a 3D phone. But when I saw the new LG Optimus 3D at the booth at MWC, it was pretty cool. LG set up a demonstration that showed video of someone paddling a boat through the waves and scenes of big waves and surfing. The images don’t pop out at you, but there is an added third dimension to the picture.
Unlike with the 3D TVs sold today, you don’t need to wear a set of glasses to get the 3D effect. But the images are best viewed when looking at the device straight on. If you are off to the side too much, they get kind of blurry, and it gave me a slight headache.
Kent German, a CNET Reviews editor, was also impressed, even though he admitted he wouldn’t likely use the 3D option very often. Anyway, the LG Optimus 3D was definitely a cool gadget to see at the show, but not something I would recommend for everyone. Besides, LG hasn’t announced when or if the device will come to the U.S.
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