Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      The little-known company disrupting Eskom’s monopoly

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      Chief sub-editor wanted – help shape South African tech media

      16 June 2025
    • World

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025

      Qualcomm shows off new chip for AI smart glasses

      11 June 2025

      Trump tariffs to dim 2025 smartphone shipments

      4 June 2025

      Shrimp Jesus and the AI ad invasion

      4 June 2025

      Apple slams EU rules as ‘flawed and costly’ in major legal pushback

      2 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025

      South Africa unveils big state digital reform programme

      12 May 2025

      Is this the end of Google Search as we know it?

      12 May 2025
    • TCS

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025

      TCS | Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron Nexus

      3 June 2025

      TCS | Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround

      28 May 2025
    • Opinion

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025

      Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

      29 May 2025

      Solar panic? The truth about SSEG, fines and municipal rules

      14 April 2025

      Data protection must be crypto industry’s top priority

      9 April 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Mobile World Congress in review

    Mobile World Congress in review

    By Craig Wilson1 March 2013
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    MWC2013-640

    Each year around this time, Barcelona plays host to the Mobile World Congress, the biggest annual event for the world’s mobile communications industry. In addition to the usual product announcements from many of the big-name manufacturers, the buzz this year was around mobile payments, near-field communications and the mobile operating systems war.

    Devices
    Mobile World Congress always offers gadget junkies a wide array of new devices — some of them hotly anticipated; others previously unheard of. This year was no different, except low-end and midrange phones got almost as much attention as the high-end ones.

    Nokia’s 105, a US$20 feature phone aimed at developing markets, drew particular attention. Nokia claims the phone lasts 35 days on a single charge and is aimed at markets where electricity supply in erratic.

    None of the big manufacturers launched new flagship devices — companies such as HTC and Samsung Electronics prefer to launch these away from the hustle and bustle of the show — but smaller handset makers such as ZTE, Alcatel and Huawei unveiled a plethora of new phones.

    Though Samsung only plans to announce its new flagship handset, the Galaxy S4, in mid-March, it still took the wraps off a slew of new products at the congress, including the Galaxy Note 8, an 8-inch tablet that also allows you to make phone calls, and the Galaxy Grand, which is essentially a Galaxy S3 with a 5-inch display.

    The Nokia 105
    The Nokia 105

    There was no shortage of competition at the top end, with LG Electronics releasing the Optimus G Pro, a “phablet” with a 1080p-resolution, 5,5-inch display, and Huawei showcasing its Ascend P2, which includes a 13-megapixel camera and a 720p HD display.

    On the tablet front, the showstopper was Sony’s Xperia Z tablet, a waterproof 10,1-inch Android tab weighing less than 500g and costing less than $500. Sony’s first foray into the tablet market was uninspiring, but both the Xperia Z handset and tablet look set to put the Japanese electronics giant back on the map.

    Of course, Mobile World Congress isn’t just about shiny new devices. Other highlights from this year’s show included Bluetooth stickers that can be attached to wallets, keys or anything else you’re prone to misplacing, making it possible to track them down using a mobile application.

    Corning, the company behind Gorilla Glass, unveiled bendable glass, which will no doubt show up in future phones. Other companies showed off accessories for mobile phones and tablets, from cases and charging solutions to headphones and styluses and even a virtually indestructible display made of sapphire.

    NFC and mobile payments
    There were plenty of mentions of near-field communications (NFC) technology at Mobile World Congress in 2012, but the hype didn’t seem to carry into devices. NFC was back with a vengeance at this year’s event. Whereas last year it was all about mobile payments, this year the focus was on all the other potential uses of the technology.

    Signage used at the 2013 congress made use of NFC so that attendees could get information about the event with the tap of their phone and were also used in conjunction with their nametags to allow them access to various areas.

    Even accessories manufacturers are getting in on the NFC bandwagon, with companies like JBL using the technology to initiate the pairing process between Bluetooth audio docks and mobile phones.

    JBL's NFC dock
    JBL’s NFC dock

    MasterCard, one of the biggest supporters of NFC for payments, expanded its solution beyond the realm of the physical to include a cloud-based service called MasterPass. It says it still sees great potential for NFC, but that it realises the solution — which requires high-end devices — may not be suited to every market.

    Operating systems
    Three new mobile operating systems were showcased at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Mozilla, best known for the Firefox Web browser, has entered the fray with Firefox OS, demonstrating it this week on Alcatel’s One Touch Fire handset and on ZTE’s Open.

    The second new operating system, called Tizen, is being developed by Samsung and Intel, and will be built on a similar framework to Android and will even be able to run Android applications using a compatibility layer. It is expected to begin shipping on selected Samsung devices later this year.

    Anyone remember MeeGo, the operating system Nokia abandoned in favour of Windows Phone? Well, it’s been given another shot at life by a Finnish company called Jolla Mobile. Renamed Sailfish, the Linux-based operating system will have to contend with an increasingly crowded operating system market. Still, variety can only mean good things for consumers.

    Android looks set to remain dominant, but with these three new contenders being announced so soon after Mark Shuttleworth unveiled Ubuntu for smartphones and then for tablets, the space is hotting up.  — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media



    Alcatel HTC Huawei JBL LG Electronics Mobile World Congress MWC MWC 2013 Nokia Samsung Samsung Electronics Sony ZTE
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleMTN chops prepaid prices
    Next Article Vodacom debuts uncapped call plan

    Related Posts

    China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

    13 June 2025

    AI to replace line judges at Wimbledon

    11 June 2025

    Huawei bets on brains over brawn in AI chip race

    10 June 2025
    Company News

    Huawei Watch Fit 4 Series: smarter sensors, sharper design, stronger performance

    13 June 2025

    Change Logic and BankservAfrica set new benchmark with PayShap roll-out

    13 June 2025

    SAPHILA 2025 – transcending with purpose, connection and AI-powered vision

    13 June 2025
    Opinion

    Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

    2 June 2025

    South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

    2 June 2025

    Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

    29 May 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.