Virtual reality, self-driving cars and watch phones at Mobile World Congress 2016
Two weeks ago I attended my first Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona. It’s the world’s largest mobile business exhibition, with a huge conference attracting CEO speakers from some of the most recognisable companies on the planet. I’d already asked plenty of event veterans for their top tips; it seemed the most important things were to avoid the sandwich stands and wear comfy shoes.
Joining me was Darren Sher, one of our Heads of Product, and we planned a busy schedule consisting of networking meetings and what turned out to be more than 7 miles of walking. Fortunately I remembered the comfy shoes.
In among the huge variety of gadgets, demos and things to see, there were some themes I found particularly interesting.
As a pre-warning, they have very little to do with news publishing…
Doubling down on virtual reality
Virtual reality is no longer being positioned as a niche gaming concept; Mark Zuckerberg thinks it will be a mass-market social platform. It was the hottest topic of the week, with loads of new hardware and demos.
There was a heavily publicised Facebook–Samsung VR partnership announcement and some impressive showcases from HTC and LG, not to mention virtual reality rollercoasters.
I can’t decide whether to believe Zuckerberg or remain in the ‘VR will only be successful in the gaming and porno industry’ camp. With the current pace of new developments, I imagine we will soon find out.
Internet of Things is getting real
Having heard the buzzword, and seen some fantastic Internet of Things demos over the years, MWC was an opportunity to take in the incredible volume of practical products now available to consumers — some of which looked genuinely useful to my life — and the new concepts that should begin to see the light of day with consumers over the next 3 years.
There were also some for-the-sake-of-it products such as the Petfit — essentially a Fitbit for dogs — and the Bluetooth-enabled smart tape measure, which beams measurements to your phone.
Above all, I’m looking forward to seeing one of these on the road.
Waterproof tech… finally!
I’ve never been prone to dropping my smartphone in the toilet, but I know people who are. It didn’t get much media coverage — other than a small part in the Samsung Galaxy S7 launch — but the developments in scientific solutions for waterproofing hardware are really impressive.
The HZO exhibition stand demonstrated a fully submerged TV, playing in a fish tank full of water. The company applies a thin film coating to sensors and components during the manufacture of hardware. The service isn’t available for personal electronics, but it’s great to see the science working. We’ll surely see more consumer-centric solutions very soon.
Honourable mention: the world’s first watch phone
Before there was the Apple Watch, there was the Samsung Galaxy Gear; before the Galaxy Gear there was the… Samsung SPH-WP10?!
This beauty caught our eye on the Samsung stand; it was the world’s first commercially available watch phone. It has an antenna, and everything.
The SPH-Wp10 was released in 1999, and shows how far we’ve come. Who knows what could be showcased at MWC 2017?
In the meantime, I’ll be quietly judging anyone who buys their dog a Petfit.
