The Mobile World Congress annual conference was held in Barcelona from February 24-27, 2014. Major mobile companies unveiled new technologies, including the Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone with improved specs, the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone, and the Huawei Media Pad X1 tablet. Other trends on display included new wearable devices from Samsung and Google Glass, the adoption of new Firefox and Tizen operating systems, and developments in 5G connectivity. The conference also highlighted mobile apps, payment technologies, initiatives for connected cities and cars, and how Barcelona is transforming through mobile innovation.
2. Introduction
The Mobile World Congress is a conference held annually in the city of Barcelona, the
Mobile World Capital, where mobile companies present the latest technological
innovations and generates exchange and collaboration between international
companies.
This document covers the latest trends and developments presented in this last edition,
held from 24 to 27 February 2014 at Fira de Barcelona.
3. Mobile Technology
The most important innovations on devices in
Mobile Technology are:
Sony Xperia Z2
The display has grown to 5.2-inches giving
plenty of space, with the latest Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801 chipset and 3GB of RAM. It’s
waterproof with more storage and a 3200mAh
battery. It includes a 20.7-megapixels camera
including 4K video capture.
Samsung Galaxy S5
The big rival to the Sony Xperia Z2. There is a
5.1-inch display and the Qualcomm Snapdragon
801 chipset with 2GB of RAM. The 2800mAh
battery is accessible so you can switch it out, it
comes with Android 4.4 KitKat and is also water
resistant. Includes a new 16-megapixels with AF
system.
Huawei Media Pad X1
This new 7-inch compact tablet is fully phone
enabled and has 4G LTE connection. There is a
1920x1200 resolution display with a 1.6GHz
quad-core chipset and 2GB of RAM.
New Models
Samsung Galaxy S5
Sony Xperia Z2
Huawei Media Pad X1
4. Mobile Technology
Wearable Accessories
Wearable accessories have gained
importance in this fair, some
companies such as Samsung, Sony
or Huawei have has introduced their
smartbands. For instance, the new
Samsung Gear Fit clock is able to
control movements and recognize
physiological needs and has been a
highlighted innovation.
Google Glass
Google Glass, although not yet on
sales, has been one of the stars of
the Congress due to the presented
applications.
They can be used for some different
objectives: pay and pick up
products on vending machines, get
more information about products
while shopping, sharing content on
social networks or facial
recognition.
Operating Systems
We have seen that many new
models of devices, such as Alcatel
and ZTE, incorporate the new
operating system from Mozilla
Foundation, Firefox OS launched at
Mobile World Congress 2013.
Samsung dismissed Android for
their smart watches, which offer the
free operating system Tizen.
Connectivity
Neelie Kroes, European
Commission Vice President,
announced the funding of 50 million
€ for the 5G development in Europe.
Universities of Great Britain and
Germany joint efforts in developing
this new mobile technology to make
Europe pioneer in this new service.
New Devices New Technology
Google Glass
Samsung Gear Fit
5G Technology
5. World App
Fetch – Best App of 2014
It allows you to be alert to the latest applications of Google
Play depending on our interests. Just pick the types od apps
you like and Fetch will keep searching for you, looking for
the best matches. Only on Fetch you can search more than
100 different traits to get the type od apps and games that
you like.
Mis Reuniones – Audience Award
By means of this Mexican application, meetings can be
managed much more effectively. It offers a modern and
intuitive interface and strategic information day-to-day.
Social Diabetes – Big Impact Award
This Spanish application helps people with diabetes Type 1
and 2. It works offline or in real-time with their doctor to
improve their quality of life. It offers insulin
recommendations based on the individual’s actual intake of
carbs and blood glucose levels, exercise tracking and
patterns of behaviour. It is available in 10 languages.
WhatsApp (acquired by Facebook) will
include a free voice calling service in the
second quarter of the year, and Shazam
has gone through a redesign process to
improve the user experience, including
lyrics among other features.
In this year’s editions, the applications
linked to the world of education or
with a high social component, are
remarkable. These two categories are
the ones that have grown within the
frame of leisure and entertainment.
Some examples are:
Nott Won’t Sleep, interactive
bed-time stories for kids.
Sparkvue HD, a real-time
sensor-based data collection
which is a physics and life
sciences education application.
AidApps, that allows to
contribute to your favourite
cause or NGO through mobile
payment.
Mobile Premier AwardsApps Innovation
6. The purpose of Connected City stage
is to represent an urban
environment with mobile
connections with products and
services to demonstrate how mobile
technology is improving our lives. For
instance:
The connected home which
displayed their wireless solution for
home control and monitoring of alarm
systems, temperature and security.
The new sport t-shirt (D-Shirt), which
allows for monitoring of the wearer’s
temperature, heart rate, speed,
acceleration and geolocation.
New Facilities
BMW with SAP are developing two
software prototypes:
• The first one is for parking
search by location and profile of
the car driver.
• The second one let you receive
coupons and offers based on
the marked route and
preferences of occupants.
Entertainment Platforms
Other technology companies have
presented their new car
entertainment platforms.
Telefonica in collaboration with
Tesla have presented a full
connected car with a 17-inch
touchscreen used to control the
temperature from the distribution of
sound. Telefonica will provide
Internet connection permanently to
the car.
Connected City Connected Car
Connected Living
7. New InitiativesNew Solutions
Green Technology
One of the most eco-friendly initiatives has been the
eco-chargers from Green Solution company, that
allows you to charge the battery of any mobile device
with solar energy for free.
It has also been presented the application Join Up
Taxi! that aims to optimize the use of personal or
business transport to reduce CO2 emissions to the
atmosphere and reduce travel costs.
A Carbon Neutral Event
The organizers of the Mobile World Congress
implemented a plan to minimize emissions or
carbon footprint during the fair, encouraging
the re-use and recycling materials at the
venue, utilising digital signage and electronic
tools.
8. Payment via smartphone has been one of the
stars of this year's congress. G&D technology
group presented the latest technologies to
deploy mobile payment commercial services
through NFC ((Near Field Communication).
Samsung and PayPal presented a partnership to
develop the mobile payment through a fingerprint
sensor.
In addition, MasterCard has purchased C-SAM,
the software and services provider of mobile
payment, to accelerate the development of its
service of digital payment.
The Municipal Transport Company (EMT) from
Valencia has recently launched the payment of the
bus through the smartphone using NFC.
Mobile Payment
New Technology
9. Mobile City Tour
In the framework of MWC 2014, the Mobile Word Capital
Barcelona activated the “Mobile Transformation Program”,
which included some different actions to make Barcelona
an example and a reference in transforming and generating
new mobile ideas.
One of these actions was the organization of various Mobile
City Tours where national and international attendees
enjoyed a lot of mobile experiences in the fields of
shopping, art, culture and innovation. A unique and
exclusive experience, organized by the Mobile World
Capital Foundation.
.
Shopping Experience
VIP Visit Casa Batlló
VIP Tour MACBA
Innovation
Showroom
Route for the most
important fashion stores
in Passeig de Gràcia,
where technology
partners have installed
mobile shopping
solutions to improve the
user experience.
VIP guided tour that
includes the MACBA
Expo Mobile Antoni
Abad.
Visit to the Mobile World
Centre where several
brands present its
technological innovative
solutions.VIP guided visit in Casa
Batlló, to enjoy the Art
Nouveau and discovery
Gaudi's architecture in
augmented reality.
10. Mobile & Food
Creafutur carried out the m-Smartfood event, for
the MWC: it was focused on the latest facts and
trends in food, nutrition, gastronomy and food
service related to technology and consumer
behavior.
In addition, some disruptive technologies that
will impact the next two years in how consumers
select, buy, eat and share what people eat, both at
home and in a restaurant, were shown, including
Google Glass technology.
We had the attendance of some of the most
relevant companies of food industry.
On April, a new workshop event based on new
technologies and food, will be carried out at
Creapolis facilities.
More information coming soon…
11. Edifici ESADECREAPOLIS
Av. Torre Blanca 57, local B15
08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès
T +34 93 206 17 50
F +34 93 205 96 11
info@creafutur.com
www.creafutur.com