Korean Firms Show Off New Phones in Barcelona
Monday, February 11, 2008 15:15
A major showcase for future mobile handsets and technologies, the Mobile World Congress 2008 takes place in Barcelona from Monday to Thursday. The congress is the world’s biggest event for the mobile industry, bringing together the world’s GSM service providers and mobile phone manufacturers. GSM is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world, adopted by over 80 percent of the global market.
This year’s congress attracted around 1,300 companies including Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG and Vodafone, to show off the industry’s latest technologies. Particular attention is on a variety of touch-screen phones to be released this year following the success of Apple’s iPhone early last year, heralding a fierce counterattack by the traditional big names in the mobile phone industry.
Samsung Electronics will unveil the latest model in its popular Ultra edition series. The phone, dubbed “Soul” features a high-tech touch panel that displays menus and icons depending on the application being used. For example, the icons on the panel change into play and stop functions in music mode while serving as zoom and brightness functions in camera mode. Other features include a 5-megapixel camera and a digital power amplifier by Bang & Olufsen.
LG Electronics is set to launch its LG-KF600 model in Europe. Featuring dual displays on the front, the lower part of the phone serves as a touch pad that is programmed to run the upper screen. The “Watch Phone” is another ambitious product of the company. The size of a watch, the phone sports voice-activated dialing and messaging features. The LG Prada Phone in silver, the company’s latest addition to its Prada series, is set to be released simultaneously in 18 European countries.
Nokia is expected to unveil its new N800 Internet Tablet. Featuring a touchpad interface control, the device can connect to the web and also make internet phone calls.
Among other notable events, Samsung Electronics will demonstrate its “pocket projector” technology at the congress. By connecting a cell phone to a projector smaller than a cigarette pack and then projecting it on a white wall, the user can enjoy video and game images of the phone as big as 20 inches. LG Electronics also plans to introduce a “Long Term Evolution” technology, in partnership with Nortel, the Canadian telecom equipment manufacturer. This fourth-generation wireless technology allows users to download data at 60 MBps, or an entire movie within 90 seconds.
