Adios, Barcelona.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)It's Valentine's Day and the GSMA World Congress is coming to a close. It's been a busy few days for the CNET team. Bonnie Cha and I journeyed from San Francisco with CNET TV's Ariel Nunez, CNET UK's Andrew Lim flew in from London, and John Chan of CNET Asia came all the way from Singapore. As one of the biggest mobile shows on the planet with more than 55,000 attendees, GSMA produced a lot of interesting news, from new smartphones to the first prototypes of the Android platform. Barcelona was a good host, which is impressive considering just how the show took over the town. So as we pack our bags and escape for a few days of rest, we're proud to bring you the highlights of the show. And be sure to check out our full GSMA coverage and watch the GSMA videos.
Sony Ericsson W980
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)Handset news dominated the show, of course. Sony Ericsson and Nokia battled it out for the most high-profile announcements. Sony Ericsson unveiled a new Walkman phone, the W980, two new Cyber-shot models, the C702 and C902, and it introduced its new G-series line with the G700 and G900. The latter two models are especially noteworthy as they make interesting use of their touch screens. And last but not least, Sony Ericsson showed off the Z770, which is a super slim flip phone with an emphasis on Web browsing.
Meanwhile, Nokia wasn't any slouch, either. It rolled out the Nokia 6220, which brings a 5-megapixel camera to a midrange phone. And speaking of touch screens, LG showed off the LG KF600 and the LG KF700. Both offer lots of touchy-feely action, and the KF600 is the GSM version of the LG Venus.
The Samsung Soul is eye-catching.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)Samsung wasn't a wallflower, however. The company did its best to make its new Soul (SGH-U900) the talk of the show (posters advertising the phone were all over town). The Soul also has a navigation touchpad that takes a cue from the Motorola Rokr E8. As you move through different functions, the icons on the touchpad change. Samsung also introduce the SGH-F400, SGH-F490, and F480, and also the SGH-G810 and SGH-P960. On the other hand, Motorola had a quiet show. It only introduced a new Wi-Fi phone, the Motorola Z6w, and two entry-level phones, the W161 and W181. It was certainly a change from CES last month where Moto dominated the mobile in Las Vegas with the Rokr E8 introduction.
We also got the chance to check out some carrier and service news. T-Mobile dropped that the carrier would switch on its 3G network in the United States by this summer. Also, by the end of the year, T-Mobile said it would bring the Apple iPhone to Austria and that one of its markets would get an Android cell phone. Speaking of Android, we took a test drive at the ARM booth. Though it doesn't look like much yet, it is taking shape. The LiMo Foundation is another open-source alliance from mobile phones. It showed off its first supported handsets. Another interesting stop was Modu, which is a company that's produced an intriguing modular phone.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)GSMA 2008 saw plenty of smartphone action. Nokia released two new additions to its N series of multimedia computers: the geotagging Nokia N78 and, to everyone's delight, the Nokia N96, which now comes with 16GB of internal memory and a revamped design. Sony Ericsson stole some of the spotlight when the company revealed that it will start developing Windows Mobile smartphone and debuted the first such device, the Sony Ericsson EXPERIA X1. If you had to judge by the number of people swarming around the X1 at the Sony Ericsson booth, there's plenty of interest in this phone. Speaking of Windows Mobile, Microsoft announced that it will acquire Danger Inc., the manufacturer of the Sidekick handhelds, and made available MSN Direct services on Windows Mobile phones. And last but not least, HTC came out with a couple of new devices: an updated HTC Advantage X7501 and the GPS-enabled HTC P3470.
GPS was also big at the GSMA Mobile World Congress. We saw a number of handsets with integrated GPS at the show, including a number of the previously mentioned smartphones and the Symbian-based LG KT610. In addition, Nokia released a beta version of its mobile mapping and navigation application. Nokia Maps 2.0 adds even more navigation capabilities with a pedestrian mode and multimedia city guides. Finally, we got a hands-on look (sort of, anyway) at the Garmin Nuvifone with full video for your viewing pleasure.
After attending CES four times, CTIA eight times, Macworld two times, and several smaller show in between, I thought I have the whole trade thing mastered. You spend the day meeting with companies, wandering the show floor, and battling crowds before returning to your hotel for a night of work. You also go a few days without enough sleep or a decent meal. As I prepared for the GSMA World Congress, I knew it would be different--a different continent, a different culture, a different language, and an international focus. I had no idea of just how different it would be.
Now that GSMA is over, I can say without a doubt that it was the best trade show I've attended. In almost every way, GSMA is better organized than anything we have in the United States, particularly the huge and uberhyped CES. Follow along as I keep score.
T-Mobile's snazzy stand.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)
Booths:
At GSMA, company booths are called stands. Though such terminology kept me thinking of a lemonade stand, the stands can be massive with a full set of amenities (Nokia even had a doctor on staff). For instance, consider the T-Mobile stand, which was its own building. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out on a reflecting pool with a sculpture. There was a terrace where you could get a drink. Worried about the chilly weather? Don't be, they installed heating lamps there to keep you warm.
Nokia's hospitality suite.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)
But best of all, GSMA introduced me to the concept of a hospitality suite. This is something unheard of at American trade shows, which is an awful shame. A hospitality suite is a separate area away from the riffraff of the show floor. It is where journalists and analysts can get product demos and talk with company executives in peace. You can sit down, relax, have a snack, or sip a refreshing beverage (some companies even offered booze). It was a very civilized way to conduct your business of the day. Nokia's hospitality suite spanned almost the entire second floor of the company's stand and was larger than my first apartment. I wondered why the idea developed at European trade shows and I just couldn't figure it out; maybe European journalists are just fussier. One thing GSMA doesn't have, and not that this is a bad thing, are scantily-clad booth babes milling about. Perhaps it's because "stand babes" sounds pretty silly.
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Fira de Barcelona With Montjuic above.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)
Location:
This is a no brainer. Instead of the generic and relatively sterile Las Vegas Convention Center, GSMA is held at the Fira de Barcelona, which sits at the foot of the city's Montjuic area (site of the 1992 Olympics). In between the show buildings is a very cool fountain, while towering above is the beautiful Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. The show buildings were pleasant, and some even had natural light inside. But best of all, the Fira de Barcelona is near the center of town with easy access via the city's bus and Metro network. And as show attendee, I was given free use of the Metro for five days.
CES on the other hand is held in Las Vegas with little public transit outside of the Disneyland-esque monorail. Getting anywhere in Vegas during CES is a gigantic hassle with taxi lines that stretch for days. While I love Vegas for a weekend trip, it can't compete with the beauty and atmosphere of Barcelona. The only downsides of GSMA were the distance (a long flight from San Francisco) and that the area around the show seemed to be rife with pickpockets--poor Bonnie Cha even fell victim--but GSMA still wins this round.
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Hotels:
I have to give it to CES for this category as Las Vegas just seems to have more hotels rooms to support the show. When I tried to book a Barcelona room six months ago, almost everything was taken. For those rooms that were available, the rates could cost as much as 800 euros a night (about $1,177). I ended up renting an apartment that lacked a working heater, so it was frigid at night. While Bonnie found a hotel, the Wi-Fi kept breaking.
GSMA 2
CES 1
One of the on-site table-service restaurants.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)
On-site food:
GSMA wins again here. At CES, the convention center eating options are limited to overpriced fast food stands. GSMA has sit-down restaurants with table service and real menus. Here again, you can get alcohol. The food at the stands was better as well. Yahoo offered several candy bins and gelato.
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Show news:
Of course, I have to rate the show news. Yes, I'm comparing apples and oranges here, but GSMA's international focus makes it much more interesting. It puts CES to shame as far as mobile news, which makes sense considering it's a mobile show, but also there seemed to be more a focus on substance rather than hype.
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So CES, there several things you could do to make yourself more bearable. You can start by taking lessons from your European friends. After all, it beat you four to one.
The Samsung Soul is eye-catching
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)You'd be forgiven if you thought for a moment that the new Samsung Soul was the only cell phone on display at GSMA in Barcelona. Indeed, Samsung Electronics has peppered the city with countless signs promoting its slick new handset. And in its press release, Samsung called the Soul its "flagship product" for 2008.
As my CNET UK colleague Andrew Lim said on Friday, the Soul (aka the SGH-U900) is the newest edition to Samsung's Ultra Edition line. Sporting an all-metal silver casing and measuring just half an inch thick, the Soul has a decidedly sleek slider design. Though its overall shape isn't terribly different from comparable Samsung handsets like the SGH-G800, it's quite attractive and it has a solid and comfortable feel in the hand.
When the camera is active, the touchpad shows only the relevant controls.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)Yet the Soul's most remarkable feature is its navigation touchpad. Sitting just below the display is a black square with a series of lit icons that give you one-touch access to various functions. In standby mode, the icon in the center of the toggle opens the main menu while the other icons act as shortcuts to the messaging menu, the recent calls list, the music player, and the Soul's Google-related functions. I gave the touchpad a test-drive and I was pleased with my overall experience. Though you have to press each icon a bit longer than I'd prefer, the touchpad provides vibrating feedback. That's a big plus on any touch screen in my opinion; I like knowing when I actually press something.
Yet there is much more to the touchpad. As you move between different applications, the icons on the touchpad change to perform different functions. For example, when you're inside the main menu, arrows appear on the touchpad to help you find your desired function. When you're in camera mode, you see camera controls, and when you're using the music player, only music controls are visible. The concept is similar to the Motorola Rokr E8, which we saw at CES last month, except that the Soul's numeric keypad never goes away._270x359.jpg)
The Samsung Soul shows its numeric keypad
(Credit: Samsung)The Soul's display is bright and colorful, and it rendered pictures and graphics well. The keypad buttons were mostly flat with the surface of the phone but raised ridges between the individual rows made dialing by feel not too difficult. The other controls were decent as well. The two soft keys and Talk and End buttons surrounding the toggle were easy to use, and the side-mounted volume rocker was fine. I wasn't pleased, however, that the Soul uses a proprietary headset jack.
Other features on the Soul include a 5-megapixel camera, a music player, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, 100MB of internal memory with room for a 6GB memory card, messaging and e-mail, and various personal organizer functions. Though the Soul is quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900), it's optimized for European 3G bands only. As such, I wouldn't expect it in North America anytime soon.
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We're here
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)We told you that were going to the GSMA World Congress (formerly known as 3GSM), and now we have arrived. After a long flight from San Francisco, and a layover somewhere in Germany, I landed in Barcelona ready for a long sleep. After recharging myself, and my gadgets (good thing I remembered those electrical adapters), I took off for a walk to see the sights. Though GSMA doesn't begin until Monday, the city is already buzzing with thousands of visitors. As the largest mobile show in the world, GSMA has completely taken over the city. Indeed, when I checked into the apartment I rented, the landlord told me that every hotel room in the city was booked. On the streets, it feels as if it is the height of the tourist season in August.
Samsung bares its soul
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)I walked to the Fira de Barcelona, where the show will take place. Set on the Plaça d'Espana at the foot of Montjuic, GSMA covers eight separate buildings with outdoor space in between. At first glance, it doesn't seem quite as massive as the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES, but when I passed through they were still setting up. Come Monday, I may say differently. Yet, no matter how chaotic it is, it's a thousand times prettier than Las Vegas. Though none of the buildings are designed by Gaudi, the various pavilions climb up Mountjuic toward the Olympic Stadium, and the Museu Nacional d'Art Catalunya. The food at the show looks better too...I'll gladly choose a tapas bar over a Sparro pizza stand.
Venetian-style towers mark the entrance to the show
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)I couldn't get a look inside, so I can't give you any sneak peeks at the moment. But anyone who is anyone in the cell phone world will here. I'm certain that the news will come fast and furious. Of course, there won't be a CDMA phone to be found, but that hasn't stopped Samsung and LG from showing up in force. They've plastered posters all over town, from the airport to Las Ramblas. Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, LG, and Microsoft are holding news conferences starting tomorrow, so we know they'll be lots to show you in words, pictures, and video. Be sure to check back during the week to see what we'll have to offer.
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