We are in the home stretch! With Day 1 and 2 out of the way, we move past the half way mark of MWC 2018. With Day 3, we are seeing that mobile innovation means more than just the future tech of mobile phones as 5G moves even further into the spotlight and takes centre stage for next-gen connectivity.
But before we give you the down low on everything 5G, we want to amp up the fun with the latest highlights of MWC thus far!
Here is your daily dose of MWC news…
Weird, wonderful, wacky
Each year at MWC, brands and manufacturers struggle to stand out from the crowd and grab media’s attention. Other than Nokia’s banana phone, which has been covered extensively, we have pulled out some of the media highlights from this year:
- The Huffington Post have reported on the ‘Selfieccino’. It’s a thing. As the Huff Post says: “This is a real thing. We’re not sure why but it is. Using the latest food printing technology an inventor has created a machine that will let you upload a selfie of yourself (or anyone) and then it will print a full-colour version of that image on top of your favourite coffee of choice”
- ZTE’s fold-out second screen got quite a bit of attention with a number of publications including it in their ‘weird and wonderful’ roundups
- CNET was full of praise for Alcatel’s “wallet-friendly phones”, adding “because one budget phone would be too few and eight would be too many.” This is in reaction to Alcatel releasing not one … or even five or six … but seven phones that are “easy on the wallet.”
- Even GSMA itself had a couple quirky standouts with its very own unique approach to crowd control, which is best described as a lifeguard in a suit on a high chair holding a megaphone. There’s also an ‘MWC store’ for visitors to grab ‘must have’ MWC products.
- The BBC has also reported on Morse code shoes sending toe-tapping texts and “shouty” messages. The BBC reporter suggested the idea sounded “slightly crazy”, but it’s meant to be a safety feature to communicate when the wearer is in danger.
- Also turning heads has been a smartwatch from Haier with a built-in projector that beams projections onto the wearer’s hand!
But if this all sounds very futuristic and far-fetched, it pales in comparison next to Vodafone and Nokia’s latest announcement… As the BBC reports, they’ve taken one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind: outlining plans to put a 4G mobile network on the Moon in 2019!
Your 5G-a-day (AKA food for thought)
The robots are coming! And they’ll be lightning-quick 5G, obviously
Huawei showed off an early-concept 5G robot. Controlled by a worker’s movements while wearing special sensors, there are hopes that these robots could stand in for humans working in dangerous (or disgusting) situations, like, for example, unclogging London’s fat-berg.
The future is now, the present is 5G
AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have announced that they’ll be blazing the first 5G trails in the US this year, with almost 50 cities being promised warp-speed Wi-Fi service by 2019.
A glimpse of consumer 5G
Intel joined the long list of tech firms jumping on 5G with its announcement of a 2-in-1 tablet PC concept. It’s designed to show that 5G can be used to connect our devices. With the bulk of 5G news so far focusing on businesses and enterprise, it’s nice to see a nod to the consumers as well.
YouTube goes physical, literally.
LG has officially announced a first-of-its kind TV display that’s more than simply lightweight. It’s flexible and thin enough to be rolled up and transported as a tube. The perfect portable workmate, this new addition from LG seems to have made every episode of CSI feel more like Doctor Who.
Stay tuned for our fourth and final instalment of the MWC digest tomorrow!
