It’s just 48 hours until we touch down in Barcelona, stretch our legs and race off in search of some killer new blowers at Mobile World Congress. And while only a few newbies have got official, there’s plenty of ripe and juicy gossip about what we can expect. Will Android steal the show? What has HTC got up its sleeve, and can the Puma phone really marry sporty credentials with innovative tech?
Want to get clued in? Then have a gander at our Mobile World Congress rumour round-up now.
Puma phone
Puma’s teaser site might be live, but the specs for this sporty number have slipped out too. It promises to rock solar charging, a bike tracking app, a music turntable, GPS, video chat and stacks of Puma-branded goodies to make you feel like a pro as you stare a coronary in the face on your half mile jog around the local park. In all, it sounds like a much better offering than the old-school Adidas miCoach.
Windows Mobile 7
The spanking new OS looks like a certainty for Mobile World Congress. Steve Ballmer is jetting in to deliver the Big M’s keynote, while a welter of rumours point to a new, sleek Zune-like UI, Silverlight support, Windows Mobile Marketplace aping Apple’s App Store and a complete shift from the nasty menu systems of old.
Zune phone
And of course, no Windows Mobile 7 tittle tattle would be complete without a dedicated Zune phone to stick it in. Xbox 360 support has been mooted for this touchscreen iPhone-battler, which has garnered plenty of column inches in recent weeks. Surely Ballmer wouldn’t fly all this way to launch a new OS and not flounce around with the phone he once denied even existed?
Mobile World Congress 2010: Ultimate show preview
HTC IncredibleHTC is said to be prepping a bundle of new Android phones for next week. But it’s the HTC Incredible that’s caught everyone’s eye. As stylish as a trip down Bond Street, it’s set to be the first phone to pack a skinned version of Android 2.1. That means Google Maps Navigation (in the US at least), Google Goggles and spanking new functionality beneath the slinky HTC Sense.
Opera Mini on iPhone
Not so much a rumour as a nailed on fact. The Opera Mini iPhone app will definitely be on show next week, but does the on-the-go browser type know more about Apple’s App Store plans than we do? Could Cupertino really be about to open up the App Store to Safari’s hottest competitor? Doubtful, but we’ll be on hand to find out just why it’s showing it off.
All new Sonim tough phone
Early plans for Mobile World Congress have already confirmed that Sonim is showing off a brand new hardcore handset in Barcelona. But after JCB and Land Rover, who will it be hooking up with? Caterpillar? Black and Decker? Whoever it is, expect to see it take a pounding from all comers to prove it’s more rock solid than David Haye in a quarry.
Samsung Bada phone on show
There’s no doubting Samsung Bada will be the Korean colossus’s focal point in the Mediterranean next week. But we’ve seen plenty of the OS already. What we want is hardware. Sammy’s said a Bada phone will be unleashed in the first half of the year. Surely it needs to build the hype by letting the Barcelona faithful have an early glimpse of this all new touchscreen titan.
Nokia C5
Nokia’s not said anything yet, but the C5 has already been given the complete web leaking treatment. Hands-on shots are already online, with specs promising a neat 2.2-inch screen, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA and full-on smartphone skills. It looks like a move back to basics for Nokia, certainly not a bad thing after the N97’s failure to take off.
Motorola Devour
We’ve already seen Megan Fox pawing one across the pond. But this MotoBLUR-packing number remains a mystery. Motorola has already said it plans to up its Android quota, and with the Milestone well and truly established, it’s time for it to show off what else it can do. Android 2.1 is a must, but let’s hope MotoBLUR doesn’t hold things back.
Motorola Tablet
A long shot. However, Moto’s CEO said back in January that he and his mobile cohorts were looking seriously at how they could flog a tablet to the masses, even claiming, “you’ll see some innovation from us in this space.” With the iPad now official, it’s surely high time that Motorola showed its hand and let us see just what it has lined up.
Got any more hot Mobile World Congress gossip? Be sure to tell us in the comments section now!
