MWC 2012, showcasing the latest and greatest from tech giants

Joel Mastrantuono

2/27/12

                  MWC 2012, showcasing the latest and greatest from tech giants 

Thousands gather in crowds, keynote speakers prepare their stages. The world watches as some of the tech industries biggest companies prepare to unveil their latest products at MWC 2012.

This year MWC (Mobile World Congress) is being held in Barcelona, it is the single biggest event for mobile consumer electronics. Companies like Sony, Samsung, HTC and many others will be unveiling their devices that they intend to launch to consumers in the near future. MWC goes from the 25^th of February to the 1^st of March; so far, several makers have already come forward with glimpses of their new devices.

HTC has received criticism from many users recently for their rapid release of new devices. In an attempt to reduce the amount of fragmentation of their brand name, HTC has decided to release three new phone variants under family name called HTC One. HTC hopes the brand name HTC One will help consumers distinguish their products from others, not only by name but by style as well, since all three phones resemble each other. HTC was not the only company with big announcements; Samsung also had several big releases.

Samsung released on Sunday its 2^nd generation of Galaxy Tabs, however these new tablets are going to be much cheaper starting at around $299. These new tablets from Samsung are spec’d similar to last years model but include a metal finish and an added SD card slot. Samsung also announced the first smartphone to include a built in mini projector, which it calls the Galaxy beam, no pricing is available but Samsung has stated its aiming for a Q2 release for select markets.

MWC has much more in store as more announcements from Samsung are expected with the rumored release of a 10.1in variant of their critically acclaimed Galaxy Note. Phones and Tablets will be the main focus of MWC, devices will most likely included higher resolution screens, faster processors. Devices thus far have all featured the Android OS since Apple does not attend MWC. Sites such as Engadget and Gizmodo will be covering the event all week, following every announcement and every detail.