Mobile World Congress is yearly event for showcasing developments in Mobility and related products and accessories. This time, the specialised exhibtion is being organised in spacious place in Barcelona in Spain, where all the major companies in mobile communications or allied products will participate and show their latest products. As usual, this event will be dominated by smartphones and tablets by leading companies like Samsung, LG, Google, Nokia etc. to name a few.
We shall be covering this event very minutely as we had done last year. One of our representatives shall be visiting this exhibition to witness the marvels of mobility technology and he will report everyday from Barcelona the latest developments and products witnessed by him. Meanwhile, from today onwards, we are starting a series on MWC 2013, in which we will cover the products, which are expected to be launched in this event. Keep reading this blog and our forthcoming reportings live from Barcelona starting from 25th February 2013, till the closure of the event on 28th February.
Some of the products that may be showcased in MWC 2013
Google-Asus low-priced Nexus 7 tablet – As reported by Taiwan based website Digitimes, Google and Asus are reportedly working on a low-priced Nexus 7 tablet, which is expected to be launched in the ideal platform -MWC in Barcelona. According to industry sources, China-based touchscreen maker O-Film Tech has been asked to enter the tablet’s panel supply chain to provide glass-film-film (GFF) technology. It is being said that the GFF technology will help in cutting production costs for the low-priced Nexus 7; it will also help in making the tablet thinner.
According to the report, O-Film reportedly started shipping products for the Nexus 7 in December 2012. Because of the reduction in the production costs, the tablet is expected to carry a price tag of $99.”However, market observers suspect that Google and Asustek may not be able to release such a low priced tablet in 2013 due to limits as to how far the companies can drive down costs in their supply chain. The low-priced Nexus 7 will most likely be priced between $129-149 as a result, added the observers,” said DigiTimes.
Nokia Windows RT Tablet – A tablet from the house of Nokia is overdue and as blogged by us earlier, the sooner they bring this out the better it would be for the depleting fortunes of this company. After the success of its flagship Lumia 920 on Windows 8 platform, it is the ideal time for Nokia to bring out their tablet on Windows 8 platform. Probably, they were testing the waters for Windows 8 OS and since this is success for their mobile device, there is no reason for them to hold their tablet for long.
As per various reports emerging in different tech sites, Nokia is in serious talks with chipmaker Qualcomm and hardware manufacturer Compal Electronics and that the resulting tablet could be unveiled at the February 2013 World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.
In September, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop had said, “We have not announced any tablets, but I think the opportunity is very clear. People today increasingly are looking for a common digital experience between their smartphone and tablet, with a PC, and with their gaming platform, and so there’s clearly an opportunity across there. This is something that we’re looking at very closely.”
According to a Taiwanese supply chain source, Nokia had been planning to develop and launch a tablet with Microsoft’s RT operating system as early as the start of 2012 but instead decided to wait until Microsoft’s Surface was launched, to gauge market reaction.
After relative good success of Microsoft’s Surface tablet, Nokia’s plan to come out with Windows 8 tablet has got the needed boost and we may see the long-awaited tablet from Nokia in February 2013.
