The rumour mill | Other gadgets at MWC
A new operating system for Samsung
Samsung is kicking off the Mobile World Congress with a major event, Unpacked 5, taking place on the first day. Previously, the Korean tech giant has used these events to announce new smartphones, so we shouldn’t be too surprised if the Galaxy S5 is the thing that ends up getting unpacked. However, a teaser tweet from Samsung’s official Twitter account hints that it might be about to unveil a revolutionary new Tizen operating system as well.
Time to put your phone on your wrist
LG started making smartwatches before it was cool. In 2009 it released the Watch Phone, giving it a head-start on competitors, most of whom only jumped on the bandwagon last year. If rumours are to be believed, LG’s G-Arch smartwatch (which will compete directly with Samsung’s Galaxy Gear) will be unveiled at this year’s MWC. But with no Apple at MWC, you’ll have to wait for what is surely going to be the G-Arch’s biggest competitor – the iWatch.
Samsung get in on fitness band action
Capitalising on the self-tracking revolution, Samsung is rumoured to have a fitness band in their already very congested pipeline. Korean news source DDaily recently reported that a Galaxy Band (which resembles the Nike FuelBand and Jawbone Up) is to be unveiled (although this wouldn’t be its final name). Not much is known about how it would function, but it would probably connect via bluetooth to a smartphone.
A new eight inch tablet from Nokia?
Rumours are doing the rounds that Nokia’s new eight inch, 1080p screen tablet, the Lumia 2020 is to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress. Nokia is fond of unveiling in Barcelona, so it would be no surprise if these rumours turn out to be true. Hopes are high that the tablet will include Windows Phone 8.1 Blue software, the slicker, smarter updated version of Windows Phone 8 Black.
Groundbreaking audio technology
Audyssey are set to unveil breakthrough mobile audio technology at MWC 2014. A leader in the audio field, Audyssey claims to have found a way of replicating the depth and clarity that you get from listening to high quality speakers in a room, but for headphones. The technology will be demonstrated at the congress but it may be a while before headphones companies begin to incorporate it into their products.