Some crazy stuff was happening in Barcelona yesterday – day 1 of the Mobile World Congress [1], here’s some of the highlights…
- Nokia is launching Android based phones. The entire industry was speculating why a Microsoft owned company would create a product line to compete with its own Windows Mobile platform. This product line is aiming squarely at emerging markets where cheaper Android phones are very successful
- Samsung Smart Watches. Samsung is coming out with an upgraded line of smart watches based on their own OS called Tizen (a Linux based OS) these two wearables; the Gear 2 and the Neo are designed to be companion devices for Samsung mobile phones. This move marks their plans to move from Android (and Google)
- Huawei showed off a their new wearable. This is a companion device for their mobile phones called the ‘Talkband B1’ it’s a combination OLED display, activity tracker – that can transform into a bluetooth earpiece.
My visit to the GSMA Connected City Exhibit [2] reinforced some of the questions I have for our industry.
What’s the best way for mobile and digital signage to peacefully co-exist? Can these two superpowers get along? Especially when it comes to interactivity and engagement. The future of mobile looks to be an anticipatory world where our ‘wearables’ will inform the digital screens around us about our personal preferences without a touch or a gesture on the big screen.
It would seem the multi-screen world we live in may JUST be ruled by the smallest screen we have – the one in our pocket BUT since this is a mobile conference – it could be that this is an industry biased view of the future.
The truth will actually be in how the consumers react and adapt to the new ways mobile will allow them to interact with the world. Now’s the time to test and learn which is exactly why I am here!