Mobile World Congress – Main Highlights and Key Takeaways by BluEnt

Mobile Industry’s largest Global gathering witnessed biggest phone launches and announcements in the tech industry!

New York, USA – 12th May, 2017: The Mobile World Congress, 2017 concluded on March 2nd, 2017 in Barcelona. The annual trade show run by GSMA witnessed the launch of this year’s big smartphones. LG, Sony, Samsung, Nokia and Huawei besides other mobile manufacturers announced the gadgets queued to be released this year. Other than the consumer sphere, the Congress also focused on future of mobile components including chipsets, VR, 5G and other technologies. The congress was attended by over 100,000 mobile app developers and professionals from 208 countries.

BluEnt keenly followed the mega event, like previous years. Here are the key takeaways from our observations which will have a tangible impact on the mobile app development and mobile app design platforms for 2017 and beyond.

Key Takeaway 1 at MWC’17 – Virtual Reality is set to become huge

The Virtual Reality or VR, although in nascent stage, has already garnered solid ideas for its expansion. Companies such as Qualcomm, Oculus and Samsung have already established themselves in the space and other giants from the mobile industry are to follow soon.

Some of the major VR updates this year at MWC are as follows:

• Samsung announced that it will be launching a companion controller for Gear VR for enabling better interaction of users with their virtual surroundings. The new controller has a trigger and touchpad. The company is also letting beta users to test prototypes of its stand-alone VR headset. This headset does not require PC or smartphone to power the VR experience. Such VR sets are difficult to produce as the processing power for a true VR experience is difficult to attune in a VR visor. The VR headset is powered by Exynos 9 chip developed by the company.

• Oculus announced that the price of the Rift headset and touch controller would be dropped by $100. The kit will now cost $598. The decision to slash the prices of the hardware components was taken to align VR better with consumers.

• Qualcomm announced a new VR development kit and Head Mounted display or HMD developer program. The kit will be launched sometime in the Q2 2017.

Key Takeaway 2 at MWC’17 – 5G will be here sooner that you think

GSMA announced in MWC’17 that by 2025, 5G connections would account for one in every eight mobile networks, making it a total of 1.1 billion 5G connections. However, as pointed out by Tim Hoettges, CEO, Deutsche Telekom AG, the service providers should cooperate with the government to develop common standards for network providers, equipment makers and device manufacturers.

Key Takeaway 3 at MWC’17 – Artificial Intelligence is here to stay

Mobile World Congress’17 saw numerous announcements during the week showcasing newly launched AI services for consumers.

• LINE, the messaging app unveiled Clova, the AI digital assistant who can be accessed via an app and connected speaker called Wave. LINE also announced its partnership with Sony for creating smartphones with robust AI digital assistants.

• Samsung SDS announced an AI chatbot for training retail personnel. The chatbot is called as Nexshop Training.

• Amdocs announced that it will be bringing a new AI service for Aia, its new AI platform.

Key Takeaway 4 at MWC’17 – Exploring better advertising avenues

Advertising and ad-blocking go hand-in-hand for today’s tech savvy consumer. With the aversion to advertising and switch to ad-free internet experience, the brands and publishers are now turning to immersive video to better engage the potential customers and win the lost market share. This includes augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 360 videos. Immersive videos are emotion driven and impactful, capturing the attention of consumers. These engaging ads cut straight through the saturated ad space of today’s web.

The immersive ads are more effective from a statistical viewpoint as well. Hong Kong Airlines created a 360-degree ad and reported that it was 35 times more effective than their 2D ads. Similarly, the Blair Witch VR Campaign by Lionsgate recorded a voluntary reply rate of 57%.

A study by YuMe shows that 63% US Consumers feel the immersive experience is the next big thing in video.

We at BluEnt are anticipating an exciting 2017 for mobile tech. Mobile app development and iOS app development is on the rise. Take advantage of the high tide and give your business the much-needed push today!

About Us:

Formed in 2003, BluEnt specializes in proving custom websites, mobile apps, e-commerce, and internet marketing services for companies running an online dependent business or looking to develop tools to efficiently automate and monitor active processes in their organization. With 11 growing offices situated around the world, BluEnt is respected globally for its consistent quality of services and timely delivery of projects. We use our experience across industries and software applications to help enterprises derive maximum value out of their resources and investments.

For more information on our company and services, visit bluent.net.