MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
Mobile World Congress this year was full of news and insights into the future of mobility.
Announcements included biometric smart-locks, new smartphones from the likes of Samsung and LG, wearables and even an odd sprinkling of virtual reality.
In fact, MWC 2015 has been so full of news that many people have been left confused about the key takeaways from the conference.
We've created a definitive top 10 guide detailing the biggest news and trends to emerge from the trade show to help clear up the confusion.
10. Biometrics in smartphones is here to stay
Biometric security has been a growing trend in smartphones since Apple unveiled its first Touch ID-enabled smartphone, the iPhone 5S.
The use of biometric locks makes a lot of sense as it makes it quicker and easier to secure a handset without having to remember complex passwords or gesture lock codes. It's a process that many business users, including Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, feel is too time consuming.
Aware of this, Fujitsu has taken the idea of biometrics on smartphones even further by unveiling a prototype iris scanner lock at MWC.
The technology lets users register their iris ring pattern, which is unique to each human, and use it to unlock devices or access sensitive work systems from a smartphone or tablet simply by looking at it.
Testing the tech on a demo unit at Fujitsu's stand we were impressed at how well it performed and can't wait to see it appear on a future smartphone. Fujitsu hopes this will happen in the next year or two.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
9. Data security is still a top concern for mobile users
Security experts have long been warning about the dangers to personal privacy posed by smartphones, tablets and computers. However, it's only recently that people have started heeding these warnings.
The leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden proved that intelligence agencies, including the NSA and GCHQ, are siphoning vast amounts of data from communications companies and online service providers, and smartphone users are more aware than ever of the need for data security.
Numerous companies have therefore begun rolling out security-focused communications tools and devices.
This was showcased at MWC when Silent Circle spin-off Blackphone unveiled its next wave of privacy-focused smartphones and first "private by design" tablet, the Blackphone+.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
8. IBM app support makes Apple a more serious business proposition
Apple and IBM made a splash last year when the firms announced a partnership to deliver enterprise application support on Apple's iPhone and iPad devices.
The move was seen as a tacit acknowledgement of the presence of Apple devices in many businesses.
The first fruits of the partnership were delivered in December, and IBM chose MWC to unveil new additions to the MobileFirst for iOS portfolio, comprising Passenger Care for the travel and transport industries, Dynamic Buy for the retail sector and Advisor Alerts for banking and financial services customers.
As with the existing portfolio, the new MobileFirst apps are customisable, feature embedded analytics, and link to the customer's core enterprise processes.
They have been designed to be easily deployed, managed and upgraded via cloud services from IBM.
Apple CEO Tim Cook promised earlier this year there would be 100 MobileFirst apps released by the end of 2015, although on the face of it, IBM seems to be doing the lion's share of the work in this partnership.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
7. Virtual reality is the next big thing
One of the main revelations to come out of MWC this year was 'Vive', a move by handset maker HTC to woo developers to a product capable of creating a "truly immersive" virtual reality (VR) experience.
Touted as outperforming Oculus Rift, HTC's Vive offers different levels of immersion in VR.
The headset is powered by Valve's Steam VR platform and aims to create fully rendered 3D VR environments where users can interact with objects. It also relates the virtual environments using two 1200x1080 displays that fill the entire field of vision with 360-degree views.
Tracking is provided by 30 gyrosensors, accelerometers and laser positioning sensors that can detect movements "to one-tenth of a degree", and wireless controllers that track the user's hands.
The VR headset is a sure sign that HTC has upped the ante in terms of VR technology. As a result, while these devices are more test cases, and even novelties, at the moment, they are a definite sign of things to come.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
6. Microsoft moves to create a univeral application ecosystem
Microsoft continues to tease developers and customers with the promise of a universal application platform that will make it possible for a single app to run across a broad spectrum of Windows 10 devices, from phones to tablets to full-size PCs.
The firm gave a presentation at MWC where it divulged more details, later published onto one of the firm's many blogs.
The Universal Apps will be based on what is effectively a superset of the WinRT APIs used for the Metro-style apps in Windows 8, but will provide support for varying screen sizes and interaction models covering touchscreens, mouse and keyboard and pen input.
Microsoft envisions that its runtime for Universal Apps will provide much of the handling required for device-specific adaption of the user interface, enabling developers to focus on the core functionality in the app instead.
Microsoft showed off what such apps are likely to look like in January, when it announced a "family of universal apps" that will round out Windows 10, which includes versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
5. BlackBerry still cares about hardware, but is going cross-platform anyway
BlackBerry used MWC to announce a number of new products and services, including a new smartphone, cross-platform applications and a cloud-based version of the BES12 management platform.
While some pundits still predict that BlackBerry will eventually have to leave the hardware business, the firm continues to flesh out its BlackBerry 10 line-up, unveiling at MWC the BlackBerry Leap, a touchscreen-only device with 4G support aimed at "young professionals".
However, the firm is also expanding cross-platform support with the BlackBerry Experience Suite, bringing more of the capabilities from its own platform to Android and iOS users.
This is delivered in three bundles of services: Productivity Suite; Communication & Collaboration Suite; and Security Suite.
BlackBerry also announced BES12 Cloud, a hosted version of its management server platform. This is also a cross-platform solution, enabling users to manage a wide range of devices based on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry's own, of course.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
4. Security is the biggest challenge facing the IoT
Tech firms have been racing to take advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution for quite some time.
In fact, if you believe companies like Cisco and Intel, everything from cars to coffee mugs will be connected to the internet in the very near future.
This sounds great and has the potential to enrich every aspect of our daily lives. How awesome would it be if your connected coffee cup knew when you'd run out of coffee and could automatically instruct your smart coffee maker to start a fresh pot?
However, the revolution also has serious security implications, as Maarten Ectors, Canonical's vice president of next-generation networks and proximity cloud, told V3.
Ectors argued that the existence of the critical Heartbleed and Shellshock bugs found in technologies that will be used to power IoT devices prove the need for manufacturers and software companies to rethink and improve their security design and patching processes.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
3. Intel is upping its mobile strategy
One of the major announcements in terms of chips at MWC was that Intel has updated its Atom line of SoCs with the x3, x5 and x7 processors.
The Intel Atom x3 SoC, codenamed Sofia, is the first of its kind to integrate cellular communications via an integrated modem, and is designed for smartphones, phablets, tablets and entry-level devices for better value.
End users can expect to find the x3 SoC variants powering entry-level devices costing between $75 and $149.
The x5 and x7, previously codenamed Cherry Trail, are updates to the previous Bay Trail Atom line-up. These two are aimed at more powerful devices running full versions of Windows and Android.
They are also the first Intel Atom SoCs on 14nm, featuring next-generation 64-bit microarchitectures and Intel Gen 8 integrated graphics.
These higher-powered SoCs are designed to bring improved 3D performance to mainstream and premium devices in the near future, such as 7in to 10.1in tablets and 2-in-1 hybrid laptops, priced at around $119 to $499.
We should see more powerful mobile devices with a greater feature set at more accessible prices hitting the market very soon.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
2. Europe wants 5G development help from the US, China and Japan
The impact of 5G is going to be huge. As V3 revealed last week, tests on 5G services have already yielded a staggering 1Tbps connection and, although this was produced in lab conditions, a real-world speed of a tenth of this would still be world-changing.
The importance of 5G networks and their development is high on the agenda of technology companies and politicians, who no doubt see 5G services as crucial for driving economic growth and helping new ideas and innovations thrive.
However, as the world becomes ever more connected, the developments of such technologies cannot take place in isolation.
Guenther Oettinger, European Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, said during his speech at MWC that Europe must work with the US, Japan and China to develop 5G together to ensure that it is coordinated.
The motives for this are twofold. Close cooperation on 5G will ensure that 5G devices work anywhere in the world and that Europe is not left behind in the mobile data race, as happened with 4G development.
MWC top 10 insights: Galaxy S6, 5G push and the next Heartbleed
V3 details the biggest news and trends from the 2015 tradeshow
1. Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are a return to form
All eyes were on Samsung at MWC as the firm lined up its latest smartphones. The company didn’t disappoint, and the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are a return to form.
V3 was able to get some hands-on time with both devices on the show floor in Barcelona and was impressed. They show clearly that Samsung’s design team took the S5 criticism onboard.
Gone is the reliance on plastic and instead both devices have a high-quality, premium feel that offers a more similar experience to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets that have propelled Apple to such success.
Both have very high quality screens and run Android Lollipop 5.0, as well as powerful performance, which are all must-have requirements if Samsung is to tempt its fans back or keep current customers loyal.
Samsung has also heard the endless criticism that its TouchWiz additions and own apps generated - including from us here at V3 - and ripped most of these out. This leaves a clean, crisp and easy to use interface that is far nicer to use than any previous Samsung device.
The S6 and S6 Edge are both slated for release in April, although no specific date or pricing has been revealed. No doubt they will be over £500, given the position the devices will occupy in Samsung’s portfolio.