Fighting back
Having brought you its most comprehensive coverage yet of CES at the start of the year, HEXUS will also be attending MWC 2010, where we expect converged devices such as smartphones, tablets and mini-notebooks to be the major theme.
Everybody wants a piece of the mobile Internet pie, and while many of the exhibitors at MWC will be talking about mobile content, commerce, infrastructure and services, it all starts with the platform, and it's on that we will be focusing.
So here are a few of the companies and announcements we expect to define this year's show:
Microsoft
This is being billed at a make-or-break year for Windows Mobile - or Windows Phone as it's been rebranded. Microsoft's mobile operating system has been losing ground to the likes of Apple and RIM for a while, but last year Android really got some momentum going.
The rumour mill has Microsoft announcing anything from Windows Phone 7 to a Zune branded handset. We think the latter is unlikely - and Google has shown getting into the own-branded handset game is no easy matter - but we would be surprised if we didn't at least see a preview of Phone 7.
Assuming this is the case, it had better be good, but what does that entail? Firstly, it needs to be quick - WM6 put a lot of people off with its lagginess. Secondly, it needs to make better use of all the technologies Microsoft has at its disposal - including unified communications and cloud services like Windows Live. Thirdly, it needs to generate buzz - there's so much momentum around its competitors that Microsoft needs to pull something eyebrow-raising out of the bag.
Steve Ballmer will be hosting the press event on the first day.
