This year's Mobile World Congress saw a wide range of new technologies, as well as plans for more. The following are some of the best and worst happenings during of the show.
Smartphone technology
Winners included Samsung, Sony and LG, which now take the lead in the smartphone technology race. All three companies debuted strong devices that are sure to capture a broad client base. The LG's G Pro 2 topped as the most captivating handset with the best quality, greatly improving on its predecessor.
Samsung earned the top grades, courtesy of its flagship Galaxy S5, termed the "pinnacle of modern smartphones." It comes with an advanced camera, a much improved screen, a water-resistant exterior, fingerprint scanner and heart-rate monitor.
Dustproof and waterproof, Sony's Xperia 2 is a leap of achievement with a stunning pose and a glass-alum surface. The display screen represents groundbreaking innovation and comes with 4K video capability.
On the losing side was Huawei and ZTE, which came with some of the most varied product lineups. Although affordable, the Ascend G6 by Huawei is cheaply made and of dubious build quality.
The same was true for ZTE'S Grand Memo II LTE. Its 6-inch screen is impressive, but its build quality is not.
Motorola did not show up while Nokia left a more complex outlook by taking on the Android side of things.
Wearables
MWC 2014 presented a myriad of wearables and bands, led by Samsung with its innovative trio. Sony and Huawei also jumped on the wearable bandwagon, but fell short of Samsung's Gear Fit, which arguably was the premier device of its kind in Barcelona. The fitness band features a small curved AMOLED display with a comfy fit and sleek design, much better than the bulkier Gear 2.
Tablets
The Xperia Z2 was the only tablet that mattered at this year's Mobile World Congress, as it was the sole tablet to come close to Apple's iPad Air. Said to be powerful and sturdy, this ultra-thin waterproof tablet measures just 6.4mm thick, making it thinner than the iPad Air by more than a millimeter.
Only the beginning
Looking ahead, HTC is set to debut its second-generation One device in New York City on March 25. We are still in Q1 of 2014; a lot more is coming.
