Handsets
Best gadget for toddlers : Imaginarium
Isn't that the cutest handset you've ever seen? This small device (which weighs nothing and has the feel of a common toy) is the answer to hysteric parents that want to keep in touch with their youngsters. The child can call his mom, dad and 10 other preset numbers (They should also make one for "advanced" families with dad1 and dad2 buttons or mom1 and mom2 buttons...). Anyway, It is not too long before we'll hear the following: "Hey man, call me later, I am getting my diaper changed..."... but seriously, the only con that this device has is that its screen is a simple B&W screen, maybe too simple for kids that are usually the best consumers for mobile games and entertainment, but then again, I guess it has to do with keeping the device price down.Most uncalled-for mobile innovation: NTT DoCoMo
If you look carefully at the handset on the bottom right corner, you will be able to see a tube attached to it... Why, you ask? It is so obvious - it is a driver's alcohol level tester! I know you wish you would have thought yourselves about this potentially mass market product that everyone would just love to have and carry in their pocket, but NTT got it first... Now, NTT - you know I love you guys, but c'mon, this time you went too far... Not everything that CAN be done SHOULD be done...Sexiest handset: Motorola
Java Support? 3D? Convenient UI? When you have the sexiest mobile phone - who cares? I have a lot to say about Motorola's poor Java support, but when it comes to designing cool phones, they are the best. It started with the RAZR V3, and now take a look at these handsets - so pink that they may actually be considered as a legitimate gift or a fashion accessory... and for some consumers (even most?) the way their phone looks like is a major factor leaving all the tech stuff way behind... Who says that the exterior doesn't matter?...Attractions
Best Booth Babes: CBOSS
The CBOSS booth babes... What more can I say? To put things in proportions, I first have to say that 3GSM does not have the same booth babe "culture" of US-based gaming conferences (The most famous one being E3 that actually generated a few sites dedicated to its booth babes and this section of IGN also covers it pretty nicely).But judging from this year's conference, it seems that the US booth babes tradition is sipping into the European conferences as well, and there were quite a lot of booth babes walking about and handing out some materials (For some reason, I don't remember what it was all about...).
But in any case, the CBOSS (very) young booth babes set a high standard and take hands down all the competition. and they are not just easy on the eyes, they also perform several times a day.
Creepiest Booth Babes: Gemalto
What were these guys thinking?... Potentially a good outfit and I guess that under the heavy make-up and body colors these girls would be a nice date, but the pale yellow body paint just doesn't do it for me...Add to that the electrocuted hair style and the black lipstick and you get a booth witch or something of the sort... Better luck next time... (But if your intention was to stand out in the crowd - job well done!)
Best Off-broadway show: SITmobile
These guys have surely missed their destiny as actors... I didn't quite understand what their "play" was about, but they succeeded in getting the attention of several people, which is no small thing in 3GSM... And unfortunately the picture doesn't say it all here - you had to be there to "appreciate" their acting skills... One guy was playing a horn of some sort, and the other kept mumbling some words that might have been English, but I am not entirely sure about that...The "Get a life" award: Anti-mobile Protest
Well, protesting against mobile antennas in front of people from the mobile industry is not that effective... I mean, come on, the jobs of most people here are actually dependent on this industry... Anyway, it got you guys into my blog...BTW - it is somewhat ironic that I took this picture with my K800i handset... If I didn't have my mobile phone handy, who would have heard of this protest?...
Best use of a segway: SonyEricsson
Isn't that neat? The SonyEricsson staff didn't have to work hard to hand out their brochures - they just drove their segways across the conference halls and outside of it and delivered their message to the amused crowd... And look at the design upgrade for the segways - if that's not "mobile advertising" I don't know what is... Just brilliant.I'll also take this opportunity to say that SonyEricsson is the vendor with a clear vision and strategy concerning Java, and it shows when you try to run apps on their devices. Everyone on my team knows that SonyEricsson hardly requires porting, while other vendors provide us with "challenges" all the time... So keep up the good work!
Parties
Best Party: Sun Microsystems
Last year I went to IMA's party which was great. This year since IMA didn't throw one, I went to the Sun party, and it actually turned out to be a great party with all the usual goodies and some houdini wannabe magician that was actually quite amusing. The party even "evolved" to a full blown dance party towards its end, and was very fun overall.However, since this was the only party I went to this year, the choice was not that difficult...
Creepiest Party: Sun Microsystems
And again with Sun... From some reason they thought that bringing Drag Queens to the party is a good idea... The one on the left even had a live snake crawling around him... brrrr...Anyway, my conclusion from all this was that in 3GSM even the few girls around, may actually be guys...
But anyway don't take me too seriously (I know I don't...) - it was a great party overall. BTW - In the same night all the major platforms vendor had parties: Sun (Java), Qualcomm (Brew), Symbian and Microsoft (Windows Mobile).
Best Unintentional Hospitality: Nokia
Why best hospitality? Because they had great food and drinks in their booth. Why unintentional? Because on the last day I found out it was supposed to be for staff only... OOPS!...Anyway, being a game developer that buys many Nokia handsets per year (Not to mention slaving over porting the multitude of Java variants that Nokia issues all the time), I hope I paid my dues...
Accessories
Coolest Technology: Polymer Vision
The term "scrollable screen" takes a whole new meaning with this gadget - this is a rollable screen that actually allows you to fit a 5 inch screen in a device the size of a regular handset. Currently, from what I saw (look at this video of the screen rolling), the quality is not that great, but think about the possibilities - it can actually open a whole new era for content that was limited up until now due to screen size vs. overall device size issues (See my post on that). No wonder they won the 3GSM global awards (in addition to a "Nextys" award of course...)Most "out there" technology : Toshiba
Fuel cells for mobile phones. Yep. You heard me... In Toshiba's futuristic world, we won't need to search for the nearest outlet to recharge our handset, but rather have small methanol-based generators instead of batteries. We can then simply refill these cells with methanol from bottles we carry around or buy at retail stores... It is so crazy - it just might work...And now seriously, if this (or any other technology) solves the battery problem that we thought was behind us (until 3G appeared) - then I'll be the first one to try it (with the proper insurance policy...)
Best Accessory for gang members : Bluetooth.org
Believe it or not, but you can actually stream the MP3s stored in your phone to this jacket via Bluetooth... No more carrying your boom box on your shoulders for all ya' gang members - now you can just wear this and send songs to your hommies...This jacket has speakers near the ears of its wearer and a remote control for songs, volume and anything else in the wrist area... Respect... (Yes, I am fluent in Rapper's lingo...)
Booths
Best booth design: Parrot
3GSM is so packed that as an exhibitor it is really difficult to stand out and to cause people to actually stop at your booth. And this is why the booth design is so important - and Parrot did it bigtime by designing their booth as the dream room for a teenager. Their products are also quite cool - they sell bluetooth based sound systems and digital frames. You can send pictures directly from your phone to the frame and stream MP3s from your phone to a sound system. The only "bug" in this booth: All the materials were in Spanish...Best booth design runner up : Motorola
Is is a subway? Is it a metro train? No - It's Motorola's booth... and if it wasn't for Parrot they would have gotten the first place, but since this was just a small part of their gigantic booth, and thus was not that noticeable and eye catching, they'll have to wait for next time to actually win the prestigious made-up "Nextys" awards for this category...But they get a lot of credit for the fact that when I looked at this picture for the first time after the conference, I actually didn't recognize at first that this is a booth...
Most extraterrestrial booth design: RIM
BlackBerry's booth this year was a bit creepy... As you can see it had "pods" and coming out of them "tubes" with hanging BlackBerry devices from all kinds and colors.I think I saw something similar in one of Spielberg's movies... And when people gathered around and used the devices it almost looked liked borgs trying to connect to their matrix...
BTW - That was a Startrek reference if you didn't happen to watch the series... and if you didn't, you should at least see Jeri Ryan as "Seven of Nine"
Best National Booth: IMA
3GSM features a lot of countries presenting their "mobile portfolio" if you will in special national booths. I personally encountered the booths of the UK, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Holland and Scotland (Thanks for the whiskey tasting!). Now maybe I am being a bit patriotic, but my award goes to the IMA (Israel Mobile Association) that have done a great job, and even organized a special flight from Israel to 3GSM (As you can see in the picture)...Most profitable booth: Golla
Take a conference full of guys that are expected to return home with gifts, put a spiffy (is that a word?) booth with bags for handsets, iPods and what not - and there you have it. I guess you can cover the cost of the booth this way....This is also another example of a catchy booth design, so watch and learn...
Well, that's all for now, my next posts will focus on specific technologies and trends I have seen, and I must say that there are a few interesting issues in the devices area, in the evolution of ODPs (On Device Portals), in the entrance of the big players to the mobile applications realm and more.
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