I’m wrapping up coverage here at the show and thought it might be nice to look back at everything I’ve seen. The show is about GSM — a strange focus, obviously — but there is enough coolness here to fill a few phone shops.
The things I saw here weren’t groundbreaking — everyone is holding their breath, it seems, in anticipation of the iPhone explosion/flop — and its abundantly clear that the next 18 months will revolve around Apple rather than Motorola or even Nokia.
This is what GSM carriers have to start doing. They need to offer high-speed everywhere — are you listening, T-Mobile? — and they need to roll out some sort of television or media download solution. Handsets are a lost cause for a few months, friends. Focus on services and out iPhone the iPhone.
Otherwise, Windows Mobile 6 has some promise as does Symbian. I saw a few good Linux platforms, Trolltech and the Ming included,
I also learned that there has to be an easier way to get international roaming. I brought an older Nokia and got a local prepaid SIM card. The adventures I had trying to recharge it were legend, but needless to say I want to be able to call some nice lady, give her my card number, and have her recharge my phone. That feature might be available, but they definitely don’t make it apparent.
So with that, friends, we bid adios to fair Barcelona and holy crap to the blizzard that awaits me in Brooklyn.