The World Mobile Congress

Barcelona's World Mobile Congress is the place where technology writers and industry professionals from around the world meet to marvel at the newest pieces of miniscule technology that could change our lives.

The Congress was the place where the iPhone was initially presented, and the event at which the likes of Android really started to have an impact on the smartphone scene. Each year the event is keenly anticipated, and this year was exactly the same.

An announcement in advance of the event, however, appeared to steal all the front pages. The tie up of Nokia and Microsoft brought together two of the massive companies in the technology world and sent a stark warning for Google, Apple, and RIM that their dominance in the mobile world was anything but comfortable.

As it turned out, for a long time, the news so dominated the media coverage surrounding the event that barely any focus was given to the presentations at the Congress itself, rather all the focus was on the potential ramifications of the Nokia-Microsoft announcement. Google admitted that they had pursued Nokia with no luck but that the offer was still very much open, whilst RIM's chief executive took umbrage at Nokia's suggestion that the mobile market was a three horse race.

Then, LG, the manufacturers best known for selling TVs, unveiled a piece of hardware which captured the attention of everyone.

LG's piece of tiny technology, based on Google's Android OS, was the world's first three dimensional mobile phone. Although it's only a test model and it may be quite some time before such a model ever reaches the shelves, it was just another sign that 3D is truly on the way to becoming part of our everyday lives.

LG has thus far been successful with 3D TV, and have been trying to produce a 3D television without glasses although with, so far, mixed critical responses. Nonetheless, with so much effort being put into such technology, and television production companies such as Sky offering 3D television programmes, and even television on smartphones, it won't be a long time before the technology is perfected.

When it finally is, we should expect 3D mobile phones to be all over the place, and as battery life improves, we can also expect consumers to be watching the latest films and television programmes on those phones. So, maybe the Mobile World Congress has given us yet one more glimpse of the future after all.

James Harrington is a freelance technology journalist with a particular interest in entertainment. He recommends Sky for the best 3dtv.