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Mobile is huge.  For some evidence of how huge, take a look at the vast crowds of attendees at the recent Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.  Some 60,000 people attended the event, and the amount of content and technology on show was simply staggering.  Scribble were very excited to join the crowds this year.  News is still filtering through the networks, and with so much to take in, it is hard to know where to start.  We will spend the next few weeks talking about some of the hot topics for mobile this year to come out of the MWC, beginning with an overview of new mobile devices on show at the event.

Powerful smartphones

Many handsets are now appearing with quad-core processors – making them capable of high performance in entertainment applications such as videogame graphics and HD video playback.  It also means that devices will be able to perform processor-heavy tasks such as real-time image processing for better camera performance and photo and video editing.

Android

Android is continuing to gain momentum, powering many of the major smartphones on show.  Their new operating system “Ice-Cream Sandwich” was also on show, in handsets such as the impressive LG Optimus 4X HD and the HTC One X.

Tablets

In terms of competition, Apple still hold a very strong spot in the marketplace for tablets, especially with the recently announced iPad3 refreshing their lineup.  But the MWC showed that tablets are here to stay.  Rather than a competition to see who is crowned the winner, the entry of many new sizes and forms of tablets is testament to the arrival of a new category of devices that is sure to replace the PC for a number of common tasks, and allow more flexible mobile computing.

The metric for comparison still remains the iPad, which has set many precedents.  Some tablets will attempt to stand out simply with a smaller price tag, but there are a number of stand-out tablets hoping to carve a niche by offering something new, such as using docking stations to offer the functionality of a laptop, or having controls and graphics capabilities tailored for gaming on the go, many devices at the show were even touting water resistance, with basins of water ready to dump expensive digital devices into!

Somewhere Inbetween

Many new smartphones are emerging with a larger form-factor.  This move comes in tandem with faster processors and advances in screen technology – all with the aim of driving bigger and more impressive displays, for movies, gaming and making web and text content easier to read.  The LG Optimus 4X HD, LG Optimus Vu, HTC One X, Panasonic Eluga and many more have 4-inch and above screen sizes.  The Asus Padfone even connects to a docking station (essentially a touchscreen) to turn it into a 10inch tablet computer.

Windows 8

Whilst there are still comparatively few Windows Phones available, demonstrations of Microsoft Windows 8 clearly show that Microsoft is heavily invested in the future of mobile.  Their new operating system runs on both PCs and tablets – as opposed to having a separate system for each – and is designed with touch in mind.  Microsoft have been largely absent in mobile technology in recent years, but their impressive technology shows that they are likely to be a major player as the mobile sector matures.

1. Dropbox

We couldn’t live without Dropbox in the Scribble office.  For sharing and viewing files on the move it doesn’t get much better.  Available on iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry so none of us miss out.

Download

2. Display Pad

An iPad app which allows the iPad to become a second monitor.  An indespensible tool for our designer Matt giving him extra screen real estate and the ability to see how his designs will work on the iPad screen straight from Photoshop.

Download

3. DesignScene

If you’re like us and are constantly looking for inspiration then you’ll love this app.  The app brings in a feed of images from a myriad relevant sources, from art to architecture, illustration to fashion, photography to typography.  Perfect for getting your creative juices flowing.

Download

4. Radio Soulwax

This app has been keeping us entertained at home and in the office since its release.  From the epic mixes to the inspirational videos, the whole concept is first class and we all can’t wait to see what the Belgian brothers have in store for their next album.

Download

If you have been keeping a close on the internet today you will most likely have seen the breaking news that Google is to acquire Motorola Mobility, the phone development and manufacturing side of Motorola for $12.5 billion.

So i guess the first question that should be asked is, is this a good move for Google?  In the press release the main motive behind the move is the acquisition of Motorola’s patents in order to protect the Android eco system from Apple and Microsoft who have been battling Android partners such as Samsung in the court rooms recently.  Depending on the patents Motorola has, this sounds like a good move.   Motorola Mobility holds 24,500 patents, which should allow Google to imitate Apple’s strategy of slowing down rivals by taking them to court for alleged patent infringements.

In my mind it does seem like quite an expensive purchase for solely such a defensive strategy.  Google has shown its commitment to pursuing mobile and this is a logical step in pursuing Apple’s mobile dominance.  One of Apple’s strengths is that it combines great hardware with user friendly software.  Up until now Google has been focused on the software side and has been very successful at it.  Now it has the opportunity to combine the two with out having to rely on other hardware manufacturers.

But what will this do for the Android platform?  Although many of the Android partners such as Samsung and HTC have released statements saying they support the move, they must be slightly concerned that the company that currently provides their software could potentially be a future competitor in the hardware market.  I don’t think Google are stupid enough to destroy these relationships and potenitally harm the growth of the Android platform but it will be interesting to see how quickly these manufacturers start developing more Windows 7 phones.

Another interesting side effect of this merger has been the increase in stock prices of RIM and Nokia due to the speculation of a possible merger with Microsoft.  Again it would be a logical move for either Nokia or RIM who undoubtedly make great handsets but have slipped down due to not being able to compete with Apple’s software.

Will this be the start of the currently fragmented mobile industry becoming consolidated?  We hope so.