Android to Take Center Stage at Mobile World Congress, Where Nokia and Apple will be Absent

What can attendees of the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, expect to see at this year’s show?

According to a Reuters (News - Alert) article there will be a ton of Android mobile devices on exhibit – but noticeably absent from the show will be Nokia, which for the first time in memory has opted out of the leading trade show focused on the mobile communications industry.

This is a surprise considering that Nokia (News - Alert) is one of the largest manufacturers of cellphones. On the other hand, it sort of makes sense when you consider – as the article points out – that the mobile industry is becoming more focused on applications and services than on the devices themselves.

 

According to the article, Nokia will be hosting some events nearby, but is not planning to unveil any new phones.

 

Also absent from this year’s event will be Apple, maker of the iPhone, one of the most innovative and popular mobile devices to date. Perhaps this isn’t as surprising as Nokia skipping out – as the article points out, Apple typically “eschews industry get-togethers in favor of its own, carefully choreographed events.”

Instead, this year’s Mobile World Congress (News - Alert) will have a strong focus on new phones using Google's Android platform, which presents a threat to makers of rival smartphone platforms, including Nokia and Microsoft (News - Alert). Taking center stage will be Google’s Nexus One, a touchscreen smartphone which it sells directly to consumers, bypassing the operators who normally control the sale of phones in Europe and the U.S.

Google's (News - Alert) Chief Executive Eric Schmidt will also be delivering a keynote during which he will discuss how business models continue to shift in the industry.

 

To learn more about how this year’s Mobile World Congress will be different from past shows, and what attendees can expect, check out the article.