![\"\"](\"http:\/\/betanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Mobile-World-Congress-2013-600x400.jpg\" "\\"Mobile")
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I’m not loving this year’s big phone trade show. The news coming out of Barcelona is about as doldrums as the Spanish economy. Generally, the big stuff drops Day 0 and Day 1 at Mobile World Congress<\/a>. They’re done, and so far the product announcements are generally less<\/i> than last year. The phone launch seemingly everyone waits for, Samsung Galaxy IV<\/a>, comes in March. That’s big commentary on what’s missing from MWC 2013.<\/p>\n So far, I would call most new gear as the race to the bottom — same concepts as the last couple of years, only offering less, selling for less and marketed to less-developed smartphone or tablet markets. <\/p>\n That surely describes Mozilla and Nokia, with new Firefox OS<\/a> handsets and Lumias<\/a>; low-brow smartphones reach down-market and doing so cede the greater world to leaders Apple and Samsung. There’s HP’s first Android tablet, Slate 7<\/a>, which is light on price ($169) and features, or ASUS Fonepad and PadFone Infinity Android tablets<\/a>, which similarly seek buyers looking to spend less. Are the smartphone and tablet markets already so mature, or so commoditized, that less for less is this year’s innovation?<\/p>\n Frankly, I expected more, and perhaps there’s still hope with the event running through Thursday. But I’m not exactly hopeful<\/i> given how much typically drops by end of the first day. Or maybe I missed the “next big thing”. <\/p>\n Speaking of that phrase, which Samsung uses in mobile marketing, the company’s series of Galaxy S III and Note II commercials televised during last night’s Oscars — featuring a fictitious company developing a unicorn game — were way more interesting than anything coming out of MWC<\/i>. (You simply must watch the 90-second spot featuring filmmaker Tim Burton<\/a> looking to make zombie unicorn movie “Horn of Darkness” based on the game.)<\/p>\n Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0<\/a> is one of the few really interesting new products unveiled at MWC 2013 — and even that is more about the same stylus concept used on Note smartphone and larger, 10.1-inch tablet. ZTE surprised somewhat, with Grand Memo<\/a> — a Galaxy Note II competitor running the Snapdragon 800 processor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where’s the dramatic new innovation? The next-generation OMG thing<\/i>? LG outed the Optimus F5 and F7 smartphones<\/a> last week. Even some of the more modest new mobiles came early — powerhouses, too. HTC unveiled flagship phone One<\/a>, just six days ago.<\/p>\n Honestly, some of the best mobile future-tech comes outside Mobile World Congress. Look at last week’s buzz about Google Glass<\/a> and the company’s contest<\/a> that could snag you one. On February 19, Canonical unveiled Ubuntu tablet<\/a>, and released phone<\/a> and slate software to developers two days later. Perhaps tomorrow’s Mozilla CEO MWC 2013 keynote will wow as much as Ubuntu’s efforts. Fingers crossed.<\/p>\n My heart just isn’t thumping looking over Day 0 and Day 1 announcements. That’s good for Sony, which today launched one of the few remotely interesting products — one that stands out on the sea of sameness. The Xperia Tablet Z<\/a> is uptown, with super-slim design, high-resolution 1920 x 1200 display and waterproofing. Now that<\/i> is innovation, and I expected to see more waterproof mobiles at the event than actually have appeared. But at a show with so much less, why should anyone expect more<\/i>?<\/p>\n Photo Credit:<\/strong>\u00a0Mozilla<\/a><\/p>\n I’m not loving this year’s big phone trade show. The news coming out of Barcelona is about as doldrums as the Spanish economy. Generally, the big stuff drops Day 0 and Day 1 at Mobile World Congress. They’re done, and so far the product announcements are generally less than last year. 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