Microsoft sets up surprising MWC 2019 event, but don't get too excited
As always (or perhaps more than ever), the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas wasn’t exactly jam-packed with exciting mobile tech announcements. Instead, that’s what Barcelona’s MWC is for, even as Samsung plans to do its own thing, unveiling the Galaxy S10 lineup at a dedicated February 20 event in San Francisco.
A wide range of A-list companies might be looking to showcase hot new products at this year’s Mobile World Congress, including Sony, LG, Nokia, Xiaomi, Huawei, and... Microsoft?!
It’s true, the Redmond-based tech giant will set up a booth at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via that MWC 2019 attendees are invited to visit between February 25 and 28. Meanwhile, on Sunday, February 24, Microsoft will hold a pre-conference press reception starting at 5 PM CET.
Before getting ahead of ourselves and dreaming of a Surface Phone demonstration or foldable “Andromeda” project materialization, it’s worth pointing out the event will be hosted by CEO Satya Nadella, CVP Julia White, and Technical Fellow Alex Kipman.
The latter name might be giving away the focus of the event, as Kipman is the brains behind the HoloLens operation. Microsoft has long been expected to unveil an upgraded, more “mainstream” version of its groundbreaking but crazy expensive mixed reality smartglasses, and this is probably it.
If the HoloLens 2 headset is happening, we’re obviously curious to see if Google and Apple will speed up development of their own smartglasses. Rumors of a Google Glass revival started making the rounds again a couple of months back, while Apple’s first augmented reality glasses have reportedly been in the works for quite some time now.
Of course, Microsoft may also have other stuff in the pipeline for MWC 2019, vaguely inviting booth visitors to learn how to “transform spatial understanding through advanced sensors and AI at the edge to make technology more personal and natural.” A confirmation of sorts on the company’s foldable device plans is not to be ruled out, while new Surface models are... probably not coming just yet.
A wide range of A-list companies might be looking to showcase hot new products at this year’s Mobile World Congress, including Sony, LG, Nokia, Xiaomi, Huawei, and... Microsoft?!
It’s true, the Redmond-based tech giant will set up a booth at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via that MWC 2019 attendees are invited to visit between February 25 and 28. Meanwhile, on Sunday, February 24, Microsoft will hold a pre-conference press reception starting at 5 PM CET.
Before getting ahead of ourselves and dreaming of a Surface Phone demonstration or foldable “Andromeda” project materialization, it’s worth pointing out the event will be hosted by CEO Satya Nadella, CVP Julia White, and Technical Fellow Alex Kipman.
The latter name might be giving away the focus of the event, as Kipman is the brains behind the HoloLens operation. Microsoft has long been expected to unveil an upgraded, more “mainstream” version of its groundbreaking but crazy expensive mixed reality smartglasses, and this is probably it.
If the HoloLens 2 headset is happening, we’re obviously curious to see if Google and Apple will speed up development of their own smartglasses. Rumors of a Google Glass revival started making the rounds again a couple of months back, while Apple’s first augmented reality glasses have reportedly been in the works for quite some time now.
Of course, Microsoft may also have other stuff in the pipeline for MWC 2019, vaguely inviting booth visitors to learn how to “transform spatial understanding through advanced sensors and AI at the edge to make technology more personal and natural.” A confirmation of sorts on the company’s foldable device plans is not to be ruled out, while new Surface models are... probably not coming just yet.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: