The Mobile World Congress is officially in full swing, with plenty of buzz from the biggest names in the industry.

For starters, Microsoft announced that the Windows 8.1 Update 1, with plans to launch the Windows Phone 8.1 this spring, as well as new features for both.  Though that may sound promising for Windows users, it’s unclear whether it will make its haters hate the platform any less.

Together with Qualcomm, Microsoft also announced a new reference design program which includes the baseline hardware, optimized software, development tools, and content needed to get a cheap new Windows Phone 8 to consumers as quick as possible.  And for OEMs offering low-cost Windows-based devices, Microsoft slashed its fee by 70 percent, charging only $15.

Speaking of low-cost offerings, Mozilla has partnered with Spreadtrum Communications which will allow for the creation of $25-worth smartphones that could potentially mark the end of feature phones in emerging markets.

Let’s look at what other companies have unveiled at MWC.

Samsung

Intel announced that some Samsung Galaxy S5 will ship equipped with the company’s LTE chips.  No other information was provided regarding the device, which is slated to be revealed later today.  According to some reports that were leaked ahead of the big reveal, the Galaxy S5 will feature a swipe-type fingerprint sensor embedded on the home button, will be water- and dust-proof, have a 16MP camera, and will be bigger than the Galaxy S4.

Samsung is also expected to reveal the second version of its Galaxy Gear, with some sources claiming that it will be running on Tizen, not Android.

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Sony

You may have noticed that Sony’s tactic this last  year was to release smartphones that are water- and dust-proof.  And this year, it’s extending that function to tablets.  At MWC, Sony revealed three new devices, the Sony Xperia Z2 and M2 smart phones and Z2 tablet.  Aside from these hydrophile devices, Sony also brought its SmartBand and Core fitness trackers which will be available to consumers in March.

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WhatsApp

After Facebook’s announcement that it’s acquiring WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stocks, the messaging service announced at MWC that is aims to grow its users to one to two billion, and to do this it will launch voice calling as early as April.

“We want to continue to have that minimalistic approach to the product,” Jan Koum, the co-founder and chief executive of WhatsApp, said. “We at WhatsApp want to get out of the way and let people communicate.”

Koum stated that the voice product will “use the least amount of bandwidth, and we optimize the hell out of it.”

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Nokia

Despites being days away from being acquired by Microsoft, Nokia cannot help but succumb to the allure of Google and released three phones at MWC.  Nokia introduced the Nokia X, X+, and XL which are all directed at emerging markets.  Though the devices are Android-based, the user interface doesn’t resemble Android as it is a forked version of Android without access to apps on Google Play.  However, these handsets will come pre-installed with Nokia and Microsoft services such as the mapping app Here, and music streaming service MixRadio.

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LG

It is expected that LG will be releasing its wearable tech gadget later this year but at MWC, it unveiled the G2 mini, a mid-range smartphone.  The device features a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Quad-Core MSM8926 (LTE) / MSM8226 (3G), 1.7GHz Nvidia Quad Core Tegra 4i (LATAM LTE version), 4.7-inch qHD IPS (960 x 540), 8GB eMMC / 1GB RAM / SD card slot, 8MP/13.0MP rear camera (LATAMLTE version), 1.3MP front camera, 2,440mAh removable battery, Android 4.4 KitKat, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), A-GPS, NFC (4G LTE version only), and will be available in Titan Black, Lunar White, Red, and Gold.

photo credit: Felipe Ovalle via photopin cc