Mobile World Congress, which again takes place in Barcelona, is the mobile and wireless industry's premier event and the place where major mobile take the wraps off the latest and greatest smartphones and tablets.

The heavy hitters at this year's gathering will include HTC, Samsung, Huawei, Nokia, ASUS, and just about every other big name in mobility, with the major exception of Apple that will once again shun a consumer tradeshow. Expectations are high that powerful smartphones with quad-core processers and 4G LTE technology will be on display, as well innovative tablets sporting new designs and features.

Operating systems will also be a major focus at the event, with Google making sure attendees get a fine fill of its latest sweet treat, Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0. RIM may be quiet at the show, but the BlackBerry maker has reserved time for a developer day, perhaps focusing on its next effort, Blackberry 10. If this is the case, then the public will get its first official look at what many experts believe is RIM's last great hope in the ultra-competitive mobile market.

Finally, all indications suggest that Microsoft will announce availability of its Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which is essentially an open beta for software giant's next operating system. Microsoft is developing Windows 8 with tablets and touch in mind, which is why the MWC blow out in Barcelona is an excellent stage for new platform entries.

Mobile World Congress 2012 Articles

Mobile World Congress 2012: What Tablets Will We See in Barcelona?

There are more smartphones rumored to debut at this Mobile World Congress (MWC) than at any other in recent memory, which means tablets may play second fiddle in Barcelona. That doesn't mean we won't see anything new, however. So what new tablets will we see in Barcelona?

Quad-Core Smartphones Dominated Mobile World Congress 2012

Mobile World Congress is wrapping up in Barcelona, and Brighthand's European correspondent brings us his picks for the most important announcements made at this annual smartphone tradeshow.

MWC 2012 Tech Preview: HTC's One X, One S, and One V

HTC used the day before the start of the annual Mobile World Congress to unveil three new Android smartphones. The One X is clearly going to be its new flagship, but the other two are no slouches. Read Brighthand's hands-on preliminary review.

Huawei Looks to Break into Global Market with Quad-Core MediaPad

Huawei obviously wants to be a major smartphone and tablet player, and to that end, it unveiled a new quad-core tablet that is turning heads at MWC.

MWC 2012 Image Gallery