Here’s my shortlist of companies I’m going to be watching at Mobile World Congress (including a few clients of course):
HTC-this is their coming out party. Their relationships with Microsoft and T-Mobile make them a big factor.
Google Android-now that they have the live beta dubbed the G1, expect to see lots more of what’s next from these guys.
Garmin-Asus and the Nuvifone-these guys have nailed the concept of LBS/GPS and social community into a pocket sized device.
INQ-New management team, with more coming. Hot devices and very low price make these folks a real threat. High end finish and the Qualcomm chips makes them very sweet new phones.
Truphone–big news on Tuesday but mums the word.
Vringo–if video is becoming hot on the laptop, video ringtones are beginning to take off. Vringo 2.0 really works and their new Studio is key to user generated content.
Palringo-cool location based services, with full featured chat. New versions keep getting better and better. Who needs MMS when you can Palringo.