Entertainment out of the spotlight at Mobile World Congress 2010

With the mobile industry continuing its paradigm shift away from conventional entertainment to more interactive and immersive applications, Mobile World Congress 2010 is following suit. Two years after Hollywood icons Robert Redford [1] and Isabella Rossellini [2] touted the promise of mobile filmmaking and just 12 months after two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey [3] headlined the Mofilm Short Film Festival, the annual Mobile Backstage conference-within-a-conference is on hiatus this time around. Mobile World Congress is instead all about apps [4]--this year, the GSM Association will introduce App Planet, a series of platform-specific software development sessions promising insight into developer tools, guidance, go-to-market knowledge and community support.

That's not to suggest the entertainment segment is completely absent from the Mobile World Congress 2010 agenda, however. Feb. 16 features the two-part Mobile Entertainment Matters session: During part one, panelists including Verizon Wireless director of strategic business development and partner management Ed Ruth, Universal Music Group senior vice president of digital Rob Wells and Spotify vice president of products Gustav Söderström will discuss the potential and value proposition of mobile music. Part two spotlights international sporting events including the World Cup and the Olympic Games, drawing on presenters including Sky general manager of mobile David Gibbs, BBC Mobile controller Mark Kortekaas and ControlRoom founder and CEO Kevin Wall. A day later, speakers including Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes, film producer Jon Landau (who collaborated with director James Cameron on the blockbusters Titanic and Avatar), Bharti Airtel president and CEO Manoj Kohli and Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek will convene for the Mobile Entertainment & Lifestyle keynote, which is slated to explore the interactivity, creativity and ubiquity of the mobile platform as well as emerging services and growth areas within the digital media space.

As for newsmakers, all eyes are on Microsoft. With its Windows Mobile operating system lagging far behind rivals like Apple's iPhone and Google's Android, the software giant is reportedly poised to finally introduce the long-delayed Windows Mobile 7 during a Feb. 15 press event--insider buzz indicates the revamped OS will mutate into a multimedia platform integrating Microsoft's Zune media player and Xbox Live [5] gaming support. Trends to watch include advances in mobile video playback--according to research firm CCS Insight, several new devices will claim support for HD-quality video. In addition, look for consumer electronics kingpins like Sony, LG and Samsung to extol the virtues of media convergence, outlining a future where content moves seamlessly between mobile phones, televisions, consoles and computers.

Whatever happens next week, FierceMobileContent will be in Barcelona to document it all. Be sure to join me and my FierceWireless [6] colleagues Sue Marek and Mike Dano for our exhaustive live coverage from Mobile World Congress 2010. See you in Spain. -Jason [7]