CommunicAsia is one of Asia's largest exhibitions around the information and communication technology space - an annual feature on Singapore's calendar.
This year at CommunicAsia, the 'cloud' was a focus of various vendors. There were cloud management applications and various cloud computing services showcased during the event.
Another technology that saw an increased emphasis was NFC (Near Field Communication). Nokia, ZTE and several others announced various phones and accessories with NFC capability, while the visiting public was treated to NFC demos for coupons, ticketing, payments as well as music playback. NTT Docomo also showcased the use of augmented reality in various simple games at their booth using tablets.
In terms of hardware, major smartphone announcements from Nokia and Sony Ericsson were the main highlight. Nokia announced its new flagship MeeGo device while Sony Ericsson showcased new Xperia phones and smart accessories for Xperia owners. Sony Ericsson also launched an entry-level QWERTY phone targeted at the youth.
At Blackberry's demo area, people lined up to get a look and feel of the PlayBook tablet and the upcoming Bold Touch 9900 smartphone. Tablets showcase by Huawei and ZTE added to the exponentially growing Android tablet segment. LG, Samsung and HTC were missing in action, but these are some of the more interesting announcements from the show floor.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray: The phone is 9.4mm thin with a metal body casing and It has a 3.3-inch touchscreen with a 1Ghz processor, Wi-Fi, DLNA, 8MP camera and runs Android 2.3
Nokia c2-02: This is Nokia's newest touch-andtype slider phone. This is a Series 40 phone, but it has a new version of maps, with offline navigation built in.
ZTE T72 Tablet: The T72 has a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, 1Ghz processor and 16GB storage. It runs Android 2.3 and comes with a 2MP rear camera and 3G connectivity
Huawei Media Pad: It's the first 7-inch tablet to come with a dual-core 1.2Ghz processor running Android 3.2. It also has a 5MP camera, microUSB and microHDMI ports
Nokia N9: The N9 runs the MeeGo operating system on a 1Ghz processor with 1GB of RAM. It will probably be the last phone to be powered by the platform
Sony Ericsson Txt: The Txt is an entry-level phone with 2.6-inch display, full QWERTY keypad, Wi-Fi and a 3.2MP fixed focus camera
Nokia c2-03: This is a dual-SIM version of the C2, with all other features remaining the same. Like the C2-02, it has a 2.6-inch resistive touchscreen with a 240x320 resolution
Sony Ericsson Xperia Active: Sony Ericsson's first rugged android 2.3 smartphone has a 3-inch touchscreen, 5MP AF camera and a speedy 1Ghz processor
Sony Ericsson LiveSound : This pair of earphones offers great sound, has a tangle free design and allows access to various compatible applications on the Xperia phones with the touch of a button
Sony Ericsson LiveDock : It integrates with your Xperia smartphone & launches the app when connected, turning your phone into a media player or photo frame
Nokia Play 360: This portable speaker can be used via Bluetooth, 3.5mm cable and paired with NFC on supported phones. The built in battery is good enough for 20 hours of playback at mid levels
