Nokia has released a Mobile World Congress app for this year's event. The GSMA recently launched its own official app for the event, but the Finnish manufacturer has a follow-up to its 2012 version. With two available apps for MWC, which one is best to use? Both apps are great companions to take along to the event, but should you own a Lumia Windows Phone, we'd recommend checking out Nokia's offering.
Just like the GSMA app, users can use the Nokia MWC solution for Windows Phone to view exhibitors, speakers, agendas, as well as tracks for conference, featured programme and seminars. A full map is available for offline use, just in case you don't have a data plan to cover your visit to Barcelona - the last thing you want to happen is for more bills to stack up on top of the mini-fridge raids.
With the available content at hand, the app allows room for personalisation, with users able to select favourite speakers, customise exhibitor selection and create a unique event list to follow. There's always the need for a break from MWC too, which is where the augmented reality experience comes in. Nokia have bundled the AR functionality to show nearby POI (Points of Interest) and venues. And of course, Nokia is going big at MWC, which is illustrated with the Nokia App Developer Conference.
The event is a huge opportunity for attendees to network and meet new faces, and the app sports NFC sharing to conveniently fire out your contact details. Probably our favourite features of the app are the Live Tiles and lock screen. Attendees will be reminded of upcoming events at the conference with nothing more than a glance.
The official MWC app isn't a bad offering, and focuses more on a broader audience, while Nokia is clearly hitting hard with Lumia Windows Phone. Windows Phone Central will be on the floor to provide you the latest news. It's going to be a big one.
You can download Nokia MWC 2013 from the Windows Phone Store. Available to Lumia Windows Phones only.
Rich Edmonds is a word conjurer at Windows Central, covering everything related to Windows, gaming, and hardware. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a device chassis. You can follow him over on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.
