Following the announcements of the Mate 9 for business users and the Honor 6X for on-line purchases, Huawei is using MWC to launch its consumer-centric products. The company launched the P10 and P10 Plus smartphones and its second-generation smartwatch Watch 2. The P10 and P10 Plus leverage the same Kirin 960 processor used in the Mate 9 with enhanced hardware and software application capabilities. The P10 series includes dual cameras with Leica lenses front and back. The most interesting features of the new devices, however, is the expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of Hiborg and the addition of Highlights. Hiborg is an AI framework that analyzes how a device is used and information about the users.

While next-generation 5G cellular will bring faster downloads for consumers, the new networking technology is poised to bring big benefits to business users enabling new uses for cellular networks. At this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Japan's NTT DoCoMo is demonstrating one such use: remote control of robots via a wireless virtual reality system. In one corner of the company's booth was a simulated factory floor with three robots. The area was surrounded by four depth-sensing 3D cameras that together provide enough video for an immersive, all-around virtual reality image. That 3D video, totaling roughly 700Mbps of data, was sent across a 5G radio link to a receiver where it was processed and fed to a VR headset.

SoftBank Group Corp.'s Masayoshi Son, sporting a black turtleneck similar in style to the late Steve Jobs, laid out his vision for the future of technology and called for partners to help make it happen at the smartphone industry's biggest annual gathering. Son reiterated his belief that computers will exceed humans in intelligence in three decades, and that within this period he expects one computer chip to have the equivalent of a 10,000 IQ. "I really believe this," he said at a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday. The growth in computer ability was "why I acquired ARM," he said. This is more than idle talk for Japan's second-richest man. SoftBank's recent deals include the $32 billion acquisition of ARM Holdings Plc, the chip designer that Son believes will play a key role in the development of artificial intelligence, and a $1.2 billion group-led investment in satellite startup OneWeb Ltd.

O2 is seeking to cut costs in its customer service operation by encouraging people to talk to a new artificially intelligent robot rather than contact its call centres. The mobile operator's parent company, the Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, unveiled the new voice recognition technology, called Aura, at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. The system is scheduled to be introduced in the UK in the next year and is designed to answer customers' questions about their account, such as how much of their monthly data allowance is left or what their next bill will be. Customers will also be able ask to add new services, such as a roaming package, or cancel them, without speaking to a person. Mark Evans, O2's chief executive, said Aura represented the next stage of the company's efforts to encourage customers to serve themselves if they have a basic inquiry.

If you're looking for the future of mobile, it may be time to stop staring at the palm of your hand and look instead toward the open roads and sky. On Monday, the ginormous trade show Mobile World Congress will open its 2017 edition in Barcelona where about 100,000 people are expected. While there will be the usual unveiling of select smartphones and tablets, MWC has dramatically increased the presence of drones and autonomous vehicles as it seeks to expand the concept of what we mean by the word "mobile." The event is dedicating almost an entire day each to vehicles -- both connected and autonomous -- and drones. In addition, the conference has added multiple sessions on artificial intelligence, both as it relates to vehicles and drones, as well as other mobile uses.

The Huawei Watch 2 was revealed by the Chinese technology giant Sunday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Huawei vows the 4G sport smartwatch will be "your perfect workout companion" in a trailer of the device promoted by the hastag #FreeYourSpirit. Users also have access to a workout data report. There a one-press button on the lower crown which allows users to start the workout app instantly, and also has quick training options with fat-burning run or cardio run modes. The device also supports offline music and has a built-in speaker.

Samsung has revealed that its next flagship smartphone will launch on 29 March. The Galaxy S8 had been expected to make its first official appearance at MWC 2017, but the company decided to delay it because of the fallout surrounding the disastrous Galaxy Note 7. The Galaxy S8 is heavily rumoured to be an 5.8-inch handset, though a 6.2-inch S8 is also likely to launch alongside it. Both phones will allegedly feature an "infinity display", said to cover 83% of their front panel, enabling Samsung to keep them relatively compact. They'll also come with an iris-scanner, a 12-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel selfie camera, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The S8 and S8 are also expected to be IP68 dust- and water-resistant and support wireless charging, as well as feature a new AI virtual assistant called Bixby capable of speaking up to eight different languages.

With a connection this LG G6 can take advantage of the Google Assistant (Photo: Edward C. Baig) BARCELONA--The virtual Google Assistant is going to spread its voice beyond Google's own Pixel devices. Google announced that starting this week, it will roll out a software upgrade that brings the Assistant to all Android phones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Google Play Services. That's the software Google uses to update Google apps and services on Android devices. Google says the rollout will come first to English users in the U.S., followed by English users in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, as well as German speakers in Germany. More languages will be added over the course of the year.

According to Amazon and Motorola representatives here at Mobile World Congress, the two companies have teamed up to explore ways to bring Amazon's voice-controlled assistant onto Motorola hardware. Amazon's Jon Kirk took the stage to run through a a very short concept video in which a Moto phone was connected to a Harman Kardon-made speaker Mod that doubled as an Amazon Echo. That's not all, either: we're also told that Alexa support will be baked into "most" Motorola devices going forward, and that shift is expected to being later this year. Motorola isn't first to make this sort of announcement -- Huawei did the same back at CES -- but it's pretty clear Alexa is quickly becoming the voice assistant of choice for device makers who would rather avoid the soon-to-be-ubiquitous Google Assistant. The presentation was light on the really juicy Alexa details, but we wonder if the 5th-generation Moto G Plus -- which was also officially unveiled today -- will be the first Moto device to get the Amazon treatment.

MWC 2017 kicked off with the launch of the LG G6, and Huawei has followed its rival with a new flagship of its own: the Huawei P10. The Chinese firm has become a genuine force in the smartphone industry, with the Huawei Mate 9 easily its best release yet, boasting outstanding battery life, an excellent screen and a number of intelligent software tweaks. Does the P10 represent another step in the right direction? In terms of design, we have no complaints. The'dazzling' colours options are particularly attractive, thanks to something Huawei calls the'hyper diamond cut'.