Yesterday the mobile phone companies tried to top each other with the number of announcements of new mobile devices for the start of the 3GSM 2007 Conference in Barcelona.

The biggest trends is sure HSDPA. A new 3G phone needs to have HSDPA, there is no way around it. It is great that the handset guys already offer HSDPA, where most 3G users are still putting out the champagne to celebrate a decent 3G connection whenever they encounter one. Still if you want a somewhat future proof phone, HSDPA is a must.

In context of this comes actually my biggest disappointment of the 3GSM so far. The new Neonode N2 is not 3G. It also does not have Wi-fi. For Europe this is a no-go for me. Neonode tried to tease us hard, but the new Neonode is not by far as innovative as their first Neonode N1 was back in 2002/2004. Are they now closer to the market with the N2? Sure the Apple iPhone is also just GSM, but Apple can also forget to show up with a GSM iPhone in Europe. For the US this is ok to boot, but a 3G iPhone needs to come soon there too. I see the only chance for the new Neonode N2 to get a US carrier deal quickly that wants to offer a smaller and hopefully cheaper alternative to the Apple iPhone.

Speaking of iPhone alternatives, Samsung has introduced the strongest new line-up of mobile phones at the 3GSM. The earlier announced Samsung Ultra Smart F700 is a strong contender in the new touch screen smartphone arena. With the F520, Samsung even offers a lower end model for casual users that will sure convince via its price.

More 3GSM Highlights:
New Samsung Ultra Edition II U700, U600, U300 and U100 at 3GSM
Nokia N77 DVB-H TV Phone
MOTORIZR Z8
Nokia 6110 Navigator
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone Software Revealed at 3GSM 2007

There will be more 3GSM 2007 coverage today. The biggest mobile phone show is still going until the 15th. Visit our Mobile Phone News section for the latest 3GSM 2007 news.