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Welcome to my Day 2 round-up of MWC 2018. If it's even possible, today seemed even busier than yesterday, with a noticable number of people trollying around their suitcase behind them, and me constantly tripping over them! After 15km of walking (my feet are suffering - bad time to break-in new shoes!) and re-visiting stands I'd been to yesterday (in case I missed something), I wanted to highlight the below cool tech I stumbled across.
Smart Mirrors - Yes, for real...
While walking about and spotting the odd smart fridge or two, I came across this really cool smart mirror from Vestel which shows the sort of direction things are going with traditional every day home objects... "If it's not smart, it should be".
Picture the scene... You're in the bathroom brushing your teeth. You can quickly check what the weather outlook is, keep an eye on your time, see some top tweets and more. While some may consider this gimmicky, I totally love it and I can easily picture smart mirrors being the norm 10-15 years down the line.
Smart Bikes
This might be one for you @Anonymous - thanks for letting me know you wanted to see more on bikes. I spotted this really cool concept from Mobike. It's the world's first cashless and station-free bike sharing platform. Think of it a little bit like Uber, but for bikers - you use the app (after topping up) to find a Mobike, scan a code to unlock it, cycle to where you want, and lock it again for the next person to come along. Think of Boris Bikes, but in an Uber-like app and ecosystem.
Virtual Reality is alive and well!
VR has been a continous theme at MWC for as long as I've been attending, and if anything there's more of it this year than there was last year. Like it or not, VR is here to stay - and it continues to get better. Without a doubt the best entertainment use of VR I've seen so far is from Samsung. There were three particular demos I'd like to showcase here.
First up, snowboarding
This was a popular one and as much as I wanted to give it a go, I didn't fancy waiting in the massive queue for it. You stand on a mechanical snowboard, safely harnessed to the platform, and the snowboard reacts to whatever you're doing inside the virtual reality world. Want to go snowboarding but got no snow? This is the solution.
Next up, VR 4D experience
I demo'd this one in person and the experience was fantastic. Very exciting and exhilerating! At first you're on like a virtual rollercoaster, making some crazy jumps from track to track through the air, transforming into a virtual bobsled-like form of transport, making your way through some truly crazy tracks and scenery. The whole experience worked amazingly well together and created a sense of total immersion. I can honestly see this being a thing in cinemas sometime in the next few years. Imagine going to see the next Transformers movie in full 360 degree VR, with those funky 4DX seats. SIGN. ME. UP!
Finally... Yeah, umm.. NOPE.
Sorry, I just needed to sum it up that way. This was a 'flying' experience where you are essentially turned into a flying dinosaur, soaring through the sky. The rig you get hooked up to though spins you around and even upside down. It's basically the rollercoaster equivalent of running on the spot. Only for the brave.
Future Tech - VR / New ways to shop
I spotted this really cool concept / demo of how businesses may be able to tap into new ways for customers to shop, and essentially give them an experience. In this demo, you use Virtual Reality to design your own pair of trainers, the way you want. Imagine using VR to do your shopping - even your food shopping at Tesco. Pop on a VR headset and go for a virtual walk in a virtual supermarket, popping what you want in your virtual shopping trolley. It seems far fetched but I can definitely see more retailers wanting to tap into new shopping experiences like this within the next few years.
Bonus - Nokia 8810
As some of you will have seen by now, Nokia are re-releasing the Matrix / Banana phone. Nokia's stand was very popular, but the section showing off the phones was undeniably busy - and this is the phone everyone wanted to try out. Pure nostalgia!
And there you have it... Day 2 of MWC. Seen anything here you want to know more about? Or seen anything at MWC not covered in my Day 1 or Day 2 round-up that you want to hear more of? Tag me and let me know! 
