Noteworthy announcements at Mobile World Congress 2014

Flagship smartphones do grab the headlines but it is the mid-segment devices that really sell. Here are the ones you can eye at the moment in this segment:

Lenovo has announced the S660, a 4.7inch device powered by a 1.3GHz quad core processor paired with 1GB RAM. It will come have 8GB internal storage and an 8MP rear camera. The next in line is the S850. This is a 5 inch phablet with 720p resolution, a 1.3GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM and 16GB onboard storage with 13MP rear camera

HTC has also announced the new Desire 816 and 610 smartphones. The first will be slightly high-end with a 5.5-inch display, 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage and a non removable 2600 mAh battery. It also has a 13 MP camera. The second is smaller with 4.7 inch HD display, powered by 1.2GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage.

Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system is a promising platform. But it has some drawbacks. There is a lack of hardware vendors and a lack of apps. When the company first announced the Windows Phone 8, we saw a few big players including Samsung, HTC and Nokia launch phones with this operating system. But gradually, everyone pulled out with only Nokia continuing to use this system. However, things are set to change. Microsoft after announcing the update for Windows 8.1 has said the company is "open to business" at the global level. It has tied up with Foxconn, Gionee, Karbonn, Lava (Xolo), Lenovo, LG, Longcheer and ZTE in addition to its existing alliance with LG, Samsung, HTC and Huawei. Microsoft also mentioned that the Windows Phone will soon support Snapdragon 200, Snapdragon 400, and Snapdragon 400 LTE. We could also see Windows Phones with dual-SIM compatibility

Entry-level isn't just feature phone anymore

Mozilla has also announced its plan to launch $25 (Rs 1,500) smartphones running on Firefox OS. These will be powered by Spreadtrum's SC6821 chipset. They will feature a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen, integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM and a camera. Mozilla hopes that phones based on this hardware platform will bring the price of smartphones down to that of feature phones. However, this smartphone is unlikely to launch in India any time soon.

Feature phones in the entrylevel segment all seem to be turning into smart feature phones. After the success of its Asha series, Nokia has announced a new range of entry-level smartphones powered by Android. But these will go beyond other Android smartphones in the same price range. These Nokia phones will have Microsoft services like Outlook Mail, Here Maps and OneDrive instead of Play Store and other Google services. Nokia is curating its own store that will offer the best of Android and Windows apps for these phones. At the moment, Nokia has announced three new phones in Nokia X family - Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL