GSMA comes to America
Each February, the GSM Association (GSMA) organizes the world's largest cell phone trade show in Barcelona. And after a couple years of advocating to go to the GSMA World Congress, Bonnie Cha and I attended the show this year where both of us were astounded at the cool cell phones we saw. As the show has a global focus, it has a wider range of products, companies, and services than the CTIA show can offer. The only trouble is, you have to go all the way to Barcelona to see it.
But this week the GSMA is dipping its toe into U.S. waters. The association will host the Mobile Innovation Marketplace in Atlanta tomorrow and Wednesday. In addition to the usual slate of speakers and round table discussions, the event will feature 15 emerging mobile innovation companies eager to show their wares. The exhibiting firms, which include Modu, AdaptiveMobile, Roundbox, and Gesture Tek Mobile were chosen from about 100 companies who submitted proposals on their products and how they think the cell phone world should develop. Of those 15 companies, two will win a trip to the 2009 Mobile World Congress to compete against the rest of world.
We won't be in Atlanta, but we'll bring you developments as they come.
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent. 
