Mobile World Congress 2011 preview: 3D phones, next generation Galaxy and more

Well, it’s that time of year again, as the Mobile World Congress trade show is just a few days away and we’re gearing up for an incredible show that is sure to see the introduction of multiple lust-worthy smartphones, tablets, apps and software.

Seriously, Mobile World Congress is kind of like CES but only for the mobile world. Let’s see what we have to look forward to.

LG takes it to another dimension

LG has already told us that it will be showing off the Optimus 3D at Mobile World Congress and this should be the first glasses-free 3D smartphone that hits the mainstream.

Early leaks suggest that the Optimus 3D will have a dual-core processor, 4-inch screen or above, multiple cameras and it will be powered by the Android operating system. We figure that the UI will be similar to what we’ve seen on the LG Optimus 2X.

The LG Optimus 3D could be a major step forward for mobile phone displays. We’ve seen with the Nintendo 3DS that this type of technology actually works with these smaller screens and it could lead to a new wave of apps that change the way we interact with our phones.

Of course, it could also just be a gimmick, as the Android platform and the apps aren’t optimized for this type of display. Even if existing apps can easily work with this glasses-free 3D display, it may just be a slight visual boost.

Either way, we’ll be there to get some hands-on demonstrations and while it will be tough to show the 3D effects on camera, we’ll do our best to describe the experience.

LG is also expected to show off the Optimus Pad, which is expected to be the international variant of the G Slate. Perhaps the tablet will actually have Android 3.0 Honeycomb on it and we’re looking forward to seeing what it can do.