The Weirdest Stuff at MWC 2016

Unlike most trade shows, MWC has a tendency toward the strange. This year did not disappoint.

BARCELONA—Tech trade shows probably rate just below TED Talks when it comes to unexpected or weird things happening, but those rules seemingly don't apply at Mobile World Congress. Maybe it's something in the Barcelona water (cava?), but every year here I encounter people, products, and situations that range from whimsically amusing to downright bizarre, and I'm here to share them with you.

My week started with a trip down a funhouse-like hallway to LG's G5 launch event, and only got weirder from there. T-Mobile's John Legere has apparently taken up business with Mark Wahlberg's childhood best friend Ted, the teddy bear. And while I converted my US currency to Euros when I got here, I'm now seriously thinking about adding some BirdCoins to my portfolio. Is any of this making sense to you? No? Me neither.

If you're looking for a more normal roundup, check out our list of favorite products from the show. If you're looking to see the strangest of what MWC has to offer, click the link below to get the slideshow started.

And while you're there, please do me a favor and see if you can decipher the very strange bathroom photo I encountered. I've been looking at it for days, and I still can't figure out what it means. All I know is that I wasn't planning on bringing a piece of rotting fish into the bathroom anyway.

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LG Fun House Hallway

The entryway to LG's G5 event was pretty trippy. Not pictured: the screeching self-propelled balloons with bat ears from the previous room.

WuKong

Move over Wu-Tang Killa Bees, WuKong's flying (or is it jumping?) monkey warriors are most definitely on a swarm.

Kaspersky Digital Pickpocket

This pickpocket clearly didn't get the memo that dressing up in a Zorro mask and prison stripes is probably the least effective way to shake someone down. Then again, he's a digital pickpocket, so it probably doesn't matter what he's wearing.

No Fruit in Bathroom

This sign on a bathroom door in Hall 7 of the Fira Gran Via doesn't actually contain any writing, but something was definitely lost in translation nonetheless.

VirtualVizor Mime

VirtualVizor is a company that sells lenses and a phone holster attached to a baseball cap so you can view VR content on your device. I'm not sure what this mime has to do with any of that.

T-Mobile Ted

Ted has apparently taken a break from the big screen to sell phones for T-Mobile. If there's another sequel, I hope John Legere makes a cameo.

BirdCoins

BirdCoins are the new bitcoin, man. You probably haven't heard of them.

Ubuntu Football Bot

This little guy (or girl) was roaming around outside the Ubuntu booth, kicking around a red ball, promptly falling over, and picking himself back up again.

Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Dot Gov)

There are not one, but two Illinois.gov booths at the show this year. They managed to pique the interest of this devoted New Yorker enough to visit the site, and now I'm the proud owner of IL-1040 tax forms.

Senso Wave Steepla

This is a Fitbit for cows. I have no further comment.

About Our Expert

Alex Colon

Executive Editor, Reviews

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s executive editor of reviews, steering our coverage to make sure we're testing the products you're interested in buying and telling you whether they're worth it. I've been here for more than 10 years. I previously managed the consumer electronics reviews team, and before that, I covered mobile, smart home, and wearable technology for PCMag and Gigaom.

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I’ve also edited thousands of reviews and articles on consumer electronics technologies and products.

The Technology I Use

I’m writing this bio on my 24-inch blue iMac, which I initially bought for personal use, but quickly decided to use for work instead of my tiny, company-issued ThinkPad (sorry, IT team). The screen is big, bright, and sharp, and the speakers are surprisingly good considering how thin the machine is.

The other big screen in my life is a 65-inch LG C9 OLED TV. If you’re wondering whether OLED is worth the premium over LCD, I’m here to tell you that it is.

I’d be doing my beloved LG C9 a disservice if I didn’t have it hooked up to a capable sound system, so I have a Sonos Beam sitting on a media console underneath the TV, and two Sonos Ones set up as rear channels for surround sound. If you’re a Sonos user, I highly recommend adding the Sonos Sub to your setup. It’s definitely a little more expensive than it should be, but it's truly money well spent.

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With 15 years of experience in tech, Alex guides PCMag's product testing to help you decide what's worth buying and how to get the most out of it.

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