Full coverage of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

If you thought the iPhone was cutting edge, then think again.

This week, last year’s hottest gadget will become yesterday's news as it is surpassed by a host of new offerings at the mobile phone industry’s annual get-together.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, telecoms and technology companies will jostle to get exposure for their products.

Google, the search giant, is expected to use the event to unveil a prototype of the much-anticipated G-Phone.

Last year the technology group unveiled its Android software platform for the mobile but has yet to present a device on which it will be inatalled.

Not to be outdone, its sparring partner, Microsoft — the two are locked in battle for control of Yahoo! — is tipped to announce a further push into the mobile world with the announcement of a tie-up with a big handset maker.

Microsoft has developed an operating system for mobile smartphones.

Efforts to stall Apple’s move into mobile phone territory will also see a plethora of new music phones and new services released in competition.

MusicStation, which has already revolutionised the market with a service offering a vast catalogue of music for rent on mobile handsets at less than £2 a week, is expected to up the ante on its rivals with a new service that enables tracks to be downloaded wirelessly over 3G networks.

Meanwhile, the picture quality of mobile phones is expected to shift up a gear when Motorola, the world’s third-biggest handset maker, unveils its first product in conjunction with Kodak, the camera company.

For those who are more concerned about what a phone can handle rather than what it does, one big trend this year is expected to be "ruggedised" phones that are drop-proof, splash-proof and dust-proof.

Fashion-houses such as Prada will also be displaying their latest sleek models.

Times Recommends

• Housing gloom deepens as prices plunge 12.7%
• Nestle outsider to head Unilever
• BP's Dudley exits in Russian shake-up