Click here for a slideshow of these phones

The next battleground for mobile phones was mapped out in Barcelona this week and two words rang out more frequently than any others: internet services.

Various manufacturers were demonstrating prototypes of phones that run Google's new Android operating system, which puts ease of accessing web-based services on a handset at the forefront of the user experience. Vodafone, meanwhile, was rapping operators over the knuckles, saying they had to "raise their game" in the mobile internet or risk losing out to the likes of Google and other companies.

So - how did the handset manufacturers' new offerings rise to the challenge of beating the iPhone (which was what many observers saw the theme of the week as being)? Some better than others, it seems.

Review: Google-powered phone

A prototype phone running on Google's Android operating system is quick and easy to use

• Google phone heralds scramble for mobile web

• Unlimited music comes to mobiles

• Vodafone: 'mobile internet must improve or perish'

Related Links

• Microsoft and Sony Ericsson's smartphone

• Vodafone: 'mobile web must improve or perish'

Multimedia

• Video review: Google-powered phone

• New phones from the Mobile World Congress

Nokia N96

Nokia's new N96 handset - the latest in its N-series - is, predictably enough, a blend of elegance and functionality. The 2.8-inch screen makes content viewing a joy, and there's also a whopping 16GB of internet memory - enough for about 12,000 songs or 40 hours of video - as well as a stand on the back so that you can set it up like a mini TV. The device also supports DVB-H, meaning it receives broadcast-quality television. (And the signal is impressive - the snowflakes falling during a Eurosport skiing event were clearly and individually visible.)

As much as the staff on the Nokia were bigging up this feature, it's still unclear what value live TV will have on mobiles - especially as many of the moves in TV are towards on-demand content either streamed or downloaded over the internet.

Of greater interest were the demonstrations of Share on Ovi, Nokia's web-based platform for uploading, managing and sharing media. Share on Ovi has a highly intuitive interface, with scope to upload content directly to the web from your phone, and share it through a variety of channels. It also syncs with other sites, like Flickr, though not Facebook, yet. (Nokia said more partnerships may be announced.)

The bigger picture, of course, is that once it launches Ovi - a broader platform for accessing content such as videos, games and music through the web - Nokia will have a formidable platform linking phone owners with any type of content - professional or their own - via their phone. And from everything that was said at Mobile World Congress this week, that suggests it is highly attuned to the future of mobile.

Out: third quarter of 2008

LG Viewty KU990

LG, meanwhile, is still very camera-focused. It was showing off its KU990, otherwise known as the Viewty, which has a video recorder that shoots at an impressive 120 frames per second (fps). Playback is at 15 fps, meaning that you get a very clear, slow motion picture - perfect if you're filming high-speed action (however often that might be.) The five-megapixel camera has a lot of additional controls, including manual focus, which will appeal to the camera nuts who want that bit more control when they've left their digital camera at home, and a 16x zoom.

LG continues to make highly elegant devices, but if is going to stay relevant in a world where the internet comes to your mobile, it will need to focus more attention on the way its devices allow people to interact with one another and other services over the web.

Out: now

Samsung Soul

The same might be said of Samsung. Its new 'Soul' series of handsets have the principal benefit of a revamped keypad. Samsung's traditional up/down/right/left pad is now a touchscreen, which means the buttons change depending on the mode you're in. (Play/pause/stop for the music player, another combination for the camera etc.) The phone also has a HSPDA (3G) connection which allows downloads at up to 7.2 megabits per second, and audio components from Bang & Olufsen.

Samsung's slogan for Soul - 'Your memories can live on with vivacious brilliance' - shows just how much the focus remains on 'the kit' (ie. the five-megapixel camera) rather than the connectivity and services highlighted by Nokia's Share. Samsung has the advantage, however, od being a member of the Open Handset Alliance, meaning that it is likely to be one of the first manufacturers to release an Android-powered handset, which should provide a welcome boost.

Out: April

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Perhaps the real wowser of the week was Sony Ericsson's new Xperia X1. This is one covetable device. Housed in an elegant, arc-shaped sliding phone is an interface that really brings the web to the fore. The massive three-inch screen divides into nine panels - some will probably call them widgets - which are arranged at the owner's discretion. They can either be simple applications, like a calculator, or full web pages - e-mail, YouTube, Google and so on. Unlike many phone menus with icons, however, the Xperia's panels aren't just pictures; they're the full page - in miniature, and they glisten before you, updating in real time.

Navigation is via a optical joystick at the side - a bit like a mini mouse pad, with your finger as the mouse - or full touschscreen, like the iPhone. (Though whether it has all the iPhone's screen wizardry is unclear - we couldn't play with it.) The partnership with Microsoft - Sony Ericsson's first - also brings with it the benefit of Windows Mobile, which should make it attractive to the professional market too. Other specs: 3.2-megapixel camera,7.2 megabit per second HSDPA, and ARM's latest series 11 processor, meaning it will be, well, ultraswift.

Out: second half of the year

Explore Tech & Web

• Personal Tech

• The Web

• Gadgets & Gaming

Times recommends

• From joystick to helmet: it's all in the mind
• 'Maniacal' engineer takes city computers hostage
• 3G iPhone review: fast but power-hungry