In true MWC fashion, day 3 was fantastic. As you may have noticed from our highlights from day 1and day 2, after being immersed in the future of tech and gadgetry, our team became pretty starry-eyed.

We started day 3 thinking, “Okay. We’ve already seen all there is to see, and heard all there is to hear. Today is going to be a slow day, right?” Wrong.

Have a look at our highlights from day 3 to see what we mean.

Huawei MediaPad X1: Best of MWC14

Wow! The Huawei #MediaPadX1 has won Best Of #MWC14. Thanks to the press who voted for us! #HuaweiUnlockPossibilities pic.twitter.com/lz7potmJMT

— Huawei Device (@HuaweiDevice) February 26, 2014

The Huawei MediaPad X1 was voted as the “Best of MWC” by an expert panel of judges from the media, and we can see why. It’s the ultimate (forgive us for using this word) phablet with the length of 7-inches, and is ultra-thin at 7.18mm. The MediaPad X1 weighs only 239g with a solid aluminum build. It also has the same resolution as the Nexus 7 and it is packed with… wait for it… 5,000mAh battery! With “normal use,” Huawei claims you can use the device for several days without recharging. We’re all for innovative devices, and can’t wait to see how popular it gets once it hits the shelves.

We’re sure it’ll sell well. We’re also certain that many will use the MediaPad X1 as their go-to tablet. But as a phone? Well, hey, maybe there are a lot of people out there who would love to hold a 7” phablet (used it again – sorry!) against their heads. Nothing weird about that at all. Not at all. We won’t judge.

Slimmest Smartphone: Gionee Elife S5.5

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the thinnest smartphone of them all? As of day 3 at MWC, it’s the Gionee Elife S5.5. This sleek beauty measures at only 5.5mm. Maybe we shouldn’t call it a beauty, because many attendees claimed that it’s too slim for their tastes, and they won’t feel uncomfortable using it.

But we’re not one to judge a book by its cover. The specs on this device are actually pretty good: 5” Super AMOLED Plus display, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 2,300 mAh battery. Not bad at all. The Gionee Elife S5.5 will be available in around 40 countries, and will be priced around $370. We’ll definitely keep tabs on this, mostly out of curiosity.

Attention Mobile Developers: IBM Challenge

It’s time for mobile developers to grab a few extra cups of coffee and cans of energy drinks. IBM launched the IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge at MWC. This is a worldwide competition to promote the development of business apps and mobile consumer apps. The catch? The apps will have to be powered by Watson, IBM’s cognitive computing breakthrough. Yes, this is the same Watson that made headlines by competing with humans on the TV quiz show Jeopardy. Thanks to cloud and mobile computing, Watson is now designed to provide advice and insights to business leaders, professionals – anyone. We think they might be onto something amazing here.

For the next 3 months, developers and entrepreneurs are invited to share their best ideas and join forces to build mobile apps into prototypes. Three winners will join the Watson Ecosystem Program, and the IBM Interactive Experience team for support to build a commercial app.

We’re witnessing the beginning of the fast track to the future, wouldn’t you say?

New Focus: Big Data

Chatter on the floor was not limited to smart devices. There was also a lot of talk about the importance of big data in the mix.

Big names behind Cisco and EMC dropped by to discuss the impact of their technologies on mobile, and the crucial role such software plays in the mobile industry. In fact, multinational software company, Citrix is on a mission to work with mobile network operators to figure out how to translate data on the usage of mobile devices to monetize on big data.

Please share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook where we are always listening.