The eighth edition of the Mobile World Congress came to an end on Thursday in the city of Barcelona.

Apart from some logistics problems after moving to an out-of-town venue, the event has proven to be a major success, attracting around 70,000 visitors and providing a boost of around 300 million euros to the local economy.

The annual event for the world mobile phone industry has not seen any earthshattering announcements, but has instead seen progress of trends that were becoming evident in 2012.

Rather than a quantum leap, evolution appears to be the name of the game, and there have been some subtle changes with smartphones taking center stage to the detriment of the tablets which grabbed the spotlight and the headlines 12 months ago.

Chinese handset provider Huawei used the event to present its Ascend 2, the world's fastest smartphone, while ZTE also presented the ZTE Open smartphone, which will be available in Spain, Colombia and Venezuela through network provider Telefonica.

As could be expected with so many smartphones on the show, LTE or 4G was at the forefront in Barcelona, opening the way for greater volumes of data transfer, video streaming and also for embedded technology.

Recent figures showed that the use of mobile devices to view the internet or to play video games has doubled in the past two years and the arrival and implementation of LTE over the coming years will see that trend continue.

Meanwhile the rise of embedded technology is was also increasingly evident in Barcelona.

Car manufacturers, Ford and General Motors are now using this technology in their latest generation of vehicles, while Huawei presented its vehicle compatible 3G and LTE (4G) compatible, communication modules MU609T and ME909 as well as a 3G mobile hotspot DA6810 and a 3G diagnostic box DA3100 at the Mobile World Congress.

These and similar products will allow new vehicles to exist in a seamless wireless environment, while companies such as Intel highlighted the use of embedded products for the business world.

The connected city is also coming closer to reality with exhibits showing how mobile applications can be used for a variety of tasks from watering the plants while away on holiday, to climate control and even help look after elderly relatives.

Visa showed how NFC is making inroads into taking shopping into the digital era with payment being made through passing a mobile over a scanner.

This technology will be used in a variety of ways from high-street stores, to bike or car hire companies.