Cell phones and PDAs preview

Cell phones--not just for making calls anymore

It's no secret that cell phones are a long way from being just communication devices. Now that they come equipped with cameras, MP3 players, and video capability, multimedia has become a huge theme. There will always be a market for phones that do nothing except make calls, but just how much fun are those? These showcase cell phones should feature prominently at CES, along with cool new designs, mobile e-mail, better Bluetooth, and on-the-go VoIP. Here's a sneak peek at what CES should hold in the world of cell phones and PDAs.

3G goes national
Verizon Wireless made a big splash at last year's CES when it announced its 3G EV-DO network and accompanying V Cast multimedia service. Although Verizon ruled the 3G roost for most of this year with a growing number of compatible cell phones, Sprint jumped into the 3G game in November with Power Vision multimedia-service EV-DO handsets of its own. Sprint then upped the ante even further by offering the Samsung MM-A900--Samsung's answer to Verizon's Motorola Razr V3c--which is equipped for 3G services.

At CES 2006, we think we'll see much ado about 3G as Sprint and Verizon battle it out to provide the coolest phones and the most exciting services. Already, the carriers offer two competing models with nearly identical designs--the Samsung SCH-A970 for Verizon and the Samsung MM-A940 for Sprint. On the GSM carrier front, T-Mobile is sitting out the 3G race for now, but Cingular is gearing up for its launch in early 2006, so we think we'll hear about new phones and services from the carrier.

Music on your phone
In their first incarnations, as with the Nokia 6230, MP3 cell phones suffered from clunky interfaces, limited memory, and shaky sound quality. But they've come a long way in the past year, and we now see MP3 phones that make a strong case for convergence. The Motorola Rokr E1 definitely has its faults, and for many, the compatibility with iTunes is a definite plus. Music phones also are getting smaller. The Motorola Razr V3i will feature iTunes, while Sprint's Samsung MM-A900 downloads music wirelessly. Our favorite MP3 phones so far are the Sony Ericsson W600i and the W800i, both of which seamlessly integrate phone and player functions. At CES, we expect to see much more in the way of MP3 phones from all the carriers, as well as more carriers following Sprint in introducing their own music stores.

Daring designs
Although a cell phone is only as good as the calls it makes, a handset's design isn't anything to neglect. Cell phones have gone far beyond the bland and boring in the past year. Sure, basic candy bar-style and flip-phone designs dominate, but slider phones such as the Samsung SGH-E635 and swivel handsets such as the Sony Ericsson W600i are quickly gaining on the old standby form factors. Other options range from phones that cleverly hide full QWERTY keyboards, such as the LG VX9800 or the Samsung SGH-D307, to more radical styles such as the Nokia 7280 fashion phone. And we can't forget Motorola, which has been on the forefront of design this year with models that include the Razr V3 and the Pebl U6. At CES, we should see some cool new styles that will continue to push the design envelope. Imagine designer faceplates, rotating displays, phones without keypads, and mobiles that look no different from digital cameras.

Bluetooth for the masses
It's been a good year for Bluetooth headsets. With models such as the innovative Plantronics Discovery 640, plus Sprint's recent hop on to the Bluetooth bandwagon with phones such as the Samsung MM-A940, we think the technology will improve even more in usability and functionality. And as Bluetooth continues to creep into more midrange phones, such as the Motorola V360, the technology will continue to head mainstream. On the downside, Verizon's crippled Bluetooth functionality is a setback (certain file transfers still aren't allowed), but we remain optimistic on Bluetooth's increased popularity.

Sleeker smart phones
We all know the brilliance of smart phones. You get the capabilities of a cell phone and a PDA in one device, allowing you to carry one fewer gadget in your bag o' tech. Yet, many of us still carry both. Why? Perhaps it's because many models resemble bricks and weigh just as much as two devices. However, times are a-changin'. Manufacturers are getting wise about smart-phone design, as demonstrated by models such as the Motorola Q and the Nokia E61. They're sleek and sexy, and hopefully, we'll see this trend continue at CES.

A push for push e-mail
They don't call Research in Motion BlackBerrys CrackBerrys for nothing. These devices feature push technology, which sends e-mail to your device in real time, so you don't have to manually sync up with your PC or wait to get your messages. Once you experience the joys of push e-mail, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. And finally, companies other than RIM, as well as consumers, are catching on to the pull of push e-mail. Microsoft's latest OS, Windows Mobile 5, supports it, and Nokia has signed with a company to start offering a push e-mail solution on its smart phones.

VoIP support on cell phones
You may think this one doesn't really make sense. Why would cell phone carriers want to take on a service that would essentially eat into its own profit? As one observer noted, "Cannibalism happens." Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows you to make calls over the Internet via a Wi-Fi network, many times at cheaper rates or even for free to anywhere in the world. Earlier in the year, Motorola announced a deal with Skype to develop VoIP-enabled cell phones, and just recently, Nokia announced its E series, which includes three models with VoIP support. Although this is still in its nascent stages, we think this trend is definitely something to keep an eye on.