Cell phones

Back in early February, Samsung revealed that it would bring its 8-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung Memoir, to T-Mobile by the end of the month, and the company has kept its promise.

The night before the official start of GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009 here in Barcelona, Samsung and T-Mobile held a joint press conference where they announced that the Samsung Memoir would be available starting February 25 for $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

The event was marked by a special guest appearance by supermodel Helena Christensen, who was on hand to endorse the Memoir. Now, you might be wondering what the connection is between a model and a camera phone, but Christensen also happens to be a photographer (who knew?) and was given the Memoir for a few days to use as her phone and camera throughout her travels in New York and Barcelona. Images that she took with the Memoir were then put on display at the event.

"As a photographer it was great for me to be the first to try the Memoir and to really experience everything it is capable of doing," said Christensen. "It's very important that my mobile phone also double up as a great camera, that way I always have my camera on hand to capture images at any moment. That's what a big part of photography is about." … Read more

When compared with its presence last year at the GSMA World Congress, Sony Ericsson is taking a quieter turn this time in Barcelona. Instead of unveiling a handset like the Xperia X1, the company is focusing more on strategy with an intense focus on entertainment.

As part of this move, the company unveiled just one new phone, the W995, but it also gave an advance peek at a new high-end, touch-screen handset.

Tentatively named the Idou, it will pack multimedia in a thin candy bar design. Features will include a 12.1-megapixel camera, a Xenon flash, a 3.5-inch display, … Read more

BARCELONA--If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Apple's biggest competitors are laying on the love a little thick.

It seems like handset makers aren't just trying to match Apple in terms of developing cool new touch screen devices, but now they're all clamoring to develop their own version of an application storefront, where users can easily discover and download applications for their smartphones and developers can easily create and monetize those apps.

Rumors have been flying around that Nokia, the largest handset maker in the world, will unveil its plans for its own application store … Read more

At the start of the GSMA World Congress on Sunday night, Sony Ericsson announced Media Go, a new service for transferring media files between your computer and your Sony Ericsson cell phone.

Premiering on the new W995 Walkman phone, Media Go will offer a number of services for the media-minded. Primarily, you can use it to transfer music, videos, photos, and podcasts to your phone through a USB cable.

You'll also be able to sync your phone's music library automatically, subscribe to podcasts, and auto-convert files for the best-quality playback. Once you've downloaded your media, you can … Read more

Sony Ericsson opened the 2009 GSMA World Congress on Sunday night by announcing the W995 Walkman phone. As the premiere device for Sony Ericsson's new Media Go service, the W995 offers a wide range of multimedia features for both music and video. And yes, it makes calls too.

On the outside it sports a thin slider design in progressive black, cosmic silver, or energetic red. Its front face is dominated by a 2.6-inch display, which should lend itself well to watching everything from music videos to movies. You'll also find a desk stand (very nice!) and stereo … Read more

It's the evening before the GSMA World Congress begins and I'm happy to report that almost the entire CNET crew has arrived here safe and sound. I'm here along with smartphone guru Bonnie Cha and CNET News' Maggie Reardon. Some folks from CNET UK are here as well, and we're just waiting for CNET's Ariel Nunez to arrive on Monday.

As Bonnie said in her GSMA preview, the Barcelona show will bring a lot of news. As the largest mobile phone show in the world, GSMA not only attracts people from across the planet, but … Read more

I have a few friends (who shall remain nameless) who are often unreachable because they don't charge their phones when they should. These same friends should look into the new Samsung Blue Earth, which is to be unveiled in a couple days at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The phone is green, despite its blue color, and it's not just the integrated solar panels that make it so. The Blue Earth is made of recycled plastic, features a pedometer, and even software that reaffirms just how much you're helping the planet by using it. If Al … Read more

Smartphones, such as Apple's iPhone, are all the rage these days. But as the economy worsens, these sophisticated devices and the expensive data plans that are required to be purchased along with them, are out of reach for most cell phone users.

A new handset maker based in the U.K. says it is developing phones that will offer similar functionality at a fraction of the cost. INQ U.K., which is owned by Hong Kong-based telecom giant Hutchison Whampoa, is developing a set of souped-up feature phones that will be loaded with all kinds of Internet and social … Read more

You remember Modu? That's the Israeli company that makes the tiny modular cell phone that we first saw at last year's GSMA World Congress. The concept is simple: insert the Modu into one of several "jackets" and it becomes a fully functional phone with real controls. Each jacket, which is really just a handset shell, will bring a different design and feature set. You can change them at will to match your mood and needs.

Well, just to show you that's it's really not vaporware, the company will be showing four new jackets next … Read more