UTStarcom jumps on the slim phone bandwagon

UTStarcom has joined the slim phone craze with a number of never-before-seen models it was showing at CTIA. Not all the handsets will make it to the U.S. market, but the company is definitely aiming to ride the Razr wave. The GPRS768 and the GPRS778 are trim flip phones headed for the Latin American market. The GPRS768 lacks an internal display and is 0.5 inches thick, while the GPRS778 has an external screen but is 0.6 inches thick. Features for both handsets are midrange and include a VGA camera, text and multimedia messaging, voice memos, and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. The GPRS788 is a 0.6-inch slider phone that's also headed for Latin America. Features include Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera with video, text and multimedia messaging, a MicroSD card slot, and Java support for gaming and applications.

As for North America, UTStarcom said it would release the CDM-8932 and the CDM-1450 before the end of the year. The CDM-8932 is an attractive, silver slip phone that is 0.6-inch thick. The feature set is squarely midrange. Inside you'll find text and multimedia messaging, a VGA camera, a speakerphone, voice dialing and a 262,000-color display. And considering that it comes with BREW support, it's no surprise Verizon Wireless is the likely carrier. The 0.5-inch candy bar CDM-1450 offers a VGA camera, Bluetooth, polyphonic ring tones, and a speakerphone. Check out all the phones in our UTStarcom video from the show floor.