Post-CES cell phone roundup

Covering mobile phones at CES is a little like covering the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade — in September. The big show for mobile market is CTIA, which this year opens in late March, in Orlando. Nonetheless, phone makers, mobile carriers, and their supporters did offer us a glimpse of the new products and services they plan to deploy over the next year and beyond. And it appears that two trends are emerging:

The first is that cell phones are taking their camera and MP3 features more seriously, first by adding buttons that activate those functions more easily, second by beefing up the individual features themselves. For example, the toylike VGA-quality camera is giving way to higher-functioning 1- , 1.3, and 2-megapixel versions, with removable memory cards that allow you to directly transfer your pics to any PC or printer equipped with a card reader. On the music front, more phones from Motorola, LG, Samsung, and others support the Bluetooth A2DP-Source standard, which enables you to listen to music in stereo when with similarly equipped Bluetooth headsets.

The other trend is that cell-phone carriers are increasingly complementing their "high-speed" data networks, which are barely faster than dialup, with much faster technologies — at least for multimedia applications and services. For example, many smart phones, including Apple's new iPhone, now have Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi is at least 10 times faster than cellular data networks, but outdoor access, or hotspots, are hard to find outside of densely populated areas. Even there, service can be choppy as you move from one hotspot to another.

Sprint hopes to make an end run around Wi-Fi's hot-spot problems by instead offering more potent flavor of Wi-Fi called mobile WiMax in the latter half of the year. Based on the IEEE 802.16e wireless standard, mobile WiMax is a wireless broadband Internet connection like Wi-Fi, with comparable data speeds. But its range is much greater, measured in miles rather than feet, which in theory should provide continuous broadband coverage over greater distances. One concern: mobile WiMax could be a big drain on batteries. Sprint is currently testing the network in Chicago and Washington, DC, but says its service will be available to over 100 million people by the end of 2008. 

Below is a sneak peek some of the other interesting phones and technologies debuting later this year:

Motivated phone. We can't yet speak for the performance of the latest "ZR" phone from Motorola, but its specs seem promising. The MOTORIZR (above) is a GSM world phone, so you'll get the optimal cellular coverage whether you're in the U.S.  or Europe. This successor to the ROKR, technically the world's first iPhone, smoothly integrates its cell-phone functions with a 2 megapixel digital camera and an MP3 player. It's also one of the first of many new phones you'll see that supports A2DP. Other features include a MicroSD memory slot for up to 1 GB of extra storage for music, pictures and other media.

Two-faced phones. Cell phones often have to make ergonomic compromises when their keypads and displays also double as media controls and players. Two new ultra-slim candy bar-style phones from Samsung, the Ultra Music and Ultra Video, cleverly avoid the problem by giving each feature its own side. The Ultra Music has an LCD on each side. One side has a smaller LCD screen and the dialing keypad for making phone calls. The reverse side has a large LCD screen and a dedicated touch-sensitive pad for music. The phone also comes with an FM  radio and a 2 megapixel camera. The similar Ultra Video (left) adds a camcorder-like screen that swivels away from the controls to adjust the viewing or form a stand to place the device down on a stationary surface. With an optional 2-GB microSD card, the Ultra video can store up to two hours of home movies. Both phones support stereo Bluetooth headsets.

TV twins. Qualcomm's MediaFLO, a broadcast TV technology for mobile devices, has been promising a U.S. debut for several years now. The claim: a broadcast TV viewing experience on your cell phone that rivals what you get at home on much bigger screens. Well, Verizon Wireless is going to give MediaFLO its first big break, as a V CAST service called Mobile TV. Available on only two phones, the Samsung SCH-u620 (right) and the LG VX9400, Mobile TV's lineup will consist of seven channels: CBS, Comedy Central, Fox, MTV, NBC News, NBC Entertainment and Nickelodeon. Prices for phones and service will be revealed when the Mobile TV launches sometime this quarter.

Both Mobile TV phones claim video resolution of 240 x 320 pixels on their tiny, 2-in. (approx.) LCD screens, which in informal on-floor demonstrations proved to be quite sharp and jitter-free. On the Samsung, I could even read the tiny text in a news bulletin that scrolled along at the bottom of the screen. The on-screen program guide, which holds 48 hours of program info, also seemed easy to use. Though you can't record shows for later viewing, as you can with other portable video players. And there's about a 1/2 second delay when you change from one channel to the to another. 

Both phones are sliders, meaning the screen slides out of the way to give you access to keypad. But the LG does something especially cool: It lets you rotate its screen for landscape TV viewing. The Samsung's display doesn't rotate, but the phone does have a concealed telescoping antenna on its right side that can be extended to improve reception (With digital TV, you either get everything or nothing). Both phones also have a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth support and expandable memory via a microSD memory card slot.

My take: In an age when video-enabled digital players boast displays of 3 and 4 inches, the Mobile TV phones' 2-in. displays look relatively puny. (Forget about watching hockey or golf.) I also couldn't help thinking that Mobile TV is a throwback to the pre-cable era: only six channels to watch, and no recording. Today's portable digital players let you take hundreds of hours of multimedia content with you that you can watch on your schedule.

A new kind of pay phone. For almost a decade, many Americans have been paying for gas and other products by waving a little tiny radio, or fob, in front of the gas pump or store register. The fob transmits data that tied to the user's credit or debit account, along with permission to complete transaction. It's convenient, though some people have concerns about unauthorized charges and identity theft. 

This year the technology, called near field communications (NFC), migrates to the cell phone. MasterCard, Citigroup, and Cingular are currently conducting trials in New York with a new phone, the Nokia 6131 NFC, which has the radio built in. The new twist: Before making payment, the phone prompts you on-screen for authorization, and you'll also be able to turn the radio on and off whenever you want. The new phone also performs an additional trick: When you tap special billboards on the street, say a movie poster, the phone will link to the company's Web site and play the movie's trailer. It may also send you discount coupons to you via text messaging.

The companies hope these added features will encourage consumers to use their phones to pay for more everyday things, such as Starbucks coffee and subway rides.

Besides the NFC chip, the Nokia features a 1.3-megapixel camera with an 8x digital zoom, and an FM radio. A fully functional music phone, it supports WMA, MP3, MP4, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+ formats. Phone availability and price have not been determined.

My take: Current SpeedPass customers may want to lighten their pockets by swapping their fobs for the new phone, but debit and credit cards will always be accepted at more places.

— Michael Gikas, Telecom and Mobile Reporter