Cell phones: Hot trends, hot models

By this time next week, it’ll be clearer what new cell phones and wireless services will hit the market in 2007. They’ll be unveiled at CTIA (for Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association) Wireless, the Detroit Auto Show of mobile communications that opens on Monday at the Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. 

We’ll be blogging from the trade-show floor. But before we go, here’s an update on some key developments we’ll be looking for — along with some newer phones available now that already exemplify them. The phones are previews of models we're testing that will post in a full Ratings update in April. 

Slim folding phones 

Slimness is not a trait usually associated with folding phones, but at only 0.5 inches thick, Samsung’s M610 (above), $180 with a 2-year contract from Sprint Nextel, is only a tenth of an inch thicker than anorexic candybar-shaped competitors like the TRACE and SLVR. Yet the M610 manages to squeeze in an impressive number of features into its svelte case. These include a 2- megapixel camera, a music player, GPS navigation (for an extra $10 a month), and A2DP Bluetooth support for the new generation of wireless stereo headsets. It also has access to Sprint’s Power Vision high-speed data network for faster downloads, and supports the PictBridge standard, which allows you to print photos directly to most new photo printers with the supplied cable. In our tests, voice quality was good when both listening and talking. 

But like many other slim phones, this Samsung’s battery life was on the short side at only 2-1/2 hours. The camera lacks a flash. And unlike most other cell phones, which have raised buttons, the M610’s keypad is etched into a flat, touch-sensitive surface that makes operation difficult unless you’re looking at directly at the keys. 

SUV phones 

The Verizon GzOne Type-V, $100 with a 2-year contract from Verizon, is one of a growing number of “ruggedized” phones. Aspiring to being the Hummer of cell phones, the GzOne even has an SUV-like bumper along its edge. 

However, at 5.3 ounces, it’s also one of the heaviest conventional phones in our batch. While we’re still assessing the phone’s ruggedness, we can confirm that voice quality when listening was good, when talking, very good. Battery life was a so-so 3 hours. It supports Verizon’s VZ Navigator, a GPS service you can download for $10 a month, or $3 a day. 

The GzOne Type-V has 2-megapixel camera, but lacks an external-memory card slot, Bluetooth support, and a music player. 

Built-in memory 

To accommodate the growing number — and size — of multimedia files they handle, many cell phones have been equipped with slots that accept expandable-memory cards. The cards (typically MicroSD format) cost $30 and up for 1-gigabyte capacity. The Sanyo M1, $200 with a 2-year contract from Sprint Nextel, takes a different approach: it comes with 1 GB of built-in memory. A music phone, the M1 works with Bluetooth stereo headsets and supports Power Vision. When folded closed, the M1 becomes a portable media player, with its own display, controls, and front-firing stereo speakers. The M1 supports PictBridge.

Listening quality was good, and talk quality was very good. Battery life was a respectable 3-1/4 hours. 

 

 

More true Sprint-Nextel phones 

Though it’s been more than two years since Sprint and Nextel joined forces, their still-incompatible networks have forced customers to choose between phones that offer the superior cell coverage of Sprint’s CDMA network or the unbeatable Walkie-Talkie capabilities of Nextel’s iDen network.

Enter the Motorola ic502, $60 with a 2-year contract, one of the first phones to straddle both networks. In our tests, voice quality from this folding phone was good when listening, very good when talking. But you need to talk fast; battery life was a dismal 2-1/2 hours. It’s also very basic, lacking some features that are all but standard on most new phones, such as a camera, music playback, and Bluetooth.

Finally, a phone that embodies no particular trend — though we wish it did. The Samsung Sync (right) is a well-rounded cell phone, deftly integrating a world phone (you can use it in Europe and on other continents) with a 2-megapixel camera and music player. Priced at $50 with a 2-year Cingular (AT&T) contract, the Sync is compatible with Cingular’s new high-speed data network (HSDPA). It has A2DP Bluetooth support and memory is expandable via a MicroSD card slot.

In our tests battery life proved a respectable 5 hours, and talk quality was good. However, listening quality was only fair. Nonetheless, this is a fine phone that’s likely to be a Quick Pick when we update our Ratings.

— Mike Gikas