More hot ringers

We were bummed that Apple's iPhone didn't make it to CTIA this year, but its absence allowed us to spend more time with the phones most people will be buying during the next year. Here are a few of the more interesting models that caught our attention on the show floor:

Peek-a-boo smart phone. Shortly before Apple announced the iPhone in January, the Nokia N95 was generating the most buzz among smart-phone aficionados. And it wasn't just for its sky-high $700 price tag (without a carrier contract). This sleek slider sensibly organizes its considerable telecom and entertainment capabilities into separate sections. Pushing the front panel up uncovers an ergonomic keypad for phoning and executing PDA functions; sliding the panel down reveals controls for the N95's impressive multimedia features. These include a 5-megapixel camera with a 20x digital zoom, a digital music player with FM radio, and support for stereo Bluetooth headsets. The N95 supports High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) data networks, which are purportedly as fast as the EV-DO networks used by Verizon and Sprint.

The N95 is a quad-band "world phone," so you can use it Europe and on other continents as well as in the U.S. Other worldly traits include built-in GPS and maps for more than 150 countries, covering more than 15 million points of interest. Available later this month from Nokia retailers, the N95 comes unlocked and should work with Cingular, T-Mobile, and other GSM carriers. It has a shiny metallic finish.

Fashionista phone. Stainless steel's beauty and strength make it a great choice for pocketsize electronics--except cell phones. That's because the shiny alloy interferes with cellular reception. LG says it has licked the interference problem with its ultrasleek VX8700, a stainless-steel model nicknamed the Shine. Expected from Verizon sometime this spring, the Shine is one of the thinnest folding phones we've seen, measuring a shade more than a half-inch thick. It can download music and video clips from Verizon's VCAST service, and it features a 2-megapixel camera. One neat trick: You can turn the phone off and still use the music player. This not only extends battery life, but also allows travelers to enjoy their music on a plane without breaking FAA regulations. Other features include Bluetooth support (mono only) and a microSD memory card slot for expanding storage.

Photo-finisher. We have yet to see a camera phone that can take the place of a decent point-and-shoot camera, but that hasn't stopped Sony Ericsson from trying to develop one. Its new Cyber-shot K810, available from T-Mobile this spring for an undisclosed price, packs a 3.2-megapixel camera with image stabilization, auto focus, and a Xenon flash. It also has built in editing software for tweaking your pics before they leave the phone. The phone supports T-Mobile's high-speed UMTS data network. For an extra fee, you can post your pictures on the Web directly from the phone. Other features include support for stereo Bluetooth headsets, music playback, and a Memory Stick Micro card slot for expanding storage up to 1 gigabyte. The phone comes in white and black.

A Walkman for workouts. Sony Ericisson's new W580 Walkman phone gives you more reasons to take your MP3 player along to the gym or the track. The W580 has a set of built-in sports applications that enable you to track your steps, count your calories, and monitor your running speed and distance while listening to your favorite tunes. To keep your workouts tangle free, the W580 works with stereo Bluetooth headsets. It also comes with a 2-megapixel camera and ships with a 512 MB Memory Stick Micro for storing photos and music. Like Nokia's N95, the W580 is a world phone, so you can use it in the U.S. and abroad. It can also accommodate marathon talkers, claiming a talk time of up to 9 hours. It comes in white and gray.

--Mike Gikas