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

Mobilizing music and text

Move over, Mickey Mouse. An estimated 40,000 mobilephiles have skipped past the Magic Kingdom and other Floridian points of interest to see the latest developments in mobile technology at CTIA, in Orlando, the biggest trade show in the U.S. devoted to mobile technology. While the show officially began today, it was clear at Monday’s preshow events that, beyond voice, it's music and text messaging that will be the “killer apps” of the foreseeable future.

Here’s a quick look at some new products that aspire to take mobile music and texting to a new level:

Texting from a different point of view. The Samsung SCH-u740 takes an intriguing approach to the cluttered keyboard problem that plagues most phones designed for texting. Its dual-hinged design integrates a full QWERTY keyboard with conventional phone controls into a relatively small package: just 3.84 in. x 2.04 in. x 0.58 in. Controls are arranged and color-coded to allow the SCH-u70 to function as a phone when you open it vertically, or as a texting device when you open it from the side; the screen is designed to automatically adjust to landscape or portrait orientation. Other SCH-u740 features include Bluetooth for wireless headsets (mono only), a MicroSD card slot for memory expansion, and a 1.3 megapixel camera, and access to Verizon’s high-speed EV-DO data network. (We’re testing the phone now and will post our findings soon.)

A music phone to flip over. A few months ago, we reported on two-faced cell phones with a media player on one side, a cell phone on the other. The idea is to avoid the confusion that arises when phone keys do double or even triple duty. This week one such phone the Samsung UpStage, makes its debut. Available from Sprint ($149 with a 2-year contract), one side of the UpStage has a smaller LCD screen and the dialing keypad for making phone calls, the other a large LCD screen and a dedicated touch-sensitive pad for music. Pushing a button on the side of the phone flips operation from one side to the other.

Unlike many of the music phones we’ve seen in the past, especially from CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint, the UpStage lets you easily transfer unprotected songs from a PC to the handset via an included USB cable. You can also sync music wirelessly via Bluetooth. Besides synching, the phone’s Bluetooth supports wireless stereo headsets, as well as a new feature called Bluetooth Caller ID. If a call comes in while you’re listening to music, Bluetooth Caller ID pauses the music and speaks the name of the caller’s name.

The UpStage is relatively thin and light, measuring just 4.07 in. x 1.73 in. x 0.37 in. and weighing just 2.57 ounces. It also includes a 1.3MP camera and camcorder, and a MicroSD card slot for up to 2GB of external memory. An optional case with a built-in battery can give the UpStage an additional 3-plus hours of talk time.

Wireless headsets with strings. Another form factor is emerging among stereo Bluetooth headsets. Departing from the “Princess Leia” earmuff designs that began appearing last year, some new models comprise earbuds that attach by wire to a Bluetooth pendant. The pendant interfaces with the phone, which can be several feet away. Manufacturers say these headsets are lighter and less cumbersome than the earmuffs. Another advantage: earbuds are easiest to remove from your ear to carry on an impromptu conversation.

One such model is the $110 Plantronics 260 Stereo Bluetooth Headset. The 260 allows users to wirelessly switch back and forth between conversations and music streaming from a Bluetooth device that’s up to 33 feet away. The 260 is claimed to be noise-isolating and able to operate up to 12 hours on a charge. It has an audio-out cable for connection to any music source that can accept a 3.5-mm jack.

Cell-phone boom box. With the rise of stereo Bluetooth capability, it’s inevitable that other accessories besides wireless headsets would emerge. Enter Altec Lansing’s T515, a wireless speaker system designed to play music streamed from any stereo Bluetooth phone that’s up to 30 feet away. A built-in microphone allows the unit to act as a hands-free extension, such as in teleconferencing. Weighing just 2 lbs., the T515 runs on either AC or 4 AAA batteries. It measures 11 in. x 7.25 in. x 3.5 in. Pricing and availability was not available at press time.

--Mike Gikas

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.