CTIA 2007 preview
Though Apple's iPhone won't be showing at CTIA, music cell phones will be a big theme in Orlando. In fact, the music focus may even outweigh a push for higher-resolution camera phones. We expect to see new music phones from Sony Ericsson, Kyocera, and Nokia and a much welcome proliferation of handsets with stereo Bluetooth. Also, rumors persist that Sprint will at long last pick up a U.S. version of the Samsung Ultra Music, which we first saw two months ago at CES. Sprint is mum on the issue, so stay tuned as we find out more. And though it's not strictly music, we also should see Verizon Wireless roll out its other V Cast TV phone, the LG VX9400. Looks do matter On the design side, thin continues to be in over two years after the Razr took the mobile world by storm. Motorola continues to knock us over the head with new RIZR, KRZR, and SLVR models. I think Moto is beginning to wear out its welcome with Razr-inspired designs, but the company shows no signs of slacking off the trend. Samsung also is suffering from a thin phone obsession; the company plans to show again the SGH-A727 that it first debuted at CES. It's also rumored that even Kyocera is getting into the slim game, though we won't know specifics until next week. The slider form factor also remains trendy and I expect to see more midrange handsets with full QWERTY keyboards.
While we'll definitely have our eye on such cell phone stalwarts as Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola we'll also be looking for phones from new and original players in the U.S. cell phone landscape. Pantech should have a gallery of new models, while telecomm giant Alcatel is arriving in Orlando ready to plant a footprint in North America. The company is partnering with a company called Cellatel to manufacture a broad line of low-end and mid-range candybar handsets. Smart phones: the next generation According to IT research firm Gartner, smart phone sales increased by a whopping 75.5 percent in 2006 and we're not in the least bit surprised. The year saw the arrival of a wide range of hot models, such as the RIM BlackBerry Pearl, Samsung BlackJack (it's equivalent model in Asia is called the Ultra Messaging i600), and Cingular 8525, that satisfied the needs of mobile professionals and caught the attention of many consumers. Will 2007 deliver the same? We think so, and CTIA is a good place to start.
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