CES 2006

Samsung, as it always does, had a slew of new phone announcements for the CES expo. Starting with the ZX10, which will be N. America's first UMTS phone to support both 850 and 1900 MHz GSM 3G frequencies. The main features include 1.3 mega pixels camera, 262k color TFT inner and black and white outer displays. The ZX10 will be one of the first phones that Cingular will launch soon for use on their new UMTS network. The other one should be the LG CU320 (check the LG section for more info about it).

Even though UMTS data speeds sound tempting, wait to see what HSDPA technology will do. The Samsung ZX20 is the first phone in the world to support HSDPA data speeds. It is visually identical to the ZX10, but also has added support for Bluetooth. Other features shared by both ZX10 and ZX20 are 1.3 mega pixels camera, microSD memory expansion and speakerphone.

Samsung D807 is another US targeted quad-band GSM slider, based on the D800 which is sold in Europe. It is only 15.4mm thin and features micoSD memory expansion, Bluetooth and 262k TFT display. The phone should be launched by Cingular in the second quarter.

Samsung T709 is a new GSM slider with its main feature being the built-in Wi-Fi. Of course the main question is why a phone of such class has Wi-Fi? The whole idea behind it is to let pass a call between a cellular and Wi-Fi network using UMA technology. Another similar phone announced in 2005 was Motorola A910. Theoretically (and hopefully in practice soon), if your house does not get good cellular coverage, you should be able to setup a Wi-Fi network and use a UMA/Wi-Fi capable phone and the Internet and still use your phone in the same way as if you are 100 feet from a cell tower.

Other features of the T709 include 1.3 mega pixels camera, 262k color display and speaker-independent voice recognition. The T709 should become available from T-mobile in Q2 2006.

Moving over to CDMA, Samsung A930 is a slim clamshell phone with music-dedicated keys on the front cover, 1.3 mega pixels camera, EVDO data and Bluetooth stereo support. The internal display is 262k TFT one, while the external is organic with 4 shades of gray. The phone should be released by Verizon Wireless.

Information about Samsung i830 CDMA phone has been available for a while, but its official introduction was done at the CES. The successor of i730 adds European (900/1800 MHz) GSM roaming capability but still runs the older Microsoft Mobile 2003 SE edition software instead of the latest WM5. The i830 also has the Wi-Fi capabilities of i730 stripped away. Even though the design of both phones is the same, Samsung managed to lower the i830's weight with almost one ounce to 5.5oz. The i830 will be available January 12th to Verizon's B2B customers.