CTIA 2005 Live coverage

March 14 was the start of this year's largest wireless industry show in the US. CTIA 2005 took place in New Orleans, LA. Like last year, PhoneArena.com was there and we'll try to bring you the best coverage possible.
Unlike other years, there were not that many new phones and devices announced specially for the show. Most of the new product announcements came from 3GSM World Congress and CEBIT. Nevertheless, we still very excited to be on the show and be able to bring to the entire scoop about the latest advanced in the mobile technology.

Sony Ericsson Booth

w800
Sony Ericsson did not introduce any new phones during the CTIA show. On the other hand, we had some time to play with the w800 Walkman and the K750i phones. According to the company, the w800 is just the first device which will bear the trademark Walkman. With tentative availability scheduled for Q3 of 2005, the w800 is the first product from Sony Ericsson which is specially engineered to bring legendary Walkman performance to the wireless phone's arena. Sony Ericsson made it clear that they have no intention to enter the dedicated music arena, but with their Walkman line of products want to capture the occasional music listener and have made sure that they live up to the Walkman's expectation. The w800 is capable of holding about 30 hours of music (comes with 512 Mb of memory stick Pro Duo) or about 10-16 music CD or about 175 songs. The version we say was an early engineering prototype, and did not have the proprietary Walkman software installed. The w800 package will include also music ripping software, so the user will be able to rip their Music CD collections or convert iTunes songs to MP3 or AAC. Sony Ericsson w800 is currently not compatible with Sony's online music store called Connect, but the company plans to make the future devices Connect capable. The w800 features several dedicated music buttons for play, stop, skip track etc. If while you are listening to music voice call comes through, the music will fade out and the user will be able to take the call.
In addition to the Walkman software and experience, the w800 will feature 2.0 mega pixel digital camera with Auto Focus. Currently, there is only 900/1800/1900 version planned. The w800 is Bluetooth capable, but according to the company the current version does not support Media streaming, so you will not be able to listen the music on your Bluetooth headset, but rather will have to use a corded solution.

Sony Ericsson w800 front and rear.

K750 was announced on March 1st. The upgrade to the K700 phone, K750 is the same size, but has color screen with 262,000 (compared to the 65,000 of the K700). The camera has been upped from VGA to 2.0 mega pixel one with Auto Focus. Memory Stick expansion slot is also present in the K750. Other features are tri-band GSM operation, 32mb of internal memory, JAVA, Infrared and Radio. The phone is expected to be available Q2 2005.

Sony Ericsson K750

Sony Ericsson J300 is the only GSM phone of the four which were announced March 1, which is aimed at the North American market. The J300 is entry level model with changeable faceplates and features 65k display, 12Mb of internal memory, dual-band GSM operation (850/1900 Mhz) and 3D Java games. It should be available in Q2 of 2005.

Sony Ericsson J300

Sony Ericsson K300 is a mid-range tri-band GSM phone. A North American and European versions will be available. The main features of the K300 are 65k display, VGA camera with 10Mb of built-in memory, Music and Video players, JAVA and WAP. It is expected to be available Q2 2005 in Europe and Q3 in North America.

Sony Ericsson K300

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The first one is the K600 and it one of the smallest 3G handsets on the market. It features tri-band GSM plus UMTS capabilities. 1.3 mega pixel camera, TFT 262k display, 37 MB of shared memory are some of the goodies Sony Ericsson has included with this phone.

Sony Ericsson K600

Z800 has been available in the UK since November 2004 and has received the “Best UMTS phone 2004” from the GSM Association.  Its main features are tri-band GSM operation, video calling, MP3 player, 1.3 mega pixel camera, 176 x 220 internal display with 262k colors and 101 x 80 pixels external one.

Motorola's booth

Want to have one of those?

I'll start our Motorola coverage with the PEBL V6. I can easily say that the phone is a design masterpiece. Over-shaped with all chrome finish makes it look like it came from the next century. The V6 uses unique mechanism to facilitate the opening of the shell and according to Motorola they still have some work to do until it works flawlessly. The way you open it is by pulling the front display towards your, which activates a magnet which opens the shell. Even the mini-USB charging/accesory port is embedded into the hinge so the phone maintains its oval curves. The main features of the phone are 262k color internal display with vertical external one, EDGE data, POP3/IMAP4 email support, VGA camera, Bluetooth, WAP, JAVA and MP3 player. The PEBL V6 should be available Q2 2005.

Motorola PEBL V6

Interesting new concept is the SCREEN3 technology introduced by Motorola. It basically allows the carriers to push content to your device and display it on your home screen. The information could range from news and weather updates, location based information, RSS feeds or advertising. The information is continuously scrolling in the lower part of the phone's screen and if you find something that you want to read, you just click one key and you can read more about it.

Motorola SLVR V8 is pretty much the candy bar version of the RAZR. It features the same aluminum body and keypad as the RAZR, but adds several more features like Video capture and TransFlash memory expansion slot. Other notable features are 262k TFT display, VGA camera, EDGE data, Bluetooth, POP3 and SMTP mail support, WAP 2.0, JAVA and MP3 player. The SLVR V8 should be available Q3 2005.

Motorola SLVR V8

V280 is the cut down version of the SLVR V8. It is pretty much the same as V8 but lacks the TransFlash memory expansion and has some UI cuts. The main features are same RAZR style keypad, VGA camera, Push-to-Talk capability, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and EDGE. The V280 should be available Q2 2005.

Motorola V280

Motorola V176 is an entry level tri-band GSM phone which should retail below $100. It has clamshell design and lacks external display. The main features are 65k color display, MP3 player, JAVA and WAP. The V176 should be available Q3 2005.

Motorola V176

V235 is the same phone as the V230 which only lacks camera. The successors of the V220 feature VGA camera, 10mb of user available memory, MP3 and MPEG4 media playbacks, and EDGE data. The phones are expected to be available Q3 2005.

Motorola E815 was announced February 14th 2005. It is a dual-band CDMA device with 1.3 mega pixel camera, Bluetooth, EV-DO high speed data, TrasnFlash memory expansion, MP3 player and POP3/IMAP support. The v360 should be available Q2 2005.

Motorola E815

Motorola V560 is the successor of V550 and is capable of transferring calls from your mobile to your home service when you walk in the door. The main features of the phone are quad-band operation, VGA camera, POP3/IMAP email support and MP3 player. Should be available Q3 2005.

Motorola V557 is the update to the V551. This quad-band GSM phone features 262k display with SCREEN3 technology, EDGE data, VGA camera POP3/IMAP email support, external OLED display and MP3 player. The V557 is expected to be available Q2 2005.

Motorola V557

LG's booth

LG was one of the companies that announced new phones at the CTIA show.  During CTIA 2004 we had the chance to preview the long awaited VX-8000. If some of you remember, PhoneArena.com was the first site to report on the existence of the VX-8000. We were also the first site to report about its successor – the VX-8100. In reality the VX-8100 is just slightly smaller then the 8000, but because of its rounded curves it looks much smaller. A major addition is the presence of Bluetooth, miniSD slot and MP3 player. The phone comes with 512 MB of internal memory, which makes it an excellent choice for a MP3 player, given that you can purchase additional miniSD card and pop it in. Other notable features are EV-DO high speed data, stereo speakers, Speaker Independent Voice recognition, CMOS 1.3 mega pixel camera, internal TFT 176 x 220 display with 262k colors and external TFT with 128 x 128.
The Vx8100 will be available from Verizon Wireless.

Left - Vx8100 Right - Vx8000

LG VX8100

LG also showcased several lower end CDMA phones which should be available from SPRINT.

Starting with the vi-125 and PM-225 which are identical expect the vi-125 lacks VGA camera and external color display. The vi-125 is the update to the vi-5225 which is currently discontinued from Sprint. Unique feature of the Vi-125 is the ability to design and use avatars instead of picture called ID.

Vi-125
Pm-225

LG vi-125 (top) and PM-225 (bottom)

LG MM-535 is another CDMA device which should be available from Sprint. It features sliding design with 262k color TFT display, 1.3 mega pixel camera, voice dialing and MP3 player. Its bigger brother – the LX545 which is not yet officially announced adds also EV-DO high speed data.

LG MM-535 

LG VX-3300  is another CDMA phone announced at the CTIA. It is expected to be available from Verizon Wireless and features 65k STN display, 1xRTT data, clamshell design with 64 MB of memory.

LG Vx-3000

LG AX-4750 is CDMA clamshell phone which will be available from ALLTEL. Nothing special feature wise – external CSTN display with 128 x 128 resolutions.

Moving over to the GSM world, LG announced the dual-band F7200 phone which should be available from Cingular Wireless. The main features are sliding design, 65k color TFT display, 192 Mb of memory and Push-to-Talk technology based on Kodiak's technology. The interesting part is that all major players in the wireless industry are behind a competing standard for push-to-talk called PoC (Push-to-talk over Cellular). LG F7200 being branded for Cingular Wireless means that the carrier might be planning to switch to Kodiak's technology instead of the PoC.

LG F7200

LG A7110 is the first LG device capable of EDGE high speed data. It support tri-band operation (850/1800/1900 Mhz) and has 32 MB of embedded memory, VGA camera, voice recording, and IM. The phone will be available from Cingular in Q2 of 2005.

LG A7110

We asked the LG rep about a device which recently appeared on the FCC website under the VX-9800 model number. The existence of the headset was not declined, and we were told that it is on the road map for later this year.

We will continue to add coverage throughout the rest of the week so please check this page again soon 

Nokia booth

Nokia unveiled only three new CDMA handsets for the CTIA show. The rest of the announcements about new products were made on earlier occasions.

March 1, 2005 – 6230i, 6021, 6030
February 15, 2005 – 6680, 6682, 6101
January 05. 2005 – 6822

The first of the new handsets is the mid-range 3155 clamshell CDMA/AMPS phone. Until now, Nokia had only one other clamshell CDMA/AMPS phone which is was 6255i. With the introduction of the 3155 and 6155, Nokia is obviously viewing the CDMA clamshell market as feasible revenue generator. The primary features of the phone are 128 x 160 pixels 262k color inner display with 96x665 pixels b/w external, 12 MB of shared memory, speakerphone, JAVA/BREW capability (carrier depended). The device is scheduled to be released Q3 2005 and will be priced about $100-$150 range.

Nokia 3155

Nokia 6155 is the stepped up version of the 3155 and adds 1 mega pixel camera, color external display, 16 mb of shared memory, Push-to-Talk and is expected to be available Q4 2005. The interesting part about the 6155 is that it will ship with pre-built GPS mapping and navigational software which will be able to give you turn-by-turn direction. The price range will be about $150 to $200.

Nokia 6155

The latest phone announced during CTIA is the 2115i which is really an entry level CDMA only bar style phone with black and white display mainly aimed the pre-paid market. In the US it will be the first Nokia mobile which will be sold by Virgin Mobile and will be dubbed as “Shorty”. Its features include speakerphone, voice commands/dialing/memo, built-in flashlight and changeable covers. The 2115i is slated for released in Q2.

Nokia 2115i

We had some spare time left before your next meeting, so we went ahead and snapped some pictures of the already announced phones.

Nokia 6235i is a dual-band CDMA phone introduced in the late 2004. It should be available in the US probably sometime mid 2005.

6235i

Continuing with the already announced GSM phones, Nokia 6822 is the latest addition to the 68xx series of message oriented phones. Compared to the 6820, the 6822 is slightly smaller with camera upgraded to VGA.

Nokia 6822

Nokia 6682 is tri-band (850/1800/1900 Mhz) GSM smartphone phone similar to the 6680 but lacks the 3G (UMTS) capability. The 6681 is the European/Asian variant and supports 900 instead of the 850 Mhz. It is the first Nokia with 1.3 mega pixel camera. Additional features include Bluetooth, EDGE, runs Symbian OS version 8a, support IMAP/POP3 email and comes with RealPlayer audio/video player. This is also the first phone for the US to support the new music platform which is a product of the collaboration between Microsoft, Nokia and Loudeye.

Nokia 6682

6101 is a tri-band GSM clamshell phone and according to Nokia is the first product that is designed out of the box for operator customization. Main features are EDGE, VGA camera, and color displays.

Nokia 6101

7270 is part of Nokia's fashion series. It is a clamshell GSM phone with VGA camera, changeable snap-on textile wraps, two color screens, and IMAP/POP3 email support.

Nokia 7270

Nokia 7280 was introduced at the same event with the 7270 and is also part of the Fashion series. The only questionable thing is the usability of the device. As you can see from the pictures, it lacks keypad and only has a rotator plus four keys. Unfortunately, the lack of keypad limits the functionality of this unique device. It took about two minutes for the Nokia rep to be able to get to the SMS menu. So if you just call several people and use your phone ONLY to take/place calls and have high fashion sense, you might like it. Everyone else – forget about it.

Nokia 7280

The last photo is from the Nokia 7710. As some remember, Nokia scrapped its plans to commercially introduce its predecessor – the 7700, but at the end of 2004 some pictures sufficed and shortly after the 7710 got official FCC approval in the US. Dimension wise, it is slightly larger then the P910 and weights 6.7 oz (189 grams). It runs Series 90 UI over Symbian 7 operating system and has 80 MB of embedded memory, MMC memory expansion slot, Bluetooth and EDGE. The main reason we were shown the device it to demonstrate DVB-H technology.  DVB-H or Digital Video Broadcast – Handheld is terrestrial digital video broadcasting, which uses IP data packets to deliver the content. It, on the other hand, does not utilize a particular carrier's data services to deliver the content. The DVB-H solution we were shown was using Crown Castle's technology and spectrum (1670 Mhz). Currently the company runs a test site in Pittsburgh, PA and broadcasts about 16 different channels. By the end of the year Crown Castle is expected to expand with trial network to include New York – Manhattan. About the picture quality – even though it is supposed to be 30 fps streaming, I would say it more looked like 15 fps video. Keep in mind that those are engineering tests and by the time this technology is brought to the main public it will be most likely improved a lot.

Nokia 7710

The 7710 device does not have a native DVB-H support, so Nokia used a back cover called Nokia Streamer SU-22 which has the DVB-H antenna and allows about three hours of continuous A/V streaming time with a 1500 mAh battery. Nokia is expected to bring a Series 60 device with embedded DVB-H support sometime in 2006.

All	HDW-3	HS-4w
HS-11w	HF-6w

For it 5th birthday, Kyocera launched several new devices during the CTIA exhibit. The new flagship will be the Slider Remix KX5. It is the successor of the very successful SE47/V5 Slider. The display has been upgraded from 128 x 128 STN with 65k colors to 176 x 220 TFT with 262k colors. The dimensions have been kept pretty much the same, with the KX5 being a little bit longer. Added is 1.3 mega pixel camera with video capture and LED flash. TransFlash port is also included in addition to the 16mb of embedded memory. The KX5 will be Kyocera's first phone which could support BREW or JAVA depending on which carrier has it. MP3 and AAC music playback is also included.

Kyocera KX5 Slider

Kyocera KX9 is actually the successor SOHO / KX1 and it is designed to function mainly as to be easy to use voice-centric phone.

The phones introduced during CTIA are just about half of the devices which Kyocera will introduce this year. Expect the rest to appear sometime in middle 2005.

One of the interesting “accessories” we previewed during CTIA 2005 is the Kyocera KR1 EV-DO router. It does not have embedded EV-DO functionality, but accepts PCMCIA EV-DO cards. The bandwidth then is distributed via WI-FI or Ethernet to multiple computers.

KR1 router

K500 game pad is created in collaboration with Alienware – company best known the custom made high performance PCs. The keypad is designed to work with the new KX5 phone.

Game pad

Our last news about Kyocera is that they will supply AMP'd Mobile with low end EV-DO phones, while Motorola has been chosen to take care of the higher end. AMP'd Mobile is the first MVNO to work on Verizon's EV-DO high speed data.

UTstarcom had several new CDMA handsets to introduce during CTIA 2005, but unfortunately nothing exciting so we will not spend a lot of time here.

The 7000 series -  CDM-7000, CDM-7100 and CDM-7200 – are dual-band CDMA plus AMPS phones with clamshell design and are targeted at the entry level.

CDM-7000:

• 4k color CSTN display
• 128 Mb Flash/32 Mb SRAM memory
• 32 polyphonic ringtones
• SMS/EMS/MMS support
• built-in Speakerphone
• Voice-activated dialing

CDM-7000

CDM-7100 adds dual color screens and BREW.

• 65k CSTN (128 x 160 pixels) main display
• 4k CSTN  (96 x 64 pixels) sub-display

CDM-7100

CDM-7200 adds VGA camera with flash and optical zoom

CDM-7200

CDM-9200 is a clamshell-designed dual-band CDMA plus AMPS phone. The main features are:

• 262k color TFT main display
• 65k color STN sub-display
• built-in VGA (640x480) camera with CMOS sensor
• BREW 2.1.3
• WAP 2.0 Internet browser
• SMS/EMS/MMS support
• GPSOne
• Voice-activated dialing
  

CDM-9200

The #3 handset maker in the world did not disappoint us again. Just four days before CTIA, Samsung announced many new devices at the CEBIT show. During CTIA, the Korean company introduced four new handsets.

The biggest announcement in my opinion was the CDMA EV-DO capable SCH-A970 phone. Unfortunately I had some technical problem with my camera and I could only salvage two pictures of the A970, for which I apologize.

Samsung A970

The A970 features clamshell design with the 2.0 mega pixel camera located on the left side of the phone. The phone's display can be twisted 90 degrees in both directions, so you can hold the phone as a camcorder. In addition to the 2 mega pixels, the A970 offers 2x optical zoom. We have seen many phones with zoom, but most of them are with so called Digital Zoom which when used, worsens the picture quality. On the other hand, its optical counterpart offers real zoom without quality sacrifices. The problem with it is that it requires lens movement which usually translates in bulkier devices. Samsung has solved this problem by embedding the camera inside the flip hinge. Other features includes are Bluetooth, stereo speakers and advanced voice recognition. The phone is expected to be available Q2 of 2005. There is no official carrier announcement, but we assume it will be available from Verizon Wireless.

Samsung i730

Samsung i730 smartphone is device expected to be available from Verizon Wireless.
It was CNET finalist in “Next Big Thing” Consumer Electronics Show. I730 runs Microsoft Pocket PC Phone Edition 2003 software and supports both Bluetooth and WI-FI connectivity.

Samsung A880

Samsung A880 is one four new phones announced during CTIA. It is a small CDMA clamshell with 1.3 mega pixel camera with LED flash. It supports PictBridge for direct printing, had 3D User Interface and is expected to be available from Sprint in Q2. Unique feature of the phone is the speech-to-text software (VoiceMode) which allows you to speak your SMS messages and the software converts them into written words. The other phone with the same VoiceMode will be the P207 GSM phone.

Until now, the A890 was Samsung's most advanced speech recognition phone and features a features called QuickPhrase which allows the user to insert preprogrammed messages with voice commands

Samsung A800

Samsung i645 is the successor of i600 Microsoft Mobile for Smartphone phones. It adds 1 mega pixel camera and EV-DO high speed data.

Samsung N330

N330 features sliding out display instead of sliding keypad. It is expected to be available from Verizon Wireless in Q2. Main features include advanced voice recognition from VoiceSignal, VibeTonz software from Immersion which allows you to customize the way your phone vibrates.

We also snapped some photos of some several devices we will probably never see being introduced in the US. The first one is the Samsung s250 - the first 5 mega pixels camera phone with zoom.The device has about 92 MB of memory and can store up to 100 minutes of video.

Samsung v770

Samsung v770 is the world's first phone with 7 mega pixel camera. The camera is with CCD sensor, 3x optical and 5x digital zoom, autofocus and flash. Samsung SCH-V770 also features 16 million colors LCD display, enhanced music playback through a new digital power amplifier, MP3 player and business card reader.

Samsung v5400

Samsung v5400 is another world's first. It happens to feature 1.5 GB embedded hard drive.

Samsung E335 is tri-band GSM phone with VGA camera and dual TFT displays. Pretty much nothing unique about it – WAP, JAVA 2.0 with voice recording

Samsung X475

Samsung X475 is a dual-band entry level GSM phone which is expected to be available from T-Mobile USA. It features color internal and black&white external displays.

Samsung P207

Samsung P207 is a small tri-band (850/1800/1900) GSM phone which should be out in Q2 and available from Cingular Wireless. It also features VoiceMode technology for speaking your text messages. The internal display is 262k color TFT with 65k TFT external one. Other features include EDGE, Wireless Village Instant messaging and POP/IMAP email support.

Siemens did not announce any new phone specifically for the CTIA. On the other hand, we had to chance to view the latest phones announced during CEBIT.

Siemens A70

Starting with the entry level A series, the A70 is what phones used to be two years ago. Do not expect colors display or any fancy features. On the other hand, if you want VOICE ONLY phone with only 2.8 oz (78 grams) A70 might have some appeal to you.

Siemens A75

Moving up the ladder, A75 adds 4,096 color display, WAP, even GPRS. Still the weight is kept to 2.8 oz. The last one of the new A series is the AX75. It adds even more colors (65k), MMS, and JAVA.

Siemens CF75 is the update to the CF62/CF63 phone sold in the US by T-mobile. The new versions has slightly larger screen (from 130 x 130 to 128 x 160 pixels), and updates the external one from grayscale to 4,096 color one. Added is also support for EDGE, WAP is updated from 1.2.1 to 2.0. The phone will be available in 900/1800/1900 and 850/1800/1900 MHz versions.

Siemens CL75

Unlike the sliding CL65, the new CL75 features clamshell design with color external display. The phone is very small and rounded all around and it definitely resembles the PEBL from Motorola.

Siemens CX75

The CX75 is exactly the same phone as the M75, but lacks the resistance to water, shock and dust. The main features are 1.3 mega pixel camera, GPRS, MP3 player and 132 x 176 TFT display with 262k colors.

Latest Jabra Bluetooth headsets

Last year for some reason Jabra was not very cooperative and did not allow us to take any pictures of their upcoming Bluetooth headsets. So this year we made sure to get a clearance from a higher level and were able to get you some pictures of the latest Jabra gadgets.

Jabra BT130 Bluetooth headset

BT130 is the new entry level headset, designed for people with active lifestyle. It has 4 to 6 hours of talk time with about 110 hours of standby. Four different replaceable color plates will be available. The device will be available sometime in May.

Jabra BT350

Jabra BT350 is very similar in design to the BT130 but offers more features and has 7 hours of talk time with about 200 hours of standby plus dedicated LED indicator for Bluetooth and battery status. It also vibrates when someone calls you. The BT350 is scheduled to be released June-July 2005.

Jabra BT500

BT500 is the latest in the BT series. It still keeps pretty much the same form as the BT250 but the lines are a lot sleeker with talk time of 8 hours and 240 of standby.

Jabra JX10

Jabra JX10 is supposed to be the company's highest end headset. It was developed in cooperating with Denmark's Bang & Olufsen which is best know for its high-high end electronics. I do not know about you, put I clearly do not like that type of edgy design. Form factor wise, the headset is pretty much the same size and weight as the Bluespoon AX, manufacture red by the industry leader in small headset – Nextlink.to. It is still not clear if the final unit will have DSP embedded. The price will be around $179.

The last product from Jabra is their car/desk stand – the SP500. It features DSP technology which is supposed to enhance the sound and to clear any background noises. It will support up to 20 hours of talk time with about 480 hours of standby.