Till next year, Barcelona.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)We're all slowly making our way back to the States and back to our regular schedules now that the Mobile World Congress show has come to an end, but before we completely close the door on GSMA 2009, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what was (and wasn't) revealed at the show. After all, MWC often lays the groundwork for what we'll see in mobile space in the upcoming year.
For all intents and purposes, Microsoft provided the most news at MWC, as the company previewed the latest version of its mobile operating system and its partners unveiled upcoming devices. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was in Barcelona to deliver a keynote address on opening day, during which he showed off Windows Mobile 6.5. He also participated in a panel about openness and innovation in the mobile market.
The big news: Windows Mobile 6.5.
(Credit: Microsoft)The revamped OS brings a handful of enhancements, such as an application store, a back-up and restore service, and an improved mobile Web browser. While welcome additions, it didn't particularly move the mark on innovation and, even worse, Windows Mobile 6.5 won't be released till the second half of 2009 and by then, who knows what Microsoft's competitors will have done.
Still, we were pretty excited about some of the upcoming devices that are set to run Windows Mobile 6.5. First, LG revealed the LG-GM730 and went one step further by committing to making Windows Mobile the primary operating system for its smartphones--a promise that would increase the number of Windows phones available in 2009 tenfold.
Acer also announced its entry into the smartphone space and held a press conference to reveal not one, but eight devices to debut in 2009 (with more to be announced in Q4), all running Windows Mobile. Despite joining the Open Handset Alliance, Garmin-Asus took the wraps off its second Nuvifone model, the M20, which will run Windows Mobile (and we finally got a chance to check out the Nuvifone G60). Meanwhile, longtime Windows Mobile partner HTC introduced its next-generation devices, the HTC Touch Pro2 and the HTC Touch Diamond2. The two smartphones will actually run Windows Mobile 6.1 when they ship during Q2, but the company said they will be upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6.5.
HTC also made another announcement that stole some of the spotlight away from Microsoft. The company, along with European carrier Vodafone, debuted the Android-powered HTC Magic on the second day of the show. It's the first Android device for Vodafone. HTC plans to bring the smartphone to market by spring. The HTC Magic features a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen and trackball navigator, but doesn't have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard like the T-Mobile G1. The quad-band smartphone will offer support for Google's various applications as well as access to the Android Market, and includes a Webkit browser, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA/WCDMA (900/2100MHz), and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
The HTC Magic is the first Android phone for Vodafone.
(Credit: Andrew Lim/CNET UK)CNET U.K.'s Andrew Lim got a good hands-on look at the Magic at the show, and we also got a peek at it while visiting the HTC booth. While giving us a demo, the company representative was very clear to say that the Magic was not the T-Mobile G2, which brings up our next point. As much as the Magic was news, the general lack of Google Android announcements was also news in itself. Sure, Huawei said it plans to launch Android handsets later this year, but it's doubtful we'll see those in the States. Plus, we didn't see the T-Mobile G2. Samsung delayed its Android phones until the second half of the year. All in all, a disappointment for Android fans.
Per its usual fashion, Sony Ericsson kicked off the GSMA World Congress by holding a standing-room only (that's a hint, Sony Ericsson, to give us chairs next time) event the night before the show began. The Idou quickly emerged as one of the most talked-about devices in Barcelona. Though still a concept phone, the Idou's expansive display, attractive interface, and multimedia-heavy features look promising. Sony Ericsson will officially launch the device later this year, at which point it'll change the name, so we'll be watching. The company also unveiled a new Walkman phone, the W995, which, to our surprise, has a 3.5mm headset jack and a nifty kickstand. Also at Sony Ericsson, we had the chance to check out the C903 Cyber-shot and W395 Walkman, which Sony Ericsson launched the week before GSMA began.
In addition, Samsung unveiled four media-friendly devices of its own. The Samsung Omnia HD and Ultra Touch focus on video, while the Beat DJ and Beat Disc major in music. All of the phones offer touch screens, but the Omnia HD and Beat DJ stand out for their unique interfaces and designs. Samsung revealed a release date and pricing for T-Mobile's Samsung Memoir and showed, albeit rather carefully, its Solar-powered Blue earth phone. We could look, but not touch.
The Nokia N86 sports an 8-megapixel camera.
(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET Networks)Nokia didn't make too much of a splash, despite having one of the biggest and most crowded booths on the show floor. The Finnish company took the wraps off the new E75 and the E55. Though both are smartphones, only the E75 offers a full keyboard. Its slider design is appealing and the feature set is functional. The E55 is a bit trimmed down and it offers just a SureType-esque keyboard. Nokia also sneaked in the 8-megapixel camera-toting Nokia N86 on the second day. The Nokia 5630 Xpress Music sat next to the E55 and E75 in Nokia's booth, so we checked it out as well.
Meanwhile, Moto was almost a no-show at GSMA. It had a bright booth in a prime location, but it offered only phones we've seen before, like the bling-worthy Aura. ZTE stepped in with its own solar-powered phone, the Coral-200-Solar, and LG offered the conversation piece GD900, which offers a never-before-seen (at least to us) transparent keypad.
Overall, we'd have to say Mobile World Congress 2009 was a quieter show than last year's, but obviously, it was still chock full of news. You can catch up on all the show's news, photos, and videos in our full coverage of GSMA 2009. And don't forget, the CTIA 2009 spring show is just around the corner (April 1-3) where there will be more North America-specific news, and once again, we'll make the trek to Las Vegas to bring you all the details.
There's not lot of news from the third day of GSMA Mobile World Congress, but we did get more in-depth looks at some of the week's earlier announcements, plus a peek at a few interesting niche handsets.
Kent German and Bonnie Cha have been busy with brief, hands-on first takes of phones like the Sony Ericsson Idou, the Sony Ericsson W995, the Samsung BeatDJ, the Samsung UltraTouch, the Samsung Omnia HD, the HTC Touch Diamond 2 and HTC Touch Pro 2, and the LG Arena and LG GM-730.
Yes, this is a Hello Kitty cell phone.
(Credit: Darius Chang/CNET Asia)Our colleague from CNET Asia, Darius Chang, showed us a unique, modular NTT Docomo phone from Japan, fashion phones from Porsche and Hello Kitty, solar-powered Samsung accessories, and a few PDA-phones from I-mate. To go along with the solar-powered theme, Kent also told us of a new solar-powered phone from ZTE. Also, Verizon is once again leading the data-speed pack by saying it expects a 4G launch by later this year.
We also have a slew of First Look videos from Barcelona, so keep an eye out on our GSMA 2009 feature page for all of those and more.
Normally a cell phone headset jack doesn't get us excited, but with the Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman we couldn't help ourselves. Sure, the W995 may pale a bit when compared with the Sony Ericsson Idou, but it offers plenty of merits. Two days after Sony Ericsson unveiled the phone at the GSMA World Congress, we took it for a spin.
Overall, the W995's design is very similar to other Walkman phones. It comes in three colors--energetic red, progressive black, and cosmic silver--but we're partial to the bright red. At 3.8 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick, it casts a trim shadow, but it has a solid feeling in the hand.
The 2.6-inch display is gorgeous with sharp colors and graphics. The icon-based menu interface is unchanged from other Walkman phones, which is to say it's easy-to-use.
Its headset jack is one the W995's best features.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)The navigation array has a somewhat stylized design with a circular toggle and a central OK button that doubles as a music player control. The remaining controls--Talk and End buttons, a clear key, a shortcut control, and two soft keys--are shaped like half circles. The latter four are a bit tiny, as are the keypad buttons.
Now we're excited about the aforementioned headset jack for two reasons. Not only is it conveniently located on the top of the phone, but also it is a 3.5mm connection. It's fantastic that Sony Ericsson finally lets you use your own headset instead of being shackled with a proprietary connection.
The W995 will make you see red.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)On the spines you'll find the charger port, a Walkman shortcut, dedicated music controls, a volume rocker, the Memory Stick Micro slot, and a camera shutter. The camera lens and flash rest on the rear side next the nifty kickstand. Though the kickstand's hinge seemed a bit loose when we played with it, but we still think it's a great feature.
For a full gallery of W995 shots, check out our slide show.
Pantech Matrix Pro
(Credit: Pantech)Pantech has just announced the Pantech Matrix Pro, a dual-slider smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1. If you think Pantech Matrix sounds familiar, it's because Pantech released its non-smartphone cousin, the Pantech Matrix, a few months ago as a dual-slider messaging phone. The Matrix Pro is also Pantech's second attempt at a smartphone, after the rather sad Pantech Duo of two years ago. Also note that Pantech is the manufacturer behind the Helio Ocean and the Helio Ocean 2, which have a similar design.
Like all of its dual-slider handsets, the Matrix Pro slides up vertically to reveal a number keypad, and horizontally to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The Matrix Pro is a tad flashier than its regular cousin, with a mirror-finish exterior and sleeker design.
Of course like most smartphones, it has support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for syncing with calendars, e-mail, and contacts, plus you get support for Microsoft Office documents. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera, A-GPS with AT&T Navigator, threaded SMS messaging, a music and video player, video share calling, AT&T Mobile Music, stereo Bluetooth, and a microSD card slot that supports up to 32GB cards. The phone is GPRS/EDGE quad-band and UMTS/HSDPA tri-band.
We're still hunting down specifics on pricing and availability, but it'll likely be soon.
Update: We just heard that the Pantech Matrix Pro will be available February 24 for $179.99 with rebates and a two-year service agreement.
HTC Magic
(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CBS Interactive)Another day at GSMA winds to a close, and even though there aren't as many new devices, we did get a few important announcements.
The most exciting announcement of the day was probably about the HTC Magic, Vodafone's Android-based smartphone. It doesn't have the slide-out QWERTY keyboard of the T-Mobile G1, but it does look quite sleek. Speaking of Vodafone, we also read news of a GSM Palm Pre that may be slated for Vodafone in the near future, but unfortunately Palm's lips are sealed.
As for other manufacturers, LG announced another handset, dubbed the LG GD900, which the company says is the world's first transparent design phone. To go along with that is the LG HBM-M580 Bluetooth headset, which is just as clear and transparent. Motorola on the other hand, has almost no presence at GSMA save for the Z6w, the W161, and the W181.
Nokia N86
(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CBS Interactive)We also have hands-on slide shows of the Toshiba TG01, the Nokia N86, the Sony Ericsson C903 and W395, and the HTC Magic.
Other news from Day 2 includes Skype on Nokia phones, universal cell phone chargers (finally!), how everyone at MWC is pondering the Apple iPhone, and more.
For even more news, slide shows, and video, check out our GSMA 2009 feature page.
Yahoo Mobile
(Credit: Yahoo Mobile)At the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday, Yahoo announced a revamping and reorganization of its mobile offerings.
Beginning at the end of March, the company plans to roll out a new test version of its mobile Web start page, along with new smartphone applications that consolidate several of Yahoo's mobile services into one application.
Applications for Apple's iPhone and other smartphones will let users search the Web, and keep an eye on Web mail accounts and widgetized data. The iPhone application, which is slated to be available in late March, will roll up Yahoo's OneSearch and OnePlace services on top of the previously available OneConnect.
Smartphone users get the added benefit of voice-powered search and an integrated Opera Mini browser in a new application that will be out at the end of May.
The move is a big step forward for Yahoo, which over the past few years has segmented its mobile users with a flurry of applications that accomplished various tasks with little or no crossover. For instance, the company put out an iPhone version of OneConnect, but no other mobile services were offered for the device.
Likewise, on smartphones, users would have to install multiple applications to access all the available services. The version coming in March simply puts them all in one container.
One platform that was left off the list is Google's Android. According to SearchEngineLand, which got in touch with Yahoo about its absence, there is indeed an Android application on the way, but it will be released "later" this year, presumably after the smartphone version.
HTC Magic
(Credit: HTC)To our disappointment, there hasn't been a ton of Google Android news to come out of GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009 so far. Huawei announced on Monday that it plans to start selling Android devices later this year, but other than that we didn't see a T-Mobile G2, and Samsung already said it would not show its Android phone at the show as it has been delayed until the second half of 2009.
However, we did get one device announcement. The bad news is that it's not for the U.S. market. On Tuesday, Vodafone said it will bring the HTC Magic to market this spring--the first Google Android device for the carrier. The Magic will be a Vodafone exclusive in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and France and will be available on a nonexclusive basis in Italy.
The HTC Magic features a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen and trackball navigator, but doesn't have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard like the T-Mobile G1. The quad-band smartphone will offer various e-mail options, including Gmail (of course) and POP3 and IMAP accounts, and will support Google applications like Google Maps and Google Search. Vodafone customers will also have access to the Android Market, from where they can download more applications and games for their smartphones. Other goodies include a Webkit browser, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA/WCDMA (900/2100MHz), and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
The HTC Magic will come in multiple colors: white for United Kingdom, Spain, and France; black for Germany; and both colors for Italy. Exact release dates and pricing schemes were not announced at this time, though there was mention that the Magic would be "available for free on various price plans." Vodafone also plans to release the HTC Magic in other markets over the next few months.
GSMA Mobile World Congress
(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)Even though Monday has just come to an end here in the U.S., a brand-new day in Barcelona is just beginning. So before we hear more news from Day 2 at GSMA Mobile World Congress, here's a brief wrap-up of Day 1.
It was a big opening weekend at GSMA Mobile World Congress with Garmin announcing its whole line of Nuvifone phones before the show even began. They were the Nuvifone M20 Windows Mobile smartphone and the original Linux-based Nuvifone G60. Also, T-Mobile and Samsung announced the Samsung Memoir for the U.S. market. The 8-megapixel camera phone will be available for sale in February 25 for $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.
Sony Ericsson Idou
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)Sony Ericsson was up next in the big news department with the introduction of a multimedia wonder phone. The Sony Ericsson W995 is a Walkman handset with features like shake control and an adjustable bass level, plus an 8.1-megapixel Cybershot camera. To go along with that, Sony Ericsson also introduced Media Go, a new service for transferring media files between your computer and your Sony Ericsson phone. And even though it didn't have many other products to show, Sony Ericsson did give a sneak peek at the Idou concept phone, a multimedia all-in-one device with a 12.1-megapixel camera and a Symbian operating system.
Samsung also had a few announcements despite the lack of an Android handset. It introduced the Samsung S8300 UltraTouch, an 8-megapixel camera phone with a touch screen, the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, an HD-level improvement over the existing Omnia, the Samsung Beat DJ, an all-touch music phone with a 2.8-inch screen plus a virtual scroll wheel, and the Samsung Beat Disc, which is very similar to the Beat DJ but it uses a mix of the touch screen and the number keys for navigation--only half of the screen is touch-friendly.
HTC is set to make improvements to its Touch line of devices with the Touch Diamond2 and the Touch Pro2. Both Windows Mobile smartphones sport a slightly more refined design and a boost in screen size. Huawei announced it will be coming out with Android handsets, and LG sealed its new relationship with Microsoft Windows Mobile with the LG-GM730, a touch screen smartphone that will hopefully come out this year. We also took a sneak peek at the LG Arena with its S-Class 3D interface.
HTC Touch Diamond 2
(Credit: HTC)Nokia made several announcements as well, with the E55, which it claims to be the world's thinnest smartphone. It has a hybrid keyboard similar to the SureType keyboard on the BlackBerry Pearl. Nokia also rolled out another E-series phone, the E75, a horizontal slider with a full QWERTY keyboard. To go along with this, Nokia also announced the Ovi Application Store, following Apple and Google's example with the iPhone and Android devices. This way Nokia users will be able to download apps easily to their phone over-the-air. Nokia plans to release this for all Nokia phones in the future.
Last but not least, Acer introduced a whopping eight new smartphones, known as the Acer Tempo smartphone series. They include the Acer M900, the Acer F900, the Acer X960, and the Acer DX900, which will come to market in March and April. The rest of the line will follow later in the year.
We also covered INQ Mobile, Flash 10 coming to most smartphones next year, Xperia X1 getting Skype and CNN panels, a sneak peek at the Windows Mobile 6.5, and more.
We'll do another wrap-up of Day 2, but meanwhile why not just stay on our GSMA 2009 page and keep refreshing? We'll have more news, slide shows, and video from Barcelona all day long.
The Acer event at Casa Batllo.
(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET Networks)Weeks prior to the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009 here in Barcelona, there were plenty of rumors as to what Acer would reveal at its scheduled Monday press conference. We knew they'd be smartphones but there were varying opinions as to how many and what type. Well, all the speculation can stop now as the company finally took the wraps off the devices on Monday night.
Speaking at Antoni Gaudi's Casa Batllo, several Acer executives, including CEO and President Gianfranco Lanci, announced that the company would bring more than 10 smartphones to market in 2009 and showed off 8 devices at the event.
Acer, which is more known for its Netbooks and notebooks, said it felt the move to smartphones was a logical one. "The smartphone market is the natural direction of our long-term mobile strategy as our ambition is to offer compelling solutions to all the needs of mobile users," Lanci said.
Collectively known as the Acer Tempo smartphone series, the handsets all run Windows Mobile--the company did say there are plans for other operating systems but did not specify which ones. The Tempo series offers a broad range of devices, from the high end to the low end, and aims to reach a diverse customer base. To give you a sampling of the line, here is a breakdown of the first four devices that will come to market in March and April.
Acer M900
(Credit: Acer)Acer M900: The M900 is designed for business users and comes with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard for your messaging needs. It will run Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition and has a 3.8-inch WVGA touch screen and an embedded fingerprint scanner for security. The smartphone also includes GPS, HSDPA support, and a 5-megapixel camera.
Acer F900: Like the M900, the Acer F900 boasts a 3.8-inch WVGA touch screen but lacks a physical keyboard. The device is optimized for Web browsing and comes with Internet Explorer Mobile 6 with support for JavaScript and Adobe Flash Lite. Other highlights include a widget-based home screen, GPS, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
Acer X960: The X960 is a little more consumer-centric, combining the typical Windows Mobile smartphone features into a more cell phone-like form factor. The touch-screen phone also has a widget-based Today screen so users can have quick access to all their important information. Acer also touts the X960 as a convenient little navigation device with its built-in GPS capabilities.
Acer DX900: The DX900 is the world's first dual SIM smartphone so you can have two numbers associated with the device. Acer offered it as a solution for those who wanted to keep separate different numbers for their work and personal lives--or for globetrotters.
Other models Acer plans to release in the second half of 2009 include the Acer L1 and the Acer C1, which are entry-level devices for those making the jump from a regular cell phone to their first smartphone. These two will also be affordably priced, with the company expecting them to go for 49 euros (around $62) or less after carrier subsidies.
Acer said it is talking with service providers and will make carrier announcements in the coming months. However, the company spoke very generally about market releases and did not specifically mention the United States. Acer did say that it plans on announcing more smartphones in Q4, so this isn't the last we've heard from them.
Expect to see more Windows Mobile devices from LG, like the LG Incite.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks)Alongside the introduction of Windows Mobile 6.5, LG announced on opening day of the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009 that it will make Windows Mobile the primary operating system for its smartphones and promised to significantly increase the production and distribution of such devices in the years to come.
In addition, Microsoft and LG have committed to creating joint research and development teams to work on these phones and ensure a tight integration between hardware and software.
To show its seriousness, LG said it will increase the number of Windows phones available in 2009 tenfold and will bring up to 26 new devices in 2012 alone. This means we could see more than 50 new Windows Mobile devices from LG, thanks to this agreement.
LG only released its first Windows Mobile smartphone in the United States last year (the LG Incite), so we'd be happy just to see anything beyond that, let alone a tenfold increase. In fact, the company has already announced its second device at GSMA 2009: the LG GM730. This will be a Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone that will be released in the first half of 2009, but LG added that it plans to ship Windows Mobile 6.5 devices in the second half of the year. We're still gathering more details about the LG GM730 so check back soon for a dedicated post.
By the way, do you think this is a good move for LG? Let me know your thoughts.
