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CTIA 2004 cream of the crop: where are they now?
By William O'Neal
(March 11, 2005)
Every year at CNET, we're required to attend a number of trade shows where manufacturers pummel us with products that they say will "revolutionize the industry." For cell phones, it's the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) show. This year, the grand event will be in New Orleans, and Kent German has made his predictions of what we'll see.
Amid the deluge of new gadgets at the show, it's up to us to separate the technological wheat (such as the PalmOne Treo 650) from the chaff (for instance, the Cingular/AT&T Ogo). With that in mind, at the 2004 CTIA in Atlanta, we chose several products in a number of categories that we believed would be big. Now, a year later, let's see how well our picks did.
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Our initial impression: "With an integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, the LG VX8000 clearly stands out from the rest. In addition to its impressive list of photo features, it also works with 3G EV-DO networks."
Our hands-on verdict: While we like the hardware (the VX8000 boasts a satisfying combination of features), we were initially disappointed in the limited availability of Verizon's EV-DO network. Before you jump onboard, make sure the service is available in your area.
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Our initial impression: "We [took] Verizon's high-speed EV-DO network for a test-drive. The service consistently came through with speeds of more than 1MB wirelessly, and we can't wait for it to come to San Francisco."
Our hands-on verdict: While V Cast (the official name of Verizon's EV-DO data service) falls short of TV-quality video, it offers plenty of eye candy and speedy Web browsing for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, though, it's still not available in many places, including San Francisco.
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Our initial impression: "Logitech's Mobile Bluetooth headset offers two impressive capabilities:
a whopping seven hours of talk time, and the Wi-Fi-friendly Adaptive Frequency Hopping--a feature that takes advantage of all available 2.4GHz frequencies to ultimately offer better transmission quality."
Our hands-on verdict: Though the headset is bulky and not terribly attractive, we found it easy to put on and comfortable to wear. It fits snugly behind the ear, and we like the large, easy-to-press buttons and the foldable boom microphone. Most important, though, sound quality is excellent.
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Business phone: Samsung i550
Our initial impression: "We think the next evolution of [the SPH-i500], the i550, for CDMA networks will be popular. The coolest enhancements include an external OLED color display that really pops, an internal touch screen, and Palm OS 5.2."
Our hands-on verdict: This February, Sprint PCS, the only carrier that had expressed an interest in the Samsung i550, announced that it won't be offering it. What does this mean to you and us? It means that Samsung has most likely discontinued it.
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Our initial impression: "[The] Nokia 7610's GSM phone features (a 1-megapixel camera and video recorder, an external 64MB MMC card for added memory, and Bluetooth, to name a few) and the company's new LifeBlog application [which lets you sync images, messages, and videos on your phone with your PC] caught our attention."
Our hands-on verdict: We had high expectations for Nokia's megapixel 7610 camera phone, but its lackluster features, awkward keypad layout, and weak camera options leave much to be desired. Also, since the implementation of LifeBlog hasn't fully arrived in the United States, we have yet to give it a whirl.
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Our initial impression: "A recurring theme at the show this year was cell phones with swivel displays...Among them, the Kyocera Koi sported the sturdiest form factor. Plus, it had pleasing details, such as the sliding cover for the 1.2-megapixel camera lens and flash."
Our hands-on verdict: Innovative design and menu interface; 1.2-megapixel camera with video; analog roaming; 16MB of memory; good call quality; speakerphone--though it's missing a few key features, Kyocera's KX2 Koi is a functional cell phone in an undeniably fun form factor.
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