Nokia N95: The ultimate convention swag

Not too shabby a door prize.

(Credit: Nokia)

As far as giveaways go, CTIA 2008 in Las Vegas was unremarkable. There were copious logo pens, bite-size candy bars, and the usual business card raffles that offer you a chance to win this headphone set or that laptop bag in exchange for license to spam you with product updates. I picked up a cheesy no-slip cell phone gel pad for the car dashboard from LogMeIn and a petite cup of chocolate gelato from Yahoo. CNET smartphone reviewer Bonnie Cha snagged a cute little two-inch mouse, perfect for traveling. Oh, and I also got a Nokia N95. I just didn't know it yet.

Um, about those fish bowl raffles...somehow my business card fell in (I swear, I didn't put it there), and somehow it was pulled back out. Right place, right time. Assuming there was no mix-up at the PR office, and no interception in the mail room, I would soon be the proud owner of one of the best pieces of swag a mobile apps reviewer could expect to get from a wireless conference where neither Apple nor Google effectively existed.

With a five-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, an open, app-friendly operating system, and an awesome media player, it's a pretty sweet prize, especially when it comes with a price tag in the $500 range. I mean, what could possibly be better than a Nokia N95? Oh, yeah. Being able to keep it. According to CNET's judicious policy, I'm rightly compelled to decline the win, and let some other lucky attendee have their chance. That's OK. I'd rather hold out for the Nokia N96 anyhow.