CTIA show

Welcome to CTIA

(Credit: Kent German/CNET)

The best place at any trade show is your departure gate at the airport. While events like CTIA certainly can be interesting, and even fun, they're also a lot of work. What's more, I don't enjoy being away from my family, my friends, and my own couch. Yet, even with those caveats I can always count on CTIA, CES, and the GSMA World Congress to teach me lessons about what's happening in the cell phone world. Even when the show is relatively quiet, as CES 2009 was, I wind up learning something.

Times are tough
Even before the CNET crew arrived in Las Vegas we knew that CTIA wouldn't be too lively. Such was the case at both CES and GSMA, so we couldn't imagine that CTIA would be different. As I said in my CTIA wrap-up, the economy is a likely factor, but CTIA also has the unfortunate position of following two events with worldwide profiles.

About as busy as it got

(Credit: Kent German/CNET)

As expected, attendance was down by a noticeable amount. I don't have figures to back me up right now, but there were plenty of telling signs that fewer people made the trip to Vegas. For instance, I didn't have to wait in line to get lunch and at times you could go bowling down the convention floor aisles. More importantly, while horrendous taxi lines are very common at McCarran Airport, I waited only a few minutes. I seriously think that the length of the Vegas airport cab line should be a new economic indicator.

News at the show was also pretty light. In its usual fashion, Samsung made the strongest showing with LG and Kyocera following closely behind. Yet, the total numbers of new phones introduced was far smaller than in previous years, and we didn't hear any hot tidbits around high-profile items like the Palm Pre or the Google Android OS. Moto, Nokia, and HTC had just one major announcement each, and Sony Ericsson had none. Sony Ericsson even shared a booth with parent company Ericsson, a sure sign that it the company is laying low.... Read more

LAS VEGAS--Former Vice President Al Gore sought to link the democratic effects of information sharing with the growth of the wireless industry as the solution to all of life's problems.

Well, perhaps not all of life's problems. But in his address to CTIA 2009 attendees on the final day of the show, Gore made the case that previous revolutions in communications technology--such as the printing press and the radio--have dramatically improved access to information that has made the world more scientifically advanced and productive, and that modern wireless technology is capable of doing the same thing over time.

Former Vice President Al Gore also gave a keynote address at the Web 2.0 Summit in November.

(Credit: Dan Farber/CNET)

"Information is the dominant strategic resource of the economy in the 21st century," Gore said, drawing an analogy to the 1970s and the strain put on the economy by the dramatic rise in the price of oil. Information, on the other hand, has become cheaper and cheaper, with advances in processing power and wireless networking saving businesses untold amounts of money and giving average people a wealth of information at their fingertips.

Gore's hour-long speech touched on many of his usual themes about the environment, which won him the Nobel Prize in 2007. He also called on attendees to focus less on short-term business concerns and more on making the kinds of investments that will pay off in the long run at the expense of a short-term hit, such as adopting energy-efficient technologies.

Wireless technologies can be used to help monitor the health of the planet, he said, pointing to disappearing polar ice caps and rising temperatures. He also made sure to make several references to how wireless devices--namely the iPhone, produced by the company he oversees as a member of Apple's board of directors--have transformed the political process, allowing President Obama to tap a decentralized network of contributors to his successful campaign last year.

Gore's speech was originally supposed to be closed to the press, but he apparently changed his mind a few weeks ago. He did not allow photographs to be taken at the event, however.

Gore also declined to take any questions or address mounting concerns surrounding two journalists for his Current TV venture. American reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee are being detained in North Korea and are set to be tried for allegedly conspiring to perpetrate hostile acts against the Communist state.

As CTIA comes to a close, we pause to select the best products from the show. The scene in Las Vegas was much quieter than in past years, and it lacked any high-profile announcements like the Palm Pre. But, there were a few products that deserve recognition as the Cream of the Crop from CTIA 2009.

Best phone: Samsung Impression

(Credit: Kent German/CNET)

For the third year in a row, Samsung takes the title of the best phone in CTIA. While the Samsung Impression can't quite compete with the hype of last year's Instinct or 2007's Upstage, it is the most practical of the three. And in a year where messaging phones were all the rage, it stands out in a crowded field as the one of the best-designed messaging phones we've seen in a while.

The keyboard is spacious and tactile, and while the handset isn't quite sexy, it has a pleasant, minimalist shape that feels nice in the hand. Yet the Impression's biggest draw is its gorgeous active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display. As Samsung promised, the display is positively brilliant with bright colors and vibrant graphics. Features are decent, even if they're not groundbreaking.

Inside you'll find a 3-megapixel camera, a full HTML browser, Bluetooth, Samsung's TouchWiz interface, 3G support with access to Cellular Video and AT&T Music, a personal organizer, AT&T Navigator, and a speakerphone. No, that won't knock your socks off; in fact, you might even see it as somewhat boring. But as we said before, the Impression's story is more about functional features and an intuitive design rather than flash and glam. And at a very quiet show, it deserves its prize. The Impression will be out soon with AT&T; we should have a review shortly.

For more on the Impression, see our photo gallery and video.

Best smartphone: HTC Snap

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET)

Aside from rising importance of applications, the other theme of CTIA 2009 was messaging. We saw a slew of new messaging devices debut at the show, and it extended to smartphones. While the Nokia E71x and Samsung Propel Pro were nice additions to AT&T's lineup, the HTC Snap stood out for its Inner Circle feature.

With a simple press of a button, Inner Circle brings e-mails from a preselected group of people to the top of your in-box so you can read and reply to them immediately. The capability isn't the wave of the future, but it does help prioritize your e-mails based on your preferences.

In addition, HTC, once again did a nice job on the design. The Snap is a beautifully constructed and sleek smartphone. The QWERTY keyboard also features good-size buttons for easy messaging. Finally, don't be fooled by its diminutive size, as it's packed with features, including Windows Mobile 6.1, push e-mail, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, and a 2-megapixel camera. We look forward to checking out the U.S. version of the Snap, the HTC S522, when it's released in the summer.

Thursday I told you about the launch of Zer01, a new VoIP carrier. At the time, however, information was slim since the carrier's Web site was out of service, which isn't a great sign. But it's back up and running now, and I got a chance to meet with CEO Benjamin Piilani at CTIA.

First on my list was to ask how the carrier isn't a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), even though it depends on major wireless carriers to operate its services. As Piilani explained it, while MVNOs buy capacity from a carrier and resell it later, Zer01 has its own IP backbone and only uses carrier networks to interconnect or roam.

As I mentioned in my previous post, starting July 1 Zer01 will offer unlimited voice, data and messaging for $69.95. According to Piilani, unlimited will mean just that--you'll even be able to use Zer01 devices for laptop tethering. The price includes all takes and fees less a $30 activation fee. Zer01 will not require a contract or credit check.

Use the HTC Touch Diamond with Zer01.

If it foes live, the $69 price would be cheaper than major carriers. Only T-Mobile charges a bit less with an unlimited plan of $85 per month. The service will be nationwide, though Piilani acknowledged that like a standard wireless carrier, coverage will not be perfect everywhere.

All Zer01 services operate as data, which means that you won't be interacting with a standard cellular network. Also, each Zer01 device gets a fixed IP address and it opens a separate VPN session to the company's servers when placing calls or using data.

Partner carriers will get a share of Zer01's revenues, though Piilani declined to give details on the carriers and the revenue split. Zer01's services will work across the entire GSM spectrum including GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA.

At present, Zer01 supports only Windows Mobile smartphones, but it promises to support more operating systems in the future. Also, while it has just five devices in its lineup for now--the Pharos Traveler 117, the Pharos Traveler 127, the HTV TyTN II (aka the HTC Kaiser), the HTC Touch, and the HTC Touch Diamond, you can use your own unlocked smartphone if you wish. All that's needed is a Zer01 SIM card.

After a second pass, I have to admit that Zer01 certainly sounds intriguing. I still wonder how exactly they're going to pull it off, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

LAS VEGAS--Wireless operator Clearwire is offering application developers in Silicon Valley free access to its 4G wireless network in the hopes that they will come up with cool applications for the new service.

Ben Wolff, co-chairman of the company, announced the new WiMax Innovation Network during a speech at the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show here on Thursday.

The network will cover more than 20 square miles in the heart of Silicon Valley and will bring 4G wireless service to campuses of big technology companies, such as Google and Intel. Service is expected to be available to developers by late summer of this year. The company is offering the service free to developers for a year, but developers will have to pay $49.99 to buy a WiMax USB modem. To qualify, developers must register for Clearwire's developer program and describe the products or business ideas they wish to pursue.

"This is not a lab in some tall building," Wolff said during his speech. "This is a 20-square-mile sandbox that will give people the ability to really innovate."

Wolff added that the company decided to open the network up to developers because executives recognize the need for new applications to drive demand for its service.

"We know we need killer applications for our network," he said. "And we know we aren't the folks to build the best applications. That's not our core competency. So we are encouraging third parties to take advantage of our network."

Clearwire is building a nationwide wireless broadband network using a technology called WiMax. Late last year, it merged its wireless assets with spectrum from Sprint Nextel. And it has received billions of dollars in investment from Google, Intel, Comcast, and Time Warner.

The company currently offers service in two cities: Baltimore and Portland, Ore. And it's announced 10 more markets for later this year. By the end of 2010, the company plans to have service in over 80 markets with access to more than 120 million.

Microsoft's Robbie Bach (left) and Gian Wilson demonstrate how Windows 7 offers built-in software for connecting to 3G wireless networks.

(Credit: Maggie Reardon/CNET)

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft had little new to say about its Windows Mobile phones at CTIA 2009, but reinforced its intention to play in all the future arenas of personal computing.

Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, ran through essentially the same news that his boss, CEO Steve Ballmer, presented about six weeks ago during the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain. The company demonstrated how Windows 7 has built-in software for connecting to 3G wireless networks, showed off some of the features of Windows Mobile 6.5, and played a quick video highlighting its mobile application store, Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

The demonstrations were all geared around Bach's central theme of the "three screens": the PC, the television, and the mobile phone. Microsoft intends to make sure Windows is able to give people access to their personal data, information, and services on all three of those screens.

Microsoft spent as much time showing off how HP's Mini 1000 Netbook is capable of connecting to 3G wireless networks with software built into Windows 7 as it did demonstrating Windows Mobile 6.5, and barely mentioned Windows Marketplace for Mobile during a week when mobile application stores are a big topic.

But Bach promised that Windows Mobile phones will be the subject of Microsoft's next big advertising push, and said the company's partners will have 10 phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 ready when that operating system arrives in the second half of this year.

Though other carriers may be consolidating, a new wireless provider made its official debut at CTIA. Zer01 Mobile (yes, that actually is a zero in the name) promises a $69.95-per-month plan for unlimited voice and data service without a contract.

The service, which will launch July 1, will be entirely VoIP-based. Zer01 Mobile Virtual says it's not a Mobile Network Operator (MVNO), but it will be relying on other carriers to support the service. How that's not an MVNO, we're not quite sure.

Zer01 will only support Windows Mobile smartphones. Unfortunately, we're not certain which specific handsets will be available with the service. At the time of this writing, Zer01's Web site was down (not a good sign), but we'll check out the company's booth later today.

LAS VEGAS--Full-length TV shows are coming to BlackBerry devices as QuickPlay Media has announced it will offer a new TV download service for the smartphones via the just new Research In Motion applications store.

BkackBerry Bold

(Credit: Research In Motion)

QuickPlay is one of the first companies to offer an application through RIM's BlackBerry App World virtual store. RIM announced the new applications store Wednesday morning. And co-CEO Mike Lazaridis is expected to show off the new storefront during his keynote speech Wednesday here at the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show.

The QuickPlay video service called Primetime2Go will cost $7.99 a month. It will provide full episodes of popular TV shows from several TV networks including NBC, MTV Networks, CBS, and the CW. (CNET News is owned by CBS.)

As previously reported, the service will only download shows over a Wi-Fi connection. And currently the service will only be available on the BlackBerry Bold, which is sold by AT&T and the BlackBerry Curve 8900, which is sold by T-Mobile USA. The service will likely be available on future BlackBerry devices that also run the company's latest version of its operating system, Mark Hyland, vice president of marketing said.

The only other requirement for the service is that users must have an SD memory card for the phone. The Bold comes with a 2GB card and the 8900 has a 1 GB card, which Hyland said can provide about five hours of recording time.

For now the TV shows that are downloaded will not have advertisements in them. But Hyland said this may change as the service evolves.

There are already several mobile TV services available for phones. Apple's iTunes store delivers full-length TV shows. But users must pay on a per-show basis instead of a subscription. Qualcomm's MediaFlo offers live TV programming. And MobiTV, which is available through a variety of operators, delivers a mix of full-length TV shows, live programming, and made for mobile video. MobiTV has developed a special application for business users that tailors business news and information and is available on the BlackBerry Bold. It will soon be offered on other BlackBerry handsets such as the BlackBerry Storm.

Even though there is no shortage of options for watching TV on phones, the service has been slow to take off. But experts believe that mobile TV is on the rise and will grow over the next few years. Of course, the economic downturn could affect adoption. Hyland said his company is conscientious about consumers looking for value.

"Of course we understand there is concern over the economy," he said. "That's why we priced it at $7.99. So for the cost of two lattes in a month people can have access to great programming. And we think that's a good value."

Careful, Yahoo Mobile for Web can grow longer than your arm.

(Credit: Yahoo)

Yahoo let loose at CTIA 2009 with a redesigned Yahoo Mobile experience for the Web and iPhone--available beginning Wednesday--and a sneak peek at a version for Java smartphones.

Yahoo has combined all the organizational elements it has been working on separately during the past year and a half or so to bring OneSearch, OnePlace, and OneConnect together in a single application. It's a throwback to Yahoo's beginnings as an Internet portal, but with a twist--and it works, though not without drawbacks.

Most intriguing is Yahoo's completely divergent similar experiences for the Web and iPhone versus the build for Java smartphones. The former invoke a classic Yahoo design, and the latter splinters off into widget land with a brand-new dashboard. Read below for the full details, or check out photos in our gallery: Yahoo Mobile steps into the light.

Yahoo Mobile's Web makeover
Yahoo's completely redesigned mobile hub on the Web is a tall, scrollable mashup of search, news, e-mail, social networking, finance, weather, sports scores, and any other RSS feed you'd want to add. At the very top is Yahoo OneSearch, which keys in your location using GPS or cell tower triangulation to make your text searches start faster. Below the search bar is a condensed feature section (Today on Yahoo) that emphasizes images.

Below that is an option to expand all Yahoo services, which gives you a portal-style list of everything from the Yahoo calendar to Flickr to movie showtimes. Back in the main screen, Yahoo OneConnect lets you add Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL e-mail in-boxes, Facebook and Twitter feeds, instant-messaging applications, and Yahoo's calendar and address book.

Further south, the area for Yahoo OnePlace will let you monitor RSS feeds for weather, finance, stocks, bookmarks, sports scores, and any other RSS link you'd like to add.

Now here's the bad part: Yahoo Mobile is infinitely customizable, which means that it's infinitely scrollable--the more services you add, the taller the app. While this is less of a problem on the iPhone, whose finger-flicking navigation rapidly scrolls up and down, it will take more time (and patience) on other devices. Although you can easily edit each section, the link to manage accounts from within each silo can easily get lost.

The ability to flip between screens for these various functions makes the iPhone app smoother and less cluttered, though the individual pages can still get long if you add numerous RSS feeds.

Trying to be too many things to too many people has been Yahoo's Achilles' heel for a long time, beginning with the Yahoo Go application that, though excellent and thorough, took too many brain cells for unfettered use.

The theme continued with Yahoo's series of separate apps for different mobile platforms that felt more like experiments than a mobile solution--Yahoo OneSearch with voice, OnePlace, and OneConnect. The retooled Yahoo Mobile unifies them all in a good-looking, intuitive structure whose whole is worth far more than the sum of its parts, even if it has the potential for creating a foot-long application.

Yahoo Mobile for Java phones
Yahoo's new native application for Java phones may be the same genus as the Web portal, but it's a completely different beast. Yahoo Mobile for smartphones has a few more enhancements, including voice search (powered by Vlingo) and an underlying Opera Mini browser. (See an image in our gallery.)

The app will take on a dashboard feel, with the search bar on top and widgets tiled below. The widgets will include services like Facebook and a socially intelligent address book that integrates e-mail history, SMS, IM, and calling.

There will also be a mapping app, and plenty of ways to personalize by adding your own widgets. It certainly looked easy to use when we played with in during our demo, but the one question in our minds is whether people will want a second dashboard on their phones to access their contacts, calendars, social networks, e-mail, and so on.

Answers to these questions will become clearer when Yahoo Mobile for Smartphones becomes available sometime in May.

Yahoo Mobile steps into the light--photos