CTIA show

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.

Goodbye to Vegas (until CES that is)

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

CTIA has come and gone and as we rest our tired feet we look back at the cell phone brouhaha that was. Though the show wasn't quite as exciting as the GSMA World Congress, it still produced plenty of snazzy cell phones to behold. And to help you take it all in, we've compiled the top show news into one convenient blog. Also, check out our CTIA show floor slide show.

Samsung had a very good show. Its new Instinct for Sprint won our award for the best cell phone in Las Vegas. The iPhone competitor features a sleek touch screen interface and a boatload of features. We saw only a preproduction unit but it looks very promising. Samsung didn't have much else new to show, but we did get our hands on the Samsung SGH-G810, the Samsung Alias and the Samsung Access, which the company announced four days before CTIA began.

Cell phones forever at CTIA

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

Kyocera unveiled the most handsets of any manufacturer. New to the world are Kyocera Neo E1100, the Adreno S2400 and the Mako S4000. The company also announced it was branching out into new territory with four GSM phones for Latin America and it hosted an interesting demo of NFC technology.

Things were much quieter over at Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Nokia introduced two CDMA/AWS handsets, the Nokia 1606 and Nokia 3606, while Sony Ericsson revealed that its Sony Ericsson Z750a would land at AT&T. Yet not all was lost at the Sony Ericsson booth as we finally got the chance to take its fancy Xperia X1 for a test drive.

Motorola's main news was that its Motorola Z9 phone is coming to AT&T. After playing with it I had mixed feelings. Though it's attractive and it offers some nice features such as AT&T's new navigation service, it's also more of the same in Moto design.

Associate Editor Nicole Lee spotted a few devices at the LG booth. The company announced the LG EnV(2) for Verizon Wireless and the LG Vu for AT&T. The latter is particularly noteworthy, not only for its stunning design and touch-screen interface, but also because it joins the Samsung Access in supporting the new AT&T Mobile TV service. She also checked out ZTE's new C78 and C79. Sanyo put out a few new devices as well, namely the Pro-200 and Pro-700, both are push-to-talk phones using Sprint's QChat service. It also introduced the Katana LX, which promises to be a shinier successor to the Katana II, plus it has a translucent OLED display. UTStarcom offered a new basic handset as well--the CDM7126 is a AWS capable phone that will be available to both Cricket and MetroPCS in different designs.

As our resident Bluetooth expert Nicole also tracked down some new headsets. She tried the Motorola H690, the Sound ID H300, and the "fashionable" Plantronics Discover 925.

Things were a bit quiet in smartphones, but smartphone diva Bonnie Cha found plenty to see nonetheless. Microsoft announced the latest version of its mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.1, which features a number of enhancements to make Windows Mobile smartphones easier to set up and navigate. HTC showed off the GSM HTC Touch Dual and the new Verizon Wireless XV6900. Research in Motion made the carrier rounds with the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for T-Mobile and the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 for Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Yet the biggest smartphone news from the show is that a new player is entering the field. Velocity Mobile showed two brand new devices that it wuill release this year. Bonnie got the full scoop and she was quite stoked on what she saw.

And on the application side, Yahoo unveiled an upgrade to its OneSearch product, which CNET Download.com editor Jessica Dolcourt had the pleasure of trying it out while testing a host of other applications including Dashwire. Also, Vodafone CEO tells us something we already know--that the mobile Internet is for real and that consumers want it--not just some dumbed down version of the Web.

Every year at CTIA we dole out praise for those companies that are deserving. CNET's cream of the crop awards recognize the best of the show in four categories: best cell phone, best smartphone, best accessory, and best service. Though the 2008 CTIA wasn't the most exciting on record, we still saw some pretty cool things in Las Vegas. And without further ado, here they are.

Samsung Instinct

(Credit: Sprint)

Best cell phone: Samsung Instinct
In some ways this wasn't a tough choice because so few cell phones were officially unveiled at CTIA. But even if it was facing a more crowded field, Sprint's Samsung Instinct still would be a top choice. Sure, we just got to see a preproduction model (we'll have to wait for June to see a final version) but even now we can see it has a lot of potential. Not only does it offer a boatload of features, but also it offers a sleek design with a full touch screen and an attractive and (seemingly) easy-to-use interface. Comparisons with the iPhone are obvious, and while the Instinct can't quite match Apple's device on the design front, it offers many more features on paper. As we've said before, Sprint could have quite a hit on its hands, as long as the Instinct delivers on its promises. Oh, and in case you're keeping score, this is Samsung's second win in a row.

Velocity 103

(Credit: Velocity Mobile)

Best smartphone: Velocity Mobile
Smartphones today tend to do a lot of the same things but just vary in design, which is fine but doesn't exactly get our pulses racing, you know? This is why we're amped on a new company called Velocity Mobile, which made its debut at CTIA 2008. The smartphone manufacturer introduced two new Windows Mobile devices, the Velocity 103 and the Velocity 111, and yes, they're still Windows Mobile but what we're really digging is the company's philosophy of simplicity and ease of use. Perhaps taking a few lessons from the Apple iPhone, Velocity has come up with its own user interface to make it easier for consumers to use the smartphones right of the box. Such enhancements include more familiar icons (similar to the PC experience), more customization to fit the user's lifestyle, and cool user interaction (for example, sliding panels). Unfortunately, we weren't able to see it in action since the working units were stuck on the monorail with Velocity's CEO but we find it to be real promising and look forward to checking out the devices and software when they debut in Q2 and Q3.

Sound ID HD300

(Credit: Sound ID)

Best accessory: Sound ID HD300
There were plenty of Bluetooth headsets to look at in this year's show, but few of them came close to our clear favorite, the Sound ID HD300. We're big fans of the Sound ID SM100, so we were excited to finally see a worthy successor. The HD300 may not look like much on the outside, but it promises even better audio quality and clarity than before. Sound ID is utilizing every trick in the book to improve the sound--a NoiseNavigation technology to automatically reduce wind and background noise, a PersonalSound mode to let you choose a "personalized" listening mode, as well as automatic volume adjustment. The HD300 also takes a departure from the other Sound ID headsets with a smaller and more discreet design.

Best Service: Dashwire
Crouching over your cell phone to view photos, send text messages, and update your bookmarks isn't the most efficient use of your brain--especially if there's a computer nearby. Dashwire.com, a six-month-old visual content management service for Windows Mobile phones, continues to add excellent features for responding, sharing, adding, and interacting with your phone's contacts, media, and communications. The addition of CallWave visual voicemail and threaded text conversations are smart, useful moves.

LG Vu

(Credit: LG)

Honorable mention: LG Vu
The LG Vu was one of the most noteworthy products at CTIA this year, and it wasn't just because it's one of the first phones to carry AT&T Mobile TV, AT&T's live TV service. The true winning factor lies in its 3-inch-wide touch-screen display, which impressed us with its color, resolution, and vibrating feedback whenever keys are pressed. We also liked that we could flip the phone to landscape mode to use the virtual QWERTY keyboard. Other features we liked include the 2.0-megapixel camera, full 3G support with access to AT&T Video Share and AT&T Mobile Music, a full HTML browser, and mobile e-mail. However, we already notice a few niggling problems, like the lack of Wi-Fi for example, but the overall product still left a positive first impression.

Cell phone users might never be aware that LogMeIn Rescue+Mobile even exists, though most should be pleased it does. The remote-access app from the makers of the popular LogMeIn family (including LogMeIn Free) are back with a feature-rich tool that's custom-built for peering into broken cell phones.

I got a preview of the app at work on Symbian phones at the CTIA 2008 Wireless show in Las Vegas this week (it's already available for Windows Mobile phones). I was impressed with how well LogMeIn Rescue+Mobile organized the phone's file system for quick fixing, while also giving customers enough information about the download process and session activity to dispel qualms of letting a stranger root around the guts of their phones. Letting the users completely terminate a session is a show of good faith.

If this remote-access app sounds like a Geek Squad for mobile phones, there's good reason--LogMeIn is the power behind the Geeks' meanderings into corrupted PCs. Soon, it could be the key to a faster fix for you, and your little phone, too.

Click here to start the Smartphones CTIA 2008 slide show

It's a wrap! CTIA 2008 has come and gone and the show produced quite a number of smartphone announcements. Research in Motion unleashed a fleet of new BlackBerrys; Microsoft unveiled its latest mobile operating system; and we even saw a new entrant into the field. There was plenty more action, so take a look at all the new smartphones in this photo gallery.

(Credit: Mio Technology)

While we weren't entirely in love with the Dash Express portable navigation device (PND), it certainly set off a trend of connected GPS devices. First, Magellan announced its Maestro Elite 5340+GPRS at CES 2008 and now Mio Technology announced its plans for a connected GPS at CTIA 2008.

Partnering up with the ATX Group, an automotive telematics service provider, the two companies are developing a PND that will provide real-time content and services. With the mobile Internet connection, the GPS device will be able to provide you with weather information based on your current location or planned destination, traffic updates, and local business searches. Mio expects to ship these new connected PNDs during the second half of the year.

Plotting routes is one of Wayfinder Active's many uses.

(Credit: Wayfinder)

The full product launch of Wayfinder Active is arriving in North America just in time for seasonal outdoor pursuits. This free edition of the premium GPS phone navigation system, Wayfinder Navigator, includes goodies that are just right for outdoor enthusiasts taking their phones on a stroll, jog, hike, or geocaching expedition. There are tools for monitoring your speed, distance, and caloric burn, for mapping routes and points of interest, for pulling up a dynamic compass, and for sharing routes or stats. For solo wanderers, there's also a panic button for calling out your location to an emergency buddy.

Appropriately, Wayfinder Active is hooked to an online social community, where members can share photos, thoughts, and routes, the latter of which are auto-uploaded online using the standard GPX format. Users can also download routes to their phones from the community, and purchase topographic maps by state, province, or country.

Watching the demo was enough to make me want to run out and buy a GPS-enabled phone, or at least go on a leafy, hilly hike. Wayfinder Active is available for most GPS-enabled Java phones, with BlackBerry coming next. Get it online or point the cell phone browser to http://active.getwf.com.

Read up on all the latest cell phone and software news from CTIA Wireless 2008.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

There's no real killer app yet for retrieving listings information on your mobile phone, but there could be soon.

On Aptil 11, FreeMobile411 launches the consumer version of its carrier-offered services. Visting FreeMobile411.com from your mobile browser gets you a decent-looking ad-supported WAP site that simplifies directory search and helps you avoid long waits while listening to ads from dial-in services like 1-800-FREE-411.

Enter the search term--it can be a business name ("Blockbuster"), business type ("video store"), or person ("Bill Blockbuster"). Then select the search type, and fill in either the city or zip to search or browse listings. From there you'll have a spectrum of choices to plot on a map, get directions to, dial with a click, or use as an anchor while searching for nearby gap pumps, hotels, banks, and so on. You'll still be able to connect to the operator at the usual carrier rate, but with this useful, easily navigable app, it's doubtful you'll ever need to. P.S. It even looks decent on the RAZR!

At CTIA 2008 in Las Vegas, I took a look at LiveContacts BuddyFinder, Web app that launches on April 15.

I tried it out with a non-GPS phone, and in the process moved to Germany.

To clear a little confusion, BuddyFinder and LiveContacts are two sort-of related names for the app, which is itself the free branch of the better-known FindWhere, a Dutch company with a much more useful, robust service--tracking people down (kids, an elderly parent, a wayward spouse) through their devices. FindWhere includes lost phone recovery, emergency alerts, and notification services if the device goes outside your specified bounds.

Of course, the free BuddyFinder doesn't do all that. Instead, it installs an app to the phone (with yet another name) that utilizes either GPS or cell phone triangulation on select smartphones, and broadcasts the location to FindWhere's servers. The app's only role is to play transmitter. Buddies then see your location mapped online after every five minutes or location change. That's wonderful for plotting a route somewhere for demonstration purposes, or to prove that you actually did go to the library to study, but it's less useful if you're interested in finding a pal while you're out and about.

From the looks of it, BuddyFinder is a rather late, rather feature-slim arrival to location-based friend tracking that's similar to a lot of other services out there, including Loopt, Whereboutz, Rummble, and Whrrl, and even FindMe, which didn't impress me on all accounts, but works nonetheless.

To differentiate BuddyFinder from the competition, the press materials call the Web and cell phone app combo "the only truly free buddy finder service on the Web." I see what they're getting at, since some of the other services rely on data transfers to update your location on your phone, where BuddyFinder tracks you from your PC for free. As I mentioned, it's hard to see how being limited to the PC is a perk, even if there is no data charge. Besides, much of the audience for location-based services already subscribes to an unlimited data plan, so it's difficult to see a real detraction there.

Still, if you're seeking a geo-tracking service, there's no harm in looking at BuddyFinder. You can sign up for the beta now, or wait until April 15th for the full release.