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.
LG Vu
(Credit: LG)LG had a very impressive showing at CTIA this year, especially with the LG enV(2) for Verizon Wireless and the LG Vu for AT&T. The LG Vu is the star of the show, with a full 3-inch touch screen interface that makes it a great device to debut AT&T's new live TV service called AT&T Mobile TV. It has a full HTML browser, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a music player, plus 3G support and access to AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Video Share. The LG enV(2) is a slimmed down successor to the LG enV of two years ago, with a fold out QWERTY keyboard and a more streamlined design. Features on the enV(2) include a 2.0-megapixel camera, EV-DO support, access to V Cast Music and Video, stereo Bluetooth, and more. Finally, LG introduced the LX400, which is LG's first phone to support Sprint's new QChat technology that lets you use push-to-talk to communicate between CDMA and iDEN devices via Nextel's Direct Connect. Check all these phones out here in our LG slide show.
Phew! Day 1 of CTIA 2008 is in the bag, and as usual, the opening day provided plenty of action. Here are some of the highlights of the day.
Samsung was certainly a show stopper as it revealed its Samsung Instinct, an iPhone competitor that features a sleek touch screen interface and a boatload of features. Senior Editor Kent German has all the details for you and says it look promising. Kent also got some hands-on time with AT&T's new Motorola Z9, which left him with some mixed feelings. And Kyocera kept busy as it announced a whole fleet of new cell phones, including the very sexy Neo E1100. Check out our Kyocera slide show to see all the new handsets.
Meanwhile, Associate Editor Nicole Lee found plenty to look at the LG booth as 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 supports the new AT&T Mobile TV service. Being our resident Bluetooth headset goddess, Nicole also got a chance to out some of the latest models, including the Motorola H690, the Sound ID H300, and the "fashionable" Plantronics Discover 925.
Last but not least, in the land of smartphones, there were several key announcements. First, 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. You can expect carriers and device manufacturers to roll out upgrades pretty soon. In fact, HTC revealed at the show that it will offer the GSM HTC Touch Dual in the United States with Windows Mobile 6.1 and 3G support. Verizon Wireless also snagged its own HTC Touch, dubbed the Verizon Wireless XV6900. Research in Motion shared the love with several carriers as it released the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for T-Mobile and the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 for Verizon Wireless and Sprint.
Now, these were just some of the highlights, and as you can tell, there's plenty to see here at CTIA 2008. We'll be back at it on Day 2, bringing you all the latest news and products via blogs, photos, and videos, so keep it dialed in here--same bat channel, same bat place.
Soon after we heard the announcement of the LG Vu, we rushed over to the LG booth to take a look at it live and in person. The screen is indeed impressive--it measures 3.0-inch diagonally and displays 262,000 colors, and has a touch vibrating feedback (or haptic feedback) similar to that on the LG Glimmer and the LG Voyager. Its menu interface is almost identical to that of those phones as well. The four shortcut icons on the bottom of the standby page correspond to the main menu, AT&T Mobile TV, the contacts list, plus the on-screen dialpad.
LG Vu's on-screen QWERTY keyboard
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)The device itself measures 4.25 inches by 2.16 inches by 0.51 inch and weighs around 3.16 ounces, which is a bit more lightweight than we thought it would be. It even feels that way, due to its plastic yet glossy black casing. Using the phone was quite intuitive, and we especially liked the phone's texting interface. You can either text via the aforementioned onscreen dialpad, or a cool onscreen QWERTY keyboard laid out in landscape mode. The individual keys on the keyboard even magnify when pressed, ala the one on the iPhone. It's a bit of a copycat move, but we like it all the same, even more so with the vibrating feedback.
LG Vu showing the Tonight Show
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)Features, as you know, include access to AT&T Video Share and AT&T Mobile Music, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a MP3 player, plus mobile email support. We have to say, we were very pleased with the performance of AT&T Mobile TV. It's really fast--as soon as we hit the TV button, we were watching a show. The channel guide is easy on the eyes, and is simple to navigate. The video quality was rather mediocre though; a little like watching terrestrial TV. But it's good enough for on-the-go watching I think.
LG Vu's AT&T Mobile TV channel guide
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)We only had a few short minutes with it, so we won't have the full on scoop for you for a month or so yet. Watch out for it around May when the Vu will debut at the same time as the Mobile TV service.
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LG Vu
(Credit: LG)At long last, the LG Vu is finally official. Yes, the touch-screen phone that was behind glass at CES is out in the open here at CTIA, and indeed, it will be one of the first two devices (aside from the Samsung Access) to support AT&T Mobile TV, AT&T's new live TV service.
It is all we expected it would be--a sleek and sexy handset boasting a 3-inch wide display. As a 3G phone, it also supports AT&T's other broadband offerings like AT&T Video Share and AT&T Mobile Music.
Other features include a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, instant messaging, a HTML Web browser, and stereo Bluetooth. It'll be available starting in May 2008, but we don't know pricing yet.
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