CTIA show

Palm Pre at CTIA 2009--photos

While we didn't get the release date or pricing of the Palm Pre at CTIA 2009, we did learn a few new things about the smartphone, which is better than nothing, we suppose.

Fandango on the Palm Pre

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET)

The first bit of news actually came out of the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco where Palm announced that it's ready to release the Mojo SDK to developers so they can create apps for the Pre and Palm WebOS.

Back here in Las Vegas, Sprint and Palm hosted a VIP Lounge where invitees could kick back and check out the Pre in a more intimate setting, away from the masses. I stopped by the lounge, and we were disappointed to learn that there's still a "look, but don't touch" policy (more on this later), but we were happy to see that they were demoing a number of third-party apps on the smartphone, which we really haven't seen before.

The first app I saw was Fandango. The movie ticket site was announced as a partner back when the Pre made its debut at CES 2009, but we finally got to see how it would work on the smartphone, and I've got to say, it's pretty sleek. You can view trailers, check show times, and buy tickets through the Fandango app. If you buy tickets, the Pre will even create a calendar entry to remind you about the show.

Next up was FlightView. This is a real-time flight-tracking app that's designed to make it easier for you to know the status of a friend's or family member's flight. It lets you view in-air maps, receive status notifications, and also offers Calendar integration. FlightView will also use the smartphone's GPS to find the nearest airport to your location

Perhaps the most exciting app for me was Pandora. I love music, and Pandora's introduced me to some great new artists, so it's wonderful to see the integration of the Internet radio service on the Pre. Even better, you can run Pandora in the background while using other applications and without having to go back to the dedicated app, you can use the notification bar along the bottom of the screen to check out what's currently playing and perform some basic functions (e.g., stop/pause, next track).

Last but not least, we got to see a couple of Sprint's services demoed on the Pre, namely Sprint TV and Nascar Sprint Mobile app. The latter lets you get live race audio, keep tabs on your favorite drivers, and receive alerts on their latest results, and so forth. Sprint TV, of course, allows you to access to programming from a variety of channels, including CNN, Comedy Central, Sprint Exclusive Entertainment. The video playback on Sprint TV wasn't all that great. Picture quality was choppy and at one point, there was a couple-second stall in playback. However, to be fair, we've seen this on other Sprint TV-enabled smartphones and cell phones.

In general, I was impressed with what I saw. There were, of course, some hiccups, but everything's still in beta stage and I understand there are issues to be resolved, so I'm not going to pass final judgment. The bigger picture is that the smartphone offers great multi-tasking capabilities, and this is where I think the Palm Pre trumps the iPhone. Being able to run and interact with Pandora while working in another application is just a great example of the Pre's multitasking capabilities. Well played, Palm, well played. Check out photos of the apps and more beauty shots of the Palm Pre above.

(Credit: Sprint)

Sprint has made it official that it plans to release a red version of its LG Lotus messaging phone. It will have the same textured design as the purple version, and will have the same features as well.

Features include a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, EV-DO, a music player, and more. Of course, you also get the same QWERTY keyboard and nice 2.4-inch display. We don't yet know when it'll be released, but it'll likely be about the same price of the current LG Lotus, which is about $100 after a two-year service agreement.

(Credit: Boy Genius Report)

AT&T and T-Mobile customers have gotten their fix of BlackBerry goodness with the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve 8900, respectively, but Verizon Wireless and Sprint subscribers are wondering when they'll get that same kind of QWERTY love. Well, we can't say when it'll happen but it looks like the love will come in the form of the RIM BlackBerry 9630 aka BlackBerry Niagara.

The Boy Genius Report managed to snag an early (not final) version of the dual-mode (CDMA/GSM) BlackBerry 9630 and posted some initial thoughts about the smartphone. In the report, BGR states that it's "probably the best phone we've ever used" in terms of call quality. He also likens the BlackBerry hardware to the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Bold, with a high-resolution display (480x360 pixels) and a QWERTY keyboard that's "just right." The big disappointment? No Wi-Fi.

At the end, BGR said that he's "pretty confident" that the 9630 will head to Verizon first. We can't say for sure if this is true; we haven't heard anything official from RIM or Verizon. However, if this is the case, we're pretty confident in saying that Sprint will get its own version. The big question in both cases is when. The 2009 CTIA spring show is just a few days away though (April 1-3), so hopefully we'll get more information there.

The Motorola i365 is a beast of a phone.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

Last week, Motorola announced the new i365 for Sprint Nextel, and Wednesday at CTIA Fall 2008 Sprint showed the phone off to the world. We can only say that it's a Nextel phone through and through. It's big, bulky, and built to last. It even has the external antenna that so many other cell phones have ditched.

Features are about what you'd expect from an iDEN phone. Goodies include, support for the Direct Connect push-to-talk network, Nextel's second line feature, Bluetooth, and GPS. As we said before, iDEN is in no danger of disappearing. The i365 and the Motorola i576 are two of four new iDEN phones that Sprint Nextel is promising before the end of the year.

The Samsung Highnote is a new Sprint music phone.

(Credit: Sprint)

Sprint grabbed more than its share of headlines Wednesday when it introduced six new phones on the first day of the CTIA Fall 2008 show. Smartphone fans can pick up the Sprint versions of the HTC Touch Diamond and the HTC Touch Pro, music lovers can try out the Samsung Highnote, messaging addicts can text away on the Samsung Rant and the LG Lotus, and Nextel loyalists can use the Motorola i576.

On the whole, it's a nice assortment of models that touches all corners of the market. Bonnie Cha will feature the HTC devices in her forthcoming CTIA smartphone photo gallery, but we've wrapped up the remaining handsets in our CTIA Sprint photo gallery. Take a look to see them in all their glory.

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8350i

(Credit: Sprint)

Along with a number of other handset announcements, Sprint and Research in Motion introduced the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8350i at CTIA Fall 2008 on Wednesday. This should be particularly sweet news for Nextel Direct Connect users, who haven't seen a new BlackBerry model since the RIM BlackBerry 7100i, which was introduced back in 2006.

There's plenty more good news. In addition to supporting the iDEN network for use with Direct Connect and Group Connect push-to-talk services, the BlackBerry Curve 8350i also features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and GPS. The smartphone will run the latest BlackBerry OS 4.6 and features DataViz Documents to Go, an improved media player, a 2-megapixel camera with video capabilities, and a microSD expansion slot.

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8350i is slightly bigger than the other Curve models. You do get a full QWERTY keyboard, a 65,000-color, 320x240 pixel resolution display, and a 1,400mAh lithium-ion battery, which is the largest capacity cell that RIM offers to date.

Neither Sprint nor RIM revealed pricing or an exact release date, but the Curve 8350i is expected to be available by the end of the year.

SAN FRANCISCO--The wireless Web has prompted mobile operators to change their tune about open networks, but don't expect the mobile market to be as open as the PC Internet anytime soon.

From left to right: Steve Largent, CEO of CTIA; Robert Dotson, CEO of T-Mobile USA; Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel; and Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon Wireless

(Credit: Marguerite Reardon/CNET News)

CEOs from three of the big four wireless operators in the U.S. took the stage during a keynote panel at the CTIA Fall 2008 trade show here Wednesday to discuss what they envision for open cell phone networks. While Robert Dotson of T-Mobile USA, Dan Hesse of Sprint Nextel, and Lowell McAdam of Verizon Wireless all agree on the importance of opening their networks to developers and allowing subscribers to access the mobile Internet freely, the executives still say mobile operators need to have some control over which devices come on their network.

"If you look at unfettered access on the network, all of us would agree that it's a pretty poor experience for users," T-Mobile's Dotson said. "There needs to be some stewardship or control."

T-Mobile is expected to be the first carrier to launch later this month a phone using Google's open-source operating system, Android.

Dotson further explained that as a GSM carrier, open access for devices has existed on T-Mobile's network from day one. People can buy unlocked phones and simply put in their T-Mobile SIM card for service. But he said there were advantages and disadvantages to this freedom, noting that customers who bring their own unlocked devices to the network have a "less than good experience."

"If you don't optimize the phone to make sure there is network integration when you send an MMS or e-mail it might not work well," he said. "Even though on the outside (an open device network) looks enticing, there still needs to be a minimum level of control to safeguard security and privacy."

Verizon Wireless' McAdam agreed. The company launched its Open Network Initiative almost a year ago. But even though the network is supposed to be open to any device, what Verizon is really doing is speeding up the certification process for device makers and application developers. McAdam showed off the first cell phone that is a product of the initiative, a $69 phone from prepaid service provider AirVoice. He said the device is commercially available, but he didn't elaborate on availability on the Verizon Wireless network or the pricing of the service.

McAdam emphasized that Verizon's open strategy, at least toward developers, means that the operator can bring more innovative devices, applications, and services to consumers much faster.

"There is an innovation tidal wave occurring right now," he said. "People making applications for the desktop want to move to mobile phones. We couldn't handle all that innovation into our business, so opening the doors, and still protecting the network, is the only way we have to this."

Sprint's Hesse admitted his company is still working on providing more openness for devices. But he said Sprint has a new speedier device authorization program under way for its 3G, or third-generation, network, noting that the operator is providing service for devices like Amazon.com's Kindle. He also said that Sprint is working on an open platform for application developers.

He said true openness will come with the company's new 4G WiMax network, which it is building with Clearwire.

"From a device perspective, we still have a ways to go," he said. "Really 4G and the embedded chip model for WiMax will allow people to bring whatever device, a laptop, camera or whatever to the network."

But Verizon's McAdam pointed out that offering more device openness will also mean higher prices for consumers.

"We've conditioned customers by putting very expensive computers in their hands for very few dollars," he said. "And now we're giving them the option to walk into a store in an open environment and pay more for a device. It will be a big transition."

That's why McAdam predicts that only 20 percent of customers will rapidly adopt the open model versus consumers who would rather take the phone subsidy in exchange for a contract. If Verizon and others can provide a decent experience on a more open network, more will follow, he said.

T-Mobile's Dotson agreed and said he expects the majority of T-Mobile's customers to buy traditionally integrated mobile devices.

"The BlackBerry is not an open platform," he said. "But it has a phenomenal e-mail experience. And there will continue to be a role for that seamless hardware integration that provides a great experience and richness."

But John Stanton, who founded Voicestream and Western Wireless, cautioned these CEOs in a later panel discussion with Craig McCaw, the current chairman of Clearwire and founder of McCaw Cellular Communications, that moving too far toward an open network will commoditize the wireless industry and significantly drive down profits. He said that operators need to focus on developing innovative services themselves. And they need to own content instead of letting others like Google or Yahoo do it for them.

"When you become a pure access provider in a saturated market, you grow at the rate of the economy," he said. "U.S. operators are running the risk of turning into commodity businesses instead of global content businesses with innovation that delivers higher profits."

LG partners with Project Runway's Christian Siriano to develop a special scarf made just for the LG Lotus, seen here.

(Credit: Sprint)

In an attempt to further tout the LG Lotus as a phone for the fashion-conscious crowd, LG has partnered with Christian Siriano, the winner of Project Runway's fourth season, to develop a special, one-of-a-kind scarf for the Lotus. As we mentioned earlier, the LG Lotus is Sprint's new QWERTY flip phone with a small and square shape. The scarf Siriano designed has a pocket in it made just to fit the Lotus.

The scarf will make its debut on September 11 during New York Fashion Week, and as part of the show, attendees are encouraged to take pictures of the collection and then send them via picture-message so they show up on large flat-screens positioned above the runway.

Motorola i576

(Credit: Sprint)

Have no fear, iDEN fans, Sprint remains committed to your beloved network. On Wednesday as the CTIA Fall 2008 show opened in San Francisco, Sprint announced a new iDEN-only phone with the Motorola i576. It should be the first of four new iDEN-only phones promised before the end of the year.

Positioned as an i570 replacement, the i576 sports a flip phone design with all the rugged packaging Nextel loyalists have come to love. That means it will stand up to the usual military specifications for rain, dust, solar radiation...and shooting it out of a cannon.

Inside you'll find a respectable set of features including Bluetooth, Direct Connect push-to-talk service, text and multimedia messaging, Nextel's second line service, a speakerphone, a vibrate mode, and GPS navigation.

The i576 will be available Oct. 19 for $69 for business accounts with a two-year contract. We'll review it just as soon as we can get a review model.