CES 2008

Motorola Rokr E8

(Credit: Motorola )

Another CES is in the bag, and we've successfully fled Las Vegas for San Francisco. Though fewer new cell phones debuted at the show than in the past couple years, we can say that the 2008 show was all about quality over quantity. Also, when compared with the last couple of years, we had some serious competition for the Best of CES award in the cell phones and smartphones category. But after it was said and done, the Motorola Rokr E8 took that prize. Its innovative morphing keyboard gave it the needed mojo to lap the Sony Ericsson W760 super world phone. It was a good fight, and we hope we'll see a similar high-pitched battle in 2009. Motorola also introduced a high-end video phone with the Moto Z10 and it gave us two new entry-level models with the W230 and W270.

Sony Ericsson W760

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Besides the W760, Sony Ericsson introduced two other new cell phones. The Z555 is a design-centric handset with a new "gesture-control" feature, and the W350 is a low-end Walkman model. Though Samsung didn't offer any new phones for North America, it did show some exisiting models it wasn't planning to bring here including the i450 and the SGH-G800 5-megapixel camera phone. Also sitting pretty in Samsung's booth was the company's Armani phone.

Nokia didn't have anything new, either, but we did see the Nokia 3110, which is made partially from renewable materials. Nokia also had a couple cell phone speakers in its booth, and Samsung showed speakers of its own. And over in the most far-flung booths on the show floor, Neonode was offering its N2 phone, and Haier offered the dual SIM-card HG-N99.

We managed to spot a few notable phones at the LG booth. We saw the LG AX565 and the LG Scoop, coming out for Alltel later this year. We also noticed a mysterious touch-screen phone that some representatives have hinted would be the new LG Vu. Of course, LG also showed off its Europe-only models like the LG KS20 and the LG Viewty, both of which we can't get in the U.S. just yet. Probably one of the most interesting things we saw from LG is the prototype model of a watch phone, which will have Bluetooth as well as text messaging.

Although there wasn't a ton of smartphone news to come out of CES 2008, it doesn't mean the show was a complete wash. In fact, we saw several noteworthy announcements and some interesting trends at the annual tech extravaganza. First, Nokia introduced a North American version of the coveted 8GB Nokia N95, which is available now unlocked for a whopping $749. Several Windows Mobile devices landed on carriers' doorstep as the Verizon Wireless SMT5800 made its debut and Alltel Wireless added the HTC Touch to its lineup. Finally, while not technically a smartphone, Sony released the revamped Sony Mylo Communicator 2, a Wi-Fi-enabled messaging and Web-browsing handheld for all the future smartphone owners of America.

There were almost too many Bluetooth headsets to cover at this year's CES, but we did find a few noteworthy new ones. Jabra, for example, debuted a very sexy-looking Jabra JX20 Pura, which is made from anodized titanium and designed by a renowned European designer. There was also the Jabra BT8040, which is one of a few mono headsets that has A2DP so you can listen to phone calls and streaming music in a single headset. As for stereo headsets, Motorola came out with the Motorola S9-HD, which is similar to the Motorola Rokr S9 headset from last year, but it is now enhanced with high-definition audio.

Invisio Q7

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

The most interesting headsets from the show, however, came from Invisio. The company debuted what it is calling the world's smallest Bluetooth headset in the form of the Invisio G5, a tiny little thing that comes with a portable charging case. It also showed off the Invisio Q7, a headset that has a patented Bone Conduction technology that can convert vibrations from your jawbone so that your caller will only hear your voice. We were so impressed with this Bone Conduction technology, that we nominated the G7 for best of CES.

Sony Ericsson W760

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

As we told you on Sunday, Sony Ericsson launched three new handsets at CES. The new models range from high-end (the W760) to the entry-level (the W350) with one in between (the Z555a). I got the chance to handle them at a press event at Caesar's Palace and on the show floor. The W760, which was one of our Best of CES nominees in the cell phones and smartphones category, was the most appealing of the bunch. The slider design is uncomplicated, but attractive, and it had a sturdy feeling in the hand. The slider mechanism also seemed pretty sturdy, and Sony Ericsson appears to have avoided one of its usual downfalls by making a solid keyboard. I did have fun with the motion control for playing games that I originally played with on the W910. Yes, it may be a bit gimmicky, but I like it.

Sony Ericsson W350

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

On the other hand, I wasn't quite impressed with the W350. The plastic construction felt pretty cheap and the flap covering the keyboard was flimsy. A couple times I felt it would snap right off. The display looked a little washed out, but as this is a low-end Walkman phone, that's to be expected. I'll wait until a review model arrives to give my full assessment, but at this point I'm a little wary. Fans of thin phones, however, probably will be drawn to the W350's slim profile.

Sony Ericsson Z555a

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

I also examined the Z555a. While its design is certainly unique, I'm not sure it's for me. As I said in my earlier post, I'm not a fan of the hidden display, and the plastic skin wasn't quite appealing. Unfortunately, I didn't try the much-hyped "gesture control" that allows you to silence the phone's ringer with a wave of your hand. A Sony Ericsson rep said the motion must be methodical (understandable) but I'll have to wait for a review model to see it for myself. And hopefully, that will be soon.

Red BlackBerry Pearl 8130 for Verizon

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Pretty in pink (apologies for the blurry shot)

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Catching Verizon Wireless and Sprint off-guard, Research in Motion showed off some upcoming colored models of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 for the respective carriers at CES 2008. The red version will go to Verizon, joining the silver Pearl 8130, while the powder-pink model will land at Sprint along with the purple Pearl. No specific release dates were given, but I'd guess the launch dates aren't too far away--February at the latest.

Motorola's Rokr E8

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET Networks)

Since the Motorola Rokr E8 nabbed CNET's Best of CES award in the cell phones and smartphones category, it's appopriate to give you an idea of how the phone feels beyond just a list of specs. At 4.52 inches by 2.09 inches by 0.42 inch, it has an average size for a cell phone, and it's actually a bit heavier than I expected at 3.5 ounces. I didn't mind the weight, however, as it gave the E8 a solid and sturdy feel in the hand.

Motorola Rokr E8

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET Networks)

The Rokr's showpiece is, of course, its new keypad. I admit I didn't know quite what to expect, as new cell phone interfaces can be hard to do right. But it was quite easy to use from what I could tell. The vibrating keypad was nifty, and the numeric keys also have tiny bumps to help you find your way. The scrolling toggle doesn't go in a full circle (perhaps Apple has patent on that) so you could move your finger in a full loop. If you tried to trace your digit on the missing portion of the circle at the toggle's bottom, the cursor on the screen would stop and then resume again when you got to the other side. The keypad morphing also worked well. When I pressed the dedicated music button, the backlighting illuminated only the music buttons, just as the E8 is supposed to do. Same goes for the camera; once we selected that feature, only the camera buttons were backlit. Though the transition between the individual functions took a few seconds but that wasn't an issue for me. The new menu interface was simple and attractive, and I liked the position of the 3.5mm headset jack on the top of the phone.

I was able to test the music quality and liked what I heard. It's still too early to tell, however, whether the Rokr E8 will surpass standalone MP3 players as Moto has promised. I didn't get the chance to test the photo or call quality, but I suspect the E8 could just have a bright future ahead of it. The lack of 3G bothers me, but otherwise it deserves its Best of CES award.

As I get ready to leave CES and Las Vegas, I wanted to give a shout-out to the device that truly powers the convention: the smartphone. Doesn't really matter whether it's Treo or Blackberry, everyone was calling, texting and emailing all day long. At such a techie summit you could talk in any public space with impunity. I would have been lost from my CNET compatriots without it. [Side note, my iPhone had "no service" within the convention center but my Blackberry was fine, both on AT&T.]

So at the end of they day, as they take down the huge plasma TVs, and turn off the flashing lights, I keep thinking that sometimes its the basics that get you through the day:

(photo credit: Amy Tiemann)

The Case Logic Pocket with an attached carabiner. It's like a little sleeping bag that fits most phones or small devices. This would have helped me find my Blackberry or iPhone without rooting around my bag the whole time.

And second, the Turbocharge Tc2 portable cell phone charger, so that you're never caught short without a charge. One AA battery and you're good to go. At CES they announced new models including one for iPhone and another with a built-in rechargeable battery.

Though CES 2008 hasn't brought us a ton of new cell phones, we've still found plenty to cover at the show. Motorola introduced two new handsets, and Sony Ericsson graced us with three new models. Also, Samsung showed us a few devices it was planning to bring to North America.

The new phones included a high-end video handset, a music phone with an innovative new keyboard, and a supercharged world phone. We also spotted a couple of design-centric models including Samsung's Armani phone. You can check them all out in all their glory in our CES 2008 cell phones slide show.

The Haier HG-N99 in Chinese

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

Haier's booth was way in the back of one of the halls at CES, but we wanted to swing by to see if (and when) the company would be bringing its cell phones to the United States. The PR rep wasn't exactly forthcoming, but we did get a brief tour of the models the company is hoping to bring here. The most interesting of the bunch was the HG-N99, and we can only hope that it actually arrives on our shores (Haier says it is in talks with U.S. carriers).

The Windows Mobile handset may look like your average smartphone, but it ups the ante in a big way by offering double SIM card, double standby functionality. That means you'll be able to put two SIM cards in the phone, which will enable you to use the HG-N99 for two phone numbers at the same time. No, you won't be able to place calls simultaneously, but you can receive calls to both numbers at any time. While such a concept is hardly original to the HG-N99, compatible phones are pretty rare in North America.

Other features on the GSM device include support for GPRS and EDGE, a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, messaging, polyphonic ringtones, a mini-USB port, a WAP browser with Java support, and a microSD card slot.

Sanyo W53SA

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

Aside from the U.S. phones at the CES booth, Sanyo also had an additional display showing off phones that are only available in Japan. And as with all things that are Japan-only, we really wish we had them here. One phone that particularly stood out was the Sanyo W53SA, a waterproof digital TV phone, so you can "enjoy watching TV while taking a bath," according to the Sanyo representative. There isn't too much we know about it, except that it uses Japan's CDMA 1X WIN network, and that it has a 2.0-megapixel camera. We managed to grab a photo of it getting dunked in a fishbowl with the digital TV still running.

Sanyo Infobar 2

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

Another cool phone that had us salivating was the Sanyo Infobar 2, a phone that "has a look of a melting candy bar." It also has a built-in digital TV tuner, and we were amazed at how amazingly sharp the video was--it truly looked like what HD video on a phone should look like. And then we found out why: The whole 2.6-inch display is an OLED screen, resulting in very crisp-looking images and video.

Other Japan-only Sanyo phones we saw were the W52SA digital TV phone and the EO2SA wireless LAN phone that can be used to make VoIP calls, as well.

Neonode N2

(Credit: Neonode)

Swedish company Neonode showed its N2 phone at CES. The tiny handset, which launched at the 3GSM show last February, would certainly be in the running for the title of smallest (and perhaps cutest) cell phone around. Like a certain device from Apple, the N2 relies almost entirely on a touch screen and has just one physical button. Yet the N2's interface is unique. Aside from a couple menus that involve pressing icons, most functions are performed by finger swipes across different areas of the display. You even use finger swipes to place and end calls. We tried it out for a few minutes and it worked pretty well. Admittedly, it has a learning curve, but onscreen arrows show you where to swipe your finger. Neonode gave us a review model so we'll give it a thorough shake-down when we return the office.

Features include Bluetooth, USB compatibility, messaging, a 2-megapixel camera, a miniSD card slot, and an MP3 player. The N2 is a quadband GSM world phone, and though you can get it unlocked, Neonode says it is in talks with U.S. carriers. Stay tuned for more availability news.

Alltel HTC Touch

(Credit: Alltel)

Alltel Wireless has just announced the immediate availability of the HTC Touch smartphone with pricing starting at $199.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates and discounts. The Alltel HTC Touch has a number of the same features as the other versions of the phone (unlocked and Sprint's), such as the TouchFlo interface, Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition, and a 2-megapixel camera. They've also added a fourth "cube" to the menu interface where you can access some of the carrier's exclusive applications such as Voice2TXT (converts voice mails into text), Games from Magmic, Sharpcast Photos, and Axcess Shop. The HTC Touch joins Alltel's other smartphone offerings, including the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130, the Palm Treo 755p, and the Motorola Q.