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.

Motorola S9-HD

(Credit: Motorola)

Motorola has unveiled the Motorola S9-HD stereo Bluetooth headset, a successor to the Motorola Rokr S9 Bluetooth Active headset from last year. Like the S9, the S9-HD hangs behind the head with the player controls on the side, thus maximizing your freedom of movement while on the treadmill or the track. The S9-HD has a nice bonus though--it now comes with high-definition sound with SRS WOW HD and improved earbuds to block out more noise. It has a rated battery life of six hours of play time and weighs about an ounce overall. Not too sure about the pricing or availability just yet, but this is definitely the upgrade over the S9.

Invisio G5 with protective charging case

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

Even though we took a look at the Invisio G5 in December 2007, Invisio is officially showing what it's calling the world's smallest Bluetooth headset at CES this year. This tiny little thing measures only 1.3 by 0.63 inch, and weighs about 0.211 ounce. Much like the Q7, the G5 has the unique Soft Spring ear insert that lodges right in the ear. The G5 comes with a protective charging case that looks a little like a big cigarette lighter. Even though the headset itself has about 4 hours of talk time and 6.25 days of standby time, this portable charging case increases that to about 20 hours of talk time and 30 days of standby time. The G5 is available now for about $129.

Invisio Q7

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

If you have a long memory, you might remember the Invisio Q7 bone conduction Bluetooth headset that was announced almost two years ago. Well, it's January of 2008, and after two long years, the Q7 is finally a reality. Invisio had previously focused on the professional headset market for the military and emergency services, and the Q7 is one of its first few consumer-focused headsets designed for extreme environments. Of course, its obvious competitor is the Aliph Jawbone, which doesn't quite have the bone conduction technology of the Q7. The Invisio Q7 promises real bone conduction without the help of any microphones, so much so that only your voice will be transmitted. Of course, the Q7 is also substantially smaller at about 0.39 ounce. Another thing we liked about the Q7 is its unique Soft Spring earbud design that fits right in the ear without the need for an ear hook. It lasts up to 6 hours of talk time and up to 100 hours of standby time. According to Invisio, the Q7 will be available by February this year for around $149.

Watch the Invisio Q7 video on CNET TV.

Jabra BT8040

(Credit: Jabra)

The Jabra BT8040 may not look like much when compared with the much fancier JX20 Pura, but it holds its own with powerful features and performance. It is Jabra's first standalone headset that can handle both phone calls and streaming audio. That's right, even though the BT8040 is a mono headset on the outside, it actually supports A2DP, meaning it can stream music wirelessly via Bluetooth without the need for an additional earbud like the Jabra BT8010. The BT8040 is able to pair up to two different devices simultaneously, and if there's an incoming call on a paired cell phone, it can pause the streaming music from a paired MP3 player. It comes with the same digital noise reduction as the JX20, plus it has acoustic shock protection to protect the eardrum from sudden loud volume. It has as much as six hours of rated talk time. The headset is available through Best Buy for $79.99.

Jabra JX20 Pura

(Credit: Jabra)

Two years ago, Jabra wowed us with the Jabra JX10, a tiny yet elegant Bluetooth headset with plenty of power behind its design. This year, Jabra has done it again, with the Jabra JX20 Pura. Designed by Jacob Jensen, the same famous European designer that designed the JX10, the JX20 Pura simply oozes luxury. It is made with brushed, anodized titanium and has a glossy black trim all around, plus it has an innovative gel earbud for better comfort. As for features, it comes with digital sound enhancement via DSP, as much as six hours of talk time, adaptive sound, plus support for Bluetooth 2.0 and autopairing. The JX20 Pura will be available for $179.