CES 2008

LAS VEGAS--Lots of companies here are touting green design and environmental thinking, though in some cases it seemed more sloganeering than anything very deep. Here are just a few samples from the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show:

Among other things, Nokia was showing off their reduced packaging (50 percent smaller; most of their phones now shipping in it; have saved them $150 million to boot)

HP had a large area of their booth dedicated to their environmental efforts, and like Nokia had several people on hand who could talk knowledgeably about it.

There's still a long way to go on this issue, though, as can plainly be seen by looking at the sheer quantity of stuff at the show. And those massive plasma TVs look fantastic, but they sure gobble energy like there's no tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that most of what's being shown here will be obsolete (and non-upgradable) this time next year, if not sooner.

Here are just a fraction of the shipping crates stacked outside one of the convention halls that were used to bring everything to the middle of the desert. Remember that closing scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark? It's like that.

Nokia MD-6 speakers

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

There's always a lot more to find in a Nokia booth than just the company's phones. Typically, you'll find a gallery of Bluetooth headsets and cell phone accessories that round out the company's offerings. I like to scope out cell phone speakers and I found two models, the MD-6 and the MD-7W. The MD-6 mini-speakers are shaped like a black and red lipstick case. At 4.8 by 1.3 by 1.3 inches, the speakers can be slipped into your pocket with ease, and weigh just 4.9 grams with the four included AA batteries that supply the juice. To expose the speakers, just snap open the case and then connect the MD-6 to your Nokia music phone. The speakers also offer a FM radio antenna, and Nokia promises that you'll be able to get 270 hours of play time.

Nokia MD-7W

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

For true wireless users, Nokia was also showing the MD-7W Bluetooth speakers. Sporting a minimalist design in white, the MD-7Ws have clean lines that are quite attractive. At 2 by 4.1 by 2.6 inches and 11.21 ounces, they won't fit in your pocket but you can carry them in a small bag. They support 3D sound and operate off four AA batteries.

The green phone

(Credit: Nokia)

Gadgets and green typically don't go together, but Nokia is aiming to change that with its new Nokia 3110 Evolve. The handset is made from 50 percent renewable bio-materials, and its charger uses 95 percent less power than required by Energy Star standards. While photos of landfills overflowing with discard mobiles always makes us cringe, we have to admit that we were a little skeptical of a recycled cell phone. But after we got the chance to hold it, the 3110 did have a nice feel in the hand. Sure, the candy bar design is pretty plain but it's not unattractive.

The feature set is squarely midrange. It offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, an FM radio, a digital music player, a 262,000-color display, infrared, a mini USB port, and a microSD card slot. The 3110 is triband at the moment (GSM 900/1800/1900) so it's primed for European networks, but you should be able to get it in North America unlocked.

Nokia N95 8GB

(Credit: Nokia )

If you've got any of that holiday gift money left, you might want to hold onto it for this sucker. Nokia announced at CES 2008 that it will be bringing a North American version of the Nokia N95 8GB this quarter, all for the bargain price of $749 unlocked (zoiks!). The good news is that the Symbian smartphone supports our 850/1900MHz HSPDA bands, so you can just pop in a AT&T SIM card to enjoy those 3.5G speeds. Of course, there's also the 8GB of onboard memory but be aware there's no microSD expansion slot on this version. All the other features are similar to the Nokia N95 North American Edition, which includes a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. The North American Nokia N95 8GB will be available for purchase through online retailers and at Nokia's flagship stores in New York and Chicago.

I stopped by the packed Nokia booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to get an update on the Nokia Music Store announced over the summer. It's already online in the U.K. (PC only), with a library of nearly 3 million songs.

Will the Nokia Music Store PC app be as attractive (and popular) as its CES booth?

(Credit: Matt Rosoff)

The Web-based store looks fairly standard. But according to the folks at the booth, later this year Nokia will launch an associated desktop PC application that promises some unique features, including the ability to transfer songs directly from the store to an attached phone via drag and drop (no stop on the PC necessary), and over-the-air sync of playlists from the phone (created on the fly) to the PC. Interesting, but I still think selling DRM-protected WMA files is going to be a problem for it.

The slider SGH-G800

(Credit: Samsung)

Samsung today showed off its answer to the Nokia N95 with the Samsung SGH-G800. Offering a 5-megapixel camera and a 3x optical zoom, a Xenon flash, face detection and image stabilization, the SGH-G800 is a powerful shooter on paper (we have yet to test its image quality). Its slider design also mimics the N95, but unlike the recent North American version of the Nokia handset, the SGH-G800 has a lens cover. And on the whole, it actually looks like a camera, while the N95 was definitely a camera phone.

Is it a camera or a phone?

(Credit: Samsung)

Other features include an expansive (2.4 inches) 262,000-color display, a digital music player, e-mail and messaging, USB 2.0 support, a speakerphone, an external memory card slot, Bluetooth, and personal organizer applications. Yes, it also makes calls, and the SGH-G800's wireless capability enables you to upload photos directly to a blog. The quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone has been available in Europe for some time, but you now can get it unlocked in North America for $525 (about $200 cheaper than the N95).