CES 2008

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Samsung SGH-G600

(Credit: Samsung)

Though it was announced earlier this year, the Samsung SGH-G600 made a guest appearance at CES. Like the SGH-G800, the G600 is a 5-megapixel camera phone with lots of photo-editing features. The thin slider design may look like a lot of Moto phones before it, but it has a solid feel in the hand, and the opening mechanism is sturdy.

Features inside include full Bluetooth, a digital music player, a document viewer, e-mail and messaging, a speakerphone, 40MB of internal memory plus a microSD card slot, USB 2.0, a 16-million color display, and personal organizer applications. The SGH-G600 is a quadband world phone, but its high-speed data support tops out at GPRS and EDGE. Check out CNET U.K. for a full review.

Cell phone/PDAs or other iterations of what you want to call the convergence of handheld devices are featured prominently at the Consumer Electronics Show, no doubt. Whether these devices from Motorola or Samsung overtly claim to be iPhone killers is beside the point. The point is that most devices feature cleaner user interfaces and better bundles of applications that access more and more content. Nearly all of these gadgets are touch-based. Nearly all the devices, though, still don't come close in terms of usability and elegance to the iPhone's user interface. You can check out all the performance reviews of the upcoming phones here, but more interesting is the convergence of high-end couture brands with traditionally utilitarian brands like Samsung on display at CES.

From carrying cases to the actual device itself, incorporating couture elements is on the rise. From Case Logic, for example, comes a leather case for an iPod Touch that arguably pays homage to Hermes orange. Case Logic's other designs range from basic to quasi-personal, if you can achieve such a thing on a mass scale, to highlight your own personality.

Does Case Logic's case pay homage to Hermes?

(Credit: Kevin Ho)

Other designers, while not at CES but otherwise available in Las Vegas, are offering high-end phones/PDAs or MP3 carrying cases. (Louis Vuitton's cigarette case, for example, is the perfect iPod Classic carrier.)

As for the devices themselves, Samsung has partnered with Georgio Armani to release a Samsung-made phone only available in Europe. Meanwhile, Bang & Olufsen collaborated with Samsung and has released an updated phone that is GSM-based (AT&T and T-Mobile only). I'm reminded of T-Mobile's attempt to sell a D&G phone or Prada's foray into the cell phone market. Using the B&O phone, however, was not easy. An actual metal click wheel got dirty quick (the clerk at the booth kept wiping it down) and I would question how the sound quality is to be superior given that you're often victim to your network provider.

Armani your phone.

(Credit: Kevin Ho)

B&O's phone comes with a real click
wheel that turns.

While brand fixation and loyalty have been a delight to marketers since time immemorial, it seems that this trend of buying into a brand's exclusivity (the B&O phone retails for $1,600) is on the rise. High-end consumer products from high-end designers are nothing new, either. Increased demand for high-end couture in a credit crunch era, while unwise, is not surprising as many people may be buying into the idea and image of being successful as represented by branded possessions. Combining the designer brands with a utilitarian gadget may not be the newest thing, but, if any indication can be gleaned by the crowds ogling these blinged-out couture cell phones, it appears to be phenomenon here to stay.

Armani anyone?

(Credit: Samsung)

Celebrity sightings of people have been pretty slim so far at CES, but we did get to see a celebrity cell phone. Samsung's Armani handset was sitting pretty in Samsung's enormous booth; most of the time it was behind glass, but we did see it up close. Like LG's Prada model, the Armani phone is all about design, and in this case it's decidedly minimalist. A large (2.6-inch), 262,000-color touch screen dominates the entire front face of the candy-bar device, and a slim profile (0.41 inch) means it casts a slight shadow. The display also features haptic feedback so you know you're actually pressing a control.

Features include a full Internet browser, stereo Bluetooth, a 3-megapixel camera, a digital music and video player, and a microSD card slot. As it's a triband phone (GSM 900/1800/1900), it's better suited for the European market, but you can still buy unlocked in the United States for a wallet-stretching $700. No one said high couture came cheap.