CES 2009

The external display has pretty animation.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

T-Mobile's Nokia Supernova 7510 doesn't offer a lot on paper, but it remains an intriguing cell phone in a couple of ways.

The chunky flip phone comes in three colors--brown, fatal red, and espresso--but you're not married to any one hue. The front covers are removable so you can change colors as often as you like. Nokia says the phone will come with one cover attached, but you should get another cover in the box.

The Supernova's skin has a smooth, soft feel and the phone feels comfortable in the hand. The exterior controls are about what you'd expect. There's a volume rocker, a camera shutter key, and the headset/charger ports.

The 7510's external display is its most eye-catching feature. It is invisible when the backlighting is off, but when it's lit the numbers and text are large and visible. The display also has nifty animation that flashes intermittently.

The 7510 is shiny inside.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

The interior is silver and shiny in the style of the Nokia 6263. The display is big and bright and the controls are tactile.

The feature set is solidly mid-range. It includes a 2-megapixel camera, a music and video player, support for T-Mobile myFaves, messaging and e-mail, instant messaging, Bluetooth, an expandable memory slot, a speakerphone, and a personal organizer. It also has integrated Wi-Fi for use with T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home service.

The Supernova 7510 should be out by the end of the month.

The Nokia 1006 is a simple cell.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

Nokia brought a new basic phone to CES that we had't seen before: the Nokia 1006. It is a very basic model for CDMA networks. The slim candy-bar design is centered on functionality. Controls are intuitive, if a tad cramped, but the display supports 262,000 colors. At 4.1 inches tall by 1.7 inches wide by 0.53 inch thick and 2.6 ounces, the 1006 is compact and lightweight. No, it's not much to look at, but the curved back is unique. The 1006 comes in blue, silver, and red.

Features are limited to support for Brew 3.1.5, 72-chord polyphonic ringtones, customizable wallpapers and screensavers, a 500-contact phone book, a calculator, an alarm clock, a stopwatch, a voice recorder, a speakerphone, messaging, and Bluetooth.

Nokia doesn't have U.S. availability details at the time of this writing, but we expect that MetroPCS is a likely carrier. You should see it in the first quarter of this year.

The Nokia BH-804 is quite possibly the world's smallest headset.

(Credit: Nokia)

Aside from the BH-904 Bluetooth headset that debuted at the show, Nokia also showed off its star headset, the BH-804, on the CES show floor. It debuted a few months ago, but we haven't gotten a chance to take a closer look at it until today. The Nokia BH-804 is one of the world's smallest headsets at only 1.6 inches long by 0.5 inch wide by 0.2 inch thick, and weighing only 0.25 ounce. It promises enhanced audio quality, and it comes with a tricolor LED for status indication. Also with the BH-804 is a desktop stand and a neck strap. Though it's small, the BH-804 will set you back a pretty penny: it costs around $144 retail.

Nokia E63

(Credit: Nokia)

Back in November, Nokia introduced the Nokia E63 and we figured we'd be waiting awhile for the smartphone to make its way to the United States. However, the wait wasn't that long as the company announced at CES 2009 that the E63 would be available in the United States in the coming weeks for an unlocked price of $279.

Now, while the price is still expensive when compared with other subsidized smartphones, it's really quite a drop and much more affordable than Nokia's other unlocked phones, which range from $500 to $700. Nokia's hope is that the lower price point will draw more consumers to buy the device, whereas previous E series smartphones, such as the Nokia E71 and Nokia E90 Communicator, have been aimed mostly at business users.

The U.S. version of the E63 has many of the same features as the European version. The Symbian S60-based smartphone also includes support for Microsoft Exchange, POP/IMAP e-mail accounts, basic personal information management tools, and a music and video player.

Like the E71, you can toggle between two different home views on the E63, depending on whether you're at work or at home. Other highlights include 2.3-inch, 16-million-color QVGA display, and Nokia Ovi support. There's a full HTML Web browser with Flash support and wireless options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and yes, it will support U.S. 3G bands (850/1900MHz HSDPA bands, meaning you'll get the 3.5G speeds with an AT&T SIM but not a T-Mobile one).

The Nokia E63 will be available in two colors (red or blue) and can be purchased at Nokia's flagship store or through online retailers.

Skype Lite on Java

(Credit: Skype)

Skype announced on Thursday the forthcoming release of Skype Lite for Google Android and other Java-enabled phones. Skype Lite marks the communication company's first native VoIP client for Java.

Skype is submitting the app to Google's Android Market on Thursday morning, though it could take Google a few days to offer it for download.

In addition, Skype Lite will also be available on Thursday to about 100 models of Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, LG, and Samsung phones. The app has been available in beta form for a growing number of handsets on Skype.com, and isn't expected to change in this initial release.

Skype Lite is truly that: a back-to-basics build that allows the customary cut-rate international calling to Skype contacts, and also calling credits to non-Skype buddies using the SkypeOut service. You'll be able to IM other Skype friends in addition, an activity best done with a data plan. Users anticipating the fuller features of the newly updated Skype for Windows Mobile beta won't find them in this debut version.

Skype Lite will process calls to the United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo), Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Australia, and New Zealand, and will also work for calls made in the U.S.

Skype Lite takes the communications company a step deeper into the mobile world with service for the top five phone brands, but it faces fierce competition from Fring, a relative VoIP youngster that already brings more advanced features than Skype Lite to Symbian devices in the Nokia and Sony Ericsson families, including file transferring and instant messaging with contacts on multiple chat networks.

Nokia showed off its latest Bluetooth headset at a CES press event last night, and it's called the Nokia BH-904. The big talking point of the BH-904 is that it is able to separate a user's voice from ambient sound, which helps in improving voice quality in crowded environments. It also has multipoint technology, which lets it connect to two different devices simultaneously, and a sliding boom design, for enhanced audio quality. The headset measures 2 inches by 0.8 inch by 0.4 inch and weighs a scant 0.6 ounce. It has a rated talk time of 8 hours and up to 160 hours in standby. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but we suspect it'll be some time this year.