CES Video: Sleek Cell Phone Roundup

Apple's iPhone may be garnering a lot of attention, but it's certainly not the only new or noteworthy cell phone around.

Here at CES, there are plenty of phones that deserve a peek. Here's a look at some of the coolest phones we've found. Most of these are not attached to a carrier yet, so pricing and availability have not been determined.

View our video from the CES show floor, then read on as I tell you more about the phones.

Motorola

Motorola is showing off both the MOTOMING with EDGE and the MotoRIZR Z6. The MOTOMING, like far too many of the phones here, isn't available in the U.S.--right now, it can be found in China. But the handset has some interesting features worth nothing. Chief among them is its handwriting recognition capability. It comes with a stylus, which allows you to write on the screen (which is large for such a small phone), and your words are translated to typewritten text.

Also on display at the Motorola booth is the new MotoRIZR Z6. This phone is one of the first to incorporate an agreement between Microsoft and Motorola to allow handsets to playback audio files that have been encoded with Windows Media DRM. You can purchase songs from an online music store like Napster, and then transfer them to the sleek-looking handset for playback.

Samsung Mobile

Not to be outdone, Samsung Mobile is also showing off a music phone. The Samsung Ultra Music Phone sports a very unusual design: it's a two-sided candybar-style phone. On one side of the very slim handset is a very small LCD and a dialpad for making calls. The other side of the phone houses a larger LCD and touch-sensitive music controls. Samsung is also showing its Ultra Video Phone, which features the same two-sided design, but is optimized for video playback.

Samsung's ability to build thin handsets is also evident with the new SGH-a727. This super-slim candybar-style phone includes support for the speedy HSDPA network, which will allow for very fast data access. It also includes a 1.3-megapixel camera and an audio player.

LG Electronics

Over at LG's mammoth booth on the show floor, you can see the LG VX9400 and the LG Shine. The VX9400 is the company's new handset that supports Verizon Wireless' new V CAST Mobile TV service. The handset features a swiveling design that allows you to twist the screen to watch TV in landscape mode. The VX9400 will be available from Verizon in March.

The LG Shine, however, will be harder to get your hands on: the phone is available in Korea, and when--and if--it will ever be available in the U.S. remains uncertain. But this phone has a very sleek design and a shiny exterior screen that can double as a mirror.

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson was also showing a couple of sleek-looking phones, the W200 and the Z310. The W200 is an update to the company's line of Walkman phones. Available in black and white, the phone features a dedicated Walkman key for easy access to its music features. The company is not saying when it will be available or which carrier will offer it, but does say that they expect it to be an entry-level phone with a low price point.

Like the LG Shine, the Sony Ericsson Z310 features a hidden display on the front of the clamshell-style handset. The display lights up when the phone is active. The clamshell-style phone also includes a VGA camera.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Comments

Post a comment Post a comment

0 / 1000 max characters