Flashy Mobile Phones, PDAs Debut

Newest handsets do double duty with built-in camera features.

Grace Aquino, PCWorld.com

NEW ORLEANS-- Many of the major players in the mobile phone and PDA arena are using this week's CTIA show here to launch handsets that feature one of the biggest trends in wireless devices: embedded cameras.

The selection--from companies including Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo, and Hitachi--ranges from plain-Jane styles to innovative designs featuring rotating displays and ultra-compact cases. Whatever features you require, you're bound to find a device to support your needs.

Many of the new phones and PDAs are scheduled for release this summer or in the second half of this year.

Sprint's Services

Sprint is one of the few wireless carriers announcing service for camera-enabled phones. The four new models, expected this summer, include two handsets from Samsung, and one each from Sanyo and Hitachi.

Two of the models, the Samsung SPH-A600 and the Sanyo 8100, are purely mobile phones with built-in cameras. Of the two, Samsung's flip-style SPH-A600 is the more innovatively designed, featuring a rotating display. The LCD swivels 180 degrees to allow you to take pictures even when the phone is closed.

The A600's built-in camera has three resolution modes, with the highest setting at 640 by 480 pixels. The camera has up to 4X digital zoom and is paired with an integrated flash. You can adjust white balance (for example, choosing between tungsten and fluorescent settings) and color tone (such as sepia and negative). You can even add frames to your photos. The camera also features a multi-shot mode that allows you to take continuous snapshots at intervals of three, five, or ten seconds.

The Sanyo 8100 is a slightly smaller version of its flip-style 5300 Sprint phone. But unlike the 5300, the 8100 allows you to add a 10-second voice annotation to a photo. The camera is capable of taking 640-by-480-resolution photos, and you can add frames to the images. The phone will be available in three colors: silver, navy/gold, and pearl/lavender.

On the handheld side, Sprint is launching two camera-enabled PDA/phone hybrids: the Samsung I700 and the Hitachi G1000. Both devices run Microsoft's Pocket PC Windows platform and its Phone Edition software. The Hitachi is equipped with a small QWERTY keypad.

Prices on these four devices have not yet been announced, but they're expected to be on the high end--$500 and up.

All-in-One Device

Siemens is using this week's CTIA show to launch its SX1, an all-around business and entertainment device. The SX1 provides PDA, camera, phone, and MP3 playback capabilities, and supports the Series 60/Symbian platform and Bluetooth technology. It features a good-size, 65,000-color display and an integrated camera on the back of the unit.

Music fans will enjoy the integrated FM radio and MP3 player complemented by an MMC slot. The SX1 sports a quirky number pad design with keys located along the left and right sides of the display.

The phone is expected to be available this fall.

Motorola's Lineup

Motorola is introducing its family of new phones, which includes the stylish, ultra-compact V810. The flip-style V810 has an integrated camera and flash and an external LCD display useful for Caller ID. The phone supports CDMA 1x technology and BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) applications. A wireless carrier has yet to be announced, but the phone is expected to be available this fall.

Motorola's other flip-style, camera-equipped phone is the V600. In addition to taking pictures, the V600 lets you add voice annotations to your photos. The V600 is a quad-band GSM phone, meaning it supports four GSM frequencies--850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz--that potentially allow for wider coverage, including some cities in Europe. (This feature depends on the wireless service plan. Carriers for this phone have not been announced.)

The phone supports Bluetooth, allowing it to be paired with accessories like wireless headsets. The V600 is expected to be available in the second half of this year.

For a standard, non-flip design with an integrated camera, Motorola offers the E390. With vibration effect and surround-sound-like speakers, the E390 is geared for those who want to play games or music on their cell phone.

The E390 comes with Motorola's MotoMixer software, which lets you download and mix ring tones for a personalized touch. It is also compatible with an optional MP3 player and FM radio headset, and it supports Bluetooth accessories. The E390 is expected to be available this fall through a GSM carrier.

On the PDA/phone front, Motorola offers the A835 and the A760.

The A835 packs a ton of features, such as an integrated camera that captures still images and short video clips, a built-in MP3 player, up to 256MB of memory, and a good-size color LCD. It also supports Bluetooth and is expected to be available by the second half of this year.

The flip-style A760 is the first Java- and Linux-compatible PDA/phone device in the United States. It features a built-in camera on the back of the phone, an integrated MP3 player, speakerphone, and a relatively large, 65,000-color display. It is also compatible with Bluetooth accessories. The A760 is expected to be available by the second half of this year through a GSM carrier.

Sony Ericsson's Camera Phone

Sony Ericsson announced the T610 with an integrated 128-by-160-resolution camera. You can adjust white-balance settings (for example, night mode) on the camera.

The T610 is a tri-band GSM phone and features support for Bluetooth and Java. It is expected to be available this fall, priced between $200 and $400.

LG's Sleek Camera Phone

LG is introducing the flip-style 6000 at CTIA this week. The phone's camera features three resolution settings up to 640 by 480 pixels, 4X digital zoom, white balance adjustment settings (such as sunny and cloudy), and color tone modes (such as black and white). The 6000 sports a blue-lighted, external organic electro luminescent screen useful for caller ID.

It is compatible with BREW applications and is expected to be released by this fall through a CDMA carrier.

Panasonic's Offering

Panasonic is unveiling the GU87 at this week's CTIA show. This flip-style, tri-band GSM phone is available now through AT&T Wireless for $399.

The phone's camera captures 320-by-2400-resolution photos and features a 2X digital zoom. You can also add frames or apply effects like sepia and negative to your photos.

The GU87 comes with a 65,000-color screen that, during a demonstration, refreshed quickly while panning the camera in picture-taking mode.

Audiovox's Camera Phone

Audiovox is announcing two camera-enabled phones at CTIA this week. The ZX-900 and the CDM-8900 feature flip-cover design, two 65,000-color displays (internal and external), and built-in 350K-resolution cameras with digital zoom capability.

Both support CDMA 1x technology and BREW or Java (depending on wireless service) applications.