ORLANDO, FLA. — Tablets will compete with smartphones
for attention during International CTIA Wireless
2011, held here this week, where the list of tablet
exhibitors includes AnyData, HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola,
Samsung and ZTE.
New tablets will include Huawei’s slimmed-down
Android 2.2 Ideos S7 Slim and HTC’s first tablet,
which features Android 2.4 OS and 1.5GHz processor
and operates in the U.S. 1.7/2.1GHz
HSPA+ cellular networks. Samsung will
show at least two to three new Galaxy
tablets, possibly including the first
4G LTE-enabled Galaxy Tab intended
for Verizon Wireless.
In smartphones, attendees will
find ZTE’s first U.S.-market smartphone,
the launch of LG’s Optimus 2X
Android phone with dual-core 1GHz
processor for T-Mobile’s network, a
new Nokia phone, Huawei’s slim Android
2.3-based Ideos X3, and LG’s
Optimus Black, which LG claims offers the world’s
brightest cellphone display and will be the world’s
thinnest smartphone.
Attendees will also find the industry’s first glassesfree
3D phone, the LG Optimus 3D, two HTC smartphones
that will be the industry’s first smartphones
with dedicated Facebook button, and Sony Ericsson’s
PlayStation-certified Android-based Xperia Play, due
in early spring through Verizon Wireless.
Here’s a sampling of what will be on display:
BLU Products:
The Miami-based company, formed
in August 2009, is showing its BLU-branded cellphone
line at CTIA for the first time. The company services distributors,
carriers and retailers in the
U.S. and more than 25 other countries.
BLU designs GSM and 3G
HSDPA media phones and Android
smartphones, and contracts
out their manufacturing. It supplies
phones for tier-two and tier-three carriers
in the U.S. and also markets unlocked
BLU phones through online retailers.
Doro:
The Sweden-based company,
which focuses on designing easy-to-use
phones for seniors, will exhibit several
new models, including its first
3G phone, all for GSM networks.
On display will be Doro PhoneEasy
615, the company’s first 3G
phone and camera phone, which
features direct memory and SMS buttons, extra loud
and clear sound, an easy-to-read display, security
functions and a durable design, the company said.
Doro PhoneEasy 680 and Doro PhoneEasy 682
are the company’s first phones with GPS location,
enabling emergency personnel to locate 911 callers.
Both phones feature noise reduction, extra loud sound, a durable design, long battery life, and easy-toread
text and display.
LG:
The Optimus 2X Android phone, shown at CES,
will be available through T-Mobile as the T-Mobile G2x,
the company announced. The HSPA-equipped phone is
one of the first smartphones with dual-core 1GHz processor
and the world’s first phone to capture, store and
play back video in full 1080p/24 fps resolution, the company
said.
It features Android 2.2 OS, dual-core 1GHz Nvidia
Tegra 2 processor, 4-inch 400 by 800 capacitive touchscreen,
8-megapixel camera/camcorder,
front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera
for video chat, HDMI output with HDMI
mirroring, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, MicroUSB
2.0 and a MicroSDHC card slot supporting
32GB cards.
Dealers at the show will also find LG’s
first smartphone with glasses-free 3D
display and 3D video capture, shown
at the Mobile World Congress. The
Android-based LG Optimus 3D, outfitted
with HSPA+ cellular data technology,
features dual-core 1GHz OMAP4
processor, DLNA certification, and a
5-megapixel dual-lens camera that enables
users to capture photos and videos
in 720p 3D and in 2D 1080p. The
3D content appears on the phone’s 4.3-
inch WVGA display and, via HDMI 1.4
output, on a 3D TV.
Also on display will be an Android smartphone promoted
as offering the world’s brightest smartphone display.
The Optimus Black features proprietary Nova display with
700-nit brightness for outdoor visibility in strong sunlight,
yet it’s more power efficient than conventional LCDs and
AMOLED displays, the company contended.
The Optimus Black GSM/HSPA phone is only 0.36
inches thick at its thickest point and tapers down to 0.24
inches at its thinnest point, making it the world’s slimmest
cellphone, the company claimed.
It also offers Wi-Fi Direct capability for direct transfer of
phone content to other mobile devices and PCs, and it also
features a front-facing 2-magapixel camera for video chats.
Nokia:
A Symbian phone appeared ready to be
launched, but details at presstime were unavailable.
Personal Communications Devices (PCD):
The
logistics and marketing-services provider will show 4G
products, multimedia smartphones and Bigstream, a recently
launched wireless streaming accessory for Apple
portable devices.
Featured products include the Pantech UML290 4G
USB modem, currently available on Verizon Wireless’ 4G
LTE network, and the 4G LTE HTC Thunderbolt smartphone
for Verizon Wireless.
Other products include the Huawei-made Home Phone
Connect, which plugs into a home landline phone and
enables the home phone to make calls over the Verizon
Wireless network.
The prepaid quick-messaging Caper phone, intended
for prepaid services, features 2.2-inch color LCD display,
1.3 megapixel camera, full QWERTY keyboard and account
balance display.
PCD’s $119-suggested Bigstream,
available at select Verizon
retail stores, is an iPod, iPhone
iPad dongle that uses proprietary
wireless technology to stream
stored content in real time to a
compact receiver that connects
to a TV via component-video cables.
The system enables groups
of people to view stored movies,
home videos, photo slideshows,
business presentations and the
like on a big screen. It’s available
at an introductory price of $99.
Samsung:
U.S. distribution
plans for its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet
might be announced by Samsung,
which was shown at MWC,
and second-generation Galaxy
S II Android-based smartphone. The company is also expected
to reveal details of a previously undisclosed tablet
whose screen size is expected to be between the original
Tab’s 7 inches and the 10.1’s 10.1 inches.
The Tab 10.1, unlike the original Galaxy Tab tablet, uses
Google’s tablet-optimized Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS
instead of Android smartphone OS.
The 10.1 is due in Europe in March with Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/
g/n, and 4G HSPA+ with a theoretical peak download
speed of 21Mbps.
Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy-class Android
smartphone is the touchscreen-only Galaxy S II, which
adds multiple upgrades, including dual-core 1GHz processor
compared to its predecessor’s 1GHz processor.
Other upgrades include Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS,
4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display compared with
a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 1080p video capture
compared with 720p, and Wi-Fi Direct. There are also upgraded
dual cameras, with the rear-facing camera going
to 8 megapixels from 5 megapixels and the front-facing
video chat camera going to 2 megapixels from VGA.
