The biggest trends of CTIA 2009 were really no surprise, as they've been the biggest trends of every cell phone show for the last couple of years. Of course there were the iPhone clones, but more of the phones we saw were simpler feature phones with a full QWERTY keyboard. Meant for consumers who enjoy text messaging and simple e-mail on their phones, these basic QWERTY phones are now available in a variety of forms and flavors. There are slabs and sliders, high-end and low-end devices, major carrier phones and even prepaid options.
Sanyo SCP-2700
 Sprint's newest QWERTY phone is about as simple as things get, but it still manages to pack in some useful features. The Sanyo SCP-2700 is a basic slab QWERTY, in the style of the Pantech Slate on AT&T. We got our hands on the device at CTIA 2009 in Las Vegas, and its easy to figure out at whom this device will be aimed. It's a small, fashionable QWERTY, available in a patterned hot pink shell. Sprint calls this "Impulsive Pink," though the phone will also come in a dark blue color. The lack of even EV-DO networking will keep youngsters from browsing too far into the wild yonder of the Internet, but GPS support means this phone will get navigation, and perhaps some parental oversight as to the whereabouts of the user. The phone will be available in early May, in time for Mother's day, for a low price of $30 with a contract agreement. Price: $30. Release: May 10.
Virgin Mobile X-tc
 As Virgin Mobile slowly lets its premiere Helio brand die, and with it the QWERTY messaging Ocean 2 phones, the prepaid carrier is replenishing its stores with the Virgin Mobile X-tc. With a name like "Virgin X-tc," it's clear this phone is being aimed at teenagers and hipsters, a crowd that will appreciate the slide out QWERTY keyboard. We had a chance to play with the phone at CTIA 2009 in Las Vegas, and we were pleased with the overall feel of the device. Prepaid phones usually feel cheap, but this phone looked and felt more polished. The QVGA, 262,000-color screen looked great, and Virgin Mobile's menus have been polished up a bit for the higher-quality display. Even better, now that Virgin Mobile phones will use the Opera Mini browser, this phone should even be a competent Web browsing device. The keyboard on the Virgin Mobile X-tc was fine, though a bit small for us. Still, there are plenty of reasons to like this device. It has a Facebook application on board, dedicated music keys up top, and best of all, it only costs $100 without the need for a contract agreement. As more customers turn away from expensive contracts, it's nice to see Virgin Mobile offering some deluxe handsets. Price: $100. Release: Available now.
Samsung Magnet
 At the low end, the Samsung Magnet may lack features, but it should become available at a low launch price to entice simple messaging fans. We got a chance to get our hands on the Samsung Magnet at CTIA 2009, and while it offered no real surprises, it seemed solid. We liked the wealth of specialized keys on the keyboard. Similar to the Sanyo SCP-2700 on Sprint, the phone is a basic QWERTY slab. In addition to the letters, users also get dedicated keys for messaging, emoticons and more. It's low on features, and like most phones in this class it will lack 3G networking, so this will be more for messaging than Internet browsing and Web services. The phone will use the basic AT&T setup (read: no Gmail allowed) for messaging, and will feature a simple WAP browser. This one will be a looker for the tween set.
LG Neon
 For folks who don't want all the flashiness and customization options of the interface on LG's more advanced messaging phones, like the LG Xenon, the company is offering the simpler LG Neon, which uses a standard AT&T multimedia interface. The UI is fairly bland, but the phone itself is cute and stylish, with rounded, bubbly keys and some nice color accents that lend themselves to the Neon nomenclature. The LG Neon is smaller than the LG Xenon, but we actually preferred the keyboard on the Neon. The keys were still tiny, but separated from each other by a nice gap. Of course, all of this extra space comes at a compromise, and the LG Neon has very few symbols that get their own keys. Even the period requires a FN key press. Price: $30 / $80. Release: Spring 2009.
LG Xenon
 The LG Xenon uses a feature-packed interface, a serious departure from the staid interface designs we're seeing on other AT&T messaging phones. Everywhere we looked, there seemed to be a pop-up, drop-down or move-aside menu, with plenty of shortcut options. It may take a while to get used to, but we prefer having too many options to having none at all. The phone also has an interesting contact shortcut screen, where contacts get not only a picture onscreen, but also shortcut tabs to call, send a message or check for incoming mail from that person.
After spending some time with the LG Xenon, we liked the interface and found it to be very responsive, but we didn't have such a great time with the keyboard. The keys were a bit small, and we made plenty of mistakes in simple text messaging. We liked the mix of messaging and shortcut keys on the keyboard, especially the dedicated @ symbol and the .com key, both useful additions to an internet messaging device. But perhaps reorganizing the keyboard would have allowed for wider keys? We're hoping to take a longer look at this one soon. Price: $100 / $150. Release: April 8.
Samsung Impression
 For messaging fans who want a higher-end device, but don't need a full-fledged smartphone, the Samsung Impression offers some interesting options. The phone is a Samsung TouchWIZ phone, like the Samsung Eternity, though it doesn't get the AT&T Mobile TV service like the latter phone. That's too bad, because the Samsung Impression's key selling point seems to be its brilliant AMOLED display. The screen is bright and colorful, better than most other mobile screens we've seen here in Las Vegas. AMOLED technology is going to be a popular commodity very soon. The interface was responsive, but very simple. This is a basic carrier feature phone, and besides the TouchWIZ home screen, it lacks some of the visual panache that we're seeing on other carriers. Price: $200. Release: April 7.
|
|
Archive