LAS VEGAS-As usual, mobile phones formed a major part of the activity at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Audiovox Communications Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., LG Electronics and others showed off their line-ups of advanced mobile phones, and several phone makers made news at the well-attended show.
First up was Audiovox, which announced two new push-to-talk mobile phones as well as a new camera phone. The news comes shortly after Audiovox phones helped launch Sprint PCS’ new video messaging service and highlight the company’s goal to become the technology leader in CDMA handsets. Audiovox’s new CDM-8425 and 8475 run on CDMA networks and support Verizon Wireless’ and Sprint PCS’ new PTT offerings. The company’s moves into PTT follow major PTT commitments from Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG.
“We will be moving from the voice- to the data-centric devices,” said Philip Christopher, Audiovox’s president and chief executive officer.
Audiovox at the CES show also unveiled its phone plans for the coming year, announcing its intent to launch megapixel camera phones as well as its first GSM/GPRS phones. Audiovox said it would release the CDM-8920, a camera phone with a resolution of 1 megapixel, with Sprint PCS by April. The company said it would sell a megapixel-resolution camera phone, the CDM-8930, with Verizon Wireless sometime in the second quarter. In July, Audiovox said it would enter the GSM/GPRS market with its new GX-28 camera phone through T-Mobile USA Inc. The company said it is also in talks to sell phones through GPRS carriers AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. as well.
Audiovox also launched the PPC-5050, a CDMA device running Microsoft Corp.’s Pocket PC operating system. The phone supports CDMA 1x EV-DO networks and includes an MP3 player, an Intel Corp. 400 MHz processor and 64 MB of memory. Audiovox did not name a carrier that will sell the device, although Verizon Wireless recently launched EV-DO networks in San Diego and Washington, D.C, with plans to expand the service to major cities by this summer.
The handset maker also unveiled the CDM-8910, a tri-mode 1x-capable camera phone with built-in flash. “With a built-in flash and lightweight design, the CDM-8910 is perfect for people who want more features in a smaller handset,” Christopher said.
In other phone news, Siemens released two new phones through AT&T Wireless-the C61 for $50 with a two-year activation and the A56i for $90. The company also said it plans to release its long-awaited SX1, which uses the Symbian operating system, in the United States sometime in the first quarter. The company said the phone is already selling in parts of Europe and Asia. Original plans called for the phone to be on the market in mid-2003.
Finally, Motorola Inc.’s long-awaited V600 camera phone will finally hit store shelves this month through AT&T Wireless, the companies announced. The phone suffered from software glitches and had been delayed until after the holiday shopping season.
“Just as the ground-breaking Motorola StarTac and Motorola V60 were the coveted communications accessory of their time, the Motorola V600 is demanding similar attention for its elegant blend of design and technology,” said Joe Woods, vice president of product operations for Motorola. “The new model V600 exemplifies our commitment to enriching consumers’ lives with compelling, easy-to-use wireless experiences-sharing moments with photos and video, simplifying connections with Bluetooth wireless technology and globetrotting without missing a beat.”
The phone works on GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands, features Java, multimedia messaging service and video playback support, and includes Bluetooth short-range wireless technology.
Motorola also plans to sell an EDGE version of its popular T720 mobile phone. The upcoming T725 features support for EDGE networks, Java applications and MMS. It will be available sometime in the first half of this year. Motorola did not name a carrier that will sell the device, but AT&T Wireless recently announced the launch of its EDGE network.
Motorola also said it will develop personal wireless location solutions using a platform developed by Wheels of Zeus Inc., the startup founded last year by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
In other Motorola news, the company made a strategic minority investment in Magic4 Ltd., which provides messaging software for mobile-phone makers. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Wherify Wireless Inc. announced plans to offer a GPS Locator Phone. The device, about the size of a quarter, has two buttons, one that dials 911 and a second that is preprogrammed to dial another phone number, whether a parent, guardian or other important contact. Wherify did not announce which carrier would sell the phone, but in the past Sprint PCS has sold Wherify devices. The company said the phone should be available late in the second quarter and would sell for less than $150.
Many analyst firms have predicted that 2004 will be a major year for mobile phones. The world’s No. 1 mobile-phone maker, Nokia Corp., bolstered that outlook with news that phone sales in the fourth quarter increased to $8.9 billion, up 4 percent year on year. The company cited better-than-expected market development leading to strong unit volumes. Nokia said its operating margin would continue around 24 percent to 25 percent for the quarter-industry-leading numbers.
