@ CTIA: Smartphones, tablets continue their evolution

ORLANDO, Fla. – If trade shows are known for anything it’s the unveiling of cool devices, and despite the flurry of new gadgets already shoveled into the market already this year, the CTIA event managed to host a least a few more.
Sprint Nextel Corp. really stole the show with the unveiling of the domestic industry’s first 3D device in HTC Corp.’s Evo 3-D along with HTC’s first tablet device in the Evo View 4G that includes an optional stylus that activates enhanced functionality.
According to Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at the NPD Group, both devices included features that should allow them to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. That crowding seems to includes a number of devices blurring the lines between what is considered a “pocketable” smartphone and a small-screened tablet device. Rubin noted that by the end of last year one-fourth of smartphones sold included screen sizes of at least four inches, which while still short of the seven-inch quasi-standard set to be considered a tablet device, does show that consumers are becoming comfortable with hauling around larger-screened devices.
As for the tablet market, manufacturers are scurrying to find their niche with different screen sizes as well as stouter internal configurations that seem to be changing on a near monthly basis. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. filled out (literally) its Galaxy Tab line up that originally included a seven-inch device with a new 8.9-inch model and bolstering the specification of its recently introduced 10.1-inch model.
While there is finally a break in the trade show schedule following CTIA, don’t expect the market for smartphones and tablets to take a breather.