CTIA Device Announcements Set Pace for 2008

ARTICLE

CTIA Device Announcements Set Pace for 2008

By Jeff Orr, Senior Analyst - Consumer Electronics
Contact the author at jeff@maravedis-bwa.com

The month of April kicked off CTIA Wireless 2008, the annual spring gathering of the North American mobile communications industry to discuss progress and show off the latest wares. Several compelling devices were announced at this year’s show.

Sprint added its first EV-DO handset, a pair of Sanyo radios for its push-to-talk offering, and announced four additional devices for the upcoming XOHM mobile WiMAX service.

The biggest announcement for Sprint was the Samsung Instinct. The touch-screen handset will launch in June on the operator’s EV-DO rev.A network, which is touted as covering more than 15,000 cities and nearly 1,500 airports. Samsung Instinct boasts GPS-based location services, Sprint TV, visual voicemail, corporate and consumer (POP3) email support, multitasking capabilities, a 2.0 megapixel camera with camcorder and expandable microSD memory of up to 8GB. Additional features include stereo Bluetooth 2.0, an integrated world clock, SMS voice and text messaging with threaded text, Phone as Modem, picture caller ID and Sprint Mobile Sync. Device pricing has not been determined, but an unlimited data plan at $70/month is required.

Sanyo introduced two push-to-talk handsets – the PRO-200 and PRO-700. Leveraging Qualcomm’s QChat technology, the Sanyo radios ride on the Sprint EV-DO rev.A network. Both units will debut on the Nextel Direct Connect service this month and range in price from $50~$70 with a two-year contract.

Four additional devices were unveiled for the upcoming Sprint XOHM mobile WiMAX network: Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition, the Everex Cloudbook MAX embedded laptop PC, and an Ultra Mobile PC and PC Card from Samsung. The long-awaited Nokia N810 tablet will be available during the first half of 2008. Place-shifted control of TV and video content for the Nokia N810 family debuted from Monsoon Multimedia and its HAVA player. Everex intends to embed WiMAX wireless capability in an Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) powered by VIA’s C7 processor. The new CloudBook Max has mobile WiMAX capability at 2.5 GHz from GCT Semiconductor. Samsung Telecommunications America announced the mid-year availability of the Samsung E100 PC Card and the fall availability of the Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium Mobile PC. The devices will operate exclusively on Sprint’s XOHM mobile broadband Internet network.

Microsoft released the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform, an enhancement to the 6.0 version that alleviates several customer complaints about the mobile OS. Partners at launch include: Alltel Wireless, Amoi, AT&T, ASUS, E-TEN, GIGA-BYTE Communications Inc., HP, HTC Corp., i-mate, Intermec Inc., MiTAC International Corporation, MobileXP Technology Co., LTD, Motorola, O2, Orange, Palm Inc., Pantech, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile USA Inc., T-Mobile International Inc., T-Mobile Germany, TechFaith Holding Limited, TELUS, Toshiba, Velocity Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone.

Already available in other countries, HTC introduced the Touch Dual to the US market. The Touch Dual features a touch screen, slide-out keypad, Windows Mobile 6.1, and a pair of cameras – a 2 megapixel camera for photos and video capture, and a second camera for video calls. Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and HSDPA (850/1900MHz) connectivity are available. The Touch Dual will initially be available through US electronics retailer Best Buy.

Terrestrial mobile communications are not the only game in town. Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) plans to launch two satellites in 2009 that provide an alternative connection for mobile users who frequently travel outside cellular voice coverage. The company’s L-Series satellite phone won’t be available until 2010, but the hybrid satellite/cellular system is expected to emerge with a US-based cellular carrier selling the new service. The L-Series will feature: a 320x480 multi-touch screen; high-speed Internet access with Wi-Fi, cellular, and satellite connectivity; a web camera; and a speakerphone. The most amazing part will be the phone thickness of only 15mm, unheard of in previous satellite phones. A ruggedized R-Series is also being planned.

Motorola’s DH02 Mobile TV device adds to a portfolio that saw announcements at CES and Mobile World Congress earlier this year. The new device features a touch screen user interface and includes a HSDPA/GPRS back channel. Based on the DVB-H mobile TV standard, the device incorporates a GPS for personal navigation and PVR capabilities to enhance the TV viewing experience.

The Advanced Wireless Services (AWS-1) auction concluded in September 2006. AWS handsets appeared at CTIA from Samsung and UTStarcom. AWS spectrum owners, including the Cricket service from Leap Wireless, now have sufficient devices to start offering services. T-Mobile will start offering 3G services later this year utilizing AWS spectrum. The national carrier plans to use a Nokia GSM/UMTS phone amongst others.

What device activities didn’t happen at CTIA this year? XOHM didn’t launch and slipped to later in the year. 700 MHz spectrum winners remained under gag orders not to discuss specific plans. Many attendees hoped that new devices would be announced to overthrow the market buzz created by last year’s iPhone introduction.

While none of the introductions at CTIA Wireless could be classified as market altering, progress continued towards smarter and more capable devices across multiple swaths of spectrum.

For more information you can contact the author: jeff@maravedis-bwa.com