Next generation mobiles unveiled
Thursday, March 10, 2005 Posted: 8:02 AM EST (1302 GMT)
HANNOVER, Germany (AP) -- The mobile phone is a phone no more -- or rather it's a phone and more.
The new models unveiled at the CeBIT technology show this week let users do more than just call a friend to catch up.
How about sending a brief film clip of you by the fountain in Rome?
Or perhaps a picture snapped of the Eiffel Tower with an image quality so fine it could be blown up and put in a 10x14-inch (25x35-centimeter) frame.
The new crop of phones debuting at the world's largest technology trade fair included a model by Samsung that sports a seven-megapixel camera and others that can download and stream music like an MP3 player.
"This is the first time that 3G phones are getting close to being sexy and attractive," said Leif-Olof Wallin, who follows mobile phone development and marketing for the Meta Group from Sweden.
Samsung Corp. didn't disclose a price on the new SCH-V770, whose seven-megapixel camera delivers quality on par, or better, than the digital cameras available to consumers that offer four to six megapixels in quality.
The handset is expected to go on sale by June, at least in Asia, but its availability in the United States and Europe isn't certain.
Reaction near the Samsung booth, which was still being assembled for Wednesday's official opening, was filled with actual "oohs" and "ahs." The phone will be officially presented Thursday.
Wallin said phone makers are being careful to tailor their product lines for specific markets. Japan and South Korea, for example, use the CDMA standard, and customers there are big fans of camera phones and instant messaging.
Samsung is targeting that market first because customers there will be eager for a small phone combined with a powerful camera that sports a flash and can be manually focused.
It also has a display capable of showing as many as 16 million colors. Most upscale phones can show around 65,000.
Germany's Siemens AG hopes to transform text messages from boring print to a more interactive experience.