3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona (Part 1)
It's that time of year again where we pay a visit to the mobile mecca, the 3GSM World Congress. This is where deals are made and technologies are shown off, but more interestingly are the new mobile phones that were showcased. In our first part, we take a look at Nokia, Motorola & Sony Ericsson pavilions.
This article is also contributed by John Chan.
3GSM World Congress 2006
It's that time of year again where we pay a visit to the mobile mecca, the 3GSM World Congress. This is where deals are made, strategies are announced and technologies are shown off. But more importantly and interesting to us are the new mobile phones that we get to see on the show floors. Almost all the major mobile phone brands had new handsets revealed. Taking their cue from Motorola, we saw many slim handsets from most of the manufacturers. The RAZR V3 has really ignited a revolution in mobile phone design. Here is our coverage of some of the handsets from the major brands.
New from Motorola
There is no doubt that the Motorola RAZR V3 was wildly successful in 2005. The numbers show that, and just by looking around, you can see many people carrying this super-slim handset. The design philosophy has carried over to the bar-type handset, the SLVR, with Motorola giving super slim designs to the low-tier and mid-tier markets.
This new slim candybar phone - the L2 - is based on the SLVR design. The differences are the non-flat keypad and that it foregoes a camera, which makes it appropriate for workplaces that do not allow cameras.
We are familiar with the L6, the low-cost SLVR-style handset. This is the same phone, just that the color's different and that it supports iMode.
Again, the same form factor in the L7, but also with iMode support. We suspect there will be many more variants of this slim candybar in the year to come. Time will tell.
Low cost does not mean low quality. Made for the emerging markets, the affordable W220 handset comes with an FM tuner and has an attractive design for the masses.
Extending the product line, Motorola has launched the Z, a slide-type handset for the Korean market. We don't know when it will be launched for the rest of the world though.
No, it isn't the PEBL handset. This is a portable battery that will give you two full charges of your Motorola phone. Just slide up the mini-USB connector and plug it in for power on the go.
More New Stuff from Motorola
The A910 can make calls using both the cellular network and wireless LAN. If you are in the middle of a VoIP call using wireless LAN and move out of wireless range, it will transfer your call seamlessly over to the cellular network.
The C113A is another low-cost handset made for the markets with low mobile phone penetration.
Ron Garriques, president of Motorola's mobile devices business, is seen here wearing the H5 MINIBLUE Bluetooth headset. It's the smallest in existence, and picks up voice through the ear canal.
The back view of the limited edition Dolce & Gabbana V3 handset. Only 1000 of these were made, and the only way you are going to get one now is on eBay for a tiny fortune.
The TXTR D7 is designed to make text messaging easier if you do not have a QWERTY keyboard on your mobile phone. It uses Bluetooth to connect to a compatible Motorola handset.
A Few from Nokia
Nokia announced three new handsets during their press conference here. One of them has wireless LAN and can switch seamlessly between cellular and VoIP calls.
This clamshell handset is the 6136. It makes use of UMA to switch between VoIP calls using wireless LAN and traditional cellular calls.
The quad-band 6131 has a QVGA display that can render 16 million colors. It is expected to retail at 275 EUR and will be available in the second quarter of this year.
This 6070 is a basic tri-band handset that comes with a few additional features like FM radio and push to talk. It will also be available from Q2 this year at a price of 135 EUR.
While this isn't a mobile phone, we had a chance to see the Nokia 770 tablet, an Internet device using Linux which would be a great addition to any coffee table.
Touchscreen Goodness from Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson may not have made many announcements, but their devices were getting a lot of people excited. Using the Symbian OS with the UIQ interface, the new handsets are designed to be fun yet very functional.
This new touchscreen UIQ device is the M600. It has a single key for two letters, so you either press the left or right edge of the key for the appropriate letter. A jog dial on the side makes it easy to navigate without the stylus too.
The new Memory Stick Micro will be used on the M600. It's about as big as a thumbnail, and no doubt will be very expensive as Sony flash memory usually is.
The new Walkman W950 phone sports 4GB of internal flash memory. It is very similar in shape and size to the M600, but will be more entertainment focused. Don't let the flat keypad fool you though as there is some tactile response to it.
Another view of the W950 shows where the stylus is located and also reveals how slim it is. Take note that neither this model nor the M600 come with built-in cameras.
That's it for part one of our 3GSM coverage from Barcelona. Stay tuned for part two where we will show more handsets from Asian manufacturers like Samsung, LG and much more.
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.