CTIA Wireless 2008 on tap for next week

Early next week, I'll be packing my bags and jetting off to CTIA in Las Vegas where all the big phone manufacturers (save Apple, of course) are poised to show off their latest and greatest wares. Here's a quick preview of what we might see in the coming days.

Phone makers and carriers alike are staying tight-lipped about the handsets and services they'll be unveiling next week, but from the leaks I've seen, I'm expecting a bevy of sexy new phones—and yes, most of them will be making landfall here in North America.

First things first: Don't expect to see that most hotly anticipated of all phones—the iPhone 2—make its debut next week. Apple typically schedules its own events for major product announcements, and besides—from everything I've heard, the next iPhone is still months away.

That said, here's a few of the highlights we might see, starting bright and early Tuesday morning:

Google Android phones: Handsets running on Google's new, open-source mobile platform first cropped up at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month; I'm expecting more in Vegas, and I'll be sure to post some hands-on looks.

Sleek new touch-screen phones: With nearly a year under their belts since last June's debut of the iPhone, the big phone manufacturers are doubtless ready with some new touch-screen models that will truly take on the iPhone. I'm also hoping to get a closer look at Sony Ericsson's new Xperia X1, a gorgeous Windows Mobile touch-screen slider that debuted at MWC.

Wither WiMax?: It's been a tough several months for Sprint, what with its sagging numbers and management shake-ups, but the carrier remains upbeat about WiMax—a Wi-Fi variant capable of bathing entire cities in clouds of broadband goodness. (Competitors AT&T and Verizon Wireless betting their 4G fortunes on LTE, an offshoot of existing GSM cellular networks.) Recent reports suggest that Sprint might be calling on cable operators like Comcast and Time Warner to help build a national WiMax network; will we see more developments at CTIA? Stay tuned.

Speaking of WiMax: Word is that Nokia might roll out a WiMax-enabled version of its hot N810 Internet tablet during the show, and Nokia just so happens to have a "Press Conference in the Sky" slated for Tuesday. Hmmm….

Windows Mobile redux: The grapevine is buzzing that Vegas will serve as the launch pad for Windows Mobile 6.1, which Chris detailed in an earlier post.

Hello, Moto: The once-dominant mobile giant just endured a terrible week, but a leaked (and now long-gone) video from earlier this month promised some interesting new handsets from Motorola, including a five-megapixel camera phone made in partnership with Kodak, a new ROKR music slider, and more. That said, there's no official word, so don't get your hopes up.

Anyway, I'll be reporting from Vegas starting Monday night; check back then for the latest.