CES 2008 Preview: Cell Phones Galore

Back in the day, the big players in the cell phone arena held their fire until spring, when the curtain rises on the bi-annual CTIA wireless conference. Lately however, a little electronics show in Vegas—the eight-headed beast known as Consumer Electronics Show—has stolen CTIA's thunder. Here's a sneak preview of what to expect come January, including buzz of a touch-screen (maybe) BlackBerry, a possible new slider from Helio, and more.

CES 2007 served as the launching pad for several hot new phones (remember the mobile TV handsets from LG and Samsung?), and I'm expecting more of the same for the 2008 edition. The big phone manufacturers have been tight-lipped about their CES lineups, but a few interesting rumors have bubbled up to the surface.

Touch-screen BlackBerry?

One of the most intriguing is word, courtesy of The Boy Genius Report, of a new BlackBerry: the 9000 (or the 9000 series, to be exact), which is rumored to come with a speedy Intel XScale processor, HSDPA access (which would make it the first BlackBerry capable of running on 3.5G GSM networks), Wi-Fi, GPS, a full gigabyte of onboard memory, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a jumbo 480-by-320-pixel screen. Pretty nice, but here's the hottest morsel about the 9000: It might be the first BlackBerry to chuck the keypad for a full-on touch screen. That said, I'm hearing conflicting reports about whether the 9000 actually ditches the physical keypad, so don't get your hopes up.

Here's another interesting rumor that might see daylight at CES: A new line of Motorola phones—and no, I'm not talking the RAZR3. Word has it that Moto may soon unveil the ZiNE: a new series of touch-screen multimedia handsets with Wi-Fi, GPS, and eight-megapixel cameras. Gizmodo reports that Motorola has gone so far as to file a trademark for the "ZiNE" name, so there is a bit of substance behind the buzz. Will the supposed ZiNE phones arrive in time for CES? We'll have to wait and see.

Rumored Helio "Mysto" might materialize

Helio's been known to make waves at CES, and it may do so again with the rumored Mysto. CrunchGear got its hands on spy shots of the alleged, Samsung-made slider, which I'm guessing will boast features such as Helio's cool, GPS-aided Buddy Beacon, plus streaming audio, music downloads, and 3G access. The Mysto rumors have been percolating for a couple of months now, so the phone may be ripe for a CES debut.

In addition to new handsets, CES will be buzzing with talk of three big stories that, taken together, could fundamentally change the wireless business in the United States: specifically, Google's proposed open-source Android platform (and the prospect of Android-powered phones in mid-2008), Verizon's just-announced pledge to open its network to third-party handsets and applications (which may—or may not—lead to more phone and app choices for Verizon subscribers), and January's FCC auction of the 700MHz wireless spectrum (bidders include such 800-pound gorillas as Google, Verizon Wireless, and AT&T). Likely cocktail-party discussions: Is Google's Android just smoke and mirrors? Is Verizon only paying lip service to the idea of open networks? Open questions all, but it's clear that the old "the carrier is king" notion here in the States is poised for a major shake-up.

iPhone 2.0?

Of course, the elephant in the room comes courtesy of a company that won't even be exhibiting at CES. Macworld 2008 is set for January 15, just days after after the festivities in Vegas have come to a close, and all eyes are on Steve Jobs, who may—or may not—have a new iPhone to announce. The CEO of AT&T just confirmed that a 3G iPhone is in the works for 2008, so there's a chance that the iPhone 2.0 will be ready for its close-up in time for Jobs' Macworld keynote. The announcement of the original iPhone stopped CES dead in its tracks last January, so I'm sure everyone in the cell phone industry—whether they admit it or not—will be looking over their shoulders for the looming news from San Francisco.

That's my (long-winded) take on what we might see from cell phones at CES. What are you hoping will come out of the show?