Like something out of a monster movie, cell phones with hulking features are pouring out of factories and devouring everything in their path, from traditional pay phones, to wireless appliances such as personal digital assistants, digital cameras, and music players. The demand, after all, is out there: Strategy Analytics estimates that 458 million cell phones were sold in 2003, and that 2004 growth will be 11 percent over that figure.
Voice calls are only part of the super phone's appeal. Think of it as a tiny computer that is also a still-shot or video camera, text pager, game machine, portable music player, personal digital assistant, watch, and calculator. Then there's the speakerphone capability, three-way calling for instant teleconferences, voice-activated dialing, multi-media/text messaging, picture-phone conferencing, FM radio, and to come, TV (with TiVO-like playback).
Sure, such features placed into a cell phone typically aren't as good as individual "best of breed" appliances. Until now, for example, camera phones have been mostly toys with limited resolution. But one- and two-megapixel camera phones are already in use in Japan, with flash and zoom capability that rivals entry-level digital cameras. And for many people, the best camera will be the one they always have with them. So when a planner can carry one device, not two or more, that's the lure.
Further, a new transmission technology—"3G" or third-generation wireless—is coming within two years, bringing high-speed connections to browse the Web, send e-mail, share video and still photos, and send multimedia messages combining text, sounds, and pictures, all much faster than today.
It's a Smorgasbord
NEC's N900 phone is nearly as flat as a credit card (.4 inches). Even so, it includes a camera and a color LCD screen, but U.S. users will have to wait; it's only available in Asia and Europe at the moment. A phone planners can buy today is the Sanyo VM4500, available on the Sprint network. The VM4500 shoots video clips up to 15 seconds in length, and takes VGA-quality (640 x 480 pixels) photos. Sprint's service lets you share video clips and photos, or put them online using Sprint Picture Mail. Users can also attach a voice memo up to 10 seconds long to any image. There's also a built-in light for flash photos and even video lighting. Up to 33 clips can be stored in memory. The 3.85-ounce, $379 color-screen phone also includes a built-in speakerphone, event calendar, and to-do list.
Samsung has just launched the SGH-Z105, a clamshell-like phone that works on both American CDMA networks and overseas GSM/GPRS-based networks. It has a built-in, rotating camera, high-quality color screen, and is capable of real-time video telephony for instant videoconferences. Sony Ericsson's K700 camera phone includes an FM radio, and its QuickShare feature lets you easily send captured images, while Photo Light improves low-light images.
Many phones have PDA features: the Sony Ericsson P900, Blackberry 7280, and Nokia 3650. The PDA-based Palm Treo has a tiny keyboard for data entry, while Motorola's MPx200 is among the first based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile Smartphone. There's no keyboard, but it easily synchronizes contacts with your PC.