Smile! You're on candid cell phone

Thoughts from the CTIA Wireless 2003 show in New Orleans:

While cameras embedded into cell phones are not new (we saw some last year), what is surprising is how quickly they have become a standard feature. Almost all phone manufacturers had some kind of camera on their new models, either as a built-in feature or as an attachment.

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Thoughts from the CTIA Wireless 2003 show in New Orleans:

Cameras, cameras everywhere

While cameras embedded into cell phones are not new (we saw some last year), what is surprising is how quickly they have become a standard feature. Almost all phone manufacturers had some kind of camera on their new models, either as a built-in feature or as an attachment.

The coolest of the new cell phone cameras I saw comes from LG, which plans to launch its LG 6000 soon. The LG 6000 includes an embedded CMOS camera that is capable of providing 4X digital zoom and a multishot feature that lets users take three or five photos in a row. The LG 6000 includes an external display with an organic electroluminescent display with caller ID. The phone can run on the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 1xRTT network, has a clamshell design and weighs about 4 ounces.

Another impressive phone was from Samsung and Sprint, the SPH-A600. It features a rotating screen display, which lets a user twist the device to create what looks more like a digital camera than a phone. The A600 also includes a 4X digital zoom and built-in flash feature.

Converged devices

Cameras are not only being placed in cell phones; they're also being included in converged devices, bringing users closer to having a complete mobile office. Could we be closer to ditching the laptop? Perhaps.

Sprint PCS says its new PCS Phone by Hitachi (G1000) features the Microsoft Pocket PC Phone Edition operating system, an embedded keyboard and embedded camera. The device also includes a cell phone (which runs on Sprint's PCS Vision CDMA 1xRTT network), an e-mail device (including the ability to view attachments), and a PDA (via the Microsoft Pocket PC operating system). Sprint says the device would be available in the second quarter. Pricing was not announced.

Another converged device Sprint showed off was the Samsung SPH-i700, which also includes a built-in digital camera. It will be available in the second quarter.

Freedom from the phone cord

There was more than just new cell phones at this year's show - some carriers announced agreements with public wireless hot spot vendors. T-Mobile and Boingo Wireless said they will offer users access to public wireless hot spots provided by T-Mobile and Boingo. Verizon Wireless and Wayport announced a similar agreement for its customers. The service is expected to launch in the third quarter.

But a bigger thrill for me as a traveler was the chance to demo Verizon's new CDMA EV-DO (data only) high-speed wireless network. The service, which promises burst data rates of up to 2.4M bit/sec, with an average of 300K to 600K bit/sec, is expected to debut in Washington, D.C., and San Diego, in the third quarter.

Verizon had set up a temporary EV-DO network at the show, and company officials gave me a PC Card (from GTRAN Wireless) to access the network on my laptop. During my tests, I accessed the network at way-better-than-dial-up speeds from the comfort of my hotel room. While the speeds I experienced might not support streaming video, they were more than adequate for what travelers want when they're on the road - access to the corporate network and e-mail.