CTIA Wireless 10 Coolest New Devices

An anonymous reader writes to share that while the new items at CTIA may be a bit underwhelming, there are still a few things that should fuel interest. "The Pro-700 is a rugged device certified to military standards for dust, shock and vibration which should get a few of the rabble smearing mud across their cheeks in readiness for the forthcoming assault. For the rest of us it offers a single-number option and the ability to black or allow incoming one-to-one push-to-talk calls. With Sprint Mobile Sync, an online tool that lets users manage all of their contact information online, including setting up groups for PTT and text/voice messaging the Pro-700 is a formidable package."

Comments

Pay no attention to this.

[Slashdot Suxxors]

How the fuck did an iPhone knockoff snag the number one spot? They are basically the same, except the Samsung'd version has a couple extra buttons.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[Original Replica]

How the fuck did an iPhone knockoff snag the number one spot?

Because it's not tied to AT&T, than in itself is a sufficient distinction to make it potentially far superior.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[D.A. Zollinger]

First off, the iphone isn't even on this list, it isn't new enough anymore. Second, what most people don't seem to understand is that the iphone isn't just a device, and while manufacturers can try all they want to create devices that look and act similarly, the iphone is part of a complex system which integrates itunes, and thus music, movies, photos, etc. into an interactive product which interfaces well with both the mac and windows operating systems.

Yes, big deal, I've got opera mini running on my phone, I've got a media player on my phone, I've got a camera on my phone, etc. However it doesn't all work together. I can't listen to music and surf the web at the same time. I can't talk and browse photos at the same time. Connecting to my computer? 9 times out of 10 the phone or the computer crashes when I try to interface through the USB cable.

So no, I won't be worring about anything topping the iphone for a long time. As for any industry pundit who wispers "iphone killer"? I just chuckle at their misunderstanding of what people want.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[Anonymous Coward]

Because only iPhone has god given right to be the coolest, eh? Fucking Apple fanbois are just out of control.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[Brian Gordon]

into an interactive product What are you a cell phone salesman?

I can't talk and browse photos at the same time. How would you see the screen?!

9 times out of 10 the phone or the computer crashes when I try to interface through the USB cable. That's your fault; either you're trying to do some retarded itunes-style sync with WMP or your system is unstable already. Just mount the device as a removable drive and copy whatever pictures and music to the appropriate directories.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[bluemonq]

Let me start by saying that I own an iPhone. It's great. You own one too, so I don't need to go into details. But, I also have a K800i that I've yet to sell. Not a smartphone, but rather a feature phone; no Windows Mobile, Symbian, or any other OS commonly associated with a smartphone. It doesn't have EDGE, but the K790a does (it lacks 3G) I, too, have Opera Mini installed. Unlike you however, I can use Opera Mini and listen to music at the same time. I've never tried calling and browse photos at the same time, hold on... yeah, I can do that too. I don't have any problems syncing music or the address book either, whether through a USB cable or Bluetooth. Oh, it plays well with both Windows and Mac. It has a kick-ass 2MP camera with real auto-focus and real flash. I can upload photos directly to blogs. I've got IMAP and POP3 access on the phone, though I'll agree that the screen is way too small for anything but to check email quickly. In any event, the three things you mentioned all work fine. So, maybe your problem was that back then you didn't do enough research to find the right phone?

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[Aeternitas827]

Your first statement there is yet another example of how Apple managed to somehow win with this device with their advertising and marketing. It's not a 'complex system'--tossing music, video, etc onto a phone is a concept introduced by Apple as much as Al Gore created the internet. The only hoopla is that it's all done through iTunes rather than an application of the user's choosing (not that it REALLY makes a difference). And of course the iPhone is going to be an interactive product--but no more so that any other midrange or higher device on the market today.

And what sort of phone are you using that it can't do two things at once? For a long time, I've used several mobiles ranging from a Nokia 3300 to a Siemens SX66 (older phones, mind) that could do so with little effort. Multitasking is not a new thing either, it's just being streamlined to be handled easier but has been far from impossible.

As far as what people want, they want what they're TOLD to want. It's no big secret that a majority of consumers are sheep. If it's marketed aggressively, looks pretty, and has a brand name they'll recognize easily, they will buy it. It's very simple. As the iPhone was marketed, people wanted it; now the market isn't quite as fascinated with it, consumer attention is shifting, and as soon as another company markets a device that's as pretty and functional and hyped as the iPhone, that's what they'll want--especially if it gets tagged as an 'iPhone Killer', or something similar.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[gwait]

How is the crashing of an unstable operating system EVER the users fault?

You must work for IT support..

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[Brian Gordon]

You must be completely retarded. The crashing of a stable os like XP or Vista is ALWAYS the user's fault. Always.

You must be a 3-digit-uid in disguise to be using such outdated criticisms of windows.

Re:Pay no attention to this.

[gwait]

Doh! Sorry, I had the wrong reality distortion field turned on! :)
Just a sec... Ah, that's better!

Black incoming calls?

[Itninja]

to black or allow incoming one-to-one push-to-talk calls

Seriously? The O and the A aren't even on the same side of the keyboard! This leads me to believe that some actually thinks that's the the proper term...
I, on the other hand, am a prefect speller...Oh CARP!

Re:Black incoming calls?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously? The O and the A aren't even on the same side of the keyboard!

Unless you're using dvorak...

Unimpressive

[PFI_Optix]

An iPhone knock-off, a slightly-less-bulky blackberry, a ruggedized clamshell, and a bunch of push-to-talk, GPS-capable phones. The only remotely interesting ones were 8-10 because they actually do something new.

Sprint TV this... Sprint Music Store that...

[i_liek_turtles]

Did that article feel like one huge Sprint commercial to anyone else?

Re:Sprint TV this... Sprint Music Store that...

[Brian Gordon]

No, it was too slow for """Sprint Speed"""

Android

[l3prador]

Now that it's a reasonable possibility (at least sometime in the not so distant future) to get a decent Linux stack on a cell phone that will have enough people using it and working on it so that it really works, I can't see why I would care about any new phone that isn't going to run Android. I'm tired of all the ridiculous bugs in phone software. I've pretty much given up on a phone that just works. I want one that if it's broken, I can make it work.

Color Television Interface Adaptor

[Anonymous Coward]

The Atari 800 is back!? woohoo!!11

Re:Color Television Interface Adapter

[phozz bare]

Yes! And finally they realized that 128 colors really are enough for anybody.