The killer smartphone?  Palm Pre.  Despite today's seemingly made up rumors of some guy at Palm saying something about a delay, I still thing we're going to get our official launch on April 1 with a ship date of May 1 or 15.  The only official timeframe we've EVER been given by Sprint or Palm is "First half of 2009," and there's nothing substantitive yet out there to indicate that Pre won't ship by the end of June as scheduled.  That said, Sprint and Palm are holding a webcast for media next week (March 12), so check back with me after that for a revised prediction.

The Windows Mobile options?  HTC Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2.  Look for both devices to launch in Sprint branding on April 1, as well.  Diamond2 should ship by the end of April followed by Pro2 sometime in May or early June.  HTC did some great work on both device's hardware and software, as they showed at MWC last month.  I'm particularly fond of the deeper integration of messaging and contacts in TouchFlo 3D.  Also, both phones are ready for WM 6.5 (which is a bigger deal than you might think).

The multimedia phone?  Samsung Instinct Mini.   I've never been a huge fan of Instinct, but plenty of Sprint users like it just fine, and Sprint and Samsung have steadily been stomping bugs and upgrading features since it launched at last year's CTIA show.  Vegas '09 would be the perfect venue to drop Mini2 on the public - preferably at a nice, low price point and with an updgraded Web browser.



The messaging phone?  LG Rumor 2.  While I'm not exactly sure what to make of the superficial similarities between Rumor, Samsung Rant, and the photos I've seen of Rumor 2, messaging phones are still hot and tweens love their options.  While Rumor 2  might not make sense in Samsung's eyes, seeing how Rant was just launched in September, LG and Sprint are probably just fine with the idea of a Rumor successor being unveiled on April 1.

This thread on Sprintusers has some purported details (and the below image), including:

It is not EVDO, it still has a 1.3 megapixel camera.

It also has a higher resolution screen (320 x 240 pixel), it has an improved 4 line QWERTY keyboard with emoticon key.

It has Bluetooth stereo with max memory of 16 GB.

It also has changeable faceplates and threaded SMS .

It is sprint's texting phone, not multimedia. Having seen it, it looks much cooler than the Rant (which looks cheap IMO) with it's mirror finish.

CONS
dfsdsssssssssssssssss

SUMMARY
this is a very go phone i loved it with i got it]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-green.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-green&utm_campaign=PhoneDog10/19/2008 7:34:04 PM

On Thursday Noah reported on Motorola's intentions for splitting their mobile phone division away from the rest of the company into a seperate division.  With the company losing market share in the industry after the success of the infamous RAZR, let's hope they can surprise us all at CTIA next week.

Also highlighted on this episode of Unlocked, a new website, Billshrink.com is available to help consumers find the best cellular phone plan based on their current usage.  This free service is easy to use and could really help you save next time you are shopping for that perfect calling plan.

What does Noah find in his FedEx package?  Watch this episode of Unlocked to find out!

While the Fall CTIA Show is, as the "Wireless IT & Entertainment" moniker would suggest, more about business-to-business services than new phones for consumers, I did get to play with some cool handsets yesterday.  I also got some interesting insight into the state of the cellular world from folks as diverse as Nokia Execs, the head of Telecom for Deloitte & Touche, and some of my fellow bloggers.

The general consensus is that the line between phones and smartphones is getting blurrier by the minute here in the states.  Folks from Nokia pointed out that the working definition of "smartphone" is different in Europe - where people use advanced handsets more for entertainment purposes than in the US where "smartphone" equals "productivity."  That may be changing somewhat this holiday season, however, with a bunch of new entertainment and productivity-rich models hitting the stores.

LG showed off the Venus and Voyager, new handsets that should be in Verizon Wireless stores by the end of November.  Both models are VCast Music and Video compatible, and the Voyager also works with VCast Mobile Television offerings.  And both phones are hot - you can see them in action in the video I posted earlier today.

Something of a successor to the enV, Voyager features horizontal clamshell design - there's a 3" touchscreen display on the outside and a smaller display and full QWERTY keyboard on the inside.  A two-megapixel camera and dual stereo speakers make this phone an entertainment monster as much as it is a messaging maven.

Venus, on the other hand, is a slim slider with a large display split into standard and touch-sensitive sections.  What's cool about Venus' design is that there's a standard keypad for dialing and texting, but the touchscreen area can be programmed for different application-specific controls.  It's an interesting way to raise the tech/feature level without sacrificing much in the way of style or bulk.

LG was also showing the Sprint Rumor, a messaging phone that looks kind of likeLG's F9200 for AT&T.  Rumor is interesting - it's a sleek, nice-looking device that marries a small screen to a slide-out QWERTY board, packs a decent feature-set, but doesn't do 3G data speeds.  Instead of buzzing along on Sprint's EV-DO network, it's relegated to the slower 1xRTT data path.  Rumor will be inexpensive, though - $79 with contract, so it could turn out to be a good choice for messaging addicts on a budget.  I tapped a few sentences out on it and generally liked it - I'm looking forward to getting a review model to play with awhile.

Speaking of Sprint, I got a Palm Centro in my paw for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised.  Currently available for under $100 with contract, Centro is a total 180 from the old days of big, bulky, PDA phones that screamed "Geek!"  Centro is stylish in that "functional" way like Nokias are, and in addition to phone, email, and Web functionality it also supports Sprint TV. And while the QWERTY board on the Centro looks tiny in photos, it actually seemed pretty usable in hand.  Even with my giant thumbs.

T-Mobile had their new Sidekicks - the Slide and LX - on display.  The LX is also now available for purchase, as well.  I liked the Slide's smaller, lighter form factor and new sliding display/keyboard cover.  Slide also features a 320 x 240 resolution display to the LX's 400 x 240.  Both models also feature cameras and music players.

And while the Nokia booth on the show floor was primarily geared towards showing off their Ovi ecosystem of Web 2.0 services (more on that in another post soon), they did have handsets, too of course.  The N95 8GB is slick.  Finished in black with a larger LCD display than the original N95, the 8GB model is a total powerhouse.  I also checked out the N81 8GB, and came away really impressed by its graphics performance during gaming.  Nokia's serious about rebirthing N-Gage, and while the new NGage is a platform and not a specific handset, the N81 was a good choice for showing it off.  FIFA soccer, in particular, looked terrific on the S60 slider.

Motorola had the Z6tv and Q9h (amongst others) on display at their booth.  The z6tv is a Verizon Wireless slider that supports VZW's MediaFLO-powered VCAST Mobile TV service.  What's nice about the Z6tv is that it's the first VCAST TV handset without an ugly external antenna.  It's basically a RIZR done up in a nice, black and chrome finish.

The Q9h is the forthcoming GSM variant of Moto's newest smartphone - the Q9m has been available on VZW for awhile now.  Aside from with a few cosmetic differences, the big differences are under the hood.  Q9h will run Windows Mobile 6 and feature HSDPA support for 3G data along with a 2 MP camera.

Available in two color options, white with silver or black with blue, this device offers one touch access to messaging through a softkey from the idle screen and it automatically populates the messaging menu when the slider is opened. With easy access to Sprint Mobile eMail to check and send mail from multiple accounts through familiar providers including Yahoo! AOL, Gmail and Microsoft Live, Rumor by LG is the perfect device for anyone who needs to stay in touch on the go.

Sprint offers a variety of messaging options beyond text including Voice (SM)S, which allows customers to record a voice message and send it to any mobile phone, email address, or landline phone just like a text message, and text to landline, which allows Sprint subscribers to send a text message to a landline phone where it is automatically converted to a voice message.

The number of Sprint customers using text messaging has increased by more than 20 percent since the beginning of this year. Sprint's unlimited text messaging plans are very affordable at just $10 for individuals or $20 for families.

"We are excited to introduce Rumor by LG because it is great-looking, easy-to-use and very affordable," said Danny Bowman, Sprint's vice president of product development. "This device makes it convenient to stay connected to the office or social networks. Rumor will be an ideal gift for teens, parents or busy professionals during the upcoming holiday season."

"In 2006 over 18 billion text messages were sent on a monthly basis in the US, according to CTIA the Wireless Association. Text messaging has become a mainstream vehicle for communication," said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing at LG. "We are proud to partner with Sprint to bring our consumers the Rumor by LG. This multifaceted device not only makes text messaging effortless with its full QWERTY keypad, but also includes the latest in social networking options, such as Facebook, IM and email."

To personalize the text messaging experience, Rumor by LG offers the ability to assign "text tones" to address book entries for audible identification of text message senders. Preloaded with Sprint Navigation, Rumor by LG provides full-feature GPS navigation including voice and on screen turn-by-turn driving directions and more than 10 million business listings.

Rumor by LG is packed with essential features including a 1.3 megapixel camera/camcorder with a 2x digital zoom, Bluetooth® technology and an MP3 player. It works with Sprint Music Manager, available through an easy software download, to give users the power to quickly transfer unprotected songs from a PC to the handset and manage songs on a PC through an intuitive interface. Music-lovers will also value Rumor by LG's microSD memory card slot with 4GB card capability.

Rumor by LG measures 4.3" x 2.0" x 0.7" and weighs just 4.13 ounces. This device will be priced at $79.99 with a two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate. It will be available at www.sprint.com, 1-800-SPRINT1 and Best Buy in late October and in Sprint retail stores on November 4. Customers can register to be among the first to purchase Rumor by LG at www.sprint.com/rumor.

Fortunately the Rumor will be priced at $79.99 with a 2 year service agreement making it affordable to its target market - teenagers. Key features include a 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom, Bluetooth technology, MP3 player and up to 4GB of additional storage via a MicroSD slot.

Look for the Rumor to be available in Sprint stores on November 4th.

Read full press release after the jump here