CeBit and CTIA are around the corner. Time to whip out your credit cards because cooler, smaller and smarter phones are coming. Here is what you can expect in Germany’s CeBit.

* Vodafone Group likely to launch an integrated mega pixel CCD (charge-coupled device) camera. Additional features include an internal, 18-bit colour display capable of showing up to 262K colours – four times the quality of the GX20 – and support for both Bluetooth and infrared. The phone measures 95mm by 49mm by 26mm and weighs 100g, with a battery that gives users up to 200 minutes of talk time and 220 hours of standby time.

* Sony Ericsson likely to launch S700 phone – an integrated 1.3 mega pixel CCD digital camera and a 2.3 inch 262K TFT colour screen, triband GSM-GPRS phone, swivel-opening design. The handset, which measures 108mm by 49mm by 25mm, will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.

* Sony Ericsson to launch K700 camera phone with a lower resolution camera, and a rather unique connector that lets you send photos and audio from mobile phones to TV sets and digital projectors.

* Siemens prototype penphone in the shape of a pen that allows users to write letters and numbers on any surface and enter the data directly into the device. The PenPhone is aimed largely at heavy SMS users. The device is 140mm long with a diameter of 19mm.

Source: Computer Weekly