Killer Smartphones at CES: Nexus One, Motorola Backflip, HTC HD2

by Nicholas Kolakowski

Googles much-hyped Nexus One smartphone resembles the HTC Droid Eris. It is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, runs Google Android 2.1, weighs a mere 130 grams and features a 3.7-inch display.

The Nexus One includes a number of features through Google Android, including Internet-connected GPS navigation, Search by Voice, Google Voice and the ability to run multiple Gmail accounts without leaving the application.

Nexus One features a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash, a removable 1,400 mAh battery, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, and four contacts for inline voice and remote control.

Microsoft continues to push Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest generation of its operating system released in October 2009, onto a variety of phones, including this one by HTC. Microsoft made no mention of Windows Mobile 7, supposedly a major upgrade.

Microsoft has been seeking to port its Mobile 6.5 operating system onto a number of phones, including ones by LG, HTC and others. The mobile OS includes improved touch-screen capabilities over previous versions, as well as access to customizable widgets.

Motorola introduced the Backflip with Motoblur, a smartphone running Google Android 1.5 (upgradable to Android 2.x, according to Motorola) that reverse-flips so that both the QWERTY keyboard and the screen are on the outside of the device when closed.

The Backflip includes a 5-megapixel camera (with continuous digital zoom, auto-focus and LED flash), and offers 3G connectivity and up to 6 hours of continuous usage time (and standby time of 13.5 days). Through Motorolas Motoblur interface, the phone offers features such as Caller ID, customizable home screen and Phonebook.

The Backflip has a 3.1-inch screen, weighs 4.7 ounces and includes 2G microSD preinstalled memory.

Research In Motion announced its BlackBerry Projector at CES. The device plugs into a projector or monitor and allows the user to give PowerPoint presentations directly from their BlackBerry smartphone.

The BlackBerry Projector weighs 140 grams, will retail at an unnamed date for $199, and supports most PowerPoint animations and transitions. RIM claims that no additional file processing is required to show slides.

Introduced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during his Jan. 6 keynote address, the HTC HD2 will run Windows Mobile 6.5, be powered by a Snapdragon processor, include a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, and be released on T-Mobile at some point in the spring.

RIM used the opportunity of CES to display its recently released devices, including the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone, released in November and designed to be a sleeker and somewhat smaller version of the Bold 9000.

The Motorola Droid was present at CES. Released on Nov. 6 for $199 with a two-year contract after $100 rebate, the device attracted much early hype as a Google Android-powered challenger to the iPhone.

Nokia displayed the other smartphones in its line during one of the opening-night events of CES. The complain claims that its Ovi Store, its mobile-applications competitor to Apple’s App Store, is getting around 1 million downloads per day.