Phones of the future: a glimpse at 10 devices

While 2008 saw the release of breakthrough devices such as the iPhone and the Storm, 2009 will see even more mobile innovation. Here's a look at 10 devices that could possibly be in your pocket next year.
11/26/2008 6:00:00 AM By: Daniel Ionescu

So you decided to take the smart-phone plunge in 2008 and pick up an iPhone 3G or a T-Mobile G1, based on Google's Android. That's great. But consider yourself warned: You might soon feel a bit of buyer's remorse.

Why? Next year's crop of cell phones is right around the corner, and these shiny new models may have you wishing you had held out a little longer before signing a multiyear contract with a wireless carrier and snapping up a new handset.

What can you expect in 2009? You can look forward to smart phones that sport razor-sharp displays, lightning-fast processing speeds, and built-in videoconferencing capabilities, as well as phones with cameras that have the potential to put your point-and-shoot to shame.

I wouldn't bet my iPod that absolutely all of the phones in this slide show will be available in 2009. Most will, but some may never make it. I selected only the phones I think have the best chance of surfacing in the United States in 2009. Read on for a peek at what's on the way.

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Sony Ericsson W705

Sony Ericsson's upcoming Walkman W705 is a slider-style phone dedicated to music. The W705 comes with a 3.2-megapixel camera, an FM radio, integrated Wi-Fi, and an impressive 2.4-inch QVGA display capable of showing up to 256,000 colors.

The W705 picks up some nice features from other members of the Walkman family. It sports both Shake control (a motion sensor that lets you flick the phone to control games or to skip and shuffle between tracks) and SenseMe (which discovers music to match a particular mood and tempo). Though the phone will come with only 120MB of internal memory, a 4GB memory card will be included in the retail package.

The Sony Ericsson W705 can work on quad-band GSM networks and on dual-band (900/2100 MHz) 3G networks.

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Asus P565

Asus's P565, running on an 800-MHz processor, is dubbed the fastest phone in the world. Intended for business users, the P565 will run Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and use Asus's Glide touch-responsive interface.

The P565 can run fast on the Internet, as well, with support for HSDPA technology. Business travelers will appreciate the phone's ability to run on EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800/1900 networks--perfect for globe-trotting trips.

The Asus P565 also sports a 3-megapixel camera, a 2.8-inch VGA touch screen, GPS, and Wi-Fi; as an extra touch, the battery lid is lined with black synthetic leather.
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HTC Max 4G

A follow-up to the HTC Touch HD, the Max 4G is the first GSM/WiMax phone to be announced. The Max 4G features a 3.8-inch, 800-by-480-pixel (WVGA) screen with 8GB of flash memory on board. It runs on triband EDGE speeds and, of course, WiMax.

The Max 4G is based on Windows Mobile OS, and uses the HTC TouchFlo 3D user interface. The handset has built-in support for FM radio, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also boasts two cameras: a 3.2-megapixel one on the back and a VGA (640-by-480-pixel) one on the front for video calling.

Given that this phone runs on WiMax, Sprint could adopt this phone on its network, with a few modifications (such as a GSM antenna). Keep your fingers crossed.

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