CTIA WIRELESS 2009 wrapped up on Friday and while attendance was noticeably down and groundbreaking product announcements relatively absent, the show left plenty to whet our appetites for the near and far future.

Looking near-term, the future is moving toward applications and services for the device rather than the handsets themselves. But with many services still specific to particular operating systems, as well as handset makers placing more emphasis on customizable and easy-to-navigate user interfaces instead of exterior design, phones will remain an important part of the equation. This becomes especially so for the Canadian market as new carriers plan to enter the foray and offer new opportunities to consumers.

On the product side, there were a few handsets at CTIA that, while they haven't yet hit the market or aren't planned for North American introduction at all, were pretty mind-blowing. Since the last day of the show was noticeably quiet, it presented the perfect opportunity to check out some of these future technologies. And there was certainly no better place to start than the booth for NTT docomo, Japan's largest (and one of the world's largest) wireless carriers.

The carrier caught our attention with a few Fujitsu-branded waterproof phones that can be fully submerged in water, yet continue to operate. One of these, specific for kids, has a panic latch on the back that can be pulled to sound a 100 dB alarm (a silent version is also available). As soon as the alarm has been triggered, an e-mail will be sent to the parent with the GPS location of the child. A similar model for seniors includes the same panic features, along with large buttons and text. The on-screen text is read aloud so the aging or vision-impaired person doesn't need to squint his eyes to see it. Called the Raku-Raku phone, this model also incorporates health features, like a pulse meter and pedometer; and works with compatible at-home health appliances to receive information (via IR) about weight, body fat composition, and heart rate.

It's tough not to wonder why someone hadn't thought of this design earlier as soon as you set your eyes on the Separables phone. As its name implies, the top and bottom portions separate, allowing you to chat using the top half while still performing other functions on the bottom, like reading e-mails, or surfing the web. If you're watching video or listening to music on the top half, the bottom can function as a remote for fast forwarding and rewinding, or controlling volume. While it was just a prototype, it wouldn't be surprising to see this device hit the Japanese market soon; and sell out like hotcakes, to boot. Check back to the Videos section of this Website for a demonstration of the Separables phone.

WIth the exception of the Separables model, these devices are already sold and in the hands of consumers. And as a prototype, we'll likely see the Separables model some time over the next year. But looking way ahead into the future are two handsets from Kyocera, both of which incorporate foldable designs and gain power through kinetic movement. The EOS folds out to reveal a touch-sensitive OLED screen with keys that morph from the surface. The NXT employs a standard handset design, but incorporates a pull-out, foldable touch "screen" that actually looks like a sheet of paper. The "screen" can serve as an oversized keypad, or as a large display for GPS information, Websites, etc. A rep from the company confirms that both products are at least five-to-10 years away from actually being developed, if at all. Still, the products show evidence of the capability this industry has to continually innovate and "wow" us in the cellular category.

Stay tuned for a detailed report on CTIA WIRELESS 2009 in the April issue of Marketnews Magazine. 

Article Tags:  wireless, cellular, mobile phone, kyocera, docomo, future, ctia, show, event, oled, touchscreen, waterproof, panic, child, senior, voice