LAS VEGAS-Amid all the plasma TV hoopla and car speaker madness of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. used the event to quietly show off its first W-CDMA phones.
South Korean vendors Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. both announced new W-CDMA handsets for Cingular’s newly launched 3G network. The handsets are to be available online and at select Cingular stores later this month.
Samsung’s new zx10 features a clamshell-style design and support for 1900/1800/900/850 MHz GSM networks and 1900/850 W-CDMA networks. The phone features a 1.3 megapixel camera, a memory card slot and support for Cingular’s video service.
Separately, LG’s new sliding-style CU320 supports the same frequencies as Samsung’s zx10, and includes Bluetooth, a memory card slot and support for Cingular’s video service.
Late last year Cingular launched W-CDMA/HSDPA networks in 16 markets across the country. As for devices, the carrier currently sells several W-CDMA laptop PC cards.
Interestingly, neither the LG device nor the Samsung device supports the HSDPA component of Cingular’s network. HSDPA technology offers speeds of around 500 kilobites per second to 700 kbps. W-CDMA technology supports speeds of 220 to 320 kbps. Although a range of device makers sell W-CDMA handsets, none now sell an HSDPA-capable phone.
However, Samsung recently unveiled its first HSDPA phone, the zx20.
