With the 3GSM World Congress 2007 having just ended, we wanted to provide a brief recap of the new technologies and products we saw there.This is Part I of our wrap-up article over 3GSM World Congress 2007, in which we will cover HTC, Panasonic, Seagate, Samsung, Motorola, and i-mate. The next part will cover Nokia, PolymerVision, NVIDIA, Sony Ericsson, RIM, and Toshiba.

HTC

HTC is without doubt one of the largest providers of Windows Mobile portable devices. The company made large strides in growth throughout 2006, and currently manufactures 90% of all Windows Mobile devices sold. As such, the growth of Windows Mobile is nearly directly proportional to the growth of HTC, and since Windows Mobile has grown significantly, so has HTC. Considering how large the com pany is, it is no surprise HTC had a large exhibit at 3GSM this year.

HTC Dash

The HTC dash was being proudly displayed by HTC at its booth. The Windows Mobile device supports speech recognition, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE. It has already been released in North America and is being distributed by T-Mobile under the name of the “T-Mobile Dash”.

HTC Advantage

Although originally known as the HTC Athena, at 3GSM this year HTC officially renamed the Athena to the HTC Advantage. In the past, multiple names have been used to refer to the device. It is also known as the HTC X7500, T-Mobile Ameo, HTC Athena, and finally the Dopod U1000.

The Advantage is planned to be released worldwide by HTC, and although it is very similar to a UMPC, the model we tested was loaded with Windows Mobile 5.0 making it more similar to a Pocket PC. Although Windows Mobile 6.0 has already been released, we are not entirely sure whether HTC will upgrade the operating system to Windows Mobile 6.0 before the product's official launch.

The 5-inch touchscreen has a 640x480 resolution. The fully detachable QWERTY keyboard included with the device can be neatly tucked into the screen when not in use. The keyboard is able to stay in place because it is magnetically attached to the device, and can also be used as a protection cover when not in use. The Advantage comes with Tri-band 3G/HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, and a USB port. Internal memory amounts to a total of 128 MB of RAM, 256 MB of ROM, and an 8 GB hard disk. There is also a built-in 3.0 megapixel camera along with integrated GPS, which uses TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software.

HTC P3300

The main function of the HTC P3300 is to serve as a personal navigation assistant. It comes built in with standalone GPS and the TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 application. In addition, it has a built-in FM radio, Bluetooth 2.0, and Wi-Fi. For the operating system, the PDA phone uses Windows Mobile 5.0.

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HTC P4350

The P4350 is a Quad-band GPRS/EDGE PDA phone with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The phone is equipped with a touch screen along with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, a trend that has become very popular among manufacturers.

Although the main focus of 3GSM is mobile solutions, companies more related to the computer world were also present. Panasonic's Toughbook series are already relatively well known, but we still believed they were interesting enough to include in this article. The notebook model on this page belongs to Panasonic's Toughbook family of products, which mainly feature a very solid design that is waterproof and can take a large amount of thrashing.

Panasonic's CF-19 deserves the Toughbook name. We all know that spilling liquids on most laptops usually results in permanent damage to the laptop, but as can be seen in the photos, it doesn't have any effect on the CF-19. The laptop is even able to handle dirt.

It comes equipped with an Intel Core Duo Ultra Low Voltage ULV U2400 processor and an Intel 945GM chipset. The laptop supports Wi-Fi and has a 10.4-inch display. Moreover, the display is also pressure sensitive and can be swung around, meaning the CF-19 can also double up as a Tablet PC. The notebook weighs 4.960 pounds (2.25 Kg) and can also come with GPS installed along with UMTS/HSDPA. This laptop is without doubt targeted for military use, as it has been developed to work in extreme conditions.

The Toughbook CF-T5 features a 12.1-inch monitor and a declared battery life of 14 hours. The optical drive is not built-in, but instead is external in order to save room and power. The chassis is made completely of magnesium alloy and the whole laptop meets military specification drop test, which is around a 1 foot drop onto plywood.

The Seagate D.A.V.E. (Digital Audio Video Experience) brought Seagate to 3GSM this year. The D.A.V.E. is a newly announced external hard disk that is unique primarily because of how small it is. With a 3.5 x 4.7 x .47-inch form factor, the wireless storage device is the size of most business cards. In addition, it only weighs 2.5 ounces (70 grams).

The external hard disk is a very promising solution for mobile device data storage. Using WiFi 802.11b/g or Bluetooth 2.0, the device can connect wirelessly to mobile phones within 30 feet (9.1 meters). It also comes equipped with a rechargeable lithium ion battery that is able to deliver up to 10 hours of media-streaming performance and up to 14 days of standby power. Initially, the D.A.V.E. will be sold with a 1 inch hard disk that has a capacity of 8-10 GB. With time, though, 1.8 inch hard disks will be adopted and will increase the capacity to 60 GB and beyond, making the D.A.V.E. an excellent place to store movies, music, and T.V. shows.

The mobile storage platform is expected to be made available to cell phone manufacturers starting in the second quarter of 2007.

Taking us by surprise, Seagate has partnered with an Italian company, Quantum, in order to create a portable TV player. Although the players do already exist, they haven't shown up in mass quantities yet, which is the next move for Seagate. Seagate’s role in the Quantum is the hard drive integrated into the player. TV shows can be directly recorded onto the hard drive; a major feature of the product.

After the largely successful launch of the first Samsung Ultra Series, Samsung has decided to announce a new series. The new series still retains the main focus on reduced thickness, however, its main functions have been expanded. The new Ultra II Edition line by Samsung is comprised of 4 ultra thin mobile phones.

Samsung Ultra 10.9

The Samsung Ultra II 10.9 (U600) loses two millimeters in thickness compared to the Samsung Ultra 12.9, coming at only 12.1 mm. The phone, however, also loses UMTS technology, and only has EDGE. A 3.2 megapixel comes built into the phone, which is available in a range of colors including sapphire blue, garnet red, platinum metal and copper gold casing.

Samsung Ultra 5.9

The Samsung Ultra II 9.6 (U300) is an ultra thin GPRS/EDGE phone constructed entirely of metal. The clamshell phone is designed for fashion conscious users looking for a unique look. The 5.9 mm thin phone packs a 3.0-megapixel camera, TV-out capability, Bluetooth technology and a 70 MB internal memory. Considering how thin this phone is, it can easily fit into pretty much any pocket.

Samsung F300 Ultra Music

Samsung also took the opportunity this year at 3GSM to expand its Ultra Edition range of phones, which includes the F700, F520, F510, F500 and F300.

The Samsung F300 is also known as Samsung’s Ultra Music phone. The device works both as a digital music player and as a cell phone. A major feature of the product is dual LCD screens. On one side of the phone is a screen meant for regular cell phone use, while on the reverse side is a display made specifically to control and play music.

Samsung SGH-F510 Ultra Mobile TV

The Samsung Ultra F510 is an update to Samsung’s F500 “Ultra TV” handset that was shown at CES. The phone, similar to the F300, comes with a dual sided design. The swivel design allows for full handset functionality on one side, and the device can be rotated to reveal a 2.4 inch wide screen on the back, allowing users to transform their handset into a multimedia viewing device.

Samsung SGH-F700 Ultra Smart

The Ultra Smart F700 (left in photograph) offers a broad range of functionality. The device featuers a full touch-screen display, along with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The display is 2.78 inches with a 440x240 resolution. The device also comes with an integrated music/video player along with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Bluetooth, and VibeTonz technology. The device also features a 5-megapixel integrated camera.

Samsung SGH-F520 Ultra Smart

The Samsung SGH-F520, pictured on the right, features dual-sliding action. This means that its keyboard is able to slide in both directions. When slid vertically you get a fully functional alphanumerical keyboard. Sliding the keyboard horizontally, however, will give you a complete QWERTY keyboard. Beyond having two keyboards, the device also features a touch screen display and a 3 megapixel camera. All phones from the Ultra Smart series have expandable memory through an integrated microSD slot.

Samsung SCH-F110

Samsung SCH-F110

The Samsung SCH-F110 features a clamshell design and can be flipped open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard for easy messaging.

The q9 was on display at the Motorola stands this year. The successor to the Motorola Q, the q9 offers a host of business features packed into an impressive design. The smartphone is equipped with a complete QWERTY keyboard along with Microsoft's newly announced Windows Mobile 6.0. The phone features High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology along with Bluetooth technology. The phone also comes with a 2.0 megapixel camera, QVGA (320x240) resolution display, and an integrated microSD slot. All of this is packed into its slim 11.8 millimeters body.

Although the Motorola K3 comes with a large number of features including HSDPA, Bluetooth, a microSD slot and a camera, the final product is still quite slim and portable. The device's operating system is based on Linux and Java.

The Motorizr Z8 sports a brand new form factor and is the first "kick slider" phone. The new form factor has been designed specifically to allow easier phone conversations and takes the microphone directly to the mouth improving conversation clarity.

The phone packs a Symbian OS and up to 3.6Mbps HSDPA data. The 2.2 inch TFT screen has a QVGA resolution and is able to display 16 million colors. Video can be displayed up to 30 frames per second. Although the device isn't meant primarily for entertainment, it is good to known that it is still capable of playing music and video clips. The phone also comes with Bluetooth technology. All of this is packed into a 5.3-mm thin form factor.

i-mate, popular primarily in the Middle East where it holds quite a large marketshare, has recently expanded to a large number of different markets, including North America. i-mate products are primarily developed for use with Windows Mobile operating systems, and as such its entire lineup of products at 3GSM was centered around Windows Mobile 6.

The picture we took of the i-mate 5150 does not completely justify the product's featues. Unfortunately, since it was fixed on the stand we were not able to take a better photograph. The smartphone is equipped with a 2.8 inch touchscreen display, which is powered by an Intel Bulverde 530 MHz processor. The device comes with an integrated FM tuner, and also supports Quad Band GSM/EDGE and Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA. THe 5150 moreover comes with a Micro-SD expansion card slot along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.

The i-mate Ultimate 5150 is a flip-phone based on Windows Mobile 6. It comes with the latest in connectivity including USB, Bluetooth, Infrared, and Wi-Fi. In addition, the device is integrated with HSDPA, 3G, and an FM Radio. The primary monitor is a 2.6 inch touchscreen that supports a maximum resolution of 640x480. On the opposite side of the device is a 1.2 inch OLED display. The device also comes with a video out connector along with a Micro-SD slot.

The Ultimate 7150 is very similar to the other i-mate models on this page, except that it also comes with a large QWERTY keyboard. The display is also of generous dimensions, coming in at 3.8 inches. Like the other models, it is also touchscreen. On the back of the device is a secondary 2.2 inch OLED display.

The i-mate SPL was one of the older products the company had on display. Based on Windows Mobile 5, upgradeable to 6, the device comes in a variety of colors and is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera. The consumer version is available with a 2.2 inch LCD display that supports a maximum 240x320 resolution. The phone supports GSM/GPRS and Tri Band 900/1800/1900.