3GSM 2005
Panasonic was showing off a trio of major new high-end phones. All have a distinct design and feature set that is clearly inspired by the company's models for the insanely advanced Japan market.
Panasonic isn't very active in the U.S. market right now, so it doesn't seem likely a major U.S. carrier will launch any of these. But all three models below are tri-band GSM, so they should be available for import, to use on GSM 1900 networks like T-Mobile USA.
The one that leaked out before the show was the X800, the company's new Series 60 Smartphone.
Unfortunately, the differences between the X800 and its predecessor, the X700, seem mostly cosmetic. The camera is still only VGA resolution - a major disappointment for a modern smartphone. The only really significant difference is that the antenna is now internal.
Moving on to more exciting models, the VS7 is a new top-of-the-line model with a 2-megapixel camera, 16.7 million-color QVGA main display, color outer display, Bluetooth, and class 10 GPRS. As for the design, the VS7 is very thin at only 19 mm, and sports a push-to-open hinge and changeable front plates.
The VS7 also has two spinoff variants. The MX7 sacrifices the slender profile for a battery with almost twice the juice, and the SA7 features a "sporty and active design".
The last new high-end model is the VS3. This phone is similar to the VS7, but downgrades a bit on several features. The camera is 1 megapixel instead of 2, and there is no external display or Bluetooth. The main display is also slightly smaller (2.2 inches diagonal instead of 2.5), but it still has QVGA resolution and supports a whopping 16.7 million colors.
Just like the VS7, the VS3 has an extended-battery version - the MX6 - and a "sporty" version - the SA6.
CTIA 2005
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