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CES 2006

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Pantech's U.S. lineup will get more exciting in the second half of the year. The company will launch EV-DO phones in the second half - they have models in MVNO's test labs right now.

One such model is the PN-8300, a feature-packed slider phone with EV-DO, a 2-megapixel camera, microSD memory card slot, music player, and speakerphone. Given that the 8300 is actually made by Pantech's SK Teletech division, which is related to SK Telecom, part-owner of soon-to-launch MVNO Helio, we expect this to be a Helio phone.

Another EV-DO phone in the works is the PN-E240. This clamshell phone sports dual color displays, a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, and slick touch-keys on the outside to control the music player.

The manufacturer is also trying hard to get their phones on Sprint, although they don't seem to have any commitments yet.

In late 2006 or 2007 we should see EV-DO Rev. A phones as well as HSDPA phones from Pantech. Pantech also made it clear they have Windows Mobile smartphones in development for the U.S.

When the EV-DO and other high-end models are launched, Pantech will start a marketing push for their brand here in the States, and start working with Verizon to get their logo on their phones.

On the GSM side of things, the first phone we should see from Pantech here is the PG-C300.

The main draw of this phone is definitely the size. It's just insanely small, and truly feather-weight at only 2.41 ounces. Despite the size, it packs in decent features, including dual TFT displays, a VGA camera, Java, and speakerphone. The PG-C300 has been spotted on the FCC web site with a Cingular logo, indicating it is at least in testing with them.

The PG-C120 is basically a thin bar-style phone, clearly influenced by the Motorola SLVR series. It has a VGA camera, but otherwise its features are pretty basic. It's dual-band GSM 850/1900, with Java, IM, and speakerphone.

Next page: Samsung

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