Every June without fail, the CNET Asia team would make a little pilgrimage to the boondocks of the Singapore Expo to sniff out the latest mobile communications technology and gadgets. That's when the annual CommunicAsia expo kicks off. Going by previous years, we should see a flurry of new mobile phones, services, software and accessories making their debut at the show and at fringe events. Here's a quick breakdown of what we expect to see from some of the major mobile players in town.
BlackBerry
It's unlikely we'll see any new BlackBerry smartphones, though we'll get to experience some of the latest software and applications at the company's booth.
Will we see new products? Zilch.
Garmin-Asus
Last year, Garmin announced plans to team up with Asus in a bid to enter the smartphone market. Currently, there are two devices, the M20 and the G60, wearing the nuvifone moniker. Will we see new handsets announced next week? It's possible, but given how long the company is taking to roll out its products to market, we're going to take this with a barrel of salt.
Will we see new products? Maybe not.
HTC
As far as we understand, HTC won't be making an appearance at CommunicAsia, but the Taiwan company is throwing a launch party in London on June 24. Odds are it'll unveil an Android smartphone with a customized user interface.
Will we see new products? Nope.
Huawei
Huawei showcased several handsets and HSDPA accessories last year. This time round, we can expect the company to announce a few 3G/UMTS touchscreen phones and mobile broadband devices.
Will we see new products? Yes.
LG
LG made a splash at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year by inking an alliance with Microsoft that could bring to market as many as 50 new Windows Mobile smartphones through to 2012. The Korean outfit currently has two WM devices in its lineup, the KS20 and GM730, and it's very likely we'll get to see the latter at CommunicAsia. We're also guessing that LG will have more handsets up its sleeve for the event, aside from the Crystal GD900 which has a transparent keypad and the GD910 Watch Phone.
Will we see new products? A resounding yes!
Motorola
Motorola was spotted in the list of exhibitor companies, but we won't see regular phones at the stand for sure. Instead, we think there'll be a series of wireless modules on display.
Will we see new products? Not a chance.
Nokia
The Finnish outfit has traditionally avoided the mayhem of CommunicAsia for its own more exclusive Nokia Connection roadshow. A lot of attention is on the N97 this month, but we're sure the Finns have more new devices to keep us entertained. Our bet is on at least a new Eseries smartphone and a third touchscreen handset from the Nokia camp.
Will we see new products? Oh yes!
NTT DoCoMo
Every year without fail, NTT DoCoMo showcases some of its cutting-edge phones. We've glimpsed models that you can dunk in water and modular-type handsets in "see but can't have" teasers. So we won't be surprised if the Japanese telco unveils more only-in-Japan cool phones again at this year's show.
Will we see new products? Very possibly.
Palm
The Palm Pre may be making headlines in the US, but definitely not on this side of the world for now. Although a GSM version of the Pre was spotted at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, Palm hasn't officially announced it yet. There's also speculation over new Palm devices after developers went through a leaked ROM image. Then again, everything's up in the air right now.
Will we see new products? We'd love to, but no.
Samsung
Samsung first announced the Omnia brand with the Windows Mobile SGH-i900 last year. Maybe it'll do it again this year? The buzz on the Web is on an Omnia2 and a new cube-like shortcut interface, and perhaps even another handset that's co-branded with a fashion house. Whatever it is, Samsung's running an "Unpacked" event in London, Dubai and Singapore concurrently, and should be revealing a new phone on June 15.
Will we see new products? Most assuredly yes!
Sony Ericsson
While most companies are making their new product announcements prior to and on the first day of CommunicAsia, Sony Ericsson has scheduled its press conference for the second day instead. The company recently announced the Satio (previously the Idou), Yari and Aino, so it's highly possible we'll get to spend some quality time with these devices at a launch event outside of CommunicAsia. Perhaps we'll even hear news about PlayNow arena in Asia finally?
Will we see new products? Yes, of course!
ZTE
Last year, ZTE gave us a glimpse of the future with four concept devices, all behind a transparent glass box no less. We are hoping this year that we can get our hands on these, literally. Or maybe ZTE has something else in store, like a Taser phone perhaps?
Will we see new products? Meh.
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