Though cell phones are just a small part of CES, the category made a big splash at this year's show with the first cell phone to win CNET's Best of CES award. But the Palm Pre was not the only device in Las Vegas; new devices also debuted from Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG, to name a few.

In the smartphone category, the obvious star was the Palm Pre, which scored a hat trick by winning not only the aforementioned Best of CES award, but also the Best of CES award in the cell phone category and the People's Voice Award. The Pre restored a bit of faith in Palm and more importantly, pushed the capabilities of a smartphone. The Pre promises to offer true multi-tasking on a phone and dazzles with its unique user interface, design, and features.

In addition, the Palm Web OS and App Store will only expand the Pre's (as well as future Palm Web OS devices) uses and capabilities. By raising the bar, Palm has certainly sent a message to its competitors and we suspect they'll step up and respond, which is always good for us since it will bring more innovation.

While the Pre might have grabbed much of the CES spotlight, it wasn't the only smartphone to debut at the show. T-Mobile announced the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 and T-Mobile Shadow, while HTC introduced its HTC S743 smartphone. Nokia also announced that it will bring a U.S. version of the Nokia E63 to market in the coming weeks, and we finally got some hands-on time with the Nokia N97. Looks like 2009 is shaping up to be another action-packed year for the smartphone space.

Motorola earned a Best of CES nomination with its Surf A3100 smartphone. The touch-screen device offers multimedia features in an eye catching design. And better yet, it puts a nifty and user-friendly spin on the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating.

Moto also introduced the Renew W233, a phone made from recycled water bottles, and the rugged and tough Tundra A76r for AT&T. We got a close look at both models. And though it wasn't introduced in Las Vegas, CES gave us our first opportunity to handle the style-centric and posh Motorola Aura.… Read more

Cell phones and smartphones are just a small part of CES, but that doesn't stop the various manufacturers from making their presence felt. The largest companies like Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung build impressive, glitzy booths that are larger than most homes. Inside you'll find their latest models on display, from the basic and functional to the hot and high end. For a peek at all the cell phone action on the CES show floor, check out our slide show.

On Saturday, CNET, in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association, handed out its Best of CES 2009 Awards, including Best in Show and the People's Voice Award. And this year's big winner? The Palm Pre.

The Palm Pre smartphone took home both honors and became the first cell phone/smartphone to win the Best in Show since CNET started presenting the Best of CES awards in 2006. The Palm Pre went up against some stiff competition, including the Sony DSC-G3 and the Sony P-series Lifestyle PC. So why the Pre?

Well, it was a combination of things. First, … Read more

Wilson Electronics may not have the flashiest products or the glitziest booth at CES, but it does offer some of the best cell phone signal amplifiers around. At the show the company announced the iBooster, a new amplifier designed specifically for the Apple iPhone. The product promises to boost both reception and call quality, which are two very different things. Though it's designed primarily for use in a car, you also can use it inside a building.

In the box you'll find a cradle that can accommodate both the iPhone classic and the iPhone 3G. And thanks to … Read more

Sony Ericsson's new C510 Cyber-shot and W508 Walkman phone don't break a lot of new ground, but they're certainly worthy of attention. In many ways they resemble other Sony Ericssons that came before them--the W508 looks a bit like the W980 and the C510 reminds us vaguely of the C902.

The W508, of course, is a flip phone with circular music controls on the front flap. It's also thin and light, and you can change between gray and white removable covers. Just above are the external display and the camera lens. The display is small and … Read more

PCD didn't have much to show off at CES 2009, but it did give us a brief sneak peek at one of its upcoming texting phones, dubbed the TXT8020 for now. It looks suspiciously like the Verizon Wireless Blitz, but with a swivel screen instead. It is a dual-mode 800/1900 CDMA phone, and it has EV-DO, which the Blitz does not. The display is around 2.2-inches diagonal and supports 260,000 colors.

Features include stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, 1GB flash memory and 1 GB of RAM, text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging, a 1.3-megapixel … Read more

Though we've known about the Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot for a few months, CES gave us our first opportunity to see it up close and personal. With an 8.1-megapixel camera, it is Sony Ericsson's highest resolution camera phone to date. What's more, it also has many of the same features you'd find on a standalone camera and it offers several ways to get your photos off the phone.

With such a packed feature set we were expecting a rather bulky design. And in that respect the C905 delivered. It's not as big as the … Read more

While browsing Sony Ericsson's table at a CES press event, I found this cool little accessory that the company announced in Las Vegas. The IM502 is a compact tripod that attaches to your Cyber-shot handset. You can use it to steady your camera phone when taking a self-portrait or a group shot with the timer. It also will come in handy when you just need to hold the shooter completely still.

At 1.1 inches by 2.3 inches by 0.4 inch, it folds away for convenient storage or for carrying in a pocket or bag. Of course, … Read more

Happy New Year! This week we bring you a special Dialed In podcast live from CES in Las Vegas. Listen in to hear all the highlights of the show and a complete rundown of the nominees for Best of CES in the cell phones and smartphones category.

Palm's new Pre smartphone quickly emerged as one of the hottest items at the show, and you'll get Bonnie's full take on this intriguing device. And there are plenty of other nifty handsets on the show floor. Nicole got the chance to try on the LG Watch phone and Kent … Read more