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The Sony Ericsson G705 is a multimedia cell phone.

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Sony Ericsson isn't at CTIA Fall 2008 but it launched a shiny new cell phone in London. The Sony Ericsson G705 offers a hefty crop of features in a slim slider design in both black and gold.

Inside you'll find a 3.2-megapixel camera that can capture YouTube-compatible video. The high-end shooter offers a load of goodies, including a digital zoom, a flash and video light, picture blogging, and PictBridge photo printing.

Other offerings include stereo Bluetooth, a music player, an FM radio, support for Java, a speakerphone, Wi-Fi, messaging and e-mail, USB mass storage, personal organizer features, 3G (UMTS and HSDPA), an accelerometer, a full HTML browser, a voice recorder, instant messaging, phone-as-modem capability, Assisted GPS, and PC syncing. And of course, it makes calls, too.

In all, that's an impressive assortment of features, and the 262,144-color display looks top-notch. In some ways the G705 has a lot in common with the Sony Ericsson G700 and G900, which the company launched earlier this year at the GSMA World Congress. But unlike its predecessors, the G705 does not appear to have a touch screen.

As a quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) handset, the G705 should arrive in worldwide markets, the Americas included, by the first quarter of next year. Orange will get its own variant called the G705u. That will be Sony Ericsson's first phone to support UMA technology.

Which super-size Wi-Fi portable video player will win over our panel of three experts?

In the past few months, these two mastodons of Wi-Fi portable media stampeded through the CNET office, leaving a trail of awestruck and dumbfounded reviewers in their dust. It seemed only natural to pit these two behemoths against each other in a prizefight worthy of their intimidating giantism.

Will the Cowon Q5W's Bluetooth and GPS functionality beat out the Archos 705 WiFi's 7-inch touch screen and higher storage capacity? Click through to witness our prizefight's five rounds of gadget-on-gadget brutality.

To see our Archos 705 WiFi photo gallery, click the photo.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

Our review of the super-size Archos 705 WiFi portable video player is now up on CNET. If you've been squinting at your puny PVP and want to upgrade, you owe it to yourself to witness the screen size and features of the Archos 705 WiFi. You can also check out our Archos 705 WiFi slide show to see all its aluminum nooks and crannies.

With its international focus, the GSMA World Congress offers great opportunities to see what smaller handset manufacturers are up to. We get enough Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Nokia news, so it's nice to see a different perspective. Our U.S. readers might remember NEC's brief entry into the American cell phone market. In 2003 and 2004, the Japanese company put out two phones for the old AT&T Wireless, the 525 HDM and the 515 HDM, before departing the States for good. Their brief stay was disappointing, since we liked the two models we saw (the 525 HDM won CNET's Editors' Choice award), and since then we've only gotten our hands on unlocked handsets like the NEC L1, N908 and 535 HDM.

In Barcelona I spied some very cool models in the company's booth. One my favorites was the NEC FOMA N705i for NTT DoCoMo. This supremely thin (0.38 inch) handset has an understated but striking style with clean lines and little clutter. A number of designs are available, but I looked at this snappy red model with the tiny LED dots that serve as the external display. Features include a bright 3-inch display, HSDPA support, and a camera with video and geotagging. It's also one of the first Limo Foundation handsets.

And speaking of NTT DoCoMo, over in its booth was the N905i. It's another multimedia monster with a cool swiveling display and fantastic video performance.

(Credit: NTT DoCoMo)

There's one constant in the gadget world: The minute you post an item that claims to have set a new record for being the smallest or thinnest fill-in-the-blank, someone will immediately dispute it. (The point was proven once again in discussions stemming from the MacBook Air.)

So the only thing we dare say is that, as of this writing, Akihabara News is reporting what it calls "the slimmest waterproof phone ever made." The 3G handset in question is the Fujitsu F705i, which measures 13.7 millimeters thick, or about 0.54 inches.

There are most certainly other phones that are even slimmer, but how many can be plunged in a meter of water for 30 minutes and keep on ticking? No, we don't know why one would need an ultra-thin phone to do that--or any phone, for that matter. Maybe it's some weird fitness regime needed to maintain its svelte figure.

The 705 Wi-Fi might be more PVP than we can handle.

(Credit: Archos)

Amazon.com is now showing preorder pages for the mythical Archos 705 WiFi portable video player. If you're in the market for a super-sized, Internet-ready PVP for the holidays, the 705 WiFi comes in 80GB and 160GB capacities for $399 and $499, respectively. For the price, you get a 7-inch, 800x480 touch screen, Mac/PC compatibility, and all the features found in the latest Archos 605 WiFi--most notably, the online content portal.

What do you think? Is the 705 making you salivate? Can a PVP ever be too big?

The P905i--the P stands for Panasonic, which has a licensing deal with the Japanese wireless carrier's Viera line.

(Credit: NTT DoComo)

Japan wireless carrier NTT DoComo just made life way more confusing for the indecisive consumer.

The company and its eight regional subsidiaries on Thursday announced 23 new handsets in the 905i and 705i series--and they're available in an astounding total of 75 colors. Sheesh, and I had a tough time deciding whether to go with brown boots or black boots this morning.

The 10 handsets in the 905i series are variously equipped with support for HSDPA-based networks, international roaming capabilities through built-in 3G/GSM, voice-activated Japanese-English translation, GPS location information, interactive maps, one-segment mobile TV, and support for credit card and credit payment services. The entertainment-oriented 905i series also includes intuitive motion/voice-activated gaming and access to NTT DoComo's Music & Video Channel.

In addition, 905i phones are compatible with a new disaster information service that automatically provides evacuation instructions to people in disaster areas. Text can be made larger for easier viewing.

The 13 phones in the 705i series include ultraslim and waterproof models. Available services are HSDPA support (including the L705iX model, which offers high-speed data communication up to 7.2Mbps), 3G/GSM international roaming, and one-segment terrestrial digital broadcasting.

The 905i models will be available in late November, giving consumers a few weeks to ponder their manifold choices. Expect to see the 705i phones early next year.

NTT DoComo's lineup of 13 new 705i handsets, which will be available early next year.

(Credit: NTT DoComo)

The Archos 605 Wi-Fi, with the kickstand extended

(Credit: Archos)

Archos announced its 2007 lineup of media player/recorders today at press events in both Europe and New York, introducing four new portable models as well as the company's first set-top DVR.

The big news--as reported earlier--is that the new Wi-Fi-enabled portables include direct access to an online "Content Portal" and offer a Flash-supported Web browser option. The portal offers pay-per-download CinemaNow movies--just use the touchscreen to pick the movie you want to buy and download it to the internal hard drive, no PC required. The Opera browser--a $30 option on Wi-Fi models--includes a Flash plug-in. The pre-production model I was using smoothly delivered YouTube videos, even offering an option to toggle them to full screen. (By contrast, it's worth noting that the iPhone can't access the iTunes Store directly--content needs to be synced from a host computer--and Flash support is said to be absent from the included Safari browser.) With optional paid plug-ins, the higher-end Archos models will also offer customized widgets and even support for high-definition playback (24-frame, 720p video).

All the Archos portables are scheduled to ship in the first half of September. The line features four base models, some of which are available in multiple capacities and price points:

Archos 105: The entry-level, 2GB flash model is intended for very basic audio, photo, and video playback, but includes a 1.8-inch OLED screen and will sell for just $90.

Archos 405: In addition to the 2GB of built-in flash memory, the 405 includes an SD expansion slot and a larger, 3.5-inch LCD screen. It also offers wider file format support, including optional compatibility made available via downloadable (paid) plug-ins.

Archos 605 Wi-Fi: The sweet spot in the Archos line adds Wi-Fi and a PSP-sized 800x480-pixel, 4.3-inch LCD screen. The 605 can stream video files from networked PCs on a home network, as well as offer direct access to the CinemaNow online video store and (with an optional upgrade) Web surfing and Flash-based video via the Opera browser. The 605 will be available in three configurations: 4GB flash with an SD expansion slot for $200, a 30GB hard-disk model for $300, and a 160GB hard-disk model for $400.

Archos 705 Wi-Fi: The deluxe Archos portable offers the same features as the 605, but boasts a massive 7-inch screen. It will be available in 80GB and 160GB hard-disk models (pricing still to be determined).

While the 2007 models appear, at least on the surface, to be more affordable than last year's versions (Archos 104, Archos 404, Archos 604 Wi-Fi, and the Archos 704 Wi-Fi), there's a catch: to enable some of the more compelling features of the 405, 605, and 705, you need to purchase optional accessories and software plug-ins. Most notably, the DVR Station ($100) lets a docked Archos record TV shows (with cable/satellite box control and even a built-in electronic programming guide). Somewhat more onerous, however, is that the Web browser is a separate purchase ($30), and six separate A/V codecs and features are a la carte downloads at $20 a pop (MPEG-2/Dolby compatibility for ripped DVDs; H.264/AAC compatibility; widgets plug-in; HD video support; Real Video support; and Internet radio playback). That's $150 extra dollars for the full Archos experience--not including the DVR add-on.

Archos' nickel and diming notwithstanding, the Wi-Fi-enabled models look to deliver an impressive mixture of features and value, including some impressive media recording and playback options that even the vaunted iPhone won't be able to match--at least, not until its own string of firmware and accessory upgrades is announced. (Of course, none of the Archos players will replace your cell phone.) Look for full in-depth CNET reviews of all four Archos models when they hit the market in September.