What’s hot for holiday season? Mobile devices, apps, and more

CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2009, WASHINGTON, USA: Gift-giving this holiday season is coming untethered! CTIA-The Wireless Association predicts wireless phones, devices and applications are set to top everyone’s wish list this year.

Which mobile products and services promise to be this year’s “hottest” holiday gifts? Last month, a panel of media experts voted to identify this year’s must-have mobile consumer electronic devices at CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009 in San Diego. Attendees also picked their favorites via Web and text voting. The resulting list – the CTIA 2009 Hot for the Holidays winners – will make great gifts this holiday season.

From the best handheld devices, mobile apps and video cards to portable WiFi hot spots, camera phones and Bluetooth accessories, CTIA 2009 Hot for the Holidays winners include:

HTC Touch Pro2, a smartphone featuring HTC’s Straight Talk call functionality and speakerphone innovation that delivers superior quality conference calls;
Nokia N86 8MP, an 8 megapixel camera phone with wide-angle Carl Zeiss optics and other advanced features;
Samsung Reclaim eco-friendly phone, made up of 80 percent recycled materials;
Eye-Fi Explore Video Card, which allows anyone to upload photos and videos over WiFi to a computer or the Web;
MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot from Novatel Wireless, a personal, portable, intelligent mobile hotspot that can simultaneously connect up to five WiFi enabled devices;
iLane from Intelligent Mechatronic Systems, an in-car device that interacts directly with your smartphone and lets you manage your inbox hands-free using simple voice commands;
Jitterbug LiveNurse, a mobile wellness application that provides 24-hour access to live registered nurses and a pre-recorded health information library;
Slim Data USB Card from Kempler & Strauss, a wallet-friendly flash drive the size and thickness of a credit card that offers 4GB of storage;
Magneat from YOUnison, a mobile accessory that combines a wraparound headphone wire storage device along with a powerful magnetic clip.

“CTIA Hot for the Holidays award winners are CE products in high demand this year,” said Robert Mesirow, vice president and show director for CTIA. “When making gift selections this holiday season, consumers have many innovative mobile products to choose from – for everyone on their list.”