Wireless Industry to Show Off Latest Technology

This week is the wireless industry’s big annual trade show in Las Vegas, and with it will come a bevy of announcements about new, do-it-all mobile phones, mobile commerce possibilities and faster-than-ever wireless Internet connections. There also will be plenty of prognostication about the growth of the mobile Internet and how and when consumers will be wowed by its capabilities. Expect to hear about a new Motorola phone with Internet-style Java functions built in, Microsoft’s new Stinger smart phone and other wireless projects and Kyocera’s new $500 Smartphone with Palm functions. The companies in attendance, though, still face slowing mobile-phone sales, a tough financial market and skepticism about the hype surrounding next-generation devices. The show, which had 30,000 attendees last year, is sponsored by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Assn. It runs Tuesday through Thursday.