CTIA Tradeshow Brought a Range of Android OS Smartphones

The fall CTIA tradeshow has wrapped up in San Francisco. This year was one of the busiest on record, with a large number of new smartphones announced. All of these will run Google's Android OS, and most will be mid-range or entry-level devices.

The star of the show was the Motorola Droid Pro, Verizon's next high-end model. This has clearly been designed to lure in those who are used to a BlackBerry, but want the power and flexibility of the Android OS.

For more information on this upcoming smartphone:

Motorola Droid Pro Hands-on Preview

The Droid Pro was the only high-end model announced at this week's CTIA. All the rest were less expensive devices, most aimed at first-time smartphone buyers. These will hit store shelves before the holiday shopping season begins.

AT&T started off the rush of news with the Motorola Flipout, Flipside, and Bravo, Android OS 2.1-based models which will offer a range of designs, as well as a range of range prices from $130 to $80 with contract.

Both Sprint and T-Mobile announced plans to offer versions of a smartphone from LG. The Optimus S and Optimus T will be essentially identical, with a 3.2-inch display and Android OS 2.2. Sprint's version will sell for $50 with contract, while T-Mobile's expected to be close to that price.

Sprint also unveiled the Samsung Transform and Sanyo Zio, two devices that hit store shelves today. The Transform is a slider that is the least expensive Android OS smartphone available today with a front-facing camera for video conferencing, while the Zio has an unusually large display for a model that costs just $100.

Looking Ahead: 4G
In the most important keynote address at this fall's CTIA, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam revealed his company's schedule for rolling out 4G service later this year. About a third of the U.S. population will have access to LTE (Long Term Evolution) service by the end of this year.

McAdam went on to promise that that his company will have six smartphones and tablets with 4G service on the market by the middle of 2011.