izenMobile to roll out KRMA, KSMT smartphones at CES

Junior cellphone startup izenMobile on Thursday said that its first two phones will make a public debut at the CES expo next week. The previously announced KRMA (pictured) keeps its uncommon blend of Windows Mobile smartphone software with only a number pad for button control; more advanced functions are handled through a 2.2-inch touchscreen that works with both finger presses and a bundled stylus. The KRMA is now known to be a quad-band GSM world phone with EDGE broadband, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

A completely new aspect of the announcement is mention of the KSMT (pronounced "Kismet"), a more advanced device with a slide-out, 39-button keyboard for those who frequently send e-mail or SMS messages. Its features are virtually identical to the KRMA, the company says. Either model comes with a free service dubbed izenUniverse that synchronizes up to 25GB of files between one or more phone owners and an onilne backup server; the feature also gives businesses a Microsoft Exchange server for group e-mail hosting. Pricing is still unknown, though the KRMA, KSMT, and their services are launching soon after their CES showings.