LAS VEGAS -- CTIA Wireless 2009 -- While most of the conference here in Vegas is talking Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, production WiMax gadgets from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea: SEC) are turning up on the show floor.

As expected, Samsung showed off its SWD-M100 "Mondi" Web tablet. The device supports WiMax and WiFi and has a 4.3-inch touch screen with slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The tablet also sports a 3-megapixel camera, a microSD memory slot, and Bluetooth. (See CTIA 2009: Device Preview.) The company has its older Q1 ultra-mobile PC on its stand as well.



Samsung also has some LTE phones under glass at its booth. These concept devices aren't in operation and illustrate the gap between current WiMax devices and future LTE devices, which are still in the mock-up or prototype stage. [Ed note: So, what, two years difference, right?]

The SWD-M100 tablet is expected to turn up on the Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR) WiMax network at some point. The Kirkland, Wash.-based operator also has its own gadget to show off today.

The company has finally introduced the $49 WiMax router that allows up to eight WiFi devices to connect to the mobile signal. The box, made by Cradlepoint, has now been dubbed the "Clear Spot Personal Hotspot."

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung