Strategy Analytics latest look at its spec-tracking (hence the name) SpecTRAX database of wireless devices has unearthed a few juicy tidbits of information, none more notable than the fact that phone thickness is at a new all-time low -- 13.96mm on average, the first time the metric has ever fallen below 14mm (for comparison, Motorola's original DynaTAC clocked in around 89mm, so we're making some solid improvement there). USB penetration is at a new high, too, supported by some 85 percent of newly-entered devices in the database, and battery life is up 25 percent from two years ago. Of course, that's still not nearly long enough -- battery tech is falling dangerously behind virtually every other technology that goes into the making of a mobile device, sadly -- but we'll take any improvement we can get.

[Via MobileTechNews]

A heck of a lot of phones pass through our grubby hands in the course of an average week, so it usually takes something of a minor miracle to get a rise out of us with a new handset. Well, Samsung, ya did it -- your crazy U100 is positively the most ridiculous feat of phone manufacturing we've seen to date. It's hard to accurately express with words or even pictures just how thin this thing feels in the hand. Whether that's a good thing, well... we reckon that's a matter of personal taste, but needless to say, we don't think this one would survive even a single smashing or bending unscathed (as one observer astutely noted, "this is a purse phone, not a pocket phone"). Despite its minimal girth, the Ultra Edition 5.9 sacrifices virtually nothing, offering A2DP, 80MB of onboard storage (no expansion slot, sadly), a 3.2 megapixel cam, and even TV out. The tri-band radio is a bit of a bummer, but we still found ourselves rocking out with four or five bars of signal strength virtually everywhere we went. Color us impressed!

A special thanks goes out to Wireless Imports for the hookup on this one!

In the dog-eat-dog world of cellphone manufacturing, a millimeter of thickness can make all the difference -- the difference between producing some generic, brand X handset that no one gives two flips about, and crafting "the world's thinnest slider" to a deluge of fanfare. The "world's thinnest" titles tend to get passed around pretty frequently -- particularly among the Korean manufacturers as they work overtime to rapidly one-up each other -- though we're not too sure how much longer this can carry on. Pantech's new IM-S230 clocks in at an astonishing 9.9 millimeters thick, a far cry from the world's thinnest phone, but extraordinarily impressive when you learn that the S230 is a slider (sorry, Samsung!). Features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, media player, document viewer, and DMB TV reception on a 2.2 inch display. Look for it for around $535 in white or black when it launches.

[Via Unwired View]

We can't help but notice that the ASUS V90 does seem to steal a few design cues from its J502 sibling, but rather than hiding its numeric pad underneath the sliding screen, the V90 shows it all with no sliding motions required. Unfortunately, there's not too many details on this one at the moment, but a snapshot of the device taken at Computex shows off its thinness and two-inch TFT display, and it purportedly includes a three-megapixel camera as well. Thankfully, we won't have to wait too terribly long for this one to arrive, as at least some parts of the globe should receive shipments by Q4 of this year.

[Via Slashphone]

We kinda thought phones were thin enough, but NEC begs to differ, and it's showing off a new plastic to prove it. NEC's unusual bioplastic -- made primarily of corn -- is unique in that it conducts heat better than stainless steel, allowing manufacturers to forgo the use of other heat-diffusing materials inside handsets. The result is a thinner phone that is far more biodegradable than those whose cases are made from less science-fictiony materials. Paper-thin phones that get hot to the touch? Count us in!

[Thanks, Allen]

In the cellphone game, just how thin is too thin? If you're Samsung, the answer apparently lies somewhere south of the 5.9 millimeters put up by its latest fashion accessory, the appropriately named "Ultra Edition 5.9." For the record, that's a solid millimeter less than the previous world's thinnest, Samsung's own X820 -- the phone allegedly shown snapping helplessly in two on video under fairly minimal pressure. Of course, the authenticity of said video has been repeatedly called into question, but either way, we're hoping this new one has been fabbed with some pretty crazy space-age resins and polymers that'll keep it from multiplying in our pockets. Specs include a tri-band GSM radio (though recent announcements have us encouraged that an American version could be down the pike), a 3.2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, and 80MB of onboard storage. Look for the record-smashing Ultra Edition 5.9 to start gracing European pockets bulge-free some time in March.

[Thanks, Tony]

Toshiba does its cellular thing in Europe and Asia, but to the yanks among us, new releases from Japan's other manufacturer are downright exotic. Take this relatively boring TS605, for example: yeah, it's got a microSD slot, a 1.3 megapixel cam, and me-too thinphone styling, but we can't help but be drawn to the mystery of a candybar we can't get in these parts. Europeans are a little more fortunate in this regard; in fact, the TS605 is apparently designed with their younger folk in mind, which suggests a low price point (and, naturally, availability in pink and green).

It's practically a foregone conclusion that the first shots of anything these days just have to sport the most atrocious quality possible, as anything better would just ruin the mystique and allure. Running par for the course, the first snapshot we saw of Sony Ericsson's presumably forthcoming "Ai" thinphone looked more like a smattering of pixels than an actual image, but we've now found a few pictures that confirm the general shape, size, and layout. While we're not sure if the firm will stick with the "Ai" moniker, there's word that it could be marketed as a Chocolate-rivaling Walkman (W880i?), but time shall tell. Be sure to hit the read link for a few more shots.

Samsung's got another crazy slim clamshell in the pipeline, but this one bears a striking resemblance to the just-released SPH-M610 for Sprint -- so much so, in fact, that we're fairly certain it's the same darn thing. The SPH-V9500 comes in at the same 11.9 millimeters of thickness as its American cousin, though the "KTF" label on its screen suggests this one's bound for Samsung's native shores. Specs include a 2 megapixel camera, microSD slot, QVGA internal and lil' OLED external displays. Sounds familiar, eh?

Not long after word spread that Sony Ericsson wanted to get into the thinphone game with its "Ai" handset sometime next year, pictures are starting to circulate of something that is claiming to be a prototype of the device. Rumored to sport 3G data, a 2 megapixel cam, and a rubberized 9.4mm-thick body with aluminum keys (or foil-wrapped Chiclets -- same difference), we personally think these fuzzy shots look more like a poorly constructed joke than an actual phone, but who knows? Maybe these super-early concept phones painstakingly hand-built by Sony Ericsson's brightest and best look... well, hand-built.

[Via Slashphone]

Alright, we know Moto had some mild success with this "RAZR" phone of theirs, but we're pretty much done with comparisons already. Sony Ericsson is prepping a thin new candybar phone for March of next year, the 9.4mm thick "Ai," and while stock holders and rumor mongers might like tossing the "RAZR rival" spiel around, we're just not seeing it. What we are seeing is a pretty sexy sounding phone from a company on the rise -- Sony Ericsson recently overtook LG to slide back into fourth position. The phone, which hasn't actually been confirmed by SE yet, but which seems to be a fairly open secret by now, will be coming in silver and black editions, and purportedly will be positioned as a high-end Walkman camera phone. We'll be sure to keep an eye of out for spy shots of a handset that looks absolutely nothing like Motorola's flagship offering.

With all the facelifting, refinement, and replacement Motorola's RAZR lineup has gotten as of late, one might think the poor, overlooked SLVR series was in danger of going the way of the dinosaurs (or, perhaps more appropriately, the MPx). Actually, readers following The Boy Genius Report have known that Moto has been slaving over a hot stove chock full o' the thin candybars in a variety of flavors for a little while now, and it just so happens that the updated L7 we'd scooped -- identified back then as the L7i -- has gone on to officially become the SLVR L7e. Visually, the re-upped model is nearly a dead ringer for its pappy, save for the keypad which has taken on a decidedly RIZR-esque appearance and a "shimmering blue" hue. The microSD slot is a carryover from the L7, but virtually every other major spec has been tweaked: the cam goes from VGA to 1.3-megapixel, A2DP is now supported for wireless stereo, and the GSM radio mercifully adds EDGE for decent 2.5G data. Word has it no American carrier has expressed interest in the updated model, but thanks to support for both the 850 and 1900MHz bands, this is one phone that should be a breeze to import and use when it drops by year's end.

[Via phoneArena]

It may not bear the same altruistic intent of its red cousins, but with the fresh coat of paint, the pink L2 will still manage to stand out a bit in a sea of silver and black SLVRs. As a refresher, the L2 is the low-end variant of Motorola's SLVR L7, trading a few metal bits for plastic ones but otherwise keeping a strong resemblance to its pricier counterpart. How "low-end," you ask? The L2 can presently be had on Cingular in your choice of silver or the aforementioned pink for $0 or $10 on contract, respectively.

[Via Mobile Magazine]

Rumor has it the Slice has been floating around a Wal-Mart here and a Radio Shack there for at least a week or two now, but UTStarcom and Virgin are just now getting around to announcing the slimphone's availability all official-like, and the companies are quick to point out the Slice's main selling point: the candybar is now the thinnest phone (10mm) available in the US without contract. Of course, other critical points to make would be the phone's attractive out-the-door price of $50, while feature-conscious users will still appreciate the MP3 ringtone support with 32MB of storage, reasonable 128 x 128 color display, and that endlessly imitated RAZR-style keypad. Look for the Slice now in stores with online available following on November 2.