Wirefly Highlights Top Trends For Design-Conscious Shoppers

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Wirefly, (http://www.wirefly.com), an online leader in one-stop comparison shopping for cell phones and wireless service plans, today released its list of popular design trends for cellular phones. As the cell phone market nears saturation, cell phone companies are increasingly appealing to the consumer’s sense of style as a way to drive sales.

“Cell phone manufacturers understand that consumers see their phones as a way to express their individuality and have responded by moving in innovative directions with their latest designs,” explained Brian Westrick, President of Wirefly. One design trend that seems to have reached its limit, according to Wirefly, is the movement towards smaller and smaller handsets. Cell phones that are measurably smaller than those currently on the market are not only less appealing from an ergonomic standpoint, but a shrinking form factor also hinders the inclusion of new technology innovations like mobile TV and phones with full keyboards

Wirefly’s Top Cell Phone Design Trends for 2006:

1. Thin… But Not Tiny: Consumers are shifting away from tiny models, and towards larger phones with pencil-thin profiles. Thin phones like the RAZR and the Samsung A900 maintain their sleek and trendy look without sacrificing accessibility or utility.


2. Unique Shapes: Last year, phones like the Kyocera Soho and the Motorola RAZR led the way with edgy, angled looks. The PEBL, Motorola’s latest addition to its cell phone lineup, represents an effort to introduce a new, more organic motif in cell phone design. It joins other popular design innovations like slider phones (such as the LG F9100) and phones with pivoting screens (like the Samsung D307).


3. Colorful Options: Motorola’s Pink RAZR, unveiled to coincide with Valentine’s Day, marked the first major advertising campaign focused on color, instead of features or shapes. It joins other popular phones like the Sanyo VI-2300 series and the Sanyo MM-8300 series, both carried by Sprint. Nokia and Sony Ericsson also have released new models in unique colors like granite grey, amethyst purple, and harvest taupe.

To view Wirefly's entire selection of cutting-edge and fashion-forward cell phones, visit http://www.wirefly.com.

About Wirefly

Launched in 2003, Wirefly (www.wirefly.com) is an online leader in one-stop comparison shopping for cell phones, wireless service plans and wireless accessories. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Simplexity, Wirefly is an authorized dealer for every major cellular carrier, including Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. Wirefly also offers discounts and services not available in retail wireless stores, including real-time online order status and tracking, and the guaranteed lowest price – online or anywhere else -- on cell phone devices from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, LG, BlackBerry and many other cell phone handset manufacturers. Wirefly.com has been named Best of the Web by Forbes magazine as the “best all-around number portability portal” and “Best in Overall Customer Experience” by Keynote Performance Systems. For more information on Wirefly, its wireless products and its services, visit www.wirefly.com.

Launched in 2003, Wirefly is an online leader in one-stop comparison shopping for cell phones, wireless service plans and wireless accessories. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Simplexity. (NASDAQ: INPC), Wirefly is an authorized dealer for every major cellular carrier, including Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. Wirefly also offers discounts and services not available in retail wireless stores, including real-time online order status and tracking, and the guaranteed lowest price – online or anywhere else -- on cell phone devices from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, LG, BlackBerry and many other cell phone handset manufacturers. Wirefly.com has been named Best of the Web by Forbes magazine as the “best all-around number portability portal” and “Best in Overall Customer Experience” by Keynote Performance Systems. For more information on Wirefly, its cell phones and its services, visit www.wirefly.com.