New Phones Target Motorola's Rusty Razr

"Motorola would die to hear people say the Razr is getting old," says American Technology Research analyst Albert Lin. "But the total saturation and prices falling to free gives one a feeling of oldness."

The stage is set for a new star now that the Razr is dimming, and the timing for Apple could hardly be better.

Adding music to mobile phones seems inevitable. But easy-to-use music phones remain a rarity.

The trick for Apple, say industry analysts, will be adding a good phone to an already exceptional music player at an affordable price.

That's expecting a lot, say skeptics. But fans point to the 40 million or so iPod users who may be inclined to consider the iPod phone when replacement time comes.

And while Apple is stealing all the attention, the big phone makers aren't exactly folding up shop.

After watching Motorola take over the design leadership, Nokia has finally gone thin. The Finnish phone giant is expected to announce its N76 phone in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Analysts familiar with the phone say it is Razr-slim with a high-resolution screen and a 3-megapixel camera, for under $300.

And speaking of consumer electronics, the cell phone joint venture between Sony (SNE Quote) and Ericsson (ERIC Quote) has already generated a lot of interest in its Walkman phones. Coming soon, an upcoming model will add a Sony Cyber Shot camera.