Cell Phones Hit Next Generation; Cameras, Colors, Keyboards; New moblie phone crop ready to tackle new tasks and cultivate new users.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: SARAH Z. SLEEPER

U.S. wireless carriers are hawking fast new data networks with a spate of razzle-dazzle services.

The offerings have snappy names, like "Vision" from Sprint PCS and "Express" and "Get It Now" from Verizon Wireless. They let users send photos, play full-color action games and get corporate e-mail on their cell phones.

Carriers, hit hard by the economic slump, hope these next-generation services will be a hit with customers and generate more revenue.

But to take advantage of such services, users must have data-capable devices. Older cell phones, though perfectly good for making calls, often can't handle the higher data load of "next-gen" service.

New phones rely on one of two technologies: CDMA or GSM. Phones from Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, short for code division multiple access. AT&T Wireless Inc., Cingular Wireless and other U.S. carriers, meanwhile, use GSM -- the global system for mobile communications.

Which gadgets and wireless carriers are best suited for cutting-edge services? IBD polled analysts and wireless executives and compiled a list of their choices.