BenQ's new Siemens models, including E71 slim slider

We can't remember the last time anything Siemens did in the cellphone biz excited us — especially since the company doesn't even make cellphones anymore; they sold their cell business to BenQ, which has retained the right to produce phones under the Siemens name for a limited time. But the Siemens brand still has at least some life left in it, as shown by a handful of new models coming out this month, including the E71 (pictured), a thin slider that includes a 2-inch QVGA LCD display, Bluetooth, MP3 and GPRS/EDGE for data. Other models include the Hermes C5, an otherwise nondescript clamshell that has some new branding: it's being sold under the BenQ-Siemens marque. Sounds to us like the beginning of the phase-out for the Siemens cellphone brand. And, yes, we're stifling a yawn here.