Bonnie Cha, Senior Associate Editor December 19, 2006
People often ask me, "What's the best smart phone out there?" and I never have a simple answer. It depends on what carrier you have, what type of user you are, and then there's the fact that 2006 has seen the release of so many solid smart phones that it's really hard to choose the best one. As I mentioned in our roundup of the best mobile products of 2006, I had a hell of a hard time choosing between the T-Mobile Dash and the Cingular 8525. I finally chose the Dash for its design, which plays a big part in my buying decision, but at the expense of losing the 3G speed of the Cingular 8525. Afterward, I started thinking of all the other great mobiles that debuted this year and thought they deserved a mention as well. So here we have a selection of top-notch smart phones for each major U.S. carrier and two unlocked phones. Aside from the aforementioned models, there's the RIM BlackBerry 8703e for Verizon Wireless with its famed BlackBerry push e-mail solution and a full QWERTY keyboard, and the good news is Cingular, T-Mobile, and Sprint all offer their own version of the 8700 series as well. Next, the Palm Treo 700p brought a much welcomed upgrade to Treo 650 with more memory, a better camera, and the backing of Sprint's EV-DO network, while the Sony Ericsson P990i crammed in a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G, and hello, a business card scanner. Finally, for those who want their devices to not only be smart but also entertaining, you really can't beat the multimedia-centric Nokia N93.
| Product name | |||||
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| Price |
Check manufacturer's site for availability |
Compare prices on the T-Mobile Dash at mySimon. | $165.99 | Pricing not available | Pricing not available |
| CNET editors' rating | |||||
| Average user rating | |||||
| Review date | November 05, 2006 | October 11, 2006 | September 25, 2006 | November 07, 2006 | September 07, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | For the ultimate road warrior, the 3G-enabled AT&T 8525 provides the speed, the power, and the productivity tools to get your work done on the go. | With a sleek design, good performance, and a robust set of productivity and wireless options, the T-Mobile Dash is an all-in-one hit and earns its reputation as a Motorola Q killer. | Though it won't replace your digital camcorder or camera, the powerful Nokia N93 does a respectable job of integrating quality multimedia capabilities into a cell phone. That said, it's a bulky handset and is best suited for convergence fanatics and gadget hounds. | Despite some spotty call quality, the RIM BlackBerry 8703e for Verizon Wireless is a great messaging device offering reliable e-mail delivery, a full QWERTY keyboard, a gorgeous screen, and EV-DO support. | The Sony Ericsson P990i may be the perfect smart phone for tech-minded consumers, but its exorbitantly high price may put a lot of people off. |
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| Features | |||||
| Service Provider | AT&T (formerly Cingular) | T-Mobile | Unlocked | Verizon Wireless | Unlocked |
| Cellular technology | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM | GSM | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM | CDMA | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM |
| Band / mode | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900 | CDMA 800/1900 | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900 |
| Wireless Interface | IEEE 802.11b/g Bluetooth 2.0 | Bluetooth | IEEE 802.11b/g Bluetooth Infrared (IrDA) | Bluetooth 2.0 EDR | IEEE 802.11b Bluetooth Infrared (IrDA) |
| Weight | Info unavailable | 4.2 oz | 6.3 oz | 4.8 oz | 5.3 oz |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | Check manufacturer's site for availability | Compare prices on the T-Mobile Dash at mySimon. | | Pricing not available | Pricing not available |
