All Smartphones

The Bottom Line: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a sleek entry-level smartphone that delivers some nice design enhancements and great performance. While available directly from T-Mobile, Wal-Mart offers the better value on the smartphone.

Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), 270 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.7 oz

The Bottom Line: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a sleek entry-level smartphone that delivers some nice design enhancements and great performance. While available directly from T-Mobile, Wal-Mart offers the better value on the smartphone.

Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), 270 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.7 oz

The Bottom Line: While the Pharos Traveler 127 holds the advantage over most GPS-enabled smartphones by coming preloaded with navigation software, it loses any competitive edge it had due to sluggish performance.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 450 min, 5.1 oz

The Bottom Line: The Nokia Surge offers AT&T's younger customers an affordable, feature-rich smartphone, but it has a number of design and interface issues.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 240 min, 4.4 oz

The Bottom Line: Despite the lack of Wi-Fi, the RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 is a feature-rich and well-performing smartphone that will serve Sprint's globe-trotting customers well.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 / CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, 300 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.6 oz

The Bottom Line: With the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, the Google Android OS gets a much-needed boost. A few complaints remain, and some users may bemoan the lack of a physical keyboard, but we approve of its eye-catching design and interface, improved features, and satisfying performance.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 450 min, 4.1 oz

The Bottom Line: With the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, the Google Android OS gets a much-needed boost. A few complaints remain, and some users may bemoan the lack of a physical keyboard, but we approve of its eye-catching design and interface, improved features, and satisfying performance.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 450 min, 4.1 oz

The Bottom Line: With the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, the Google Android OS gets a much-needed boost. A few complaints remain, and some users may bemoan the lack of a physical keyboard, but we approve of its eye-catching design and interface, improved features, and satisfying performance.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 450 min, 4.1 oz

The Bottom Line: If you can stand the Hero's occasional sluggishness, it's a fantastic smartphone packed with great features. We like its distinctive looks, and its innovative user interface brings Android much closer to being as fun and good-looking as the iPhone OS, while being far more customizable. Occasional lag and Android's rough edges mean it's not quite an iPhone killer, but it's definitely fighting in the same class.

Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 470 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.8 oz

The Bottom Line: While not the flashiest or the most feature-rich device, the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip for Verizon Wireless is a decent and affordable choice for first-time smartphone buyers.

Specs: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, 210 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.6 oz