The holidays are the best time of year to start connecting with friends and family. In fact, they practically force you to do so. And what better way to reaffirm the tender bonds with your loved ones than by giving them brand new cell phones? Whether you're new to the mobile medium or a smartphone wiz, we have selected a wide array of handsets that are definitely gift-worthy. And with these options on hand, there's no excuse for buying a grandma a fruitcake.
Editors' top pick
The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson W760i is the best Sony Ericsson Walkman phone we've seen, by far. It corrects one of Sony Ericsson's usual design pitfalls while offering a generous feature set and satisfying performance. We can suggest a few tweaks that should make it a winner.
The bottom line: The HTC Touch Diamond for Sprint brings some nice additions and improvements over the unlocked GSM version--most notably to performance. It's best suited for first-time smartphone buyers or light users, while business customers should wait for the Touch Pro.
Price:
$199.99 - $299.99
The bottom line: Despite some minor shortcomings, the Palm Centro offers Verizon Wireless customers an easy-to-use, affordable, and solid performing smartphone that's perfect for the first-time buyer or anyone on a budget.
Price:
$9.99 - $259.99
The bottom line: The Motorola Q Global brings an updated look and the latest Windows Mobile operating system to the messaging-centric smartphone.
The bottom line: Mobile professionals who need a powerful but sleek messaging-centric smartphone will be well-served by the Nokia E71; just be prepared to pay a price.
Price:
$300.00 - $432.00
The bottom line: The Samsung Knack SCH-U310 is one of the best basic phones on the market. If you need a handset for making calls, you can't go wrong.
Price:
$39.99 - $299.99
The bottom line: The Motorola Krave ZN4 accomplishes something few other cell phones do: it's unique, easy to use, and it performs well.
Price:
$69.99
The bottom line: The Samsung Highnote offers a unique design, a varied selection of features, and decent call quality. It's also one of the better Sprint music phones that we've seen.
Price:
$49.99
The bottom line: The iPhone 3G delivers on its promises by adding critical features and sharper call quality. The iTunes App Store is pretty amazing, and the 3G support is more than welcome. Critical features still are missing, and the battery depletes quickly under heavy use, but the iPhone 3G is a big improvement over the original model.
The bottom line: The Nokia 5610 Xpress Music offers a nice higher-end alternative to the Nokia 5310 with a flashier design and upgraded features. It's a good performer, too.
Price:
$49.99
The bottom line: If you want a camera phone that will blow almost every other handset out of the water, look no further than the Samsung Innov8. Design complaints aside, it's a powerful and eye-catching device that performs well as a phone, too.
The bottom line: The LG Lotus has an eye-catching design, top-notch features, and great performance, making it one of the top messaging phones available from Sprint.
Price:
$49.99 - $399.99
The bottom line: Despite its lack of high speed data connection, the Verizon Wireless Blitz is a great phone for messaging fanatics.
Price:
$19.99 - $119.99
The bottom line: The LG Dare is an innovative and feature-rich handset with several surprises that sets it apart from other touch-screen phones.
Price:
$79.99 - $599.99
The bottom line: The Pantech Breeze is definitely ideal for senior citizens and those with disabilities, but it's also an all-around great phone for anyone who wants a decent entry-level handset.
The bottom line: The LG Decoy is an excellent phone on its own, but the addition of a built-in Bluetooth headset puts it over the top.
