Nokia E71x (black, AT&T)

Pros: This phone's build is very solid yet still very light and thin.
Four shortcut keys on the qwerty w/ direct access to home/calendar/contacts/mail (very nice). Battery life (3 days no charge).
It feels 10x better to type w/ vs. the blackberry curve.

Cons: Very petty but since something must go here:
-the side voicedial button is not customizable and since I don't use voicecalling it is pretty much useless
-I wish there was one button step to press in order to lock the keyboard

Summary: Bottom Line: I cannot believe this phone is only $99 bucks. You should pick one up before Nokia figures out its phone is better than the competition that sells for $200+ and change their pricing. For $99 bucks this phone beats most smartphones out right now! Wifi enabled, 3.2 megepixels, video recording/messaging, and overall design durability are unmatched for the price. If you are in the market for a smartphone you should put this one at the top of your list AND go try one out (beginner, intermediate, or advanced you will not be disspaointed).

Excellent Call Quality and network coverage.

Additional:

Finding a phone (that I liked) that was not a blackberry and compatible w/ macs was challenging.

I don't want to pay a $30 monthly data plan because I don't all of that. And it is mandatory to keep that for the duration of your contract w/ the iPhone.

I tried the BBerry Curve, Palm Centro, Blackjack II, Samsung Impression, LG Xenon, and Blackberry Bold.
-Every one of these had a serious issue w/ either syncing w/ macs, serious network coverage issues, or OS crashing probs.

The Bold has a serious issue choosing poor 3G coverage over 5 bars on Edge.

After the hunt I can say this phone is earns 5 stars in every category people are shopping for. Yeah it might not be your powerful business phone if your a CEO but for the average busy person it is excellent.

It even speaks and tells you the name of the person who is calling!

I am military E7 and my organizer keeps me on time and my address book is contantly on the use. I couldn't afford the $30 w/ the iPhone but I can surely afford the $10 unlimited family data plan. Even w/o the data plan this phone meets all my expectations plus more.

I am extremely satisfied w/ my purchase.

-This Nokia is the best phone I've had in a long time. For the $99 I paid it is worth every penny.

-I purchased $40 missing sync and it syncs everything between my Nokia & macbook over bluetooth and does it flawlessly.

The organizer, mail/messaging, and contact features are the most important to me and this phone delivers.

It feels like someone has been listening to my gripes and put together this dreamsheet phone together just for me.

Updated on May 13, 2009

Quick update for MAC users: you don't have to purchase the missing sync. Nokia offers a free plug-in that makes the E71x compatible with iSync. iSync works perfectly ! Don't waste the $40 bucks. Nokia also offers a software to transfer media and even transcodes it from itunes to realplayer/etc...

Updated on May 15, 2009

It has realplayer loaded into it. I haven't tried any others but there are tons of applications for this phone via the Nokia website and the Nokia Beta labs all for free.
I am not sure what operating system you are using but if you're a PC than of course the Nokia has a CDROM that comes in the box. Not too sure about other OS's.

The Blackberry Bold is a powerhouse. If you buy it make sure you live in a strong 3G serviced area. Not sure if they've updated this problem but this is why I returned it:

I live in an area where Edge has 5 bars and 3G has 2 bars. When I had the iPhone I could toggle the 3G off when I was home.

The Bold automatically chooses 3G (if available even if weak) over the stronger 5 bars Edge.

Bottom line is I had no service at home when I knew perfectly well there was 5 bars with Edge available that the phone would not pick up.

If you are a heavy e-mailer you might consider a blackberry; but wait til this summer they should be launching a new Curve.