November 23rd, 2008
Holiday Gift Guide 2008: The ultimate smartphones
I am a huge fan of smartphones that let me work and play on the go and this holiday season there are some very compelling choices available. I have personally tested most of the models I’ll be listing in this Guide and I am finding it tough to decide between which one is the best so I have a couple myself. Most of these smartphones will cost you a few bucks with a 2-year contract, but they are all extremely powerful and are much less than models I have purchased in the past. I recommend you try to get your hands on one of the devices in stores before making the purchase so you can see if the device will meet your needs and desires.
Keep in mind that the prices in the following Guide are either SIM-unlocked prices or carrier prices after rebates and contracts. You may also find many of these high end smartphones on sites like Amazon or Buy.com for free or at a much lower cost after new service activation and rebates so if you see one you like check those sites out too.
There are also several more fine smartphones that may meet your needs, like the Palm Centro, Samsung Blackjack II, RIM BlackBerry Curve, Nokia N96, Samsung OMNIA, Palm Treo Pro, and more.
The HTC Touch Diamond showed us all what HTC could do with Windows Mobile to improve the user interface and functionality. They then took it to the next level with improvements in the hardware and software, as well as the addition of a QWERTY keyboard in the HTC Touch Pro/HTC Fuze. The HTC Touch Pro from Sprint is slightly different (mainly in the keyboard design) than the HTC Fuze from AT&T, but they are both variants of the HTC Touch Pro. These devices pack in 3G wireless radios, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and more in a compact solid form factor with a beautiful 640×480 VGA display.
Price: $299.99 after rebates and contracts
[Read the review (AT&T HTC Fuze)][Read the review (Sprint Touch Pro)][Check out my hands-on review of both devices]
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Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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