HTC Hero
Google phones could well be the way of the
future – and this is the second-generation,
touch-screen-enabled version. If you use Gmail
and other Google services a lot, then give this a
look. It’s very quick to set up and is spawning
a growing number of downloadable apps for the
open-source Android operating system it uses.
Toshiba Portege G910
We haven’t put a Windows Mobile phone in
here – hence this slightly eccentric choice. It’s
a clamshell design with a big screen, and one of
the largest and friendliest keyboards around.
If you have big fingers, do a lot of email on your
phone, and you’re in a Microsoft environment,
I reckon this could keep you happy – as long as
your pockets can take its 183g weight.
Palm Pre
You can’t get it in Europe yet, but the
Palm Pre is selling well in the US –
a slim, light, touch-screen phone with
a nifty small sliding keyboard and its
own new operating system, WebOS.
The fact that there are not yet any other
WebOS phones and few apps means it
won’t be popular with your company’s
IT department just yet.
Blackberry Bold (and others)
Blackberry used to make corporate email balland-chains,
but it’s boosted its consumer
credibility lately – and kept the email strength
and good battery life.
The top-of-the-range £500 Storm is RIM’s
iPhone contender, and has attracted some
positive (although additionally some not-sopositive)
reviews.
I think the cheaper entry-level 8520 Gemini
will be worth taking a look at (full details were
not announced at the time of writing), and the
more-established Bold, which has the traditional
Blackberry keyboard, is also worth considering
as a smartphone stalwart.
Nokia N97
Nokia fans will like this phone. It’s
got a lot crammed into it, including
a way better camera than the iPhone,
expandable memory, a Wi-Fi hotspot
to share your broadband and an
FM radio transmitter to play MP3s
through your car’s speakers.
It’s also got a full slide-and-tilt
keyboard. The downside is the processor
is underpowered, the touch-screen is
clunky, compared to the iPhone, and
it doesn’t have many apps.
A Nokia alternative might be the
E71, a corporate email star, which is
thinner and nicer than Blackberrys.
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