As promised, it's another Top 5 list. This time around it's the five handsets I can't wait to get my hands on in final production form:
1. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (Carrier Unknown)
Sony Ericsson fans have been waiting on this one for a looooong time, and it will finally drop in Europe on Sep 30. My interest in the X1 was recently revived by some online videos of the Panels user interface in action. I've long been a fan of SE's mobile UIs, and if the experience of using the X1 can match its spec sheet and hardware design, this could be my new phone of choice. Too bad we still don't know when it will be available in the US. That they'll announce on November 4.
2. HTC Touch HD (Unlocked GSM)
Look out, iPhone, it's the big, bad Touch HD. HTC took everything that makes the Touch Diamond great and made it bigger and better. Bigger touchscreen with higher resolution? Check. More megapixels on the camera? Check. Integrated 3.5mm headphone jack? Check. I can't wait to see how TouchFLO 3D runs on ths badboy.
3. LG KC910 (Unlocked GSM)
The stunning spec sheet for this Viewty successor speaks for itself:
- 8 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics
- Auto-focus and manual focus
- Xenon Flash
- Adjustable ISO sensitivity up to 1600
- Image Stabilization
- Face tracking
- Smile detection
- Blink detection (yes, seriously!)
- aGPS
- Dolby Mobile
- DivX and Xvid movie playback
- 3" WQVGA touschcreen
- Wi-Fi
- 7.2Mbps HSDPA
- Video recording up to 120fps for slow-mo playback
4. T-Mobile G1 with Google (T-Mobile)
I'm very, very curious about the potentially huge impact Android will have on the mobile phone industry. But the first Google phone looks like it was designed by nerds (Google's Sergey and Larry) and not designers (the folks responsible for HTC's other recent phones). Give me Android on a sleeker handset with more consumer-friendly features and I'll get more excited. I mean, you can partner with Amazon for 89 cent mp3 downloads but you can't build Stereo Bluetooth or a 3.5mm headphone jack into the G1? Lame.
5. LG Xenon (AT&T)
This one just leaked this morning and it may be the messaging phone that teenage AT&T customers have been waiting for. 2.8" screen that might just be touch-friendly, slide out QWERTY board, 3MP camera with VGA video capture, HSDPA and WiFi make the Xenon a real nice lookin' rumor that's supposed to come true before Xmas.