Motivated by the creative comments from our last "Top Five" segment, the idea of creating a new top five list seemed quite appealing (okay, Noah's top five lists were a deciding factor too - always good to have friendly competition, right?). But why stop at a top five phone list? Instead, why not make it carrier based? Wireless devices can differ dramatically from carrier to carrier, so, realizing the importance of this; I decided to follow suit, and do a list for each company.
In this industry, new devices seem to launch every other day, so keep the date of this article in mind when you're reading this around, say, Christmas. I'm sure the list will look outdated by then.
More Top 5 lists:
Noah: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile
Aaron: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile
1. BlackBerry Tour
Given all of the phones in Verizon's lineup at present, the Tour is the first device I would choose to carry. If this was going to press after the Touch Pro2 landed, it would be a tough call, but as of now, the Tour's 3.2-megapixel camera, gorgeous screen, BlackBerry OS 4.7, and good keyboard make it the best choice for now. Throw in Wi-Fi, and it would be next to perfect.
2. HTC Touch Pro
Though the upgrade is right around the corner, the Touch Pro is a feature-rich Windows Mobile smartphone, worthy of consideration by anyone desiring a good PDA. The Touch Pro offers a 2.8-inch display, QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi (b/g), 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a microSD card slot capable of supporting a 16 GB card. With the recent price drop (most likely to make way for the Touch Pro2), it's earned a spot on the list.
3. BlackBerry Storm
Though I'm a die-hard BlackBerry fan, the Storm is not anywhere near my personal list of favorite devices. That being said, I recognize the importance of this device in BlackBerry's lineup, and due to the popularity surrounding the media-centric 'Berry (or criticism, depending on who you talk to), I feel that it needs to be included. Love it or hate it, with a large touchscreen, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an emphasis on all things media, the Storm is Verizon's answer to the iPhone.
4. LG enV3
The LG enV3 is quite possibly the best dumbphone out there, in my opinion. The device offers a full QWERTY keyboard, 3-megapixel camera, and a full HTML web browser. Great for all customer demographics (hey, I recommended the device to my Grandmother and Mother, and they both purchased it), the enV3 packs a lot of features into a small device. As long as you don't need a smartphone browsing experience or near-instant e-mail, it's a great companion.
5. Samsung Alias 2
Featuring "E-ink technology" which customizes the keyboard depending on what you're doing on the device, the Alias 2 is a great phone, and represents a huge improvement over its predecessor. It sports a 2.6-inch QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, Visual Voicemail, microSD card slot with support for up to 16 GB. It's a great device, and as of now, can be had for under $100.
