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 I'm sure the list will look outdated by then.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. Palm Pre
As the flagship webOS device, the Palm Pre is my top pick for the nation's third largest wireless carrier. Offering revolutionary features such as "cards" for multitasking purposes, Synergy, and the Palm Profile, Palm's QWERTY touchscreen slider marks an entirely new direction for Palm. Granted, battery life is absolutely terrible on the device, and the App Catalog is a bit small at the moment, but the device is a great entry into the smartphone arena.
2. BlackBerry Tour
Yep, it’s on the Sprint side too, and despite a few minor design modifications, is exactly the same as its Verizon counterpart. Fast processor, gorgeous screen, 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, BlackBerry OS 4.7, and a Bold-esque QWERTY keyboard - yep, it's all there. It's a bit pricey (prior to rebate), but well worth the cash.
3. HTC Touch Pro
As with many of the wireless carriers, the Touch Pro is the top dog when it comes to Windows Mobile devices on Sprint (until September 8th, that is). Perfect for the traveling executive or the wireless journalist, the Touch Pro includes TouchFLO 3D, Wi-Fi, a 3-megapixel camera, Windows Mobile 6.1, and a sliding QWERTY keyboard.
4. LG Rumor 2
A great QWERTY dumbphone option, the Rumor 2 offers a better display and other features over the older version. Other features include stereo Bluetooth, 1.3-megapixel camera, microSD card slot, and a rainbow of available colors. The sliding keyboard makes it perfect for secret texting between class periods. Just don't get caught - as Adriana said, high schools around the nation are cracking down on wireless use!
5. BlackBerry Curve 8550i (Nextel)
At this point, you may be looking at me and thinking "uh, what?" But the latest Nextel BlackBerry is worth being on the list, for a number of reasons. As the first smartphone to hit the aging iDEN network since the BlackBerry 7100i, it offers a full QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry OS 4.6, a 2-megapixel camera, and Direct Connect, all in a sleek black housing. In other words, it's up to date, and it's on Nextel - two phrases that aren't heard very often.
Honorable Mention: Samsung Reclaim, Samsung Rant, HTC Snap, LG LX370.