While Apple’s iPhone remains a popular cell phone on the market, there are plenty of other phones — and less expensive ones — on the market that are not too shabby. Ready to change again? Here are some of the latest or upcoming releases:
Nokia 6212 Classic, to be released during the third quarter of ‘08, integrates Near Field Communication. NFC allows phone users to share their content such as audio files and downloads by connecting two phones. It will allow users to buy airplane tickets, make payments etc. The phone has a 5-megapixel camera with Xenon flash and geotagging.
Blackberry Pearl 8110, released for AT&T in the second quarter, is the first Pearl to include a built-in GPS. Features include recording and watching videos, listening to music, built-in spellcheck and user-customized dictionary.
T-Mobile will have its own new version of Pearl, 8120. Using T-Mobile’s $10/month unlimited Wi-Fi calling plan, Pearl 8120 is a Hotspot@Home-enabled device that will use Wi-Fi for making calls.
Sanyo Pro-700, released in Q2 for Sprint Nextel, has a rugged build that is certified to military standards. Its designed to withstand harsh environments, dust, shock etc and uses QChat technology for broadband downloads etc.
LG enV2 is one of Verizon’s latest offerings, due out in Q2. It includes VCAST music and video, Bluetooth, dual speakers, and a QWERTY key pad. Listen to music through a Bluetooth stereo headset, buy an external memory card to store music/videos, then move them to the PC.
Samsung SLM, released for AT&T at the end of ‘07, is the first phone to support Napster Mobile and has a 3G engine that allows downloads at 3.6 MB per second. Audio and video streaming, a camera with a 4x zoom, and stereo Bluetooth are among the features.
Sony Ericsson’s W760i is a Walkman phone with stereo speakers that you can simply shake to change a track; it includes 3D gaming that can be controlled with the motion sensor. A built-in GPS, FM radio, 3.2-megapixel camera are among the features. The company is billing the W760i as the “first truly global Walkman® phone with tri-band HSDPA, enabling broadband speed downloads of the latest music and content wherever in the world it is used.” It’s due out in the second quarter.
Sprint recently announced a new flagship phone called The Instinct . The touch-screen phone looks airily familiar — it sports an iPhone-type look. It will stream Sprint TV, music and feature some extras not found in the iPhone like GPS navigation. It won’t have Wi-Fi, however, and it’s not compatible with iTunes. Expected out in June.
Those who are really into the luxury deals can check out Tag Heuer’s Meridiist luxury phone in September — available, of all places, in some jewelry stores in addition to Tag Heuer stores. With a price range expected between $5,300 and $6,100, this Swiss-engineered phone is assembled by hand. It has a corrosion-resistant steel casing that fine Swiss watches are known for, 60.5-carat sapphire crystal dual displays, and the more practical details like an MP3 player, Bluetooth wireless and 28 days’ power reserve.
