How to choose the best smartphone
Choosing a smartphone is not getting easier, but it is getting a lot more fun. There are so many amazing models from Apple, Nokia, HTC, Palm, and dozens of other companies, so many options, and so many sizes and specs available. Some emphasize media playback and the camera, others have a spacious keypad for typing up long memos to your boss. The trick: finding that one model that suits your primary needs. It’s often easy to start with the phone and then explain who can use it, but we have taken the reverse approach — you have a need; here are the phones that match your strongest preference.
THE GAMER
Let’s face it: sometimes you just want to relax and slaughter some aliens into oblivion. A gaming smartphone should have a huge screen, fast processor, and a wide app selection.
First choice: Apple iPhone 4
We picked the iPhone 4 as the best entertainment and media device, but it is also the clear pick for gaming, mostly because the 3.5-inch screen is wonderfully bright and large, and because the best games are on this platform. Heavy Mach, Zombieville, Tiki Towers, MGS Touch, and many other games match the gameplay and graphics you’ll see on a Nintendo DS. It’s also worth noting that Apple has the best store for buying games, at a reasonable price. And, iPhone games typically take the best advantage of the tilt, GPS, and camera functions.
Also consider: Nokia N97
Nokia may have re-positioned the N-Gage gaming platform recently, rolling it into the Ovi store, but games on the N97 are quite fun and tend to be a bit more unusual on the Symbian OS, featuring puzzle games, crosswords, and not as many of the kid-focused platformers.
THE FASHIONISTA
First impressions count, so you want a phone that looks good. A phone that is good would be ideal as well – but as long as it looks good then half the battle is already won.
First choice: HTC Legend
Taking its cue from Apple’s premium laptop range, the Legend is the ultimate in stylish smartphones. The unibody design – it’s crafted from a single block of aluminium – is simply spectacular. Ultra-sleek, it looks and feels like no other handheld device before or since. The Legend is more than a mere pretty face, though, giving the full Android 2.1 experience, with additional support from HTC’s own social networking-friendly Sense UI. The Legend could become a design classic, and we expect to see plenty of imitators.
Also consider: Sony Ericsson Vivaz
Another phone with unique looks, the Vivaz’s curved design is comfortable to hold while also emphasising the device’s diminutive size, and at no point does it come at the expense of usability.
THE GADGET FAN
Not only do you want the best, most exciting and most cutting edge phone, you also want something to play around with – something that allows you to do things, just because you can.
First choice: HTC Desire
The best Android smartphone available in Europe, the Desire is not only a cutting edge handset to rival anything else on the market (it is increasingly being seen as the main alternative for potential iPhone buyers), but as an Android device it supports all the hacking and tweaking – official or otherwise – you can manage.
Also consider: HTC HD2
Windows Mobile 6.5 may be on its last legs, but the availability of full Android builds that can be installed on this device looks like giving the HD2 a whole new lease of life.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Pages: 1 2
for all the latest smartphone news, reviews and previews.
What's your opinion?