Xmas Gift Guide : 10 Smartphones under $100
Are you looking for a smartphone as a gift this holiday season? Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Whether you’re looking for a smartphone for yourself or for someone else, there’s really never been a better time to be a smartphone buyer. Smartphones are no longer just for the geeky crowd, and they no longer cost an arm and a leg, either. We’ll look at a few smartphones that are available for US$100 or less.
Just about all of these phones come standard with 3G, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. Of course for a hundred bucks, these phones inevitably come with a 2 year contract.
1. Apple iPhone 3G
Considering the first iPhone sold for $700 with a contract, the $99 price tag for the Apple iPhone 3G is a bargain. You need to sign up for a 2 year AT&T contract to get this price. Although the newer iPhone 3GS gets all the attention, the iPhone 3G can do just about everything you need it to do. With 3G (GSM UMTS), GPS, Bluetooth & WiFi, this phone is pretty well connected. The 8GB internal memory is plenty of space for all your photos, video and music — not forgetting the hundreds of thousands of third party applications available.
2. Palm Pre
Palm’s comeback device didn’t make as big a splash as we expected, but it’s still a decent smartphone in its own right. Running on the Sprint network, the Palm Pre has 8GB of internal memory and something that apparently 50% of iPhone users want – a full QWERTY keyboard. The webOS operating system will wow you, but there are limited third party applications (at least compared to the iPhone). You also get WiFi & GPS in this tiny device.
3. Palm Pixi
If you’re to cheap to shell out $80 for the Palm Pre, then this new webOS smartphone will do the trick. The Palm Pixi doesn’t have the cool sliding keyboard of the Palm Pre, but it still has the QWERTY keyboard in a candybar form factor.
4. T-Mobile G1
If you want a smartphone running Google’s Android operating system, then the T-Mobile G1 is for you. Available in Black or White, this smartphone has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (like the Sidekick). The G1 has a microSD slot for expanded storage. As a first generation Android phone, the G1 does have its shortcomings, with most complaints focused on the underpowered hardware.
T-Mobile G1 Phone with Google – $50
5. Motorola CLIQ
Motorola has dabbled in just about all mobile operating systems in the past (Windows Mobile, Linux), but now it’s settled on the Google Android. The Motorola CLIQ is their maiden smartphone on this platform. Motorola added their MOTOBLUR screen for social networking, which is hit or miss. The CLIQ has a 3.1-inch touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and 5 megapixel camera.
6. Nokia e71x
Outside of the US, Nokia is the king of smartphones (and all mobile phones in general). Nokia’s e series of phones are designed for business, and targeted at the Blackberry end of the market. The e71x is a super slim (10mm) and sexy smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, in the familiar candybar form. Since this is Nokia, the e71x runs on Symbian.
7. Blackberry Tour
Did you get the memo? The Blackberry is no longer just for businessmen, it’s hip with the kids, too. Research In Motion (RIM) is still the reigning king of business smartphones, so we have to put in a couple of BBs in the list.
The Blackberry Tour 9630 runs on Sprint’s EVDO network in the US, but it’s also a World Phone. That means that it also works on GSM networks. There’s the usual Blackberry bells and whistles (GPS, trackball, great keyboard), but the Tour lacks WiFi.
8. Blackberry Bold
The Blackberry Bold is RIM’s flagship smartphone. The 9700 has a great screen and backlit keyboard, and it runs on AT&T’s HSPA network (theoretically : 7.2 Mbps downloads). It’s also slightly smaller than the original Bold, plus it copies the optical trackpad from the Curve.
9. HTC Tilt 2
If you’re wondering what’s a “Windows Phone”, well the HTC Tilt 2 is one. While the Windows Mobile operating system is showing its age by now, Microsoft is still in the smartphone game. The HTC Tilt 2 is loaded with features : touchscreen and full a slide-out, tilting QWERTY keyboard, plus 3G HSDPA, WiFi, GPS turn-by-turn navigation, FM radio and Stereo Bluetooth. All in, it’s a solid phone which is perhaps hampered somewhat by Windows Mobile 6.5.
10. HTC Droid Eris
To round up our top 10, here’s the latest Android smartphone. The HTC Droid Eris lacks a physical keyboard, but it makes up for it with a beautiful large screen and a friendly interface (HTC Scene). It runs on the Verizon network. Two criticisms of this smartphone are lack of power (both processor and battery life), and the fact that it comes with Android 1.5 instead of Android 2.0
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Filed under: Mobile World
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