Six of the best: Smartphones

Source: Exec Digital Canada

Date :3/13/2008 2:05:35 AM

The smartphone is the most essential bit of kit in any modern executive’s armoury. Here, we take a look at six of the finest on the market

By James Hurley

Nokia N96

Smart and sexy, the Nokia N96 is a high-end upgrade for the N95, offering 16 GB of internal storage, twice as much as the older model. A multimedia focus is supported by a 2.8-inch, QVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, and a microSD slot. It will also play video in a variety of formats. This might be its downfall for the business user – it feels a little like a media device with a phone strapped on rather than a dedicated smartphone. Neat features include a built-in GPS receiver that works with Nokia Maps 2.0, which come preloaded on the N96 and a DVB-H digital TV receiver. All very good, but it’s not particularly Exec is it?

Price: $800 approx (TBC)

Palm Treo 750

It might bear a striking resemblance to a Blackberry, but the Treo 750 is in fact much more than a humble smartphone – hidden a little too well round the back is a stylus, hallmark of the pocket PC. With an updated CPU, a better camera, excellent video playback and effective Bluetooth implementation on earlier Treo models, Palm’s unique features make it a breeze to find contacts, make calls, and search the Web. It’s one of the most effective Windows Mobile cells on the market. A solid choice if you can get past its less than impressive and rather chubby looks.

Price: $900 without contract

HTC Touch Dual

Business like yet consumer friendly, as you’d expect from HTC, the Touch Dual looks and feel great. An easy to learn user interface is complemented by the TouchFlo touchscreen interface, currently the best on the market. Superb smartphone performance is boosted by impressive internet speeds and a serviceable camera. Shame then that the battery life doesn’t quite measure up, and lack of wi-fi at this level is a surprising oversight.

Price: $800

HTC TyTn II (pictured)

It’s not cheap, but a quick look at this sterling effort from HTC confirms an almost perfect smartphone. Boasting superb connectivity (Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPRS and 3G), a GPS receiver that has it double up as sat-nav, forward and rear-facing cameras for video calls and photography as well as a 2.8in TFT touchscreen, there really isn’t much missing here. Windows Mobile 6 and Office Mobile support also mean document compatibility is not a problem. It’s a little hefty, but this is more than made up for by an excellent slide-out keyboard and tilting screen mechanism, so there’s no more RSI from fiddling around on tiny Blackberry keys. Frankly, it’s the most innovative smartphone available.

Price: $999

RIM Blackberry 8800

No smartphone line-up would be complete without the undisputed king of the sector. The 8800 boasts excellent e-mail options, built-in GPS, and a sleek design. It boasts a full-sized keyboard and bigger display - its RIM’s best looking ‘strictly business’ Blackberry yet. For a stylish but defiantly business like smartphone with a few extra features that predecessors lacked, you needn’t look any further than this.

Price: $800

Apple iPhone 16gb

Something of a wildcard entry in the sense that it’s far from a conventional smartphone, we felt compelled to include it here since its been outselling other smartphones home and abroad since its launch, and is now available with double the memory. It’s far from perfect., with below par audio quality and third-party software incompatibility, but the sheer quality of its design and engineering makes it hard to resist; while value for money is famously questionable, its browser is impressive and it’s a pleasure to use.

Price: $499 with contract

Click here to view the full Smartphone review