- Overview
- Smart phone carriers and costs
ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
August 2006
Four new smart phones for talk, text, and more
Faster data services, Bluetooth connectivity, and new entertainment capabilities have led to a new generation of smart phones
that combine phone, organizer, e-mail, Web, and multimedia functions. To assess their IQs, we tested four models introduced
this year. Phone prices listed include rebates and discounts you get when you sign up for a two-year contract. Because of
their extra capabilities, smart phones need both a voice plan, for making calls, using voice mail, etc., and a data plan,
for sending and receiving e-mails, accessing the Web, and other activities. The accompanying table summarizes the least-expensive plans we found for each model.
MOTOROLA Q
Carrier and price: Verizon Wireless, $200.
Pros: This BlackBerrylike smart phone was the thinnest, and, at 4.3 ounces, lightest model we tested. Voice quality was good. It runs on Verizon's high-speed EVDO data network and Windows Mobile 5.0.
The Motorola Q's most distinctive feature is the way it synchronizes data. It comes with Wireless Sync, a Verizon service that synchronizes e-mails, appointments and tasks between your phone and PC via the Web. For example, any appointments or to-do items you enter on Verizon's Web-based organizer are automatically sent to the phone, and vice versa. Wireless sync also keeps track of incoming and outgoing e-mails on both the Web site and the phone. For navigation, the Motorola Q has a jog dial on the side, which gives it a very BlackBerrylike feel. It's the only smart phone we tested with voice command, a feature that lets you dial any number by speaking the digits. The Q's Bluetooth connects to standard headsets and hands-free devices, and can be used to transfer files and print pictures. It's also the first phone we've seen that has stereo Bluetooth capability. The Q nicely integrates this feature. If you get a call while listening to music on your stereo Bluetooth headphones, the Q allows you to answer and end the call, then it automatically resumes the music where it left off.
It also has a 1.3-megapixel camera with video recorder. It comes with 69 megabytes of user accessible memory and a slot for mini-SD (mini-Secure Digital) memory card.
Cons: The Q lacks a touch screen or programmable buttons, which makes the Windows interface rather unwieldy. E-mail is subpar, as you can only view attachments, such as documents or spreadsheets, not edit them.
The wireless sync requires two steps to retrieve e-mails with attachments, and we frequently lost e-mails that were left in the Q's In box. Verizon's Wireless sync does not interact with ActiveSync, Microsoft's program for exchanging data with Outlook on a PC. That means if you use both ActiveSync and Wireless sync, you could get duplicate records, such as two appointments at the same time, or two contacts with the same name, on the Q. Motorola doesn't include a copy of Outlook with the phone, so if you want to connect the Q to a computer, you'll have to provide your own.
The Q lacks a single-key ringer mute and has no auto key lock to prevent accidental key presses. The Q's display is very good in normal and low light but is the most difficult to see in bright light. The Verizon version isn't compatible with any VCast services for music or video.
CR's take: Thin performance in a thin package.
NOKIA 9300
Carrier and price: Cingular, $300. Can be purchased unlocked, for use with other GSM carriers.
Pros: Good overall voice quality. Looks like a basic phone when closed, but hinges open to reveal a second screen and nicely proportioned QWERTY keyboard with keys to aid navigation. This phone is oriented toward office applications--word processing, spreadsheet, and PowerPointlike presentation applications are all included--and the QWERTY keyboard is the closest thing to a full-sized keyboard of any we've tested. There's also a handy four-way jog dial and four context-sensitive soft keys along the right side of the larger display to aid navigation. There are eight shortcut keys above the keyboard, although only one is programmable.
Standard applications include contacts, calendar, and a memo pad, but no task list. The Bluetooth is compatible with headsets and hands-free devices and can be used to transfer files or print pictures. The Nokia is an e-mail powerhouse, packed with a variety of e-mail applications from BellSouth, EarthLink, and SBC Yahoo, as well as BlackBerry Connect for BlackBerry users.
For multimedia, the Nokia 9300 has a music player and RealPlayer for videos. It has 71MB of user-accessible memory and a slot for a MultiMedia memory card (MMC).
Cons: Measuring 5.2x2.1x0.9 inches, the Nokia is one of the bulkiest phones in our roundup. It's also the only smart phone without a camera. The Nokia lacks a single-key ringer mute, and the Cingular Xpress Mail application, while easy to set up and use, requires you to keep your PC on and connected to the Internet to fetch e-mail, an unnecessary complication. Navigating through the folder-based operating system is clumsy, and there's no search application, so finding files is a challenge. The Edge-based data link is noticeably slower than the EVDO links on the Motorola Q and Palm Treo 700P.
CR's take: Despite its limitations, a solid, basic BlackBerry substitute.
PALM TREO 700P
Carrier and price: Sprint PCS or Verizon, $400.
Pros: Like the Treo 650 it replaced, the 700P is a full-featured PDA and cell phone--the only phone in our tests that can make that claim. As a phone, voice quality was good overall. Its touch-screen display is readable in all lighting conditions.
Standard Palm applications include contacts, calendar, tasks, and memo pad. The 700P runs on Sprint's high-speed EVDO network and comes with Bluetooth for voice (headsets and hands-free devices) and synchronizing with a PC.
The 700P has user-configurable buttons for launching favorite applications with a single key press and a QWERTY keypad. With 70 programmable shortcuts, the Treo's favorites-list application is one of the most useful of any smart phone or PDA application we have seen. When it's programmed, you can access any application, phone number, or Web site by just tapping the display. The keypad and display have a timed auto lock to prevent accidental key presses, and a dedicated button mutes the ringer.
The 700P has both VersaMail for e-mail and Documents To Go for documents and spreadsheets. You can open native Word and Excel files in Docs To Go, and you can download, edit, and send Word and Excel file attachments using VersaMail and Docs To Go. You can even view native Adobe PDF files.
For multimedia, the Treo has a 1.3-megapixel camera with video-record capability and a music player. Sprint PCS offers a variety of streaming audio and video channels via SprintTV, as well as MobiTV, a third-party TV service. It comes with 63MB of internal user-accessible memory and a slot for a MultiMedia memory card (MMC).
Cons: The Treo's QWERTY keypad is small and takes some getting used to. Like all Treos, it offers no Graffiti handwriting interface for veteran Palm users. It also lacks voice dialing, and you can't download music via the Sprint Music Store on Sprint's version.
CR's take: Pricey, but still the best smart phone.
T-MOBILE SIDEKICK 3
Carrier and price: T-Mobile, $300.
Pros: Just one look at the Sidekick 3 will tell you it's for people who'd rather let their fingers do the talking. It's landscape-oriented, which allows for a large, message-friendly QWERTY keyboard that facilitates text messaging. The Sidekick has no programmable keys, but it does have 15 programmable "jump" shortcuts accessible through a two-key combination. Other navigation aids include six control keys and a trackball.
Its contacts, calendar, to-do list, and memo pad are easy to use. Word and Adobe PDF attachments are read-only, but accessing them is much easier than with the Motorola Q. The display performance in bright light was the best of all the smart phones we tested, and the unit comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera. It has Bluetooth for headsets and supports mini-SD memory cards.
Cons: As a phone, the Sidekick stumbles somewhat. Its message-oriented keypad actually makes dialing a chore. And the display, which bested the others in bright light, was difficult to read in normal and low light. Voice quality for incoming calls is only fair. We couldn't get its Bluetooth connection to work with our hands-free speakerphone, just the headset. You can't record videos with the camera.
CR's take: Great for people who would rather text than talk.
MOTOROLA Q
Carrier and price: Verizon Wireless, $200.
Pros: This BlackBerrylike smart phone was the thinnest, and, at 4.3 ounces, lightest model we tested. Voice quality was good. It runs on Verizon's high-speed EVDO data network and Windows Mobile 5.0.
The Motorola Q's most distinctive feature is the way it synchronizes data. It comes with Wireless Sync, a Verizon service that synchronizes e-mails, appointments and tasks between your phone and PC via the Web. For example, any appointments or to-do items you enter on Verizon's Web-based organizer are automatically sent to the phone, and vice versa. Wireless sync also keeps track of incoming and outgoing e-mails on both the Web site and the phone. For navigation, the Motorola Q has a jog dial on the side, which gives it a very BlackBerrylike feel. It's the only smart phone we tested with voice command, a feature that lets you dial any number by speaking the digits. The Q's Bluetooth connects to standard headsets and hands-free devices, and can be used to transfer files and print pictures. It's also the first phone we've seen that has stereo Bluetooth capability. The Q nicely integrates this feature. If you get a call while listening to music on your stereo Bluetooth headphones, the Q allows you to answer and end the call, then it automatically resumes the music where it left off.
It also has a 1.3-megapixel camera with video recorder. It comes with 69 megabytes of user accessible memory and a slot for mini-SD (mini-Secure Digital) memory card.
Cons: The Q lacks a touch screen or programmable buttons, which makes the Windows interface rather unwieldy. E-mail is subpar, as you can only view attachments, such as documents or spreadsheets, not edit them.
The wireless sync requires two steps to retrieve e-mails with attachments, and we frequently lost e-mails that were left in the Q's In box. Verizon's Wireless sync does not interact with ActiveSync, Microsoft's program for exchanging data with Outlook on a PC. That means if you use both ActiveSync and Wireless sync, you could get duplicate records, such as two appointments at the same time, or two contacts with the same name, on the Q. Motorola doesn't include a copy of Outlook with the phone, so if you want to connect the Q to a computer, you'll have to provide your own.
The Q lacks a single-key ringer mute and has no auto key lock to prevent accidental key presses. The Q's display is very good in normal and low light but is the most difficult to see in bright light. The Verizon version isn't compatible with any VCast services for music or video.
CR's take: Thin performance in a thin package.
NOKIA 9300
Carrier and price: Cingular, $300. Can be purchased unlocked, for use with other GSM carriers.
Pros: Good overall voice quality. Looks like a basic phone when closed, but hinges open to reveal a second screen and nicely proportioned QWERTY keyboard with keys to aid navigation. This phone is oriented toward office applications--word processing, spreadsheet, and PowerPointlike presentation applications are all included--and the QWERTY keyboard is the closest thing to a full-sized keyboard of any we've tested. There's also a handy four-way jog dial and four context-sensitive soft keys along the right side of the larger display to aid navigation. There are eight shortcut keys above the keyboard, although only one is programmable.
Standard applications include contacts, calendar, and a memo pad, but no task list. The Bluetooth is compatible with headsets and hands-free devices and can be used to transfer files or print pictures. The Nokia is an e-mail powerhouse, packed with a variety of e-mail applications from BellSouth, EarthLink, and SBC Yahoo, as well as BlackBerry Connect for BlackBerry users.
For multimedia, the Nokia 9300 has a music player and RealPlayer for videos. It has 71MB of user-accessible memory and a slot for a MultiMedia memory card (MMC).
Cons: Measuring 5.2x2.1x0.9 inches, the Nokia is one of the bulkiest phones in our roundup. It's also the only smart phone without a camera. The Nokia lacks a single-key ringer mute, and the Cingular Xpress Mail application, while easy to set up and use, requires you to keep your PC on and connected to the Internet to fetch e-mail, an unnecessary complication. Navigating through the folder-based operating system is clumsy, and there's no search application, so finding files is a challenge. The Edge-based data link is noticeably slower than the EVDO links on the Motorola Q and Palm Treo 700P.
CR's take: Despite its limitations, a solid, basic BlackBerry substitute.
PALM TREO 700P
Carrier and price: Sprint PCS or Verizon, $400.
Pros: Like the Treo 650 it replaced, the 700P is a full-featured PDA and cell phone--the only phone in our tests that can make that claim. As a phone, voice quality was good overall. Its touch-screen display is readable in all lighting conditions.
Standard Palm applications include contacts, calendar, tasks, and memo pad. The 700P runs on Sprint's high-speed EVDO network and comes with Bluetooth for voice (headsets and hands-free devices) and synchronizing with a PC.
The 700P has user-configurable buttons for launching favorite applications with a single key press and a QWERTY keypad. With 70 programmable shortcuts, the Treo's favorites-list application is one of the most useful of any smart phone or PDA application we have seen. When it's programmed, you can access any application, phone number, or Web site by just tapping the display. The keypad and display have a timed auto lock to prevent accidental key presses, and a dedicated button mutes the ringer.
The 700P has both VersaMail for e-mail and Documents To Go for documents and spreadsheets. You can open native Word and Excel files in Docs To Go, and you can download, edit, and send Word and Excel file attachments using VersaMail and Docs To Go. You can even view native Adobe PDF files.
For multimedia, the Treo has a 1.3-megapixel camera with video-record capability and a music player. Sprint PCS offers a variety of streaming audio and video channels via SprintTV, as well as MobiTV, a third-party TV service. It comes with 63MB of internal user-accessible memory and a slot for a MultiMedia memory card (MMC).
Cons: The Treo's QWERTY keypad is small and takes some getting used to. Like all Treos, it offers no Graffiti handwriting interface for veteran Palm users. It also lacks voice dialing, and you can't download music via the Sprint Music Store on Sprint's version.
CR's take: Pricey, but still the best smart phone.
T-MOBILE SIDEKICK 3
Carrier and price: T-Mobile, $300.
Pros: Just one look at the Sidekick 3 will tell you it's for people who'd rather let their fingers do the talking. It's landscape-oriented, which allows for a large, message-friendly QWERTY keyboard that facilitates text messaging. The Sidekick has no programmable keys, but it does have 15 programmable "jump" shortcuts accessible through a two-key combination. Other navigation aids include six control keys and a trackball.
Its contacts, calendar, to-do list, and memo pad are easy to use. Word and Adobe PDF attachments are read-only, but accessing them is much easier than with the Motorola Q. The display performance in bright light was the best of all the smart phones we tested, and the unit comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera. It has Bluetooth for headsets and supports mini-SD memory cards.
Cons: As a phone, the Sidekick stumbles somewhat. Its message-oriented keypad actually makes dialing a chore. And the display, which bested the others in bright light, was difficult to read in normal and low light. Voice quality for incoming calls is only fair. We couldn't get its Bluetooth connection to work with our hands-free speakerphone, just the headset. You can't record videos with the camera.
CR's take: Great for people who would rather text than talk.
