A Smart Phone for Every Lifestyle?

While $350 and up (with a two-year contract) is the going rate for the superior e-mail and organizer  features of a top-of-the-line smart phone, newer consumer-targeted models promise many of the same advantages for as little as $200 (also with a two-year contract). These consumer smart phones also tend to be smaller, lighter and more phone-like in appearance than their pricier siblings.

They earned their smaller price tags and slimmer profiles by downgrading or outright eliminating one or more of the features that help make smart phones smart. These include touch screens, QWERTY keypads, data-network access, and multimedia. The end result is a variety of "specialist" smart phones geared toward specific lifestyles rather than one smart phone that promises to do it all.

Two examples of this trend are the Palm Treo 680 and Samsung SGH-i607 BlackJack. Both phones are available from AT&T (formerly Cingular) for about $200 with a two-year contract.  And both have very good e-mail and organizer applications. But they have very distinct personalities. The Treo 680, which retains the touch screen, full QWERTY keypad, and full document editing, is clearly intended for productivity-minded folks looking for an inexpensive laptop stand-in. Conversely, the BlackJack, which complements personal management applications like Microsoft Outlook with the ability to download tunes from AT&T music store, seems geared toward those who value entertainment and organization equally. 

But as with all consumer smart phones, the tradeoffs are just as noteworthy.  For example, the Treo 680, despite its advanced PDA features, comes with a puny VGA (640x480) camera. It also lacks high-speed Internet support, which almost guarantees longer waits for e-mails with large attachments. The BlackJack, on the other hand, does have high-speed Internet and a higher-resolution camera. But it won't allow you to edit Word and Excel files, and its cramped QWERTY keypad makes dialing a challenge.

It's not clear how long this "lifestyle" trend in smart phones will last. Apple threatens to upset things in June with its $500 and $600 iPhones. Though they'll be much more expensive than their closest competitors, the iPhone's radically new design, built around an immense 4-in. color display that shape-shifts into various control panels, has already generated strong interest among consumer and business users alike. But whether you willing to wait for the iPhone or need a phone right now, check out our Ratings and Buying Advice.

-- Michael Gikas, Telecom and Mobile Reporter

—Paul Eng