5 BEST: MOBILE PHONES OF 2009 (non business)
#5: The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (aka Tube)
You heard that Nokia is working on a touch screen phone to take on the iPhone. You saw the preview when Bruce Wane used it in the Dark Knight. One thing you sure dint know about the TUBE was that its an under 200 pound (Rs. 18,000) Smartphone.
The Good: The pricing (bang for the buck). On the device front what stands out is the large touch screen with a resolution of 360 x 640. The software supports FlashLite. For the user the phone pretty much fits into the pocket, is simple in design and great to use.
The Bad: The Camera. It pretty much sucks. It Ok during Daylight condition, but indoors is a different story, whats sad is that Nokia had to cut a few corners to give the device at such a price, But camera should not have gone for the chops as many users expect a decent Camera and Video as barebone from their phone.
When is it out and What will it cost.
Out now, sold more than a million pieces world wide. The price varies depending on where you are. Rs. 18,000 in India.
Should I buy it?
If you are a price sensitive user who demands more and can bear that substandard camera then this is a must have phone for you. Bottom-line its power packed, feature rich and true value for money.
#4: The Palm Pre
This baby is tipped to be one of the best looking phones of 2009.With rave reviews coming out of the CES where it was first launched and already having mobile watchers drooling over it, The Palm Pre is surely making the right noises . Featuring an absolutely slick touch screen and a equally absorbing QWERTY key board this curvaceous baby will be on the must have list of many.
The Good: Features a brand new operating system called the WebOS which is very much mobile centric. The device has a dedicated "gesture area" where you can get most of the job done through simple thumb swipes. On the hardware front there is also support to the regulars like Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G and a 3MP Camera.
The Bad: With Palm in troubled times and with net losses mounting we will have to keep our fingers crossed to see if the phone makes to the market in the "second quarter". Also it would be a wait and watch to see the developer communities response to the new webOS (based on Linux).
When is it out and What will it cost.
Its promised to release in the first half of 2009 and at a price of $399 (Rs. 21,000) for the unlocked handset.
Should I buy it?
If you want to be different and not follow the crowd then the Pre is for you.
#3: The Nokia N97
This is the flagship product from Nokia for the N-Series, it boasts of almost all the features that can be put into a mobile device (which now includes a compass and an FM transmitter).
The Good: Even though it features a 3.5 inch (360 x 640 resolution) touchscreen with haptic feedback, 5 megapixel camera (with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash), A-GPS and compass sensors, comprehensive connectivity options (WiFi, tri-band HSDPA, Bluetooth and USB, the take away for this device must be the humongous storage of up to 48 GB and beautiful full QWERTY keyboard which is the most essential, incase you spend more time on emails and chats.
The Bad: Its difficult to point out "the bad" in a product of such high standard. One thing will surely be it is difficult to pocket such a device.
When is it out and What will it cost.
June 2009, The price to a whopping 650 pounds (Dont believe the rumors, lets wait and watch)
Should I buy it?
Only if you can pocket such a device and pay for it.
#2: The Samsung Omina HD
Whats in it that n97 does not have?: An 8 Mega Pixel, autofoucs camera which can record in HD. AMOLED: 3.7" Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) touch screen will offer sharper images and more clarity in direct sunlight scenarios and claims to use less power. The device runs on a Next-Gen OMAP 3 chipset from Texas Instruments which translates to better video and high end graphics experience for the end-user.
The Bad: Nokia is paying equal attention on both the hardware and the software space. In the software space with the introduction of the Ovi, Nokia has an edge over Samsung especially in getting the eco-system for developers and consumers. This is something Samsung needs to do if they wish to compete head-on with Nokia.
When is it out and What will it cost.
April 2009, not known
Should I buy it?
Yes, if you want to pocket the very best of technology and are willing to pay for it.
#1: A new iPhone
Apple just released the iPhone OS 3.0 which is a major upgrade for its iPhone operating system. Standard omissions including copy and paste and Multi media messaging have been taken care off. That means existing iPhone users will not have to look outside Apple at least in the short term. So is there enough buzz to put the "new iPhone" at the top of this list even though its not yet clear if there will be a hardware launch at the world developers conference slated for June 8th 2009.
If you consider the runaway success of the App store (25,000 paid for and free applications upto 800 million downloads) and the fact that the new iPhone upgrade has 100 new features and support for up to 1000 new API for developers, its only fair to say that a "new iPhone" can be the place holder for the number one spot. When asked about a new device Apple maintains "nothing to announce on that today".
My Mind Also Says:
Phones from Blackberry ,HTC and Google are worthy devices in any list of the top phones of 2009 most definitely in the Enterprise Mobile(Business Users) segment.
Its becoming increasing clear that mobile phones today are Ultra capable. Mobile manufactures can take a straw from the notebook phenomenon and do more in the "easily affordable" Smartphone (Nokia 5800 is the best example) segment.