Joe's Holiday Picks: Cell Phones

[Editor's Note: I've been sick several days with the flu. I had planned to run this post last week; sorry for giving it 10 days before Christmas.]

I fully tested three of these phones and briefly used two others. None of them run Windows Mobile, which to some folks might make this post seem out of place for Microsoft Watch. Not to worry, the Nokia phones support Windows Media DRM. I was hopeful about the Sony Experia X1, which runs Windows Mobile, but couldn't try out or test the device. Not everything you'll give or receive this holiday will be made by Microsoft, right?

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By the way, the phones are listed in no order of importance; I recommend them equally but for different reasons.

1. Nokia E71. My eWEEK Labs colleague Jason Brooks gave this enterprise-class smartphone a well-deserved enterprise review back in September. Simply stated: The E71 is the best non-touchscreen smartphone that I have tested. There's full Exchange support, all the expected security connectivity options, clear audio fidelity and wonderfully tactile keyboard. E-mail setup was amazingly easy in my tests.

Sometimes seemingly small features can be a big deal. The E71 comes with a "Switch" mode for creating separate home and work screens. Switch mode allows the user to designate what applications are available on which home screen. One of the biggest problems with mobile phones: Commingled work and home usage and data. Nokia reduces some of that commingling by separating work and home lifestyles.

The E71 is so skinny most other smartphones are fat by comparison. The mobile measures 4.49 x 2.24 x 0.39 inches and weighs 4.47 ounces. The E71 is available unlocked from Nokia USA and major phone retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy.

2. Apple iPhone 3G. Right now, this device, along with the iPod Touch, is contender for becoming the next-generation computing platform. Apple's App Store is a simply phenomenal resource. The coolest, most-useful applications aren't available on the Web or the PC but for iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple has established the gold standard mobile platform.

But as a phone, iPhone comes up short—or it has in my testing two different devices. I gave iPhone 3G a "D" for telephony in my September product review. I'll soon post a second review that will essentially restate concerns about telephony.

As a portable computer, and one supporting Exchange e-mail, iPhone 3G is a good value, particularly given carrier subsidies. Price for the 8GB model is $199. Apple and AT&T made buying easier by bringing back in-home activation, plus Apple now offers iPhone gift cards.

3. T-Mobile G1. The first "Google phone" isn't for everyone. The G1 is functional but by no means stylish—even the recently released white model. My eWEEK Labs colleague Andrew Garcia described G1 as a "worthy competitor to Apple and its iPhone" in his October review. He's right, but G1 is more about the future than the present.

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In the United States, T-Mobile only offers 3G service in a couple dozen cities compared to a couple hundred from AT&T. The Android Marketplace offers some compelling applications but nowhere near as many as those from Apple's App Store. The point: Data capabilities are limited compared to iPhone. For now.

The G1 makes most sense for anyone living the Google lifestyle, and that should be lots of Net Geners. The Android-based mobile offers single sign-in to Google Websites/services and over-air-synchronization; no PC required. Why buy a SideKick when the G1 also comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and better data features, starting with Google goodies? The G1 sells for around $179.

4. Nokia N96. This isn't a smartphone, but in some ways the N96 is smarter. The preeminent touchscreen smartphones, the G1 and iPhone 3G, are lousy for creating digital content. Neither has a great camera, nor support for video. If your life is about text or digital content consumption, those touchscreen smartphones are for you.

But there are people who want to create content, that is take high-quality pictures or video pretty much anywhere. The Nokia N96 comes with a 5-megapixel camera—and lots of supporting software features—with Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash. Video capability is 640 x 480 at 30fps. Nokia also provides tools for uploading to its Ovi services as well as Flickr. Other services are supported through third parties.

The N96 isn't for everybody, particularly anybody needing a QWERTY keyboard. It's my choice. I bought one from Amazon a few weeks ago. The phone isn't cheap, starting around $640, as it's sold unsubsidized. But there is 16GB of internal storage and support for an additional 8GB. Does you first-generation netbook have that much?

5. Nokia N85. I list this phone as alternative to the N96, which probably has features many people won't or can't use. Example: DVB-H receiver for digital TV only works in a few places around the around. Certainly not in my neighborhood. Camera and video capabilities are comparable for the two phones, however.

The N85 is a bit smaller, with 2.6-inch instead of 2.8-inch display. The Nokia N85 uses OLED for the display versus LCD for the N96, making smaller somewhat better and brighter. The N85 also costs less, $552 direct from Nokia USA (but backordered) before instant holiday discount.

You could be a couch potato with G1 or iPhone—or you could be the next YouTube star with the N85 or N96. But fame costs more upfront, although data plans should cost less. Because my N96 isn't a smartphone, AT&T charges $15/month for data versus $30/month for iPhone; that would be $45/month with Exchange support.

[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at live.com].