Cell phones


Best multimedia phone

LG LX5550 (Fusic) with video
It's no coincidence that Sprint's LG LX5550 somewhat resembles an iPod. Beyond making calls, the LX550 boasts solid music capabilities, including the first FM transmitter in a cell phone. The remaining feature offerings are plentiful; you'll find Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera, 3G support for streaming video, and an expandable memory slot--all in an appealing, compact design. And it makes good calls, too.



Best Bluetooth headset

Plantronics Discovery Bluetooth headset
with video
Keeping the road warrior and the commuter in mind, the Plantronics Discovery 640 is a quality Bluetooth headset with satisfying performance and innovative charging options. In fact, we liked the Discovery 640 so much that it won our Editors' Choice award.



Best 3G phone

Samsung MM-A900 with video
It's a no-brainer that other manufacturers would scramble to mimic the popular slim design of the Razr, and with its MM-A900, Samsung is the first to offer a reproduction. Offered only by Sprint, the Samsung MM-A900 equals the Razr's thin profile but raises the bar with a couple of refinements and some extra features not found on the Motorola handset, including a 1.3-megapixel camera with a swiveling lens and a flash, an MP3 player, and support for Sprint's new 3G network.



Best midrange phone

Nokia 6102 with video
Though the fanciest cell phones tend to get all the glory, many cell phone users are satisfied with a simple handset for making calls, with a couple of extra features. For your consideration, we offer up the Nokia 6102 for Cingular. Nokia's most successful implementation of the flip phone, the dependable 6102 offers a solid set of midrange features in an attractive, compact design.



Sexiest phone

Motorola Pebl U6 with video
Sporting a sophisticated and very soothing design, the Motorola Pebl U6 for T-Mobile is so striking that it deserves to be named as one of the most attractive cell phones ever made. Under the hood, it comes with a decent range of features, though we were hoping for a higher-resolution camera. As with all of Motorola's design-centric phones, we weren't impressed with the controls, but the Pebl nonetheless is a looker and a solid performer.



Best camera phone

Nokia N80 with video
A quick scan of the N80's features list shows a focus on imagery, as the phone boasts a sharp 3-megapixel camera, a second VGA camera, and image-editing apps. Though it's probably one of the most robust camera phones we've seen to date, it's not all about pictures. The quad-band N80 is a Symbian smart phone and yes, it makes good calls.



Best world phone

Sony Ericsson W600i with video
Overall, the Sony Ericsson W600i is a well-designed, feature-rich, and high-functioning mobile that solidly incorporates multimedia features into the phone's form factor. World phone support keeps you in touch when you're abroad, the camera will help you remember the sights, and the MP3 player will entertain you on long plane rides.



Best basic phone

Kyocera KX444 with video
Based loosely on the company's previous candy bar designs, the CDMA- and analog-roaming-equipped KX444 for Verizon offers several improvements, including rubberized edges and a speakerphone. Above all, we're talking basics here, as the screen is nothing fancy, and the overall feature set is meager. That said, this sturdy, affordable phone could find a welcome home on the belt of anyone who craves push-to-talk services for voice calls.



Best smart phone

Palm Treo 700p with video
Following in the footsteps of its older sibling, the Palm Treo 700p picks up where the Treo 650 left off and adds a host of features to make this top-notch smart phone even better. Improvements include EV-DO support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, dial-up networking capabilities, and increased memory. Of course, all isn't perfect (still no Wi-Fi), but the Treo's winning combination of form factor and performance is hard to beat.



Most-improved phone

LG VX8300
The LG VX8300, the company's third EV-DO cell phone for Verizon Wireless, aims to improve on some of the drawbacks that saddled the previous VX8100. And for the most part, it succeeds. Packaged in a similar design and offering a comparable range of high-end features as its predecessor, the LG VX8300 provides improved functionality and slightly better performance. As is typical with Verizon, features such as Bluetooth are limited in scope, though we were glad to see support for e-mail this time around.