mySimon Cell Phones and Accessories Shopping Picks

If you're a text messaging addict on a budget - and if you wear tight pants - check out the Pantech Slate. At less than 1 centimeter thick, the Slate is the "world's thinnest messaging device," so it just might fit in the back pocket of your skinny jeans. The phone's slim design, big QWERTY keyboard, and price point ($50 with a 2-year AT&T contract) are its main selling points, but it also offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, wireless Web browser, Bluetooth, and speakerphone. More AT&T phones.

The new BlackBerry Bold smartphone (RIM changed the name from "BlackBerry 9000") is getting rave reviews. PC World says it's "by far the best BlackBerry yet" and "great for both enterprise users and regular consumers." Gizmodo says it's "RIM's most powerful, polished handset ever." And CNET says the smartphone "impresses with its brilliant display, enhanced productivity tools, and excellent multimedia performance." Features include 3G, Wi-Fi, BlackBerry OS 4.6, Bluetooth, full QWERTY keyboard, GPS, web browser, 2-megapixel camera, and more.

What's even better than a cell phone with EV-DO, text/video/picture messaging, MP3 player, 2-megapixel camera, microSD card slot, and good call quality? A phone that has all that and a built-in hideaway Bluetooth headset. The LG Decoy is the first phone with such a feature. When you're not using the headset, you can store it right inside the phone. We love the idea of not having to buy a separate headset. And not having to turn our apartments/cars/backpacks upside down looking for loose gadgets.

Before you jump from the Sprint ship, check out the new Samsung Rant. Design-wise, it's similar to the LG Rumor, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (for fast and easy texting, IMing, and emailing), but it's also got EV-DO for high-speed data transfer and access to Sprint's music store, movie channels, and on-demand TV. Additional features include a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and memory card slot. Right now the Rant is just $50 with a 2-year contract.

Now shipping: The (unlocked) Palm Treo Pro, a smartphone for "mobile professionals" that's a lot less clunky than its predecessors. The Treo Pro offers both a full QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen, and has lots of useful features: 3G (if you use an AT&T SIM), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 2-megapixel camera, and a memory expansion slot that can hold cards up to 32GB. But at $500, we hope you can convince your company to pay for it. More smartphones.

Before you leave Verizon for AT&T to get the iPhone, consider the LG Dare. PC Magazine gave it an Editors' Choice award, saying it's a "compelling combination" of the iPhone capabilities and Verizon's great network, and that "if you want to play music, take pictures, record videos, surf the Web... the Dare is a blast to use." Features include a 3" color touchscreen display, virtual QWERTY keyboard, 3-megapixel camera (with face detection technology), Bluetooth, web browser, and access to Verizon's V Cast Music with Rhapsody service.

Remember when you were a kid, how you could go play in the woods/streets/malls for hours and your parents had no way of finding you? Yeah, well, those days are over, thanks to cell phones (and house arrest ankle bracelets --Ed.). But you don't want to give little kids regular cell phones. Who knows who they'd talk to? And for how long? Enter the new Firefly phone, which has enough features to keep both parents and kids happy: Kids get games, ringtones, wallpapers, camera, MP3 and video player, and texting, while parents can limit incoming and outgoing calls, restrict texting, and a simple pay-as-you-go calling plan.

You'd think today this summer was the Second Coming of something other than the iPhone, the way bloggers are babbling about it. But if you don't want to shell out $200 for the new iPhone, or if you're already a Sprint customer, you might want to take a look at the $130 Samsung Instinct. The 3G phone offers a touchscreen display, web browser, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, 2-megapixel camera, text and multimedia messaging, and music player, and it's a bestseller for both Sprint and Best Buy. More Sprint phones.

The new iPhone will have GPS, but if you can't wait until July 11th (or your company won't pay for iPhones), check out the BlackBerry Pearl 8110. The phone has a media player, a 2-megapixel camera with video recording, a web browser, Bluetooth, and QWERTY keyboard, as well as GPS (via the AT&T Navigator service) that lets you see your location on a map or find out where the nearest shops/services are. More BlackBerry smartphones.

A year ago, the Bluetooth headset with the best design and best sound was the Aliph Jawbone. But the new Aliph Jawbone 2 headset makes its award-winning predecessor look clunky and noisy. The Jawbone 2 is about half the size of the original, with US military-approved "NoiseAssassin" technology that detects when someone is speaking and eliminates all other noise. It comes with 4 ear loops and 3 ear buds so you can get a comfortable fit, and it recharges in less than an hour. CNET calls the Jawbone 2 "quite possibly the ultimate Bluetooth headset in terms of design and sound quality." More Bluetooth headsets.

If you want an iPhone, you have to be an AT&T customer, at least for the next 5 years. But Verizon customers can get many of the same features in the LG Voyager VX1000. Although it doesn't have Wi-Fi, it does have a huge 2.8" touchscreen display and a full tactile QWERTY keyboard. The Voyager offers Web browsing, EV-DO support, a music player with dual speakers (stereo!), Bluetooth, integrated GPS, speakerphone, and a 2-megapixel camera and camcorder. And for an extra $15 a month, you get access to the V Cast Mobile TV service. More Verizon phones.

Dear Nokia,
We admit it. We're impressed with your E90 Communicator. It's got everything we'd want in a handheld mobile office: High-speed mobile broadband, viewing and editing Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents, conference calling, a music player, a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, a microSD expansion slot that accepts cards up to 2GB, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Everything but the kitchen sink. But $900? Are you joking? Is it made out of gold?
Sincerely,
Your friends at mySimon

Introducing the first BlackBerry with Wi-Fi, the BlackBerry 8820. Designed for business users, this handheld lets you make calls, check email, send IMs and text messages, view Word/Excel/PowerPoint/PDF files, and surf the web. It doesn't have a camera or 3G support, but it does offer Bluetooth, GPS, a media player with access to XM radio, and a MicroSD expansion card slot. Plus impressive battery life. Available from AT&T for $299.99 after rebates when you sign up for a 2-year plan. More BlackBerry smart phones.

Looking for a music phone that's a little more affordable than the iPhone? Check out the LG Muziq, which is just $79.99 from Sprint (with a 2-year contract). The Muziq has an MP3 player with enough memory for 4,000 songs and a built-in FM transmitter that lets you stream music wirelessly through your car stereo or another FM radio. You can also use the phone to access Sirius satellite radio and streaming radio from Pandora. Other extras include text and multimedia messaging, a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and EV-DO connectivity.

PC Magazine recently did a feature on "10 Awesome iPhone Accessories," which included this Belkin iPhone sport armband for people who want to use their iPhones while running or working out at the gym. Made out of lightweight, flexible, and water-resistant neoprene, the armband protects the iPhone's screen while still giving you access to the volume control. It has a Velcro closure and an internal key pocket. More iPhone cases.

Built-in GPS, unlocked SIM capabilities, and dual-mode CDMA/GSM are just part of the appeal of the new BlackBerry 8830. Designed for people whose jobs require a lot of travel, the smart phone lets you make calls and receive email in other countries, swap SIM cards in and out, and even send instant messages with an AIM client. Additional features include EV-DO support, an expandable memory card slot, voice-activated dialing, and an integrated music and video player. And unlike the iPhone, your boss might actually pay for this one. See all BlackBerry phones.

In a week dominated by iPhone hype, we're going to do something totally crazy and tell you about another phone: The Sprint Mogul by HTC. Designed for "mobile professionals," the smart phone runs Windows Mobile 6.0 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EV-DO support, and a 2-megapixel camera. A full QWERTY keyboard slides out from the phone, and the 2.8" color touch screen switches automatically from portrait to landscape mode. Best of all, you don't have to camp out to get one.

Also know as the BlackBerry 8300, the brand-new BlackBerry Curve is the smallest, lightest BlackBerry ever with a QWERTY keyboard. The Curve gets its name from its sleek rounded edges, and has everything but Wi-Fi and 3G support: Phone, email (with spell checker!), messaging, web browsing, Bluetooth, media player, organizer, 2-megapixel camera, walkie-talkie style communication (roger that), and a microSD card slot for adding more memory. See all BlackBerry smart phones.

The new Motorola Razr V3xx is "making the Razr cutting edge again," according to PC Magazine, which just gave the phone an Editors' Choice award. The camera's screen now has twice the resolution and works 7 times as fast as its predecessors. Other features include stereo Bluetooth, Web browser, support for Cingular's 3.5G HSDPA network (for fast Web surfing, streaming music and video, etc.), instant messaging, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and a MicroSD Card slot.