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| Samsung Saga |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Samsung Saga may not be the powerhouse update to the Samung BlackJack II that we saw in the Samsung Epix on AT&T, but its still a likeable phone nonetheless, and in a couple surprising ways it actually trumps its GSM brethren. The Saga is actually larger than the Epix, but it's styled better, with a nicer paint job, a wider, circular optical mouse and a great QWERTY keyboard. We were especially fond of the messaging features, though some of these come at a premium. The Samsung Saga is one of the few dual-mode phones on Verizon, so if you must use The Network, with the Saga you can use it abroad. It's also one of the few Verizon Wireless phones with Wi-Fi, which it uses well with the Opera mobile browser. There wasn't much to alleviate the pains of Windows Mobile on this phone, but for WinMo fans, this phone is a-ok. Release: November 2008. Price: $200.
Pros: Nice design, with a larger optical mouse than other Samsung phones. Great keyboard. Opera mobile browser is top-notch.
Cons: Nothing added to make Windows mobile easier to use. Web browser is nice, but why no add-on media player, or Instant Messaging apps?
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67%
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| LG Lotus |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The LG Lotus is about as smart as a phone gets before we call it a smartphone, thanks mostly to Sprint's excellent new One Touch menu application. Despite its haunting resemblance to a compact makeup mirror, we even like the form factor, as it provides a nice, comfortable QWERTY keyboard and keeps a classy look. The external screen is unfortunately an afterthought, even with the dedicated music keys, and call quality could have been much better. But for dedicated messaging fans, even those with corporate e-mail to read, this phone provides an interesting alternative to the more complicated smartphone set. Plus, with access to Google Docs, a capable (though not desktop-grade) Web browser and tethered modem support, maybe this phone is even smarter than we thought. Knock $100 off the price, and we'll take two. Release: October 2008. Price: $100.
Pros: One Touch is great looking and convenient. Keyboard is tall and comfortable. Capable Web browser. Surprisingly good (and corporate) messaging options.
Cons: Call quality isn't great. Interface could react more quickly to navigation. Camera is lousy. Phone is pricey.
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69%
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| Pantech Matrix |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Pantech Matrix is a familiar design, in fact it's almost exactly the same size and shape as the Pantech Duo, a Windows Mobile phone with a similar, dual-slide design. That's good and bad, as we definitely like the compact shape and slide-out keys on this phone, but the design could use an update, both in terms of the shell, which could be a bit thinner with easier-to-use buttons, and in terms of the interface. While the standard AT&T menus might be more accessible than Windows Mobile, they don't do this phone justice as a messaging competitor. The lack of messaging options, like the ability to set our own POP or IMAP e-mail accounts (so no Gmail for this phone) also hurt the device significantly. Music playback was fine, and the Web browser was surprisingly robust, but we're waiting for a carrier to find a middle-ground user interface for these messaging phones, instead of just stacking on the same old tired designs. Release: October 2008. Price: $80.
Pros: Dual-slide design is still unique. Great call quality. Capable, if sluggish, Web browser.
Cons: Interface nothing special. Lacks many messaging features, where this phone should excel. Mediocre music experience with no headphone options.
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57%
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| Palm Treo Pro |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Palm Treo Pro is aiming squarely at its target audience - Palm devotees who need a serious upgrade. We can't see anyone else falling for the rather dull, underperforming Palm Treo Pro, though owners of Palm's previous generations of Treos might ooh and ahh at the GPS and Wi-Fi, and will certainly marvel at the slick, yet classy shell. Palm's best innovations are really in buttons and hardware shortcuts, but Windows Mobile limits how much Palm can accomplish with this device, and unlike more popular Windows Mobile manufacturers like HTC and Samsung, Palm has done little to nothing to improve the basic Windows Mobile experience. Overall, the Palm Treo Pro is a generally likeably, basic Windows Mobile Pro phone, but without carrier support it seems to lack many of our favorite services, and it isn't nearly enough to keep us from wondering when we'll see the next big thing from Palm. Release: September 2008. Price: $500.
Pros: A new, thinner look with great hardware improvements for the Treo line. Good GPS options. Strong Windows Mobile performance.
Cons: Only Treo owners will fall for this one. To everyone else, this is another mid-range, unlocked smartphone with few additional features or services.
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64%
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| HP iPaq 910 |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The HP iPaq 910 is a serious business phone for serious Windows Mobile users who want to have very little fun. Battery life was superlative, among the best we've seen on a Windows Mobile phone, and the phone also leads the pack in networking capabilities with super-fast HSDPA 3G data networking as well as Wi-Fi. It's a solid performer with a staid, though proven design. Unfortunately, it never leaves the Windows Mobile path, and so it feels like a modern smartphone with blinders on, oblivious to the desktop-grade Web browsing and advanced multimedia capabilities we're enjoying on other smartphones. While phones from HTC show off their TouchFLO 3D outfits and VGA screens, the HP iPaq 910 is dressed in its best suit (and it's kind of a wallflower at parties). If you're looking for battery life and stability, this is a good choice, but if you want to do anything more with your phone than what your IT department pre-loads, you'll want to find something more entertaining. Release: June 2008. Price: $440.
Pros: Great battery life. Solid Windows Mobile features. Comfortable, well-formed keys on a large keyboard.
Cons: Nothing really beyond the standard Windows Mobile system. Calls sounded muddy. Phone is a bit large (though it makes use of the extra space). No advanced media or Web browsing features.
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64%
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