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| HTC Touch Dual (SureType) |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
_it00.jpg) The HTC Touch Dual with the SureType keyboard is the best version of this phone we've seen, and we've seen quite a few, but now we're ready for what's next. We liked the SureType keyboard plenty, and it definitely improved not only the messaging experience on this phone, but it also improved simpler tasks like entering new appointments and Web addresses. Still, the TouchFLO interface was great the day before the Apple iPhone was introduced, but it hasn't been competitive with that touchscreen phone ever since, and at such a high price for an unlocked model, we're wondering if it really makes Windows Mobile that much more bearable. The answer is yes, it does, but we're still not going to shell out the cash. Release: June 2008. Price: $550.
Pros: Best HTC Touch we've seen, with SureType keyboard. Easy tethered modem support. Calls sound good, nice address book features.
Cons: Keys a bit rickety. Lacks IM clients. Still not as slick or responsive as the iPhone.
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| Samsung Giorgio Armani Phone |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 There are two types of people who will spend almost $600 on a phone. There are those who want an Apple iPhone, a piece of hardware that works like a desktop PC and is styled like a flying car from the future. Then, there are those who want their phone to say Giorgio Armani, just like their clothes and their furniture. The Samsung P520 Armani phone isn't an utter failure, but it definitely stresses form over function. The polished interface and sleek design sits atop hardware that can't keep up and the feature set belies some design flaws that make the most advanced functions difficult to use. For the style conscious, this phone might seem like a fleeting accessory, but for the technorati, the high price doesn't make this the best of the best. Release: December 2007. Price: $580.
Pros: Very stylish design. Calls sounded good. Synchronizes with Outlook contacts and calendar. Did we mention it's Armani?
Cons: Classic case of style over function. Screen is not responsive enough. Doesn't work on U.S. 3G networks. Low-quality camera.
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51%
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| Asus P527 |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 If anything, the Asus P527 has us more interested in Asus' next phones for the U.S. market. The phone shows a lot of potential, especially in the top-notch navigation software, and the attention to battery life. Unfortunately, the phone borders on being unusable after only a brief period awake, as open apps pile up and crash the Windows Mobile interface. Even without all the open programs, the phone is so underpowered, with a slow processor and a dearth of RAM, that the best of Asus' custom apps won't even load reliably. Still, with all this potential, we're curious about what's next out of Asus' stable, including the upcoming Lamborghini phone. That one has to be faster, no? Release: March 2008. Price: $550.
Pros: Excellent navigation software. Nice feature set, with some good extra apps thrown in. Light phone. Great battery life.
Cons: Terribly underpowered. Can hardly run included software. Dedicated buttons aren't intuitive, don't open some necessary apps.
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68%
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| Nokia N95 8GB NAM |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Nokia N95 8GB has only improved since we last saw it, but so have our expectations grown as well, and we've come to feel stronger about great interface design and a fast, reliable bit of desktop synchronization software. This isn't the iPhone killer, in fact it's the exact opposite of that device. The Nokia N95 is packed to the gills with features; it does just about everything we've ever seen a phone do, at least in this country. But it lacks an intuitive, fun interface, and the desktop software, though improved to the point of being usable, is a far cry from Apple's seamless, reliable iTunes experience. It's a tough call between the two, and as phone geeks, we'd love to own the feature-rich N95, though we wouldn't hock our iPhone to buy one. In the end, we're glad both phones are out there, because they each represent the goal that the other should strive to achieve. Release: March 2008. Price: $450.
Pros: Feature-packed, now with loads of internal memory and faster networking. Camera, GPS navigation and media functions are among the best in class.
Cons: Big, square phone without much style. No touchscreen. Interface is uninspired and aging. No QWERTY.
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83%
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| HTC Touch Dual |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 Editor's note: Check out our review of the North American version here.
The most significant improvement in the HTC Touch Dual is surprisingly not the hardware keyboard. Perhaps we would have found it more useful if we had tested the SureType version instead of the numeric keys on our review unit, but to us, the best improvement was in the responsiveness of the phone and the TouchFLO interface. This Touch seemed to work much better than the other two we'd tried, and made the phone much more usable and likable. It still won't match a full-QWERTY phone for productivity, but Windows Mobile fans looking for a mostly-touch device will be happy with the improvments HTC has made. Release: May 2008. Price: $550.
Pros: Fast networking on European HSDPA networks. TouchFLO interface seems to be more responsive.
Cons: Still not as agile as other touchscreen devices. No U.S. 3G support. SureType version more interesting than 12-key numeric.
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60%
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