As music-enabled phones finally descend upon us, choices abound from the gimmicky to true iPod killers; we round up tune-toting handsets ranging all the way from whimper to bang.
Nokia N91
All bow to the king of music phones. Four times the size of an
iPod nano, this 3G-enabled smartphone not only provides MP3 and WMA playback with PlaysForSure support but also just about every other feature under the sun. Expected to sell inthe $700 USD range, the Bluetooth-equipped, Wi-Fi toting, 2 Megapixel-shooting marvel of engineering claims a playback time of 12.5 hours and is slated to hit shelves in the first quarter of 2006.
 Sony Ericsson W800i
As the world's first Walkman phone, expectations for Sony Ericsson's W800i were sky high - and it delivered. Playing back MP3 or WMA content for up to 15 hours in our labs, the handset is in theory infinitely expandable courtesy of its Memory Stick Duo expansion slot; 2 GB is the current maximum, and the bundled 512 MB card isn't bad either. For $500 USD, you also get a superb 2 Megapixel camera, but high-speed data is nowhere to be seen.
 Motorola ROKR E1
In a world where MP3 and WMA rule supreme, the ROKR E1 faced even higher expectations than the W800i as the first proponent for Apple's AAC format as delivered through iTunes - and failed to meet them. Widely scathed for its Apple-imposed limitation of 100 songs despite the availability of microSD expansion, we found the handset to be utterly mediocre in all regards. For $250 USD EUR, you do get iTunes synchronization, 12-hour playback - and little else.
 Samsung MM-A940
Although not billed as a music phone by Samsung, the MM-A940 should still satisfy the needs of feature-hungry handset users who want a bit of music on the go. Granted, it only supports MP3 and AAC formats (no, not iTunes), but a microSD expansion slot allows for up to 512 MB of storage - and a 2 Megapixel camera, swiveling display and blazing EV-DO for high-speed music downloads from Sprint's online music store don't hurt either. Yours from $250 USD with service agreement.
 Motorola RAZR V3c
See, now we're talking. The iTunes-enabled V3c is all the ROKR E1 should have been with its sleek form factor, good looks and EV-DO high speed data - yet like the E1 only goes to 100 (songs, that is). Still, its other features and a 1.3 Megapixel manage to raise the overall impression quite a bit, and if by some miracle a certain Apple CEO could be convinced to lift the 100-song limit there's always the option of a firmware upgrade. For an hitherto unknown price, it will also play MP3s when it hits in time for the holidays.
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