Best AT&T Phones of the Year

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	Home / Cell phones / infoSync 2008 Awards

	Best AT&T Phones of the Year	By Philip Berne, 30 December 2008

Is there more to the massive carrier than the Apple iPhone 3G? Absolutely. We take a look at some of the best exclusive smartphones and multimedia phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and others, only available on AT&T.

Apple iPhone 3G

The Apple iPhone 3G needs no introduction. Boasting 3G networking, GPS for location-based apps and an excellent selection of onboard apps, including the best Web browser and the best media player on the market, the iPhone 3G is a true multimedia smartphone. It's also a great gaming device, and the App Store give access to tons of cool applications. Best of all, its interface design proves that paying attention to details really matters.

HTC Fuze

For some reason, while the other carriers were calling this phone the HTC Touch Pro, AT&T decided to brand this the HTC Fuze, but essentially we're talking about the same phone with some slightly different style differences. However you slice it, the HTC Fuze is a real superphone, with an unprecedented VGA screen, fast HSDPA networking, Wi-Fi and GPS, and just about every feature you could ask for. Plus, it uses HTC's great TouchFLO 3D interface, and while this slick, productive tabbed-design moves smoothly on the HTC Fuze, we'd like to see it perform better on every iteration of this phone. For WinMo addicts, there's certainly no better phone, and this phone even makes a strong case against the other high-profile smartphones on AT&T's impressive lineup.

RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000

Rounding out AT&T's smartphone super-trio is RIM's best phone of the year, the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000. The Bold in the name refers to the screen, which is a bright, sharp and, of course, bold display, and perhaps the best looking screen on the market. To match the great screen, RIM has updated the stodgy BlackBerry OS, giving the front page, at least, a sharp, modern update with crisp, contrasty menus that play well on the Bold's screen. Unlike Verizon Wireless' BlackBerry Storm, there's no controversy here, as the BlackBerry Bold retains the keyboard and familiar feel of the original. For BlackBerry fans, this is the best version of the classic device yet.

Sony Ericsson W760

For music-centric phones, Sony Ericsson's Walkman devices can't be beat; they even rival Apple's iPod music player on the iPhone. While AT&T has so far shied away from the best of the best among Sony Ericsson's lineup, they have imported a winner in the Sony Ericsson W760, a polished multimedia slider with some very cool tricks up its sleeve. We liked just about everything about this phone, from the colorful menus to the fast networking to the neat LED gimmicks. Plus, with a little help from Sony Ericsson's free PC software, this phone becomes a much more powerful tool. This is a great phone if you want top-notch media playback, without the smartphone commitment.

Nokia 6650

The Nokia 6650 showed up out of nowhere at the end of the year and surprised us with all around solid performance. We think AT&T is seriously underplaying the value of this phone, as its one of the few Symbian S60 phones on the U.S. market. The OS has wide support among 3rd party developers, so this phone has a lot more potential than AT&T is letting on. Still, even without additional Symbian apps, the Nokia 6650 was a smart little phone, with GPS navigation, fast networking and decent Web browsing. Paired with Nokia's PC Suite, we had no trouble synchronizing with our calendars and contacts. Really, though, we're suckers for customizable LED backlighting, and the Nokia 6650's minimalist design has a classic look, updated for modern style. A surprisingly sharp tool in AT&T's shed.