The Mobile Phone Lover
Great handsets for the mobile phone lover
We've shortlisted a range of great mobile phones to suit anyone on your shopping list — from the tech lover to the Luddite — this Christmas.
Buying for a family member? Even though their cool factor is probably well past its expiry date, they probably think they are keeping up with cutting-edge technology. There's no better way to bring some cool factor this Christmas than by getting them the latest mobile phones.
No two mobile phones are the same. Sure, some might have fewer features than others, but that doesn't mean that they don't offer their own unique qualities, fashion appeal and coolness. To help you narrow down the choices, we've picked out a selection of mobile phones — both smartphones and budget buys — to suit anyone at in dire need of a new mobile this summer season.
Plus we take the hassle out of buying a mobile phone or mobile broadband service the Christmas with our round-up of the best deals online!
Nokia E72
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Nokia E72 smartphone
Nokia's E72 retains a similar style and feature set to its predecessor, with a few minor improvements. If you already own an E71 there is no compelling reason to upgrade, but for everyone else the E72 is a stylish business smartphone with a good keyboard.
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Sena Wallet Skin iPhone case
The Sena Wallet Skin iPhone case is a stylish, luxury cover that can also handle light wallet duties and so could free you from pocket clutter. Even as a secondary wallet it's good-looking enough for people to love its looks as much as those of the Apple iPhone inside.
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3 INQ Mini 3G mobile phone
3's INQ Mini 3G mobile phone is far from perfect, but it represents decent value for money. Multimedia features aren’t up to scratch and there are limitations at this price point, but the integration of social-networking features, particularly with contacts and messaging menus, is excellent.
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Samsung S6700T mobile phone
The Samsung S6700T offers a reasonable number of features at an entry-level price. Anyone interested in an easy-to-use handset with access to Telstra's Next G network should be pleased.
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AliphCom Jawbone Prime Bluetooth headset
AliphCom's Jawbone Prime is one of the best Bluetooth headsets on the market, combining a stylish and unobtrusive design with excellent noise-cancellation technology. We couldn't find a great fit with the included ear buds and incoming audio volume could be louder, but on the whole, this is an excellent headset -- albeit at a premium price.
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ALK Technologies CoPilot Live 8 for iPhone
ALK Technologies' CoPilot Live 8 for iPhone app has an excellent user interface and a great map screen, but erratic GPS performance and a few missing features hinder its appeal. With future software updates to correct its issues, this GPS app has the potential to be one of the best available for the iPhone.
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Sennheiser MM 450 Travel headset
Sennheiser's premier Bluetooth travel headset has great sound quality considering its portability. Good active noise-cancelling and a flawless Bluetooth implementation make it even more appealing.
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Virgin Mobile VMX mobile phone
The Virgin Mobile VMX doesn't offer anything to get excited about, but its budget price makes it a bargain buy -- provided you can handle the mediocre display.
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Sony Ericsson Satio smartphone
The Sony Ericsson Satio is an excellent camera phone with a great 3.5in screen, but its not a world-beater. The lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack and an inconsistent user interface detract from what otherwise is a good overall package.
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RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone
The lack of 3G and GPS and a poor display are downsides, but the excellent optical trackpad and user interface make the BlackBerry Curve 8520 a decent smartphone. This entry-level BlackBerry isn't for everyone, but budget users who are willing to sacrifice some features for a lower price should consider the Curve 8520.
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Samsung Galaxy Icon smartphone
The Samsung Galaxy Icon isn't a bad phone by any stretch of the imagination; in fact, it's quite the opposite. The AMOLED display is excellent, the 5-megapixel camera is a nice addition and the interface is slick and responsive. However, we would have appreciated some tweaks to the standard Android UI.
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Samsung HD Icon smartphone
The Samsung HD Icon is recommended for anyone after an excellent camera phone. HD video recording is superb, it can take excellent photos and it's a very capable music player, too. The Symbian OS isn't perfect and can be the cause of some frustration, but Samsung has done a much better job than Nokia with this touch-screen smartphone.
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HTC Hero smartphone
The HTC Hero is without doubt one of the most impressive smartphones we've reviewed. The design is distinctive, the user interface is absolutely superb and it's packed with all the latest features. Unfortunately, the Hero doesn't seem to have the hardware needed to keep up with its innovative software, resulting in a sometimes slow and frustrating user experience. It remains a superb phone that is really only let down by slow performance.
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Samsung Omnia Icon smartphone
The Samsung Omnia Icon's TouchWIZ UI isn't as slick or polished as some of the alternatives, but it remains an excellent way to spice up the normally drab and clunky Windows Mobile UI. It's not perfect, but a superb display, excellent features list and an interface that is intuitive for the most part combine to make this one of the best Windows Mobile smartphones on the market.
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HTC Snap smartphone
HTC's Snap is small, light and functional, and it has one of the best physical keyboards we've seen on a smartphone. The Snap doesn't offer anything revolutionary but what it does, it does very well.
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BlueAnt V1 Voice Control Bluetooth headset
BlueAnt's V1 Voice Control Bluetooth headset possesses the finest voice recognition user interface we've seen.
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Sony Ericsson W995 mobile phone
Sony Ericsson's W995 is the first Walkman phone to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack and a camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Its design could use some improvement, it's overpriced and we would have liked a larger screen, but the W995 is still one of the best Walkman mobile phones.
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Apple iPhone 3GS
Apple's iPhone 3GS is the best iPhone yet, but we aren't convinced iPhone 3G owners will find it a worthwhile upgrade, especially considering the free 3.0 software update added plenty of extra features. For potential new iPhone owners, though, the extra speed, increased memory and improved features make the iPhone 3GS an excellent smartphone.
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HTC Touch Diamond 2 smartphone
HTC's Touch Diamond 2 is a far better smartphone than its predecessor. The lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack is annoying, but a larger display, a professional design and a much improved user interface make this one of the best Windows Mobile smartphones we've reviewed.
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Nokia E75 mobile phone
Nokia's E75 builds on the style of previous E Series smartphones, and its QWERTY keyboard is excellent. If you're looking for a smartphone packed full of features that has a smart design, then the Nokia E75 will definitely impress.
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RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone
Despite lacking 3G, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is still an excellent smartphone, and it boasts an outstanding display. The stylish and compact design makes it the best looking BlackBerry yet, without compromising the end user experience.
