Holiday Preview: Cell Phone Buying Guide

Here is a look at some of the cool cell phones that will be available this holiday season.

Remember the good old days when you used a cell phone to call someone? Amusingly, talking seems to be among the least of the new features touted by 21st century handsets, as evidenced by the following gee-whiz models.

Mind you, you’ll notice we don’t have prices listed on a lot of these up-and-coming devices. We’re not being mysterious or lazy: Rather, cell phone prices are set by the carriers (the fine folks behind all those save-now, pay-a-kidney-later contract discounts and rebates), and phone makers don’t always reveal who’s going to be retailing their wares until they’re about to be sold.

We know these phones are coming, but in many cases, in terms of who’ll be selling them and for how much, well… Maybe ringing one of those psychic hotlines can help, assuming these handsets’ manufacturers remembered to actually include simple dialing among a seemingly endless array of added bells and whistles. 

Blackberry Storm, Price: TBA

The Storm is the first first touchscreen BlackBerry, and it’s due to blow in from Verizon any day now. Behind the 3.25-inch screen is a 3.2MP camera; GPS-powered location-based applications with photo geo-tagging; music and video playback functionality; 1GB of built-in memory; and a high-capacity microSD slot. Not too shabby by any estimation…(www.blackberry.com)

Motorola Krave ZN4, $149.99

If you’re a fan of cool technology, you’ll crave the Krave and its "touch cover" – a motion-sensing, clear plastic protective flap that covers the Krave’s 2.8-inch touchscreen. In other words, prod the touch cover, and the display beneath reacts as if it were jabbed directly to control a 2MP camera, MP3 player and EV-DO Rev. A Web access. Just remember to wash those grubby paws first. (www.verizonwireless.com) Read Digital Trends Motorola Krave ZN4 review.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Price: TBA

Another iPhone clone, the Nokia 5800 is literally music to our ears – the price (rumored to be around $400) includes free access to and downloads of music tracks from most of the major labels. A contacts bar tracks text messages, emails, phone logs, photos and blog updates from up to four friends, letting you dish about funky tunes with equally hip buddies. (www.nokiausa.com)

T-Mobile G1, $179

The first Google Android phone is also the first worthy iPhone foe, and its physical QWERTY keypad makes typing easier. It remains to be seen if the downloadable application-filled Android Market and the Amazon MP3 store can compete with Apple’s App Store and iTunes, however. For now though, as you can see in our review, the device comes recommended. Hot tip for all you gossip mongers too: The next Android phone is rumored to be coming from Sprint. (www.t-mobile.com), Read the Digital Trends T-Mobile G1 review. Watch a video of theT-Mobile G1 in action.

Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905, $499.99

How many megapixels can you squeeze into a cellphone camera? Sony-Ericsson says the answer is whopping 8.1, the most ever. The camera sports a Sony lens; face detection; auto smile shutter (say "cheese" and the camera automatically snaps); auto smart contrast to adjust for uneven light; and a Xenon flash. In other words, you probably shouldn’t look too closely at snaps of that “hottie” you met several cups in at the bar last night – technically, the picture might be pretty, but your reaction won’t. (www.sonyericcson.com)

Kyocera Neo, Price: TBA

The anti-touchscreen, this sleek flip handset has a hidden OLED display in its black top. A side button activates a cool blue phone status readout, including the time and date. It’ll be available soon from a variety of local and regional carriers, and sports a smoother, more fashion-conscious look than the average low-end model. (www.kyocera-wireless.com)

Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5, $99

Motorola, which invented the cell phone, and Kodak, creator of the digital camera, partnered on the ZN5, which boasts a 5MP digicam featuring one of the fastest auto focus/shutter/processing/low light combinations ever seen on a mobile handset. A Xenon flash, multi-shot panoramic stitching and photo uploads to the Kodak Gallery image sharing site also make it a great fit for aspiring shutterbugs. (www.motorola.com)

LG Decoy, $149.99

Why didn’t anyone think of this before? The Decoy EV-DO Rev. A multimedia flip phone has a Bluetooth earpiece piggy-backed to it, allowing both phone and earpiece to charge simultaneously. Once paired, the duo will stay connected thanks to the new Bluetooth 2.1 smart pairing protocol – another cool plus. (www.verizonwireless.com)

HTC Touch Pro, $299 (after $100 rebate)

Available from Sprint, this is a serious EV-DO Rev. A touchscreen cell with a slide out QWERTY keypad featuring Windows Mobile 6.1, a business card scanner and a video out that lets you connect it to an external display to show PowerPoint slides or vacation snaps. Make sure it’s on your shopping list. (www.htc.com)

Blackberry Bold 9000, $299.99

Not jonesing for a touchscreen BlackBerry? Try grabbing a fully multimedia capable edition like this tri-band HSPA 3G version model instead. Units feature a 2MP camera with LED flash and video recording; movie viewing; Roxio music management; an iTunes sync application; a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack; WiFi; and a 624 MHz processor, BlackBerry’s fastest. (www.blackberry.com)