The Apple iPhone may be America's most famous smartphone, but believe it or not it's not quite yet the most popular. Despite capturing 17% of the entire smartphone market, at last count, the iPhone 3G still only achieves second place in the US smartphone popularity wars, falling short to the one device still holding fast to its supreme reign as the country's most popular handset - the Motorola RAZ v3.
Why is this comparatively archaic smartphone that made its debut back in 2004 still a better seller in the US than even the ever-present iPhone? Possibly because it's gone down in price from an intimidating $400 to free (with contract). Or possibly because the Motorola RAZR is supported by all the major US wireless carriers, while the iPhone still only runs on the AT&T network.
The full top 5, according to recently released results from research firm, the NPD group:
Which smartphone should you buy for 2008? Well, before you decide, take a look over on PCMag.com and read their latest roundup where the pros and cons of the following four leading smartphone operating systems out today are compared and contrasted:
According to this handy cheat sheet to the best of the best of smart phones operating systems on the market, the cream of the current crop of smartphones running each of the four OSs examined is also listed and described, such as:
the Palm Centro - a Palm Treo stuffed into a smaller and cheaper package
the Nokia E61i - PC Mag's Editor's Choice for the top unlocked keyboard smartphone
the AT&T Tilt/HTC 8925 - a combination of the some of the best mobile office and consumer entertainment features in one package
What was the winner? The BlackBerry OS. Find out why, and the good word on all the best of today's breed of smartphones and smartphone operating systems at PCMag.com
Starting off the new year with a new ring tone, Consumer Reports Magazine printed as its January 2008 cover story, an in-depth review of the very best (and not so great) smart phones on the market today.
Cited in the report are some of the most promising innovations currently available in cell phone technology, including:
more keyboards - and most especially QWERTY keyboards that allow for the easiest in text messaging (currently the 2nd most common use of cell phones after voice phone calls)
dual-connection phones - able to operate on both a telephone and a Wi-Fi network;
more music features -MP3 players are now expected to be a staple of almost of all cell phones on the market, though only the best allow for functions like stereo sound and digital downloads via Wi-Fi
and better cameras - again, nearly every cell phone nowadays is expected to have at least a 1 megapixel camera built in, but only the best go as high as 5 megapixels and include advanced features like zoom, auto-focus, brightness controls, and high-grade lenses
Exactly a year ago, it was a big surprise to many smart phone users and technology aficcionnados that the RIM Blackberry only rated 7th in that particular Consumer Reports study. And at the time, the Apple iPhone hadn't even come out yet. So now that the Apple iPhone is on the market, how has the Blackberry fared in this year's report?
Alas Research in Motion is still taking a backseat to newer and more popular technology as the Consumer Reports reviewers and editors rated the iPhone superior to all competitors, including the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Pearl, due in large part to the iPhones innovative interface and long talk time (8.25 hours). Check out this iPhone vs. Blackberry review to find out how these 2 smart phones stack up against each other.
Check out the cover story in the Consumer Reports, January 2008 issue and read about the latest and most exciting innovations in cell phone technology, as evidenced in products like the iPhone, BlackBerry, HTC Touch, T-Mobile Wing, Palm Centro, and LG Voyager.
