D Thursday, April 22, 2010 features 19 Smartphone supplement M any ordinary phones already allow you to check e-mail, surf the internet and function as an MP3 player, and have all but replaced digital cameras for many people. But which ones cut the mustard? Heres a few of the top brands... Blackberry Storm 2 9520 From 119.99 to 117.99 with contract Memory and storage: 256Mb with slot for 32Gb SD card Operating system: Blackberry OS Camera: 3.2 megapixel Screen: 3.25inch touchscreen with 65,000 colours Other features: GPS Verdict: Back when e-mail on your phone was relatively new, the crackberry (named for how addicted users got to the device) was ahead of the game. Like other RIM devices, its top-of-the-range smartphone is aimed at business users who want to stay in touch with the office and work on the go, so most BlackBerry apps are in this mode and it may be a bit too clunky for those more concerned with style. LG GM750 Layla From free to 19.99 a month with contract Memory and storage: 200Mb with up to 32Gb SD card Processor: 528MHz Operating system: Windows Mobile Camera: 5 megapixel Screen: 3-inch touch screen with stylus, 252,000 colours Verdict: This phone by LG has sneaked under the hype radar but it offers good value for money, and, running on the versatile but underexploited (from an apps point of view) Windows platform, there are just enough of quality apps to download for this very usable phone, although screen quality could be better. HTC Touch Pro 2 From 149.99 to 209.99 with contract Memory: 512Mb with SD slot Processor: 528MHz Operating system: Windows Mobile Camera: 3.2 megapixel Screen: 3.6-inch touchscreen, 16million colours Other features: Slide-out, tilting Qwerty keyboard, GPS Verdict: One of the best phones running Windows Mobile, and the tilting keyboard sets it apart from other smartphones, although the initial price may put many people off. The less hefty but more pricey HD2 has no tilting keyboard, but an enormous, sharper, 4.3-inch screen, which makes the on the Pro 2 keyboard defunct. iPhone 3GS From free to 299 on O2 and Vodafone billpay, 599 on O2 prepay and 609 on Vodafone prepay for 32Gb version Memory and storage: 256Mb and 16 or 32Gb flash memory Processor: 600Mhz Operating system: iPhone OS, although Apple has signed a deal to allow the Opera system to run on its phones too Camera: 3 megapixels Screen: 3.5-inch touchscreen, 262,144 colours Other features: Assisted GPS Verdict: Sometimes it seems the only phone that will claim the title of iPhone killer is the next iPhone, as shown by the hype around the supposed leak of the iPhone 4G (dropped in a bar, sold to techie site Gizmodo.com, legal writs issued) and it remains an object of desire thanks to its usability and iTunes store, which has 150,000 apps. However, it does not allow more than one application to run at once, and other phones have caught up, if not in brand loyalty then in function. Nokia N900 From 269.99 to 329.99 with contract Memory and storage: 1Gb and 32Gb with SD slot Processor: 600Mhz Operating system: Maemo 5 Camera: 5 megapixels Screen: 3.5-inch, touchscreen with stylus, 16million colours Other features: GPS and GPRS, slide- out Qwerty ketboard Verdict: A fast, reliable smartphone running the mobile market leaders own software, with the capability to download a growing number of apps and games from the firms growing Ovi app store. Samsung Galaxy S Released later this year, after Samsungs Wave HD Storage: Up to 32Gb SD card Processor: 1GHz Operating system: Google Android Camera: 5 megapixel Screen: 4-inch ultra-sharp Super AMOLED touchscreen Other features: Assisted GPS, Social Hub, augmented reality with Layar Reality browser. Verdict: Super AMOLED screen and 1GHz processor like the Samsungs Wave HD but allowing users to take advantage of the many apps available on Googles mobile OS. Ironically, although Googles European HQ is in Dublin, Googles own much- anticipated Nexus One phone isnt out on this side of the Atlantic yet. All set: Taking the definition as a phone that can download and run apps, METRO HERALD gets the low-down on some of the smartphones now (or shortly) available here Think youre smart? index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html32.html33.html34.html35.html