Smartphones of 2008: The Eight Hottest Handsets of the Year
To celebrate the closing of 2008, we've hand-picked eight of the best smartphones to hit retail shelves throughout the year. We've got all the heavy-hitters, but a few of our choices just might surprise you.
By Al Sacco
The year 2008 has been a momentous one for the mobile industry, and in particular, the smartphone space. A record 39.9 million smartphones were shipped globally in the third quarter of the year, according to market research firm Canalys. That's 28 percent more phones shipped than in the same July through September period of 2007, and smartphones now make up some 13 percent of the overall handset market, Canalys says.
That's a whole lot of smartphones.
And though the line between "regular" mobile phones, or feature phones, and smartphones gets blurrier every day, there are a select few uber handsets that still stand out from the pack. Whether it be stunning design, new and innovative functionality or exclusive features, the following eight handsets are our picks—in no particular order—for the best smartphones of the year, and each and every one is worth a look.
Best of all: You've still got all the handsets of 2009 to look forward to.
BlackBerry Storm: All Touchy Feely
RIM's first touch screen BlackBerry, the Storm,
thundered into the United States in November to much fanfare, but unfortunately its launch was hindered by poor quality OS code. Verizon has since shipped an OS update that did away with, or at least improved upon, many of the early problems, and the device is beginning to shine. With a unique, 360 X 480
SurePress screen that clicks when you press it, GPS, both CDMA and GSM functionality and an entirely new BlackBerry OS, the 3G Storm is a force to be reckoned with.
(Verizon Wireless; CDMA & GSM; $199 [after rebate] with two-year service contract)
Image credit: Research in Motion Ltd.
