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The brainy bunch: CNET readers' favorite smart phones

Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha, Senior Associate Editor
Updated July 18, 2007
Smart phones are taking off with great speed. And is it any wonder? These brainy gadgets combine the smarts of a cell phone and a PDA into one, and they've come a long way in terms of design (good-bye, bricklike phones). Now, while we put these devices through their paces in CNET Labs, it's you, our readers, who are the harshest critics. After all, you're the ones living with and using these gadgets every day. Here are the six smart phones that you gave a passing grade, all scoring above a 7.0 user rating. Each carrier is represented, so read our reviews to see if one is right for you.

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Product name HTC Mogul PPC-6800 (Sprint)
HTC Mogul PPC-6800 (Sprint)  
T-Mobile Dash (aka HTC Excalibur)
T-Mobile Dash (aka HTC Excalibur)  
RIM BlackBerry Pearl - black (T-Mobile)
RIM BlackBerry Pearl - black (T-Mobile)  
Samsung BlackJack SGH-i607 (AT&T)
Samsung BlackJack SGH-i607 (AT&T)  
Pantech PN-820 (Verizon Wireless)
Pantech PN-820 (Verizon Wireless)  
Nokia N95 - black/silver (Unlocked)
Nokia N95 - black/silver (Unlocked)  







Review date June 17, 2007   October 11, 2006   September 06, 2006   November 13, 2006   March 14, 2007   April 10, 2007  







CNET editors' rating 7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
7.0 out of 10 7.0
Very good
7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
7.0 out of 10 7.0
Very good
7.0 out of 10 7.0
Very good







Users' rating 7.2 out of 10 7.2
Very good
6.9 out of 10 6.9
Good
7.7 out of 10 7.7
Very good
6.7 out of 10 6.7
Good
7.1 out of 10 7.1
Very good
8.0 out of 10 8.0
Excellent







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Review summary The Sprint Mogul by HTC brings some needed design and feature updates to its predecessor, and refreshes the carrier's staid lineup of smartphones. It has some performance issues, but is worth the upgrade. With a sleek design, good performance, and a robust set of productivity and wireless options, the T-Mobile Dash is an all-in-one hit and earns its reputation as a Motorola Q killer. Though nothing revolutionary, the addition of multimedia features and the already solid e-mail capabilities make the RIM BlackBerry Pearl an attractive device for business users and consumers alike. The Samsung BlackJack heralds another 3G-enabled smart phone to Cingular's lineup. While it supports the carrier's video and music service, some design and performance issues trip up this otherwise sexy device. Though not the flashiest handset on the market, the Verizon Wireless PN-820 offers mobile professionals a decent-performing Windows Mobile smart phone in a functional flip phone design. With a 5-megapixel camera, advanced multimedia capabilities, and GPS, there's no doubt that the Nokia N95 is one of the most feature-packed smart phones to date, but poor battery life and sluggish performance make it hard to justify the high price tag.







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Basic Specs
Service Provider Sprint Nextel T-Mobile T-Mobile ATT Verizon Wireless Info unavailable







Weight 5.8 oz 4.2 oz 3.2 oz 3.5 oz 0.2 lbs 4.2 oz







OS provided Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional Microsoft Windows BlackBerry Handheld Software Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition Info unavailable Info unavailable







RAM installed size 64 MB 64 MB 64 MB 64 MB Info unavailable Info unavailable







Clock speed 400 MHz Info unavailable Info unavailable 220 MHz Info unavailable Info unavailable







Flash memory form factor MicroSD microSD / TransFlash microSD / TransFlash Info unavailable Info unavailable MicroSD







Input device type Stylus , Keyboard , Jog wheel , Touch-screen , 5-way navigation button Keyboard Keyboard , Trackball Keyboard Info unavailable Info unavailable







Wireless connectivity IrDA , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Bluetooth 2.0 Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 Bluetooth 2.0 Info unavailable Info unavailable







Height 4.3 in 4.4 in 4.2 in 4.4 in 3.8 in 3.9 in







Packaged contents Carrying case , Stereo headset , Additional stylus , Cigarette lighter adapter Carrying case Info unavailable AC adapter , USB sync cable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Color support 16-bit (64K colors) 16-bit (65K colors) 16-bit (64K colors) 16-bit (64K colors) Info unavailable Info unavailable







Cellular technology Info unavailable GSM GSM GSM / WCDMA Info unavailable WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM







Band / mode Info unavailable GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-band) GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) GSM 850/900/1800/1900 / WCDMA 850/1900 Info unavailable WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900







Talk time Info unavailable Up to 300 min 210 min Up to 330 min Up to 200 min Up to 390 min







Wireless Interface Info unavailable Bluetooth , Infrared (IrDA) , Wi-Fi Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Infrared (IrDA) , Bluetooth 2.0 EDR







Built-in devices Info unavailable Antenna , Camera , Display Camera , Antenna , Display , Keyboard Camera , Antenna Info unavailable Info unavailable







Carrier Info unavailable T-Mobile Info unavailable Cingular Wireless Verizon Wireless Info unavailable







Service & support details type Info unavailable Info unavailable Limited warranty Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Product name HTC Mogul PPC-6800 (Sprint)   T-Mobile Dash (aka HTC Excalibur)   RIM BlackBerry Pearl - black (T-Mobile)   Samsung BlackJack SGH-i607 (AT&T)   Pantech PN-820 (Verizon Wireless)   Nokia N95 - black/silver (Unlocked)  







Full specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications







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$300
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$100
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$100-350
from 4 stores
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$n/a
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$10
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$455-532
from 4 stores










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