Top 3 Smartphones of 2006

The year 2006 was a boon to business professionals with several smartphones available to complement their work. Of all the smartphones that were available this year, we picked out the ones that got every one talking the most.

Nokia E61 (Rs. 17,500)
Nokia’s brilliant SymbianOS-based Series 60 UI saw it’s best implementation in the widescreen Nokia E61 business smartphone that came with one of the best full-QWERTY keypads in the market. Unlike other cramped keypads, the comfortable E61 keypad let the users waste no time in getting used to. It also topped the list of email and connectivity options with Exchange and BlackBerry support over and above the regular POP3/IMAP support and “cutting” EDGE as well as 3G/UMTS/WCDMA.

BlackBerry Pearl 8100 (Rs. 24,999)
The robust BlackBerry email platform got an equally boast-worthy device this year with the BlackBerry Pearl. Combining one of the best-in-class email solutions with an SureType keyboard and an innovative trackball for navigation, the Pearl also added consumer-friendly features such as a 1.3 megapixel digital camera and audio/video playback support. And even after bringing it all together, the Pearl still maintained a very slim and stylish profile. The best BlackBerry yet.

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Motorola MING A1200 (Rs. 16,500)
Motorola’s third ace this year was the very snazzy looking, Linux-based MING smartphone which offered a great combination of features such as a large touch screen, a 2 megapixel digital camera, memory card slot, media playback and FM radio, all at a very enticing price.

If you’ve been waiting all this while to upgrade to a smartphone, these are some of the smartest options you have right now, and even till a few months into the next year.