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Top 5 phones with QWERTY

By CNET Asia staff

Just like in fashion, the world of cell phones and smart phones is a very design-driven industry. You've got the super-stylish for fashionistas, the colorful, and the unusual for those who dare to be different. While cell phones have been more adventurous in form factor, smart phones and handhelds tend to be more conservative and limited in design since a) they largely cater to a business crowd and b) there's only so much a manufacturer can do with the handset without sacrificing features and usability.

However, that doesn't mean we're stuck in the age of blocky, brick-like devices. The current style to saunter down the handset runway is the sleek full QWERTY handset that, whether you love it or hate it, was spurned by the Moto Q. Here are the top phones with a full QWERTY keyboard for all your messaging needs.

What's on the horizon?


Click here for a feature comparison table.

1.  Nokia E71    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.7 out of 10
The good: Slim and stylish design; solid build quality; full range of wireless features; works right out of the box; snappy performance; excellent battery life.
The bad: Counter-intuitive camera autofocus; media browser could do with a little upgrade; Easy Dial feature not available.
The bottom line: The Nokia E71 is easily one of the best QWERTY smart phones that combine strong features as well as a good balance between business and entertainment, at a competitive price.

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2.  Nokia E90 Communicator    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.4 out of 10
The good: Solid build quality; numeric keypad in addition to a QWERTY keyboard; Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS and Bluetooth stereo; large 800 x 352-pixel screen; supports various messaging clients including BlackBerry Connect; fast processor.
The bad: Typing on the wide keyboard can be tiring after a long while; no fax capability; camera's shutter button doesn't perform up to par.
The bottom line: Strong features and a relatively compact form factor make the E90 Communicator one of the best smart phones in the market today.

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3.  Moto Q 9h
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: QWERTY keypad; HSDPA (3.5G) connectivity; dual processors.
The bad: No Wi-Fi; screen could be slightly wider.
The bottom line: The Q 9h has one of the best smart phone keypads we have used and the Windows Mobile 6 software moves along fairly speedily. It's definitely one of the better models out there at the moment.

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4.  Samsung Ultra Messaging i600    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Slim and sexy design; thumbwheel provides a BlackBerry-like user experience; microSD expansion slot; HSDPA, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity; supports A2DP; user-friendly interface; excellent sound quality on speakerphone; second battery included.
The bad: QWERTY keyboard needs some getting used to especially for users with large digits; proprietary port for charging and synchronizing phone; no audio port; basic camera feature set; no onboard flash light.
The bottom line: Easily the king of connectivity in the QWERTY-equipped smart phones category, the i600 boasts strong features in a sexy, compact, monoblock form factor.

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5.  Sony Ericsson P1i    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Compact design; 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus; responsive interface; FM radio and music player; office productivity applications; support for Exchange syncing.
The bad: No HSDPA; QWERTY keyboard takes some getting used to; thin stylus; requires optional accessory to use standard headphones.
The bottom line: The P series is now slim and compact but still remains feature-packed for business users. Those considering one will just have to get used to the uncommon space-saving keyboard layout.

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    Talkback
Woody says...
The Nokia E90 Communicator easily seems to be the top Qwerty handset. Does Nokia have any Communicators in the pipeline? Which phone is better than the E90 presently?

 
 
vin8tan says...
I have been considering E90 to be my next phone too ~~~

 
 
iolo003 says...
Does anybody know if E71 can play .flv file? Does it have flashlite 3 like that of new Nseries phones.

 
 
isaac976 says...
Blackberry not counted as phone ? ahah ... anway y.. E71 is by far the best in this category of 5, the E90 too bulky dont support bb, the MQ9 has its share of problem, what happend to the I780 ? or samsung 700

 
 
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