Top 10 phones of September

In a not-so-dramatic entrance, the HTC Hero made it to our Top 10 list at 6th position. We had ties in the 7th (Apple iPhone 3GS, Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman and Nokia E63) and 10th (Nokia 6700 classic and Samsung Preston) spots. In all, there were no movers and shakers to the most popular handsets which went to the Samsung Omnia II, Nokia E71 and Samsung Jet, in running order.

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	1.	Samsung Omnia II (I8000)   CNET Asia rating: 7.7 out of 10 The good: 7.2Mbps HSDPA; large 3.7-inch AMOLED display; good 5-megapixel camera; 3.5mm audio port; useful Task Switcher for memory management; good battery life; inexpensive. The bad: Plastic surface is very prone to smudges; external stylus can be annoying; threaded SMS unavailable; certain parts of custom UI can be slow at times. The bottom line: Though some may shun Windows Mobile because of other newer operating systems out there, there's no denying that the Omnia II presents great value-for-money compared with most other touchscreen smartphones. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	2.	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. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Samsung Jet       CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: Snappy performance; HSDPA; Wi-Fi; 3.5mm audio jack; supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync; priced affordably; high-resolution 800 x 480-pixel touchscreen. The bad: Fingerprint magnet; no bundled memory card and mapping software; limited apps. The bottom line: The Samsung Jet is an excellent touchscreen device that's priced competitively, yet packs a heap of features that would keep most people entertained for some time. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	BlackBerry Bold       CNET Asia rating: 8.8 out of 10 The good: HSDPA; Wi-Fi; GPS; QWERTY keypad; bright screen. The bad: Camera could be better. The bottom line: Unlike Palm, RIM has built up an impressive product portfolio that is made even better by the addition of the Bold. Aside from offering a plethora of features, the Bold's screen is one of the best we've ever seen. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Nokia N97   CNET Asia rating: 6.7 out of 10 The good: Wireless options include HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth stereo and A-GPS; 3.5mm audio jack; useful preinstalled apps; 32GB of onboard memory with microSD expansion card slot. The bad: Inconsistent user interface; keyboard with flush keys hard to type on; dated S60 software; limited apps on Ovi Store. The bottom line: There's no doubt that the N97 is Nokia's top-of-the-line S60 smartphone. But a combination of factors, from dated software to inconsistencies in the interface, make it difficult for us to recommend the device. More so when there are very compelling alternatives from competing camps the likes of Apple and HTC. Review | See full specs | Rate this