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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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Top 10 phones of March

By CNETAsia staff
31/03/2005
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,39223989,00.htm

Despite a flurry of new phones being announced at the recent CeBIT event in Hannover, Germany, the usual suspects dominated our Top 10 charts, though with a couple of new debuts changing the power lineup. Sony Ericsson K700i continued to hold on to the top spot while Motorola V3 moved up 5 notches from No. 7 to the No. 2. Meanwhile, other handsets such as the Nokia 7260, O2 Xphone II and Sony Ericsson S700i remained in the Top 5 listing. Samsung's latest slider, the SGH-D500, made its debut in the Top 10 at No. 7. See below for more details.

Note: Results are based on readership and telephone polls conducted with various retailers in Singapore.

Five most popular | Next five | Last month's rankings

Click here for a feature comparison table.
1.  Sony Ericsson K700i    
 
CNETAsia rating: 8.3 out of 10
The good:  Classy executive design; top-notch finish; VGA camera with photo light; MP3 player; FM radio; speakerphone.
The bad:  No expansion slot; sporadic pauses.
The bottom line: More than just an incremental upgrade, the K700i addresses numerous imperfections in past models to deliver a winning blend of style, design and unparalleled multimedia.

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2.  Motorola V3
 
CNETAsia rating: 8 out of 10
The good:  Quadband; ultrathin clamshell; luxurious aluminum furnish; impressive 262K-color TFT; Bluetooth connectivity; VGA camera.
The bad:  Pricey; laggy messaging interface.
The bottom line: Motorola's V3 clamshell comes with a touch of class. Unfortunately, its extravagant price may put it out of reach for many.

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3.  O2 Xphone II
 
CNETAsia rating: 8 out of 10
The good:  Triband; compact and sleek design; large 2.2-inch TFT; good connectivity; improved battery runtime and speed.
The bad:  Removable media not hot-swappable; lacks MP3 ringtone support.
The bottom line: This souped-up Xphone offers a plethora of features for both busy professionals and multimedia enthusiasts in a dense package.

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4.  Sony Ericsson S700i    
 
CNETAsia rating: 8.1 out of 10
The good:  High-resolution 262K-color TFT; well-implemented megapixel camera; MP3 player and radio; Bluetooth and infrared connectivity; expansion slot; outstanding battery life.
The bad:  Bulky; pricey.
The bottom line: For those looking for a feature-laden camera-phone that snaps quality pictures and entertains with music, there's no better choice than the S700i currently.

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5.  Nokia 7260
 
CNETAsia rating: 8 out of 10
The good:  Triband; sophisticated design; onboard FM tuner; video-capable VGA camera; speakerphone function; supports EDGE.
The bad:  Lacks Bluetooth; primitive camera controls.
The bottom line: One of the more distinct and striking designs from Nokia in a long time, this phone not only functions well, it's sure to turn heads, too.

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Five most popular | Next five | Last month's rankings

Click here for a feature comparison table.
6.  Nokia 7610
 
CNETAsia rating: 8 out of 10
The good:  Unorthodox design; 1-megapixel camera; RS-MMC expansion slot.
The bad:  Mono audio output; occasional lag; pricey.
The bottom line: This handset impresses by fusing fashion with function, but oversights like the lack of stereo audio output disappoint.

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7.  Samsung SGH-D500
 
CNETAsia rating: 8 out of 10
The good:  Desirable looks; excellent form factor; sharp display; speedy interface; expansive imaging features; Bluetooth works well; generous internal memory.
The bad:  Directional pad flawed; disappointing music functionality; no expansion options; poor battery life; pricey.
The bottom line: The phone has killer looks and some wonderful features including Bluetooth. Its high pricing may put people off, though.

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8.  Mitsubishi M900
 
CNETAsia rating: 7.7 out of 10
The good:  Excellent display; crisp MP3 playback; miniSD slot; strong camera function.
The bad:  Slow interface; poor music implementation; no Bluetooth.
The bottom line: This Japanese mobile manages to stand tall and proud among the big boys with its stellar offering of music and photo capabilities.

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9.  Nokia 6260
 
CNETAsia rating: 6.8 out of 10
The good:  Speedy Series 60 interface; RS-MMC expansion slot; excellent connectivity options.
The bad:  Lacks external display; poorly positioned keys; mono MP3 playback; unsatisfactory workmanship.
The bottom line: This Nokia’s competitive features are overshadowed by hardware shortcomings.

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10.  Motorola E680
 
CNETAsia rating: 7.7 out of 10
The good:  Triband; horizontal screen orientation for gaming; excellent multimedia features; hot-swappable Secure Digital expansion slot; Bluetooth and infrared wireless connectivity.
The bad:  Unintuitive design.
The bottom line: Despite some minor design quirks, Motorola's E680 dazzles with its strong multimedia feature set.

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