By CNET Asia staff
24/12/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62049538,00.htm

2008 has been nothing short of exciting for the cell phone industry. It's a year where smart phones hogged the limelight and touchscreen handsets flooded the market.

The iPhone 3G led the way with a touch user interface that's still one of the best, while the Android-based HTC G1 that runs on the open source platform has a wealth of potential waiting to be tapped. Nokia and RIM, too, came up with their own touch-enabled handsets.

The 5800 XpressMusic was the first Nokia to run on the Symbian S60 5th Edition operating system but soon after, the company also announced the more feature-packed N97. RIM, on the other hand, rolled out quite a few consumer-centric messaging handhelds like the Bold and Storm which sports a unique clickable touchscreen display.

These are not all. Over the next few pages, we round up 10 phones which we felt made an impact in the industry. See what they are.

Note: The phones are listed in alphabetical order.

Apple iPhone 3G

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: The iPhone 3G didn't have the hype of its predecessor, but its list of added features including 3G, support for Microsoft Exchange and third-party software makes it attractive not only to everyday consumers, but also the enterprise users.

John Chan: You need only look at the way mobile operators all over the world were eating out of Apple's hands to realize that the international launch of the iPhone 3G was a defining point of 2008.

BlackBerry Bold

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: The Bold will be remembered for its brilliant screen with colors so vibrant that they literally pop out of the display.

John Chan: BlackBerry was spot on when it named the Bold. Even though the screen is a little small, it can't be beat for its colors and visibility in sunlight.

BlackBerry Storm

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: Forget about haptic feedback. The Storm has a real clickable touchscreen LCD.

John Chan: Famed for its messaging devices, RIM uncharacteristically gave us a product which has no keypad whatsoever--definitely a pivotal moment in BlackBerry's history.

HTC G1

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: The G1 was the first smart phone based on the Android open source operating system which could potentially change how we look at cell phones next year.

John Chan: It may not be the prettiest of devices, but the G1 will be remembered for being the first "Google phone".

HTC Touch HD

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: The Touch HD was made to compete with the iPhone 3G. If only the latter had come with the features of the HTC.

John Chan: For the largest screen possible on a phone that is still easily pocketable, the Touch HD is 2008's best bet.

Motorola ZINE ZN5

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: Motorola bucked the trend of increasing resolution on image sensors and instead opted for better camera performance which made us wonder why we had to live with crappy shutter lags in the past.

John Chan: The ZN5 is a good exception from Motorola's generally forgettable year in mobile phones. Hopefully the US company will keep it up and make itself the one to beat for camera performance in phones.

Nokia E71

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: The E71 sheds the enterprise, bulky look, but retains the feature set of its Eseries predecessors with an attractive price to boot. No wonder it's a hot seller for this year.

John Chan: I bought one for myself. 'Nuff said.

Nokia N97

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: When Nokia announced the 5800 XpressMusic, many people predicted that a top-of-the-line, feature-packed touchscreen smart phone isn't too far away. They were right.

John Chan: Packed with even more features than it's current top-of-the-line devices, you realize that Nokia's touchscreen-capable Series60 5th Edition is now its interface of choice for flagship devices.

Samsung Omnia

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: The Omnia's attractive price and truckload of features helped the Korean phone-maker move this flagship model in huge volumes.

John Chan: While not the company's first touchscreen Windows Mobile device, the Omnia showed that it has the chops to compete with seasoned pros like HTC in this space.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Why we will remember it
Damian Koh: Although it's Sony Ericsson's foray into Windows Mobile, the company gave us a very competent handheld, but word has it that the company will also release a high-end Android phone next year.

John Chan: While doing its own thing (remember the Symbian UIQ?) was great, what the market wanted was another high-end Windows Mobile device and Sony Ericsson duly delivered the goods. I just wish the company would properly conduct a funeral for the P-series so that its small group of fans can finally accept its death and move on.