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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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Top 10 phones of CommunicAsia 2009

By Damian Koh,John Chan
18/06/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62055161,00.htm

It was a little quiet at CommunicAsia this year and it seems the Koreans are providing all the fanfare and excitement with new phones, features and the fast-vanishing breed of booth babes. But that's another story altogether (see our photo gallery). We're here to unveil the Top 10 handsets at this year's show and at fringe events that have piqued both us and visitors the most.

Without further ado, start clicking to see our best-of-best roundup (in alphabetical order).


Best in show: Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10



Watch the video version of this roundup here!



Nokia E72

This business-oriented phone is the successor to the well-received E71. Improvements include HSUPA connectivity for faster upload speed over the cellular network and a dedicated 3.5mm audio jack--perfect for those who use their phones as music players.



Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

It may not even have 3G connectivity, but the 5530 XpressMusic gets our vote for being better-looking than Nokia's first touchscreen S60 handset, the 5800 XpressMusic. What's more, it will come with a wallet-friendly price of 199 euros (US$278).



LG Crystal

Aside from a full touchscreen interface, the LG Crystal features a slide-out numeric keypad that's transparent. Though we usually avoid touch-sensitive buttons like the plague, this one is so pretty that we may be willing to turn a blind eye to it.



LG Viewty Smart

The 8-megapixel camera on this LG may not be the highest resolution for mobile phones, but its Intelligent Shot feature will be useful for those who usually depend on their digital camera's auto mode (some call it photography for dummies) to determine the best settings.



LG Watch phone

Though not exactly new, the good news is that LG will be making it commercially available before the end of 2009. Finally, we have an excuse to wear our Dick Tracy yellow fedora in public.



Samsung Jet

The claim that it's "smarter than a smartphone" may seem overly bold, but the Samsung Jet does boast an impressive list of features at an incredibly low price of S$698 before operator subsidies.



Samsung Omnia II

Replacing the original Omnia SGH-i900, the Omnia II is the most feature-packed of the four Windows Mobile smartphones Samsung announced during the show. Watch out, HTC, the Korean company has your market in their sights.



Samsung Pixon12

As its name suggests, the Pixon12 will come with a 12-megapixel camera. Now, we know image resolution isn't the be-all and end-all of taking good photos. But having this feature on a phone is something great to boast about when trying to impress girls. Or not.



Sony Ericsson Satio

Equipped with the S60 5th Edition smartphone OS, a 12-megapixel camera and a 3.5-inch 640 x 360-pixel display, the Sony Ericsson Satio is the most impressive phone from Sony Ericsson for a long time. Let's hope its target release date of early Q4 doesn't get delayed--the company really needs something to perk up their business soon.



Sony Ericsson Yari

While its specifications aren't all that impressive, the Yari adds an entertaining twist called Gesture Gaming using the front-facing camera. The truth is, we really like seeing how silly some people look using this feature.