bloco

Smartphones with unusual features (roundup)

These days, almost every smartphone contains the same bag of tricks, with little to differentiate handsets, apart from the hardware and maybe some software extras.

Sure, one might have a better camera, more external or internal storage, and other specs that help us tell one phone from another. But on the whole, you can access e-mail, text messages, and social networks from them all, share photos and videos, surf the Internet, and install any number of apps.

This kind of uniformity is actually good news, since it means that even midrange smartphones can be just as capable as high-end products, even if they have a smaller screen or shorter battery life, for instance. Of course, there are some smartphones that stand out from the crowd for a certain physical or software feature. In no particular order, here's the current crop of unique handsets that have me looking twice.… Read more

Best smartphones for $100 or less

A hundred greenbacks is a respectable chunk of change, but when it comes to personal electronics like the ultrapersonal smartphone, $100 (before taxes and fees) is a darn good deal. Since the smartphone operating system remains the same across handsets from the most entry-level to the most premium, what a price hike usually gives you is a step up in features -- like LTE or HSPA+ 42 support, a faster processor, and more-premium camera components, for example.

Here are some of today's top picks.… Read more

Smartphones with killer screens (roundup)

No matter how you slice it, the phone's screen is the part you look at the most, and if that's cheap, cracked, hazy, or blurred, your e-mails, videos, stories, and games will look terrible.

Luckily, resolution is skyrocketing, and premium phones pack in more pixels than ever.

Of course, pixel performance isn't enough; the screen materials must also be top-notch. In addition, individual handsets' peak brightness settings are also in play; phones with a lower brightness setting won't look as good when you're out in bright sunlight.

Take a look at the many factors that go into top-notch screen quality, and enjoy my favorite smartphone screens to look at now, in no particular order.… Read more

Best 4G smartphones right now (roundup)

It's a crazy 4G world we're living in. That's mostly because the commonly accepted definition of "4G" straddles three technologies: HSPA+ (T-Mobile and most of AT&T's offerings), 4G LTE (Verizon and some AT&T phones), and WiMax (Sprint, for now). It tends to get a little confusing, especially when parsing out which LTE phones are worth your while for your carrier, your budget, and your chosen platform.

With that in mind, I offer you a sampler platter of "4G" phones that I think are great options right now, each … Read more