Cell phones

Android Shmandroid. And an iPhone? That�s not �thinking different� any more. No, raise your hand if you just need a good phone, not a computer in your pocket. I�m B.C. with Top 5: Cell Phones. Not smartphones, just cell phones. #5 is the Casio G�Zone Brigade on Verizon. True to its Village Peopley name, this guy has the same sort of charm as a construction worker in a thong and a new pair of Red Wings. Its rugged � that means bulky --- but that makes room for a spacious keyboard. It has push-to-talk to reach the boss man quick when the wellhead blows up, and a 3.2 megpixel camera to get pictures of that for the Senate hearings. #4 is the Pantech Ease on AT&T. A little bean shaped horizontal slider, which reveals a good keyboard, but it also has an excellent looking and working touch screen. Also has an Easy mode that dumbs down the interface making it foolproof for the elderly, techphobic or just stupid. We wish they didn�t lock our some apps like stopwatch and notepad in the Easy mode, but overall a solid, innovative design. #3 is the Samsung Reality on Verizon. Like the Ease it has a really good slide out keyboard and generous, bright touch screen. On the display, you can switch between up to 3 home screens to organize your widgets and such, which is a nice borrow from smartphones and generally everything is very intuitive. #2 is the LG dLite on T-Mobile. The exact opposite of the GZone Brigade: Ultrafeminine and available in bubble gum pink. It�s a slim flip phone with an edge-lit case and a sort of secret LED matrix display on the back that can show the time or a series of Pac-man�ish animations. Yeah, real ditzy. It�s a long thing, too much so perhaps, but this phone got us excited by a basic phone like few others did this year. Before we get to #1, make sure you check out the mirror image of this Top 5: Top 5 AWFUL phones. They make even the WORST phone on today�s list look stellar. #1 is the LG Lotus Elite on Sprint. A cool, square flip design including an *external* touch screen, great keyboard inside, good multimedia, messaging and calling. The 2 MP camera is dated at this point, and it is red. I mean, bright red. But all in, this might be the coolest non- smartphone on the block as we wrap up 2010.