Top 5 Flip-Phones
From LoveToKnow Cellphones
Technically, there is a distinction that should be made between flip phones and clamshell-style cell phones, but in everyday language they are one and the same. Strictly speaking, a flip phone is simply a candybar (or simply "bar") style phone with a cover. This cover does not contain any buttons, displays, or other key electronic elements. By contrast, "clamshells" are what we normally think of when the term "flip phone" is used. The internal color screen is seen on the inside of the top cover, as well as other elements like an external display, digital camera, and external music controls.
Why Go Clamshell?
Flip phones are easily the most popular form factor when it comes to cell phones these days. Take a look at the lineup from any wireless service provider -- T-Mobile and Verizon, for example -- and you'll see that a fairly significant portion is dominated by the flipping wonders. The clamshell shape allows for the most pocketable, compact footprint, while at the same time providing a large display and placing the microphone as close to a user's mouth as possible.
Top 5 Flip Phones
Motorola RAZR
What list of flip phones would be complete without the super skinny offering from Motorola that popularized the "slim is in" mantra. There are no fewer than five different versions of the RAZR on the market, in addition the rainbow of colors that they are available in. If standard silver or black doesn't tickle your fancy, it doesn't take much to discover magenta, blue, pink and other flavours of RAZR. For more on distinguishing between the RAZR V3, V3i, V3x, V3c, and V3m, check out our article on Motorola Cell Phones, which will give you the skinny on internal memory, camera resolution, music playback capabilities, network usage, screen quality, and several other factors that distinguish the different models of Motorola RAZR.
Sharp 903
Also known as the SX833 (in China), the Sharp 903 isn't the thinnest flip phone on the market at 29mm thick, but its understated beauty has attracted many a buyer. The sharply designed cell phone is ready for the high speeds of 3G data thanks to its built-in UMTS capabilities. This tri-band GSM flip phone lacks an external display, which is a bit of a downer, but it does pack polyphonic and MP3 ringtones, 3D stereo sound, a miniSD expansion slot, and Bluetooth v1.1. The Sharp 903's biggest selling point, however, is its incredible 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom, video recording, and flash.
Nokia N93
At the time this article was written, the Nokia N93 was announced but not yet released. This is not simply a "phone", but it is rather being marketed as a "multimedia computer". The tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM phone can also do UMTS, as it should, given its music, movie, and gaming-centric nature. Other high speed data options include EDGE, WLAN (802.11b/g, just like your home wireless network), and GPRS Class 32. In addition to the twist and rotating screen (allow it to do things that other "normal" flip phones cannot do), the Nokia N93 throws in 50MB of internal memory, speedy Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, and a 3.2 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and Carl Zeiss optics. The drool list of features doesn't end there. The N93 also sports a MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, a secondary CIF video call camera, personal information manager, photo/video editor, and the ability to play complicated 3D video games. This monster of a handset will not come cheap.
Sony Ericsson W710
The latest in the line of Walkman phones coming out of the Sony Ericsson camp is the W710. While others may prefer the slider, swivel, or bar form factor found on other SE musicphones, the more standard flip phone may appeal to a wider audience. Key features include a black monochrome (with signature orange text) external STN display, Bluetooth, Push to talk, FM radio, and a 2 megapixel camera with video (QCIF) abilities. Being a "Walkman" phone, it goes without saying that the W710 is designed to blast out MP3/AAC tunes with the best of them. This quad-band GSM clamshell may only contain 10MB of shared internal memory, but the Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion slot should provide plenty of storage space, especially considering that the phone comes bundled with a 512MB card.
Panasonic VS7
Panasonic may not have made as big a name for itself in the mobile phone industry in North America as it has in Japan, but that shouldn't stop you from giving the VS7 a second glance. The 2 megapixel (1600 x 1200 pixel) camera features prominently on the front of the phone, as does the external CSTN color display. Key selling points include an internal antenna (or "intenna", if you will), Bluetooth v1.2, tri-band GSM connectivity, and a built-in MP3 player (despite having only 30MB of memory and no expansion slot). But hey, Sonic the Hedgehog is bundled in as an included mobile game, and who can say no to that blue blur of a speedster.
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