Ben Patterson: The Gadget Hound [Bio]
Got a precocious kid who deserves a smartphone in her backpack? I've found a few solid picks that won't break the bank.
Most of the handsets I've chosen below are a generation or two old, but they should still pack plenty of punch for high school- or college-age students looking to tracks their class schedules, access their files on the go, or fire off e-mails on the quad. All these smartphones require two-year contracts (clck here for my no-contract phone picks), but they've also been steeply discounted—in some cases, half off (or more) the original price.
Palm Centro
This itty, bitty re-do of the Palm Treo might be a little small for grown-ups, but the Centro's diminutive QWERTY keypad might be a good fit for high school kids and college students. The 3G Centro is a whiz at e-mail and texting, and you can even tether it to a laptop for on-the-go Net access. Available for $99 from Sprint and Verizon Wireless; there's also an EDGE-only version on AT&T for $69.
Palm Treo 750
This 3G, Windows Mobile version of the Treo is getting a little long in the tooth—it's more than a year and a half old. The bulky, QWERTY-equipped 750 also lacks GPS and Wi-Fi. That said, it comes with a full suite of mobile Office apps, and—drumroll, please—you can get a refurbished model for free on AT&T, a $399 savings over the original price tag.
BlackBerry Pearl
When it comes to the Crack—er, BlackBerry, well, it's never too early to start. The compact, EDGE-only BlackBerry Pearl comes in four colors (black, white, ruby, and gold), packs in a pseudo-QWERTY keypad, and makes quick work of any e-mail or texting duties. Available new for $99 on T-Mobile, or $69 refurbished on AT&T.
Samsung ACE
Here's a cool smartphone for globetrotting students—the Windows Mobile-packing Samsung ACE ($99 on Sprint), a slim QWERTY smartphone that does 3G and works on both stateside CDMA and worldwide GSM networks. Mobile TV and the 1.3MP camera make for nice bonuses.
Samsung BlackJack II
Another slim Windows Mobile handset, the BlackJack II comes in four flavors (black, blue, red, and pink), and boasts a 2MP camera, speedy HSDPA data access, music subscription support, and mobile TV via AT&T's Cellular Video service. Available on AT&T for $99.
