Many awards in various editions make a reader get in a loss about what really deserves his attention. We try to avoid the problem and fully concentrate on the most interesting products.

All the conclusions are based on real experience of dealing with the phones but not their paper specifications.

Our devices may be divided this way according to the device segments:

* Bestseller - business or fashion segments, maximum set of functions.
* Price/Quality - the optimal set of functions.
* Mass and Innovative - mass presented devices though having a raisin, innovations in their class.
* Image - fashion, stylish phones.

And now let's pass to rewarding after the description of the nominations.

Bestseller

Sony Ericsson K750i made a bomb effect, this model not only repeated the two-year-old success of Sony Ericsson T610, but even surpassed the predecessor. This rather small device contains all thinkable functions of a usual phone - here is a 2MP camera, a memory card and an acceptable mp3 player, and an integrated radio with RDS. This model assigned a limit and other makers began reaching out for it. Even in 2006 the K750i will have no direct rivals, and comparable solutions will appear since the second quarter. Sony Ericsson K750i is an unconditional leader of the "Bestseller" nomination.

Motorola RAZR V3 follows the winner very closely. Having appeared in the end of 2004, it really created a furore, and it only gained popularity within the year 2005. The model has become an ancestor of fashion for "slim" models, and now all manufacturers aspire to create something alike.

It's an open secret that new form-factors attract people. And the previous year passed under a slider sign. Clamshells bring no innovation, candybars are classic and sliders were quite new to the customer. The company of Samsung has become the main manufacturer of such phones and here it launched out. Samsung D500 was the first company's model with the maximum possible number of functions and by the way in a slider form-factor. This model takes the third position.

Price/Quality

Siemens with its C75 wins this award. From year to year they offer the maximum functions for the minimal price in middle segment. Now models which were placed much higher a year before, now get the C index and become bestsellers of their price groups. The C75 was not an exception, only few models could compete with this device; however they lost due to the price.

The closest functional copy of the C75 is Sony Ericsson K500i , which at last got less popular due to the higher price. And anyway it rightfully deserves the second place.

Motorola C650 holds the third position. For many people it was the first device equipped with a colour screen and an integrated camera, for some time it took part in a serious competition with Siemens C75.

Image

RAZR V3 is the winner. The company of Motorola impressed the customer with its slim phone concept so much, that not only users but manufacturers were fascinated, and thus a RAZR mania started. This was the only fashion phone, which attracted everybody's attention. We observed many attempts to borrow this or that design element, the appearance of entire product lines based on this phone. This model can be rightfully called the one that "changed the direction of mobile phone design in 2005".

The company of Nokia renewed the premium segment and launched its Nokia 8800 , which raised great interest of everybody. Even the high price of the model couldn't scare away real worshipers of the brand and ones who love to show off with an "expensive" device. This handset deserved high indexes in the "Image" category and took the second place.

Several models could have pretended on the third place simultaneously, but we think it belongs to Samsung E530 . This one of those few models created specially for women and standing out for unusual design (which charms a customer), wide colour range and good plastic.

Mass and Innovative

Sony Ericsson K750i has all the rights to be the winner in this segment, as no other phone collected as many innovations as it did in the 2005.
However the model faced a direct rival in its own product line, which name is W800i or a Walkman-phone.
The reanimation of the Walkman brand could not pass unnoticed, and seriously many users feel the difference between the K750i/W800i, though the models are equal and differ only in earphones included into the packages.
This marketing measure to promote equal phones even brought a new peculiarity to this phone - now many people consider it to be a serious device to listen to music.

Sony Ericsson W800i takes the second place.

Also the appearance of the model equipped with motion sensors and controlled by simple hand motion was quite unusual for the market.
And it is the field where Samsung showed itself again by the introduction of Samsung E760. This device takes the third place.

written by Florin C.