Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Just Tell Me What To Get: Flat Phone

by Tom Samiljan on May 30, 2007 at 12:36 PM

A reader writes: I've had a MotoRAZR for nearly two years and I'm ready to get a new phone. The RAZR's keyboard is kind of hard to use, but I'd like something that's still slim enough to fit in my pocket and but doesn't skimp on features like music playing and camera. And I don't want to spend more than $50. Just tell me what to get!

Hey reader: We're huge fans of T-Mobile's Samsung Trace, which is not only the world's slimmest phone (only 0.3-inches thick), but also a solid performer that beats many handsets four times its size. The keypad's keys are big, easy-to-press, and responsive, which makes everything from dialing to playing games a cinch. (We should mention that the surprisingly large, two-inch color LCD is also good for gaming.)

The Trace is also light-about 2.5 ounces--which makes holding the phone for long conversations easier on your arm. Though it's only 1.3 megapixels (still the industry standard), the built-in camera delivers solid images on the fly, and a camcorder does clear, colorful video (that you can turn into screensavers, among other fun features). The Trace also has a built-in audio player that can handle MP3 and AAC music files (but not iTunes-purchased ones). Also, it's quad-band GSM, which means you can use it as a world phone when you're traveling overseas. Our only complaint? Sometimes we actually can't find it in our pocket--it's that slim! At $49.99 (with rebate and a two-year commitment with T-Mobile), the Trace is just barely under the $50 limit, but we'd happily pay four times that much for it.

Related Links:


Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular