CNET today has put together a package of reviews about camera phones. The company's picks for low cost handsets are the LG VX6000, Nokia 3650 and Sony Ericsson T616. All three receive a score of 8.3 -- "very good" -- in the reviews.
CNET's five favorite camera phones (see below) include the three low cost phones plus the Sony Ericsson P800 and the Sanyo SCP-5300 -- that also receive a score of 8.3!
My recommendations are that you (1) test any phone you want to purchase rather than simply reading reviews and (2) make sure to look at the upgraded versions of the Nokia and Sony Ericsson.
My suggestions
The LG VX6000 is a nice phone, as I've written before, but the photo quality is mediocre. If the camera is more of an afterthought, the LG is quite a nice product. But I believe once you get a camera phone and start using it, you'll pay much more attention to image quality than you originally thought.
You may check out the quality of photos from the LG and other camera phones I've tested if you click on the photo albums I've listed in the left hand column under "My Test Moblogs."
The Nokia 3650 is a more feature-rich phone than the VX6000 and the photos are some of the best I've seen from camera phones with resolutions topping at 640 x 480. However, I strongly suggest you wait to look at the newest Nokia 36XX phone, which is an upgraded version and features a more traditional keypad, rather than the 3650's circular keypad.
You will probably be able to get great deals on the 3650 -- although they've been available for free with a contract for months before the new version was announced. It's a very popular phone in the United States and around the world, and deservedly so.
More suggestions, criticisms
The Sony Ericsson P800 also has been upgraded to the P900 and is, arguably, even more feature-rich than the Nokia. You'll probably be able to get good deals on the P800, but as with the Nokia, I strongly suggest you look at the P900 is you're interested in the older version.
I have at least two bones to pick with the CNET reviews. Firstly, no good journalist would post reviews of older versions of phones without at least mentioning the availability of the newer versions. CNET doesn't. Obviously, CNET is slicing, dicing and packaging older information (the dates of the reviews are clearly displayed) in a new wrapper.
If you you rely only on those reviews, you wouldn't know there were new versions.
What is and isn't available
Secondly, CNET notes that two of the phones -- the P800 and the T616 -- aren't available from its online merchants and asks if you'd like to receive an e-mail when they're available. Both phones have been available for a fairly long time, especially the P800, even if CNET's merchants don't have them.
If you're new to camera phones -- or just too stupid to do more research (!) -- you wouldn't know they are indeed available.
Perhaps I'm being too picky. CNET provides an enormous amount of good -- free -- information and shoppers do indeed have to be smart about researching camera phones...or anything else. But as a wireless data consultant my business is indeed to be picky about details. Details matter.
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