Smart Phones Get Smarter

Nokia E62

Photograph: Rob Cardin This newcomer to the PDA phone scene has quickly emerged as a top contender thanks to a bevy of features and an impressive keyboard. Available from Cingular, this handset lacks high-speed HSDPA support (though it does support EDGE) and has a few interface quirks, but it's one of the most capable PDA phones on the market.

The biggest draw of the E62 is its roomy keyboard: It's one of the most spacious arrangements I've ever seen on a candy-bar handset, with wide, flat keys that are beautifully sized and spaced. Setting up e-mail is a breeze, the E62 handles attachments with aplomb, and its included office suite lets you view and edit documents easily.

As a phone, the E62 is on the quiet side, so you may have trouble hearing your callers. Dialing is easy, however, and the unit is comfortably light to hold. Talk-time battery life is excellent, reaching the 10-hour maximum in PC World's lab testing. An MP3 player and a headset are also bundled.

My few complaints center on features that the E62 lacks: It has no camera and no 3G service. The Symbian OS is surprisingly sluggish, too; I found myself hitting commands several times, thinking that the button presses hadn't registered, when in reality the E62 was just processing them slowly.

Otherwise, it's a stellar little device. Factor in its reasonable $200 price (Note: All prices in this story are with a two-year contract, before any rebates), and the E62 comes out number one on our chart.