Top 10 Unlocked Smartphones

T-Mobile customers now can experience the speed and sophistication of Research in Motion's BlackBerry Bold 9000 ($400, unlocked; as of 4/13/09). The Bold is sold unlocked from third-party vendors in addition to being offered at a subsidized price from AT&T. But while the Bold boasts a sleek design, a sharp display, and high-speed connectivity, it fails to impress in some other areas--particularly, its call quality and its camera's image quality.

Delivering high-speed browsing and powerful messaging capabilities, the Bold represents a major step up in form and function over existing BlackBerry models. Though it takes a lot for a handset's QWERTY keyboard to impress me, the Bold succeeded. For this model, RIM revamped its keyboard with sculpted keys designed to minimize finger slippage. The result is a roomy, ergonomic typing area that makes texting and e-mailing a breeze.