Samsung Focus Flash

Samsung Focus Flash

Last year's Samsung Focus ushered in the WP7 mobile platform and became its best-selling handset to date. Now Samsung is leading the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 brigadge with the speedy and inexpensive Focus Flash. You typically wouldn't expect much horsepower from a smartphone originally retailed at $50, but that's far from the case here as the Flash sports a strong 1.4GHz CPU. The manufacturer's beautiful Super AMOLED screen dishes out amazingly crisp visuals and plays 720p/1080p videos fluidly in full screen. Top it off with good voice quality and HSPA+ network support, the Focus Flash gives you near-premium specs at an incredible value.

readme → Samsung Focus Flash

T-Mobile G2x

T-Mobile G2x

T-Mobile's first dual-core smartphone demonstrated why NVIDIA's almighty chip is the most revered in the mobile game. Touchscreen commands and web browsing was swift. However, it was in the gaming realm where the G2x excelled, displaying beautifully rendered graphics and running smoothly on the phone's 4-inch WVGA touchscreen. It also plays and records full 1080p videos. LG laced its beauty with an opulent and solid build that outshined most of the carrier's roster prior to the summer, while providing great call quality and presenting multimedia perks like DLNA support for wireless media transfers and a micro-HDMI port. It's a shame T-Mobile made the G2x unavailable online and in retail stores during the summer stretch, but luckily its back on the market with the latest software updates.

readme → T-Mobile G2x

Motorola Triumph

Motorola Triumph

Hold up: A hot pre-paid Android phone? Seriously? Yes, sir. Even with an obsolete 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor under the hood, Moto's little Android-that-could illustrated that you didn't need the latest dual-core to generate stellar results. The device ships without the manufacturer's MOTOBLUR skin, benefiting from a smoother and user-friendly UI. Another unexpected feature we found to be dope was the addition of a Micro-HDMI port to mirror mobile content onto any compatible HDTV. Motorola definitely blessed Virgin Mobile pre-payers with a handset they could proudly flaunt amongst the big carrier crowd.

readme → Motorola Triumph

HTC Vivid

HTC Vivid

In comparison to HTC's other enticing 2011 selections, the Vivid was clearly the unattractive fat chick at the Android ball. But under the generic appearance lies one of the most powerful pieces of mobile hardware on the market. With strong LTE coverage, a speedy 1.2GHz dual-core chip, and a sharp 4.5-inch Super qHD LCD capable of 520 X 960-pixel resolution, AT&T's handset is a mobile work mule. Software-wise, the HTCSense.com portal provides users the ability to utilize a number of remote features such as locking, locating, or wiping the phone data from a computer. The phone is also due for an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade in the near future. Guess beauty is skin deep after all.

readme → HTC Vivid

Motorola Atrix II

Motorola  Atrix  II

The original Atrix left us stunned for more than half the year. So when Moto announced a scion to Ma Bell's powerhouse, we had insurmountable expectations. Those words stood true as the Atrix II managed to deliver the same performance as the original, except at a huge discount. Don't be fooled into thinking both handsets are carbon copies, though, as Moto integrated cool new features into the latest version such as an in-pocket detection system and the cloud-based ZumoCast app to help differentiate the two. Other notable upgrades include a bigger and brighter 4.3-inch qHD display, stronger battery, and robust camera. And like big bro, there's a plethora of accessories (including Moto's infamous Lapdock) available to transform the Atrix 2 into a mobile computing goliath.

readme → Motorola Atrix II

HTC Radar 4G

 HTC Radar 4G

Our first taste of Windows Phone 7's Mango OS was delectable, as the revamped UI brought together stunning animations and enhanced productivity features like real-time updates. Microsoft gave its Bing search engine a facelift by including Voice Search, a Shazam-inspired music app, and search aggregation tool called Bing Vision that pulls info from an item at which the rear camera is pointed. The intuitive software provides a major boost in speed for the dated 1GHz Qualcomm CPU that places the WP7 device on the same performance level as many of the lower-tier dual-core chips out. And what better way to top off Microsoft's mobile delicacy than with a sexy veneer frosted in all-white and silver accents. Bon appétit!

readme → HTC Radar 4G

HTC EVO Shift 4G

 HTC EVO Shift 4G

The EVO 4G set the mold for one of the best-selling handset makers by incorporating dynamic hardware, 4G capability, and a ginormous, stunning display into one Android offering. Somehow HTC squeezed a majority of the dope elements from its forebear into the downsized Shift 4G, while making significant strides with the sturdy slide-out keyboard and vastly improved battery. Smaller is definitely better, as the 3.6-inch screen produces good picture quality and makes for a comfortable fit in pocket. One of the EVO 4G's major issues was its overexposed display, but HTC's heavy-duty construction protects the fragile exterior from any sudden impact. Say peace to one of the last great QWERTY smartphones of this Android generation.

readme → HTC EVO Shift 4G