GOTY 2009: Business Class Mobiles

In Tech2's Gadget of the Year 2009, I've covered Budget handsets and Multimedia mobiles that made it big this past year. In this list I've showcased the best business oriented handsets to make the list. Take a look.
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Business handset of the year BlackBerry Curve 8900 - Rs. 22,000
Out of the lengthy list of BlackBerry handsets available in the market today, the 8900 has to be the slickest of the lot. The 'Javelin' as it's also called has all you'll need as a BlackBerry user from downloading your secure email to super fast browsing using BIS. The keypad is wide and well laid out to facilitate quick typing so your emails will never be late. The overall design itself gives it an edgy yet professional look for the young professionals.

Good - The Curve, although retaining a generic RIM design, is quite well laid out.
The Keypad on its own is spaced out well.
The 3MP camera with geotagging and image stabilization is quite good.
The audio and video players work out great.
All of RIM's BlackBerry specific features work perfectly.
Bad - Had a couple of minor issues with the Wi-Fi in two test pieces till RIM sorted it out.
Rating - 4.5/5

Runner up - Nokia E72 - Rs. 19,649
Nokia's E71 had a really good run but like any mobile handset, an upgrade is always never too far behind. The E72 is a well rounded handsets and offers quite a lot in terms of business applications as well as connectivity options. Its multimedia features also work out quite well as Nokia has also provisioned the device with GPS and A-GPS and Ovi Maps to use it with.

Good - The E72 offers a really great battery life.
Although it's not as edgy as its predecessor the E71, the E72 is nevertheless a very elegant handset
Nokia has included plenty of preloaded connectivity features even for the Social Networkers.
The 5MP camera's quality is quite good.
Bad - The keypad may take some getting used to though.
Rating - 4.5/5

Best value - Blackberry 8520 – Rs. 13,500
RIM’s BlackBerry is by far one of the better handsets for business persons and have always been a little on the pricey side but the 8520 opened the doors for the business class who had no intention of investing so heavily in a handset. The BlackBerry 8520 is capable of almost as much as any of its brethren including good audio and support for most of the popular video formats for drag and drop playback. RIM has also incorporated a touch sensitive navigation pad instead of their track ball or ‘Pearl’ as it came to be known.

Good – Although it’s the little brother in the BlackBerry family it’s still well designed.
The music player provides loud and clear sound.
It's loaded with codecs for most popular video formats.
The battery life is quite good.
The new track-pad system for navigation works out great.
Bad – It’s not a 3G enabled handset.
Rating - 4.5/5

Stay tuned for more of Tech2's Gadgets and Games of the year. All the prices quoted are MOP.